Qian Renxue did not step forward immediately but said calmly,
"Grandpa, according to the information we gathered, there should still be another Dark Gold Terror claw Bear remaining. It's likely the strongest of the group, with an estimated age exceeding fifty thousand years."
Qian Daoliu nodded thoughtfully, his expression becoming serious.
Qian Renxue continued, "This cave has no other entrances. I will stay inside and begin absorbing the soul ring. You and Elder Ghost can guard the entrance to prevent the remaining bear from interrupting the process."
Just then, the pinned Mother Dark Gold Terror claw Bear let out a final, thunderous roar.
"Rghaaar!"
Blood pooled beneath its massive body, staining the stone floor. Even impaled by Qian Daoliu's golden sword, its vitality was formidable, it was not an ordinary soul beast that would fall quickly.
Qian Daoliu turned his gaze toward the dying beast, his voice still calm.
"Second Soul Skill: Holy Sting."
With a flick of his wrist, a barrage of radiant, pin-like projectiles shot forth from the air around him and pierced the beast's face with brutal precision.
A final spasm wracked its body before it fell silent.
Only then did he look at Qian Renxue and speak,
"I'll wait outside. Focus on your breakthrough and nothing will disturb you, on my watch."
Qian Renxue nodded slightly and walked up to the smaller bear cub, which lay weak and bleeding from Qian Daoliu's earlier blow. Its eyes were wide with terror and pain, but there was no strength left to resist.
Qian Renxue's gaze was cold and unshaken. She raised her hand holding the dagger and, without hesitation, ended its life cleanly with a clan swipe on its neck.
Blood started pouring out of the wound and the light of life from the bear cub's eyes disappeared.
A soft light pulsed as it gathered above the corpse of the bear cub . A soul ring shimmered into being, it was faint purple in color, signifying it was 1000 years old . It rotated slowly in the air, awaiting its new master.
Seeing that she would soon begin her soul ring absorption, Qian Daoliu gestured for Ghost Douluo to follow and stepped outside the cave entrance. Ghost Douluo silently followed Qian Daoliu and stepped outside the cave entrance
...
Seeing her grandfather leave, Qian Renxue allowed herself a faint smile and whispered to the quiet cave air,
"Are you ready?"
In her spirit sea, Tianmeng's voice echoed, brimming with excitement,
"I'm always ready!"
Then, with a pause, his tone grew quieter, almost solemn,
"I'm not afraid of those whispers anymore."
Qian Renxue did not taunt him to dampen his courage but internally she thought 'Yes you are not shivering in fear after every breakthrough.'
She sat down cross-legged, her breathing calm and steady. The light purple soul ring hovered before, as the soul ring absorption started.
Tianmeng suddenly shouted,
"Same as always! I'm can be considered an expert at this now!"
And began pouring his spiritual energy into the soul ring without hesitation.
The ring responded instantly. The purple light deepened to black, then turned crimson, pulsing with intensity. One by one, golden lines began to etch themselves into the ring—
One. Two. Three... Ten.
Each line a testament to the ring's age increasing by a hundred thousand years.
Finally, the transformation completed. The soul ring shone gold, signifying it had reached the million-year threshold.
In response, the sacred light surged behind Qian Renxue. Her Twelve-Winged Seraphim manifested once more, more vivid than before. The golden soul ring floated into place, aligning itself with the other three behind the angelic projection's head.
Four concentric golden rings, were very similar to divine rings behind a god of Douluo Universe
However something had changed, which Qian Renxue due to concentrating in absorption of the soul ring did not notice.
The Seraphim's form with the twelve wings, once so holy and blinding it defied mortal comprehension, now appeared slightly clearer. The outline of arms and legs could now be discerned amidst the glow. Only the face and chest remained obscured, hidden behind a blur that pulsed with divine intensity, like a veil protecting mortal minds from beholding what should not be seen.
Qian Renxue on the other hand was now trembling where she sat, drenched in sweat, as her consciousness was swept into the depths of her spirit sea.
Inside her mind, a storm of whispers began to rise again—dissonant, overlapping voices in alien tongues. The murmurs clawed at her mind like unseen phantoms, each syllable twisting reality around her.
A fragment of whisper rose amidst the storm, which seemed to be ringing in her ears
"W̷h̶...a̴t̶ ̵k̴i̵..d̴ ̷o̶f̶ ̴d̸..e̷..m̷ ̷d̵o̶ ̶y̶o̷.. ̸w̴i̵s̷h̵ ̶t̶o̴ ̵w̴...a̸..e̸?̷ ̶R̵..l̶e̷r̴ ̴o̴f̶ ̷m̶..-r/-s..."
The words pulsed like a heartbeat, growing louder, more distorted, more wrong with each echo.
Her breath hitched, while her fingers clenched.
However, as she gritted her teeth and held on to her clarity, her spiritual sea trembled and churned, the distorted murmurs like echoes from an ancient abyss began to fade, slowly, but surely.
Her thoughts became clear, her mind sharp, and her gaze inwardly focused like a blade. One by one, the erratic echoes dissolved, leaving behind a profound silence, eerily deep, yet filled with latent power.
In that moment of clarity, a shift occurred, subtle but definitive.
Qian Renxue had advanced to Sequence 6 – Hypnotist.
Her mind pulsed with newfound authority. Emotions, memories, instincts, she now understood how they could be influenced, veiled, and distorted. She didn't need brute force. A whisper, a suggestion, a planted thought were her weapons now.
She opened her eyes slowly, and for a moment, her purple pupils shimmered with waves like a deep whirpool.