Chrysanthemum Douluo - Yue Guan

Without fixed patterns or amplification for Soul Skills, this was merely the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's most fundamental control and shaping of lightning, yet it contained the pure and violent might of natural lightning!

"Go!"

Chen Li's mind moved, and the Thunder Spear transformed into a dazzling stream of light, shooting through the air with a speed no less than that of the Thunder Saber-toothed Tiger's charge!

Wherever it passed, the air was ionized with a faint smell of burning, and small branches and leaves on its path withered, charred, and shattered!

The Thunder Saber-toothed Tiger seemed to sense a fatal threat. Its charge paused slightly, its ferocious gaze intensified, and it gathered all its lightning towards its head, attempting to meet the attack head-on!

However...

Ching!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a faint, yet teeth-grindingly piercing sound.

The highly condensed Thunder Spear, like a hot knife through butter, easily tore through the defensive lightning layer on the Thunder Saber-toothed Tiger's body, then precisely pierced through its gaping maw and out its back!

The Thunder Saber-toothed Tiger's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. Its massive body slid forward a few more meters due to inertia before crashing to the ground. Its limbs twitched a few times, and then it was completely silent.

The electric light on its body quickly dimmed and dissipated, leaving only the charred wounds on its mouth, nose, and the back of its neck, from which wisps of smoke still rose.

A pale white Ten-year Soul Ring slowly emerged from its corpse.

Chen Li's expression was calm, as if he had merely done something insignificant.

He walked to the Soul Beast's corpse and looked at the white Soul Ring, a flicker of inquiry in his eyes. He reached out his finger again and gently touched the edge of the Soul Ring.

Buzz...

The same scene as before repeated itself.

The white Soul Ring vibrated violently. Its internal structure seemed unable to withstand some kind of invisible scrutiny or rejection. It instantly collapsed, turning into fine light particles, which then vanished into the air without a trace.

"As expected, it still won't work," Chen Li retracted his hand and muttered to himself, having mentally prepared for this outcome. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit's pickiness, or rather, its rejection of Soul Rings, seemed unrelated to the Soul Ring's age; it appeared to be an inherent incompatibility.

[Ding!]

[Acquired Ten-year Soul Ring *1 (Quality: Inferior)]

In the system space, there were already many such Soul Rings: nearly a hundred Ten-year Soul Rings, dozens of Hundred Year Soul Rings, and even one purple Thousand-year Soul Ring.

These were all failed absorption attempts, and they now lay quietly in Chen Li's system space.

"Interesting..."

A voice, carrying a hint of laziness, a hint of surprise, and a somewhat androgynous tone that made it difficult to immediately discern the speaker's gender, came from above without any warning.

!!!

Every hair on Chen Li's body stood on end in that instant! His heart lurched violently, as if gripped by an invisible hand!

Who is it???

His ion sense field was always active, covering a radius of thirty meters. Within this range, apart from the rustling of leaves and small creatures, he had detected no human-like targets with strong life magnetic fields or Soul Power fluctuations!

Where did this voice... come from? When did it appear?

He suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze sweeping like lightning towards the source of the sound: a large ancient tree to his front right, on a horizontal branch about seven or eight meters above the ground.

There, at some point, a person had appeared silently.

A person dressed in extremely flamboyant, even exaggeratedly so, attire.

A long robe of deep red, impeccably tailored, was embroidered with intricate and exquisite chrysanthemum patterns in gold and silver threads, reflecting a luxurious sheen under the faint light filtering through the leaves.

What drew particular attention was a gem worn on his chest, as large as a baby's fist, dazzling and brilliant, with golden light flowing within, as if it contained a small sun.

However, even more striking than his clothes was his appearance.

His skin was fair and delicate like a baby's, his features ethereally beautiful. A pair of peach blossom eyes flowed with charm, possessing a captivating and playful allure that transcended gender. He leaned against the branch, his posture languid, looking down at Chen Li with great interest.

What shocked Chen Li the most was that in his ion sense, that location remained empty!

It was as if the person was merely an illusion, or... his very existence had surpassed the scope of Chen Li's current rudimentary sensory abilities!

Soul Emperor? Soul Sage? Soul Douluo?

Or... Titled Douluo?!

A terrifying thought flashed through Chen Li's mind. His senses could detect Chen Ran's aura, who was a Soul King, but he couldn't sense anything beyond that.

But... the man's gaze kept sweeping over him...

To possess such a method, to remain undetected by him, and to have such a unique and distinct aura...

"Kid, before asking someone else's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" the man in the tree spoke again, his voice still carrying that unique charm. He extended a well-maintained finger with a neatly trimmed nail and lightly tapped his chin, the playfulness in his eyes deepening, as if he had discovered an extremely interesting toy.

Chen Li's mind raced, forcibly suppressing the storm within him. The opponent's strength was unfathomable, and deliberately concealing himself or provoking them would be unwise.

He took a deep breath, calming himself quickly, and met those enchanting peach blossom eyes with a steady gaze.

"Chen Li," he clearly stated his name, his mind working rapidly to compare the image and information from his past life's memories.

Such an appearance, such attire, such a bizarre and unpredictable way of appearing, and that faint aura that seemed to make even the flowers and grass bow their heads...

Yue Guan!

Elder of the Martial Soul Hall, Level 95 Titled Douluo, titled Chrysanthemum!

In charge of the Martial Soul Hall's punishments, his status was revered. He was Pope Bibi Dong's right-hand man, and his strength and methods were far beyond what someone like the current me could fathom!

How could he be in this remote border mountain range? Was it a chance encounter, or...?

Chen Li maintained a calm facade, but a fine sheen of cold sweat had broken out on his back.

He knew that the strange phenomenon of his inability to absorb Soul Rings had likely been completely noticed by Chrysanthemum Douluo, who used exotic flowers and plants as his Martial Soul and possessed extremely keen insight.

The slightest misstep in his subsequent response could lead to a chasm of difference.

"Chen Li... Chen..." Yue Guan leaned on a tree branch, softly repeating the name, a hint of thought flashing in his enchanting peach blossom eyes.

The surname Chen wasn't common on the Douluo Continent, but it wasn't unheard of either. It was usually associated with certain ancient Soul Master families.

Even Chen Xin, one of the two Guardian Douluos of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda... also had the surname Chen.

Which Chen would he be? This would determine Yue Guan's attitude towards him.

Below, Chen Li had reined in the lightning crackling around him and stood up straight. He spoke clearly and steadily to the figure in the tree, "Chen Li of the Chen family from the Star Luo Empire, greetings, honored Chrysanthemum Douluo."