Next, Ye Que and the others went to the Body Sect's dining hall for a meal.
The dining hall wasn't large, but it had everything they needed. As a sect that protected the nation, the Body Sect served exceptionally nourishing food, on par with Shrek Inner Court's.
Cultivating a Body Martial Soul consumed the most energy, so it naturally required more medicinal ingredients.
As they ate, Long Aotian said to Ye Que—something rare for him, "Brother Ye, I can tell the Sect Master is very pleased with you. At least, I've never seen him this pleased with anyone before. Even I've been won over by your way with words."
"Aotian is right. I can feel how well the Sect Master and you get along," Princess Vina added.
Life had forced all of us to learn this. In our world, people without emotional intelligence were doomed to fail... Ye Que smiled. "Perhaps Senior Du Busi simply needs someone who understands him, and I happened to be just what he was looking for."
"You're too modest," Long Aotian said. "Of all the young people I've met, you're the best at knowing just how far to go. How about we become friends?"
"That sounds wonderful!" Ye Que held out his right hand.
Long Aotian burst out laughing and clasped Ye Que's hand. They both felt they had met each other far too late in life.
Watching them, Vina felt her thoughts fall into place.
Aotian's idea was excellent. The young man before them was destined for great things, and the Body Sect had made the right choice by going all in on him.
If their investment paid off, they would have an Angel Douluo as an ally in the future. How would the Evil Soul Masters dare attack again? Shrek would surely be wary of the consequences and wouldn't dare move against the empire's rule.
After the two had become friends, Ye Que sat back down.
An hour later, the Body Sect's meal was over. Vina and Long Aotian led Ye Wuqing and the others to see the Body Sect's cultivation grounds.
Ye Que, meanwhile, headed for the back mountain.
He'd kept his wits about him and continued sending messages to Guangyu Douluo with his Soul Tool.
Guangyu Douluo had arrived long ago, but had been watching from the shadows the whole time.
Another powerful figure stood beside him. His aura was no weaker than Du Busi's, and the staff resting on his shoulder was especially remarkable: a silver dragon soul coiled around it, brimming with intelligence.
Soon, Ye Que reached the cultivation grounds in the back mountain and found Du Busi sitting cross-legged, waiting for him.
"You're here!"
Du Busi greeted him.
Ye Que nodded. "It's a rare opportunity for a junior like me to receive guidance from you, Senior Du Busi."
Du Busi smiled faintly. "You sure know how to say the right things. You nearly fooled this old man. But I can't blame you. If the Body Sect had fallen into your predicament, we'd be cautious too."
"Friends in the back, why don't you come out and join us?"
Ye Que sighed. He knew Du Busi had noticed Guangyu Douluo following them in secret.
A streak of fire shot through the woods behind the mountain. Guangyu Douluo emerged before Du Busi.
Beside him stood a silver-haired man holding a Coiling Dragon Staff. His aura was nearly as powerful as Du Busi's, and the air rang with dragon roars.
Ye Que was curious about this newcomer, too.
Guangyu Douluo had said he was going to meet a friend. Ye Que hadn't expected him to bring back another powerful backer.
"An overseas Soul Master?"
Du Busi narrowed his eyes, his voice full of astonishment and caution. It was clear that the powerful figure Guangyu Douluo had brought with him was formidable.
The silver-haired man tossed his staff onto the ground and smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm a Level 97 Dragon Subduing Douluo. I've long heard of your elder brother Du Bisou, but unfortunately never had the chance to fight him. It's a great pity."
"I've come here only to ensure our young master's safety. I mean no offense to the Body Sect."
As he spoke, an enormous silver dragon burst from the powerful silver Coiling Dragon Staff. Its vertical pupils fixed on Du Busi as it looked down at him.
The Coiling Dragon Staff. A true dragon's soul!
Du Busi sensed that Dragon Subduing Douluo was no ordinary man. The pressure he exerted was far greater than Xuan Zi's.
Overseas Soul Masters were this powerful?
"If you know my elder brother's name, then you must be a renowned veteran. Let this old man see what you can do!"
Du Busi shouted. Nine Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet. His green skin swelled in an instant, and he transformed into a hundred-meter-tall giant, throwing a punch at Dragon Subduing Douluo.
Dragon Subduing Douluo wasn't afraid. He raised a hand and gripped the Coiling Dragon Staff. His Soul Power erupted, and the silver dragon soul unleashed an overwhelming might as he swung the staff.
Boom—!
A deafening roar rang out as the two top-tier powerhouses were both forced backward.
Du Busi was astonished.
Why did that staff hurt so much? And it dealt elemental damage, too?
Dragon Subduing Douluo raised his staff and smiled. "Again!"
In the next instant, he tore through space and vanished into it. At lightning speed, he reappeared and struck Du Busi with another blow.
This time, not only Du Busi was shaken. Ye Que, watching from below, was stunned as well.
Breaking through space—could a Super Douluo really do that?
Was he even human?
Guangyu Douluo smiled and explained, "Young Master, the silver dragon soul in the Coiling Dragon Staff comes from a lower dragon blessed by the Silver Dragon King. It possesses the Silver Dragon King's control over the elements."
"Back when the Sun Moon Empire crashed into the continent, it killed a silver dragon while conquering the original Douluo Continent. Senior Dragon Subduing happened to claim its soul then. Afterward, he formed a contract with the dragon soul. We nurture it, and it attaches itself to the Martial Soul of the next bearer of the Coiling Dragon Staff."
"This generation's Dragon Subduing Douluo inherited the silver dragon soul."
Ye Que was deeply shocked.
So it was the silver dragon killed by the Sun Moon Empire. No wonder a Level 97 Dragon Subduing Douluo was so absurdly powerful.
Water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, spatial elements...
With all those combined, even if he couldn't beat his enemy, he could still get away safely.
Ye Que silently gave the descendants of Spirit Hall a thumbs-up.
The battle in the air had been raging for a while. Du Busi could gain the upper hand through his Body Martial Soul, but the barrage of elemental attacks wounded him as well.
They traded blows back and forth, neither gaining the advantage.
But in truth, Du Busi had lost, because he was a Level 98 Super Douluo.
Dragon Subduing Douluo had used his Martial Soul's advantage to bridge the one-level gap.
Dragon Subduing Douluo laughed. "The Body Douluo truly lives up to his reputation. I'm impressed. Neither of us can claim victory today. How about we fight again another time?"
"Agreed!"
Du Busi remained composed as he withdrew his Martial Soul Avatar, returning to the appearance of a kindly old man.
Dragon Subduing Douluo landed steadily and stood behind Ye Que.
He immediately turned toward the young master, dropped to one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "Dragon Subduing Douluo pays his respects to the young master."
"Uh..."
Ye Que felt awkward and didn't know what to do.
A Level 97 Super Douluo was calling him young master. That was no small pressure.
Guangyu Douluo smiled. "Young Master, we're all family. There's no need to be so timid. I sensed something was wrong with the state of the continent, so I went to bring Dragon Subduing Douluo here."
Ye Que took a deep breath and quickly helped Dragon Subduing Douluo to his feet. "You don't have to kneel. I'm not worthy of that."
Dragon Subduing Douluo smiled warmly. "You are the young master. We can't break our rules."
All right...
Ye Que accepted his status as the young master of Spirit Hall and said to Dragon Subduing Douluo, "Wait outside for now. I still have to pay a visit to Senior Du Busi."
Dragon Subduing Douluo and Guangyu Douluo nodded, then vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
Only then did Ye Que breathe a sigh of relief.
Being the young master really wasn't easy. With so many powerful people surrounding him, it was hard not to feel nervous.
"You sure know how to enjoy the benefits without paying the price."
Du Busi had been watching the show for a while. Now he walked over with his hands behind his back and couldn't resist teasing Ye Que.
With backers this powerful, even without the Body Sect, Shrek would hesitate to target someone with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
These descendants of Spirit Hall from overseas were one stronger than the next.
Ye Que clasped his hands. "You jest, Senior. No matter how powerful your backers are, nothing beats being strong yourself. That's why I admire you, Senior Du Busi. I dream of becoming a powerhouse like you one day."
"I saw it just now. You held back at every turn."
Those words made all of Du Busi's discomfort vanish. He was buttered up into a mischievous old child.
He patted Ye Que on the shoulder. "Sit."
Ye Que sat cross-legged, as obedient as a good child.
Du Busi's expression turned serious. "With your talent, you could have reached the Super Douluo realm even without my guidance. But since I've taken a liking to you, I'll explain the mysteries of the Body Martial Soul."
"The Body Martial Soul is based on the self. It doesn't rely on one's innate Martial Soul aptitude. Even someone with only one level of innate Soul Power can become a top-tier powerhouse after awakening a Body Martial Soul, as long as they aren't afraid of hardship."
"That's where the core of the Body Martial Soul comes in."
"Break through the limits of the body, shatter its shackles, refine both spirit and body, and develop the body's potential to its utmost—until it can rival a true top-tier Martial Soul..."
Before you continue