Du Busi's Fierce Protection-What Is the Duke of White Tiger Anyway?

A second awakening?

Gold-Grade?

Dai Tu recalled the original work's description of the Body Sect.

Once Body Martial Soul wielders cultivated to a certain realm, their martial souls could possibly undergo a "second awakening." The awakening levels were divided into Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. A Gold-Grade Awakening was the highest level, something seen perhaps once in a thousand years.

In a sense, his One-Tomoe Sharingan evolving into the Mangekyō Sharingan truly did resemble a "second awakening."

"So... it was a Gold-Grade Awakening?" Dai Tu murmured.

Du Busi released him and took two steps back, sizing Dai Tu up as though he were a priceless treasure. The excitement in his eyes nearly overflowed, his emerald pupils gleaming in the night.

"A Gold-Grade Awakened eye martial soul, along with those freakish spatial and fire abilities..."

Rubbing his hands together, Du Busi paced back and forth across the courtyard, muttering nonstop. "I struck gold. This time, I really struck gold. The greatest luck of my life was not going out drinking tonight and staying in the sect..."

He suddenly stopped and turned to look at Dai Tu, his expression more serious than ever before.

"Kid, from today onward, you are my, Du Busi's, personal disciple. You may command all the resources of the Body Sect as you please. If anyone dares bully you, I'll wipe out their entire family. You..."

Before he could finish, Du Busi suddenly froze.

Because he saw Dai Tu raise his left hand.

A jade-green glow slowly lit up above it.

The phantom of a small tree appeared in Dai Tu's palm. Its trunk was straight, its branches lush, and pale golden light flowed through the veins of its leaves. A gentle yet vast aura of life spread from the tree phantom, filling the entire courtyard.

The patch of scorched earth burned by Amaterasu moments ago actually sprouted several tender green blades of grass. Even the rosebush in the corner of the courtyard, which had nearly withered away, began putting forth fresh leaves and flower buds.

"This... this is..." Du Busi's pupils contracted sharply.

He stared fixedly at the small tree phantom, sensing that unimaginably immense, incomparably pure life force. His mouth hung slightly open, yet he could not make a sound.

Wang Changbi was dumbfounded as well. He looked from Dai Tu's eyes to the small tree in Dai Tu's left hand, his mind completely blank.

"This is my second martial soul," Dai Tu said calmly. Though his voice was weak, it was incomparably clear.

"The Tree of Life."

Clang!

The wine gourd in Du Busi's hand fell to the ground, spilling liquor everywhere, but he did not notice in the slightest.

He only stared blankly at Dai Tu—at those scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan eyes, at that jade-green Tree of Life. The expression on his face shifted from shock, to bewilderment, to wild joy, and finally to a nearly crazed excitement.

"Twin... Twin Martial Souls..." Du Busi's voice trembled. He raised a finger at Dai Tu, and even that finger was shaking.

"A Gold-Grade Awakened Body Martial Soul, and another... another second martial soul whose quality is no worse than it?!"

He suddenly burst into laughter.

Not the booming laughter from before, but hoarse, suppressed, maniacal laughter, as though he were about to laugh his lungs out.

"Hahahaha! Heavens! You finally opened your damned eyes! You sent me such a treasure! Twin Martial Souls! Gold-Grade Awakening! And those freakish spatial and fire abilities! And this... this fucking Tree of Life!"

Du Busi laughed until he could barely breathe. He bent over, bracing both hands on his knees as his shoulders shook violently.

After a long while, he finally straightened up, wiped away the tears he had laughed out, and looked at Dai Tu again.

This time, the look in his eyes had changed.

He was no longer looking at a "genius," nor was he looking at a "monster." He was looking at "hope," at the "future," at a hope that could allow the Body Sect to rise completely and make the entire Douluo Continent tremble.

"Dai Tu." Du Busi's voice was more solemn than ever.

"Become my personal disciple. I, Du Busi, swear in the name of the Body Sect's leader that as long as I live, no one will be able to touch a single hair on your head. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Whoever you want dead, I'll help you kill. Even if you want to overturn this Douluo Continent, I'll overturn it with you!"

Those words carried immense weight.

A level ninety-eight Super Douluo, one of the continent's foremost powerhouses, had made such a promise to a level twenty-five Soul Grandmaster.

The courtyard fell silent.

The night breeze passed through, rustling the leaves.

Dai Tu looked into Du Busi's emerald-green eyes, at the undisguised sincerity and determination within them, and complex emotions surged through him.

Moved? Perhaps a little.

Warmth? Perhaps some of that too.

But more than anything... it was the long-lost sense of security that came from being accepted and protected without reservation.

Like a drowning man clutching driftwood, like someone frozen stiff drawing close to a bonfire.

Dai Tu was somewhat moved and revealed his current circumstances.

"Actually, I am the illegitimate son of Dai Hao, the Duke of White Tiger. The White Tiger Duchess feared my talent and wanted to kill me, so Konoha... the village where I lived for twelve years, all fifty-three people in it died. They died before my eyes."

"But I killed the Duchess's younger brother and fifty elite soldiers of the White Tiger Army. The White Tiger Duke Mansion will not let me go."

Dai Tu's voice was very calm, so calm that it was as if he were telling someone else's story.

As Wang Changbi listened, however, he felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

A slaughtered village.

An illegitimate son.

A blood feud.

Together, these words painted a story so cruel it was abhorrent.

Wang Changbi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat had gone dry and he could not utter a single word. He could only look at Dai Tu—at this boy barely twelve or thirteen years old, at those eyes so calm they seemed dead—and feel as if something had fiercely clenched his heart.

Du Busi fell silent as well.

He stared at Dai Tu for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

It was not wild laughter, nor hearty laughter, but a cold smile filled with killing intent.

"The White Tiger Duke Mansion? The Star Luo Empire?" Du Busi's voice was soft, yet as sharp as a blade. "That's it?"

He walked over to Dai Tu and looked down at the boy who only reached his chest. Beastlike light flickered in his emerald-green eyes.

"Dai Tu, listen carefully. The thing I, Du Busi, fear least in my life is offending people. So what if it's the Star Luo Empire? So what if it's the White Tiger Duke Mansion? If they push me too far, I'll march into Star Luo City alone and wipe out Dai Hao's entire family. Let's see whether the Star Luo Emperor dares let out so much as a fart."

He paused, his tone turning even more chilling.

"As for war? Heh, the Body Sect remaining hidden for a hundred years does not mean we fear trouble. If they want to fight, then we fight. Let's see whether the Star Luo Empire's army is stronger, or the Body Sect's Nine Great Elders and three hundred disciples are stronger. Let's see whether Dai Hao's White Tiger Martial Soul is fiercer, or my, Du Busi's, poison arts are more tyrannical."

Dai Tu was stunned.

He had not expected Du Busi to react this way.

No, he had expected Du Busi to be fiercely protective and to keep him safe, but he had not expected... him to be protective to this extent.

For the sake of a disciple who had only just joined the sect, he was willing to go to war with an empire and become enemies with the continent's strongest military force.

P.S. Brothers, what do you think my attitude toward Wang Dong should be?