Chapter 81: Yue Guan's Ninth Spirit Ring
"Thank you, my little man," Ling Yuan said with a joyful, throaty laugh. She stood on her tiptoes, pulling Qin Xuan down by the collar of his robes to plant a deep, possessive kiss on his lips.
Qin Xuan returned the kiss, his hand settling on her waist before he gently disengaged. "If you want to thank me, there will be plenty of opportunities later. However, after absorbing the Spirit Bone, I don't recommend you absorb the Immortal Herb here."
Ling Yuan was startled, her passion momentarily forgotten. "Why?"
"Because the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower is different from other Immortal Herbs," Qin Xuan explained, his tone serious but his eyes teasing. "It's specially prepared for Fire Spirit owners like you. When you refine it, it won't just purify your flames; it will violently expel every impurity from your body. The process is... explosive."
He glanced pointedly at Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who were still meditating by the Yin-Yang well, seemingly oblivious.
"If you refine it here and the flames ignite... you might end up completely naked. Your clothes will be incinerated."
Qin Xuan leaned in, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "I don't want my woman to be naked in front of other men. Even if they pretend they can't see, I'll still want to gouge their eyes out."
"You've thought of everything," Ling Yuan said, a charming, predatory smile spreading across her alluring face. The idea didn't seem to bother her; in fact, it seemed to excite her.
She tapped a red-nailed finger against his lips. "In that case, I'll absorb it somewhere else. When I came here, I noticed a cave not far from here. It's very secluded, and no one will discover it."
She leaned in until her lips brushed his ear, her voice a husky whisper. "Then... after I'm clean, and naked... we can..."
"Then I'll be looking forward to it," Qin Xuan said, his voice equally low. He handed her the glowing, 60,000-year Medusa Head Spirit Bone.
Just as Ling Yuan was about to take the Spirit Bone, a calm, heavenly voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Perhaps this Spirit Bone is more suitable for you."
The two looked over to find Jingni walking towards them, holding A Yan in one arm. In her other hand, she held a new, azure-colored Head Spirit Bone that pulsed with chilling energy.
"Did you get this from hunting that 70,000-year Ghost Eye Jade Lion?" Qin Xuan asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes." Jingni nodded, her expression placid. "There were outsiders here before, so it wasn't convenient to take it out."
Hearing this, Qin Xuan didn't know how to describe Jingni's luck. Although the higher the Spirit Beast's age, the greater the chance of a Spirit Bone dropping, he had never seen anyone continuously hunt two Spirit Beasts and have both drop Spirit Bones.
And both were the rarest type: Head Spirit Bones.
Ling Yuan looked at the 60,000-year bone in Qin Xuan's hand, then at the clearly superior 70,000-year bone in Jingni's. A subtle, competitive tension filled the air.
In the end, Ling Yuan's pride won. She smiled sweetly at Jingni but took the 60,000-year Medusa bone from Qin Xuan's hand.
"Thank you for the offer, Miss Jingni. But this one is more than enough."
As she put it, "Perhaps this Spirit Bone isn't the best, but it was carefully prepared for me by my man."
Qin Xuan knew she was putting on a brave face and suffering for it. As women sharing one man, she couldn't bring herself to accept what felt like a handout from her "sister-wife." It was a matter of pride.
He didn't expose her on the spot. He simply nodded. "As you wish."
When they arrived at the secluded cave Ling Yuan had mentioned—a deep, dry cavern hidden behind a curtain of ancient vines—Qin Xuan waited for her to sit down.
Just as she was preparing to absorb the Medusa bone, he wordlessly took it from her hand and replaced it with the 70,000-year Ghost Eye Jade Lion Wisdom Skull.
Ling Yuan looked up, stunned. "But... I..."
"Your pride is one thing," Qin Xuan said, cutting her off gently. "My investment is another. I need my women to be as strong as possible. Don't be foolish. Absorb this one."
Ling Yuan's eyes shimmered, her pride melting into a wave of powerful affection. She didn't argue again. She simply pulled his head down for another bruising kiss before settling in to begin the absorption.
Early the next morning, the entire cave system was rocked by a violent explosion.
BOOM!
Flames shot up from the cave, blasting a large, scorched hole straight through the mountain's ceiling, sending a pillar of fire into the clear, cloudless azure sky.
Ling Yuan, her body wreathed in a newly evolved, terrifyingly potent flame, finally completed the absorption of the Immortal Herb and the Spirit Bone. Her Spirit Power, in one massive leap, successfully reached Level 93.
The two ranks of Spirit Power increase were secondary; what truly benefited Ling Yuan immensely was the evolution of her Spirit. It had transformed from the original Fire Spirit Iris to the Fire Spirit Iris Emperor.
"Haha! Hahaha! This feeling of rapidly increasing Spirit Power... it's simply too wonderful!"
Inside the cave, her clothes long since burned away by her new, uncontrollable Spirit Flames, the naked Ling Yuan excitedly threw herself into Qin Xuan's arms.
She wrapped her hands around his neck and her long, slender legs around his waist, her excitement and joy almost overflowing as she covered his face and neck with kisses.
"Alright, alright, you're magnificent," Qin Xuan laughed, holding her steady. "But quickly put on your clothes. Aren't you afraid someone might pass by above and see you exposed?"
He looked up at the large, smoking hole her power had just scorched in the ceiling, revealing the sky.
"I don't care!" she declared, her voice husky. "If any blind fool dares to come near, this old lady will burn him to ashes! Now... hurry, hurry! Last time we were interrupted by those two bastards Yue Guan and Gui Mei. Today, this old lady is going to get back everything, with interest!"
Qin Xuan looked at the fiery, possessive woman in his arms and just chuckled. "..."
By the time the two, looking thoroughly satisfied and their auras completely stable, returned to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, it was already evening.
Jingni, A Yan, and Nong Yu had already gone into the tent to rest. Only Yue Guan and Gui Mei remained, waiting by the well.
Yue Guan, who had finished refining the Immortal Herb yesterday, was visibly impatient to try absorbing a 100,000-year Spirit Ring.
Seeing his eager, almost twitchy expression, he was probably so excited that he hadn't slept or cultivated for a day and a night. He was scratching his ears and cheeks, feeling like every day was a year.
"Old Ghost, Lord Qin Xuan is back!" As soon as Yue Guan saw Qin Xuan and Ling Yuan descend from the sky, he called out to Gui Mei, who was in a deep state of cultivation.
Yue Guan then stepped forward and bowed deeply, his entire demeanor changed. "Yue Guan greets Lord Qin Xuan and Lord Ling Yuan."
Compared to Yue Guan, Gui Mei was clearly much calmer and more composed. Seeing Qin Xuan's prolonged absence, he didn't rush. He simply sat cross-legged, silently meditating and refining his Spirit Power.
He only opened his eyes and stepped forward to salute when he sensed Qin Xuan and Ling Yuan approaching.
"Alright," Qin Xuan said, raising a hand. "Before I truly become the Supreme Pontiff, there's no need for excessive formalities. It will be as it was before. Don't let anyone notice your new relationship with me."
He looked at the two of them, his expression becoming serious. "Now, I'll give you two choices again."
"One is to absorb a 10,000-year adaptive Spirit Ring. It can gradually increase its age from 10,000 years up to 99,999 years, according to your endurance. It is a path of guaranteed success. There is no risk in absorbing it."
"The second option," he paused, letting the weight of his words sink in, "is to directly absorb a 100,000-year adaptive Spirit Ring. It will also produce a Spirit Ring that is most compatible with your Spirit."
"However," Qin Xuan's gaze turned icy, "if you cannot withstand the immense, soul-shattering energy of a 100,000-year Spirit Ring and fail to absorb it... I don't need to elaborate on the consequences. You will be erased."
Qin Xuan looked at the two with narrowed eyes and said in a deep voice, "Choose."
As soon as he spoke, the taciturn Gui Mei chose the second option without any hesitation. He dropped to one knee. "Lord, I choose the 100,000-year Spirit Ring. I have faced death once. I am not afraid to face it again for true power."
"I... I also choose the 100,000-year," Yue Guan's voice followed, but it was clearly a beat late, his voice trembling.
Unlike the decisive Gui Mei, he had gone through a brief, intense internal struggle.
Only he knew how much hardship, how much pain and humiliation, he had endured to cultivate to his current realm. He was vain, he was cowardly, he was terrified of death. If he could, who would be willing to take such a risk?
But... a 100,000-year Spirit Ring. The ultimate dream, ranked first in the Spirit Master's world. If he were to give up now, if he chose the "safe" path while Gui Mei ascended, he would surely regret it for the rest of his miserable life.
Qin Xuan said nothing more. He pretended to rummage in his embrace, then "retrieved" two 100,000-year fixed Spirit Rings from his system inventory and bestowed them upon Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
"This… this is…" Yue Guan's voice trembled as he held the blood-red bead. Both he and Gui Mei were utterly shocked.
From this blood-red bead, the size of a dragon's eye, they felt Spirit Power fluctuations far exceeding those of any 10,000-year Spirit Ring they had ever sensed. This was the real, undiluted aura of a 100,000-year beast.
"This is the 100,000-year Spirit Ring," Qin Xuan explained. "You just need to crush the bead, and a Spirit Ring most compatible with your own Spirit will automatically condense. It is the fruit of my research."
"From now on, as long as you are loyal to me, let alone a mere Immortal Herb and a 100,000-year Spirit Ring, I can even get you 100,000-year Spirit Bones."
He gestured back toward the tent. "The set of 100,000-year Spirit Bones and 100,000-year Spirit Rings on my wife is your example. That is the reward for absolute loyalty."
Qin Xuan spoke nonsense with a straight face, while also not forgetting to win over their hearts and paint a grand, impossible picture.
Although the method was crude, the effect was surprisingly good, especially for Yue Guan. After hearing Qin Xuan's words, he gripped the bead to his chest, his eyes filling with tears. He tried hard not to cry aloud.
After so many years in Spirit Hall, being used, being feared, but never truly respected... without ever getting a single Spirit Bone... to suddenly meet such a good, generous superior... it was truly difficult to come by.
[Yue Guan's favorability +20]
[Gui Mei's favorability +10]
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