Douluo: I, Unrivaled Thief, Explosive King Returns

Shifty-eyed Thief's eyes reddened as he supported Unrivaled Thief.

Unrivaled Thief rubbed his dog head, then looked up at Mighty Lion Douluo. "Fourth Venerable, take me and my brothers back to the dorm."

Mighty Lion Douluo nodded with a grave expression. Now that he knew Bibi Dong's strength, he had to protect Unrivaled Thief even more carefully.

With a wave of his hand, he swept up Unrivaled Thief and his three brothers. Instead of returning to the dorms, he brought them directly to Worship Hall.

At the same time, the atmosphere inside Papal Palace was terrifyingly heavy.

Yan was sprawled on his knees on the floor, shaking like a leaf as if trapped in an ice cave that had existed for ten thousand years.

Gui Mei and Yue Guan stood silently to one side with their heads lowered, not daring to make a sound.

The only sound in the hall was someone swallowing, making the oppressive silence even worse.

Bibi Dong swept a cold glance over Yan on the floor. Her fingers lightly tapped the armrest, and every tap made Yan's heart shudder.

Yan could feel his martial soul trembling. His lips opened and closed soundlessly, like a fish out of water futilely trying to defend itself.

Yet he could not even force out a complete syllable.

However, Bibi Dong did not blame him. She simply had not expected Qian Daoliu to value Unrivaled Thief so highly.

It seems Qian Daoliu truly intends to nurture Unrivaled Thief. He even sent the Fourth Venerable to protect him!

Bibi Dong felt utterly helpless. She had severely underestimated how much Qian Daoliu valued Unrivaled Thief.

Now that she had displayed her formidable strength, Mighty Lion Douluo would certainly be on guard. Trying to make another move would be far more difficult.

Still, Bibi Dong did not lose her composure over someone like Unrivaled Thief. Her lips curled into a smile.

"Qian Daoliu, do you think taking in one disciple can shake my foundations? Once the divine trial is complete..."

She stopped dwelling on it and issued an order to the kneeling Yan.

"I'll spare you this time. Go back and tell Xie Yue and Nana to cultivate diligently. They must crush Unrivaled Thief and his brothers beneath their feet. If they can't do that, there will be no need for you to exist."

"Thank you, Your Holiness the Pope. I'll take him away at once."

Before Yan could speak, Yue Guan, his master, answered for him.

Bibi Dong waved her hand. "I'm tired. You may all leave."

"Yes, Your Holiness the Pope."

Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Yan quickly withdrew, leaving Bibi Dong alone in Papal Palace.

She slightly closed her eyes, her fingers still rhythmically tapping the armrest. No one knew what she was thinking at that moment.

Yan staggered out of the gates of Papal Palace. Blinding sunlight fell over him, yet it could not dispel the bone-deep chill.

His robes had long since been soaked through with cold sweat, clinging to his skin and outlining his constantly trembling body.

Sweat dripped from his hair onto the bluestone ground, forming dark circles like his courage, shattered beyond repair.

His face was horrifyingly pale, and even his lips had lost all color. He looked like a walking corpse that had just crawled out of the River Styx.

Yue Guan looked at his disciple, who had nearly died, and felt a complicated mix of emotions.

He gently patted Yan's shoulder and consoled him. "Go back and cultivate diligently. Don't let yourself be trapped by romantic feelings again. If you disappoint His Holiness the Pope again, even I won't be able to save you."

Yan nodded woodenly and walked toward the dorms like a soulless corpse.

At the same time, all seven great worshippers had gathered in Worship Hall.

"Fourth Venerable, did you summon us because of something important?"

An elderly man dressed in gold robes embroidered with silver, his beard and hair completely white, spoke in a booming voice.

He was Spirit Hall's Second Worship, the Rank 98 Golden Crocodile Douluo.

At his words, the other worshippers all fixed their burning gazes on Mighty Lion Douluo.

Mighty Lion Douluo got straight to the point. His exchange with Bibi Dong earlier was no longer a secret.

Afterward, the worshippers launched into an intense discussion.

At the same time, inside a four-person dormitory in Worship Hall, Unrivaled Thief suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

"Big Brother, are you all right?!" Rebel Son and the other two panicked.

Unrivaled Thief waved his hand and reassured them, "I'm fine. It's just some clotted blood. I'll recover after resting for a few days."

Hearing this, Rebel Son and the other two felt terrible.

Although their eldest brother often beat them up, he truly cared for them.

Now that they had awakened their martial souls and possessed respectable Innate Soul Power, they still had not been able to stand by their eldest brother's side.

The three exchanged glances and saw determination in each other's eyes.

Without resting, they immediately sat cross-legged on their beds and began meditating to cultivate.

Unrivaled Thief nodded in satisfaction. When they were not paying attention, he spat out the blood pouch in his mouth.

"Hehe, if I don't give you a strong dose of medicine, you might not be willing to cultivate seriously. After this little performance, let's see which one of you still dares not to cultivate properly!"

The Three Shameless Brats, a Life-and-Death Battle Against the Golden Generation ### The next day, Unrivaled Thief, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed, opened his eyes and said irritably to the person outside the door.

"Fourth Venerable, if you're here, stop hiding. You're such a grown man, sneaking around like a thief. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Creak."

The moment he finished speaking, Mighty Lion Douluo pushed open the door with an unhappy expression. "Are you a dog or something? Your nose is that sharp? I already hid my aura, so how did you still notice me?"

Unrivaled Thief only smiled without answering.

He had not smelled him. He had sensed him.

After obtaining his first Soul Ring, Explosive King had granted him powerful sensory abilities. He could clearly sense everything within ten meters of himself.

Explosive King specialized in the wind attribute, with the lightning attribute as a secondary trait.

Sensing was merely one of its insignificant abilities.

Unrivaled Thief did not explain. Everyone needed a few secrets of their own.

He jumped off the bed and asked, "Fourth Venerable, why did you come looking for me so early in the morning?"

"Don't you know what you did yesterday?" Mighty Lion Douluo rolled his eyes. "Bring your brothers and come with me to see the Grand Venerable."

"Mm, I understand." Unrivaled Thief knew that yesterday's incident had indeed caused a great deal of trouble, but he did not regret it.

Rebel Son and the others were his only remaining family on Douluo Continent. He was not a heartless person, so naturally he could not ignore them.

He woke Rebel Son and the other two, who had cultivated all night. After giving them a brief instruction, they were soon brought before Qian Daoliu.

When Unrivaled Thief saw him, he respectfully called out, "Master."

Before Qian Daoliu could respond, Rebel Son and the other two shamelessly followed suit. "Master!"

Qian Daoliu glanced at Unrivaled Thief, who guiltily turned his head aside and began whistling.

Then Qian Daoliu's voice sounded in his mind. You taught them to call me that, didn't you?

"It wasn't me. I didn't!" Unrivaled Thief gave a double denial.

But such a petty trick could not fool an old fox like Qian Daoliu.

He ignored Unrivaled Thief and said to Rebel Son and the other two, "This old man is not your master. I have already accepted your eldest brother as my final disciple and will not take in any more disciples."

When Rebel Son and the other two heard Qian Daoliu deny their master-disciple relationship, they immediately exchanged looks, recalling what Unrivaled Thief had told them on the way here.

The next second, all three suddenly lunged at Qian Daoliu in perfect unison. They moved so quickly that even Qian Daoliu was somewhat caught off guard.

"Master!" The three wailed together, their voices as mournful as abandoned wives.

Rebel Son grabbed Qian Daoliu's left leg, pressing his face against it and rubbing back and forth, smearing snot and tears all over his snow-white robes.

"You can't abandon us! We even dreamed of you teaching us how to cultivate last night. I was so moved that I cried, and when I woke up, my pillow was soaked!"

Thief Father dropped to his knees in a slide, tightly hugging Qian Daoliu's right leg as he looked up with pitiful eyes.

"Grand Venerable! Feel my Soul Power! Isn't it purer than yesterday? That's because I cultivated while silently chanting your name in my heart!"

Shifty-eyed Thief was even bolder, throwing himself forward and hugging Qian Daoliu around the waist. Tears streamed down his face as he cried, "Master! If you won't acknowledge us, we'll kneel here until we die! Without your guidance, there's no point in us living!"

Veins bulged on Qian Daoliu's forehead. He restrained the urge to blast them away and said coldly, "This old man has already said that I am not your master."

Rather than backing down, the three became even more outrageous.

"Master! If you won't acknowledge us, we'll come cry outside your door every day! We'll cry until your heart softens!" Rebel Son clung to his left leg and refused to let go.

Thief Father's eyes spun as he said, "If you won't acknowledge us, then we'll hang banners outside Spirit Hall! 'The Grand Venerable abandoned three pitiful disciples after leading them on'!"

Shifty-eyed Thief went even further. "Not only that, we'll write a book! Its title will be The Talents Rejected by the Grand Venerable in Those Years!"

Qian Daoliu: "..."

Unrivaled Thief covered his face nearby, frantically complaining inwardly.

Is this how I taught you three bastards to do it? Your acting is even more exaggerated than mine! It's over. We're really going to get beaten now.

Mighty Lion Douluo was shaking all over as he tried not to laugh, his shoulders bobbing up and down. Grand Venerable, Grand Venerable, so even you have this day!

"What kind of behavior is this?!" Qian Daoliu finally could not endure it any longer. His Soul Power surged, knocking the three away.

Yet Rebel Son and the other two rolled across the ground and pounced forward again, hugging his legs.

"Master looks so handsome when he's angry!"

"Kick us again! Once you do, we'll take it as your agreement to accept us as disciples!"

"Yes, yes! Beating is affection, scolding is love!"

Qian Daoliu took a deep breath and shot Unrivaled Thief an unfriendly look, as though saying:

You little monster definitely taught them this.

Unrivaled Thief looked toward the sky and whistled, already cursing inwardly. You three bastards, just wait until we get back and see how I deal with you!

His head throbbing from all the noise, Qian Daoliu finally waved his hand and sealed the mouths of Rebel Son and the other two.

Unexpectedly, the three still clung tightly to him and refused to let go, utterly determined not to release him even in death unless he agreed.

Helplessly, Qian Daoliu spoke. "Let go. Although this old man will not accept you as disciples, the other worshippers are interested in doing so."

Seeing that their goal had been achieved, Unrivaled Thief quickly gave Rebel Son and the other two a look.

The three promptly detached themselves from Qian Daoliu. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as though they had practiced thousands of times.

Qian Daoliu somewhat regretted accepting Unrivaled Thief as his disciple.

Because of this person, they had no shame left at all.

After letting out a long breath, he slowly spoke. "I called you here because there is something I need to tell you."

Unrivaled Thief and his three brothers put away their frivolous behavior, their expressions turning solemn.

Qian Daoliu nodded in satisfaction. "Although yesterday's matter was not your fault, it still had a terrible impact on Spirit Hall Academy.

In order to avoid involving the other students of Spirit Hall and resolve the conflict between you, Papal Palace and Worship Hall have decided that you four brothers will fight a life-and-death battle against the Golden Generation once every year."

"You're sending us to our deaths! The Golden Generation is at least six years older than us. Though we don't get along with them, we can't deny that they are also geniuses. If we fight without restraint, even with one more person, our chances of winning would still be slim."

Unrivaled Thief was not praising others while belittling himself. He was merely stating the facts.

He currently possessed only Level 11 Soul Power, while Rebel Son and the others had not even reached Level 10.

All three members of the Golden Generation were Soul Elders. What were they supposed to fight them with? Their heads?

Qian Daoliu was very satisfied with Unrivaled Thief's reaction.

He was not acting on impulse, nor was he arrogantly overestimating himself. Before doing anything, he always judged whether he had a chance of succeeding.

Just like yesterday's battle between Unrivaled Thief and Yan.

He had deliberately provoked Yan into suppressing his Soul Power below Level 20.

He had also had Mighty Lion Douluo stand guard in case a real accident occurred.

He had claimed that he would kill himself on the spot if he lost, but with Unrivaled Thief's shameless personality, he would absolutely never truly do it.

Qian Daoliu looked at Unrivaled Thief's grave expression and smiled faintly. "That is why, during your first and second years, the Golden Generation will each suppress their cultivation by one major realm."