The Speed Clan

Bai He exchanged glances with the several elders.

The Strength Clan had been wiped out; Martial Soul Hall had done it.

If the Speed Clan did not agree, they would be the next to be annihilated.

Given the strength of Martial Soul Hall, destroying the Speed Clan was no different from crushing an ant.

Bai He closed his eyes and fell silent, sighing deeply a moment later.

"If my Speed Clan agrees to submit, can everything the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son just said be fulfilled?"

"It can."

Bai He stood up from his chair, walked to the center of the main hall, faced Gu Qingshan, cupped his hands, and bowed.

"The Speed Clan is willing to submit to Martial Soul Hall."

The Strength Clan had been wiped out, and the Speed Clan had submitted.

Once this news spread, how would the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan choose?

How would those sects still sitting on the fence choose?

How would those fence-sitters who played both sides choose?

Gu Qingshan pulled a Blue Silver Leaf from his pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed.

"Clan Head Bai He, from today on, the Speed Clan is an affiliated sect of Martial Soul Hall. Martial Soul Hall will not treat you unfairly."

"Many thanks, Holy Son."

Bai He turned around to face the three elders, then faced the clansmen huddled at the entrance of the hall peering inside, and solemnly announced: "From this day forward, the Speed Clan belongs to Martial Soul Hall. This is my decision, and it is also the most important choice the Speed Clan has made in hundreds of years."

"I know that some clansmen cannot let go of the hatred in their hearts, will be confused, and will feel they have failed our ancestors. But I must tell you, the ancestors of the Speed Clan would not wish to see their descendants unable to even afford a meal."

Having said that, he took out a long, rectangular wooden box.

The box was dark red, the wood grain fine and dense, with a thin layer of patina on the surface.

"Holy Son, the Speed Clan is poor and has nothing worthy of presentation. This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was passed down by our ancestors. I have never been able to bear using it, but today I offer it to the Holy Son as a token of my sincerity."

Gu Qingshan took the wooden box and opened the lid.

A blood-red light shone from within the box, revealing a plant shaped like a ginseng, its body thick and over a foot long.

The color of the ginseng body was deep red, like congealed blood, with a layer of fine, vein-like patterns winding and twisting across its surface.

The Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, a legendary spirit herb said to grow in soil irrigated by dragon blood, taking a thousand years to form and ten thousand years to mature.

Is this the key medicinal herb Tang San used to resurrect Xiao Wu in the original work?

To bring the dead back to life, regrow flesh and bone, and reshape a physical body.

This Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was about 5,000 years old; although not yet fully mature, its medicinal efficacy was already comparable to a 10,000-year Nine-Rank Ginseng King.

Gu Qingshan closed the lid, and the blood-red light vanished. "Clan Head Bai He, this is too precious."

Bai He shook his head. "No matter how precious an object is, it is not as important as the lives of my clansmen. Holy Son, from today on, the Speed Clan belongs to Martial Soul Hall. I have no other skills, but the speed of the Speed Clan is still ranked among the best on the continent. If the Holy Son has any need, the Speed Clan is willing to serve Martial Soul Hall."

He paused, his gaze falling upon the crowd at the doorway.

From within the crowd, a young girl stepped out. She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall, and half a head taller than girls of her age.

Her long, pale purple hair was tied into twin tails that hung down her back, the ends reaching her waist.

Her face was small, a standard oval shape with a pointed chin.

Most striking was her waist; it was incredibly slender with excellent lines, though she looked slightly thin.

Her legs were very long—so long that more than half of her height came from them—and they were straight, without a single ounce of excess fat.

Bai He looked at his granddaughter, his eyes filled with pride, heartache, and a trace of reluctance.

"Holy Son, this is my granddaughter, Bai Chenxiang. She is sixteen, and her speed is outstanding among her peers."

"I wish for her to follow the Holy Son, even if it is just as a maid. Being by the Holy Son's side is better than having a future in this poor place."

Bai Chenxiang stood looking at Gu Qingshan, her eyes filled with curiosity, nervousness, and a hint of defiance.

She was sizing up this youth who was three years younger than her, the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son, the legendary monstrous genius.

Gu Qingshan looked at the stunningly beautiful Bai Chenxiang, a sixteen-year-old Soul Elder.

In Martial Soul Hall, this level was nothing special.

But that waist was truly exquisite!

"Very well."

Once the matter was settled, Gu Qingshan did not stay long at the Speed Clan.

According to information from Gui Mei, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was not at the Crown Prince's residence today, but at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, not far from the Speed Clan.

It was the perfect opportunity to go and meet this legendary Martial Soul Hall Young Master, the future Angel God.

The carriage set off again, with one more person in the cabin.

Bai Chenxiang sat in the very corner of the carriage, her back against the wall.

Yue Guan sat opposite her, hands tucked into his sleeves, that habitual smirk hanging from the corners of his mouth.

His gaze swept over Bai Chenxiang, then swept over her again, and again.

Bai Chenxiang felt uneasy under his scrutiny; she straightened her back, lifted her chin slightly, and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Holy Son," Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice was shrill, carrying a hint of mockery, "the little girl from the Speed Clan is glaring at your subordinate."

Gu Qingshan leaned against the carriage window, shifting the Blue Silver Leaf from the left corner of his mouth to the right.

"Elder Chrysanthemum, if you keep staring at her, who else is she supposed to glare at?"

Heaven Dou City was immense, arguably the largest and most prosperous city on the Douluo Continent, with a population in the millions.

Most of its inhabitants were ordinary people—vendors, snack sellers, merchants, and all manner of tradespeople; by comparison, the number of soul masters seemed quite small.

Martial Soul City was different.

Martial Soul City was situated at the border between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, built upon a vast wasteland.

The city was not large, covering only one-tenth the area of Heaven Dou City.

Martial Soul City was the headquarters of Martial Soul Hall; though it lacked the prosperity of Heaven Dou City, it was the holy land and the very center of the world for all soul masters on the continent.

Soul masters could be seen everywhere on the streets, while ordinary people were few and far between.

The strength of Martial Soul Hall lay in the fact that both the quantity and quality of its soul masters absolutely crushed those of the two great empires, which relied primarily on their armies.

Moreover, the soul masters of the two great empires were scattered across various sects, clans, and academies, each operating independently with no unified command.

If a war were to break out, Martial Soul Hall would hold an absolute advantage.

This was the source of Bibi Dong's confidence; she was neither blindly arrogant nor conceited.

An hour later, the group arrived at the outskirts of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

The Heaven Dou Royal Academy was located in the northwest corner of Heaven Dou City, occupying a vast expanse of land built against the mountains.

The carriage stopped at the academy gate, and Gu Qingshan jumped down, looking up at the massive stone archway.

"Elder Chrysanthemum, Elder Ghost, wait outside."

Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyebrows arched slightly: "Holy Son, there are many experts within the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. If you go in alone..."

Gu Qingshan glanced at him: "Oh, how high are they?"