Douluo Military Base!

Douluo Military Base!

Following the initial eruption of the trust crisis, the entire Douluo Plane Research Institute instantly plunged into an eerie atmosphere.

"Little Huo, you must pull yourself together. We didn't intend to deceive you; we truly had no other choice. Regardless of what happens, we will prioritize your survival in times of crisis."

"Pioneer, I know this is incredibly difficult, perhaps even life-threatening. I also know that world is uncontrollable, but no matter what, the nation will not give up, the organization will not give up, and we will always be your backing!"

"Sir, please open the door. Weiguo guarantees that he will never let anyone harm you!"

Ten hours. Upon learning that the novel Douluo Continent did not exist, Huo Si locked himself away for ten full hours.

During those ten hours, Elder Long, Elder Ke, Elder Gong, and even Long Weiguo and Chu Youwei came one after another to persuade him.

But no one dared to pressure him; they didn't even utter a single harsh word, offering only encouragement and support.

Bang!

Ten hours later, Huo Si, his eyes bloodshot and red, kicked the room door open, clutching a thick stack of documents.

"Elder Ke, collect all data regarding the breakthrough to Spirit Master immediately!"

"Elder Gong of the Think Tank, take the Douluo plot I've organized and analyze the most stable, high-yield path for me at once!"

"Long Weiguo, Chu Youwei, prepare for the spirit awakening immediately. We are starting with ten people!"

The entire listless institute seemed to be injected with vitality the moment Huo Si appeared and issued his orders.

The previously decadent institute was instantly filled with energy.

The institute collected Huo Si's physical data following his breakthrough to Spirit Master.

As a deep yellow spirit ring rose, a white object over a meter long instantly appeared.

Huo Si stood completely naked inside a special instrument.

"Preliminary calculation: level 18 spirit power. The spirit power intensity is... three times that of a level 10 Spirit Master."

"After gaining the first spirit ring, physical strength increased by about five times, and muscle density improved significantly."

"The spirit completed its first evolution after gaining the first spirit ring, exceeding one meter in length. Under the enhancement of the first spirit ring, the boost is nearly three hundred times!"

Think Tank

"I never expected the plot of the Douluo world to be like this. Tang San is actually a transmigrator, though he came from ancient times."

"Compared to Tang San, our Pioneer is also a transmigrator, and both possess excellent talent. However, Tang San is a soul-transmigrator; it's as if the heavens are feeding him, and he hasn't missed out on a single benefit."

"Tang San and Tang Hao are to be held in reserve. Do not kill them unless necessary, as it would disrupt the future plot. We can take the opportunity to intercept the path to godhood, but we must remain vigilant."

"Xiao Wu is still young; we can make appropriate contact. Even if we can't trick her into a sacrifice, we can forcibly intercept it in the late stages. The Titan Giant Ape must be killed..."

"The main focus is to develop our forces, perhaps centering around Nuoding City. The Jin Family pawnshop in Nuoding City must be completely dealt with... Initially, we can use commercial influence and money to bribe the City Lord's Mansion and unite with the local Spirit Hall branch. Later, we will develop our spirit master forces, build a reputation, become a regional power, and support Qian Renxue, the young mistress of the Spirit Hall currently undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire..."

Spirit Plane Research Institute

Spirit Research Lab

Under the gaze of numerous researchers, Huo Si took out the Awakening Stone and set up the Six-Pointed Star Array.

"Long Weiguo!"

Swish!

Long Weiguo stood up directly from among the group of children.

"Present!"

Huo Si fulfilled his original promise. After obtaining his spirit ring and becoming a Spirit Master, he immediately provided spirit awakenings for Long Weiguo and Chu Youwei.

As Long Weiguo stood in the Six-Pointed Star Array, Huo Si released his spirit and spirit ring, triggering the array.

A massive surge of spirit power instantly poured in from all directions, completely out of control.

Hum!

A dragon's roar instantly echoed throughout the entire lab.

"This... how is this possible? A dragon!"

"Purple dragon scales have grown on Long Weiguo's body, accompanied by lightning. His physical fitness has more than doubled!"

Lightning? Dragon?? Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon???

Huo Si's mouth twitched violently, but it was, at least, a top-tier spirit.

"Test his spirit power."

Hum!

As dazzling blue light filled the awakening room, nine stars lit up on the Spirit Power Testing Crystal Ball.

"Innate spirit power, level nine. Very good. Once you break through to level ten, I will take you to hunt spirit beasts."

Huo Si patted Long Weiguo on the shoulder and turned his gaze toward Chu Youwei.

Chu Youwei clenched her fists, her heart filled with trepidation as her entire body was lifted by the warm spirit power.

Chu Youwei suddenly felt a wave of intense heat, as if a ball of fire were burning wildly within her body.

"Urgh, ah~!!!"

Cackle, cackle... screech!

Following a piercing cry, her original chicken spirit instantly erupted with dazzling golden light. Golden flames flared frantically, and a terrifying heatwave swept through the entire laboratory in an instant.

Huo Si's expression changed drastically at the sight. A spirit mutation—a positive one at that, and it was a Bright Phoenix! Shouldn't a spirit like that only exist in that family from the second Douluo era?

He recalled the three people from the Dragon Kingdom who had awakened their spirits: himself, Long Weiguo, and Chu Youwei.

His own spirit was a snake, Long Weiguo's was a dragon, and Chu Youwei's had originally been a chicken before mutating into a Bright Phoenix.

Huo Si, who was born in the Year of the Snake, looked at the files of Long Weiguo and Chu Youwei. He gritted his teeth, feeling as though he had discovered something of monumental importance.

Because Chu Youwei had awakened with innate full spirit power and was under twenty—younger than both Huo Si and Long Weiguo—she was immediately designated as a key target for cultivation and whisked away on the spot to select a spirit ring.

After finishing the awakenings for the next eight six-year-old children, Huo Si noticed that most of them shared the same types of spirits or possessed mutated ones, and he finally confirmed one thing.

"The spirits of the Dragon Kingdom are very likely derived from one's zodiac sign, or even mutations of the zodiac."

This single sentence left the entire research institute in a state of shocked agitation.

"There isn't enough data yet to be certain, but the possibility mentioned by the Pioneer is not unfounded."

"As everyone knows, the higher the spirit intensity and quality, the higher the innate spirit power. Perhaps we can prioritize the awakening of spirits that possess high attack power and quality, such as the dragon, tiger, ox, and so on, based on the birth year's zodiac."

"The Pioneer said it only applies to the majority, not all. I've seen two that weren't zodiac spirits, but tool spirits. Also, Chu Youwei's zodiac is the chicken; according to the information provided by Spirit Hall, such spirits usually aren't high quality. Yet, her spirit mutated into a phoenix. This suggests there is a certain probability of mutating into a top-tier spirit."

The subsequent spirit research was no longer any of Huo Si's concern.

He took Long Weiguo and decisively returned to the Douluo World, though this time, he brought along an absolute weapon of mass destruction.

Inside his storage spirit tool lay a one-meter-long missile that had been modified for easy detonation, with a lethal radius that would leave nothing but bones within a hundred meters.

Chu Youwei was being groomed as a priority, so she did not follow this time; she was preparing to absorb the spirit beast ring Huo Si had brought back previously. Once she broke through to become a Spirit Master, she would help awaken spirits for another batch of people.

Inside the Soul Hunting Forest.

Dawn was just breaking.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo~!!!"

Yu Xiaogang gasped for air.

"Where... where is this?"

Tang San hurriedly helped Yu Xiaogang up.

"Teacher, we are in the Soul Hunting Forest."

Upon hearing Tang San's words, Yu Xiaogang immediately reached down with both hands to touch his left leg, which had been bitten by the Datura Snake.

"Hoo, hoo, thank goodness, it's still there, it's still there."

"Heh, I had a dream. A twenty-something-year-old with level ten spirit power pretended to have innate full spirit power, and he actually managed to pull it off. How could that be possible? How could a thumb-sized snake spirit grow to over a meter after absorbing its first spirit ring?"

"I also dreamt that we encountered a Datura Snake, and I was bitten by it. That friend of Huo Si's even kindly offered to chop off my leg to save me. Ridiculous. Datura Snake venom is a mental toxin; as long as it is treated properly within the specified time, it isn't fatal at all. Thank goodness my leg is still here."

Listening to Yu Xiaogang, the corners of Tang San's mouth twitched violently, his words caught in his throat.

"Xiao San, help me up. I will take you to find your spirit..."

"Ah!!! My right leg!!!"

"Which heartless bastard chopped off my right leg!!!"

Tang Hao searched the Soul Hunting Forest in a wide circle. When he discovered that every single spirit beast in the entire forest that matched his son's first spirit ring age requirement had inexplicably vanished, the corners of his mouth twitched wildly.

Fortunately, the first spirit wasn't one Tang Hao cared about, so he decisively chose a two-hundred-year-old snake and drove it toward them.

Meanwhile, Huo Si had already returned to Nuoding City with Long Weiguo.

The moment his feet touched the ground in Nuoding City, Huo Si sensed that a group of people had keenly spotted him and begun to tail him.

Following the route provided by the Think Tank, Huo Si began to locate the city lord and established contact with the Xiao Family of Nuoding City.

He used a large amount of counterfeit golden soul coins from the Dragon Kingdom to pave the way (bribe), leaving behind an impression of immense wealth.

He then sought out the Spirit Hall branch and briefly mentioned to Su Yuntao that he might have gotten himself into some trouble.

Tempted by a large sum of golden soul coins, Su Yuntao introduced him to five of his colleagues who were Great Spirit Masters.

Trouble followed closely behind.

That night at the hotel, an elderly man wearing golden robes and accompanied by three Spirit Elders arrived with a large group of city guards.

"Huo Si, hand over my son!"

The old man, clad in his golden robes, clearly meant harm. The moment he found Huo Si, he decisively released his spirit and spirit rings.

White, yellow, yellow, purple—he was unmistakably a Spirit Ancestor of over level forty.

His spirit was a Money Turtle, exactly the same as the young Spirit Elder who had been killed outside the Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy that day.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Huo Si curled his lips into a smile and gave Long Weiguo a look. Long Weiguo nodded and quietly slipped out of the hotel.

Huo Si surrendered without a fight, obediently following the others into the City Lord's Mansion to await verification.

Meanwhile, Long Weiguo headed straight for the Spirit Hall Branch to find Su Yuntao.

With the endorsement of the Spirit Hall Branch and the bribery of City Lord Xiao, this murder case was destined to have nothing to do with Huo Si.

"According to our verification, Huo Si and two companions entered the Soul Hunting Forest two days ago to obtain soul rings. They had no contact with the Jin family's eldest son, Jin Chengwu, nor any conflict. There is no reason for him to have taken action."

City Lord Xiao, keeping in mind the 100,000 gold soul coins Huo Si had offered him earlier that day, decisively delivered the final verdict.

"Impossible!"

"This is absolutely impossible! The disappearance of my son, dozens of family guards, and the butler must have something to do with Huo Si!!"

"City Lord Xiao, are you truly going to protect this outsider???"

City Lord Xiao clenched his fists, his eyes locked onto the Jin Family Head standing below the platform.

Five soul rings—white, yellow, yellow, purple, and purple—flashed and vanished in an instant, and a wolf slowly manifested behind him.

"I am the City Lord of Nuoding City!"

"If you, the Jin Family Head, insist that your son's disappearance is related to Huo Si, then produce actual evidence. Otherwise, you are guilty of making false accusations!!"

The head of the Spirit Hall Branch, an old man, also stepped forward with a grim face.

"Huo Si went to hunt for soul rings accompanied by Su Yuntao and five deacons from my branch. The guards at the Soul Hunting Forest saw our Spirit Hall deacon tokens. Are you questioning the authority of the Spirit Hall?"

In Nuoding City, with the two largest official powers acting as his endorsement, Huo Si was acquitted on the spot.

"Huo Si, you just wait!"

The Jin Family Head, despite his immense resentment and unwillingness, ultimately gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger.

Huo Si slowly hooked the corner of his mouth into a cold sneer.

"You won't have that chance."

That night, Huo Si activated the Plane Star Gate and connected to the Dragon Kingdom.

A squad of plane guards was urgently summoned to the Douluo World.

They installed missile launchers.

At 2:30 in the morning, dazzling missiles soared into the sky. The moment they landed on the Jin family estate, every building was razed to the ground in an instant.

A sea of fire and shockwaves rose... shaking the entire Nuoding City!

City Lord Xiao and the Spirit Hall Branch were startled awake in the middle of the night, but they were greeted by squads of special forces soldiers in crisp, uniform attire delivering crates of gold soul coins.

City Lord Xiao felt his scalp tingle for a moment; he knew a powerful dragon had arrived in Nuoding City. The Jin family had provoked a terrifying soul master clan, and in a single night, every member of the Jin family had been wiped out.

At Huo Si's instruction, City Lord Xiao, and even Su Yuntao and the Spirit Hall Branch head, received a massive amount of gold soul coins—a sum they could never have earned in their entire lives.

With money, men, influence, and the power to eradicate a family that had entrenched itself in Nuoding City for a hundred years overnight, everyone realized Huo Si was no simple man. They dared not act rashly, as no one knew how much power Huo Si truly had behind him.

Seven days later, deep in the mountains dozens of kilometers outside Nuoding City, a large number of people who did not belong to this world appeared. They began to build and establish a village...

A heavily guarded military base emerged, equipped with various missile launchers and patrolled by guards in special military uniforms wielding advanced firearms.

Under the advice of his Think Tank, Huo Si approached the Nuoding City Lord once more. With the temptation of gold soul coins, a village that no one had previously discovered was incorporated into the administration of Nuoding City, and everyone within it was granted legal status in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Huo Si promised to invest one million gold soul coins into the City Lord's projects. Subsequently, a large number of shops and roads appeared in the city. The City Lord's political achievements soared, and tax revenue increased by three hundred percent compared to the same period the previous year.

Huo Family Village provided the Spirit Hall Branch with a large number of six-year-old geniuses possessing innate soul power of level seven or eight. Furthermore, Huo Family Village proposed and funded the establishment of the Nuoding Spirit Academy, with the Spirit Hall providing the teachers; all costs for the academy's room, board, and teacher salaries were covered by Huo Family Village.

In the future, all children whose talents met the Spirit Hall's requirements would be given priority to join the Spirit Hall.

With the head of the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch and the City Lord seeing their political achievements skyrocket, a mutually beneficial situation was reached. Nuoding City became a territory ruled by the three parties, and this small patch of land became as solid as a fortress!