The Spirit Hall Branch's efficiency certainly lived up to its reputation as the continent's foremost Soul Master organization, especially when dealing with a distinguished guest who held the Young Master Token of the Elder Hall.
In less than three hours, the middle-aged deacon respectfully escorted Yang Teng back into the VIP room, wearing the relaxed smile of someone who had completed his task.
"Mr. Yang, the five thousand portions of Whale Rubber you requested are all ready. They're all premium quality, and we've packed them for you."
The deacon pointed to several boxes beside him. They looked small, but were clearly high-grade Storage Soul Tools.
Five thousand portions of Whale Rubber took up quite a bit of space. The fact that they could fit into just a few boxes showed how attentive the Spirit Hall's service was.
"Mm!"
Yang Teng was a little surprised, too.
He roughly swept the boxes with his spiritual power and, after confirming everything was in order, paid without hesitation.
His bulging purse instantly shrank by a large chunk, but he didn't care.
He hadn't spent those three hours just waiting around. While he was at it, he'd registered as a Soul Master and had his level certified at the Spirit Hall Branch.
His Soul Ring Configuration had given the Soul Master responsible for the certification quite a fright, but they had eventually completed the process.
Holding his freshly issued Soul Master badge, marked Battle Soul Elder, level thirty-nine, along with the Gold Soul Coin subsidy the Spirit Hall routinely provided, Yang Teng weighed them in his hand with satisfaction.
If it was free, he might as well take advantage of it.
Gu Yuena had been quietly waiting nearby the whole time, but when the boxes of Whale Rubber were brought out, the deacon's smile and the occasional curious glances from people around them made her furrow her brows slightly.
As the Silver Dragon King, who had lived for countless ages, she might not have known the human world particularly well, but she did know that "Whale Rubber" was often associated with certain private bedroom pleasures in human society.
Seeing Yang Teng accept all five thousand portions without so much as batting an eye, a faint trace of embarrassment and speechlessness crossed Gu Yuena's cool face.
Her silver eyes shot Yang Teng a glare, as if to say, What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day?
Gu Yuena felt that standing beside this guy was simply too embarrassing. Without saying a word—and without even waiting for Yang Teng—she turned and left the Spirit Hall Branch on her own, quickly vanishing around the corner.
Yang Teng watched her leave, scratched his nose, and chuckled. He didn't mind at all. Delighted, he put everything away and headed home.
On the distant Space-Time Dragon Star, a God Star towering above the Divine Realm.
A figure stood with his hands behind his back, as if he were the very center of all space and time. He was the Space-Time Dragon God King, Yang Teng's father.
Another figure, slightly translucent yet radiating an equally boundless aura, knelt before him.
He was a middle-aged-looking deity, a God King who wielded the authority of ending.
The God of Ending!
"My king!"
The God of Ending spoke with respect and a hint of concern.
"Though the young master is growing at an astonishing rate, might his presence on that low-level plane—especially as he nears a critical breakthrough—attract unwanted attention, or even threats?"
His meaning was simple: should someone be sent to protect him?
The Space-Time Dragon God King's gaze seemed to pierce through endless void, settling upon some point on the Douluo Continent.
He fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying unquestionable authority.
"Unnecessary."
He turned to look at the God of Ending, memories and emotion in his eyes.
"I, too, climbed up from humble beginnings, one step at a time. I faced danger, endured betrayal, and stood on the brink of death countless times."
"Too much protection and interference will only turn him into a flower in a greenhouse. This path is destined to be anything but smooth."
"He must weather it himself. He must take each step on his own."
The God of Ending lowered his head. "Understood, my king."
The Space-Time Dragon God King gazed into the distance again. At the edge of his sight, seven differently colored and variously sized clusters of light could just be seen slowly revolving. They were the seven Divine Realms.
His gaze grew profound, and he murmured silently to himself.
Teng'er, burdened with a mission like this... the road ahead of you will be far more difficult than the one your old man walked.
Skywater Academy.
Yang Teng carried the storage boxes straight into his room.
As the academy's only male student, he was lucky enough to have a room to himself. It wasn't large, but it was quiet.
He closed the door and set the boxes on the table, his eyes shining with excitement.
The Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament was about to begin, and time was short. After he refined and processed the Whale Rubber using his special method, it would be unparalleled for improving a Soul Master's physique.
That was especially true for students at an academy like Skywater, where physical fitness was generally nothing to boast about.
Of course, he and Gu Yuena had no need for it.
One had the bloodline of the Space-Time Dragon God King; the other was the Silver Dragon King herself.
He rubbed his hands together, ready to start processing the Whale Rubber and figure out how to get the most out of it.
Suddenly!
"Ugh!!!"
An indescribably oppressive force, as if it came from the world itself, descended without warning. It was like an invisible mountain crashing down on Yang Teng's body and pressing into the depths of his soul!
Caught off guard, Yang Teng grunted and sank sharply under the weight. The floorboards beneath his feet groaned as if they were about to break, fine cracks spreading across them.
"This is... planar rejection!"
Yang Teng realized what was happening at once, his expression changing.
He could clearly feel the Soul Power in his body, which had already reached its limit, surging against the barrier of level forty!
However, he wasn't a native of the Douluo Continent. He was an "outsider" from a higher dimension.
The will of the Douluo Continent's plane was naturally wary of and hostile toward an existence like him.
It hadn't been obvious at lower levels, but Yang Teng's strength as a Soul Elder meant that even a Soul King might not be his match. Without the plane's suppression, he would be even stronger.
"Damn it!"
Yang Teng gritted his teeth and grumbled.
"I'm only breaking through to Soul Ancestor, for crying out loud! Is this really necessary? You're already putting pressure on me? You think a little too highly of me!"
Above Skywater Academy—and indeed across the entire Balak Royal City—sudden upheaval struck!
The clear night sky was swallowed without warning by endless dark clouds! They had surged in with terrifying speed, seeming to appear out of thin air and blotting out every trace of light in an instant.
Deep, rumbling thunder rolled through the clouds, and purple arcs of lightning streaked between them, radiating a destructive aura that made souls tremble.
The entire kingdom was shrouded in darkness and oppression, as if the world were ending.
At the highest observatory in the Balak Kingdom's imperial palace.
An old man in ancient armor, his aura as deep and still as an abyss, suddenly opened his eyes. Terrifying light blazed from them as he stared fixedly at the dreadful phenomenon in the sky.
He was the Balak Kingdom's pillar, the Guardian Hand, a powerful Titled Douluo.
"This... what is this?!"
The Guardian Hand's face changed dramatically. His voice was heavy with disbelief.
"Such an immense area... It resembles the heavenly tribulations recorded in ancient texts, the kind triggered when a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast breaks through—or when it incurs heaven's wrath!"
"What? A heavenly tribulation? A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
The Balak King, Liu Dingran, hurriedly arrived and turned deathly pale upon hearing the Guardian Hand's words.
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is equivalent to a Super Douluo!"
If a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast really was hiding within his kingdom and undergoing a tribulation, the resulting disaster would be cataclysmic!
Millions of commoners might be reduced to ashes by the shockwaves of the Soul Beast's heavenly tribulation!
Liu Dingran forced himself to remain calm, but his voice still trembled as he ordered the Guardian Hand:
"Quick! Guardian Hand, go investigate at once! Find out where this phenomenon is coming from, and whether a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast is really behind it!"
Then he roared at the panicked attendants and generals beside him:
"And another thing! Issue the order at once—activate the highest alert and evacuate the people from the royal city and nearby towns! Hurry!"
The sudden, terrifying clouds blanketing the entire country plunged the center of power in the Balak Kingdom into utter panic and chaos.
Yet the source of it all was at that very moment in an ordinary student dormitory at Skywater Academy, gritting his teeth.
Trying to force his heavy body to stand!
"Damn it all!"
Before you continue