The World Is in Chaos! (Please Read and Vote!)

[Reward: Soul Power Level +1, all Spirit Rings gain 1,500 years!]

[Note: Titled Douluo with a Soul Power Level of 95 or higher may forgo one of the rewards and choose a Soul Bone perfectly suited to them (random location, guaranteed to be at least ten thousand years old).]

The Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking had changed again?

If you exchanged Soul Power for a Soul Bone, even though the latter was incredibly precious and something every Soul Master yearned for, it was still only so-so for a Titled Douluo—unless it was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Still, for Gui Mei, who already had the optimal Soul Ring Configuration, exchanging the years on his Spirit Rings for a Soul Bone was a good deal.

*I'm not asking for one with a particularly high age. I just hope it's a Soul Bone that helps with speed and staying alive. Otherwise, with the battles that are about to come, I might not make it out alive!*

As Gui Mei prayed, the words turned into streaks of light and shot straight into his body.

In the blink of an eye, he felt his Soul Power swell from the increase in his level. Then, as he sensed the Soul Bone that had appeared in his left leg, a smile spread across his face.

"A Thirty Thousand Year Lightning Mink Left Leg Bone, with the Lightning Escape Spirit Skill!

"It's not the spatial teleportation skill I've always wanted, but it's still pretty good.

"With this thing, I can boost my escape speed by at least thirty percent!

"And with my Soul Power Level going up... even Golden Crocodile Douluo might not be able to catch me, right?"

Just as Gui Mei appeared on the ranking, before everyone had recovered from their earlier shock, another familiar figure appeared on the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking.

[Strongest Dragon-Tiger Ranking 24: Chrysanthemum Douluo (Yue Guan)!]

[Martial Soul: Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!]

[Level: 95!]

[Soul Bones: None!]

[Video Background: Like Gui Mei, he had been with Spirit Hall for over sixty years. Though the two were not brothers by blood, they were closer than brothers!

Their strength was about equal, but since Yue Guan's Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was the higher-quality Martial Soul, he was ranked one place above Gui Mei!

Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was so useful, and Spirit Hall wanted to keep its other Titled Douluo hidden, so the two of them usually handled Spirit Hall's military operations abroad.

But unlike Gui Mei, who had the good fortune to obtain a Soul Bone during a mission, Yue Guan had served Spirit Hall faithfully for sixty years without getting a single one.

After Qian Xunji had suffered a setback at Tang Hao's hands—failing to get what he wanted and making a mess of things—and was later killed by his former student Bibi Dong, whom he had once imprisoned, Yue Guan had to put himself under Bibi Dong's command to stay alive under Qian Daoliu. From then on, he followed her orders!]

[Reward: Soul Power Level +1, all Spirit Rings gain 1,600 years!]

[Note: Titled Douluo with a Soul Power Level of 95 or higher may forgo one of the rewards and choose a Soul Bone perfectly suited to them (random location, guaranteed to be at least ten thousand years old).]

If Gui Mei had needed to think about the choice the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking offered, for Yue Guan, there was really only one option.

A Soul Bone!

The Soul Bone he had yearned for all his life—he was finally going to get one!

As Gui Mei watched in anticipation, a light shone from Yue Guan's chest. Gui Mei couldn't help but look surprised.

"That's... a Torso Bone!"

"Well, I'll be damned. After a lifetime of bad luck, I finally get to see you have some!"

Aside from External Soul Bones, which were extremely rare and could grow stronger alongside their Soul Master, Soul Bones came in six types: Left Leg Bone, Right Leg Bone, Left Arm Bone, Right Arm Bone, Head Bone, and Torso Bone.

Their strength was generally ranked as follows: the Torso Bone was the strongest, followed by the Head Bone, then the Right Arm Bone, Left Arm Bone, Left Leg Bone, and Right Leg Bone.

Soul Bones from Spirit Beasts of ten thousand years or less came with one Spirit Skill. Those from Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts came with at least two.

Once absorbed, a Soul Bone fused with the body and could not be voluntarily removed. It would only fall off automatically when its owner died.

Those at the Titled Douluo level or above could forcibly remove Soul Bones from their limbs by severing the limb and sacrificing ten levels of Soul Power.

Obviously, Torso Bones and Head Bones could not be removed that way.

Yue Guan slowly opened his eyes, looking refreshed and invigorated. Gui Mei offered him a heartfelt congratulations.

"Congratulations, Yue Guan!"

Hearing him address him so formally, Yue Guan furrowed his brow slightly.

Gui Mei was always calling him Chrysanthemum Guan, a name Yue Guan disliked. Only on very formal occasions did Gui Mei call him Yue Guan or Chrysanthemum Douluo.

It seemed he wasn't the only one who sensed danger. Gui Mei had picked up on it, too.

"A storm is brewing."

"Old Ghost, what do you think?"

"I've long suspected that the Great Enshrined knew the truth about Qian Xunji's death. He most likely allowed Bibi Dong to take the position of Pope because of Qian Renxue, and to pave the way for her.

"If the secret stays a secret, then there's nothing to worry about.

"But..."

Gui Mei paused slightly.

"But if the truth gets out, and the public starts clamoring for blood, the Great Enshrined might go after Bibi Dong to keep Spirit Hall from losing strength, right?" Yue Guan finished.

Gui Mei nodded.

"The best-case scenario is Bibi Dong stepping down as Pope. But if things go badly, she could lose her life!

"Yue Guan, we can leave the power struggles among the upper ranks to them, but we brothers had better start looking out for ourselves!"

Because of Qian Xunji, they had already lost their chance to join the Worship Hall.

Once Bibi Dong's secrets were exposed, they couldn't afford to go down with her.

At the same time, they needed a reliable backer—and one strong enough to stand against their current side.

After turning it over in their minds, the brothers looked at each other. The same name came to both their lips.

"Qingyun Sect!" x2!

"Hahaha, great minds think alike!

"I just wonder whether that mysterious Blue Robe Your Excellency will take us in."

"Whether he takes us or not, we still have to do our best.

"According to the information the Heavenly Dao Golden Ranking has revealed, Qin Ming of Heaven Dou Royal Academy is from the same hometown as the Qingyun Sect Master. We could try our luck with him!"

Gui Mei said quickly, "We should get going. No time to waste!"

...

Meanwhile, as Gui Mei and Yue Guan discussed making a run for it, the two of them had just shown everyone what it meant when fewer words meant bigger revelations.

Their introductions hadn't been long, but the secrets they revealed were anything but small!

[Good grief, what am I looking at? Am I really allowed to see this?]

[Shocking! The Clear Sky Douluo's wife was actually a plant?]

[Shocking! For the sake of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, the Clear Sky Douluo joined forces with Spirit Hall's former Pope to kill his own wife?]

[Shocking! Spirit Hall's former Pope, Qian Xunji, wasn't killed by the Clear Sky Douluo, but by his own student—the current Pope of Spirit Hall! And the reason was that Qian Xunji had once imprisoned Bibi Dong?]

[Good grief, that whole circle is a mess!]