Checking In at Holy Spirit Village

Not long after Ye Tianxing left, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly rang out from the Pope's Palace.

Bibi Dong laughed happily. Over the past six years, she had tried to win Ye Tianxing over more than once or twice. Every time, Ye Tianxing's ambiguous answers left her speechless—and sometimes even made her want to kill him.

But now that things had changed, Bibi Dong felt that whether she won him over no longer mattered. As long as he called Qian Daoliu "Grandpa" and Qian Renxue "Sister," then what should he call her?

At that thought, Bibi Dong laughed even more happily, sweeping away the frustration in her heart.

Meanwhile, Ye Tianxing, who had hurriedly left the Pope's Palace, looked back with lingering fear. As he ran, Bibi Dong's unrestrained laughter reached his ears like a demonic sound.

"That woman is terrifying." Ye Tianxing swallowed.

"Strange. Why is Teacher in such a good mood today?"

Hu Liena popped her head out from nowhere and looked toward the source of the laughter. She had been handling Spirit Hall's daily affairs, and the instant she heard Bibi Dong laugh, the pen in her hand snapped.

Six years had passed, and Hu Liena had grown ever more beautiful and captivating. Every smile and frown of hers could make countless Spirit Hall disciples bow beneath her charm, and her admirers were beyond counting. With the Pope of Spirit Hall as her teacher, calling her Spirit Hall's favored daughter of heaven was no exaggeration.

"Xiaoxing, do you know why Teacher is so happy today?" Hu Liena asked, looking at Ye Tianxing.

Seeing that Ye Tianxing seemed to have just come from the Pope's Palace, she knew this matter had to be related to him.

"I don't know." Ye Tianxing decisively shook his head. He could not afford to lose that much face.

"Nana, I knew you were here..."

Hearing that familiar voice brimming with affection, Hu Liena's head throbbed. She had a whole stack of official business to handle and had finally found a spacious place to work, yet this simp had tracked her down by scent.

"Brother Yan, how about we have a spar?" Ye Tianxing took the initiative to start a fight. He was filled with frustration and needed someone to vent it on.

Yan froze slightly, then glanced at Hu Liena beside him. His entire body ignited with fighting spirit.

"Fine!" Yan agreed. In his eyes, this was a battle that would prove his love for Hu Liena.

If he won, he would gain Nana's favor. If he lost, it would not matter much. He had great confidence in his own strength.

Ye Tianxing was the disciple of the Fifth Offering. Despite his young age and extraordinary talent, he was only a level thirty-nine Soul Elder. Compared to Yan, who was level forty-five, the difference was merely six levels.

"Xiaoxing, without a Fourth Spirit Ring, you are no match for me. Even if your second ring is a thousand-year Spirit Ring, it won't help!" Yan declared as he cracked his knuckles. He had waited a long time for this day.

"Let's go to the Soul Battle Arena."

"No. Right here."

Bibi Dong's voice entered everyone's ears.

Ye Tianxing shuddered. Yan, on the other hand, was filled with battle intent. He knew that his pursuit of Nana had long moved His Holiness the Pope. As long as he defeated Ye Tianxing today, Nana would marry him!

Hu Liena looked at Yan, who was hopelessly deep in the simp stage, and sighed wearily. Sometimes, beauty was a sin.

The duel began!

The ground beneath Yan's feet began to melt as lava spread toward Ye Tianxing. His arms transformed into massive stone arms formed from lava, while the four Spirit Rings beneath his feet shone brilliantly. Two yellow and two purple—Douluo Continent's optimal Spirit Ring configuration.

"Azure Dragon Sword!"

Ye Tianxing summoned the Azure Dragon Sword. With its blue blade in hand, he turned into a streak of azure afterimage.

The next instant, Yan collapsed to the ground with his eyes tightly shut, exiting his Martial Soul Possession state.

Ye Tianxing put away the Azure Dragon Sword and left without looking back.

"Simp trash." Bibi Dong was deeply disappointed in Yan. As one of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, he had been instantly defeated by Ye Tianxing in a single move. His opponent had not even used a spirit skill, only swordsmanship—Qian Daoliu's inherited swordsmanship.

"Nana, when Yan wakes up, send him to Death Canyon for training. If he cannot break through to Soul King before the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament in two years, he need not return."

Hu Liena was delighted to hear that.

"You too. Have your brother go with you."

Hu Liena sighed. She had thought she would finally be rid of Yan, only to find that they would still be going to Death Canyon together for training.

Yan would surely start fantasizing again by then—about a two-year deadline, enduring hardships, striving through adversity, finally defeating the vile Ye Tianxing, and achieving his life's goal of marrying Nana.

Thinking of that, Hu Liena kicked Yan irritably.

"Awesome!" Yan shouted groggily.

"?" Hu Liena's seductive eyes widened as she stared at Yan in disbelief.

He was beyond saving.

After venting the anger in his chest, Ye Tianxing felt much better.

Bibi Dong's forcefulness had made him realize that his own strength was still insufficient. Having received Qian Daoliu's approval, he was now leaving Spirit Hall to train across Douluo Continent. His first destination was the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He would not leave even a single Immortal Grade Herb for Tang San.

Ye Tianxing bid everyone farewell and left Spirit City alone, with no one seeing him off.

His identity was special, and few people had ever met him. To avoid attracting attention, it had to be this way.

Besides, Ye Tianxing was leaving to train, not to visit relatives.

The Angel Clan had deep foundations. Their spirit bone disguise skill could allow Ye Tianxing to conceal his original appearance, age, Martial Soul, Soul Power Level, and even his Spirit Ring configuration. No one could see through it, not even a Titled Douluo, unless he chose to reveal himself.

As an offering of the Angel Clan, this little trick was no problem for Qian Daoliu.

Otherwise, how could Qian Renxue have infiltrated the Heaven Dou Imperial Family for so many years? The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sword and Bone Titled Douluo would have exposed her long ago. Why would they have let her remain until now?

Ye Tianxing, the possessor of Twin Martial Souls, had become the headline topic of every major sect and received special attention.

After receiving the disguise skill, Ye Tianxing adopted the alias Ye Fan, meaning ordinary. His Martial Souls, the Withered Wood Bow and Azure Dragon Sword, were also changed into a single Martial Soul: a Rusty Iron Sword.

When Ye Tianxing made this request, Qian Daoliu had been utterly confused.

A rusty iron sword—ever heard of tetanus?

Standing atop the Rusty Iron Sword, Ye Tianxing shot into the sky. Before heading to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he planned to check in at Holy Spirit Village.

Holy Spirit Village lay at the border between the two great empires, where Spirit Hall also bordered both empires.

Thus, after flying for an entire morning, Ye Tianxing finally arrived above Holy Spirit Village. He found an uninhabited spot and descended.

He released his spiritual power and entered the village ahead only after confirming that no one was there.

Holy Spirit Village was small, with towering trees surrounding it and wooden huts everywhere. However, ever since the Spirit Hall scouts sent here six years ago had been killed by Tang Hao, no one had lived here.

Spiderwebs covered the area, and weeds grew wildly. The huge stone bearing the handprint of a Soul Saint still stood stubbornly in the center of Holy Spirit Village, now ignored by all.

After searching for a long time, Ye Tianxing finally found the village's only blacksmith shop. This was Tang San's home.

Tang San, who came from the Tang Sect, excelled most at crafting all kinds of hidden weapons. Before opening the door, Ye Tianxing suddenly slashed it apart with his sword. In that instant, a glint of cold light shot out from within.

A rusted iron needle buried itself deep into a tree trunk. Fortunately, Ye Tianxing had his Spiritual Skull's detection ability, so he had not rashly entered.