Inside the carriage, Gu Qingshan reclined against the cushions, chewing on a Blue Silver Leaf as he gazed aimlessly out the window.
Six years had passed.
Now twelve and a half years old, he was almost as tall as Bibi Dong. His features had matured from youthful softness into handsome good looks; the roundness of childhood had faded from his face, replaced by the sharp angles of adolescence.
At twelve and a half, his Soul Power Level was seventy, his vitality was fifty thousand, and his damage reflection ratio was 110%.
His fifth Soul Skill, Defensive Stance: Raised his shield to defend against frontal attacks, greatly reducing damage.
His sixth Soul Skill, Heroic Leap: Leaped toward a target area, dealing area damage and slowing enemies upon landing.
He really was quite strong now, but what troubled Gu Qingshan was that bathing had become less and less effective.
Over the past few years, Bibi Dong had constantly refined the formula. The toxic bathwater was now countless times stronger than it had been six years ago.
The problem was that his constitution was simply too powerful, no worse than that of an ordinary Titled Douluo. The toxins barely stimulated him anymore.
It was like giving a grown man a baby's dose of medicine. It was practically useless.
Gu Qingshan had grown used to leveling up quickly just by soaking in the bath. He simply couldn't stand meditating and cultivating like an ordinary person.
It was far too slow, so slow that it felt like a waste of time.
He needed a new way to level up.
Leaning against the carriage window and chewing on a Blue Silver Leaf, Gu Qingshan ran through the ways to rapidly increase one's Soul Power Level in the Douluo Continent.
Divine trials were out of the question for now.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone came from a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, and every one of them was priceless.
But Soul Bones mainly increased his vitality and constitution. They did nothing to raise his Soul Power Level, a limitation imposed by his Martial Soul.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was the most feasible option right now.
That rabbit...
Tang San was about his age. According to the story, he should be at Shrek Academy by now, and Xiao Wu was there too.
Better for him, Gu Qingshan, to have her than for her to end up with Little Scumbag.
All he wanted was a Soul Ring, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring that could help him break through to the next level.
As for what Little Scumbag might think?
What did that have to do with Gu Qingshan?
"Holy Son, it's just the two of us. Is it really wise to hunt a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? The ones in Star Dou Great Forest aren't easy to deal with," Chrysanthemum Douluo said cautiously.
The corner of Gu Qingshan's mouth curled into a meaningful smile. "We're not going to Star Dou Great Forest. We're going to Shrek Academy."
Chrysanthemum Douluo said, "Huh? Shrek Academy? What's that? Where else could there be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast besides Star Dou Great Forest?"
Gu Qingshan smiled. "Elder Chrysanthemum, you may not know this, but there's a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast at Shrek Academy."
Chrysanthemum Douluo gaped. "What? There's a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast at that academy?"
But Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't ask anything more. The Holy Son had always been mysterious and seemed to know many secrets.
The carriage rolled onward.
The wheels ran over a raised stone in the road, jolting the carriage.
Chrysanthemum Douluo opened her eyes, leaned forward slightly, and watched the road ahead warily.
Gu Qingshan sensed something amiss. His spiritual power spread outward, and then he sensed it too.
Two formidable presences—Titled Douluos!
One was sharp as a sword, its edge exposed; the other was steady and weighty, as unbreakable as stone.
The two auras were rapidly closing in, moving at incredible speed. Their undisguised hostility was aimed straight at the carriage.
They had come with ill intent!
His first thought was Tang Hao.
No, Tang Hao's aura wasn't like this.
Gu Qingshan glanced at Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression was grim. "They're the two offerings of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect: Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong."
Gu Qingshan's brows furrowed slightly.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin, a level ninety-six Power Attack System Titled Douluo. His Martial Soul was the Seven Kill Sword, and his attack power ranked among the best of the Titled Douluos.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong, a level ninety-five defensive Titled Douluo. His Martial Soul was the Bone Dragon, and his defense was astonishing. They said his bones were harder than ten-thousand-year-old cold iron.
The two of them had appeared here together to block their way.
Gu Qingshan's thoughts raced.
After news of the Spirit Hall's Holy Son spread, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect must have felt threatened.
The Spirit Hall now had a clear successor, one with monstrous talent. That meant the Spirit Hall wouldn't decline over the next few decades. If anything, it would grow stronger.
For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, that was certainly bad news.
But Gu Qingshan hadn't expected Ning Fengzhi to dare make a move against him.
Or was this not Ning Fengzhi's idea? Had the two offerings, Sword and Bone, decided to act on their own?
Whatever the case, they had come with ill intent.
Gu Qingshan looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo and saw her brows drawn together in a deep furrow.
Her heavily powdered face wore an expression of gravity he had never seen before.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, if it comes to blows, stay by my side. Sword Douluo's attacks are too fast. My Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum may not be able to block them all."
Gu Qingshan nodded without saying anything.
He wasn't particularly worried.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was now a level ninety-six Super Douluo. After taking the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, her strength had increased greatly, and her combat power ranked among the best at level ninety-six.
Sword Douluo was also level ninety-six. Their levels matched, and if they fought, it was anyone's guess who would win.
And then there was him.
His Thorn Shield reflected 110 percent of incoming damage. It dealt true damage, ignoring levels, defense, and every kind of damage reduction.
As long as an opponent dared attack, they would suffer 110 percent reflected damage. That would give them quite a taste of their own medicine.
Bone Douluo specialized in defense and wasn't strong on offense, so he posed little threat to Gu Qingshan.
Two against two—they had nothing to fear.
The carriage slowed to a halt. Gu Qingshan lifted the curtain and jumped down.
Chrysanthemum Douluo followed close behind, her expression tense.
Two people stood in the middle of the main road ahead.
One was an old man dressed in white, with white hair and beard, a lean face, and eyes bright as lightning. A sharp sword aura radiated from him.
The other was exceptionally tall and gaunt, with sunken eye sockets and thinning hair. The air around him seemed to warp faintly.
They stood on either side of the road, blocking it completely.
Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward, putting herself between them and Gu Qingshan.
"What do you two mean by this?"
Sword Douluo said nothing. His gaze passed over Chrysanthemum Douluo and settled on Gu Qingshan.
His eyes were like two swords drawn from their sheaths: sharp and cold.
Then his brows creased slightly.
Level seventy, at twelve years old. The Spirit Hall's Holy Son truly lived up to his reputation.
Bone Douluo spoke, his voice hoarse.
"So this is the Spirit Hall's Holy Son. A fine-looking young man, indeed. What a pity!"
"I advise you to surrender quietly. You won't get away."
Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression darkened completely. They really had come for the Holy Son.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had some nerve, daring to target even the Spirit Hall's Holy Son. Were they trying to tear all pretense aside?
That old fox Ning Fengzhi seemed all smiles on the surface, yet behind the scenes he dared to do something like this.
"Is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect declaring war on the Spirit Hall? You'd better think this through."
Before you continue