Lin Huai's words were exactly what the others wanted to hear.
Yan, who was never one to overthink things, voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"Isn't the Holy Son joining us? Our levels are higher than theirs."
Lin Huai knew that Hu Liena and the others had also taken Whale Rubber, which had strengthened their bodies and slightly improved their talent.
But as Soul Elders, it had probably only helped them advance more quickly.
Tian Yue stepped to one side of the training ground.
"Tian Yue, Level 28, Martial Soul..."
Kuang Zhan saw her and stepped beside her.
"Kuang Zhan, Level 32, Martial Soul..."
Qiangu Yichen entered the training ground and clasped his hands together.
"The three of us had some fortuitous encounters, so you might actually be at a disadvantage."
"Qiangu Yichen, Level 37, Martial Soul..."
Hu Liena and the others looked solemn, but they were also eager to give it a try.
A quarter of an hour later, just as expected, Hu Liena and the others were defeated.
Only then did Lin Huai realize that Hu Liena and Xie Yue had yet to form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
From then on, the seven of them began training together.
At that moment, in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Xue Xing and Xue Beng were passionately recounting how Lin Huai had looked down on the empire.
When Xue Ye heard that Lin Huai had said he could wipe out the entire royal family in a single night,
his face darkened.
Yet he kept wondering to himself: What if the Holy Son was telling the truth? He wouldn't dare gamble with his own life.
The ministers at court who sided with Xue Xing
were also furious, cursing Lin Huai for being an arrogant brat. Some even said Spirit Hall was doomed if it let a little kid become its Holy Son.
Hearing this, Qian Renxue merely noted down the names of the ministers who had spoken, inwardly sneering.
Seeing that Xue Qinghe had remained silent,
Xue Beng hurriedly reminded him,
"Big Brother, you should say something to Father, too!"
Xue Qinghe replied leisurely,
"I've never witnessed the might of a Titled Douluo myself, but don't we have a Titled Douluo as a guest official?"
"Why don't we ask him?"
Xue Ye's eyes lit up. He'd forgotten they had Dugu Bo.
Damn those two, chattering away in front of me and clouding my judgment.
"Quick, summon Guest Official Dugu!"
After a while,
the eunuch at the door hurried in.
"Guest Official Dugu has arrived!"
"Quick, invite him in!"
Dugu Bo didn't wait for the eunuch to announce him. He walked right in.
"May I ask why His Majesty summoned me?"
Xue Xing and Xue Beng took turns recounting what had happened.
Leaning forward on the throne, Xue Ye asked anxiously,
"What do you make of the Holy Son's words, Guest Official Dugu?"
Dugu Bo was deeply shocked. Though he had already joined Spirit Hall, he hadn't known it had so many Titled Douluo!
He glanced at the two men, who were still visibly worked up, with a hint of pity,
then answered Xue Ye,
"I can't speak for anyone above Level 95. But when I fought Chrysanthemum Douluo, who was Level 95, I never beat him, though neither of us went all out."
"As for secretly entering the palace, that part is false. Xue Xing and Xue Beng must have misheard."
Xue Ye was just about to breathe a sigh of relief, while Xue Beng was already imagining Lin Huai on his knees, begging for mercy.
But at Dugu Bo's next words, their faces turned deathly pale.
"They wouldn't need a whole night to do it. With more than a dozen Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall, they wouldn't need to sneak in. It'd just take one Soul Skill from each of them."
Xue Xing's voice trembled.
"Guest Official Dugu, you're not joking, are you?"
Dugu Bo looked displeased at being questioned.
"What would I gain by lying to you?"
"Besides, I know Golden Crocodile Douluo. He presided over my title-conferral ceremony."
"All I can say is, I probably wouldn't last three moves against him."
Then he looked seriously at Xue Ye.
"Your Majesty, you should think about how to handle this."
"Otherwise, if I want to help bury you later, I might not even be able to find a single intact corpse."
A hearty laugh came from outside the hall.
"Ha ha ha—"
"Dugu Bo, you exaggerate. Spirit Hall has always cherished peace. Why would we do such a thing?"
Qian Renxue was puzzled. Why had Grandpa Golden Crocodile come?
Two burly figures strode into the hall.
Recognizing them, Dugu Bo saluted.
"Senior Golden Crocodile, may I ask what brings you here?"
Xue Ye kept his expression unchanged, but inside, he was terrified.
The two had flown in openly, and no one had noticed them until they spoke. No wonder Dugu Bo had said they could wipe out the royal family.
Thinking of Xue Beng, who had started all this, Xue Ye wanted to beat him to death.
Golden Crocodile looked at Xue Ye gravely.
"His Holiness the Pope asked the two of us to inform the Emperor."
"From now on, the empire will distribute the Soul Master subsidies itself."
Xue Ye hurriedly nodded.
"Of course, of course."
"We've troubled Spirit Hall with distributing them for long enough. It's only right that we handle it ourselves now."
Everyone present was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Golden Crocodile's next words made their hearts sink again.
"Also, the Holy Son asked us to see how you intend to resolve your conflict with him."
Silence fell over the hall. Seeing that the key figures had all been stunned into silence, Dugu Bo thought, A bunch of useless fools, good for nothing but making a mess!
He quickly gestured for Qian Renxue to speak.
Qian Renxue pretended to gather her courage and asked,
"May I ask what you would like us to do, Senior?"
Golden Crocodile recalled what Lin Huai had said.
"Hmm..."
"The Holy Son is still young, after all, and we hope to settle this amicably."
"Choose some valuable but impractical treasures as an apology. If the Holy Son is pleased, he won't hold your offense against you."
"It was just a squabble between children, after all."
After speaking, Golden Crocodile glanced at Xue Xing.
Then the two left.
A long while later,
Xue Ye's furious voice rang through the hall.
"Xue Xing! Is this how you taught Xue Beng?"
"If the Holy Son weren't still young, he might have died right here in the hall!"
Xue Xing trembled as he knelt on the floor, unable to tell whether he feared Xue Ye or the glance Golden Crocodile had given him.
"E-Elder Brother, you can't blame me! I didn't know Titled Douluo were so terrifying!"
Xue Ye rubbed his temples.
After all, this was the younger brother who had helped him seize the throne.
He waved a hand.
"Go back. You're not to set foot outside your manor for a year."
Xue Xing hurriedly left for home.
"Xue Beng!"
Xue Beng immediately crumpled to the floor, unable to even speak.
Xue Ye silently cursed him as useless.
He called over two guards and had them carry Xue Beng back to his residence to put him under house arrest.
"Qinghe, what do you think we should choose as an apology gift?"
Qian Renxue immediately suggested the item Golden Crocodile had just mentioned to her through a voice transmission.
"I think the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud would be the most suitable."
"It would show our generosity without slighting the Holy Son."
"Most importantly, we don't know exactly what it does, so we can exaggerate its effects as much as we like."
Xue Ye felt reluctant to part with this national treasure, but if it saved his life, it was worth it.
"Good. Have someone deliver it at once, riding day and night."
"Thank you, Guest Official Dugu, for the warning. Otherwise, we would surely have angered those two."
"Your Majesty is too kind. I'm a guest official of Heaven Dou, after all. It was only right."
"Then I'll take my leave."
The farce at the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace came to an end,
and ten days later, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was delivered to Lin Huai.
Before you continue