Chapter 177: Awakening
On this day, as usual, Xue linglong finished her cultivation and sat in front of Du Qianjue, quietly watching his closed eyes. Just as she was becoming lost in thought, a subtle movement caught her attention.
"Hmm?" Xue linglong looked down in puzzlement at Du Qianjue's hand resting on his knee. If she wasn't mistaken... had Du Qianjue's fingers just moved? She suddenly looked up, her face brightening with joy, eagerly awaiting Du Qianjue's awakening.
As a demi-god, Xue linglong was confident in her senses; she was sure Du Qianjue's fingers had moved, indicating he was about to wake from his deep meditation.
Indeed, Du Qianjue was awakening. His consciousness, which had been roaming in his spiritual world, was gradually returning to his body, and his organs, which had been in a standby mode due to the deep meditation, were starting to function again. A strong heartbeat thudded, prompting his blood to circulate rapidly. With the millennia-old Xuanbing marrow within him, Du Qianjue wouldn't suffer from physical weakness due to not eating for a long period, especially here at the Lake of Life in Star Dou Forest, where the rich life force was more than enough to replenish his expenditure.
So even though Du Qianjue had been in deep meditation for half a year, his body remained just as it was before the meditation. However, he inevitably felt a bit weak since he hadn't moved for so long, a bit rusty.
"Super galaxy cluster, super galaxy cluster...!" Du Qianjue slowly opened his eyes, which no longer held the confusion they did six months ago. "My path has always been clear, hasn't it?" The world, the universe! The answers had always been within him. Time and space construct the essence, earth, water, fire, and wind form the base, light and darkness bring change, other elements add color, and ultimately, what can they form? A rich and varied world! What path could possibly suit Du Qianjue better than the universe within him? 'King's Fist' really has to become the King's Fist now!
A smile of relief appeared in Du Qianjue's eyes as his confusion was unraveled. The network diagram had been a great help. For the first time, he had seen so clearly and directly the pathways of the meridians in his body and watched the flow of power within him. This was immensely helpful for his creation of a new cultivation technique.
"Plane consciousness, thank you," Du Qianjue softly said in his mind, and a fuzzy yet joyful voice responded. That was the voice of the plane consciousness. As a plane consciousness, its very essence was the planet of Douluo below him, and every planet's formation was a product of cosmic changes. Naturally, its depths retained some scenes from the birth of the universe.
The plane consciousness presented the mystery of the universe's birth in the most direct visual form to Du Qianjue, greatly enhancing his experience with world-building. Coupled with the network diagram, Du Qianjue was now 98% confident that he could create his own cultivation technique. According to the Dao, there is always one part missing out of fifty; his 98% confidence was his part, and the remaining depended on fate.
Unfortunately for him, fate was on Du Qianjue's side this time. This bet, he was destined to win.
As his vision gradually focused, the first thing Du Qianjue saw upon waking was the gentle and beautiful Xue linglong. "You're awake!" Xue linglong smiled radiantly.
Du Qianjue nodded and reached out to gently embrace her. "How long did I sleep?" he asked, enjoying the fragrance emanating from Xue linglong, his lips curling up in a smile. This was his woman. No matter when, he could always see her first. It was comforting.
"Half a year," Xue linglong replied, leaning into his embrace and taking in his scent gently. Half a year might be just a moment in Xue linglong's long life, but these six months felt incredibly fulfilling whenever she could see Du Qianjue.
"You've worked hard," Du Qianjue said softly, stroking her silky silver-white hair with a hint of guilt. He had just confessed his feelings to Xue linglong and hadn't spent much time with her before plunging into deep meditation. This was admittedly a bit inappropriate.
"Not at all," Xue linglong shook her head, her eyes remaining fixed on Du Qianjue. He could even see his own reflection in her clear eyes. He kissed her deeply on the lips, then let her go and stood up to stretch his body, which hadn't moved for six months. His joints cracked satisfyingly, and he hummed in contentment.
"I've been idle for half a year; a good fight would be nice right about now," Du Qianjue said with a smile, looking at Xue linglong. Xue linglong blinked and looked behind him.
A tall, imposing figure appeared behind him. "Oh? You want to fight? How about a bout with me then, how does that sound?" a deep, authoritative voice boomed from behind him, as Di Tian appeared with a mysterious smile on his face.
Feeling the powerful presence suddenly behind him, Du Qianjue's smile froze. Who wanted to spar with this top powerhouse of the continent? "That won't be necessary, will it?" Du Qianjue turned to look at Di Tian, his face full of reluctance.
If Du Qianjue had already broken through to the Titled Douluo level, he wouldn't hesitate to accept Di Tian's challenge. But at his current level, he wasn't quite up to par with Di Tian, not to mention Di Tian's possible ulterior motives considering his feelings for Biji and hers for him. Du Qianjue suspected Di Tian might just want a legitimate excuse to beat him up.
But Di Tian clearly wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to legitimately spar with Du Qianjue. "I think it's necessary. You've just finished deep meditation, and as a suitable partner, I feel it's my duty to spar with you to help you assimilate the gains from the meditation," Di Tian said seriously, stroking his chin.
Well, to refuse further would be impolite. After all, Di Tian did hold the title of the strongest on the continent, and his offer to spar, frankly speaking, was a great opportunity for Du Qianjue. Such an opportunity would be hard to find for anyone else.
With no other choice, Du Qianjue reluctantly nodded, accepting Di Tian's challenge. "Very well, you may go all out, and I will adjust my strength accordingly," Di Tian nodded in satisfaction.
Not backing down, good. He had some backbone. Di Tian's look towards him carried a subtle hint of respect.
Du Qianjue took a deep breath, and his twin soul cores activated instantly, revitalizing the dormant soul power in his body.
Du Qianjue vs. Di Tian!