A Master-Disciple Bond Gone Bad

Hashirama Senju.

The god of ninjutsu in Naruto.

Everyone else had Chakra, but Hashirama Senju had Chakra by the ton.

Moreover, when Hashirama Senju used his terrifying Wood Release Kekkei Genkai in combination with his endless Chakra, its power was beyond imagination.

More importantly, Qian Guxing's Second Martial Soul, the Ancient Tree of Nature, was highly compatible with the Hashirama Senju Physique.

The only question to worry about was whether the Hashirama Senju Physique would conflict with the True Essence Dao Body.

In Qian Guxing's view, the True Essence Dao Body's potential far surpassed that of the Ancient Tree of Nature.

After all, it was a physique capable of cultivating immortality in the age of the Dharma's end!

Once Qian Guxing became a god and gained an endless lifespan, he could cultivate until he became an immortal through sheer persistence!

System, will the Hashirama Senju Physique conflict with my True Essence Dao Body? Qian Guxing asked inwardly.

[Please rest assured, host. Anything produced by the system is guaranteed to be top quality. The two will produce no negative conflicts whatsoever.]

Hearing that, Qian Guxing relaxed.

Was there even a choice to make?

Bibi Dong, of course!

It wasn't just for the reward.

What man had never harbored the heart of a Cao thief?

Qian Guxing was very honest. He looked at Qian Daoliu with righteous conviction.

"I'm sorry, Great Enshrined. Your strength is beyond doubt, but I want to choose a teacher who truly suits me."

Qian Daoliu sighed at his words but said nothing more. After all, the meat had only fallen apart in the pot; even if Qian Guxing became Bibi Dong's disciple, he would still belong to Spirit Hall.

"Do as you please. Cultivate diligently, and don't waste that fine talent of yours." Qian Daoliu waved a hand, turned, and left.

Qian Guxing looked at Bibi Dong and bowed respectfully.

"Your disciple pays his respects, teacher."

A smile curved Bibi Dong's lips, not only because she had gained a fine disciple with exceptional talent, but also because she had gotten the better of Qian Daoliu.

Ever since the incident with Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong had hated the Qian Family intensely. Even her own daughter was no exception to her disgust.

"Good, very good." Bibi Dong had not felt this happy in a long time. She rubbed Qian Guxing's head and said,

"There's nothing else to do today. Since you've taken me as your teacher, I'll personally teach you the meditation method that forms the foundation of Soul Power cultivation."

With that, Bibi Dong took Qian Guxing to a mimicry cultivation room for Plant-type Martial Souls.

Spirit City had many Soul Masters.

The Pope's Palace housed not only the Elders Hall, but many Soul Masters as well.

With Bibi Dong's authority as Pope, freeing up a mimicry cultivation room for Plant-type Martial Souls was as easy as lifting a hand.

"Make do with this one for now. In a few days, I'll have a top-of-the-line one built for you."

Bibi Dong spoke casually.

Qian Guxing couldn't help marveling at how wonderful it was to hug this thigh.

Sorry, Sister Qian Renxue. From now on, you were no longer his number-one big-sister backer.

"Sit cross-legged." Bibi Dong sat down beside him and gestured for Qian Guxing to do the same.

Qian Guxing immediately sat down properly.

"A meditation method is a means by which a Soul Master draws free-floating Soul Power from the void into the body through meditation, then circulates it through the meridians in a specific order, refining it and making it part of oneself."

"Take two people with the same talent: if one cultivates with a poor meditation method and the other with a good one, the latter may cultivate several times faster than the former! That shows just how important a meditation method is."

"However, there are countless meditation methods on Douluo Continent, a mix of good and bad. The one I'm teaching you today is the meditation method in Spirit Hall best suited to Plant-type Soul Masters."

As Bibi Dong explained at length, the scene suddenly brought back memories of the past.

Back then, Qian Xunji had taught Bibi Dong in the same way.

Only, neither of them had expected things to develop to that point later on.

A complex, indescribable pain and hatred coiled around Bibi Dong's heart, about to turn into a raging blaze and burn away all her reason.

But the natural presence that Qian Guxing gave off effortlessly and naturally miraculously suppressed Bibi Dong's emotions, which had nearly spiraled out of control because of the Rakshasa's evil thoughts.

That long-lost peace of mind was like a piece of driftwood finally grasped by a drowning person, and she instinctively drew closer to it.

By the time Bibi Dong came to her senses, she was already holding Qian Guxing in her arms, his head being crushed against something soft.

A flush appeared on Bibi Dong's pretty face. She coughed awkwardly and released Qian Guxing, pretending nothing had happened.

Qian Guxing couldn't help grumbling inwardly.

Like mother, like daughter.

Both of them should be hooked up to high voltage.

Give them a good, hard shock!

Nothing else untoward happened after that.

Bibi Dong soon finished explaining all the key points of the meditation method.

"Now, try meditating."

Qian Guxing sat cross-legged as instructed and quickly entered the proper state. Soul Power from the world around him poured into his body and circulated through his meridians.

A hint of surprise appeared in Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes.

Ordinary people encountering such an advanced meditation method needed at least several months, or even more than half a year, to enter the proper state.

Even someone with exceptional talent would need several days.

Back then, Bibi Dong had mastered it in a single day, leaving others awestruck.

But Qian Guxing had learned it on his first try!

Such astonishing talent shocked Bibi Dong.

Qian Guxing knew nothing of Bibi Dong's thoughts at the moment. He was experiencing the effects of the most advanced meditation method on Douluo Continent.

To be honest,

it was terrible.

It couldn't compare to a single hair of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art.

No wonder Tang San could speedrun Douluo Continent with a copy of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Qian Guxing couldn't understand it. In a civilization with thousands of years of history, had no one tried to improve meditation methods?

In the setting of Douluo I, the inheritance of Soul Tools died out. I suspect a world-ending catastrophe happened on Douluo Continent before, causing many inheritances to revert to a primitive state.

But that plot hole was never filled in the later works, so no one knows exactly what happened.

Qian Guxing put aside his stray thoughts and cultivated in earnest.

After he had completed several circulation cycles,

Bibi Dong called a halt. Looking at the handsome boy before her, she found herself unable, given her personality, to offer praise, and simply patted Qian Guxing's head.

"You've got a basic grasp of the meditation method. However, your innate Soul Power is at level twenty. Although continued cultivation will show results once you obtain a Soul Ring, you'll still be putting in twice the effort for half the result."

"Come eat with me now. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the library to choose Soul Beasts that suit you and plan your future Soul Rings."

"Yes, teacher." Qian Guxing stood up, putting on the appearance of a well-behaved child.

With his charm stat of 120, that pose struck Bibi Dong as overwhelmingly adorable. She suddenly felt a sense of being healed and couldn't resist pinching Qian Guxing's cheek. It was so soft and springy.

"T-teacher?" Qian Guxing didn't want Bibi Dong treating him like a toy, so he hurriedly spoke up.

Having already hugged Qian Guxing once, Bibi Dong was now well-practiced; she didn't even blush as she sheepishly withdrew her hand.

Qian Guxing felt that there was something off about the way Bibi Dong looked at him.

This pure bond between teacher and disciple wouldn't go bad, would it?