Continental Powers and the Layout of Fasnuo City

In the days that followed, Chen Xilin stayed at the Spirit Hall Main Hall in Fasnuo City. It was spacious enough, and Bishop Yasqi arranged a room for him.

Chen Xilin's life was finally settled. At the very least, he could use the Spirit Hall Main Hall to study information about spirit beasts.

The greatest advantage of the Spirit Hall Main Hall was its enormous library. Chen Xilin spent most of his daytime hours there, buried in books.

After reading the encyclopedia on dragon-type martial souls, Chen Xilin became even more certain that his martial soul was the Dark Holy Dragon Spirit. The Dark Holy Dragon Spirit had two forms.

One possessed dragon wings, a massive body, and equally thick limbs. The other had no dragon wings, a body like a python's, and comparatively short limbs.

There was no difference between them in terms of bloodline. They were entirely on the same level, but they excelled in different areas.

The winged Dark Holy Dragon Spirit was more powerful physically, making its spirit masters stronger in close combat. The wingless Dark Holy Dragon Spirit possessed greater control over the darkness element.

But a dragon was still a dragon. It would never be weak in terms of strength; they simply had different strengths. These two dragon forms were also considered mutated branches.

Like the Dark Holy Dragon Spirit, the Golden Holy Dragon and Light Holy Dragon also possessed two mutated dragon-form branches.

Chen Xilin also learned why his martial soul had been identified as the Dark Demonic Flood Dragon Spirit. It was because the Dark Demonic Flood Dragon itself possessed a portion of the Dark Holy Dragon's bloodline.

Unless one unleashed a Martial Soul Avatar, it was difficult to distinguish them.

Moreover, because Bishop Yasqi took especially good care of him, he was even allowed to read some highly confidential materials. Bishop Yasqi only told him not to spread them around.

For example, there was the question of how true dragon species martial souls underwent Dragon Transformation—turning one's body into that of a dragon and enhancing all of one's attributes.

How exactly did the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's secret Dragon Transformation technique work?

The books recorded that true dragon species martial souls had extremely demanding requirements for spirit rings. At the very least, they had to come from Sub-Dragon Spirit Beasts. The reason Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit masters were so powerful was also because they all sought out Sub-Dragon Spirit Beasts.

As long as a spirit beast had the word "dragon" in its name or possessed Dragon Blood, its combat power and bloodline would be exceptionally formidable.

True dragon species martial souls absorbed Sub-Dragon spirit rings to obtain the dragon energy within them. It was a special energy only produced by Dragon Clan spirit beasts, capable of purifying dragon bloodlines.

Once dragon energy accumulated to a certain degree, changes would occur in a spirit master's body. Their limbs would first turn into Dragon Claws, then their body into a dragon body, followed by the growth of Dragon Horns, a Dragon Tail, and dragon wings.

Once a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit master acquired Dragon Transformation, their combat power would soar dramatically.

For instance, the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger martial soul, the Holy Dragon Sect's White Armored Earth Dragon martial soul, and the Elephant Armor Sect's Diamond Mammoth martial soul were all top-tier beast martial souls.

Before undergoing Dragon Transformation, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit masters were evenly matched against them. But once they used Dragon Transformation, they could crush them. That was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's tyranny!

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul could claim the title of strongest beast martial soul precisely because of this unique ability. Of course, there was another reason: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons were exceptionally fertile, far surpassing other top-tier beast martial souls when it came to producing offspring.

The Dark Holy Dragon Spirit Chen Xilin possessed was an even more advanced true dragon species martial soul than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

However, there was a troublesome issue. Sub-Dragon Spirit Beasts were all extremely powerful, and the energy in the spirit rings they produced was astonishingly violent. Every year, quite a few spirit masters were blown apart by spirit ring energy.

But Chen Xilin was not worried. His Muscle Tendon Classic was originally a body-protecting internal art. Though he was stuck at a bottleneck, absorbing spirit rings above his level would not be a problem!

Still, Chen Xilin was deeply conflicted. He was determined to absorb spirit rings above his level. One step ahead meant every step ahead; it was the best way to build his foundation and lay the groundwork for absorbing 100,000-year Spirit Rings in the future.

But if he ended up with an outrageous Spirit Ring Configuration, who knew what abnormalities it might attract? He would not assume his enemies would lose their wits like Tang San's did.

Tang San ran around everywhere with a spirit ring absorbed above his level. Although people had targeted him, it all eventually amounted to nothing. Chen Xilin did not dare gamble on that.

He would only reveal himself after becoming strong enough. After absorbing spirit rings above his level, Chen Xilin planned not even to register at Spirit Hall, nor would he go to the Great Soul Arena.

Unless he possessed the strength to protect himself. As for money, hehe, there were plenty of nobles here. Quietly wiping out a minor noble and immediately fleeing should not be too much of a problem.

Right, he would also need to have a mask made later, just in case someone recognized him and caused unnecessary trouble.

"Uncle Hans! Tell me about the major powers in the spirit master world today. Like our Spirit Hall, the Seven Great Sects, the Two Great Empires, and other powerful spirit masters. And just how strong are the very strongest spirit masters?"

Little Chen Xilin asked in a soft, childish voice. Before him stood a middle-aged man around forty years old, with calm eyes, stubble on his face, a scar at the corner of his mouth, and a burly build.

The middle-aged man wore a black outfit somewhat similar in style to Yasqi's red-robed bishop robes, except the black clothing looked more suitable for combat.

This man was the deputy hall master of the Spirit Hall Main Hall, Black Bishop Hans. He was also the reason Old Chen Chen had been able to live so comfortably.

Hans had been a genius Old Chen Chen recruited into Spirit Hall. He had Innate Soul Power of Level 7 and had even gone to Spirit City for further studies. After achieving success in cultivation, he had been assigned to a local branch and came to the Spirit Hall Main Hall in Fasnuo City.

Hans was now forty-two years old and already a Level 69 Spirit Emperor. He could break through to Spirit Sage before turning forty-five.

Bishop Yasqi guessed that Hans might break through to Spirit Douluo before he reached sixty. A Spirit Douluo! There were fewer than a hundred Spirit Douluos in all of Douluo Continent. (The original work really did mention this, though the later power scaling became absurd.)

During his time at the Spirit Hall Main Hall, Chen Xilin had become familiar with these two important figures. Bishop Yasqi's martial soul was the Rock Breaking Spear, a mutated tool martial soul, and he was currently a Level 74 Battle Spirit Sage.

Bishop Hans's martial soul was the Purple Cloud Eagle, and he was a Level 69 agility-attack Battle Spirit Emperor.

With a mere stomp of their feet in Fasnuo City, these two could make the entire great city tremble.

"Of course. I can tell you about them. I hope Xiao Lin can become a powerful expert someday too."

Hans treated Chen Xilin very well because Hans himself had once been an orphan. He had been raised by an old village chief in some village, with no family to rely on. When he awakened his martial soul at the age of six, Chen Chen had taken notice of him.

He brought Hans into the Spirit Hall Main Hall, and afterward, Chen Chen personally took care of him. It was not until Hans's talent had fully revealed itself that he went to Spirit City for further studies.

Moreover, Chen Chen had begged others for that study placement back then. Although Chen Chen and Hans were not related by blood, their relationship truly resembled that of father and son.

Chen Chen had no family and was an old bachelor. Hans was an orphan Chen Chen had raised, so they could be considered father and son.

Hans had also learned from Chen Chen that Chen Xilin was an orphan. His parents had been killed shortly after he was born, and his mother had cut open her own stomach to pull Chen Xilin out.

Chen Xilin had been born prematurely. When Chen Chen found him, he had still been covered in blood. It was truly a miracle that he had survived.

Hans deeply sympathized with Chen Xilin's circumstances. He had gone through the same sort of life himself, so he took especially good care of Chen Xilin. He even had the feeling of raising Chen Xilin as his own son.

"There are two supreme experts in the spirit master world of Douluo Continent, known as Peerless Douluos. Both have reached the astonishing Level 99, and they are called the twin mountains of the spirit master world—mountains that cannot be crossed.

"One is the former Pope of our Spirit Hall, Lord Qian Daoliu, whose title is Angel. Let me tell you, I saw Lord Qian Daoliu once back then. He spoke very gently, and after listening to him, you felt warm all over.

"Oh, right. The current Pope, Lord Qian Xunji, is Lord Qian Daoliu's only son. His talent is even more remarkable. He reached Spirit Douluo at around thirty years old, breaking record after record.

"As for the other expert, he is the former sect master of the Number One Sect Under Heaven, the Clear Sky Sect. His name is Tang Chen, and his title is Clear Sky. The Clear Sky Hammer in his hands is incomparably powerful!

"Clear Sky Douluo is currently the youngest recorded person to break through to Titled Douluo. He became a Titled Douluo at fifty-one. (Qian Xunji breaking through at fifty was hyped endlessly, so fifty-one is no issue.)

"However, our Pope is confident that he can surpass Clear Sky Douluo. After all, he broke through to Spirit Douluo far younger than Senior Tang Chen did.

"But the Clear Sky Sect's strength is beyond words. One sect has two Douluos. Clear Sky Douluo's only son, Earth Shaking Douluo Tang Zhen, is also an extremely powerful Titled Douluo.

"The Seven Great Sects have never seen another case of one sect producing two Douluos. The Clear Sky Sect has always firmly held first place among the Seven Great Sects because of its strength.

"Since we have mentioned the Seven Great Sects, the second sect under heaven is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. Its sect master, Tyrant Dragon Douluo Yu Yunfeng, possesses incomparably great strength and has reached Level 96, which is truly admirable.

"It is said that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect also shows signs of producing two Douluos. Its elder Yu Yuanzhen is already an exceptionally powerful Spirit Douluo and has a strong chance of breaking through to Titled Douluo. Truly terrifying.

"The third sect under heaven is an auxiliary sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect reigns supreme in support abilities. If someone had the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda supporting them in a spirit battle, their combat power would be unmatched.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Guardian Douluo, Azure Gang Douluo, possesses an Azure Gang Sword that is unmatched under heaven. He is the second greatest Sword Hero in the world. Although his soul power is only Level 95, with the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, he can suppress the Level 96 Tyrant Dragon Douluo in combat.

"The Lower Four Sects...

"Now that we have covered the Seven Great Sects, let us talk about some other experts. Azure Gang Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the world's second greatest Sword Hero, so naturally we should mention the world's greatest Sword Hero—Senior Sword Douluo Chen Jianjun.

"Senior Chen Jianjun's martial soul is the Seven Kill Sword, which possesses incomparably fierce killing intent. Its killing power surpasses even the Clear Sky Hammer, and it is even called the number one offensive martial soul under heaven.

"It is said that his soul power has reached Level 97. He is an exceptionally powerful Peak Douluo, with few opponents besides the two Peerless Douluos.

"Both Great Empires also have a Titled Douluo overseeing them. The Heaven Dou Empire has Azure Shadow Douluo, whose martial soul is the Azure Shadow Eagle. The Star Luo Empire has Demon Tiger Douluo, whose martial soul is the Dark Demon Tiger.

"That is what I know about the experts of Douluo Continent. Oh, Xiao Lin, you may not know this yet, but Titled Douluos are divided into different tiers. Titled Douluos from Level 96 to Level 98 are known as Peak Douluos.

"And those two Level 99 Titled Douluos are known as Peerless Douluos. I also heard that Sword Hero Chen Jianjun once fought four Titled Douluos alone and defeated them all.

"Of course, that may only be a rumor. I heard it from others myself, so it probably should not be taken seriously."

After listening to Hans, Chen Xilin understood what era this was. It was Qian Xunji's era. The Haotian Twin Stars had yet to emerge, so they were probably still cultivating bitterly within their sect.

During this period, Chen Xilin's foreknowledge was completely useless. Tang Hao was not even active in the spirit master world yet, and Tang San did not even exist. What use was foreknowledge then?

There were so many powerful experts in this era. Even the Heaven Dou Empire had a Titled Douluo? Chen Xilin clearly remembered that the Heaven Dou Empire had no Titled Douluos. Dugu Bo had only later been hired as an honorary Guardian.

Azure Shadow Douluo? Just from the name, Chen Xilin knew she was an agility-attack Titled Douluo. As for the Star Luo Empire having a Titled Douluo, that was not strange. After all, the Star Luo Empire was stronger than the Heaven Dou Empire.

He really was much, much older than Tang San. Still, they had both come from the same place. He and Tang San were both in Fasnuo Province.

It was just that Chen Xilin was in Fasnuo City, the provincial capital of Fasnuo Province, while Tang San was in Nuoding City, which counted as a small city.

"Then, Uncle Hans, does our Fasnuo City have any Spirit Douluo experts? I have learned from books these past few days that Fasnuo Province is the Heaven Dou Empire's major grain-producing region. Fasnuo City is also a large city, so there should be powerful experts stationed here, right?"

Chen Xilin began asking about the experts of Fasnuo City. He did not know whether there were any absurdly powerful figures around. It was best to understand the local powers, lest a whole series of troublesome matters arise.

"Hehe, do you think Spirit Douluos are cabbages? There are fewer than a hundred Spirit Douluos in all of Douluo Continent. But Fasnuo City did once have a Spirit Douluo. Back then, the Star Luo Empire's army suddenly assembled on a large scale at the border.

"A Spirit Douluo came from Heaven Dou City and guarded the area for some time before returning. Although we do not have a Spirit Douluo, Fasnuo City has quite a few Spirit Sages.

"Bishop Yasqi, whom you know, is a Spirit Sage expert. Fasnuo City's city lord is also a Spirit Sage expert.

"It is said that the city lord's background is far from ordinary, and his strength is formidable. His soul power has reached Level 78. His martial soul is the Dark Gold Tiger, not inferior in the slightest to the Star Luo Empire's White Tiger. He is Fasnuo City's strongest expert.

"Besides the city lord and Bishop Yasqi, there are several other Spirit Sages. The headmaster of Purple Star Advanced Spirit Master Academy is a Spirit Sage expert, and his martial soul is the Purple Star Saber.

"In the northeastern corner of Fasnuo City, there is a Storm Family. Their inherited martial soul is called the Storm Dragon Wolf. It is said to possess a trace of Dragon Clan bloodline, as well as the bloodline of the Gale Demon Wolf. It is very formidable.

"The family head is a Level 75 Battle Spirit Sage. His strength is second only to the city lord's, making him the third strongest expert in Fasnuo City.

"As for the second strongest expert, he is a Rogue Cultivator. Like me, Uncle Chen awakened his martial soul. Oh, right, his martial soul is also the Dark Demonic Flood Dragon Spirit, just like yours.

"He is a lone wanderer with a proud temperament and formidable strength. His soul power has reached Level 76. In all of Fasnuo City, only the city lord can barely suppress him.

"I can introduce you to him next time. After all, your martial souls are similar, so he can guide you a little."

After hearing Hans's words, Chen Xilin understood the situation in Fasnuo City. Honestly, it was a bit outrageous. There were actually five Spirit Sages in one city. Hans, standing before him, was already at Level 69 and would soon become a Spirit Sage himself.

Spirit City, Pope's Palace

"Reporting to Your Holiness the Pope, word has come from below that a little girl has awakened Twin Martial Souls: the Death Spider Emperor and the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor."

An old man dressed in crimson ceremonial robes spoke to the man seated upon the Pope's Throne.

The man had golden hair and handsome features, radiating a warm and holy aura.

"Good! Good! Good! Where is this girl? Bring her back to Spirit City immediately. No, I will go myself! I will take this girl as my disciple. Hahaha, a genius with Twin Martial Souls will surely lead Spirit Hall to glory in the future!"

The man was the current Pope, Qian Xunji. Qian Xunji was now a Spirit Douluo expert. He was already forty-two years old and had just taken over the position of Pope. Spirit Hall as a whole was flourishing.

Now that a Twin Martial Souls genius had appeared, it was truly the Angel God's blessing.

"What is that girl called? Does she have any family left?" Qian Xunji asked.

"The child is named Bibi Dong. She is an orphan. Her parents and village were destroyed by Fallen Spirit Masters a year ago. Our people found her in a water well and then brought her to the orphanage at the Spirit Hall Main Hall.

"She awakened her martial souls at the age of six, and that was when her talent was discovered," the red-robed old man reported.

"Fallen Spirit Masters again! They truly cannot be killed off! Deliver my Pope's Edict: whenever any member of Spirit Hall encounters Fallen Spirit Masters harming civilians, kill them immediately!

"Protecting Douluo Continent is the duty of our Spirit Hall!" Qian Xunji declared excitedly.