Chapter 40: The Blueprint of a God
"You're saying Xiao Qiang is being bullied? He's been in three fights and lost twice. Who's bullying who here?"
Xiao Hongchen's voice trailed off, unable to find a proper comeback. Meanwhile, Meng Hongchen had already taken the advancement elixir from his hands.
"Little brother, here you go," Meng said warmly, placing the elixir in Xiao Qiang's hand. "If you need anything in the future, just tell me."
"Meng! You traitor! And by the way, considering his connection with Grandpa, isn't he technically our junior uncle?"
"So what?" Meng Hongchen shrugged, placing her hands on her hips with a cheeky grin. "He's also a new student at the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. It's perfectly fine for him to call me Senior Sister."
"But you—" Xiao Hongchen spluttered.
"Hey, that's between us. You call him Uncle, and he calls me Senior Sister. Works out just fine, right?"
"Meng, you stinky girl…" Xiao Hongchen's face turned grim. He seriously suspected this wasn't just betrayal—Meng was trying to take advantage of him.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Meng." Xiao Qiang accepted the elixir with a calm smile and no hesitation.
"That's mine! Why are you thanking her!" Xiao Hongchen exploded.
"Oh… then thank you too, dear nephew," Xiao Qiang added, eyes glinting with mischief.
Xiao Hongchen: "…"
———
After parting ways with the Hongchen siblings, Xiao Qiang returned to his dorm and immediately consumed the elixir. It wasn't just potent—it was of high quality, worthy of its name.
"This stuff's from Xiao Hongchen? Not bad at all," Xiao Qiang muttered.
In his sea of spirit, Tianmeng had already begun refining the essence of the elixir. With his help, the medicinal energy was absorbed efficiently.
"Good stuff. With this, you'll reach level 40 in at most half a year," Tianmeng commented while focusing on the refining process.
"Half a year…" Xiao Qiang mumbled, lying back on his bed after finishing his practice session. Now that he had some breathing room, his mind drifted to bigger questions.
"Brother Tianmeng, can I ask something about soul rings?"
"Huh?" Tianmeng blinked in confusion inside the spiritual sea. "Why the sudden interest?"
"I've been thinking," Xiao Qiang began. "Ever since my Sharingan evolved to three tomoe, I started noticing things—visions, glimpses of potential futures. One of those visions showed me that the second martial soul you prepared for me… is a green-bodied scorpion."
Tianmeng froze. "What? How did you—"
"I told you before, didn't I? I occasionally see things that benefit me."
"O-oh… right," Tianmeng replied, flustered. It was clear he'd been caught. His ability to hide secrets wasn't exactly top-tier.
Xiao Qiang frowned slightly but then let it go. "Brother Tianmeng… Forget it. I can feel your intentions are good. It's fine. Everyone has their little secrets. As long as it doesn't harm me, I don't care."
"You really don't mind?"
"Of course not. As long as you're not setting up some big trap, it's fine. Besides, you need me to reach eternal life, right?"
"Exactly! There's no way I'd harm you. I'm depending on you, after all."
"Then just be honest with me going forward," Xiao Qiang smiled. "If I can meet your needs without compromising myself, I'll do it."
"Xiao Qiang…" Tianmeng's voice trembled slightly.
"Hold it! Don't get sentimental yet. I've got something serious to discuss."
"Serious? What is it?"
Xiao Qiang's gaze sharpened. "I've been thinking—between you, me, and the second martial soul, we already have a huge chance of becoming a god. But what if we added more soul beasts' power to increase that chance even further?"
"More soul beasts? No way," Tianmeng said instantly. "I could become your wisdom soul ring because I prepared for ten thousand years. The second martial soul also required meticulous planning and refinement. Creating another martial soul is out of the question."
"I'm not asking for a third martial soul," Xiao Qiang clarified. "Hear me out. Soul rings emerge from beasts after they're killed. But if you recall, there's another method—sacrifice. A soul beast can willingly sacrifice itself to give a soul master a higher-level soul ring."
"Like Tang San," Tianmeng muttered, now understanding where this was going.
"Exactly. Ten thousand years ago, Tang San's sixth ring was a hundred thousand years old thanks to a soul beast's sacrifice. That supercharged him past his peers and eventually led him to become the Sea God."
"And you think I'm trying to replicate that path for you?"
"Isn't that why you chose to be my wisdom soul ring? To help me walk that same road?"
Tianmeng nodded. "Yes… I saw Tang San's story and thought: if he could do it, why couldn't I help someone else achieve the same, or even surpass him?"
"You don't need to sell yourself short, Brother Tianmeng. Learning from predecessors is smart. You're paving a refined version of that path."
"Still, it wasn't my original idea…"
"Even so," Xiao Qiang interrupted, "compare the results. When I hadn't encountered an inherited godhood, how strong was my third spirit ring?"
"One million years."
"And what about Tang San's third ring?"
"Two thousand years."
"And his second martial soul's first ring?"
"One hundred thousand years—but that was after he began the god inheritance process."
"And mine?"
"Close to four hundred thousand years…"
"So?" Xiao Qiang grinned. "Still think your path is inferior?"
Tianmeng chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "No… it might actually be better."
"Exactly. He had god inheritance helping him. You built this from the ground up. I believe with your help, at least eleven of my spirit rings will be at the hundred-thousand-year level."
"But beyond that…" Tianmeng hesitated.
"That's why I had another idea," Xiao Qiang said. "What if we create a system of intelligent spirit rings? That way, powerful soul beasts don't need to become martial spirits—they could exist like you, as intelligent rings that preserve their will and powers."
Tianmeng blinked. "…Smart rings like me?"
"Yes. With their consent and your guidance, they could become semi-independent spirit rings. That way, we're not limited to just one or two beings."
"…That might actually work."
"I knew you'd say that," Xiao Qiang smirked. "Let's draw up the blueprint to build something the world has never seen. A god not just supported by beasts—but forged in alliance with them."
Tianmeng nodded solemnly. "Then let's begin. The age of traditional soul rings is over. We're creating something new."