Everyone Has Their Own Story

Yue Guan lifted an exquisite gold-threaded teacup and took a slow sip before speaking leisurely. "Actually, this isn't much of a secret among the higher-ups."

"It began after Ning Fengzhi's father, Ning Youwei, the previous Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, died unexpectedly."

"Ning Fengzhi was still young then and lacked prestige. He simply couldn't command such a vast sect."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect swiftly split into three factions."

He lowered his voice slightly, with a hint of mockery. "One group consisted of stubborn conservatives who continued advocating a moderate path—offend no one and maintain the status quo."

"Another group... was 'drawn' to the power and prospects 'displayed' by His Holiness the Pope of Spirit Hall. They secretly leaned toward joining Spirit Hall in search of protection and development."

"The remaining radicals blindly believed that the Clear Sky Sect was the continent's number one sect and possessed greater strength. They advocated simply attaching themselves to, or even merging into, the Clear Sky Sect in search of protection."

"And it was precisely during that chaotic period, when the sect's internal strife was at its fiercest and the three factions remained deadlocked, that Ning Fengzhi, the 'legitimate' heir, chose to quietly leave the sect."

A sharp glint flashed through Yue Guan's eyes. "His departure directly caused the moderate conservative faction to completely lose its pillar. Their voice quickly weakened."

"And the faction inclined toward our Spirit Hall gradually gained the upper hand with His Holiness the Pope's secret support. They nearly took control of the entire sect..."

He set down his teacup, his tone carrying a trace of barely perceptible regret. "However, at that critical moment, Ning Fengzhi returned!"

"And he did not return alone. He brought back two Titled Douluo capable of overturning the entire situation—Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong!"

"You've likely heard what happened next." Yue Guan's tone turned cold. "Ning Fengzhi carried out a bloody purge with Thunderous Methods!"

"Those 'surrenderists' who had once leaned toward our Spirit Hall were uprooted completely. Not a single one was spared!"

"The ruthlessness of his methods was enough to make anyone shudder."

"Only after thoroughly clearing away the internal obstacles did he begin implementing his strategy of resistance, that 'the Upper Three Sects are bound together by common cause.'"

Zhao Linchuan nodded inwardly. So that was it!

No wonder Ning Fengzhi had later stood so firmly against Spirit Hall, even willing to pay any price to weaken it.

That was the root of it—Spirit Hall had nearly "stolen" his home from under his nose. How could he not hate them to the bone?

Still... Zhao Linchuan sneered inwardly. Ning Fengzhi had likely underestimated Spirit Hall's true foundation in the early days, believing that the Upper Three Sects could contend with it through unity.

If he had known from the start that Spirit Hall possessed as many as twenty Strong persons at the Titled Douluo level, then even with ten times the courage, he would not have dared formulate that so-called resistance plan. He might even have sold out allies like Tang San at a critical moment to save himself.

The three of them chatted casually for a while longer, until Spirit Hall's disciples had all finished breakfast and were ready to depart.

Bibi Dong and Zhao Linchuan walked at the very front of the group, bright sunlight spilling over them.

"Linchuan." Bibi Dong turned her head to look at Zhao Linchuan's sharply defined profile, smiling. "I didn't expect you and Mister Ju to get along so well." She paused, her tone carrying a playful hint of probing. "But... Linchuan, you might not know Mister Ju's true identity yet, do you?"

Zhao Linchuan looked utterly calm, as though they were discussing the weather. "We merely talked about interesting things from around the continent and local customs. As for his identity?"

The corner of his lips curved into a faint smile. "What special identity could he possibly have? He's only a Titled Douluo."

"What do you mean, 'only a Titled Douluo'? Wait!" Bibi Dong abruptly stopped, her beautiful eyes widening as she stared at Zhao Linchuan in surprise. "You... how did you know he was a Titled Douluo?!"

She remembered that Zhao Linchuan should never have seen Yue Guan reveal his strength before last night.

Zhao Linchuan gave her a slightly speechless glance, as though saying, Isn't it obvious?

"Would someone whom you, Dong'er—a noble young lady—treat with such respect and deference be an ordinary person?"

His tone was matter-of-fact. "Given your status, isn't it perfectly reasonable and normal to have a Strong person at the Titled Douluo level serving as your guard when you travel?"

"You could guess it just by using your brain a little."

"I really didn't expect you to be so observant..." Bibi Dong suddenly understood, then let out a soft laugh. Her earlier surprise turned into admiration as she explained, "His name is Yue Guan, and his title is Chrysanthemum."

"And as you've noticed, he is a... well... rather 'special' Titled Douluo." She carefully chose her words to avoid sounding disrespectful.

Zhao Linchuan glanced sideways at Yue Guan, who was elegantly straightening his cuffs in the distance, his voice calm. "Everyone has their own story."

"Perhaps it was precisely those unknown experiences that shaped his current... distinctive temperament."

"Mm..." Bibi Dong pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "Then it seems... I may have misunderstood him before..."

She seemed quite convinced by Zhao Linchuan's explanation.

As they spoke, the group had already arrived near the grand, murderous-looking gates of the Great Soul Arena in Litangding Town.

Yet the scene at the entrance today differed from usual.

A massive crowd had formed a dense, impenetrable circle, pointing toward its center and buzzing with discussion like a swarm of bees.

Even more unpleasantly, the air was permeated by an indescribable sour, rotten stench that made people gag, as though something had been decaying and fermenting in high heat for a long time.

"Huh? What are they watching?" Bibi Dong curiously rose onto her tiptoes, trying to peer over the crowd, but the circle was packed too tightly for her to see anything.

Zhang Huan craned his neck and took a hard look, speaking unconcernedly. "Miss, it's probably some kind of novelty."

"Litangding Town is full of all sorts. Strange things happen every day."

"I even heard that a Cheese Snow Leopard was imitating human speech by the city gates before!"

Li Lang tilted his head and carefully observed the postures of the onlookers,

Most of them covered their noses, their faces showing disgust, morbid curiosity, or gloating. Their bodies leaned slightly forward, yet they instinctively kept their distance.

"Tch, they're all looking down, covering their noses, and standing so far away... Could they be watching a completely dead stray dog?"

"This smell is strong enough to hit you from this far away."

"What's there to watch about a dead dog? Why would so many people bother looking?" Zhang Huan shook his head, unconvinced. "Besides, can a dead dog make noise?"

"Listen, doesn't it sound like there's still some whimpering coming from inside?"