Investigation by the Major Powers

After handling the matter, Yu Luomian did not linger in the royal city. He picked up Ron, who had been trussed up like a dumpling in iron chains, and nodded at me.

"You don't need to worry about what comes next. I'll take this man back to the clan for the clan leader to interrogate personally. Go back to the academy and continue cultivating. The clan will send more people to Thunder Academy. Nothing like this will happen again."

"Second Elder, thank you for this."

Yu Luomian glanced at me. "What are you thanking me for? The Purple Lightning Vine and cultivation method you gave me allowed this old man to break through a bottleneck that had trapped me for more than ten years. If anyone should be thanking someone, it should be me thanking you. Go."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure flashed, and he vanished above the royal city with Ron.

I turned and headed toward Thunder Academy.

The Balak royal city incident was like a stone cast into stagnant water. The ripples it stirred spread across the entire continent at astonishing speed.

In less than three days, the news had spread through more than half the continent. Spirit Hall was the first to receive the intelligence. In a side hall of Pope Palace, Yue Guan placed a secret report before Bibi Dong and stood respectfully to one side. Bibi Dong picked up the report, glanced over it, and lightly tapped the paper twice with her fingers.

"Yu Luomian broke through to Title Douluo?" Her voice revealed neither pleasure nor anger.

"Yes. Based on my assessment, he should have broken through to Title Douluo only recently."

After a pause, Yue Guan said, "When he fought me in Sunset Forest a few months ago, he was only level eighty-five."

Bibi Dong set the report down and fell silent for a moment. "In just a few months, he went from level eighty-five to level ninety, rising five levels in a row and breaking directly through the threshold of Title Douluo."

She raised her eyes, her gaze as calm as a pool of deep water. "I heard that Yu Yuanzhen also broke through to level ninety-six a few months ago. Both brothers breaking through one after another... could the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan have obtained something?"

"I have already sent people to investigate. All covert agents have been activated. We must determine what has happened in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan recently. Our preliminary judgment is that it may be some kind of heavenly treasure capable of greatly increasing Soul Power and breaking through bottlenecks." Yue Guan lowered his head as he answered.

"Ordinary heavenly treasures could never provide such a massive improvement to someone above the rank of Soul Douluo. Investigate. You must get to the bottom of what happened."

"Yes."

At the same time, at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi sat in the seat of honor in the Council Hall, the same report spread before him. Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood beside him with his sword in his arms, while Bone Douluo Gu Rong leaned against a nearby pillar, pinching the report between his fingers and reading it over several times.

"Yu Luomian, that kid... if I remember correctly, he isn't young anymore, is he?"

Gu Rong tossed the report onto the table. "A Title Douluo in his sixties would count as decent talent even in our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The problem is that this kid had been stuck at level eighty-five for more than ten years. How did he suddenly break through?"

Ning Fengzhi said, "It isn't just him. I also heard that Dugu Bo has joined the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. That makes the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan a sect with three Douluos. Still, we need to find out exactly what benefits the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has obtained."

He lightly tapped the floor with his cane. "Uncle Sword, I'll have to trouble you to investigate. Mind your limits and try not to anger that old dragon."

"Understood." Chen Xin nodded.

Star Luo Empire. The Star Luo Emperor slapped the report onto the table with a heavy thud, and the generals before him all straightened their backs at once.

"What is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan trying to do? Two Title Douluos in one sect, plus the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo they just recruited, gives them three Title Douluo-level combatants. Across the entire continent, only a handful of factions can field three Title Douluos. Send people to investigate! Find out exactly what trump card the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is hiding!"

In the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Ye also summoned his trusted ministers that same night.

In the brightly lit imperial study, several elderly ministers sat around a round table, passing around the report from the Balak Kingdom. One white-haired minister set down the report and said gravely, "Your Majesty, with three Douluos in a single sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's strength has already broken the balance of power on the continent. If they truly possess some secret method that can help people break through to Title Douluo, then within a few years, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan will become the second-greatest power, surpassed only by Spirit Hall."

Xue Ye nodded. "Investigate first. Do not act rashly."

The covert networks of the major powers sprang into action at the same time. Overnight, the number of spies around the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan tripled. Some tried to bribe collateral clan disciples for information, some kept watch outside Thunder Academy, and some traced every movement Yu Luomian had made recently.

But not a single spy who tried to penetrate the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's core territory returned. Yu Yuanzhen was stationed at the Thunder Pool in the back mountain, and the perception of a level ninety-six Title Douluo blanketed the entire clan grounds so tightly that not even an extra fly could get in.

At the center of all those undercurrents, in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's back mountain, Yu Luomian was reporting to Yu Yuanzhen. He handed Ron over to the clan's disciplinary hall, then entered the Thunder Pool's cultivation chamber and briefly reported the results of his trip to the royal city.

After listening, Yu Yuanzhen only said four words: "Well done." Then Yu Luomian returned to his own quarters to continue consolidating his cultivation.

Thunder Academy.

When I entered the dormitory building, I heard Yu Xiaolou's booming voice from far away. It carried down from the second floor, strong and full of vigor, making the corridor windows tremble slightly.

"I'm telling you, those two Soul Kings attacked together! Brother Tian Lin just stood there without moving. The moment his third soul ring lit up, he blasted both of them flat on the ground!"

Seven or eight students had gathered in the corridor, some from the intermediate classes and some from the Advanced Class. They were all packed around Yu Xiaolou's dormitory door, listening with wide eyes.

Yu Xiaolou stood on his bed with one foot on a pillow, gesturing wildly with the other hand. The bruises on his face had completely faded, though several faint scars still remained on his arm. Yet judging by his posture, not only had he recovered from his injuries, he could probably go out and fight another battle right then.

"Yu Xiaolou, you've recovered from your injuries?"

Yu Xiaolou's speech came to an abrupt halt. He turned, saw me, and leaped off the bed, nearly stepping on the foot of a student beside him.

"Brother Tian Lin! You're back! I'm all better, look, completely better!" He rolled up his sleeve to show me his arm, then pulled down his collar to show me his chest.

"Sister Qing Luo brings me food every day, double portions of meat and vegetables. I've gained two pounds these past few days. How did things go on your end? Did you catch that Ron?"

"We caught him. His father was taken back to the family by the Second Elder. The entire Barkley Family has been thrown into prison, and their estate has been confiscated. Ron himself should be sitting in the clan disciplinary hall right now, waiting for the clan leader to interrogate him personally."

Yu Xiaolou's mouth fell wide open, and it took him a long while to close it. "The clan leader is interrogating him personally? That old man hasn't interrogated many people in his life, has he?"

When the students watching in the corridor heard the words "clan leader," they exchanged looks, then collectively backed away two steps.

Yu Xiaolou could call Yu Yuanzhen "that old man," but they did not dare. A few quick-witted students had already slipped away quietly, while the remaining ones who stood frozen in place were dragged off by their companions. Soon, only Yu Xiaolou and I remained in the corridor.

Qing Luo came up from the stairwell carrying a bowl of medicinal soup. When she saw me, her steps paused. Then she hurried over, shoved the bowl into Yu Xiaolou's hands, and looked me over from head to toe. Only after confirming that I had no new injuries did she let out a soft breath of relief.

"Young Master, is everything settled?"

"It's settled."

"I heard there was quite a commotion in the royal city."

"It was nothing much. The Second Elder blew up half their royal palace."

Qing Luo's hand holding the tray paused slightly. Then she nodded without asking further questions. She set the tray on Yu Xiaolou's bedside table and turned to clean up the trash.

Yu Xiaolou took a huge gulp from the bowl of soup, scalded his tongue, and stuck it out repeatedly. Unwilling to spit the soup out, he mumbled, "Hot, hot, hot... Brother Tian Lin, what are we doing next? Continuing to cultivate at the academy?"

"Yes. Starting tomorrow, I'll be giving both of you special training."

Yu Xiaolou's hand holding the soup bowl jerked violently. Two drops of soup splashed onto the blanket, spreading into two dark spots. Qing Luo stopped cleaning, turned to look at me, and waited for what I would say next.

"After being kidnapped once, you should learn your lesson. I saved you this time, but that doesn't mean I can always be there to save you."

I looked at Yu Xiaolou and Qing Luo. "Your strength is still far from enough."

Yu Xiaolou set down the bowl, his expression turning serious for once. Qing Luo straightened up.