The Towering Douluo Hall

Douluo City stood at the meeting point of the three great empires.

Unlike the bustling southern reaches of the Douluo Continent, this mighty city at the crossroads of the empires had less of the clamor of everyday life and more of the solemnity of iron and blood.

Its walls were cast entirely from Far North Cold Iron, rising a hundred meters high and covered in densely inscribed Soul Guidance Arrays. Even a tide of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts could not shake this mighty city in the slightest.

And the true heart of the continent's most impregnable city was the Douluo Hall headquarters, situated at its very center.

Two hundred years had transformed what was once merely a small hall in a border city into the heart of a colossal power spanning the entire continent.

Unlike the Spirit Hall of ten thousand years ago, with its extravagant splendor and lofty, sacred halls, the Douluo Hall headquarters had no excessive gilded ornamentation. Only a magnificent main hall, built entirely of dark blue-gray stone, stood at the very center of its many courtyards.

On either side of the main hall stood row upon row of subsidiary halls, research institutes, cultivation towers, Soul Tool workshops, and an Awakening Hall dedicated to awakening Martial Souls for commoners.

Every day, as soon as dawn broke, commoners from nearby towns and villages lined up outside the Awakening Hall, bringing their children to awaken their Martial Souls for free.

For two hundred years, this ironclad rule of Douluo Hall had sunk deep into the hearts of every commoner on the continent.

In their eyes, Douluo Hall was not some lofty sect or power. It was the only light these people at the bottom could reach for.

That morning, before the mist had even cleared from Douluo City, three figures appeared silently before the gates of the Douluo Hall headquarters.

Jin Ruiqiu bounced along beside the other two. Dressed in a bright yellow skirt, the little girl's big golden eyes darted about as she curiously studied the magnificent halls before her, her little face alight with excitement.

"Your Excellency, this is Douluo Hall? It's so much bigger than Shrek Academy!" Jin Ruiqiu tugged on Gu Yuan's arm and grinned. Her little head kept turning as she watched the Soul Masters and commoners coming and going at the gate, her eyes full of curiosity.

"A foundation built over two hundred years couldn't have been established overnight." Gu Yuan smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over the gates of Douluo Hall. A glimmer of understanding flickered in his eyes.

Two hundred years ago, he had laid out his plans, and Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue had laid Douluo Hall's first foundation stone in this border city at the crossroads. Two hundred years had slipped by. He had never set foot here himself, but the rules he had established and the pieces he had placed on the board had long since taken root, growing into the towering tree it was today.

Eight guards in black armor stood on either side of Douluo Hall's gates. Every one of them had the cultivation of a Soul King, and their keen eyes swept over everyone who entered and left.

They remained gentle with commoners who had come to awaken their Martial Souls, showing not a trace of arrogance. Only when they encountered suspicious-looking individuals did their edge show.

Seeing Gu Yuan and the other two approach, the captain of the guard stepped forward at once and raised a hand to stop them. His tone was respectful but cautious. "Honored guests, may I ask what brings you to Douluo Hall? If you've come to awaken your Martial Souls, please join the line at the Awakening Hall on the left. If you've come to visit a subsidiary hall elder, please present your letter of introduction."

The captain's gaze passed over the three of them, and he was secretly astonished.

The three children before him looked no older than twelve or thirteen, yet the auras around them were unfathomably deep.

The boy in dark robes at the front was especially strange. He looked mild and composed, yet the pressure the captain sensed from him made his very soul tremble. Even the hall master had never made him feel that way.

Gu Yuan said nothing. He simply reached into his Storage Soul Tool and took out a token.

The token was forged entirely from Dragon God Crystal Jade. It was pitch-black, with a coiling dragon carved into it and the two ancient characters "Douluo" engraved at the center of its head.

As soon as it appeared, an immense, boundless dragon might quietly spread out, and the air around them seemed to freeze.

This Douluo Token had been personally forged by Bibi Dong two hundred years ago as the highest token of authority. It symbolized the founder of Douluo Hall, and there was only one on the entire continent.

The moment the captain saw it, his pupils contracted. His whole body jolted, and the caution on his face was instantly replaced by the deepest reverence.

With a thud, he dropped to one knee, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan. His voice trembled slightly. "This subordinate pays his respects to Your Excellency! I was blind and failed to recognize your arrival. My offense deserves a thousand deaths!"

The seven guards behind him reacted in an instant, dropping to one knee in unison and lowering their heads so far they hardly dared to breathe.

As the core guards of the Douluo Hall headquarters, they naturally knew certain secrets. The black Douluo Token before them was Douluo Hall's highest token of authority. To see the token was to see the hall master.

They had only ever seen the token in a painting in the hall master's study. Never in their lives had they imagined they would actually meet someone who carried it.

The commoners and Soul Masters passing by were stunned by the sight. They had never seen the usually imposing guards bow so deeply to three children.

One by one, they stopped to stare at Gu Yuan and the others, but none dared to approach, afraid of disturbing the honored guests.

"Rise." Gu Yuan spoke calmly, putting away the Douluo Token.

"Take us to see your hall master."

"Yes! This way, honored guests!" The captain immediately stood and bowed deferentially as he led the way. He dared not even lift his head, and carefully guided the three toward the depths of the main hall.

Watching the reverence in the people's eyes, Jin Ruiqiu couldn't help sticking out her tongue. She whispered to Gu Yuan, "Your Excellency, your token is way too powerful! They all look terrified."

Gu Yuan smiled and ruffled her hair without saying anything. Gu Yuena, standing beside him, wore the faintest smile. After two hundred years of careful planning, Douluo Hall had engraved his will into its very bones.

They passed through one corridor after another and went around the cultivation towers and Soul Tool workshops. At last, the captain brought them to the hall master's study, deep within the main hall.

He bowed respectfully toward the study door. "Hall Master, an honored guest has arrived!"

The study door opened almost at once.

A middle-aged man in a white robe strode out. He looked to be in his forties, with handsome features and a sacred authority between his brows. The terrifying pressure of a Level 98 Super Douluo radiated from him. He was the current hall master of Douluo Hall, Ye Guyi's father, Ye Lan—the Holy Judgment Douluo.

But at that moment, when this renowned Level 98 Super Douluo saw Gu Yuan, the authority vanished from his face, replaced by profound reverence.

He hurried forward, bowed deeply to Gu Yuan, and offered the highest form of greeting. His voice brimmed with excitement he could barely suppress. "This subordinate Ye Lan welcomes Your Excellency! At last, I have the honor of meeting you!"

Two hundred years ago, Qian Renxue had saved Ye Lan's family. At the time, Evil Soul Masters were slaughtering the Angel Clan. Seeing the Angel descendants besieged and killed by Evil Soul Masters had filled Qian Renxue with guilt. If not for her, the continent and their lives would never have been reduced to such a state.

When Spirit Hall still existed, how could Evil Soul Masters have dared show their faces on the continent, let alone slaughter the descendants of the Angel Clan?

Qian Renxue had gathered every member of the Angel Clan and united them into the Angel Legion. She had bestowed divine blessings upon them to restore their Angel Bloodline, determined to eradicate every Evil Soul Master in the world and make amends for her mistakes.

"Rise." Gu Yuan raised a hand slightly, and a gentle force lifted him to his feet.

"You've worked hard for two hundred years. Douluo Hall would not have reached its present scale without your contributions."

"This subordinate wouldn't dare claim credit!" Ye Lan quickly bowed.

"Without the foundation Your Excellency laid back then, without the plans and inheritance you left behind, Douluo Hall would not exist as it does today. I merely did my duty and never dared slacken for even a moment."

As he spoke, he turned aside and gestured invitingly. "Please, Your Excellency. I've prepared tea. I'll report on Douluo Hall's development over the past two hundred years."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly and entered the study with Gu Yuena and Jin Ruiqiu.

The study was spacious, its furnishings simple yet dignified. A map showing the locations of Douluo Hall's subsidiary halls across the continent hung on the wall, along with a progress chart for Soul Tool research. Documents were piled high on the desk, making it clear that the hall master was diligent in his work.

Once the three were seated, Ye Lan personally poured their tea. Then he stood before the desk and began reporting on Douluo Hall's development over the past two hundred years. His words were respectful and well-organized.

"Reporting to Your Excellency: as of the beginning of this year, Douluo Hall has established one main hall and 1,721 subsidiary halls across the three great empires, covering more than ninety percent of the continent's cities, towns, and villages. Last year alone, we awakened the Martial Souls of more than a hundred thousand commoner children across the continent for free. Of those, over ten thousand possessed Soul Power talent."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly, a hint of approval in his eyes.

Breaking the sects' and nobles' monopoly over cultivation resources, giving commoner Soul Masters a way to survive. After two hundred years, Ye Lan had done a fine job of it.

Seeing Gu Yuan's approval, Ye Lan relaxed and continued his report. "As for high-level combat strength, Douluo Hall currently has forty-seven registered Titled Douluo. Thirty-one are ordinary Titled Douluo, serving as elders in the various subsidiary halls and officials at headquarters. The remaining sixteen are all Super Douluo above Level 95, serving as offerings in the headquarters' Worship Hall. I am unworthy, but my current cultivation is Level 98."

At this, Jin Ruiqiu's eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath.

Forty-seven Titled Douluo! Sixteen Super Douluo!

What did that mean? Even Shrek Academy and the veteran members of the Sea God's Pavilion together had only a little over twenty Titled Douluo, and just a handful of Super Douluo.

Douluo Hall's high-level combat strength alone was more than twice Shrek's, to say nothing of its subsidiary halls across the continent and its vast base of Soul Masters.

A faint ripple passed through Gu Yuena's eyes as well. To have grown this powerful in two hundred years had far exceeded expectations.

Gu Yuan's expression remained calm. He motioned for Ye Lan to continue.

"As for our ties with the sects, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Sect has long been closely allied with us." A trace of pride entered Ye Lan's voice.

"Following the Aromatic Silk Beauty cultivation method Your Excellency left behind, we provide the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Sect with one mature Aromatic Silk Beauty every twenty years, ensuring that every other generation produces a Soul Master with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. Their current sect master is a Level 96 Super Douluo with the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul. They have completely broken free of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda's limitations, and their sect is far more powerful than it was ten thousand years ago."

"They are utterly loyal to Douluo Hall and follow Your Excellency's lead in everything. Besides them, we've also brought in the Nine Heart Begonia, a sect as renowned as the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Sect."

"The limits on the Nine Heart Begonia inheritance have always been the greatest obstacle facing their sect. The life-law inheritance our ancestor left behind helped them break the restriction of passing down the Martial Soul to only one person at a time, and they have now fully pledged themselves to Douluo Hall."

"With these two top-tier support sects at our side, Douluo Hall's ability to fight as a team is the best on the continent. Even when facing an enemy several times our size, we can still hold the advantage."

Both top-tier support sects had pledged themselves to Douluo Hall!

Even Gu Yuan couldn't help nodding slightly, his satisfaction growing. Support Soul Masters were always the core of a Soul Master team. As the saying went, when fighting as a team, take out the healer first.

With the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Sect and the Nine Heart Begonia Sect, Douluo Hall's foundations were as secure as a mountain.

"As for our special organizations, we established Du'e Pavilion in accordance with our ancestor's instructions." Ye Lan's voice grew even more respectful.

"It is dedicated to taking in Soul Masters whose Martial Souls tend toward darkness and evil and who are rejected by the world. We teach them to control their own power and guide them to use it to protect rather than destroy."

"Du'e Pavilion now has twelve Titled Douluo, three of whom are Super Douluo. These Soul Masters, once scorned by the world, are utterly devoted to Douluo Hall. They have become our sharpest hidden blade. Whether gathering intelligence or conducting covert operations, they are second to none on the continent."

A faint smile tugged at Gu Yuan's lips.

Martial Souls and power had never been inherently good or evil. The only ones who could be good or evil were those who wielded them.

Simply killing Evil Soul Masters would only drive them into a corner and make them more and more desperate. Guiding them was the only righteous path.

Du'e Pavilion had not only become a great asset to Douluo Hall, but had also won the hearts of the continent's oppressed Soul Masters with dark Martial Souls. That kind of vision was something Shrek could never match.

"Finally, there's the development of our Soul Guidance Department." Ye Lan's voice was full of excitement.

"Following the Soul Tool Technology blueprints Your Excellency left behind, we established the largest Soul Guidance Research Institute on the continent, bringing together its finest Soul Engineers. We now have eight Level 8 Soul Engineers and three Level 9 Soul Engineers. Our Soul Tool Technology is ahead of the rest, especially in Fixed Soul Guidance Shells, individual Soul Guidance Mechas, and large military Soul Tools."

"Douluo Hall has the most complete Soul Tool production line outside the Sun Moon Empire. The military forces of all three great empires have to buy their Soul Tools from us."

"The revenue from Soul Tools alone is enough to keep every subsidiary hall running, with plenty left over to invest in aid for commoner Soul Masters and further Soul Tool research."

It was no exaggeration to say that, with Douluo Hall's current strength—whether in high-level combat power, its base of ordinary Soul Masters, or its Soul Tool arsenal—it could easily destroy any one of the three great empires.

Ye Lan finished his report and stood where he was, waiting for Gu Yuan's instructions. He felt both excited and uneasy, unsure whether the results of his two hundred years of work would satisfy Your Excellency.

The study fell quiet for a moment. At last, Gu Yuan spoke, his voice full of approval. "Excellent, Ye Lan. You've all done very well—far better than I expected."

He was genuinely satisfied. Two hundred years ago, he had merely set a direction and left behind some teachings and blueprints. But Bibi Dong and the others had taken it all the way. Douluo Hall was no longer the small power in a border city it had once been; now it was a colossal force capable of shaking the balance of the entire continent.

At Gu Yuan's praise, Ye Lan's face flushed with excitement. He bowed again. "Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency! This is only what I ought to have done!"

"By the way, Your Excellency, our ancestors learned of your arrival and have been waiting for you in the Worship Hall for some time." Ye Lan hurriedly added, "And that child, Guyi, has been in the Worship Hall too, hoping to pay her respects."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly and stood. "Good. Take us to the Worship Hall. It's time I saw them."

The women he spoke of were naturally Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue. These two gods from ten thousand years ago were the true pillars of Douluo Hall, and the two most important pieces he had placed on his chessboard.

Ye Lan immediately led the way with utmost respect, guiding the three toward the Worship Hall in the back mountains.

The Worship Hall stood deep within the main hall and served as Douluo Hall's forbidden ground. Without the hall master's order, even a Titled Douluo elder was forbidden from entering.

Every guard here was a Soul Douluo expert. The air was steeped in an aura where holiness and darkness intertwined, two utterly opposite forces perfectly fused into an unbreakable barrier.

As they passed through layer upon layer of restrictions and stepped through the Worship Hall's gates, a clear, holy female voice rang out.

"Ye Guyi welcomes Your Excellency!"

At the center of the great hall stood a young woman in a white dress. She looked to be barely in her teens, with peerless beauty and a holy bearing. Her golden hair fell to her waist, and six pairs of pure white angel wings slowly unfurled behind her, radiating a sacred, boundless Angel power.

She was Ye Lan's daughter, Ye Guyi, and Qian Renxue's disciple.

In the original story, her Martial Soul had been the Holy Angel. But now, under Qian Renxue's personal guidance and nourished by the power of the Angel God, it had evolved into a true Six-Winged Angel. It was perfectly compatible with the Angel God's inheritance. She was Qian Renxue's sole personal disciple and the future heir to the Angel Godhood.

The moment Ye Guyi saw Gu Yuan, she bowed to him. Her movements were precise, and her eyes brimmed with reverence.

Ever since she was little, she had heard her ancestor tell stories about this esteemed figure. She knew that he had created Douluo Hall, given the Angel descendants everything they had, and given her the chance to evolve her Martial Soul. Reverence for Gu Yuan had sunk deep into her bones.

"Rise." Gu Yuan's gaze passed over the Six-Winged Angel behind her, and he nodded slightly.

"Excellent. Your Martial Soul has evolved perfectly, and your inheritance from the Angel God is stable. Your future looks promising."

At Gu Yuan's praise, Ye Guyi's face lit up with excitement. She bowed again. "Thank you for your praise, Your Excellency! I'll train hard and won't let our ancestors or you down!"

Just then, two peerless figures slowly emerged from the depths of the Worship Hall.

The woman on the left wore a black court dress. Her beauty was peerless, her violet eyes cool and aloof, and a faint aura of Annihilation Divine Power swirled around her. She merely stood there, yet the terrifying presence she exuded made the heavens and earth tremble.

The woman on the right wore a golden gown, with golden hair and eyes. Twelve Angel wings spread behind her, radiant with nobility and holiness.

The instant they saw Gu Yuan, both women's bodies shook. They immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply to him, their voices trembling with barely concealed excitement. "Bibi Dong (Qian Renxue) welcomes Your Excellency!"

"Two hundred years have passed. I see you haven't slacked off." Gu Yuan looked at them and spoke calmly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Over the past two hundred years, they had finally let go of their old obsessions and honed their power to its limits. They were only one step away from fully absorbing the God Cores of two God Kings.

With the two of them, Douluo Hall had the strength of two quasi-gods. Even if gods from the Divine Realm descended, they would be able to fight back.

"It was all thanks to Your Excellency's guidance and kindness back then that I could reach where I am today," Bibi Dong said first, a rare softness in her cool, beautiful face.

"Xue'er and I have followed your instructions, guarding Douluo Hall, raising the next generation, and safeguarding our inheritance. We haven't dared slacken for even a moment."

Qian Renxue nodded at once, her gaze full of reverence as she looked at Gu Yuan. "Your Excellency, Guyi has excellent talent. She's the most suitable heir to the Angel Godhood, and she will surely inherit it in the future."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly, his gaze turning beyond the Worship Hall toward the north of the Douluo Continent.

After two hundred years of planning, the piece called Douluo Hall had finally taken shape.