Chapter 48: A True Genius
In terms of raw power, he was no less than an Attack-type Spirit Master.
Qin Xuan looked ahead seriously, his eight spider legs moving rhythmically, finding their footing on the now-scorched and poisoned floor of the Elder Hall.
Bibi Dong slowly turned around and walked out from the cloud of dissipating steam, no longer concealing herself.
The two briefly stopped fighting, their eyes locked across the twenty-pace distance. The very air between them seemed to crackle with latent energy. The assembled Titled Douluo leaned forward, their expressions ranging from analytical to stunned. This was no longer a simple test; it was a duel between two prodigies.
From the beginning of the battle until now, both Bibi Dong and Qin Xuan had primarily been testing each other.
And now... what needed to be tested had been tested enough.
"Qin Xuan," Bibi Dong's voice was steady, but her eyes held a new, burning intensity. "You have indeed greatly exceeded my expectations."
"To be able to perfectly withstand my recent round of attacks, remain unfazed by my domain, and not be afraid of my poisonous gas... I must say, you now have the qualification to fight me on equal terms."
Twenty steps from Qin Xuan, Bibi Dong stopped. Her exquisite face, made eerily enchanting by her Spirit possession, was filled with undisguised approval. This was the acknowledgment of one genius to another.
Qin Xuan smiled, the flames on his sword dying down to a low thrum. "The feeling is mutual."
"Your Holy Maiden Highness's strength has also greatly exceeded my expectations. Although you are a Control-type Spirit Master, you simultaneously possess Agility-type speed and Attack-type attributes. Looking at the entire Douluo Continent, few people can do that. The Death Spider Emperor is indeed powerful."
He wasn't flattering her or trying to curry favor. Rather, it was something he genuinely felt after fighting Bibi Dong.
'Don't look at how in the original work, Bibi Dong, at Level 99, was abused by the Level 93 Tang San,' Qin Xuan mused internally. 'All of that was based on Bibi Dong being affected by the Rakshasa God's trial, only able to use Level 98 spirit power, and Tang San having the shameless Sea God as a proxy, constantly interfering.'
The true combat power of Bibi Dong, at her peak and unhindered, was absolutely terrifying. She possessed the rare ability to fight far beyond her level.
Let alone dealing with a Spirit Emperor like him, she could probably even defeat an ordinary Spirit Douluo.
Of course, all of this was based on Qin Xuan being an ordinary Spirit Emperor.
"Then be careful."
The moment the words left her lips, Bibi Dong launched the first true attack.
Her third spirit ring, the first 10,000-year ring, lit up. A deep purple spider web, carrying an ethereal purple poisonous gas that shimmered in the light, spewed from her mouth. It didn't just fly; it enveloped the air, blocking all paths of retreat.
It then expanded rapidly, crossing the twenty-pace distance in the blink of an eye.
"So fast."
Qin Xuan knew this was Bibi Dong's third Spirit Ability, Spider Web Restraint. It was not only terrifyingly poisonous but also extremely restrictive and capable of continuous release.
At the Titled Douluo level, it could easily restrain even massive Spirit Beasts like the Sky Azure Bull Python or the Titan Giant Ape.
Spirit power was poured into the Changming Sword, and golden-red flames surged on the sword body, radiating a pure, cleansing heat.
Qin Xuan did not give Bibi Dong a chance to bind him.
He slashed out with his sword, not with a skill, but with the sheer, unadulterated power of the Vermillion Bird Flame. The blade cut the web in two.
Then, the flame ignited the poison-laced silk. A "FWOOM" echoed in the hall as it was burned to ashes in an instant, the pure fire leaving no trace of the venom behind.
"Is his Vermillion Bird Flame already this strong?"
Seeing that Qin Xuan had easily destroyed her 10,000-year Spirit Ability without using a Spirit Ability of his own, Bibi Dong was somewhat surprised.
Her eight spider legs moved rapidly below her, a blur of motion on the stone floor. Several more spider webs continuously spewed out from different, tricky angles, attempting to box him in.
This time, Qin Xuan didn't just stand and defend.
His third spirit ring, the purple 1,000-year ring, lit up. The golden-red light on the Changming Sword quickly spread, racing up his arm to cover his entire body.
Accompanied by a clear, piercing phoenix cry that echoed through the Elder Hall and shook the very souls of those present, two massive, fiery red wings erupted from his back.
Qin Xuan's only support-type Spirit Ability, his third Spirit Ability, Vermillion Bird Possession, was activated.
At this moment, the Changming Sword in Qin Xuan's hand seemed to come alive, its flames burning twice as bright, its aura doubling in intensity.
As several golden-red sword lights flashed, all the incoming spider webs were instantly shattered and incinerated.
Seeing this scene, Qianjun Douluo, who was standing in front of the angel statue, instantly lit up. "Has Xuan'er... has he already overcome that weakness?"
As Qin Xuan's master, Qianjun Douluo naturally knew all of Qin Xuan's Spirit Abilities like the back of his hand.
He knew the power of Qin Xuan's third Spirit Ability, which not only instantly increased the Vermillion Bird Flame by fifty percent but also allowed the Vermillion Bird, sealed within the Tool Spirit, to attach to his body in the form of a Beast Spirit. It achieved a temporary, perfect coexistence of a Beast Spirit and a Tool Spirit.
However, in the past, when using Vermillion Bird Possession, he would lose his sanity and become a beast that only knew how to kill until his spirit power was exhausted. It was a terrifying, double-edged sword.
It was like killing a thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of your own, making it almost useless in a controlled fight.
But now... it was different.
Ever since he refined the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Serpent's inner core, the Vermillion Bird's seal was broken, and the resentment disappeared with it. The side effect naturally no longer existed.
With Vermillion Bird Possession, Qin Xuan's strength, speed, defense, and even his flames were undoubtedly enhanced in all aspects.
He activated his light-body movement technique, and with a flap of his new wings, he vanished. In almost a blink of an eye, Qin Xuan arrived at Bibi Dong's side, the air shattering where he once stood.
This time, it was Bibi Dong's turn to be shocked.
In terms of speed, she, who was not inferior to an Agility-type Spirit Saint of the same level, actually encountered a Spirit Emperor whose speed was not much less than hers.
'I can't dodge it.'
Her fourth Spirit Ability, Thorny Spider Armor, was her only choice.
Bibi Dong was, after all, a true genius, and she wasn't caught off guard by Qin Xuan's speed.
Her fourth spirit ring, another 10,000-year ring, lit up. Black-purple thorns, over a meter long and dripping with highly concentrated poison, instantly covered every part of her body. The purple carapace on her body also became exceptionally thick, forming a near-perfect defense.
Buzz!
Clang!
A sharp sword cry and a grating metallic friction sound rang out one after another, sparks flying like a firework.
Qin Xuan's Changming Sword was blocked by Bibi Dong's Thorny Spider Armor.
But the unholy heat of the Vermillion Bird Flame on Qin Xuan's body made Bibi Dong extremely uncomfortable, the fire battling against the armor's cold, toxic energy.
The black poisonous thorns covering her body changed direction, simultaneously jamming the Changming Sword, while four other thorns, avoiding vital points, stabbed viciously towards Qin Xuan's shoulder and forearm.
As long as Qin Xuan was stabbed, even if it was just a graze, then this battle would not need to continue.
Qin Xuan, poisoned by the Death Spider Emperor's venom, would no longer be her opponent.
Qin Xuan's expression tightened. His second spirit ring, the yellow 100-year ring, lit up.
Invisible sword qi quickly attached to Qin Xuan's entire body, then erupted, forming an extremely strong repulsive force.
The ground beneath their feet instantly cracked and collapsed. Sand and stones flew, rapidly spreading out from the center of the two, forming a small wind vortex.
But Bibi Dong, anchored by her eight spider legs, remained unshaken in the slightest.
Only those four black poisonous thorns seemed to encounter extremely strong resistance, their speed sharply decreasing, but they still moved, inch by agonizing inch, towards Qin Xuan's forearm and shoulder.
Bibi Dong said sternly, her voice tight with effort, "It's useless, Qin Xuan!"
"Although your third Spirit Ability surprised me, I know all your first five Spirit Abilities like the back of my hand. I won't give you a chance to use other Spirit Abilities!"
Qin Xuan's second Spirit Ability, named Changming Sword Song, involved Changming Sword Qi attaching to his body, repelling all enemies around him. It could also be used for defense, forming a protective shield for ten seconds—an extremely powerful and Qin Xuan's only defensive Spirit Ability.
However, it also had significant limitations.
Once the sword qi erupted, the protective shield could not be used. Moreover, if the main body was restrained—as his sword was now—it could not repel the target that was restraining itself.
In Bibi Dong's mind, from the moment Qin Xuan chose to engage in close combat with her, he had already lost.
As for Qin Xuan abandoning his sword, Bibi Dong had considered it, but as a Tool Spirit Master, losing his Spirit would make him even less of an opponent for her.
"I never said I was going to use other spirit ring abilities."
Qin Xuan smiled. His sword stance suddenly changed. From a vertical sword, he flipped it to a horizontal sword, gripping Changming with a backhand.
The sword qi erupted by Changming Sword Song suddenly gathered together, compressed not into a shield, but onto the blade itself. Qin Xuan used the momentum to unleash "Traverse the Four Directions."
Crack—
The next second, a scene that shocked Bibi Dong and everyone else present—except for the six High Priests who could barely follow the movement—appeared: the poisonous spider thorns on Bibi Dong's Thorny Spider Armor were actually cut off by Qin Xuan without him using any spirit ring abilities.
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