"Everything I said was true!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's voice echoed through the Elder Hall, edged with urgency and anger.
He swept his gaze around the Title Douluos seated at the round table. Almost every face was marked by disbelief and mockery.
"Yue Guan, are you messing with us?"
Demon Bear Douluo shook his head with a scoff, disdain written across his rugged old face.
"A kid barely into his twenties can suppress a level-95 Super Douluo like you so badly that you can't even summon your Martial Soul?"
"And there's some miraculous food that can directly increase Soul Power?"
Ghost Leopard Douluo chimed in, "Old Chrysanthemum, did you drink too much last night? Or did some young girl pour you a love potion?"
"Hahaha!"
Laughter erupted throughout the conference room.
These Title Douluos were usually lofty figures. Naturally, they wouldn't believe such an outrageous story from Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's face darkened. His striking features flushed with anger.
"You... you bunch of stubborn old fools!"
He sprang to his feet, his trembling orchid fingers pointing at them.
"When have I, Chrysanthemum Douluo, ever lied? Why would I make something like this up?"
"Yue Guan, don't get worked up. Tell us first: who exactly is this young man?"
Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, black mist swirling around him, offered Yue Guan a word of comfort.
As Yue Guan's longtime partner, he knew his temperament well.
The man wasn't always reliable, but he rarely lied.
Especially in a formal setting like this, he wouldn't spout nonsense.
"I... I don't know Senior Lin's exact background either."
Chrysanthemum Douluo ground his teeth as he spoke.
"But I can say for certain that Senior Lin is no ordinary person!"
"His strength is unfathomable. He's at least a level-99 Peerless Douluo!"
"Maybe... maybe he's already become a god!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire Elder Hall fell silent.
Become a god?
On Douluo Continent, those words belonged to the realm of legend.
Apart from the Sea God on Sea God Island and the Angel God worshipped by Spirit Hall, who else could attain godhood?
"Chrysanthemum, are you sure you're not dreaming?"
A voice rang out from the Offering Seat, dripping with sarcasm.
At that, Chrysanthemum Douluo turned toward the Offering Seat. Of the seven luxurious chairs, only the one at the far end was occupied.
The speaker was Subduing Demon Douluo, the only consecrator to attend this meeting.
In fact, his presence alone was already a courtesy to Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Within Spirit Hall's power structure, the Worship Hall outranked the Elder Hall.
Especially after Bibi Dong took power, relations between the two halls had plummeted to freezing point.
If Bibi Dong, the Pope, had called this meeting, perhaps all those old monsters from the Worship Hall would have shown up to do her a favor.
But Chrysanthemum Douluo was only a level-95 elder.
In the eyes of those consecrators, who were level 96 or higher, his strength was nothing impressive.
Don't be fooled by the mere one-level difference between levels 95 and 96. The gap was even more staggering than the one between Soul Douluos and Title Douluos.
Among Title Douluos, level 95 was one of the most important thresholds—and an extremely difficult one to cross.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, for instance, had been stuck at level 95 for over a decade!
If nothing changed, that might well be the height of their achievements for the rest of their lives.
So the Worship Hall sending Subduing Demon Douluo to make an appearance was already a show of consideration for Spirit Hall's unity.
"Oh, Chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemum."
Subduing Demon Douluo's voice was thick with mockery, and impatience filled his stern face.
"What's gotten into you? Did some little girl make you lose your head last night?"
"Or have you gotten so old that you've started seeing things?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's face turned livid.
He clenched his fists and glared at Subduing Demon Douluo.
"Subduing Demon Consecrator! What do you mean by that?"
"What do you think I mean?"
Subduing Demon Douluo slowly rose and brushed the dust from his clothes.
"I just don't want to waste any more time here with you."
"Instead of sitting here listening to your nonsense, I'd be better off going back to cultivate."
"You should try to break through to level 96 soon, too. Stop being stuck at level 95 and dreaming in broad daylight!"
Those words were like a knife plunged straight into Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart.
Level 96?
If he had really obtained that Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, he might already be pushing toward level 97!
After saying that, Subduing Demon Douluo ignored Chrysanthemum Douluo's ugly expression and strode out the door.
Once he was gone, Chrysanthemum Douluo spun around to face the remaining Title Douluos.
"You! Do you believe me or not?"
But no matter how much he explained, they only sat in silence, clearly not believing a word.
"Fine! Don't believe me, then! Just don't go eating at Senior Lin's place later! Hmph!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo snorted and turned to leave.
The next second, the elders doubled over with laughter, slapping their thighs.
Chrysanthemum Douluo whipped around, only to find them still seated solemnly, watching him with innocent expressions.
After Chrysanthemum Douluo left again, Ghost Douluo glanced at the others, then silently followed him.
"A bunch of stubborn fools. A great opportunity was handed to them and they didn't even reach out to take it. And I was still thinking of sharing it with them."
As Chrysanthemum Douluo grumbled, a dark figure came up behind him.
"Yue Guan, wait for me!"
At the familiar voice, Chrysanthemum Douluo stopped in his tracks.
He turned and saw Ghost Douluo Gui Mei flying quickly toward him in a streak of shadow.
"Gui Mei?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes.
He'd thought even this old friend, his partner for so many years, wouldn't believe him—just like everyone else.
Ghost Douluo landed beside Chrysanthemum Douluo. His somewhat eerie face showed a rare hint of concern.
"Yue Guan, is that restaurant you mentioned real?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo froze, then his eyes reddened.
"Gui Mei, you believe me?"
His voice trembled, and his striking face was full of gratitude.
In the entire Elder Hall, Gui Mei was the only one willing to believe him!
Ghost Douluo smiled.
"Don't I know you?"
"You love dressing up and showing off, and the wine you brew tastes awful, but you'd never joke about something like this. So I guess... it's true."
A few dark lines appeared above Chrysanthemum Douluo's head. "You could've left those flaws out..."
But then Chrysanthemum Douluo stopped dwelling on it. Excitedly, he grabbed Ghost Douluo and set off for Maple Dye Pavilion Restaurant.
"Come on, come on! Gui Mei, you'll see I was telling the truth in no time! And the food there is delicious!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo dragged Ghost Douluo along, charging toward Maple Dye Pavilion in a flurry.
He moved so fast, it was as if he were rushing off to some important date.