When Chen Fan's words—"I came to Star Luo City to propose marriage, but I never said I was proposing to the imperial family"—rang out, the entire Taihe Hall fell into deathly silence.
Dai Li's face turned livid.
Behind him, the eldest princess, Dai Yue, dressed in a pale-gold gown, was shaking with rage.
When had she ever been humiliated in public like this?
A mere Soul Ancestor dared to slap her, the imperial family's eldest princess, in the face before the entire court of the Star Luo Empire?
He was practically asking to die!
"Chen Fan! What do you mean?"
Dai Yue demanded furiously, no longer showing the graceful smile she had worn when looking at Tang Xiao moments ago.
Chen Fan didn't even glance at her.
He beckoned to the two palace maids. The sisters exchanged uncertain looks, then timidly walked over.
The two girls looked alike, with slender figures. They wore matching palace-maid uniforms, but neither the clothes nor their nervousness could hide their delicate features and graceful bearing.
Their hands trembled slightly. They had clearly been frightened by the scene.
"What are your names?"
Chen Fan asked gently.
The slightly taller girl on the left lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Xu... Xu Jiuer!"
The girl on the right quickly followed. "Xu, Xu Qinger."
"Xu Jiuer, Xu Qinger..." Chen Fan repeated their names and nodded. "Good names."
"Chen Fan, you've gone too far!"
Dai Li could no longer hold back his fury.
He slammed a hand against the armrest of the dragon throne and sprang to his feet. The terrifying aura of an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo instantly engulfed the entire Taihe Hall!
"What do you take the Star Luo Imperial Family for?"
The ministers all fell silent, shrinking their necks and not daring to utter a word. They knew the emperor was truly enraged.
Chen Xin said nothing, but stepped forward all the same. The Soul Douluo pressure in the hall shattered at once.
"Your Majesty, you've misunderstood."
Only then did Chen Fan raise his head, smiling faintly. "It's true that I came to Star Luo City to propose marriage."
"But whom I marry is my own choice."
"Who says that because I came to Star Luo City to propose, I must be proposing to your imperial family?"
"You..."
Dai Li's knuckles turned white with fury. Soul Power surged through his body, and he could barely restrain himself from attacking.
As if sensing his intent,
a gaze cold as a sword locked onto him, making his whole body stiffen.
He followed the gaze.
Chen Xin stood behind Chen Fan with his hands clasped behind his back. He hadn't even released his Martial Soul.
And yet,
his eyes were like two unsheathed swords, piercing straight into Dai Li's mind.
A Titled Douluo!
Dai Li jolted. The fury that had just surged up was doused as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over him.
He'd almost forgotten!
This little Soul Ancestor had brought a Titled Douluo with him!
"Phew..."
Dai Li drew a deep breath, forcing down the urge to attack. His face dark, he turned his gaze to the head of the Xu Family.
The head of the Xu Family was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties. He wore an old robe, washed until it had faded, and was trembling with excitement.
He had never dreamed that his two daughters, who had come to the palace to serve food and help support the family, would catch the eye of the Seven Kill Sect's sect master.
Were they about to soar to the heights?
"Xu Changping!"
But then,
Dai Li's icy voice made him stiffen all over, frozen as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar.
"Guards!"
"Seize every member of the Xu Family, young and old! Kill anyone who dares resist!"
"Yes!"
More than a dozen imperial guards at the Soul Emperor level rushed forward, their spears pointed at Xu Changping.
Seeing this,
Xu Changping's face turned deathly pale.
He wanted to fight back, but his Soul Emperor cultivation—only a little over level sixty—was no match for more than a dozen Soul Emperors.
What could he do?
Chen Xin seemed about to make a move, but then appeared to sense something. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Just as the head of the Xu Family was about to be seized,
suddenly,
a series of dull thuds rang out.
The dozen or so golden-armored guards were struck as if by a crushing blow. Their bodies flew backward against their will and slammed to the floor, where they vomited blood and groaned in pain.
"Who?!"
Dai Li's face changed drastically. He whipped around to look at the hall's entrance.
A figure slowly walked in from outside.
It was an old man in a gray robe, with white hair and beard.
His face was gaunt, his back hunched, and he leaned on an ordinary wooden cane. He looked no different from a common old farmer from the countryside.
But now,
the eight terrifying Soul Rings circling him—two yellow, two purple, and four black—made it impossible to underestimate him.
Especially when Dai Li sensed the fluctuations of his Soul Power!
"Level eighty-nine, a Soul Douluo?"
Dai Li's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
When had such an impressive figure appeared in the Star Luo Empire?
How had he not known?
"Ancestor!"
As Dai Li stared in shock,
the head of the Xu Family looked as though he'd just been granted a reprieve from death. His eyes nearly filled with tears, and his voice choked.
"Dai Li."
The Xu Family's ancestor raised his head without expression. His cloudy eyes, their sharpness held deep within, fixed on Dai Li. His voice was hoarse. "It's been many years. I never thought you'd end up on the throne."
Dai Li's body stiffened.
He stared at that wrinkled face, his pupils contracting. His voice even changed pitch. "Y-You're Xu Wensu?!"
At the name, quite a few of the older ministers present turned pale.
Xu Wensu!
The champion of the first Star Luo Youth Tournament!
But what Dai Li remembered most was that Xu Wensu had defeated the most outstanding genius of the Star Luo Imperial Family!
Dai Li had been at that tournament himself.
He'd watched with his own eyes as the uncle he idolized was defeated by Xu Wensu in a single move. His uncle never recovered, and eventually died in despair, caught up in the Dai Family's peculiar struggle for imperial power.
That memory had haunted Dai Li all his life.
"You... How are you still alive?!" Dai Li's voice trembled.
Xu Wensu grinned, though he had no teeth. "You're still alive, so how could this old man dare leave before you?"
Dai Li's face turned livid.
They were both level eighty-nine Soul Douluos, but he knew full well that he was no match for Xu Wensu.
Even his uncle, a man of that caliber, had lost to him. And Dai Li?
But the imperial family couldn't afford to lose face now!
He gritted his teeth and glanced toward the Clear Sky Sect.
Tang Xiao had been unable to sit still for a while now.
After seeing Dai Yue smile at him, he'd been over the moon.
Now,
when he saw Dai Li's pleading look, his blood surged. He sprang to his feet, about to speak...
"Sit down!"
He had barely opened his mouth when a large hand clamped down hard on his shoulder.
Tang Wei's expression was grave, and his gaze was fixed on Chen Xin across the hall.
Chen Xin still stood there with his hands behind his back, but Tang Wei could clearly sense that his presence had locked onto him.
If Tang Wei made even the slightest move, Chen Xin would stop him at once!
As for Chen Xin, who seemed to have inherited the teachings of Chen Jianjun, even with his Soul Power Level advantage, Tang Wei couldn't say he was sure to win!
"First Elder!"
Tang Xiao was getting anxious.
"Shut up!"
Tang Wei's low voice carried unquestionable authority. "This has nothing to do with us."
Xu Wensu was just a Soul Douluo. Tang Wei naturally didn't take him seriously.
And he didn't take Chen Xin seriously either. That was why he hadn't made a move.
They were the only two Titled Douluos present.
If either one of them attacked, the other would undoubtedly set his sights on him.
So...
Hearing Tang Wei's words, Tang Xiao gritted his teeth and finally sat back down, though his face seemed to twist unnaturally.
"Keep your expression under control. Don't give yourself away!"
Noticing this, Tang Wei narrowed his eyes and sent him a message through Soul Power. Tang Xiao's expression shifted, and he silently lowered his head.
Seeing this, Dai Li felt his heart sink to the bottom.
The Clear Sky Sect didn't seem to intend to get involved.
Of course,
Dai Li hadn't pinned all his hopes on the Clear Sky Sect.
He drew a deep breath and exchanged a glance with Empress Zhu beside him.
Their years of understanding meant they grasped each other's thoughts almost at the same time.
Martial Soul Fusion Skill!
Though both were level eighty-nine Soul Douluos, the Hell White Tiger created by the couple's years of perfect coordination could fight even a Titled Douluo!
And Xu Wensu wasn't even a Titled Douluo!
"Your Majesty..."
Empress Zhu spoke in a low voice.
Dai Li nodded and was about to speak when—
"An eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo. Not bad."
Suddenly,
Chen Fan's soft laugh rang out, strangely out of place in the hall.
"Hmm?"
Chen Fan's sudden interruption startled Dai Li and Empress Zhu. Xu Wensu also paused slightly and turned to look at Chen Fan. He noticed Chen Xin standing within a meter behind him and cupped his hands in a slight salute. "Sect Master Chen, you flatter me. This old man is merely clinging to life."
Clearly, Xu Wensu had been among the people in the hall all along. He simply hadn't shown himself.
"Is that so?"
Chen Fan gave an inscrutable smile. "What if I told you I could help you?"
"Help me?"
Xu Wensu was stunned.
Dai Li and Empress Zhu were stunned too.
Everyone who heard Chen Fan's words stared in surprise, including Chen Xin.
Could it be...
"Chen Fan!"
Dai Li's expression darkened as he scolded, "This is an internal matter of the Star Luo Empire. The Seven Kill Sect had better not interfere!"
Chen Fan didn't even bother to respond. He opened his hand, and a pill appeared as if from thin air. It was golden all over and gave off a rich medicinal fragrance.
The moment the pill appeared, a strange scent filled the entire hall.
Just one breath was enough to make the Soul Power in one's body feel faintly as if it were boiling!
Even Tang Wei narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at the pill!
He had a feeling that if he could swallow it, the level-ninety-five bottleneck that had trapped him for nearly ten years...
"Xiao Fan, are you really willing to part with it?"
Tang Wei could sense it, and Chen Xin was no exception. The difference was that Chen Xin knew what kind of pill this was!
The Douluo Pill!
It was precisely this pill that had allowed Chen Jianjun to advance from Level 97, where he'd been when he emerged from seclusion, to Level 98!
But... was this Xu Family really worth using the pill on?
(Adjusted the pill's effects slightly: [Douluo Pill: Only Soul Masters with a Soul Power Level between 89 and 97 may take it. After taking it, their Soul Power Level will increase by one. Each person may take only one in their lifetime.])
"It's for you."
Chen Fan casually tossed it over, and Xu Wensu caught it with ease.
He drew a deep breath, opened his palm, and looked at the pill resting in it. His heart suddenly began to race.
He could clearly smell its rich medicinal fragrance, and feel the urge rising within him.
But...
Could he really trust this pill, the likes of which he'd never heard of before?
Then again, Xu Wensu's remaining years were numbered, and the Xu Family was on the brink of ruin today.
He'd long since prepared himself for death. What did he have left to fear?
"Phew!"
Xu Wensu gritted his teeth and swallowed it in one go!
Boom!
In less than two and a half minutes, an aura that surpassed Dai Li's Soul Power fluctuations swept across the entire scene!
Level 90 Soul Power!
Dai Li's face turned deathly pale. He stared wide-eyed, his gaze filled with disbelief. "How is this possible?!"
"This... Level 90?!"
Empress Zhu's legs went weak. She nearly slumped into her chair, her beautiful eyes fixed in shock on Xu Wensu. Feeling the pressure of his Level 90 Soul Power, she could hardly believe it was real.
She'd been stuck at Level 85 for ten whole years without advancing, while Dai Li had likewise been stuck at Level 89 for ten years.
Xu Wensu had been stuck at Level 89 longer than the two of them combined. How could he... have broken through with just one pill?
"A T-Titled Douluo?!"
"Xu Wensu has broken through to become an eight-ring Titled Douluo?!"
"My heavens! One pill... just one pill?!"
"That's definitely Level 90 Soul Power!"