Telling Mu Cheng the Truth

"Senior, what do you mean by this?" Meng Shu asked, puzzled.

Chao Tianxiang had always cultivated according to the methods passed down by her family; otherwise, she would not have reached the level of a Spirit Ancestor by the age of twenty-eight.

Her innate spirit power was level six, which was already a very fast cultivation speed.

"The Serpent Staff spirit is yin in nature, which is actually quite compatible with female spirit masters."

"Your family's inherited cultivation method involves attaching snake-type spirit rings, which is why the Dragon and Snake Family once produced Title Douluo."

"But have you never noticed why, despite both having the Serpent Staff spirit, male spirit masters increase their spirit power faster than female ones?"

Qian Yufeng spoke again.

When Meng Shu thought about this question carefully, it was indeed true; he and his wife had started cultivating together, yet his spirit power level was already ten levels higher.

Chao Tianxiang spoke up: "This junior is dull-witted; I ask that Senior enlighten us."

"Senior, what is the problem here?" Meng Shu looked at him with a curious expression.

"No rush. Since we were fated to meet today, I will provide you with the answers." Qian Yufeng signaled for the two not to be impatient, then looked toward the bodies of the Thirteen Protectors.

"Although these people came to kill me, they were subordinates of an old acquaintance who passed away not long ago, and I promised to bury them."

"You two can serve as witnesses."

As Qian Yufeng's voice fell, he stepped back twice.

He extended both hands and whispered, "Open!"

A circular pit appeared on the ground in front of them, and Qian Yufeng used his spirit power again to place their bodies into the pit one by one.

Finally, he covered them with soil, spotted a rock, smoothed one side of it, carved [Tomb of the Thirteen Protectors of the Nation] into it, and planted it in front of the mound.

Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang watched him complete this in silence; such a method of controlling spirit power was far beyond their comprehension.

After finishing the burial, Qian Yufeng took three incense sticks from his storage spirit tool, crouched down to plant them before the tombstone, and used his spirit power to ignite them through friction.

"Rest in peace. Tell her that I did not let her down."

"I will ensure the future of this world remains forever favorable to Spirit Hall!"

Qian Yufeng stood up and looked at the couple again.

"Let's move to another place to talk, and wait for two people to arrive."

After speaking, he quickly locked onto a suitable location less than twenty meters away.

Soon, the three of them changed positions, and Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang looked at Qian Yufeng with anticipation.

"The reason why male spirit masters with the Serpent Staff spirit cultivate faster than females lies in their own yang energy, which can harmonize with the yin energy inherent in the spirit, achieving a balance of yin and yang to a certain extent."

After Qian Yufeng finished speaking, he added: "If I remember correctly, male spirit masters with the Serpent Staff spirit have never suffered from cultivation deviation, have they?"

Meng Shu replied: "Senior is correct. My mother once experienced a loss of control over her spirit power, but fortunately, my father discovered it in time, preventing more serious consequences."

"If female spirit masters want to improve this issue, they must make changes to their fourth and fifth spirit rings."

"For your first ten-thousand-year spirit ring, you must choose a snake-type spirit beast that possesses a degree of yang energy to complement the attributes brought by the fourth spirit ring, neutralizing that massive amount of yin energy."

"You came to this Sunset Forest intending to hunt a Crypt Demon Spider so that you could have a spirit skill to disrupt enemies in battle; after all, that is what your family's elders did."

Qian Yufeng paused, looked at Meng Shu, and continued:

"As a man, you are naturally different, but your wife cannot make that choice."

"By the way, what are your current spirit power levels?"

Meng Shu: "Senior, I have just broken through to level fifty."

Chao Tianxiang: "Senior, I have just broken through to level forty."

Just as Qian Yufeng had said, there was a ten-level gap in spirit power between the couple.

"Meng Shu, there is no problem with you choosing a Crypt Demon Spider for your fifth spirit ring; the two of you working together can easily kill one around the ten-thousand-year mark."

"But as for you, Chao Tianxiang, wait until Meng Shu has obtained his spirit ring, then head to the Star Dou Great Forest to look for a Mandala Snake or a Phoenix-Tail Cockscomb Snake. As for the Crypt Demon Spider, you can choose that for your sixth spirit ring."

Qian Yufeng gave his final advice.

As his voice fell, two figures landed quickly; it was Qian Lingxin and Qian Lingsu.

"Family Head, are you alright?!" Qian Lingsu asked with concern.

"I am fine; they have already been buried," Qian Yufeng said, intending to leave.

Meeting the Peerless Dragon and Snake was a coincidence.

Their family was known for their righteousness in the spirit master world, so offering a bit of guidance was nothing.

"Meng Shu, as the Peerless Dragon and Snake of this generation, cultivate well; perhaps you can surpass the predecessors of the past."

"It was fate that we met today, but I must return now."

Qian Lingxin and Qian Lingsu came up behind him and stood side by side.

"I will keep your guidance today in my heart, Senior. If the Dragon and Snake Family is ever needed, we will certainly do our utmost!" Meng Shu said gratefully.

"Hmm. I hope that when we meet again, you will already have seven spirit rings."

After Qian Yufeng finished speaking, the three of them took to the air and departed rapidly.

Meng Shu watched their retreating figures, stunned.

Title Douluo—and three of them at that!

Chao Tianxiang looked at her dazed husband and laughed, "Stop staring. The seniors are already long gone; it's time to attend to our own business."

Meng Shu snapped back to reality and entered the Sunset Forest together with Chao Tianxiang.

Three days later, Qian Yufeng and his two companions arrived at Tianyong City once again.

They intended to rest their feet here, as the time spent traveling was truly tedious.

Of course, Qian Yufeng also needed to meet with Mu Cheng.

Shortly after, he brought his two attendants to Maple Leaf Retail.

The attendant invited them to the third floor, and Mu Cheng walked in soon after.

"Guild Master, was this mission of yours really that fast?!"

Hunting a hundred-thousand-year soul beast was no small feat, especially out on the open sea.

"Little Orange, I've come this time to tell you the truth about what happened to your father all those years ago."

"I am well aware that you have been investigating this in the shadows."

"Now that you are capable of handling things on your own, there is no reason to keep it from you any longer."

Qian Yufeng went straight to the point, explaining the purpose of his visit.

Mu Cheng had known that the Guild Master must have been privy to the information, and she had been waiting for him to tell her of his own accord.

Her grandfather had always maintained an evasive attitude regarding this matter, and she had guessed there must be some unspeakable secret.

If there was anything that could make her grandfather avoid the subject, it could only be something involving the Guild Master.

Mu Cheng sat opposite Qian Yufeng, took a few deep breaths, and said, "Guild Master, please speak. I am mentally prepared."

"In truth, while it appeared that your father was surrounded by fallen soul masters and died while holding the line alone, he was actually assassinated in a premeditated plot. Their collaboration with the fallen soul masters is the true reason for your father's fall," Qian Yufeng stated.

The previous generation's Phoenix Feather Douluo had been the strongest person below level ninety-five.

How could ordinary fallen soul masters possibly have killed him?

Mu Cheng's eyes widened; this result was simply too incredible to believe.

"Guild Master, this..." She still found it difficult to accept the facts.

She would have preferred to believe that her father had died on the battlefield.

"The mastermind behind this conspiracy was the previous Heaven Dou Emperor, and those who carried it out were the Heaven Dou Empire Secret Guard Organization—an organization that obeys every generation of the Heaven Dou Emperor unconditionally."

"Targeting your father was a way to weaken my influence and prevent a greater crisis for the Heaven Dou Empire."

Qian Yufeng spoke again, though he paused for a fraction of a second when mentioning that organization.

Mu Cheng sensed something was wrong immediately and asked hurriedly, "Who is the leader of that organization? Could it be that you know them, Guild Master?!"

Qian Yufeng nodded and said, "The leader of that organization is named Xue Yao, the younger sister of the former Heaven Dou Emperor."