Zhu Zhuyun turned and gazed out the window at the darkening sky. Deep in her eyes, a tenderness beyond measure surfaced.
Everything had been taught to her by Brother Cao in the dream.
In the Dream Space, Brother Cao had trained with her day and night, taught her the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, and guided her through each bottleneck until she reached the rank of an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo.
More importantly, in the dream, she had "seen" her future.
In the future that was supposed to unfold, she failed in the struggle for the position of heir and was imprisoned forever in a dark room, where she languished in darkness and solitude until the end of her days.
It was Brother Cao who had given her the power to change her fate.
"Brother Cao..." Zhu Zhuyun murmured, her eyes shining with a determination she had never felt before. "Wait for me. I'll repay you a hundredfold."
Then she took out the Soul Ascension Pill and tossed it to Zhu Kun like a piece of trash.
"Take the Soul Ascension Pill. From this day on, I have nothing to do with the Zhu Family."
After a moment of silence, Zhu Kun quickly turned and left.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
The beautiful woman Zhu Yunyun stepped forward and embraced her daughter, who was feeling low.
Actually, she had also entered the Dream Space and had shared an intimate connection with Young Master Cao.
At Young Master Cao's request, she had even often cultivated together with her daughter.
It was just so embarrassing that she had begged him to erase her daughter's memories of her time in the Dream Space after every session.
In exchange, she had tried every position imaginable!
"No matter what, we mother and daughter owe you too much. We'll repay you a hundredfold!"
With Zhu Zhuyun's reveal, the entire Douluo Continent was plunged into even greater turmoil!
"The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique again?"
"Am I seeing things? That Doudou just now cultivated the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique too! And now Zhu Zhuyun is cultivating it as well!"
"Two geniuses in a row, from the two rival empires of Heaven Dou and Star Luo, and they're cultivating the same technique?!"
"Th-this means... the two women belong to the same faction?!"
"What kind of faction is powerful enough to cultivate two eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo geniuses? And they're both so young?"
"Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique... The name doesn't sound like a proper cultivation technique! Could it be one of those... evil techniques that rely on dual cultivation and draining others?"
Countless people across the continent were talking about it.
Even veteran experts who prided themselves on their wide experience now wore troubled expressions.
"Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! If this mysterious faction has hundreds or even thousands of geniuses like these... then the balance of power on the continent..."
No one dared to continue that thought.
What made everyone's imaginations run wild was how nearly identical Doudou's and Zhu Zhuyun's experiences were.
Both were women, both young and beautiful, and both had turned against their families the moment the Sky Screen revealed the truth.
Was there some common catalyst behind their awakening?
Did they share the same guide?
Before leaving, Doudou had murmured, "I need to find Brother Cao."
And in Zhu Zhuyun's eyes, there had been that boundless tenderness; from her lips had come the soft call, "Brother Cao."
Just who was this "Brother Cao"?
Spirit Hall.
"Crash!"
A dazzling crystal goblet was hurled to the ground, its shards flying everywhere.
The Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo, usually so imposing, now wore a terrifyingly cold expression.
"The Intelligence Department... What a fine Intelligence Department!"
"And you, Bibi Dong—how exactly have you been serving as the pope?"
His furious, icy words left the red-robed cardinals and intelligence officers kneeling below trembling with fear, cold sweat soaking through their robes.
"Right under Spirit Hall's nose, an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo cultivating a strange technique has appeared in the Heaven Dou Empire! And another has appeared in the Star Luo Empire! Two of them! Two!"
"And you—the intelligence network Spirit Hall takes such pride in, the department that claims to cover every corner of the continent—knew absolutely nothing!"
Bibi Dong remained as dignified and elegant as ever, offering no reply to Golden Crocodile's accusations.
"S-Second Worship, please calm down!"
A red-robed cardinal glanced at Bibi Dong's expressionless face and stammered, "Doudou was merely a minor host at the Soto Grand Arena before this. Her cultivation was average, and she never showed anything unusual. Zhu Zhuyun was even more secluded, a daughter of the Zhu Family who rarely appeared in public. We... we really..."
"Really are useless!" Golden Crocodile Douluo interrupted him without mercy. "Average cultivation? You call an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo average? Never showed anything unusual? Being able to hide so deeply that all of Spirit Hall failed to notice—that's the most terrifying anomaly of all!"
Two young women had reached the rank of an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo without anyone noticing.
This "Brother Cao" and this "Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique" were certainly no simple matter.
No one noticed the peculiar look that crossed Bibi Dong's face.
The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique!
She remembered it vividly. She could still recall the black stockings, white stockings, and lace she had worn in the dream.
How could she not remember it vividly?
But as the pope, she had to show some response.
So she issued an order in her capacity as pope.
"Pass down my command!"
"Closely monitor any unusual movements among young female Soul Masters in the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. Anyone who suddenly goes missing or experiences a sudden surge in strength is to be placed under special surveillance!"
She paused, a complicated glimmer passing through her eyes, though it was difficult for anyone else to notice.
"If there's an opportunity, find a way to contact Doudou and Zhu Zhuyun. If they can be recruited, bring them into Spirit Hall. If they can't... at the very least, find out who is behind them."
"Hmph!" Golden Crocodile Douluo snorted and turned to leave.
"Yes!" The people below answered in unison. Relieved, they hurriedly withdrew.
Bibi Dong sat alone in the vast Pope Palace, her gaze passing through the vaulted ceiling as if she could see right through to that Cao fellow from the dream.
"Hmph, so I'm not the only one."
"I'd like to see just how many people you've gotten involved with."
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi gently waved the folding fan in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.
Beside him, Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong both wore grave expressions.
"The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique again..." Ning Fengzhi murmured. "How interesting. Truly interesting. Heaven Dou and Star Luo have each produced a genius, and they're cultivating the same technique. This can hardly be a simple coincidence."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong said gravely, "Sect Master, the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique doesn't sound like a proper cultivation technique. Yin-yang... Could it be some kind of evil technique for dual cultivation and draining others? Could those two women have been turned into human cauldrons?"
"It doesn't seem that way." Sword Douluo Chen Xin slowly shook his head. "If they had been turned into human cauldrons, they couldn't possibly be so clear-minded, much less make such a decisive choice after the Sky Screen exposed everything. Zhu Zhuyun in particular—she rebuked her father to his face. That confidence, that resolve, is not something a person under someone else's control could possess."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique... To let two women who were once unknown reach the rank of an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo at such a young age—the grade of this technique is beyond measure. If we could obtain it, or befriend its creator..."
"Pass down my order." Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment. "Send reliable people to discreetly keep an eye on those two women. If there's an opportunity, try to approach them and express the goodwill of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Remember, just observe and offer goodwill. Don't act rashly, and above all, don't offend them. Anyone capable of raising geniuses like these is no ordinary person."
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Lower Four Sects, and the other factions of the two empires.
Every sect and faction with any standing was discussing the same thing: the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique.
Some were greedy, hoping to seize the technique.
Some were afraid, worried that this mysterious faction might threaten them.
Some were dismissive, convinced it was nothing more than an unorthodox path.