As the soul power storm that had swept through the entire restaurant gradually died down, Tuoba Xi finally opened his eyes.
The once-clouded eyes of the old dragon were now crystal clear, blazing with the brilliance of divine gold. They shone with the indescribable excitement and joy of someone reborn!
He felt the sacred Soul Power surging through him like rivers and seas, and the supreme majesty of a ruler that radiated from the depths of his Martial Soul!
His cultivation had been stagnant for more than a decade, but with one breakthrough, he had risen two levels!
The bloodline shackles that had plagued him all his life had vanished without a trace, transforming him into a true divine dragon in the heavens!
This was a gift of a new life!
No! It was even greater than that!
The next second.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present.
This newly risen Sacred Giant Dragon Douluo, a senior elder of Spirit Hall, actually bent both knees without the slightest hesitation and dropped to the floor before the figure lounging in a rocking chair!
A thunderous kowtow rang through the silent restaurant!
Thud!
"Senior, you granted me the body of a divine dragon and opened the path to heaven before me. This divine grace, Tuoba Xi... shall never forget for all eternity!"
His voice was no longer merely respectful. It trembled with the fervent devotion of a fanatic!
"From this day forward, my Tuoba Clan is willing to serve you, Senior, for generations to come. We will brave boiling water and blazing flames, and never shrink from death!"
His words rang with conviction. Every syllable was the solemn oath of a Titled Douluo and a powerful clan.
Lin Feng, however, did not even look at him. He merely waved his hand indifferently.
"You got that as a reward from the draw. It has nothing to do with me."
His voice was flat and cold, as if he were shooing away a noisy fly.
At those words, Tuoba Xi came back to his senses. He couldn't help giving a wry smile.
Of course. In Senior's eyes, my meager strength is probably no different from an ant's. He naturally wouldn't think much of me.
And my so-called clan influence doesn't even amount to dust before someone who can casually bestow a divine miracle.
But it doesn't matter. As long as I know in my heart that I'll quietly serve Senior, that's enough!
Once he had thought it through, Tuoba Xi bowed deeply and kowtowed once more before slowly rising and stepping aside. The fervor in his eyes had only grown stronger.
Lin Feng lazily glanced out the window.
The sky had grown completely dark, and a crescent moon had quietly risen above the horizon.
He let out a long yawn, slowly stood from the rocking chair, and stretched. His joints crackled softly.
"It's late."
He spoke to the stunned people in the restaurant in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"I'm going to rest. That's all for today's business."
Only then did everyone snap out of their daze.
Closing so early?
But no one dared object. They didn't even dare entertain the thought.
A senior of this stature naturally did as he pleased. How could mere mortals like them presume to understand?
If Senior said he wanted to rest, then it was the will of heaven and earth!
"We will obey your decree, Senior."
Tuoba Xi was the first to react. He bowed deeply, with a reverence a hundred times greater than when he stood before the Pope.
The others bowed as well, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Before leaving, Spirit Kite Douluo glanced meaningfully at Tuoba Xi with phoenix eyes burning with golden Divine Flame. A flash of unwillingness flickered deep in her gaze.
Of course, she didn't forget to carry off her newly acquired "dear disciple" as if he were a little chick.
"Good disciple, let's go."
"Your master can't wait to show you some proper 'affection.'"
Yan's body visibly shuddered.
His face was the very picture of despair. He took a few steps, looking back every so often as he sent Hu Liena and Xie Yue a final plea for help with his eyes.
Unfortunately, the heartless siblings had already turned away, completely ignoring Yan's silent appeal.
They understood the principle of letting a fellow suffer so they could escape unscathed.
Amid the crowd's complicated gazes, a mixture of sympathy, schadenfreude, and awe, the group filed out of the Maple Dye Pavilion.
Only after the wind chime outside the door rang one last time did the restaurant finally return to its usual quiet.
"Phew—"
He exhaled a long breath. The inscrutable, indifferent expression on his face instantly crumbled, replaced by an irrepressible look of delight!
He'd made a killing today!
He eagerly called out to the system in his mind.
"System, system! Come on! Give me a rundown of today's spoils!"
[Tsk.]
The system's cold voice, tinged with disdain, sounded in his mind right on cue.
[Look at you, all worked up over a few Titled Douluo-level leeks. Is it really worth getting this excited?]
Lin Feng's mouth twitched sharply.
"Cut the nonsense and give me the numbers!"
[Ding! Daily business summary!]
[Total spending: 149,350 Gold Soul Coins!]
[Points earned: 14,935!]
Hearing that number, Lin Feng felt a rush of satisfaction. Even the sharp-tongued system looked a little more agreeable.
Of course, besides the points, there was something else that nearly made it impossible for Lin Feng to suppress the curve of his lips.
When Spirit Kite Douluo obtained Ultimate Fire, the system had quietly triggered a "Divine Grace Critical Hit," with a one-in-ten-thousand chance!
[Divine Grace reward: Mastery of the Eight Ultimate Attributes!]
That's right!
This was it!
One reason he'd closed the restaurant so early was that he didn't think any fatter leeks would come knocking.
But the more important reason...
Was that Lin Feng felt he was about to lose control!
His mind had already become completely immersed in the terrifying reward bestowed by the "Divine Grace Critical Hit"—a reward powerful enough to turn the entire world upside down!
[Divine Grace reward: Mastery of the Eight Ultimate Attributes!]
This was no longer a skill. It was authority!
It was the first step from being a false god within the "absolute domain" of his restaurant to becoming a true god who wielded the laws of heaven and earth!
He could even feel every cell in his body howling and trembling with the new power!
Lin Feng slowly raised his right hand.
A thought flickered through his mind.
A wisp of pure golden Divine Flame danced merrily at the tip of his index finger.
At the same time, a deep-blue ice crystal radiating absolute-zero cold quietly formed at the tip of his middle finger.
Two ultimate powers, utterly opposed and meant to annihilate each other, appeared together at his command in perfect harmony!
They were as docile as limbs he had been born with!
What if...
I forced these two utterly opposed, even absolutely incompatible Ultimate Attributes... to fuse together?
Lin Feng's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, and an unprecedentedly intense light blazed in his eyes!
Slowly, inch by inch, Lin Feng brought the index finger bearing golden Divine Flame and the middle finger holding the deep-blue ice crystal closer together.
Judging by how excited he looked, he'd probably be at it well into the night...