The Otherworld Auction House's Golden Light Screen suddenly shuddered out of control in the morning light. The screen, which had been projecting the "Simulation Arena," split open with a dark purple crack. Soul Power surged from within, carrying a bone-chilling cold that forced every Soul Master within a hundred meters of the square to stumble backward. Gasps rang through the crowd. This Energy Fluctuation far surpassed that of an ordinary Titled Douluo; even the air seemed to freeze solid.
"What is that?" A level-30 Soul Elder clutched the hem of his clothes, his voice trembling. Before he could say another word, a line of bloody text appeared on the screen, its edges flickering with black lightning. The sight made everyone's heart pound: "High-Tier Puppet Challenge Channel Open. Available Target: Level-95 Puppet. Traits: Possesses self-awareness and has mastered the Otherworld's 'Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill.' Warning: Overall strength overwhelms Soul Masters of the same level. Challenges are prohibited for anyone below Titled Douluo rank!"
"Level 95?!" The square erupted, the Soul Masters' cries nearly lifting the roof. A level-95 Titled Douluo-class puppet that possessed self-awareness and could use Otherworld Battle Skills? This overturned everything they knew about "puppets." On the Douluo Continent, even the Spirit Hall's finest soul-guided puppets could only attack according to preset routines. How could one think for itself and wield skills from another world?
"A puppet with self-awareness... This Auction House is even more mysterious than I imagined." Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect put away his Jade Folding Fan, his fingertips paling. Beside him, Ning Rongrong's eyes widened as she gripped her father's sleeve. Faced with that bone-chilling cold, her level-33 Soul Power could barely keep her on her feet.
The Spirit Hall contingent on the western side of the square suddenly stirred. Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan wore a pink-purple robe. The Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum atop his Bone Staff slowly blossomed as pale golden Soul Power flowed around him, attempting to dispel the cold. But the lazy smile he usually wore had vanished, replaced by deep suspicion. He could clearly sense that what poured from the dark purple crack wasn't "Soul Power," but an energy sharper and more concentrated, like a peerless blade hidden in its sheath, ready to cut through anything.
"Lord Yue Guan, this puppet... Should we send someone to investigate first?" Bai Feng, a hall master standing beside him, swallowed hard, his voice betraying a faint tremor. Even the Spirit Hall had only a few old monsters in the Worship Hall who would dare take on a challenge against a level-95 Titled Douluo.
Yue Guan suddenly laughed. He lightly tapped his Bone Staff on the ground, and pink-purple Soul Power spread across the flagstones, driving back some of the cold. "Investigate? I've lived nearly a hundred years, and I've never feared a 'puppet.'" He looked up at the screen, a trace of pride in his eyes. "It's nothing but a lifeless thing that runs on routines. Even if it comes with the gimmick of 'self-awareness,' can it really beat my ninth Soul Skill? Few Soul Masters of the same level can withstand three of my attacks, let alone a soulless puppet."
At his words, the Spirit Hall disciples fell silent, their eyes full of admiration. Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan wasn't among the strongest Titled Douluos, but he was a renowned veteran. His Two Poles Stillness Domain could immobilize Soul Masters of the same level, while his ninth Soul Skill, "Chrysanthemum Petals Falling, Wounds Covering the Ground," could tear through the Soul Power barriers of Soul Masters below level 90 in an instant. On the Douluo Continent, one could count on one hand the Soul Masters of the same level who would dare claim they could beat him for certain.
Yue Guan carried his Bone Staff as he walked slowly toward the dark purple crack. With every step, the pink-purple Soul Power around him grew stronger, and nine Soul Rings gradually appeared behind him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black. The sight left the surrounding Soul Masters shaken.
"Lord Yue Guan's going to challenge it directly?"
"Has he lost his mind? That puppet can use Otherworld Battle Skills!"
"Maybe Chrysanthemum Douluo knows what he's doing... He is a Titled Douluo, after all!"
As they debated, Yue Guan had already reached the crack. He raised his hand and pressed it against the screen. "Yue Guan of the Spirit Hall, level-95 Titled Douluo, Martial Soul: Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. I challenge the level-95 puppet!"
"Challenger meets the level requirement. One thousand Points will be deducted. Initiating transfer." The system's cold voice rang out. The dark purple crack suddenly widened, and a beam of light enveloped Yue Guan. The next moment, he vanished from the square. When he appeared again, he was standing on a black-stone arena, facing the high-tier puppet everyone feared.
The darkness around the arena had become a starry sky, countless stars swirling within it and isolating the entire battlefield from the outside world. The puppet slowly emerged from the darkness, its body covered in dark golden armor. Dense Otherworldly runes carved into the armor glowed a faint red, each one seeming to burn. Its head had no features, only a pair of scarlet eyes like flickering flames, fixed on Yue Guan. Its cold, metallic voice rang out: "Challenger: Yue Guan, level-95 Titled Douluo, Martial Soul: Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Challenge begins."
Yue Guan tightened his grip on the Bone Staff, and for the first time, genuine gravity showed in his eyes. He could clearly sense that although the puppet's Energy Fluctuation matched that of a level-95 Titled Douluo, it carried an almost "unassailable" precision. Not a trace of Soul Power leaked out; every wisp of energy was compressed to its limit, more precisely controlled than that of any Titled Douluo he had ever encountered.
"Let's see whether your Otherworld Battle Skills can withstand my Soul Skill!" Yue Guan gave a low shout, and his ninth Soul Ring suddenly blazed. Pink-purple Soul Power surged in an instant.
Invisible Soul Power ripples spread outward from him. Wherever they passed, even the stars in the arena's backdrop seemed to stop turning. This was his signature control skill, capable of immobilizing a Soul Master of the same level for three seconds—enough time for him to unleash three powerful Soul Skills. But when the ripples touched the puppet, they struck an iron wall and vanished without a trace. The puppet stood where it was, without so much as a twitch, its scarlet eyes still fixed on him, as if the Soul Skill had been no more than a breeze.
"What?!" Yue Guan's pupils contracted, and his heart sank. Even a level-95 Titled Douluo would be immobilized for half a second, yet this puppet had ignored the skill completely? He had no time to think. The puppet suddenly moved, its body turning into a dark golden blur as it appeared before him in an instant, moving so fast it surpassed the limits of his Soul Power perception.
"Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill: Qi Wave Palm." The puppet's cold voice rang out. It slowly raised its right fist, and the runes on its armor lit up at once as pale red energy gathered in its palm into a fist-sized orb. Though small, the orb radiated a deathly aura that made Yue Guan's scalp prickle. He could clearly sense the destructive force within it—enough to tear through his Soul Power barrier, perhaps even shatter his Soul Core!
"Not good!" The hair on Yue Guan's body stood on end. Without hesitation, his ninth Soul Ring blazed again, and an even denser surge of pink-purple Soul Power exploded around him. "Ninth Soul Skill: Chrysanthemum Petals Falling, Wounds Covering the Ground!"
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