"Pfft—"
Gu Rong, who had been drinking tea, sprayed it all out in one hot burst.
He coughed repeatedly.
"Twin Martial Souls?
Give them up? Has Qian Xunji been kicked in the head by a donkey?"
"That's the most baffling part."
Ning Zhen furrowed his brow.
"When a windfall drops from the sky, there's usually a trap attached.
But if this is true... a genius with twin Beast Martial Souls means a great deal to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. You all know that better than I do."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was known as the greatest support sect in the world, and its wealth rivaled that of a nation. But its most crippling weakness was its lack of top-tier fighters.
Right now, the entire sect was counting on Yuan Lie, that "old gorilla," to hold the fort.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin hadn't joined them yet.
They were desperate to cultivate a top-tier Titled Douluo of their own.
If they could keep such a promising young talent with a high-grade Martial Soul, the sect's security would take a massive leap forward.
"Father."
Ning Fengzhi, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke. The boy's voice was clear, yet carried a wisdom far beyond his years.
"I believe that whether or not this is a scheme by Spirit Hall, we must go."
"Oh? Fengzhi, tell us what you think." A trace of approval flashed in Ning Zhen's eyes.
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly and laid out his reasoning in a clear, orderly way.
"First, since Qian Xunji sent out the invitation so publicly, this genius with twin Martial Souls is probably real. Otherwise, the lie would be exposed with a single poke. There's no reason for Spirit Hall to make us go through all that trouble just to mess with us, and they couldn't afford the humiliation.
"Second, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is rich. What resources can't we afford to throw at this?
"The potential gain is worth the risk.
"As long as we bring this seedling back and raise him from childhood, showing him kindness, he'll surely become the strongest guardian of our sect!"
A light of absolute certainty gleamed in young Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
"Father, I want to accompany you to Spirit City and meet this legendary genius with twin Martial Souls!"
Ning Zhen slapped his thigh and made his decision on the spot.
"Good! Fengzhi is right! Whatever medicine Qian Xunji is peddling, if money can solve the problem, then it's no problem for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
"Gu Rong, go to the storehouse and take inventory of those Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones and top-grade ores.
"Bring the Heart Separation Control technique too.
"This time, we're going to bury Spirit Hall under a mountain of money!"
Actually, Ning Fengzhi himself really wanted to meet this genius.
He knew all too well that, given the sect's current situation, he was most likely to inherit its leadership one day.
If the genius was a girl, then once she joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, she would basically become his future wife...
At the same time, the Clear Sky Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the two imperial houses all fell into a similar frenzy of suspicion after receiving the letter.
Without exception, the leaders of every faction began frantically gathering money and resources.
The gaze of the entire continent instantly turned toward Spirit City.
Meanwhile, deep inside Elder Hall, in a sealed chamber.
Grand Pontiff Qian Daoliu hadn't continued studying the Soul Tool formation array, as Qian Xunji had expected.
Instead, he had secretly summoned the true foundation of Spirit Hall—the several Worships—and gathered them around a round table.
Second Worship Golden Crocodile Douluo, Third Worship Azure Luan Douluo, Fourth Worship Mighty Lion Douluo... These old monsters, who were usually impossible to find and could make the whole continent tremble with a single stomp, were now staring at one another in astonishment.
"Big Brother, you dragged a bunch of old bones like us out here in such a hurry. What happened?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo's golden hair was like a lion's mane, and his coarse voice echoed through the chamber.
"Did those blacksmiths from the Clear Sky Sect get itchy again?"
Qian Daoliu sat calmly at the head of the table and smiled mysteriously, saying nothing. He swept his sleeve, and dozens of jade caskets and golden boxes of different sizes and materials appeared on the table.
In an instant, the air in the chamber seemed to thicken. A rich, intensely fragrant aroma filled their noses. Just one breath of it was enough to stir the Soul Power that had been stagnant for years in the old men.
"W-what kind of heavenly treasure is this?!" The usually composed Azure Luan Douluo shot to his feet, staring fixedly at the jade caskets.
"Big Brother, where did you rob this place? Did you dig up the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest?" Mighty Lion Douluo gaped in astonishment too.
Qian Daoliu stroked his beard, looking exceedingly pleased with himself, as if to say: See? My son has made something of himself.
"These are called Immortal Herbs, divine treasures that seize the fortune of heaven and earth."
Qian Daoliu cleared his throat and began his performance. "Ji'er received guidance from a god and brought them back from a treasure land called the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well."
"Guidance from a god?" Golden Crocodile Douluo froze for a moment.
Qian Daoliu nodded, his expression turning solemn.
"That's right. Besides the Angel God, there's another equally great being.
"Under this god's blessing, Ji'er's Martial Soul has evolved into the Twelve-Winged Original Sin Fallen Angel, surpassing the original Angel Martial Soul in rank!"
The chamber fell silent.
The old men gasped one after another. Such a divine miracle was simply unheard of.
Qian Daoliu didn't give them much time to process their shock. He picked up a jade casket and pushed it toward Golden Crocodile Douluo.
"Second, your Martial Soul is the Golden Crocodile King. This Earth Dragon Golden Melon contains an extremely pure Earth Dragon bloodline and is perfect for you.
"Eat it directly, and perhaps you'll break through the bottleneck that's kept you at Level 98!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo's breathing grew heavy as he took the jade casket with trembling hands.
He had been stuck at Level 98 for far too many years. He had thought he'd never get any further in this lifetime.
He eagerly opened the casket and swallowed the golden melon inside, which glowed with a rich, earthy-yellow light.
Boom—
A terrifying aura erupted from Golden Crocodile Douluo's body. The phantom of the Golden Crocodile King behind him threw its head back and roared, and a hint of draconic pressure even appeared on its golden scales.
As they felt Golden Crocodile Douluo's aura climbing higher and higher, the other Worships' eyes instantly reddened. They stared at the remaining jade caskets like hungry wolves.
"Big Brother! What about mine? What about mine?!"
"Big Brother, my back's been aching lately. Do you have an Immortal Herb for that?"
Watching his usually lofty old brothers nearly come to blows over the Immortal Herbs, Qian Daoliu cheerfully handed them out.
"There's enough for everyone! This is the grand plan for the everlasting prosperity of Spirit Hall. Once you've all grown stronger, Spirit Hall will truly have nothing to worry about."
Elder Hall was filled with a happy scene of "brothers looking out for one another" and "dividing the spoils."
Meanwhile, in Pope Hall, Qian Xunji looked out the window at the sun slowly sinking in the west, a capitalist's smile curling his lips.
The actors were in place, the stage was set.
Now, all that remained was to see how determined each faction was.
Before you continue