Ning Fengzhi, whose cultivation was the weakest, instantly went pale.
If Yuan Lie beside him hadn't been quick to release the Iron-Back Gorilla's Soul Power and help shield him,
he would have nearly been crushed to his knees on the spot by that overwhelming presence.
"This guy... Why does he feel several times more terrifying than the rumors made him out to be?
This... aura. Is he really a Soul Douluo?" Ning Zhen gripped the wineglass in his hand so tightly that cold sweat had already seeped from his palm.
The last time Qian Xunji had appeared, he had only been a Soul Douluo. How had he changed so much now?
Yu Yuanzhen's usually arrogant gaze had grown grave. He could feel that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul he had always been so proud of was... trembling inside him.
It was the instinctive reaction of a bloodline confronted with the suppression of a superior.
"Honored guests, your long journey has brought glory to Spirit Hall.
This seat has recently made a small breakthrough, and certain aspects of my person have changed as a result. I ask for your understanding."
Qian Xunji walked to the seat of honor but didn't sit. Instead, he looked down at the group of "benefactors," their expressions all different, a playful curve tugging at his lips.
He casually picked up a glass of red wine from a maid and swirled it gently.
"I know that you've all traveled so far to Spirit City because of that exceptionally talented child.
As it happens... she's a very adorable,
very... well-behaved,
very pretty little girl."
Qian Xunji's voice was low and resonant, yet to everyone listening, it carried an unquestionable authority.
At those words, the sect masters and the emperors of the Two Great Empires all began to turn the matter over in their minds.
A girl...
If she joined their family's bloodline and bore children, wouldn't that benefit them for generations to come?
"However, I made it perfectly clear in my letter that the child's Martial Soul is the supremely evil and poisonous Death and Soul-Devouring Twin Spider Emperors.
Spirit Hall has always stood for light, so we truly cannot provide her with the most suitable guidance."
Qian Xunji sighed with feigned grief, looking as if his heart was breaking and he were acting entirely selflessly.
"To avoid wasting this heaven-sent talent, I have decided, with great reluctance, to entrust her to a faction with the ability and foundation to raise her."
"His Holiness the Pope is truly magnanimous!"
Ning Zhen of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands, and declared,
"Though my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect specializes in support, when it comes to our sect's foundations and resources, I dare say we're second to none.
If you entrust this girl to our sect, I guarantee that we'll devote the full strength of the sect to making her a peak expert renowned across the continent!"
"Bullshit!"
Yu Yuanzhen had a fiery temper and cut him off without hesitation.
"An auxiliary sect teaching a Beast Martial Soul? Ning Zhen, are you trying to ruin that genius?
That child was born to join my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
Now that he knew she was a girl, Yu Yuanzhen was even more determined to claim her. He could have her grow close to his son, Yu Xiaogang, and use the clan's influence to make his son the biggest beneficiary.
He truly wanted that.
Seeing the two men on the verge of coming to blows at the banquet, the emperors of the Two Great Empires and Tang Zhen could no longer hold back. They were preparing to jump in as well.
"Enough, everyone."
Qian Xunji raised a hand slightly. At the casual gesture, the faint pressure of the Fallen Angel instantly blanketed the room, forcibly silencing everyone.
"Tonight is a banquet to welcome you and wash away the dust of the road. Let's talk of pleasant things, not who gets to take her."
Looking at the "fat sheep," now completely worked up, Qian Xunji could practically hear the clatter of the abacus in his mind.
If Bibi Dong were here to see the continent's top bigwigs fighting, red-faced, over taking her—"the living ancestor of the Rakshasa God"—home, what would she think?
It was an absurd yet perfect comedy.
"The child just arrived in Spirit City. The journey has worn her out, and she's a little shaken. She needs a good night's rest."
Qian Xunji drained his glass of red wine in one gulp, wearing an impeccably elegant smile.
"Please be patient. Tomorrow morning, we'll meet in Pope Hall, and we'll formally announce our decision about the child's future."
"Remember, I don't want promises. I want to see your 'sincerity' toward this child."
Qian Xunji deliberately emphasized the word "sincerity."
Everyone present was a sly old fox. They immediately understood the unspoken meaning behind His Holiness the Pope's words.
This wasn't about entrusting a genius to someone. It was a sky-high auction without a whiff of gunpowder.
Seeing the fervent, "determined to win" look in their eyes—some of them already planning to go back and raise funds through the night—Qian Xunji's smile deepened.
Heh heh heh...
My benefactors, have a good night's sleep.
Tomorrow, I'll not only empty your wallets,
I'll also have you personally carry that ticking nuclear bomb into your beds.
It was the dead of night, and Spirit City had long since imposed its curfew.
Yet within this city shrouded in holy light,
the luxurious guest residence reserved for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect of the Heaven Dou Empire was still brightly lit.
In the room, the current sect master, Ning Zhen, sat at a broad rosewood desk,
rapidly working the beads of a solid-gold abacus.
The clacking of the beads rang especially clearly in the quiet night, almost frantic with impatience.
The fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Ning Fengzhi stood beside him, holding a thick ledger from the sect, his brow furrowed.
"Father,"
Ning Fengzhi turned a page in the ledger and lowered his voice.
"We brought plenty of liquid funds this time, along with two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones to bolster our offer, but swallowing up that Twin Martial Souls genius will still stretch our resources thin.
Judging from the atmosphere tonight, everyone's prepared to spend big. We may be wealthy, but when it comes to what Spirit Hall truly values,
we don't have much of an advantage."
Ning Zhen paused, then irritably rubbed the space between his brows.
"That old miser Yu Yuanzhen has been pinching pennies his whole life, but this time he'll definitely spend a fortune.
That child has Twin Martial Souls, Fengzhi. As long as she survives and grows up,
it won't just be a matter of passing down her Martial Souls.
She'll undoubtedly become a powerhouse capable of shaping the continent's future."
Ning Zhen let out a long sigh.
"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is so rich that all we have left is money. What we lack is top-tier power strong enough to command respect.
Uncle Yuan is loyal, but his talent is limited, and he's getting on in years.
If someone else snatches her away, then within thirty years, our place as the continent's second-strongest sect will be at the mercy of others."
Ning Zhen gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
"If we have to, we'll mortgage the deeds to the three most profitable commercial streets we own in Heaven Dou City. No matter what, we have to win tomorrow's battle—even if we have to sell everything we own."
Just as father and son were anxiously racking their brains over tomorrow's "sky-high mystery box,"
a deliberately lowered, gruff voice suddenly came from outside the door. It belonged to their Sect Protecting Douluo, Yuan Lie.
"Sect Master, an honored guest has come to call in the middle of the night.
He says... he can solve your most pressing problem."
Before you continue