Bo Saixi: One second he was saying he wanted me to be his wife, the next he was saying my hair was long but my knowledge was short?

Bo Saixi's inquiry echoed through the quiet room, carrying a subtle tremor she herself hadn't noticed, triggered by the audacious thoughts swirling in Li Qing's mind.

Moonlight spilled across her exquisite profile, the flush on her cheeks yet to fully fade.

Li Qing steadied himself, temporarily suppressing those "irreverent" thoughts. He wore a smile that appeared as innocent and harmless as possible, replying, "The absorption went smoothly, and the effects are excellent. Thank you for helping me refine it, Sister. I came over so late because I actually wanted to discuss tomorrow's spirit ring acquisition with you."

He paused, observing Bo Saixi's expression, and continued, "I was thinking... for tomorrow's first and second spirit rings, perhaps we could consider... those over a thousand years."

The words struck like a bolt of lightning, exploding in Bo Saixi's ears.

"What?!" Bo Saixi sat bolt upright, her deep, ocean-like eyes widening in sheer, disbelieving shock.

The blush originally caused by shyness and a hint of vexation was replaced by a pure, paradigm-shifting horror.

Even the moonlight streaming in through the window seemed to flicker slightly in response to her intense emotional volatility.

"A thousand-year first ring? A thousand-year second ring?"

Bo Saixi's voice rose involuntarily, laced with unprecedented astonishment as she cautioned, "Little Qing, do you have any idea what you're saying? This... this has never happened in the entire history of the spirit master world! Even I, or even the Sea God himself, did not exceed five hundred years for our first spirit rings!"

Common knowledge regarding spirit master theory flashed rapidly through her mind.

The absorption of a spirit ring was inextricably linked to a spirit master's physical constitution, mental strength, and martial soul quality; every level had a recognized, almost insurmountable limit.

The limit for a first spirit ring was just over four hundred years—this was an ironclad rule!

It was a truth verified by the blood and lives of countless spirit masters!

Even she, Bo Saixi, as the High Priestess of Sea God Island and a rank ninety-nine peerless Douluo, possessed a top-tier configuration of eight black rings and one red, but that was only because she had accepted the Sea God's trials and received the gift of God-bestowed spirit rings!

Had it not been for that, following the normal path of hunting spirit beasts, her first few rings would inevitably have been standard yellow and purple.

This child's ideas... are too insane!

A tempest raged in Bo Saixi's heart as she couldn't help but think, A thousand-year first ring? This is nothing short of suicide! The violent energy within the spirit ring would tear his meridians apart in an instant!

Watching Bo Saixi's expression of utter shock, as if she had heard a tall tale, Li Qing remained remarkably calm. He nodded, his tone resolute: "Sister, you heard me correctly. I mean a thousand-year spirit ring."

He took two steps forward, standing before her, and looked up at the stunning High Priestess who had lost her composure. He explained softly, "Sister, think about it calmly. It's true that the limit for a normal spirit master's first ring is just over four hundred years. But my situation is special."

He extended his small hand, the phantom of the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag flickering in and out of existence, radiating pure, ancient water-elemental fluctuations. "First, my innate spirit power isn't level ten, but level twenty. This means my physical foundation and spirit power reserves are fundamentally different from others, far exceeding those of an ordinary spirit master."

"Secondly!"

Li Qing pointed to himself. Though he didn't explicitly mention the "side effects" of the Whale Glue, his meaning was clear. He analyzed, "You saw the efficacy of the eight-thousand-year Whale Glue I absorbed tonight. My physique has been tempered and greatly enhanced; the toughness of my tendons and bones and the vigor of my blood are far beyond those of my peers, perhaps even surpassing many Great Spirit Masters or even Spirit Elder-level powerhouses."

"Finally, and most importantly!"

Li Qing's gaze fell upon the phantom flag hovering in his palm. With powerful confidence, he explained, "My martial soul, the Mysterious Origin Water-Controlling Flag. You have sensed it yourself, Sister, so you should understand the extent of its control over the water element. The vast majority of ocean spirit beasts are water-attributed, and my martial soul has an innate suppression over them. When absorbing their spirit rings, this suppression will greatly weaken the residual soul shocks and violent energy within the rings, making the absorption process relatively gentle and safe."

He concluded, "So, combining these three points—super-standard innate spirit power, a physique strengthened by Whale Glue, and my martial soul's natural suppression of water-attributed spirit rings—I believe that absorbing a thousand-year spirit ring is not impossible, but has a high chance of success. Sister, you really don't need to be so surprised."

Sigh, what a woman with long hair and short insight.

Just as Li Qing was explaining with a straight face, he couldn't help but grumble internally: Is this thousand-year spirit ring really enough to shock you this much? If I let you know that I plan to absorb hundred-thousand-year rings beyond my level like Tang San, or even plot how to take down Tang San, seize his opportunities, and elevate the Sea God—who is only a first-level god—to the God King level, wouldn't you jump out of your skin? It seems that while this High Priestess of Sea God Island has profound cultivation, she lacks a bit of imagination when it comes to breaking cognitive boundaries.

"You...!" Bo Saixi clearly "heard" the internal grumbling about her having "long hair and short insight." Her cheeks, which had been slightly pale from shock, instantly flushed a deep red.

This time, it was pure anger!

Her full chest heaved violently, her knuckles turned white from clenching her fists, and her delicate body trembled slightly.

This brat!

It was simply... simply outrageous!

One second he was fantasizing in his heart about making her his wife, and the next he dared to secretly mock her for having shallow insight?

He flipped his attitude faster than turning a page!

How detestable!

In over a hundred years of life, no one had ever dared to "slander" her like this; even Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu had always treated her with respect and... adoration.

This feeling of being "looked down upon" by a six-year-old child left her both ashamed and annoyed.

Most crucially, she couldn't even bring it up.

She took a few deep breaths, forcibly using her profound spirit power to suppress her churning blood, and struggled to restore calm to her voice, though a hint of teeth-gritting remained: "Fine... then!"

The words were squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Since you've analyzed it this way, and you're so insistent..."

Bo Saixi turned her face away, refusing to look at Li Qing's seemingly innocent expression, fearing she might not be able to stop herself from "teaching" this little brat who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth a lesson. She said, "Then it would be unreasonable for me to refuse, as if I, as your sister, were being too conservative and shallow-minded!"

She deliberately emphasized the words "shallow-minded," her voice heavy with obvious resentment.

"We'll do as you say! Tomorrow, I will take you to find a suitable thousand-year spirit beast!"

Bo Saixi said it almost as if she were acting out of spite. "But Li Qing, you listen to me! If there is any sign that you cannot withstand it during the absorption process, you must stop immediately! I will not allow you to gamble with your own life! Do you hear me?"