Stillness Before the Storm

Heaven Dou Empire, Imperial Capital.

As dawn broke, the purple-gold palace towers glowed warmly beneath the morning clouds. Seven days had passed since Tang San issued the Sea God's divine decree, and the entire imperial capital seemed to have been infused with a new soul. Before the "Divine Decree Stele" outside the palace, crowds surged. Three divine decrees had been inscribed upon the stele with Soul Power, golden light flowing without rest day and night, as though it breathed in the Soul Power of heaven and earth. The people stopped to gaze upward, while children recited beneath the stele, "All citizens of Douluo Continent, whether Soul Masters or ordinary people, must take the protection of all living beings as their duty..." An old man knelt in tears. "After a hundred years of war, Soul Masters have always stood above us. Today, a god is finally willing to lower his gaze upon us."

The Solitary Cultivation Academy had established branch academies in five cities. Yu Xiaogang personally oversaw them, gathering Soul Masters and farming craftsmen to dig canals, divert water, and control locust plagues. Cold-resistant seeds from the Extreme North Snowfield had been introduced to the south, doubling crop yields per acre. Even more astonishingly, these seeds spontaneously absorbed the Soul Power of heaven and earth when planted, growing far faster than ordinary crops. The people called them "Sea God's Grain, Solitary Cultivation Seeds."

A new ballad spread through the streets and alleys, and children sang as they danced:

A Soul Master stood atop the city wall, watching smoke curl from the villages below, and sighed. "So a Soul Master's mission is not just to fight. It can also be—to sow hope."

Spirit Hall, Pope's Palace.

Dark clouds gathered as flashes of lightning flickered within them. Qian Xunji sat upon a throne of black jade, his Six-Winged Angel martial soul slowly beating its wings behind him. Yet an eerie black aura seeped through the golden radiance, as though it had been corroded by some dark power. He gripped the secret report sent back by Ghost Leopard Douluo, every word on its pages written in blood:

Bang!

Qian Xunji smashed the jade table with one palm, his roar shaking the great hall. "A mere mortal dares cripple my consecrated elder?! Tang San has become a god, Yang Jun is throwing the government into chaos—does this world now belong to them?"

Within the hall, six black shadows emerged from the darkness. All were peak Douluo from Spirit Hall's hidden division, their auras cold and sinister, silent as ghosts.

"Send out the order," Qian Xunji commanded coldly. "Activate the 'Shadow Erosion Plan':

"First, dispatch Soul Devouring Gu to infiltrate the Solitary Cultivation Academy, corrupt the hearts of the people, and make them view the new policies as a plague.

"Second, bribe Heaven Dou officials and falsely accuse Yu Xiaogang of 'using his power for personal gain and colluding with foreign enemies.'

"Third, assassinate three city lords who support the new policies, create chaos, and force the Heaven Dou royal family to abolish the Solitary Cultivation Academy.

"Fourth, spread rumors—'Solitary Cultivators are actually incarnations of an evil god, using seeds to beguile the people. Beneath their plows lie buried souls.'"

He rose to his feet, six wings spreading wide as golden light sharpened like blades. "I will turn Tang San's divine decree into a joke! I will make ten thousand people spit upon Yang Jun's 'Dao'! I will make the entire continent understand—only Spirit Hall is the master of order!"

Before Solitary Cultivation Hall, Yang Jun was guiding farmers as they planted seeds.

He wore a coarse hemp cloak and held the Shennong Hoe, his movements as steady as a plow cutting through snow. The farmers gathered around him, carefully burying Cold Rice seeds in the frozen earth. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. The Shennong Hoe tapped the ground lightly, and Ice Thunder Power instantly spread outward, extending for hundreds of yards like a Spider Web.

Boom—!

Three corpses burst from beneath the snow. They were all assassins dressed in black, Shadow Nails unique to Spirit Hall's hidden division embedded in their chests. Their faces were twisted in agony; clearly, they had suffered Soul Power backlash before death.

"Again." Yang Jun's voice was cold. "It seems some people still don't understand how to write the word 'retreat.'"

Yu Xiaogang hurried over, clutching a shattered Soul Tool in his hand. "I've already discovered that these men infiltrated a branch of the Solitary Cultivation Academy and attempted to plant Soul Devouring Gu in the grain seeds. These gu insects are colorless and odorless. Once the seeds sprout, they release soul-illuding vapors that drive anyone who eats them mad, making them see the Solitary Cultivation Academy as an evil cult."

Yang Jun looked south, his gaze as sharp as a plow. "They dare not fight openly, so they resort to such vile methods. In that case—"

He raised the Shennong Hoe and dragged its tip across the ground. An Ice Thunder Rune carved itself into the earth, spreading across a hundred miles in an instant and connecting with the Extreme North's earth veins. "From this day onward, the Extreme North shall have a Plow Array. Any member of Spirit Hall who enters will be frozen for three days, their Soul Power completely sealed. This array shall be called Shadow Seal."

The farmers looked upon him with solemn reverence. An old farmer said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Yang, you're protecting us."

Yang Jun shook his head, his gaze gentle. "I am not protecting you. I am protecting the Dao. If even the seeds are tainted, then this world truly has no hope left. One seed is one life; one furrow of earth is a piece of heaven."

Sea God Island. Bo Saixi stood before Sea God Palace, gently tapping the Sea God's Scepter in her hand. Ripples spread across the sea, reflecting scenes from every corner of the continent.

"Tang San," she said softly, "Spirit Hall has already carried out three assassinations in Heaven Dou. The people are beginning to waver. If you do not appear soon, your divine decree will become empty words."

Tang San closed his eyes and sensed outward. His Spiritual Sense spread like ocean tides, instantly covering all of Douluo Continent. He "saw" the Ice Thunder Runes before Solitary Cultivation Hall, "heard" the songs of the people, and "felt" Spirit Hall's conspiracy.

He rose, divine radiance swirling around him. The Blue Silver Emperor martial soul unfolded behind him like Vines of the sea, entwining heaven and earth.

"Convey my divine decree:

"Any member of Spirit Hall's hidden division who again violates the Solitary Cultivation Academy or Solitary Cultivation Hall shall be killed without mercy.

"Anyone who assists in spreading rumors or slandering the new policies shall have their souls locked for three days as punishment.

"Solitary Cultivator Yang Jun is a Dao Protector acknowledged by me, the Sea God. His actions are my will, and his words are my decree.

"Those who defy this shall suffer divine punishment, their souls scattered and destroyed."

The moment the divine decree was issued, the sea churned as countless waves howled in unison. Innumerable Sea Soul Beasts leaped from the deep ocean, roaring their response. Soul Masters from Sea God Island set out one after another for all parts of the continent, overseeing the implementation of the divine decree. Seven elders of Sea God Pavilion personally led teams as well, forming the Dao Protector Patrol Team to specifically purge Spirit Hall's hidden division.

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, ancient trees towered overhead and miasma filled the air.

Xiao Wu and Tang Hao were escorting a batch of Solitary Cultivation Seeds to a village that Spirit Hall had plundered. The village houses had been burned down, and the people were starving and freezing. When they saw Soul Masters arrive, they were initially wary, some even raising farm tools in defense.

Xiao Wu smiled gently. "We're not here to fight. We're here to bring seeds. This is Cold Rice from the Extreme North Snowfield. It can grow in barren land and yields two harvests a season. Plant it, and there will be food next year."

An old farmer accepted the seeds with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face. "You... were truly sent by the Sea God?"

Tang Hao replied in a deep voice, "We are not gods, but we are willing to block a blade for you."

At that moment, killing intent erupted from the forest!

Three Spirit Hall assassins lunged from the shadows, activating Martial Soul Possession as their soul skills erupted at once. One wielded a Shadow Blade, striking directly for Xiao Wu's throat. One used a Soul Lock, seeking to trap Tang Hao. The third had already driven a Shadow Nail toward Xiao Wu's back!

At the critical moment, a streak of blue light tore through the air—

Clang!

The Shadow Nail was knocked flying and shattered into iron scraps. The blue light landed on the ground. It was merely an ordinary hoe, its tip dripping icy water.

An old man dressed like a farmer stood at the village entrance. His clothes were plain, but his eyes shone like torches.

"This is land protected by the Solitary Cultivation Academy." The old man's voice was calm, yet it rang like thunder. "Anyone who wishes to harm others must first get past this furrow of mine."

The assassins were horrified. "You... you're Old Plowman of the Extreme North?! Yang Jun's legendary first disciple, the one said to have sealed a thousand-year soul beast with a single plow strike!"

The old man did not answer. He lightly swept his hoe, and the ground split apart. Ice thunder surged forth like a net, instantly locking the three men down and stripping them of all Soul Power.

Xiao Wu asked in surprise, "You are Yang Jun's disciple?"

The old man nodded and put away his hoe. "I was once a refugee who starved to death. Mr. Yang gave me seeds, and he gave me life. Now, I am willing to protect those seeds with my life."

Tang Hao stared at him and solemnly cupped his fists. "What a vow—to protect seeds with one's life."

Night fell over Solitary Cultivation Hall. Yang Jun looked up at the stars, the Shennong Hoe standing at his side. Water dripped from the plow tip and fell into the snow, instantly condensing into an ice lotus.

Yu Xiaogang approached, holding an ancient scroll. "I searched through all the secret records of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lineage and finally found this passage: 'Gods are not born, but made by people; the Dao is not bestowed by heaven, but guarded by the heart. In ages past, there was a Plow God who opened heaven with his plow and determined fate with his seeds. He later vanished into the Extreme North, neither contending for godhood nor leaving behind anything but the seed of the Dao.' Yang Jun, the path you walk is the path of the Plow God."

Yang Jun smiled faintly. "Godhood is not attained by sitting still. It is walked. Tang San walks the path of a god; I walk the path of man. But though our paths differ, our Dao is the same."

He pointed into the distance. "Look. The lights of that village are warmer than the light of any temple. The smiles of those people are truer than any divine decree."

Yu Xiaogang sighed. "If you become a god, you will surely become another Plow God."

Yang Jun shook his head, his gaze resolute. "Only by not becoming a god can I forever remain that person—the one sowing seeds in the snow."

The wind rose, and snow began to fall.

Under the moonlight, the ice lotus slowly bloomed, its crystalline petals reflecting countless stars.

Suddenly, a faint point of light appeared at the heart of the ice lotus, like a seed beginning to sprout.

Yang Jun lowered his head and murmured, "The Dao seed has taken root."

—This lotus did not bloom for gods, but for the mortal world.

This light did not descend from heaven, but rose from the heart.