Chapter 57: Blueprint for a New Future
"Boy, you dare to play tricks on me? Then I'll let you witness my tricks. When I extract the souls of you and your protector, I'll make sure you both suffer endlessly—your consciousness shall be tortured for daring to mock me!"
The old man, wielding the Ten Thousand Souls Banner martial spirit, sneered cruelly. But upon hearing those words, Xiao Qiang's expression changed—not from fear, but inspiration.
"Wait, did you just say you'll extract my soul and still keep my consciousness intact?"
"Of course, you brat! If you don't retain your full consciousness, how could you feel the full depth of agony I plan to unleash?"
Xiao Qiang fell silent, his mind working quickly. Then, without hesitation, he activated his replication soul skill and made a bold decision.
"Xue Di! No matter what the cost is, catch this old man. Don't kill him—just hold him down and keep him alive!"
At first, the old man thought Xiao Qiang was bluffing. But a second later, a frigid, bone-chilling cold swept through the air. Then came a gentle, commanding voice—and everything turned dark.
"Let me take action, human. But have you truly considered the price you must pay?"
From Xiao Qiang's storage soul guide, the Snow Empress emerged with a divine aura. With a casual wave of her hand, she suppressed the eight-ring Soul Douluo, pinning him effortlessly. Jinchuan, standing nearby, collapsed to his knees, trembling, utterly terrified.
"As long as it's something you need, Snow Empress, I'll pay it—no matter the cost, I'll find a way…" Xiao Qiang began to respond when—
BOOM!
His spiritual sea exploded with energy.
"Are you insane? What's the use of keeping an eight-ring Soul Douluo alive!" Tian Meng shouted, yanking Xiao Qiang's consciousness deeper into the sea of spirit. "Have you lost your mind?"
"Calm down, Brother Tian Meng. I'm not insane—this is something I thought through very carefully."
"Thought through? What's the point of capturing that guy?!"
"There's a very big point," Xiao Qiang said calmly. "Do you remember what I said before… about creating a Wisdom Soul Ring?"
Tian Meng paused. "You mean… using his Ten Thousand Souls Banner to extract souls?"
Xiao Qiang nodded. "Exactly. If we can extract souls and integrate that ability with my first soul ring—evolving it from mere psychological suggestion to true mental control—then we can start conducting experiments. We could finally confirm the steps to creating Wisdom Soul Rings… and even produce them in batches."
"That's why keeping him alive is so important. I already used my fourth soul skill to replicate his martial spirit and abilities once. But after a martial spirit disappears, I must look at the original user again to replicate it a second time. That's why we must keep him alive—he's our only key right now."
Xiao Qiang's tone grew serious. "It's not easy to find another high-level soul master who can extract souls, let alone one with such a complete soul-type martial spirit. He's irreplaceable for now."
"You're right," Tian Meng admitted, beginning to understand.
Suddenly, a cold and elegant voice echoed in the sea of spirit.
"Wisdom Soul Ring… is this how you made use of the Ice Empress?"
Startled, Tian Meng jumped. "S-Snow Empress?! How did you get in here?!"
He instinctively shielded Xiao Qiang with his body, placing himself in front of him protectively.
"Tian Meng, you coward," the Ice Empress scoffed at his reaction, her voice full of disdain.
"With my current cultivation," the Snow Empress said calmly, "entering the mind of a four-ring spirit master is nothing. I've already reached the quasi-god realm with over 700,000 years of cultivation. The me you knew from before… no longer exists."
"Snow Empress…" the Ice Empress murmured, overwhelmed by her presence.
The Snow Empress raised her hand and gently patted the Ice Empress on the head. "It seems you're doing well inside this human's spiritual sea. Is this the Wisdom Soul Ring he created?"
"U-Uh… actually, her condition isn't exactly a Wisdom Soul Ring," Tian Meng stammered. "Her second martial spirit acts more like a carrier, and the soul ring itself is secondary…"
He'd almost called her "Bing Bing," but stopped when he saw the Snow Empress' piercing gaze.
Ignoring him, the Snow Empress turned her attention to Xiao Qiang. "Creating Wisdom Soul Rings… if this can reduce the hunting of soul beasts, then perhaps you aren't a bad human."
"Honestly, I don't care much about that part," Xiao Qiang replied, scratching his cheek. "The main reason I'm researching Wisdom Soul Rings is for Brother Tian Meng. If we can create these, more soul beasts can participate in his god-making plan. That makes the whole system more stable."
He then added with unusual gravity, "Also… I want to find a way out for Brother Tian Meng and the Ice Empress, in case the plan fails."
"Retreat?" The Ice Empress looked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
Even Tian Meng looked surprised.
Xiao Qiang took a deep breath. "With the help of both of you, my potential is unmatched. If I can't become a god, then no one in this era can. But even if our chances are 98%, there's always a slim chance of failure. That's why I want to create a fallback plan—for all of us."
"I've been thinking—if Wisdom Soul Rings can be transferred, we might even be able to preserve them using a reverse-sacrifice method. If I fail… at least Brother Tian Meng and the others can continue surviving."
"Reverse sacrifice?" the Snow Empress echoed, thoughtful. "It's theoretically possible. But do you understand what sacrifice means?"
"I do," Xiao Qiang said calmly. "It means my soul would scatter. But I won't really lose anything. With the resources and support I have, and the foundation of an Extreme Douluo, I'll live for over a thousand years. If the god-making plan succeeds, we all celebrate. If it fails… I still get to enjoy life, power, and wealth. There's no downside."
"Xiao Qiang, you…" Tian Meng's eyes trembled with emotion.
"Don't look at me like that, Brother Tian Meng. You and Bingdi gave me everything. Without you two, I'd just be an ordinary kid. Even when my parents died, I didn't awaken the second magatama of my Sharingan. My soul power wasn't strong enough."
"If I wanted to evolve the Sharingan further, I'd have to go to the Body Sect. But that sect is already in decline. If I joined them, I might not even live to see Titled Douluo level. I might die on some battlefield."
He smiled. "I've already reaped the rewards you gave me. So bearing the risks is only natural. And if I do leave behind a soul ring, I'd pass it down to my descendants. That way, I never truly lose."
Tian Meng and the Ice Empress were both speechless. They looked at Xiao Qiang, unsure what to say.
After a long moment of silence, Tian Meng stepped forward.
"Don't worry, Xiao Qiang," he said firmly. "I will definitely make sure you become a god. Forget reverse sacrifice—we won't need it!"
At that moment, Tian Meng's resolve to succeed was stronger than ever.
Xiao Qiang chuckled. "That's great, Brother Tian Meng, but… I still want you to study reverse sacrifice. Just in case."
He scratched his head awkwardly. "After all, I'm just a four-ring spirit master. I can't even perform a proper sacrifice yet."
Tian Meng: "…"