Under Marlena's slightly ambiguous and envious gaze, Ryan left Osborn Corporation without hesitation.
Just as he said, he had a lot to prepare that afternoon.
There was no need to worry about Gwen becoming Ghost Spider.
First of all, as they'd say in the Immortal World, Gwen had the destiny to become Spider-Woman.
Secondly, before helping Gwen undergo her transformation, Ryan had already imprinted twelve Rejuvenation Talismans inside her body — each one the result of an entire year of cultivation at the Perfection Qi Refining stage.
Even if Gwen failed to fuse with the spider serum and her genes collapsed, those talismans would preserve her body perfectly.
Ryan's return to the underground palace that day had a single goal — preparing for his Foundation Establishment.
In a capitalist society, the allure of money was still irresistible.
Gwen and Ryan were already madly in love, and now that she'd found out Ryan was also a shareholder of Osborn Group — basically a walking diamond bachelor — she was probably planning to give herself to him that very night.
And once Gwen gave herself, Ryan could complete his Foundation Establishment through the Yin-Yang Harmonious Union Path.
So, he needed to prepare enough Yin and Yang Qi in advance.
The Pure Yang Qi was simple — Ryan had already accumulated it within his lifebound treasure, the Pure Yang Golden Bell, and could summon it at will.
But the Pure Yin Qi had to be stored and stabilized within a Magic Treasure.
Fortunately, Ryan had been planning for this moment for a long time.
A year ago, through a certain "confidential arrangement" with an official from NASA, he'd acquired some rare metal ore from the Moon.
That ore — known in Immortal terms as Taiyin Divine Iron — was then fused with the essence of five earthly metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin.
Using the Five Ghosts Void Condensation Art of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, Ryan smelted the spirits of countless souls who had died in agony, refining them into a Taiyin Jade Ring — a process nurtured in the Red Dust Heart Refining Furnace for an entire 365 days.
The Taiyin Jade Ring was a hybrid artifact — part Righteous Path, part Demonic Path — somewhat like the Vajra Bracelet of the Supreme Lord Laozi.
Once refined, it could be used for smashing, binding, suppressing magic, and even storing spiritual items.
Inside its ring-shaped spatial realm dwelled Five Yin Ghosts, refined through endless devouring and merging of spirits — capable of consuming both flesh and soul, expanding the ring's space, and evolving its own restrictions.
It wasn't that Ryan didn't want to craft Righteous Path treasures — but this was the Marvel Universe, where all extraordinary energy, heavenly treasures, and dimensional power sources had already been monopolized by the so-called Dimensional Gods.
A clever cultivator couldn't cook without ingredients.
So, Ryan had no choice but to rely on the Demonic Path to strengthen himself.
After all, this world had no Heavenly Dao Karma or Lightning Tribulation to punish him.
In this western land of "civilized barbarians," what was wrong with using a few corrupted souls to forge some magic gear?
He even made sure to collect the corpses himself — call it sustainable cultivation.
If America's environmental protection agencies ever found out, they might even send him a medal for recycling.
So yeah — Ryan was basically an environmentalist with extra buffs.
Back in the underground palace, Ryan quickly began his work.
With a flick of his fingers, the Red Dust Heart Refining Furnace opened, revealing a jade ring that glimmered like a five-colored gem.
Countless Heavenly Talisman Cloud Seals shimmered across its surface, forming a complex lattice of restrictions.
When Ryan infused it with starlight spiritual qi, the ring radiated with a silvery glow — like moonlight condensed into metal.
Through its internal void, he could see a dark world filled with rolling black mist, and within that mist, five malevolent spirits roamed — devouring everything, releasing Yin energy, freezing the air, and expanding the ring's space.
"What fierce Five Yin Ghosts," Ryan muttered. "Barbarians really do have savage souls, even after death."
When the Taiyin Jade Ring appeared, the Five Yin Ghosts within it tried to turn on their master, lunging toward Ryan's divine thought to consume it.
But Ryan's eyes flashed gold.
The Pure Yang Golden Bell manifested, its ringing sound shaking the void.
Golden hoops fell upon the Five Yin Ghosts, pinning them in agony.
Within minutes, the howls of the ghosts turned to pitiful wails.
After ten minutes of resistance, they finally knelt in submission inside the black mist realm, bowing toward Ryan and uttering mournful cries in some forgotten tongue.
Another five minutes later, their Lifebound True Spirits emerged — which Ryan immediately drew into his furnace, branding them with his mark.
"Just like dogs," he said coldly. "They don't understand reverence until they're beaten."
"Alright," he continued, his voice resonating like thunder, "you've devoured enough of my resources this past year — now cough up a Taiyin Jade Ring for me."
The five-colored ring in midair trembled violently.
After a long moment, it spat out a nearly identical Taiyin Jade Ring.
The original dimmed in brightness, its origin energy clearly diminished.
Satisfied, Ryan took both rings — slipping the main one onto his left pinky.
With a gentle rub, it transformed into a subtle pure silver ornament.
The other ring he reshaped into a pink-and-white couple's ring, carefully placed inside a gift box.
That would be Gwen's ring — his gift to her.
As a sub-body of the main Taiyin Jade Ring, it retained most of the original's powers.
Most importantly, their storage spaces were interconnected.
The main ring could retrieve anything stored within the sub-ring, while the sub-ring couldn't access the main space — a perfect one-way link.
Once Gwen wore it, Ryan could continuously draw upon the Yin Qi her body naturally emitted.
The ring would also serve as a locator, a protective charm, and a conduit.
One could only say — it was a flawless creation.
Of course, Ryan didn't plan on telling Gwen about the ring's… "other" ability — namely, devouring flesh and blood to evolve.
As far as she needed to know, it was just a romantic couple's ring.
Meanwhile, with the rings connected, Ryan could continuously refine Yin and Yang Qi — not as intense as Dual Cultivation, but constant, like a steady spiritual flow.
And if, someday, he found a few more Dao Companions... well, his Dao Foundation would only keep rising higher and higher.