A Spring of Gratitude

Zhu Zhuyun turned around and gazed at the darkening sky outside the window, a trace of extreme tenderness surfacing deep within her eyes.

All of this had been taught to her by Brother Cao in her dreams.

Within the dream space, Brother Cao had guided her in cultivation day and night, imparting the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique and leading her step by step to break through her bottlenecks until she reached the realm of an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo.

More importantly, in those dreams, she had "seen" her own future.

In that future that was originally destined to happen, she had failed in the struggle for the succession, only to be permanently imprisoned in a dark room, living out the rest of her days in loneliness without ever seeing the light of day.

It was Brother Cao who had given her the power to change her fate.

"Brother Cao..." Zhu Zhuyun whispered, her eyes flashing with unprecedented determination. "Wait for me, I will definitely repay you."

Immediately after, she reached out and took the Soul Ascension Pill, tossing it toward Zhu Kun as if it were trash.

"Take the Soul Ascension Pill; from this moment on, I have no relationship with the Zhu family."

After a moment of silence, Zhu Kun turned and left in a hurry.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

The beautiful woman, Zhu Yunyun, stepped forward to embrace her downcast daughter.

In truth, she too had entered the dream space and had engaged in deep exchanges with Young Master Cao.

At Young Master Cao's request, she had even frequently cultivated alongside her daughter.

It was just that it had been far too shameful, so she had begged the Young Master to erase her daughter's memories of her presence in the dream space after each session.

For this, she had paid the price in countless positions!

"No matter what, we mother and daughter owe you too much; we must repay your kindness like a gushing spring!"

Following the exposure of Zhu Zhuyun, the entire Douluo Continent fell into an even more violent state of shock!

"The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique again?"

"Am I seeing this right? That Doudou from earlier was also cultivating the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique! And now this Zhu Zhuyun is also using it!"

"Two geniuses in a row, belonging to the two rival empires of Heaven Dou and Star Luo, are actually cultivating the same technique?!"

"This... what does this mean? Are these two young ladies part of the same faction?!"

"What kind of faction could be so terrifying? To be able to cultivate two eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo geniuses? And at such a young age, too?"

"Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique... the name alone doesn't sound like a proper cultivation method! Could it be one of those... evil arts involving dual cultivation and harvesting?"

Across the continent, countless people were discussing the matter fervently.

Some veteran powerhouses who prided themselves on their extensive knowledge were also furrowing their brows.

"Terrifying! Simply terrifying! If this mysterious faction possesses hundreds or thousands of such geniuses... then the landscape of the continent..."

No one dared to continue that line of thought.

What made the crowd speculate even more were the nearly identical experiences of Doudou and Zhu Zhuyun.

Both were women, both were young and beautiful, and both had turned against their families on the spot after the sky screen exposure.

Was there some kind of shared catalyst for awakening hidden behind this?

Was there a common guide leading them?

Before Doudou left, she had muttered to herself about "going to find Brother Cao."

And there was that extreme tenderness in Zhu Zhuyun's eyes as she whispered the name "Brother Cao."

Just who was this "Brother Cao," and what kind of sacred figure was he?

Spirit Hall.

"Bang!"

An exquisite crystal cup was smashed fiercely against the ground, sending shards flying everywhere.

The Second Elder, Golden Crocodile Douluo, usually wore a dignified expression, but at this moment, it was shrouded in a layer of terrifying frost.

"The intelligence department... what a fine intelligence department!"

"And you, Bibi Dong, how exactly have you been acting as the Pope?"

His explosive and icy words caused the red-robed bishops and intelligence officers kneeling on the floor to tremble, cold sweat soaking through their backs.

"Right under the nose of Spirit Hall, within the borders of the Heaven Dou Empire, an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo cultivating a bizarre technique has appeared! And another one has appeared within the borders of the Star Luo Empire! Two! Two of them!"

"And you, the intelligence network that Spirit Hall prides itself on, the intelligence department that claims to reach every corner of the continent, actually knew nothing about this!"

Bibi Dong remained as graceful and luxurious as ever, offering no response to Golden Crocodile's questioning.

"Second... Second Elder, please calm your anger!"

A red-robed bishop glanced at the expressionless Bibi Dong and said tremblingly, "That Doudou was previously just a minor host at the Soto Grand Arena, with mediocre cultivation and never showing any abnormalities; that Zhu Zhuyun was even more of a recluse within the Zhu family, rarely appearing in public. My subordinates... my subordinates truly..."

"Utterly useless!" Golden Crocodile Douluo interrupted him without mercy. "Mediocre cultivation? An eighty-ninth-level Spirit Douluo is called mediocre? Never shown any abnormalities? Being able to hide so deeply that the entire Spirit Hall remained completely unaware—that is the truly terrifying abnormality!"

To be able to allow two young women to reach the realm of an eighty-ninth-level Spirit Douluo without anyone noticing.

This "Brother Cao" and this "Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique" were definitely not simple.

No one noticed that Bibi Dong's expression was somewhat strange.

Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique!

She had a deep memory of it, recalling those black silk, white silk, and lace stockings she wore in her dreams.

It was hard not to be deeply impressed!

But as the Pope, she had to have some reaction at this moment.

Therefore, she issued an order as the Pope.

"Pass the order!"

"Closely monitor the abnormal movements of all young female spirit masters within the borders of the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. Especially those who have suddenly disappeared or whose strength has suddenly skyrocketed—all must be placed under key surveillance!"

She paused, a complex light that others could hardly detect flashing in her eyes.

"If there is an opportunity, find a way to make contact with Doudou and Zhu Zhuyun. If they can be won over, recruit them into the Spirit Hall. If they cannot be won over... at the very least, we must find out who is behind them."

"Hmph!" Golden Crocodile Douluo snorted coldly and turned to leave.

"Yes!" The people below responded in unison, as if granted an amnesty, and hurriedly retreated.

Bibi Dong sat alone in the empty Pope's Palace, her gaze piercing through the dome of the hall, as if trying to see through that Cao fellow from her dreams.

"Hmph, so it's not just me."

"I would like to see just how many you have provoked?"

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 also wore solemn expressions.

"The Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique again..." Ning Fengzhi murmured. "Interesting, truly interesting. Heaven Dou and Star Luo each produce a genius, and they are practicing the same technique. I fear this is not a simple coincidence."

Bone Douluo Gu Rong said in a deep voice, "Sect Master, this Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique doesn't sound like a proper technique. Yin-Yang... could it be some kind of evil dual-cultivation technique for harvesting? Could those two women have been used as cultivation cauldrons?"

"Unlikely." Sword Douluo Chen Xin shook his head slightly. "If they were truly used as cauldrons, they could not possibly have such clear consciousness, nor could they have made such resolute choices after the exposure on the Heavenly Screen. Especially that Zhu Zhuyun, rebuking her father to his face—that confidence and that determination are definitely not something someone under control could possess."

Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique... to be able to allow two originally obscure women to reach the eighty-ninth level of Spirit Douluo at such an age, its grade is immeasurably high. If we could obtain this technique, or befriend the master of this technique..."

"Pass the order." Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment. "Send reliable people to secretly keep an eye on the movements of those two women. If there is an opportunity, we can try to make contact and express the goodwill of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Remember, only observe and show goodwill; do not act rashly, and certainly do not offend them. A person capable of cultivating such geniuses is definitely no ordinary figure."

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Lower Four Sects, and other forces of the two great empires.

Every prominent sect and faction was discussing the same thing at this moment: the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique.

Some were greedy, wanting to seize the technique.

Some were fearful, afraid that this mysterious force would threaten them.

Some were disdainful, believing it to be nothing more than a heterodox path.