Chapter 45: Soul Bone of Fate, Hand of Destiny
Bingdi stared coldly at Xiao Qiang and nodded. "Okay. What do you want to say?"
Xiao Qiang met her gaze and began calmly, "Bingdi, you're right. It would be difficult for me to become a god relying on mental power alone, even if it far exceeds others. But the truth is—I've never depended on my spiritual power."
As he spoke, Xiao Qiang activated his Sharingan. The blood-red eye shimmered with a mysterious glow.
"When I first awakened my martial soul, my spiritual strength was on par with that of an average spiritual-type soul master. I've never used it as my main support. My foundation lies in my martial soul—the Sharingan."
He continued, "The Sharingan isn't inherently powerful. In fact, my initial soul power was only level five, which is very low. But it has a special ability… one that allows me to see glimpses of things beneficial to me. Opportunities. Luck."
"I'm from the Sun and Moon Empire. Logically, with the distance between there and the Star Dou Great Forest, I should never have crossed paths with Brother Tianmeng. Yet, with just the single-magatama state of my Sharingan, I was able to follow its guidance here when I was only fourteen. That's the day I met Brother Tianmeng."
"It was part of Brother Tianmeng's soul that gave me the spiritual strength I have today—far beyond other soul masters of my type. And now, that same guidance has led me to you."
Bingdi narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "Are you saying… you can see luck?"
Xiao Qiang nodded slowly. "Yes. Brother Tianmeng survived for a million years as a member of the Ice Silkworm Clan. That's not just strength. That's fate. Luck. The fact that I met him at his weakest moment, when he happened to need someone to inherit his soul ring—that too was fate."
"Sharingan allows me to sense these things. Maybe not all the time, and not always clearly. But there are times… when I just know where I need to go, what I need to do."
"There are things I can't fully explain, Bingdi. But I can tell you this—your luck is fading fast. At your current rate of decline, you have only about a hundred years left to live."
"What?! Bingbing only has a hundred years left? No! Bingbing, don't die!" Tianmeng cried out in alarm, clinging to Bingdi's legs.
Without a glance, Bingdi swatted him away with her tail like a fly.
She turned back to Xiao Qiang, her voice more serious. "Go on."
Xiao Qiang nodded. "If you join the God-making plan, at the very least, we'll reach the level of Super Douluo. That guarantees over three hundred years of life. That's not a gamble. That's certainty."
He paused, then added, "And I know something else. I can't prove it now, but I've seen a future opportunity—one that could increase our lifespans to over a thousand years. And beyond that… eternal life."
"If we succeed in this plan, we'll be gods. If we fail, you'll still gain over three centuries of life. Isn't that worth taking a chance?"
Bingdi remained silent, but not for long. Her icy expression softened, and she nodded slowly. "Fine. If you can see the thread of my fate, then I'll believe you—this once. I'll join Tianmeng's God-making plan."
Tianmeng leapt with joy. "Ah! Bingbing, you're really—!"
WHACK!
"Get lost."
With a swift tail slap, Tianmeng was sent flying.
"Wuuu… Bingbing…" he sobbed pathetically in the background.
Bingdi ignored him completely and focused her gaze on Xiao Qiang again.
"Tianmeng's plan isn't bad, but it has flaws. My power is too great for you to absorb all at once. So I've decided: I'll provide you with a soul bone first. Afterward, you can absorb the soul ring."
She paused. "You won't find a stronger soul bone than mine in the future. That's why I'm going to give you my torso bone—it will become your most important foundation."
"Wait." Xiao Qiang held up a hand. "I said I can see some aspects of fate. Your torso bone, at 400,000 years old, isn't the best choice for me. Please trust me. I would never joke about my own future."
Bingdi looked surprised, but thoughtful.
"Then… which soul bone do you think I should become?"
Xiao Qiang raised his right arm. "The right hand. I want the soul bone and the external soul bone of the right hand."
This was something he had deeply considered. In the original work, Bingdi had given Huo Yuhao the torso bone and two external soul bones, though the latter lacked soul skills. However, Xiao Qiang believed the bones in the palm area held greater potential for unique abilities.
"There's no problem with me giving you both the internal and external bones of your right hand," Bingdi replied after some thought. "But with just one hand, your physical fitness won't be able to bear my soul ring."
"What if I take both hands?" Xiao Qiang asked seriously. "Soul bones and external soul bones for both?"
He had solid reasoning. In the original story, Bibi Dong had received two soul bones from a 100,000-year-old beast. That precedent had never been broken, not even in later parts of the series. If a 100,000-year beast could produce two, then a 400,000-year-old Bingdi should be able to do even more.
Bingdi frowned in thought. "It's possible. But your will might not be able to handle it. The pain from absorbing just one soul bone is excruciating. Two could shatter your consciousness. And if that happens—we both lose everything."
Xiao Qiang smiled confidently. "That won't happen. My consciousness won't collapse. I've prepared for this."
"My Sharingan allowed me to feel a trace of the pain in advance. I've trained for it, steeled myself. I'm ready."
Bingdi raised an eyebrow. "Just preparation can handle that kind of agony?"
"Of course not," Xiao Qiang chuckled. "But I'm not relying on just that. Brother Tianmeng gave me four powerful mental-type soul skills: Mental Detection, Mental Sharing, Mental Interference, and Soul Shock."
He looked at her with conviction. "In the past six months, I've focused on Mental Interference. Pain is nothing but a signal sent to the brain. If I can interfere with that signal… then I can suppress it."
Bingdi: "…"
"Well… seems like Tianmeng isn't completely useless after all."
"Woohoo! Bingbing praised me! I'm so happy!" Tianmeng howled in the distance.
"Shut up!"
Bingdi shook her head and turned serious once more. "Since you can handle the pain, there shouldn't be any more problems. So…"
Just as she prepared to inject the soul bone into Xiao Qiang, he raised a hand again.
"Wait! Brother Tianmeng, double-check the surroundings for safety first. And Bingdi, before we start—eat this."