Douluo: I Am Unrivaled Thief, the Explosive King Returns

He immediately followed them back, wanting to get to the bottom of it.

Once the three had gone far away, Unrivaled Thief turned his sharp gaze toward Ning Rongrong. "Listen. Even with your father's connections, if you don't meet my standards, you'll still be kicked out."

Though dissatisfied, Ning Rongrong recalled Ning Fengzhi's words from earlier and nodded seriously.

She took a deep breath. "I'll prove my worth."

"You'd better." Unrivaled Thief pointed at the crooked Wooden Cabin. "You and Zhu Zhuqing will stay there. You must break through to rank thirty within half a year, or get out."

"What? Rank thirty?!" Ning Rongrong cried out. "Aren't you making things difficult for me?!"

At a normal pace, raising her Soul Power by three ranks in a year was already her limit.

But Unrivaled Thief did not care about that.

"If you can't do it, leave now. I won't stop you." He turned and walked toward the main house, his voice icy. "My team doesn't keep trash. Even if you're just a support Soul Master!"

Ning Rongrong trembled with anger and turned to Zhu Zhuqing for agreement. "Zhuqing, he's clearly making things difficult for me! I'm only rank twenty-six. How could I possibly raise my Soul Power by four ranks in half a year?!"

Without even turning her head, Zhu Zhuqing walked into the Wooden Cabin, leaving behind only one sentence. "Train hard. We don't have much time left."

She knew that once she reached rank thirty, absorbing an Immortal Herb would allow her to narrow the gap between herself and Unrivaled Thief's group of four.

So she had no complaints whatsoever.

Ning Rongrong looked at Zhu Zhuqing's back and stomped her foot fiercely.

But in the end, she still followed her inside with red-rimmed eyes and a pitiful expression.

Inside another Wooden Cabin, Unrivaled Thief revealed a satisfied smile.

"Pressure is the best catalyst. Sometimes, if I don't push you, you won't even realize you're geniuses!"

The reason he wanted them to break through to rank thirty within half a year was mainly to prepare for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament one year later.

Although Spirit Hall already had the Spirit Hall Team led by the Golden Generation, both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire had first and second teams.

Naturally, Spirit Hall also had a second team.

However, because of Unrivaled Thief's appearance, Qian Daoliu had renamed Spirit Hall's second team the Worship Hall Team and placed it under the leadership of him, Spirit Hall's Holy Son.

Unrivaled Thief pondered inwardly.

"Although the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament champion's reward doesn't hold much temptation for me, it'll be useful to Rebel Son and the others."

"And Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu have both agreed that if the Spirit Hall Team and the Worship Hall Team meet during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament..."

"They'll be allowed to face off, making it the annual life-and-death battle between the Golden Generation and our Four Great Evildoers."

"This battle will depend entirely on strength. The victor will become Spirit Hall's next Pope."

"Although the Qian Clan handed over the position of Pope, that doesn't mean they don't want to take it back."

"And I've become the one who will help the Qian Clan reclaim the position of Pope. This counts as Qian Daoliu's first mission for me."

Thinking of this, Unrivaled Thief sighed and muttered, "A heavy responsibility and a long road ahead!"

Because he knew very well that at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament one year later, all three members of the Golden Generation would reach the Soul King level.

And due to the struggle for the position of Pope, the Golden Generation might be even stronger than in the original work.

He had to force Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing to grow quickly. Otherwise, if they became deadweight and caused them to lose the competition, it would not be worth it.

"Although I can use the Fire Dragon King Martial Soul to absorb the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and increase my Soul Power, I don't want to expose my second Martial Soul too early. I'd better train steadily and wait until I break through to Soul King before deciding whether to absorb the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower."

His Soul Power was now on par with the Golden Generation. Even if he did not use the Fire Dragon King Martial Soul to absorb the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, the gap in Soul Power would not widen.

So there was no need to rush. He should first train up his teammates.

Moreover, although using Spirit Bones to increase Soul Power had no side effects, it still made one's foundation somewhat unstable and required time to settle.

Unrivaled Thief stopped thinking about it, closed his eyes, rested his mind, and began to cultivate in earnest.

And everything that had happened today was reported word for word by Mighty Lion Douluo to Qian Daoliu.

"What is that brat trying to do? Win over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

He shook his head, not taking it seriously. He did not believe a mere Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could wield much power.

But while this information was useless to him, it was very useful to someone else.

Qian Daoliu formed a strange hand seal and muttered an incantation. Then he raised a hand and pointed, sending a streak of golden light into the Angel God statue.

At the same time, inside the crown prince's bedchamber in Heaven Dou City of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Crown Prince Xue Qinghe suddenly opened his eyes as Qian Daoliu's voice appeared in his mind.

After considering it carefully, Xue Qinghe's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Ning Fengzhi, that old fox, truly puts profit above all else. For news of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, he actually sold out both his daughter and the Heaven Dou Empire!"

She was not surprised in the slightest, nor did she have any intention of exposing him.

Because she herself was from Spirit Hall!

Xue Qinghe's true identity was none other than Qian Renxue, the biological granddaughter of Spirit Hall's Grand Venerable, Qian Daoliu!

She could not possibly expose Ning Fengzhi just because he had harmed the interests of the Heaven Dou Empire. She could even use this as leverage to force Ning Fengzhi to support her ascension to the throne.

Because of this matter, Qian Renxue also developed a strong interest in her grandfather's disciple.

Though she had long known of Unrivaled Thief's existence, she had never expected him to accomplish so much.

"Grandfather's disciple seems quite capable. He can even keep an old fox like Ning Fengzhi in check. When I have the time, I'll have to meet him in person."

Soul Skill Suppresses the Land, Hidden Hammer Forges Inner Demons

The next day, Unrivaled Thief had Rebel Son and the others train at the Soul Fighting Arena during the day and cultivate when they returned at night.

He himself did not go to the Soul Fighting Arena.

Because Soul Ancestor-level fights no longer put enough pressure on him. It was better to spend the time consolidating his Soul Power and familiarizing himself with his Soul Skills.

Deep within the dense forest on the outskirts of Suotuo City.

Unrivaled Thief stood quietly in the forest, his eyes half-closed as Soul Power surged around him like a tide.

"Whew!"

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, and four Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, and red—appeared beneath his feet in succession!

In an instant, the entire forest seemed to be enveloped by an invisible force. Trees swayed wildly, branches and leaves rustling as though battered by a Category Ten Hurricane!

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward, as terrifying Soul Power gathered within it.

The entire forest seemed to become a living hell, red light filling every corner.

"Suppress!"

As the word fell, Unrivaled Thief flipped his hand and pressed downward. At that instant, heaven and earth themselves seemed to be suppressed.

Every tree within a hundred meters bent over at the same time. The thick trunks released cracking explosions under the unbearable pressure, like strings of firecrackers going off.

The thinner trees were snapped outright and crashed to the ground!

The corners of Unrivaled Thief's lips lifted as he pressed his palm down once more.

"Rumble!"

In an instant, every tree within a hundred meters was crushed and broken. Even trees so thick that two or three people would need to encircle them were snapped apart.

Looking at the devastation covering the ground, Unrivaled Thief nodded in satisfaction.

"As expected, the Soul Skill granted by a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring is far beyond ordinary Soul Skills. This one move alone can easily suppress Soul Ancestors of the same rank. If focused on just one person, it could even crush them directly into a meat patty!"

Besides granting Unrivaled Thief formidable base strength and speed, the Titan Giant Ape Soul Ring's Soul Skill originated from its innate control over gravity.

Fourth Soul Skill: Gravity Crush.

It could slow enemies within its range until they could not move. Those too weak could even be crushed directly into pulp.

From another perspective, Unrivaled Thief's fourth Soul Ring was essentially a gravity domain.

It could control a group or a single target.

Yesterday, he had used just a trace of Gravity Crush to render Yu Xiaogang completely unable to move.

Unrivaled Thief clenched his fist, excitement in his voice.

"Now, if I fully unleash my fourth Soul Skill, Gravity Crush, I can even slow a Soul Douluo and make them reveal a tiny opening. All I need is an instant of weakness to turn defense into offense!"

The only flaw was that this Soul Skill consumed too much Soul Power.

Fortunately, Unrivaled Thief had already trained the Overlord Wind-Chasing Fist to the level of ordinary attacks. Otherwise, his fourth Soul Skill would have become a burden instead.

"If only it had been a power-type Soul Skill. Too bad luck is what it is. But as I recall, hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings have two Soul Skills, right? I hope my hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring's second Soul Skill is a power-type one!"

Because Unrivaled Thief had absorbed the Soul Ring beyond his level, a large portion of its power had been lost. As a result, the second Soul Skill it granted had not manifested and required him to explore it himself.

Besides, Gravity Crush was already a pretty good Soul Skill.

Combined with the Wind Domain, it was simply a soldier-killing machine!

As long as he was given some time, the Titan Giant Ape's second Soul Skill would emerge.

Otherwise, he would not need to come here to consolidate his cultivation and adapt to his Soul Skills.

"It's about time. I should head to the Great Soul Arena and see how their battles are going."

Unrivaled Thief stretched lazily and revealed a wicked grin.

"If I'm not satisfied, I'll make sure you get a taste of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Skill! Training under gravity should improve your strength even more."

With that, he headed toward the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City.

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy.

Yu Xiaogang spent more than half the savings he had wrung from Spirit Hall to hire a Healing Soul Master to treat Tang San's injuries.

Tang San lay blankly on the bed, his eyes lifeless.

Seeing Tang San so withdrawn, Yu Xiaogang decided to comfort him.

After all, this was the little white mouse he would use to prove himself to the world. He could not let it lose its value after a single setback.

"Xiao San, don't belittle yourself."

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing deeply out the window. "Those people from Spirit Hall are only temporarily ahead because they rely on abundant resources. In terms of talent and potential, they are absolutely inferior to you."

Hearing this, Tang San, curled up on the bed, gradually regained light in his dull eyes.

"Teacher is right!" Tang San murmured, his voice steadily growing firmer. "If I had access to the same resources, I definitely wouldn't be inferior to anyone. Not even Spirit Hall's Holy Son!"

As he said this, a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

A satisfied curve appeared at the corner of Yu Xiaogang's lips, and the worry in his heart finally eased.

He walked over to Tang San and patted his beloved disciple on the shoulder.

"Xiao San, remember. Your greatest advantage is not your external conditions, but..." Yu Xiaogang deliberately paused. Only after seeing Tang San's expectant gaze did he continue, "...but the once-in-a-century talent of Twin Martial Souls."

To put it bluntly, Yu Xiaogang was just poor and could not provide Tang San with good cultivation resources.

Tang Hao had also spent these years hiding from place to place, with no time to look after Tang San.

"Twin Martial Souls!" Tang San seemed to be struck by enlightenment as he abruptly sat upright.

He subconsciously summoned the Clear Sky Hammer in his left hand. Its pitch-black hammer body reflected a cold gleam beneath the sunlight.

"If I had focused on cultivating this power-type Hammer Martial Soul, I definitely wouldn't have lost to Rebel Son yesterday. He only defeated me because his Martial Soul suppressed mine!"

Tang San brainwashed himself, blaming yesterday's defeat on the inadequacy of his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

He believed that if he had possessed powerful offensive methods, he absolutely would not have lost.

Master and disciple exchanged smiles, and the gloom of yesterday's defeat seemed to vanish completely.

However, Tang San's next words left Yu Xiaogang deeply dissatisfied.

"Teacher, I've decided to add Soul Rings to my second Martial Soul!"

"What? Xiao San, are you trying to ruin your own future?!" Yu Xiaogang glared at Tang San sternly.

Although Tang San had promised Tang Hao that he would not casually add Soul Rings to the Clear Sky Hammer, he knew this was his only means of catching up to Unrivaled Thief and the others in a short time.

One Martial Soul might not have any advantage, but he had two Martial Souls!