Chapter 89: Mangekyō Awakens and the Path to Immortality
"Huh? Brother's essence was actually being drained for a long time?"
In the sea of consciousness, Tian Meng was stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes lit up as he sensed that Xiao Qiang's martial soul had undergone another evolution.
"Xiao Qiang, your eyes!" he exclaimed.
Xiao Qiang nodded calmly. "It seems that the intense stimulation brought by absorbing the 100,000-year soul ring triggered something. My eyes have evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Mangekyō Sharingan? What's that?" Tian Meng asked with genuine curiosity. Though he was deeply knowledgeable about soul beasts, martial souls were still outside his area of expertise.
"It's a higher-level evolution of the Sharingan," Xiao Qiang explained. "But based on the transformation and aura behind me, this should actually be considered the second awakening of my main martial soul."
"Can you feel any changes or benefits from it?"
Xiao Qiang closed his eyes for a moment to sense the transformation, then opened them slowly. Blood-tears spilled down from the corners of his eyes as he activated the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. In that instant, both his pupil power and soul power were rapidly drained. A wave of intense fatigue surged through him—and then, a massive sword formed in his hand.
"Xiao Qiang! Are you okay? Why did you suddenly weaken like that?" Tian Meng asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. Just a little drained. The unique eye techniques of the Mangekyō Sharingan require a heavy toll on both soul power and eye power," Xiao Qiang replied. "But don't worry, I have a solution in mind. More importantly, Brother Tian Meng, Bingdi, I've got good news for both of you. Even if we can't become gods, I now have three methods that can grant us eternal life."
"What did you say!?" Tian Meng and Bingdi exclaimed in unison within the spiritual sea.
"You're saying that immortality is possible even without godhood? Is that even possible?"
"Under normal circumstances, no," Xiao Qiang admitted. "But with the power of my evolved Sharingan, it's not impossible."
"Does your Mangekyō Sharingan have any unique abilities?"
"Yes. My left eye allows me to comprehend the limits of all human technology using pupil power. The right eye lets me materialize everything I understand. For example, this technique—Heavenly Fire Judgment—was created by activating all of my abilities simultaneously."
Because of the knowledge Xiao Qiang retained from his past life, he understood the inner workings of technology, many of which would seem like magic in this world. Even after arriving in Douluo Dalu, Xiao Qiang had never abandoned his belief that technology is the most powerful productive force. While gods exist here, he had read the Douluo Trilogy—and he knew how weak these so-called gods truly were.
In Douluo Dalu, certain hidden weapons were capable of killing even Titled Douluo. And with the rise of the Sun Moon Empire, though Xiao Qiang looked down on their crude soul guides, he deeply respected real technology. If he had to face Tang San head-on one day—and if no god was willing to bestow their divine position—then Xiao Qiang's only option was to climb to the peak of real-world technology to stand against him.
Tang San had injured Qian Renxue, a god, using Guanyin's Tears.
That alone was enough for Xiao Qiang to seriously consider making nuclear weapons. Though previously it had only been a thought, now, with the Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities, it might be possible. The technology tree of Douluo Dalu II was shallow, but Xiao Qiang was ready to go far beyond it.
"Okay, but how does this relate to our immortality?" Tian Meng asked, confused.
Xiao Qiang explained, "Brother Tian Meng, humans age because their cells keep dividing, and over time, errors accumulate. When those errors become too much, life comes to an end. But what if I could ensure perfect cell division—free of error—forever? Then I could freeze the human body at a specific age indefinitely."
"Uh… I don't know much about cells," Tian Meng muttered, scratching his head. "But you're saying… we can lock our body's state in time?"
"Exactly. We might not gain further strength afterward, but we'd be biologically immortal."
"If you're confident, I trust you. If there's anything you can't handle, let me know and we'll figure it out together. But what about the other two methods?"
"First, I can fully understand the structure of the human body. Then, if one body becomes unusable, I can create a new one from scratch and transfer my consciousness into it."
"The second method involves constructing a mechanical body using special alloys, moving our consciousness into it, and making multiple backups. If a body fails, we just replace it."
Tian Meng blinked. "You can really do that?"
"Under normal circumstances? No. But with the Mangekyō Sharingan, I can. All I need is more pupil power and deeper understanding of advanced technology. Soul power and spiritual power will no longer be a problem once I reach the peak of Douluo. I also know how to restore my pupil power."
"That's… incredible. And this is all from the Mangekyō evolution?"
"And more." Xiao Qiang smiled faintly. With a burst of mental power, bones formed in the air, condensed purely from soul and spiritual energy. They took the shape of a humanoid figure—Zhou Shen.
"Tangible and substantial! You've reached this level with your mental power?" Tian Meng gasped.
"I'm close, but not quite at the true tangible level. This is a self-martial soul fusion skill. After my martial soul underwent its second awakening, I confirmed something. Even if I only had one eye, it would still qualify as a top-tier martial soul. And this blue Susanoo—it's the manifestation of the Mangekyō Sharingan with both eyes focused."
After demonstrating the Susanoo briefly, Xiao Qiang retracted it. He knew that overusing it would lead to blindness like Nii-san's, so he had to conserve his eyes for now.
Once he finished explaining his powers to Tian Meng and Bingdi, Xiao Qiang pulled out a soul crystal capable of measuring the soul power level of cultivators below Soul Saint rank.
Injecting soul power into it, the number "56" gleamed brightly.
"I've already reached level 56. Skills really do make the difference. Still, these last five levels will probably take me two years of solid cultivation."
Putting the crystal away, Xiao Qiang cleaned up and rested for several days. Besides Shrek Academy, no other team in the tournament could really challenge him. So for the most part, he spent his time eating, drinking, and relaxing—until the auction finally arrived.
At the auction, Meng Hongchen leaned in from her seat beside Xiao Qiang.
"What have you been doing these past few days? You didn't even come to watch the matches."
"Hmm? Oh, I was busy stabilizing my cultivation after breaking through level 50," Xiao Qiang replied nonchalantly.
Meng Hongchen blinked. "What?! You broke through level 50!? But you were just level 35 when we first met! How did you cultivate so fast? Teach me!"
"It was just luck," Xiao Qiang said modestly.
Meng Hongchen suddenly stood up, hands on her hips. "Liar! I'm not as gullible as Xiao!"
Xiao Hongchen: "…"
Why am I being dragged into this out of nowhere?
Xiao Hongchen had the urge to stand up and protest, but considering the recent issues in the Hongchen Clan, he quietly sat back down and said nothing.
"Wait a minute—Xiao, you're not even refuting me? Are you really in trouble?" Meng Hongchen asked, raising a hand to feel his forehead while placing the other on her brother's.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine. What's going on?"
"I said I'm fine. Didn't you want to know how Xiao Qiang trained so fast? Ask him instead."
Seeing her brother dodge the question, Meng Hongchen pouted but temporarily set her concerns aside and turned her attention back to Xiao Qiang.
"Alright then—speak up! How did you level up so quickly?"
"It was really just luck," Xiao Qiang repeated.
Meng Hongchen's smile turned dangerous as she clenched her fist. "Last chance. If I'm not satisfied with your answer, I'm going to rearrange your face."
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you!" Xiao Qiang raised his hands in surrender and leaned closer, whispering into her ear, "Senior Meng… the secret is… I have a bed in my room."