The hall fell deathly silent.
No one spoke, no one moved. Even the sound of breathing nearly vanished.
The elders who hadn't taken action stood frozen. Many of them hadn't even had time to decide which side to take before the battle was already over. Five Martial Soul Avatars, all crushed in a single exchange.
Chen Xuan withdrew the white flames from his right hand. Behind him, the Three-Eyed Fire Leopard slowly closed its vertical pupils, and the domain faded away.
As if nothing had happened, he clasped his hands behind his back and swept his gaze across everyone in the hall. His aged voice was quiet, yet every word seemed to hammer against their hearts.
"Take Fire Flame Leopard and the other four away. Lock them up in the forbidden grounds behind the mountain. As for the position of sect master, does anyone else object?"
After a brief silence, a white-haired elder was the first to drop to his knees.
Once one had gone down, the others followed.
Several elders knelt in succession, their voices rising and falling unevenly through the hall. "We greet the sect master."
No one spared the charred corpse on the floor another glance. In the Soul Master World, strength was the hardest truth.
Chen Xuan withdrew his Martial Soul and turned to face them. "Pass down my order—mobilize the entire sect to find disciples with an aptitude for medicine. Submit the list to me within seven days."
The elder kneeling at the front trembled and hurriedly bowed his head lower. "As you command."
Elder Chen nodded in satisfaction.
He was pleased not only by how quickly they'd understood their place, but also with his own strength.
Ever since he'd eaten the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, his Martial Soul had evolved further. He'd even awakened a domain by chance.
His flames had also grown hotter, and he could now combine them with his spiritual power.
When joined with his spiritual power, the flames changed from their original scarlet to white.
That was why he'd been able to defeat them so easily.
Who would've thought that some Titled Douluo needed to activate their Martial Soul Avatars just to deal with a Soul Douluo?
News of the change in leadership at the Fire Leopard Sect spread to all the major powers within half a month.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect received the news first.
Ning Fengzhi sat in the sect's council hall and read the report twice. His gaze lingered on the words "Titled Douluo," unwilling to move on.
"Chen Xuan, a ninety-third-rank Titled Douluo, with a Three-Eyed Fire Leopard Martial Soul."
He handed the report to Sword Douluo Chen Xin beside him.
"The Fire Leopard Sect never had a Titled Douluo before. On the border of the Star Luo Empire, it barely qualified as a second-rate sect. Now it has a Titled Douluo at its helm—and he's a blood descendant of the Huo Family who'd been living abroad. This news carries weight."
Chen Xin took the report and glanced over it, raising an eyebrow. "You're thinking of recruiting him?"
"It's too soon to talk about recruitment. We should make contact first."
Ning Fengzhi considered it for a moment, then made up his mind.
"The Fire Leopard Sect is in a sensitive location.
"Have the head of our branch there prepare a congratulatory gift and send it over. Tell them the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect congratulates the new sect master of the Fire Leopard Sect on taking office. There's no need to be overly warm, but make sure they feel our goodwill.
"If necessary, we can give them a few concessions on the trade routes along the border. The Fire Leopard Sect has just changed sect masters, so there's bound to be turmoil within. They'll need outside resources to stabilize things. A helping hand in a time of need is worth more than adding flowers to brocade."
Chen Xin nodded, tucked the report into his sleeve, and left to make arrangements.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan reacted very differently.
Yu Yuanzhen sat in the main seat and listened patiently to the steward's report. When it was done, he gave a derisive snort.
The expressions on the faces of the clan's core elders matched their sect master's—not contempt, but a higher form of indifference, as though they'd heard of a swarm of ants fighting over a grain of rice.
"The Fire Leopard Sect? So they've got a new sect master. Why go out of your way to tell me?"
Yu Yuanzhen picked up his teacup and gulped down a mouthful. His tone was boisterous and casual. "A mere ninety-third-rank Titled Douluo, with a leopard for a Martial Soul. Before a dragon, a leopard is just a bigger cat."
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is the greatest Beast Martial Soul under heaven. Nothing else deserves much regard."
Yu Yuanzhen slammed his teacup onto the table, stood, and tossed one last remark to the steward. "From now on, just keep an eye on the Fire Leopard Sect."
The Star Luo Empire's response was more practical.
The Fire Leopard Sect had already been inclined to align itself with Star Luo. Though its leadership had now changed and the new sect master had made it clear that the sect would remain in Heaven Dou, its geographical proximity hadn't changed.
A sect with a Titled Douluo at its helm might not be brought over to their side, but they certainly couldn't afford to push it into the enemy's arms.
The Star Luo Imperial Family moved quickly. Its envoys traveled for half a month with three entire carts of congratulatory gifts, becoming the first among the major powers to deliver them to the Fire Leopard Sect's mountain gate.
The gifts weren't especially valuable, but the gesture was more than enough.
The response from Spirit Hall was far more direct than that of the three powers above.
Inside Pope Palace, Bibi Dong reclined against the papal throne, a golden scepter propped beside its armrest. She lowered her head and flipped through a report with her long fingertips, a playful smile slowly curling across her lips.
"A Titled Douluo with a Three-Eyed Fire Leopard Martial Soul, usurping the sect and taking it over. From the moment he struck to the moment he subdued them, it took less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn—interesting."
She casually handed the report to Yue Guan, who stood waiting below the steps.
"The Fire Leopard Sect itself is nothing special, but an unaffiliated Titled Douluo is worth recruiting. Yue Guan, you and Gui Mei should make a trip to the Fire Leopard Sect and sound out Chen Xuan. Be polite. Don't make any offers yet. Just say that Spirit Hall heard of the new sect master's appointment and sent people to offer congratulations."
She paused, her tone taking on a deeper meaning. "While you're there, find out whether there's anyone else behind Sect Master Chen."
Yue Guan took the report with both hands. A glint flashed in his narrow eyes.
He and Gui Mei had worked together for many years. Together, they could suppress even an ordinary ninety-fifth-rank Titled Douluo. Sending the two of them to "offer congratulations" was both a courtesy and a test.
If Chen Xuan knew how to behave, one more elder in Spirit Hall would hardly hurt.
If he didn't, even a mere ninety-third-rank Titled Douluo couldn't make waves against Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo working together.
"This subordinate understands." Yue Guan bowed and accepted the order, then left Pope Palace with Gui Mei following behind him.
At the same time, Jiang Lin received the message Chen Xuan had sent back to the residence in the eastern part of Heaven Dou City.
The Soul Tool transmission contained only a few short lines: the sect master's position had been settled, and the disciples who would study alchemy were already being selected.
As for how he'd casually crippled an eighty-third-rank Soul Douluo and crushed five Martial Soul Avatars with a single move, Chen Xuan didn't mention a word. It was as if the matter hadn't been worth bringing up.
Jiang Lin put away the message and tapped the back of his chair twice with a fingertip.
He'd never worried about Chen Xuan getting things done. His gaze settled on the Fire Leopard Sect's location on the map, then slowly shifted toward Heaven Dou City.
The Blacksmith Association, the Ye Family, and the Fire Leopard Sect—three lines of progress were moving forward. He didn't know that Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were heading to the Fire Leopard Sect, but he knew that with Spirit Hall's intelligence network, Bibi Dong wouldn't stay unmoved once news of the Fire Leopard Sect's change in leadership spread.
Before you continue