"Shut up. I'll deal with you when we get back."
"Oh! Then please don't be so hard on His Holiness the Pope."
"..." Qianjun Douluo stopped paying attention to his grandson.
"Now then, Your Holiness, is there anything else?" Falling Devil Douluo began showing him the door.
He wouldn't be satisfied until he'd personally watched Qian Xunji leave through the front gate.
"Really, there's no need. Having two esteemed elders see me off in person—how could I accept?" As he spoke, Qian Xunji strode along right down the middle, perfectly at ease, making Qianjun Douluo and Falling Devil Douluo behind him look like his lackeys.
Mm. Before, the lackeys had been Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Those two were Super Douluos now, too.
By rounding things up, they were pretty much the same.
Super Douluo = Super Douluo Chrysanthemum Douluo + Ghost Douluo = Falling Devil Douluo + Qianjun Douluo
Inequality demolished!
Involution
After leaving Falling Devil Douluo's residence, Qian Xunji didn't feel like going home to face his father, who was going through a midlife crisis.
He checked the time and decided to visit his daughter by blood, Qian Renxue.
He could also practice his next speech while he was at it. As the Pope and the public face of Spirit Hall, he needed to have good speaking skills and a good image.
With that in mind, Qian Xunji went to Qian Renxue's room.
The little one was still cultivating, sitting cross-legged as she circulated her Soul Power.
She had to work hard!
Her three "siblings" were each more competitive than the last. Although Jing had lower Innate Soul Power than her, she worked even harder at cultivating. She was extremely competitive and believed in the strong ruling all, while the weak only needed to accept protection. When Qian Renxue practiced against her, Jing's Mirror Image clones and spatial abilities often left Qian Renxue unable to react before a golden blur flashed past her and defeated her in an instant, despite Qian Renxue having the advantage in Soul Power.
Brother Xiang Yu had innate divine strength, and his Innate Soul Power was also level twenty, just like hers. When they sparred at the same level, she lost more often than she won. If she slacked off and fell behind him in Soul Power, he'd simply beat her up.
Brother Arthur was a strange one, with a strong sense of... justice. His presence was imposing, and he had the most supporters at school. Although his Innate Soul Power wasn't level twenty, he had Twin Martial Souls, whose offense and defense complemented each other. What Qian Renxue found most unbelievable was that he could use his two Martial Souls to perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill all by himself, summoning a giant golden sword from the sky—the Sword of Promised Victory!
To be honest, Qian Renxue had been a little envious the first time she saw it.
And Arthur's Twin Martial Souls were special, too. They shared the same origin and could be used at the same time. Ordinarily, the two Martial Souls of a Twin Martial Souls wielder repelled each other, making it impossible to use them simultaneously.
Even though she wanted to spend time with her father, Qian Renxue still persevered and didn't give up her daily cultivation.
Qian Xunji looked at Qian Renxue, who was fair and chubby-cheeked, her face set in the serious expression of a little adult. Bored, he yawned, took over the bed, and went straight to sleep.
The room fell silent!
It was late at night when the golden-haired girl finally climbed onto the bed, sleepy, and curled up beside the golden-haired man. She soon fell asleep, a happy smile on her baby-fat cheeks.
Feeling the soft little bundle in his arms, Qian Xunji hugged her like a pillow.
Outside the window, a figure watched the two of them in the room, sighed, and turned to leave.
I'll let him off for today...
For Xiao Xue's sake.
Fishing for trouble?
The various factions naturally began investigating Alchemy Hall's purpose.
The Soul Beast Forest and the subsidies for Soul Masters had already shown that every initiative Spirit Hall undertook benefited everyone.
The pills from Alchemy Hall would be shipped to Spirit Hall Branches everywhere, and the names and effects of the pills would inevitably spread as well.
After all, with so many people around, even an organization as large as Spirit Hall was bound to have a few rats.
However, Immortal Pills were important resources. Only talented students at Spirit Hall Academy and those especially loyal to Spirit Hall—such as deacons, bishops, and elders—knew about them.
Once the news spread and the various factions learned of it, some were bound to get ideas.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect
As an auxiliary sect with extensive commercial interests and connections, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the first to learn of this intelligence.
Ning Fengzhi looked somewhat excited. Of course, as an auxiliary Soul Master, his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was far more effective than these so-called pills at restoring Soul Power or healing injuries.
What he cared about was the Soul Power Breakthrough Pill.
As soon as he saw the intelligence, he had already sent sect disciples to find a way to obtain a seventh-grade Soul Power Breakthrough Pill that a level-seventy-nine Soul Saint could use.
But they still hadn't managed to get one.
According to reports from his disciples, Soul Power Breakthrough Pills were scarce even within Spirit Hall. They required a large number of contribution points to redeem, and usually only local deacons and bishops could afford them.
They were transported by Soul Douluos themselves, leaving no chance to snatch them.
And what about bribing Spirit Hall's deacons and bishops?
Those who could use sixth-grade Soul Power Breakthrough Pills were Soul Emperors, people with high standing in Spirit Hall. They were difficult to bribe, to say nothing of persuading them to give up the cultivation resource they needed for their own breakthrough.
Even more devious, Spirit Hall seemed to have anticipated this tactic.
The pills were delivered and consumed on the spot, leaving no opportunity for anyone to tamper with them.
Ning Fengzhi sat in the main hall, one hand resting on the smooth top of his cane, the other tapping the armrest of his chair. His expression gave nothing away; he was as gentle and refined as ever.
Just then, footsteps came from the entrance. Ning Fengzhi turned toward the sound, and when he saw Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo coming to find him together, he finally couldn't stop a wry smile from spreading across his lips.
"You never tell us old fellows when something's wrong. If Rongrong hadn't mentioned that you've been staying in your room these past few days, we wouldn't have known anything was up." Bone Douluo Gu Rong looked at him with exasperation.
"If you really want that Soul Power Breakthrough Pill, it wouldn't be difficult for this fellow and me to get one," Bone Douluo said, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
That was simply how the world worked: the strong preyed on the weak. The various factions fought for all kinds of reasons. The old lechers of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had preyed on who knew how many women. The Clear Sky Sect had earned its reputation as the greatest weapon Martial Soul in the world through fighting. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect made a fortune every day in business and was coveted by countless people. The underground auction houses, where things were done out of sight, involved all the major factions, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect even had a VIP seat.
Sword Douluo frowned. He didn't like doing this kind of thing, but it concerned Ning Fengzhi's future. After thinking it over, he didn't speak up in opposition.
"Both of you, I don't think this matter is so simple." Ning Fengzhi closed his eyes briefly.
He'd managed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for years and seen countless schemes and bloody conflicts. His leg had been injured in one such incident, and even after it was healed, he still limped a little. To keep the problem from showing, and preserve the dignity expected of the sect master, he'd specially commissioned a cane and adjusted his walking pace, making it unhurried and elegant.
After all these years, he'd become an old fox. He could see at a glance how valuable these pills were. They could help Soul Masters who'd been stuck for years break through. That alone could win over who knew how many powerful people.
None of the pills released so far could be used by Titled Douluos.
But Titled Douluos would certainly have family members or friends who needed them.
"As far as I know, Yu Luomian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, the empress of the Star Luo Empire, who's been stuck at the Soul Douluo level for years, the Four Element Academies, and the nobles across the land—all of them need these Soul Power Breakthrough Pills."
"If they want to seize the pills, a mere Soul Douluo won't be enough."
Ning Fengzhi looked at Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo. "There's a good chance this is a trap."
"Spirit Hall didn't used to act this way." Sword Douluo's expression turned grave, and he seemed doubtful.
Spirit Hall had never used this kind of bait-and-catch tactic before.
When they wanted something done, they did it openly and honorably.
Even their fights were out in the open.
They were even considered overly gentlemanly and righteous—hardly clever at all.
That was why, although their strength made every faction wary of them, their reputation had never been bad.
"Whether it is or not, we'll know from the outcome. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect should stay out of this." Ning Fengzhi restrained his desire and consoled himself that the Soul Power Breakthrough Pill might not even cure the flaw in his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul. They'd let this one go.
Heaven Dou City, Moonlight Pavilion
Tang Yuehua had also taken notice of the Soul Power Breakthrough Pill. At first, she'd been a little excited, thinking her Soul Power might finally have hope.
But once she read the descriptions of the different pill grades, the faint smile that had just appeared on her face froze.
A first-grade Soul Power Breakthrough Pill was for Soul Masters.
Then what about Soul Scholars?
Tang Yuehua read it again carefully and finally confirmed that these Soul Power Breakthrough Pills skipped right over the Soul Scholar stage.
Tang Yuehua clenched her silver teeth. She wanted to vent her anger by tearing up the intelligence in her hand, but after so many years, her noble manners and mask of composure held her back. At least, her clenched fist crumpled the paper in her hand.
"Do as before. Send this intelligence, along with those supplies, to the village." Tang Yuehua wrote a letter, handed it and the intelligence to her subordinate, and gave her instructions.
The village that received the intelligence and supplies was at the foot of Clear Sky Sect's mountain. On the surface, it was an ordinary village, but in reality, it was Clear Sky Sect's point of contact with the outside world.
This was all she was capable of doing. Tang Yuehua didn't dare make a move against something transported by a Soul Douluo.
She could only wait and see whether the elders were tempted.
Nuoding Academy
Yu Xiaogang saw a member of his clan for the first time in a long while. The man had also brought a letter from his father.
Arrogant Yet Insecure
Nuoding City
When Yu Xiaogang saw the middle-aged man in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's uniform at the academy gate, his eyes filled with nostalgia, but also with disgust.
Yu Xiaogang was a bundle of contradictions. Deep down, he knew that he'd used his father's status as a Titled Douluo to take resources from many young people in the clan. In that sense, the clan owed him nothing; if anything, he owed the clan a great deal.
And yet he also felt he deserved those resources. His father was Thunder Douluo, and the clan had grown powerful under his protection. As the son of his father and a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, taking "a few" extra resources wasn't a big deal.
But what drove him to despair was that, despite forcefully raising his Soul Power with all kinds of precious resources, it had come to a complete standstill at level twenty-nine. No matter what he did, he couldn't break through.
Before you continue