Qian Daoliu's Discovery!

Hearing that name, the smile on Qian Xunji's face abruptly vanished.

"Evil Soul Valley..." His fingers lightly tapped the armrest twice, and his gaze grew more appraising.

He repeated the name, his eyes settling on Zhang Qingxuan's face. "Why are you asking about that place? It's one of the major gathering grounds for Fallen Soul Masters."

"Of those who enter, nine out of ten never make it out."

Zhang Qingxuan's heart skipped a beat, and he pressed on, "A Fallen Soul Master stronghold? Where exactly is it?"

"Deep within the Black Mist Mountain Range, at the border between the two great empires." Qian Xunji leaned back in his chair, lightly tapping the tabletop with his fingers.

"That place is shrouded in black mist all year round. They say the valley is permeated with the aura of death; ordinary Soul Masters lose their minds just by approaching it."

He paused, his tone turning even more grave. "And there is a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo stationed there."

"What? A Limit Douluo!" Zhang Qingxuan sucked in a sharp breath, his entire body freezing in place.

Qian Xunji nodded, a trace of apprehension flashing through his eyes. "That's right. His title is 'Necromancer,' and he is known as the Necromancer Douluo. Back then, even Senior Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect fought him and reportedly gained no advantage."

"That old monster's martial soul is exceptionally strange. He can control deathly energy and the undead, making him nearly invincible among Soul Masters of the same level."

"But you needn't worry too much." Qian Xunji suddenly changed his tone, sounding more relaxed.

"My father once fought him. The Angel Spirit happens to restrain his necromantic power, and in that battle, Father left a sword wound on his chest."

As he spoke, Qian Xunji revealed a proud expression. "That's why the people of Evil Soul Valley have not dared to openly cause trouble these past years."

"With Father overseeing Spirit Hall, they must remain somewhat wary."

Yet these words gave Zhang Qingxuan an ominous feeling.

Necromancer Douluo, level ninety-nine, difficult even for Tang Chen to match... The information swirled through his mind, weaving together into a dangerous warning.

He forced a smile and asked Qian Xunji for more detailed information about Evil Soul Valley—its location, surrounding environment, and possible weaknesses.

Though puzzled, Qian Xunji still told him everything he knew. Before finishing, he did not forget to warn him, "Qingxuan, that place is by no means good. If you have any plans, you'd best think them over carefully."

After leaving the side hall, Zhang Qingxuan walked alone through the streets of Spirit City.

His brows were tightly furrowed as several words echoed repeatedly in his mind: level ninety-nine Fallen Soul Master—Necromancer Douluo.

"It's more than just a whole major realm apart..." he muttered, unconsciously rubbing the edge of his sleeve with his fingertips.

Although the supremely yang and rigid Thunder Method he had mastered could theoretically restrain necromantic evil arts, such elemental restraint seemed utterly feeble before an absolute gap in strength.

A complete base-stat stomp.

Zhang Qingxuan stopped and let out a deep sigh, making his decision.

"Going head-to-head now would be no different from seeking death."

He shook his head and turned his gaze northeast.

"Forget it. I should go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in Sunset Forest first. It's still early enough that Dugu Bo may not even have discovered the place yet."

More importantly, the immortal herbs within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well might help him rapidly increase his strength.

Only by becoming strong enough himself would he be qualified to plan for more.

With that thought, Zhang Qingxuan flashed away, his entire figure becoming a blurred afterimage. The next moment, he vanished completely from the street, as though he had never been there.

High in the sky, amid the clouds, a golden-haired old man quietly concealed himself from sight.

Watching the spot where Zhang Qingxuan had vanished, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly in interest.

"What a fast Self-Created Soul Skill? No, it seems even more exquisite than that..." the old man murmured, a glint of golden light flashing in his eyes.

"His Soul Power fluctuations are almost entirely contained. Even the airflow was not disturbed in the slightest while he moved. An interesting young man."

He lingered in the air for a moment before turning and walking through the void. Before long, he had crossed half of Spirit City and descended into the city's grandest building—the Elder Palace.

Inside the Elder Palace.

Qian Daoliu stood in the center of the hall with his back to the entrance. Behind him, the phantoms of six enormous angel wings gently swayed, radiating soft yet imposing golden light.

Hearing footsteps, he did not turn around and merely asked calmly, "How was it?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo—the golden-haired old man—stopped three paces behind Qian Daoliu and bowed slightly. "Great Worship. That boy is very mysterious. My instincts tell me he is far from as simple as he appears. And..."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words. "He is strong—not strong in terms of Soul Power Level, but strong in a way that comes from deep foundations. His control over power far surpasses that of his peers, perhaps even rivaling some veteran Title Douluo."

Qian Daoliu finally turned around. His gaze was profound, and those eyes held the wisdom and weathered experience accumulated over decades.

"That matches my judgment." Qian Daoliu nodded. With a lift of his hand, a dark brown dossier flew out and landed steadily in Golden Crocodile Douluo's hands.

"Take a look."

Golden Crocodile Douluo accepted the dossier and opened it. The recorded information was surprisingly sparse:

Name: Zhang Qingxuan

Martial Soul: Complete Body Martial Soul.

Innate Soul Power: Full level.

Background: Adopted son of Li Yuntian and Yang Wanqing.

Supplementary intelligence: The rise of the Li Clan Chamber of Commerce over the past decade or so is deeply connected to this person. His precise role remains unknown, but his influence can be found behind numerous business decisions.

Suspected to be the actual core strategist of the Li Clan Chamber of Commerce.

The dossier ended there. There was no record of a teacher, no information on Soul Rings, no battle records, not even a clear portrait.

"Great Worship, this..." Golden Crocodile Douluo looked up, his eyes filled with surprise.

"This is too clean. Abnormally clean."

"Li Yuntian protected him very well." Qian Daoliu walked to the window and looked out over Spirit City.

"All publicly available information has been meticulously erased, while what lies in the shadows has been cleverly concealed."

"I suspect that even when he acquired his Soul Rings, Li Yuntian may have privately taken him to hunt them, without going through any official Soul Hunting Forest or team."

He turned around and continued, "As for the section in the dossier regarding his business talent, I spent quite some time deducing it from the Li Clan Chamber of Commerce's movements over the years, the timing of several key turning points, and some exceedingly obscure clues. Even so, there is no direct evidence."

Qian Daoliu's gaze became distant, carrying a trace of complicated regret. "He is a true great talent. Not only does he possess astonishing cultivation talent, but he also has extraordinary wisdom and strategy. If only I had encountered him several decades earlier..."

He sighed softly and did not continue.

Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at Qian Daoliu's expression and secretly shook his head.

You old stick-in-the-mud. Even if someone that talented had truly been delivered right before you, with the rigid temperament you had back then, you might not have known how to make use of him.

Your son may be impulsive and rash at times, but when it comes to flexibility and employing people, he is far better than you were in your youth.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was even older than Qian Daoliu and had personally witnessed what Qian Daoliu had been like in his youth—

He had been a man who had carved knightly spirit into his very bones, revering fairness, honor, and integrity. When dueling others, he would even voluntarily give up his own advantages in pursuit of an upright fight.

When faced with powerful enemies' ultimate moves, he had repeatedly chosen to take them head-on rather than evade them, upholding the creed that a knight never retreated.

In the brutal world of Soul Masters back then, that temperament had made Golden Crocodile Douluo shake his head in private more times than he could count.

"Great Worship, how should we treat this Zhang Qingxuan now?" Golden Crocodile Douluo gathered his thoughts and asked respectfully.

Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Continue observing him, but do not disturb him."

"He is on good terms with Xunji and has a favorable connection with Spirit Hall. A person like him can only be made a friend, never an enemy. As for how far he will go in the future..."

He looked in the direction Zhang Qingxuan had left, anticipation flashing in his eyes.

"Let us wait and see."