thefictionvixens Chapter 3 of the First Person
Chapter 3 of the First Person
The thought of having a soul spirit that rivals or even surpasses the Evil Emperor, Qian Gu Chen Ran, makes him incredibly excited.
"My dear grandson, would you like to rest first, or absorb the golden-haired lion directly?" Seeing Qian Gu Chenran's happy expression, Qian Gu Dieting knew that Qian Gu Chenran was very satisfied with his soul skill.
“Directly fuse with the golden-haired lion mastiff.” Anyway, Evil Eye actively fused with Thousand Ancient Dust, without expending any effort at all, and enjoyed Evil Eye’s proactive service throughout the process.
Another golden light flashed, and the golden-haired lion-mastiff looked around in confusion. This time, there were no staff members holding electric batons standing around. Hundred-year-old spirit-type soul beasts have relatively weak physical attributes; they can fight side-by-side, but the golden-haired lion-mastiff was out of the question.
With their combined strength, they'd be nothing more than a mouthful of dust. Before the golden-haired lion-mastiff could roar to the sky, Qian Guchenran caught a glimpse of him and felt inexplicably familiar with the human opposite him. He possessed a faint, yet incredibly pure, spirit of resilience.
Seeing the golden-haired lion-dog's actions, Qian Gu Chenran was reminded of his own Evil Eye. He immediately switched to the Panlong Staff martial spirit, with a lifelike Evil-Slaying Dragon coiled around the golden staff. Beside the Evil-Slaying Dragon were the Big Dipper, the Nine Luminaries, and other stars, arranged in a special way to guard the Ziwei Star located atop the Evil-Slaying Dragon's head.
Qian Gu Chen Ran's dragon-shaped staff gradually shrank to half a meter in length, about the size of an infant's forearm. He made "sucking, sucking, sucking" sounds like he was teasing a cat. Qian Gu Chen Ran held the shrunken dragon-shaped staff as a cat toy, waving it up and down while making sounds.
Xia Zheng covered her mouth and laughed. The scene before her reminded her of her son when he was little, squatting there playing with the cat with a cat toy, just like this. Time really flies, she thought to herself as she looked at her husband.
At this moment, Qian Gu Qingfeng's entire attention was on his father. Just as he was about to advise his father that the child was young and didn't understand, and was just playing around, Qian Gu Dieting excitedly turned around and patted Qian Gu Qingfeng's shoulder happily, "Qingfeng, good, good! The thing I'm most grateful for in my life is that I gave birth to you. Otherwise, where would Chenran come from?"
Qian Gu Die Ting looked excitedly at the Panlong Staff in Qian Gu Chen Ran's hand, but his focus differed from that of Qian Gu Qing Feng and Xia Zheng Leng. He had just felt the restlessness of the dragon soul within his body again. Moreover, this restlessness was mixed with a trace of fear.
Although he had suspected it beforehand, when he actually saw the Panlong Staff of Qiangu Chenran, he was certain that it was the strongest Panlong Staff in the history of the Qiangu Clan, and even he was far inferior to it.
I wonder if my grandson's descendants will also possess such powerful martial spirits. When my grandson grows up, I'll let him find several wives. If even one of his children awakens a Dragon Staff of the same quality as him, then I've truly succeeded.
Qian Gu Die Ting felt a surge of emotion at the thought of that scene. He stroked his beard as he pondered how to force Qian Gu Dong Feng to step down. For the sake of the Qian Gu clan, Qian Gu Dong Feng's lineage had to relinquish the position of Tower Master.
The golden-haired lion-mastiff looked at Qian Gu Chenran with curiosity. It knew that this human had also come to subdue it and make it become the other's soul spirit. As a super soul beast, its intelligence far surpassed that of ordinary soul beasts. It knew that if it wanted to leave, it had to become the human's soul spirit, but its pride would not allow it to bow down to those weaklings.
The golden-haired lion-mastiff approached Qian Gu Chenran while unleashing its Domineering Domain. Feeling the overwhelming aura rushing towards him, a smile crept onto his lips. At that moment, he felt his heart pounding, an uncontrollable surge of excitement welling up within him.
The Coiled Dragon Staff suddenly returned to its original size, and a resounding dragon roar echoed as its indomitable will clashed with the Overlord's Domain. With each step Qian Gu Chen Ran took towards the golden-haired lion-mastiff, that power grew stronger.
Sensing Qian Gu Chen Ran's indomitable will, the golden-haired lion-mastiff excitedly roared to the sky. It rubbed against Qian Gu Chen Ran's outstretched hand and then transformed into a golden light that merged into his body.
Qian Gu Chenran sat cross-legged on the spot again, closing his eyes to meditate. Less than half an hour later, Qian Gu Chenran opened his eyes, feeling the soul skills within his body. As expected of the indomitable soul spirit, the golden-haired lion mastiff.
This soul skill can be said to be the nemesis of control-type soul masters. "Chenran, what soul skill did you absorb this time? Tell Dad, Mom, and Grandpa quickly." Looking at Qian Gu Chenran's excited expression, Qian Gu Qingfeng knew that Qian Gu Chenran must be very satisfied with this soul skill, which also made him a little curious.
"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, the Evil Eye provides the Soul Skill Evil Eye Annihilation. When I use this Soul Skill, every attack I make will carry this annihilation power. This power cannot be defended against; it can only be countered by Soul Power and Blood Qi. If you are unfortunately hit by this annihilation power, the effect of any healing Soul Skill will be reduced by 60%, and the opponent can only recover slowly on their own."
"Of course, if the difference in cultivation level between me and the healing Soul Master is too great, the weakening effect will be reduced or disappear. But the key point is that it consumes very little soul power, and the more soul power is injected, the stronger the annihilation effect will be."
Even Qian Gu Die Ting and Qian Gu Qing Feng, two Limit Douluos, were shocked by this soul skill. It was both an active and passive soul skill. What was even more terrifying was its effect. If Qian Gu Chen Ran were to reach the Title Douluo level in the future, he would be the nemesis of all defensive and healing soul masters. Even Ya Li, the number one healing soul master on the continent, would be helpless against him.
"What is the first soul skill of the Panlong Staff?" Xia Zheng coldly pressed. If the soul skills provided by the Evil Eye are this strong, then the soul skills provided by the Golden Lion Hound will only be stronger.
Qian Gu Die Ting and Qian Gu Qing Feng also looked at Qian Gu Chen Ran with curiosity. "The Undying Battle Body, a soul skill provided by the Golden Lion Mastiff, greatly enhances attack, defense, and speed while making one immune to all control-type soul skills and negative effects. However, if the difference in cultivation level is too great, it will not be immune."
Chapter 7 A Day Trip to the Ascension Platform
At this moment, the three titled Douluo present were all shocked as they looked at Qian Gu Chen Ran.
The strength of a soul skill is determined partly by the soul beast and partly by the soul master's own martial soul. According to statistics from the Spirit Pagoda over the past ten thousand years, the soul skills born from the same soul spirit under different levels of martial souls can be vastly different.
Qian Gu Chen Ran's soul skill indirectly demonstrated the strength of his Panlong Staff martial soul. "God, a true god-level martial soul." Qian Gu Qing Feng listened to his father's words and looked at his son with satisfaction.
He suffered greatly in the first half of his life because of the Dragon Coil Cudgel, but unexpectedly, the second half of his life also underwent earth-shattering changes because of the Dragon Coil Cudgel.
"Grandpa, I want to go to the Spirit Ascension Platform right now to try out my soul skills." Qian Gu Chen Ran couldn't wait to try out his soul skills.
He could sense that his martial soul contained other abilities, but he hadn't developed them yet, and actual combat was the best teacher.
"Chenran, let Grandpa go with you. Mom and Dad are going home now to prepare a gift for you to celebrate your official embarkation on the path of a Soul Master." Watching Qian Gu Chenran's departing figure, Qian Gu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng turned around and walked home.
Not long after, led by the staff, Qian Gu Chenran entered a room entirely constructed of metal, with a huge soul-guided screen hanging directly above it. The dense forest inside was none other than the former premier gathering place for soul beasts, the Star Dou Great Forest.
As a semi-real, semi-virtual world painstakingly created by the Spirit Pagoda, it not only allows Soul Masters to fight against Soul Beasts to gain combat experience, but also allows them to upgrade their Soul Rings by defeating Soul Beasts within the world.
A staff member pressed a button, and a huge, coffin-shaped metal soul tool slid out from the wall. Qian Gu Chenran lay down inside, and a soul tool helmet attached itself to his head. As the soul tool slid into the wall, Qian Gu Chenran's gaze finally settled on Qian Gu Dieting's kind smile before plunging into darkness.
I opened my eyes again and felt the gentle breeze carrying the scent of grass. Looking around, all I could see were towering ancient trees and shrubs that formed a verdant landscape.
Qian Guchenran casually chose a direction to move forward, breathing in the fresh air that could only be felt here, the rich natural atmosphere making him feel relaxed and happy.
From the outside, Qian Gu Die Ting, standing in front of the screen, watched Qian Gu Chen Ran's every move on the Life Platform. He wanted to see his grandson's body engulfed in silver flames one last time. As far as he knew, the second awakening of a martial soul was usually accompanied by the burning of life force.
But the way his grandson looked just now was less like a second awakening and more like the original form of his martial soul. The illusory feeling that seemed to be outside this world also amused Qian Gu Die Ting.
Inside the Spirit Platform, Qian Gu Chen Ran, who was leisurely strolling, suddenly turned around to look behind him. His eye between his brows opened, and a golden light shot out. After doing this, the golden light flew back into the eye between Qian Gu Chen Ran's brows, and he turned back to continue his aimless journey. Not far behind him, a Mandala snake, split in two at its waist, transformed into a bright light and flew into Qian Gu Chen Ran's body.
"That little rascal dared to squander the Panlong Staff like that." Qian Gu Die Ting stroked his beard with a sigh. Although to outsiders it appeared as if a golden energy had struck the Mandala Serpent, it was actually Qian Gu Chen Ran's first martial soul, the Panlong Staff.
Just now, Qian Gu Chen Ran's third eye had captured the entire environment within a 100-meter radius around him in his mind. When he saw the Mandala Serpent behind him and felt the eagerness of the Evil-Slaying Dragon Soul within him, he suddenly had the idea to launch the Coiling Dragon Staff. The martial soul origins of his twin martial souls circulated and merged autonomously, creating the scene just now.
"Let's call this eye between my brows the Eye of the Void." Qian Gu Chen Ran pondered the wonders of the Eye of the Void as he walked towards the direction of the soul beast he had sensed. He wanted to finish quickly and get home for dinner. After all, the Spirit Ascension Platform, which was priceless to others, was something he could enter and leave as he pleased, and no one would dare to bother him if he slept inside.
In the dark jungle, a spider with a ferocious face, covered in hard carapace, and with a woman's face on its belly, is confronting a soul beast that walks on two legs, is covered in iron-gray scales, and has a single horn on its head.
It was none other than the Human-Faced Demon Spider, known as the Soul Beast Killer, and the sub-dragon soul beast, the Unicorn Dragon. Just as the Human-Faced Demon Spider was about to launch an attack on the Unicorn Dragon, a golden light flashed through their bodies with lightning speed. Both of their bodies instantly turned to ashes and scattered in all directions.
A true hero should kill with his eyes. Qian Gu Chen Ran absorbed the incoming soul power while rushing to the next place where he sensed a soul beast.
As Qian Guchenran walked, with each step he took, a small silver flame ignited on his body, until it covered his entire body and then disappeared from the spot.
Outside, Qian Gu Die Ting watched this scene in shock. Following the signal from the distress device worn by Qian Gu Chen Ran, he found an Ice and Fire Demon Tiger drinking water by a lake, but Qian Gu Chen Ran was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, wisps of silver flames drifted by, and Qian Gu Chenran, his body engulfed in flames except for his lower half, appeared beside the Icefire Demon Tiger. Before the Icefire Demon Tiger could react, a golden light pierced its head. It collapsed unwillingly, its body turning into energy and being absorbed into Qian Gu Chenran's body. Feeling that less than 30% of his soul power remained within him, Qian Gu Chenran pressed the distress button and exited the Spirit Ascension Platform.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she sat up from the metal cabinet. Qian Gu Chenran saw her grandfather, Qian Gu Dieting, staring intently at her. "Grandpa, don't look at me like that, I'm scared."
Qian Gu Die Ting slapped Qian Gu Chen Ran on the head in annoyance. "You brat, you even dare to joke about your grandpa."
"Tell Grandpa quickly what happened just now. How did you suddenly disappear?" The grandfather and grandson walked home, talking as they went.
"That form, with my body engulfed in silver flames, is the manifestation of my original martial soul operating at its peak. In that state, the power of all my soul skills would be multiplied, and I could freely traverse space and control the power of space. There are other abilities as well, but my cultivation level is too low, and I can't develop them now." Qian Gu Chen Ran sighed as he spoke.
Qian Gu Die Ting truly felt old and unable to keep up with the thinking of young people. Why was he sighing? If those space-type soul masters outside heard what Qian Gu Chen Ran said, they would all rush to strangle him.
"Chenran, what do you think of your uncle?"
"Narrow-minded."
Qian Gu Die Ting covered his face, and Qian Gu Dong Feng's reputation has become so bad.
Chapter 8 The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear's External Soul Bone and the Tragic Experiences of the Xuanming Sect
Braised pork tendon, crispy chicken with various flavors, braised pork belly, braised red jade shrimp, clear stewed turtle soup... As soon as you enter the house, a dazzling array of delicacies will be imprinted on Qian Guchenran's eyes.
At Xia Zhengleng's invitation, the family of four sat down and began to enjoy their meal. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Qian Gu Qingfeng took out an ivory-white jade box from his soul tool.
Feeling the soul power fluctuations emanating from within, Qian Gu Chen Ran couldn't help but feel anticipation. Given Qian Gu Qing Feng's identity, the jade box must contain a top-grade soul bone, though he wondered about its age.
Things are different now. Half a year ago, when he went to an auction with others, he personally witnessed a hundred-year-old wind baboon head soul bone fetching a sky-high price of tens of millions. Soul spirits have extremely high requirements for spiritual power. If a soul master's spiritual power is insufficient, they cannot absorb soul spirits. If they cannot absorb soul spirits, they cannot advance in rank, directly falling into a vicious cycle.
Of course, one can also choose to hunt spirit beasts to obtain spirit rings. However, the types of spirit beasts inside the Star Dou Great Forest are rare, and most of them are extremely powerful. Killing high-age spirit beasts will only result in being hunted by ferocious beasts. Sea spirit beasts mostly hide in the deep sea, which is time-consuming and laborious, and most land-based spirit masters cannot exert their full strength in the sea.
In this era, rare and precious materials that enhance spiritual power are in short supply, making the value of head-shaped soul bones far greater than before.
"It's a pair of dark gold dinosaur claw bear paw bones. I have to thank your grandfather; he's the one who had your uncle retrieve them from the Spirit Pagoda's treasury."
"Thank you, Grandpa." Qian Gu Chenran happily accepted the jade box. Qian Gu Dieting patted Qian Gu Chenran's head. "It just so happens that Chenran has the ultimate spatial attribute. Grandpa believes that you will definitely comprehend a soul skill far surpassing Xiong Jun's Sky-Tearing Claw in the future."
Looking at the pair of golden metacarpal bones inside the box, exuding a sharp aura, Qian Gu Chen Ran couldn't help but sigh. No wonder they were essential soul bones for protagonists. Not only could they evolve along with the soul master, but they also came with the versatile Dark Gold Terror Claw soul skill.
"Speaking of which, Dad, the Xuan Shui soft-shelled turtle was sent by Uncle, right? It truly lives up to its reputation as a specialty of the Xuanming Sect." Qian Gu Chenran asked Qian Gu Qingfeng curiously as he sipped the soft-shelled turtle soup.
"Yes, your uncle came over today to celebrate your successful awakening of your martial soul, but he had something urgent to attend to and only stayed for a short while before leaving."
Xu Xuandou, a level 98 Title Douluo, Martial Soul Golden Armor Xuanwu. Titled Golden Martial Soul, the current Sect Master of the Xuanming Sect.
"Uncle, did he run into Shrek Academy again?" Xu Xuandou is Xia Zhengleng's younger brother. Xia Zhengleng had a falling out with her father's father and ran away from home early on for some reason, changing her surname from Xu to her mother's surname, Xia. Later, during her travels across the continent, she met Qian Gu Qingfeng and fell in love with him.
With the help of Qian Gu Qingfeng, Xia Zhengleng and her father, Xu Xuanming, the previous sect leader of the Xuanming Sect, cleared up their misunderstanding. When Qian Gu Chenran was a child, he even took her back to visit his family.
Xu Xuandou was obsessed with cultivation throughout his life and had no children, so naturally he doted on Qian Gu Chenran. Xu Xuanming spoiled Qian Gu Chenran rotten. This is why Qian Gu Chenran could eat Xuan Shui Dan like candy.
The feud between Shrek Academy and Xuanming Sect dates back to ten thousand years ago with Xu Sanshi, the Xuanwu Douluo, a member of the Sea God Pavilion.
Back then, with the help of Lingbing Douluo Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi absorbed the Golden Tortoise Soul Spirit, and his Martial Soul evolved from Xuanwu to Golden Xuanwu.
Before his death, Xu Sanshi sent a letter back to the Xuanming Sect. In the letter, he said that he would condense the golden Xuanwu bloodline within his body into an inner core and send it back to the family along with the 100,000-year-old golden hawksbill turtle skeleton. This was so that the next generation of the family's martial soul could possess the golden bloodline, and he persuaded the golden hawksbill turtle to become the heirloom soul spirit.
However, the Xuanming Sect needs to meet some of its needs, such as the need to continue the family line.
This is naturally a good thing for the Xuanming Sect. It allows their descendants to possess the golden bloodline in their martial souls, and the offspring born from the golden hawksbill turtle after fulfilling its needs can become the Xuanming Sect's inherited soul spirits. The Xuanming Sect would love for the golden hawksbill turtle to produce a hundred or so offspring.
After Xu Sanshi and his wife, the Soft Rabbit Douluo Jiang Nannan, passed away, only the Golden Tortoiseshell Soul was returned; their Bloodline Inner Core and 100,000-year-old Soul Bone were nowhere to be found. The Xuanming Sect angrily demanded an explanation from Shrek Academy.
Shrek Academy explained that before Xu Sanshi died, he left his soul bone and inner core to a seriously injured Shrek student, leaving only the golden tortoiseshell soul spirit.
The Xuanming Sect naturally didn't believe these bluffing lies, but Shrek Academy was powerful, so the Xuanming Sect could only suffer in silence.
Fortunately, the golden tortoiseshell had a backup plan: it hid the inner core containing 80% of the energy within its own body, leaving only a shell for Shrek Academy.
Upon hearing this, Xu Sanshi's descendants angrily withdrew from Shrek Academy and returned to the Xuanming Sect, absorbing the soul of the Golden Tortoise Shell to succeed as the current sect leader. From then on, the relationship between the Xuanming Sect and Shrek Academy deteriorated completely, and they now loathe each other.
When Qian Gu Chen Ran heard this explosive news, he realized the true depths of Shrek Academy's depravity. No wonder Shrek Academy was later subjected to a barrage of criticism; over the past 20,000 years, Shrek Academy had done far too many hateful things: treating the Federation's military base like a dungeon to farm, openly slapping their own grandfather in the face, causing unrest across the entire continent... the list goes on and on.
"That's not right. With my uncle's strength, apart from those two Limit Douluos, no one else from Shrek Academy can beat him. He shouldn't be in such a hurry." My uncle is not only only one step away from becoming a Limit Douluo, but he is also the second defensive Soul Master on the continent. As for the first defensive Soul Master, it is naturally Xu Xuanming, Qian Gu Chenran's maternal grandfather.
"Hahaha, you have no idea. Your uncle ran into Cai Yue'er, the Silver Moon Douluo of Shrek Academy, on his way here. They had a little argument, and your uncle beat her up on her way back. He was afraid that Shrek Academy would come looking for trouble and drag us into it, so he dropped his things and ran away." Xia Zheng couldn't help but laugh again as she said this.
"Chenran, your uncle left this for you before he left." Qian Gu Qingfeng took out a jade box from his soul tool and handed it to Qian Gu Chenran.
As soon as Qian Gu Chenran opened the box a crack, a dazzling golden light shone from within. It was a palm-sized tortoise shell, its surface covered in fine patterns. Don't underestimate this tortoise shell; it contained a portion of the power of the Xuanming Sect's heirloom, the Golden Tortoise Shell. As the inspiration for his invincible protective shield, this golden tortoise shell could provide Qian Gu Chenran with enough power to withstand ten attacks from a Super Douluo-level opponent.
After dinner, Qian Gu Chenran lay in bed, reflecting on the day's experiences—a day he had never witnessed in his previous life. He had also rediscovered the warmth of family. He knew a battle with Tang San was inevitable. As he pondered these thoughts, drowsiness overwhelmed him, and he drifted off to sleep.
In the dimly lit room, where only moonlight filtered through, a flash of silver light suddenly appeared, and a sphere of light composed of silver appeared out of thin air. It transformed into a coiled dragon staff the size of a toothpick and pierced into the Eye of the Void between Qian Guchenran's eyebrows.
Chapter 9 Three Lives Martial Soul, the True Face of the Original Martial Soul
Upon opening his eyes, Qian Gu Chenran couldn't help but click his tongue as he felt the soul power surging within his body. No wonder he was treated like a transmigrator; even sleeping could increase his soul power by one level.
Because the golden-haired lion and the evil eye voluntarily merged with Qian Gu Chen Ran, they brought him a considerable boost in soul power during the fusion process, bringing him to level 18. With the breakthrough he made while sleeping yesterday, Qian Gu Chen Ran's soul power directly reached level 19, just one step away from becoming a Great Soul Master.
Pushing open the door and walking down the stairs, Qian Gu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng saw the breakfast laid out on the table in advance. Having received some news, they hurriedly went out to give Qian Gu Chen Ran a surprise when they returned.
While eating breakfast, Qian Gu Chenran pondered his upcoming itinerary. First, he would go to his grandfather, Qian Gu Dieting, to learn the Qian Gu family's unique Unyielding Staff Technique. That was a top-tier technique in the original story, capable of bending a golden dragon spear with a single blow. Then, he would go to the Illusionary Brain Douluo, Han Tianyi, to inquire about matters concerning the Body Sect.
When Qian Gu Chenran was young, the Illusionary Brain Douluo often conjured images of soul beasts to amuse him. When he played chess with Qian Gu Dieting, he mentioned that he had also come from the Body Sect.
The Body Sect's innate secret techniques can even elevate a person's body to the divine realm. Qian Gu Chen Ran plans to have his grandfather intervene and make an exchange with the Body Sect.