Chapter 7: The Taiji Diagram Shows Its Might
Qian Daoliu stood outside the barrier, his gaze locked onto the cross-legged Qian Yang. His usually steady face was full of worry. Six years ago, he had only kept this "heaven-sent" child by his side out of a momentary softheartedness. But as six years flowed by, this top-tier powerhouse, who had traversed the Douluo Continent for a century and was accustomed to life and death, had long since come to regard this clear-eyed and occasionally mischievous boy as his most cherished kin.
A moment later, as that purple spirit ring slowly merged into Qian Yang's body like flowing water, the worry in Qian Daoliu's eyes was gradually replaced by pleasant surprise. He could clearly feel that Qian Yang had not only successfully absorbed the thousand-year spirit ring but had even achieved a perfect fusion of the spirit ring's energy with his own spirit power, without showing any signs of backlash—something that normally required immense willpower and a strong physical foundation in Douluo cultivation. Such talent—even Qian Renxue of back then might not have been able to achieve this!
But before Qian Daoliu's surprise could fade, the next scene left him completely stunned—Qian Yang slowly opened his eyes, the purple spirit ring symbolizing a Spirit Grandmaster floating quietly beneath his feet. Yet, he did not stop at all, walking straight toward a slightly larger Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear not far away.
"Xiao Yang! Stop!" Qian Daoliu snapped back to his senses and hurriedly spoke to stop him, his voice tinged with urgency. "This Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear is at least five thousand years old! You've just finished absorbing a thousand-year spirit ring, and your body hasn't fully stabilized yet. Absorbing a five-thousand-year spirit ring now is no different from suicide! Do you truly want to take such a risk?"
Qian Yang paused and turned to look at Qian Daoliu. There was no hesitation in his eyes, only an exceptionally determined light: "Grandpa, I want to become strong, as strong as you! Only by being strong enough can I protect myself in the future and bring Sister back."
As he finished speaking, the purple spirit ring beneath Qian Yang's feet suddenly lit up, and the pitch-black god slaying spear appeared in his hand once more. The spear's body glowed with a deep red light, and a murderous aura even more powerful than before surged forth, far more violent than the aura released when absorbing the first spirit ring. "God Splitting Stab!" With a low shout from Qian Yang, the god slaying spear transformed into a bolt of black lightning, instantly breaking through the five-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's defense and piercing straight through its body!
Unlike before, the god slaying spear devoured its life force even faster this time. Within a few breaths, that massive Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear lost its breath, and a deep purple spirit ring, several times richer than the previous one, slowly rose, emitting a heart-palpitating, violent energy typical of high-level spirit rings.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qian Yang sat down cross-legged again, actively guiding the deep purple spirit ring into his body. The moment the spirit ring made contact, a powerful force far exceeding the previous one swept in like a tsunami, forming an energy storm centered around Qian Yang that even caused the surrounding trees to shake violently. Standing to the side, Qian Daoliu's heart clenched as he could clearly feel the terror of this energy; even an ordinary Spirit Elder would find it impossible to withstand such pressure.
Sure enough, before long, Qian Yang's expression began to turn pained. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his face flushed a deep red. Violent energy began to leak uncontrollably from his body, and fine blood patterns even appeared on the surface of his skin, as if his body might explode from the energy at any moment—an obvious sign of exceeding one's absorption limit in Douluo cultivation.
"Ah—!" A cry of agony escaped Qian Yang's mouth. The energy of the five-thousand-year spirit ring was like an out-of-control wild beast, crashing madly within his body, and the energy from the thousand-year spirit ring he had absorbed earlier was also stirred into a frenzy, creating a chaotic internal storm.
"Xiao Yang!" Qian Daoliu could no longer sit idly by. A flash of determination crossed his eyes as the golden spirit power around him surged, instantly enveloping Qian Yang's body. He prepared to forcibly interrupt the spirit ring absorption; even if it damaged Qian Yang's Foundation, he couldn't let him perish like this!
But just as the golden spirit power was about to touch Qian Yang, a light interwoven with black and white suddenly erupted from within him—the taiji diagram abruptly emerged, rotating in the air as it expanded into a black-and-white barrier, firmly shielding Qian Yang inside. The moment the golden spirit power released by Qian Daoliu touched the barrier, it was instantly suppressed and neutralized as if it had met its natural counterbalance, failing to stir even a single ripple.
Then, the taiji diagram slowly rose, lifting Qian Yang into mid-air. The speed at which the black and white fish rotated suddenly increased, and it began to actively absorb the violent energy from the five-thousand-year spirit ring. The deep purple spirit ring's energy was drawn in by an invisible gravitational pull, being extracted strand by strand. After being refined and balanced through Yin-Yang transformation, it was then reintegrated into Qian Yang's body in a much gentler and more harmonious form, similar to a perfect refinement process.
Standing outside the barrier, Qian Daoliu was completely shocked. He watched as the taiji diagram methodically neutralized the violent energy and saw the pain gradually fade from Qian Yang's face. A tidal wave of shock surged in his heart—this second Spirit actually possessed such terrifying power, able to suppress even his spirit power and forcibly refine spirit ring energy!
Ten minutes later, the taiji diagram slowly descended, the black-and-white barrier dissipated, and Qian Yang's body gently landed on the ground. Where everyone's gazes converged, two purple spirit rings strikingly appeared beneath Qian Yang's feet—shockingly, the first spirit ring, which had originally only just entered the thousand-year threshold, now emitted a deep purple glow nearly identical to the second ring, while the color of that five-thousand-year second spirit ring had slightly faded. Clearly, the taiji diagram had performed a balance and fusion of the two spirit rings' energies, redistributing the power between them!
Qian Yang slowly opened his eyes. Though there was exhaustion in them, they shone with an unprecedented brightness. He moved his wrists, feeling the spirit power within him that far exceeded those of his age, and a smile couldn't help but tug at the corners of his mouth.
"Xiao Yang! Are you alright?" Qian Daoliu was the first to react, rushing to Qian Yang's side in a single bound. He impatiently extended his golden spirit power to carefully examine the boy's internal condition. When he felt the spirit power flowing smoothly within Qian Yang and saw that his Meridians were not only undamaged but had become wider and tougher, this Guardian of the Angel Clan finally breathed a long sigh of relief. His eyes were filled with the relief of a narrow escape and an indescribable surprise.
"Xiao Yang, from now on, Grandpa will teach you personally! Grandpa will cultivate you into a God! A God who surpasses Grandpa! When Grandpa is no longer around in the future, you must take good care of your sister!" Qian Daoliu said excitedly.
Hearing this, the six-year-old Qian Yang looked up, his clear eyes showing no trace of fear, but rather a determination that belied his age. He reached out his small hand, gently grasping the corner of Qian Daoliu's clothes, and a pure, warm smile appeared on his face: "Grandpa, I want to forge my own path. But I don't want to wait until you're gone to protect you; I want both you and Sister to be here!"
He made no grand vows, only the simplest of wishes. Having lived two lives, he understood the preciousness of family more than anyone. In his previous life as an orphan, he had never experienced the warmth of family; now, having transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, Qian Daoliu's affection and Qian Renxue's companionship finally gave him people he wanted to protect. He wanted to become strong, not only to gain a foothold in this dangerous world but also to personally safeguard this hard-won kinship and change the tragic end of the Angel Clan in the original story.
Qian Daoliu looked down at Qian Yang's serious little face and listened to his naive yet sincere words, feeling a warm current slowly surging in his heart. Having lived for so many years, he had experienced countless storms and seen countless betrayals and conflicts, long having grown accustomed to wrapping himself in majesty and power. But at this moment, faced with his grandson's simple and warm wish, the eyes of this top-tier powerhouse who dominated the Douluo Continent involuntarily moistened, and a line of hot tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and nodded vigorously. He only responded with a single word, but each word carried the weight of a thousand catties: "Good!"