Godwind City, the back garden.
The wind fell still.
Bi Ji huddled at one end of a stone bench, both hands held protectively against her chest. Alarm filled her emerald-green eyes.
She looked at Venti.
The "Wind God" who had just casually admitted to shattering a star was now smiling at her, still holding the half-eaten apple in his hand.
"Tr-try?"
Bi Ji's voice trembled like a leaf in the wind.
She was a Ferocious Beast who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years. She had seen the grandest of spectacles and the greed of powerful humans.
But against someone who could crush a planet with a casual flick of his hand, her cultivation was no more significant than that of a newborn baby.
"What do you... want to try?"
Bi Ji bit her lower lip, already wondering: if he really intended to take liberties with her, or wanted to stew her for meat, should she fight to the death—or simply shut her eyes and play dead?
Venti blinked, seeming to see through the wild thoughts in the Swan's head.
"Aw, don't tremble."
Venti casually tossed the apple core. It traced a graceful arc through the air and landed perfectly in a distant trash can.
He dusted off his hands. A green light quietly gathered in his palm.
There was no world-ending pressure.
Nor was there any of the terrifying power that had ripped through space in the earlier scene.
It was a very gentle glow.
As the light faded, a translucent, gleaming glass orb appeared in Venti's palm, radiating a green shimmer.
The ornament was set into a golden wing-shaped base, with the emblem of wind etched at its center.
Delicate and beautiful.
"This is..."
Bi Ji froze.
She couldn't sense any Soul Power from the thing, nor could she feel any trace of divine power.
It seemed like nothing more than an ordinary work of art.
"A Vision."
Venti smiled as he held out the "glass orb" toward Bi Ji.
"Relax. I'm not going to do anything to you."
"I just think the aura around you is gentle, and resembles certain qualities of the wind."
"Since you've come here, perhaps it's fate. I'd like to see whether the living beings of this world can earn the wind's recognition."
As he spoke, Venti took Bi Ji's slightly chilly hand and placed the Vision in her palm without giving her a chance to refuse.
"Take it."
Bi Ji stiffened all over.
The instant her fingertips touched the Vision,
there was no explosion, and no agonizing sensation of her soul being devoured.
Bzz—
A clear ringing sounded.
The Vision, previously dim, suddenly lit up.
Its green was pure beyond compare.
Whoosh—
The garden breeze stirred.
But this wind was no longer biting or violent.
It brushed gently past Bi Ji's hair, swept up flower petals from the ground, and slowly circled around her.
Bi Ji's eyes widened in astonishment.
She could feel a power unlike anything she had ever experienced flowing from the Vision in her palm into every part of her body.
It wasn't Soul Power.
It didn't require her to circulate it through her meridians or release her Martial Soul.
All she had to do was will it, and the wind around her surged toward her, as eager and obedient as a child.
"This is..."
Bi Ji raised her other hand and gave a gentle wave.
A stream of green air appeared from nowhere, but it was infused with a rich aura of life.
Healing Wind!
"Hm?"
Venti raised an eyebrow, looking surprised before his expression softened into a knowing smile.
"As expected of a life-aligned Soul Beast. Even the wind has taken on your healing touch."
"How does it feel?"
Bi Ji stared blankly at the wind in her hand.
She immediately examined herself from within.
Nothing had changed.
Her bloodline was the same as ever: the Emerald Swan.
Her cultivation was unchanged, still at the same level.
Even her Martial Soul had undergone no mutation.
This "Vision" hadn't changed her nature. Instead...
It had given her a key.
A key that let her directly command the wind element between heaven and earth!
In Douluo Continent, Soul Masters relied on their Martial Souls, while Soul Beasts relied on their bloodlines.
Yet this tiny object had shattered that ironclad rule.
"An external magical organ, huh..."
Venti rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully.
"Looks like it works in this world, too."
Bi Ji clutched the Vision tightly, her heart pounding.
She looked up at Venti. The fear in her gaze had mostly faded, replaced by deep reverence—and an indescribable gratitude.
The scene of him shattering a star had filled her with despair.
But now, his casually granting her the ability to control the wind element felt like a divine miracle.
This was the true power of a god!
No elaborate rituals. No painful trials.
A casual gift—and he had bestowed a blessing.
"Thank you... Wind God."
Bi Ji rose and bowed with the utmost respect.
She meant every word.
Venti waved a hand and was about to speak.
Rumble—
The enormous Sky Curtain trembled once more overhead.
It cut off their conversation in the garden.
They both turned their eyes to the sky.
The afterglow of the Divine Artifact Ranking had yet to fade, and discussions of Venti shattering a star were still raging across every corner of the continent.
The golden ranking scroll slowly unfurled.
The three large characters, "Divine Artifact Ranking," faded away.
In their place appeared several blood-red characters, brimming with murderous intent—
[Continental Power Ranking]
This was the real main event.
Divine artifacts were, after all, external objects. In this world, which worshiped strength, one's own power was what truly mattered.
Golden light surged.
Unlike the Divine Artifact Ranking, the names weren't revealed slowly, from the bottom upward.
The Sky Curtain seemed to know that the audience had just been badly shaken and needed something thrilling to wake them up.
The first name appeared at once.
[Rank 15]
The image froze.
No name appeared immediately. Instead, a hammer appeared.
A massive hammer, black as ink, radiating an aura of absolute dominance.
Killing intent coiled around its head.
Everyone across Douluo Continent knew this hammer all too well.
"That's..."
"The Clear Sky Hammer!"
"The greatest weapon-type Martial Soul!"
As the hammer's image came down, a name slammed onto the ranking.
[Tang Hao]
[Title: Clear Sky]
[Martial Soul: Clear Sky Hammer]
[Record: Upon first reaching Titled Douluo, he severely wounded Qian Xunji, the Pope of Spirit Hall, and shook the world with a single hammer strike.]
[Evaluation: The pinnacle of power, the embodiment of destruction. Though burdened by hidden injuries, he must not be underestimated.]
An uproar swept across the continent.
Outside Heaven Dou City.
The army had been utterly dispirited, terrified out of their wits by the scene of Venti shattering a star. But the moment they saw this name, it was as if they'd been given a shot of courage.
"It's His Excellency Haotian!"
"That's Tang San's father!"
"Rank 15! Fifteenth on the entire continent!"
"Hahahaha! We haven't lost yet!"
Cheers rose one after another.