Chapter 49: Qin Xuan's Six Soul Skills (Part 1)
The battle turned. Qin Xuan, who had been probing and testing with the blinding speed of the Vertical Sword Technique, suddenly reversed his grip on the Changming Sword.
His entire aura shifted. The precise, stabbing attacks vanished, replaced by a domineering, crushing power. He unleashed the Horizontal Sword Technique, renowned for its overwhelming, tyrannical force.
If the Vertical technique was a scalpel, the Horizontal was a guillotine.
The change was instant and brutal. Qin Xuan's attacks became as wild as a gale, as fierce as crashing waves. His momentum seemed to shake the very foundations of the hall, brimming with a cold killing intent.
His blade moved like lightning, ever-changing, with every single move designed to be lethal. He gave Bibi Dong no chance to catch her breath, no opportunity to think or reposition.
Sparks flew like fireworks in the vast hall, and dust swirled in the air from the force of their impacts.
Bibi Dong, who had previously held the upper hand with her higher rank and brutal Spirit Abilities, was now subjected to a fierce, relentless assault. She was completely, shockingly, suppressed.
Qin Xuan attacked from both sides. His true body and his Spirit Avatar, which he had summoned in the flurry, moved in perfect, deadly concert.
One wielded the Longitudinal (Vertical) Sword Technique, a blur of phantom strikes aimed at her vitals. The other wielded the Horizontal Sword Technique, a storm of heavy, bone-shattering blows.
[Inorin's Note: The Longitudinal (Vertical) and Horizontal Sword Techniques are signature styles from the Qin's Moon (The Legend of Qin) crossover, representing two opposing schools of swordsmanship.]
Bibi Dong was left struggling to parry, her eight spider legs scrambling to maintain balance, her spider-claw hands stinging and numb from the force of his blows. She was constantly on the verge of being overwhelmed.
"How is this possible?!"
Seeing this, almost everyone who had previously underestimated Qin Xuan—including the Spirit Hall Elders who had not witnessed his return—showed incredible expressions.
Qian Xunji, even more uncharacteristically, exclaimed in shock. His forced smile was gone, replaced by a mask of disbelief and a flicker of fear.
This was not the boy he had sent to die. This was a monster.
Only the six High Priests, who had witnessed Qin Xuan's battle with Yue Guan a year prior, remained relatively expressionless, showing no surprise.
Their eyes, however, held nothing but deep approval.
From this battle with Bibi Dong, it was clear that Qin Xuan's strength had significantly improved from an already shocking level. It wasn't just his spirit power; it was his technique.
That bizarre, two-styled sword technique was flawless. They mused that even if they were at the Spirit Saint realm, they probably wouldn't be able to parry such a coordinated, perfect assault and would have been forced to activate their Martial Soul Avatar long ago.
Boom—!
The Thorn Spider Armor, Bibi Dong's third Spirit Ability, finally cracked under a heavy horizontal blow. She was sent flying like a broken doll, crashing heavily into one of the massive golden stone pillars that lined the hall.
The pillar, which was over two meters in diameter and forged from enchanted gold, dented under the impact. A cloud of dust and stone fragments billowed outwards.
"This guy... is actually this strong?"
In the dust, Bibi Dong's spider armor gradually flaked off, her Spirit Ability shattered. She felt sore all over, as if her bones were about to fall apart.
"Did he hide his strength before?" she wondered, her mind racing. No... this is different.
If her spirit power hadn't already broken through to Spirit Saint, giving her the durability of that rank, she would have probably already lost from that barrage.
Just as Bibi Dong was being beaten to the point of doubting her own life, a strange, slithering sound suddenly came from the ground beneath her.
Countless golden, metallic sword edges burst out of the earth and surged towards her, converging on her position.
"Not good! It's that guy's fourth Spirit Ability!"
Bibi Dong's eight spider legs on her lower body vibrated rapidly. In the blink of an eye, she scurried up the golden stone pillar and onto the ceiling, which was part of the barrier jointly created by the Titled Douluo Elders.
But those golden sword edges, to her horror, seemed to be able to track her.
Contrary to Bibi Dong's understanding of the ability, they transformed from fixed spikes into flexible, soft blades. Like a legion of golden snakes, they followed her up the pillar, slithering across the ceiling.
Wherever she fled, those golden soft blades would track and thrust.
"It's actually a mutated Spirit Ability!"
Among the Titled Douluo present, many understood Qin Xuan's first five Spirit Abilities. Seeing his fourth—the Changming Spike Array—which was originally a rear-hand, static group attack, transform into an instant-cast, enemy-tracking ability with greatly increased speed and range... their eyes lit up in unison.
"It seems Xuan'er truly gained a great opportunity in Slaughter City this time," Golden Crocodile Douluo rumbled, his voice thick with admiration. "It didn't just improve his power; it improved the quality of his Spirit, and even caused his Spirit Ability to mutate."
"Now, the Vermilion Bird sealed in the Changming Sword is essentially his second Spirit, released simultaneously with his first Spirit," Qian Jun added proudly.
"Xuan'er's future achievements are immeasurable."
"It's a pity this Vermilion Bird isn't truly a second Spirit and cannot attach a spirit ring," Qian Daoliu finally spoke, his voice calm and profound. The other Elders fell silent. "Otherwise, his future achievements might even surpass my own."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the battle. "He might even have a chance to take... that step."
As soon as he said this, Qian Xunji and the five other High Priests were thrown into an uproar.
Having a chance to "take that step"... wasn't that saying Qin Xuan had a chance to become a God at Level 100?
Including Qian Xunji, whether they admitted it or not, the talent and strength Qin Xuan displayed truly astonished them. They just didn't expect the High Priest himself to evaluate Qin Xuan so highly.
Qian Xunji's heart, which had just been relieved by the news of Qin Xuan's "girlfriend," now filled with a new, colder jealousy.
"This is truly a disgusting Spirit Ability! It's endless!"
Bibi Dong was getting exasperated. She was running in circles on the ceiling, and Qin Xuan's seemingly endless Changming Spike Array was relentlessly hounding her.
Moreover, they were all composed of soft, flexible blades and imbued with the faint heat of the Vermilion Bird Flame, making them far more difficult to cut through than simple plant vines.
Her Death Spider Web Restraint simply dissolved against them. They were like a persistent, burning plaster, and it was very annoying.
She looked down at Qin Xuan, who was standing on the ground, his sword pointed upwards, controlling the Spirit Ability.
Their gazes met. A cunning, dangerous smile suddenly appeared on Bibi Dong's beautiful face. "Although your Spirit Ability has mutated, it seems your body still cannot move while you're continuously casting it."
"It seems so," Qin Xuan said with a faint smile, readily admitting it.
He didn't intend to defeat Bibi Dong with a mere 10,000-year Spirit Ability. He knew, even though Bibi Dong was disheveled, she still hadn't used her full strength.
"Then it's much simpler," Bibi Dong declared.
Her sixth spirit ring—a 10,000-year black ring—lit up.
Suddenly, the air above Qin Xuan, in the entire center of the arena, filled with thousands of pale purple, translucent spider barbs, each about a foot long.
"Sixth Spirit Ability: Bloodsucking Spider Barbs!"
Bibi Dong waved her right hand. The countless spider barbs rained down on Qin Xuan from all directions like a torrential, toxic storm.
The coverage was extremely wide, making evasion almost impossible.
But Qin Xuan was not helpless. His second spirit ring lit up. Changming Sword Qi attached to his body, forming a protective vortex that instantly swept away the first wave of spider barbs. He used the brief opening to move out of the center of the coverage area.
But very quickly, Bibi Dong summoned another, even larger group of spider barbs, redirecting their fall.
Left with no choice, Qin Xuan's fifth spirit ring lit up. He used his fifth Spirit Ability: Spirit Avatar.
A perfect, tangible copy of Qin Xuan, holding an identical Changming Sword, separated from his body.
The main body held one sword, the avatar held the other.
Left hand, Vertical Sword Technique. Right hand, Horizontal Sword Technique.
Large groups of spider barbs were either deflected by the precise, rapid strikes of the Vertical technique or shattered by the wide, powerful arcs of the Horizontal technique. Qin Xuan used offense as defense, his defense impenetrable.
Bibi Dong smiled, a true, excited smile. She summoned another large group of spider barbs to fall.
"It's useless! As long as my spirit power remains, the Bloodsucking Spider Barbs are endless! And with one less spirit ring than me, your spirit power must be mostly depleted, right?"
She was taunting him, probing him, challenging him. "Quickly use your sixth Spirit Ability! Otherwise, you won't have any chance of defeating me!"
Just as Qin Xuan wanted to test Bibi Dong's full strength, Bibi Dong also wanted to force out Qin Xuan's full power.
The battle with Qin Xuan made her feel a long-lost surge of excitement. This was a real fight, a battle of wits and skill, not just a contest of raw power.
Perhaps... in the future, on the long path of Spirit Masters, they might be able to continue together.
Even when recalling the scene of Qin Xuan breaking through her three defenses last time... for a fleeting moment, Bibi Dong even had the thought, 'If I hadn't met Xiao Gang... being with him...'
She immediately crushed the thought. No. Stop it.
"Then as you wish," Qin Xuan said.
The fiery red wings on his back, a manifestation of the Vermilion Bird, flapped once. He didn't just jump; he flew straight into the air, right towards the rain of spider barbs.
His sixth spirit ring, the 50,000-year black ring, pulsed.
Golden-red flames—divine, pure, and terrifying—exploded from his body.
The flames soared into the sky, instantly incinerating Bibi Dong's Bloodsucking Spider Barbs. The barbs didn't just melt; they vaporized into purple mist.
The flames continued, scorching the ground he had just left into a large, molten hole.
The spirit power barrier, jointly created by nearly a dozen Titled Douluo Elders, cracked under the sheer heat. Wisps of golden flame began to seep out.
The Titled Douluo Elders supporting the barrier were horrified, their faces paling.
Ling Yuan Douluo, an Elder whose Spirit was a rare Fire Qilin, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, her voice trembling.
"What a powerful flame this is!"
In terms of flame power alone, her own Ling Yuan Flame... it was like child's play compared to Qin Xuan's. Her Spirit was afraid.
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