"Hello. May I ask if you're Great-Grandpa Dieting?"
Qiangu Dieting paused, surprised that this great-grandson he had never met knew who he was.
Not long ago, his son, Qiangu Dongfeng, had invited him out of seclusion so he could pass down the Indomitable Staff Technique, the skill their clan took such pride in, to Qian Jue and the others.
Qiangu Dieting knew his son's nature well. Unless it was something important, Qiangu Dongfeng would never disturb him while he was cultivating in seclusion.
"Did your grandfather tell you I was coming?"
"No. Grandpa's been busy lately. He hasn't come to see me."
Qian Jue shook his head. These past few days, his grandfather had come out of retirement because of him and was now serving as a Spirit Pagoda councilor in the Skysea Alliance. He had so much work on his hands that they hadn't seen each other for some time.
"You can't sense it very well from far away, but when you get close, the 'presence' around you, Grandpa, is unmistakable."
"It's very similar to the unyielding will of the Coiling Dragon Staff. The only difference is its strength."
Qian Jue stopped and looked up at Qiangu Dieting. In his eyes, a golden Break Evil Dragon coiled around the older man.
It was as if he had become the Coiling Dragon Staff itself.
To describe it more precisely, his grandfather, Qiangu Qingfeng, was like the abyssal Purgatory. The Qiangu Diedang before him, on the other hand, was a living volcano, packed with an unknowable amount of fury, seemingly ready to erupt at any moment and unleash a force that could destroy heaven and earth.
Qiangu Dieting stroked his beard and laughed heartily, his delight plain on his face. "Hahaha! The Qiangu clan has a worthy successor!"
"Child, this is your big brother, Qiangu Zhangting."
The young man folded his arms across his chest, wearing an air of supreme confidence. At his grandfather's introduction, he reluctantly held out his right hand.
"Pleased to meet you."
"The feeling's mutual."
Qian Jue discreetly sized up his bargain-bin big brother.
In the original story, he seemed to have been rather fond of Gu Yuena. Qiangu Dongfeng had also hoped to match his good grandson with Gu Yuena, so Qiangu Zhangting could get a share of the credit.
After all, the Spirit Pagoda's greatest research achievements at the time were the Myriad Beast Platform and artificial Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirits, which Gu Yuena had developed based on Soul Beast data and fragments of the Divine Realm.
Back then, Gu Yuena's prestige throughout the Spirit Pagoda had been at its height, while Qiangu Zhangting paled in comparison.
And sure enough, the Qiangu Dongfeng branch ended up losing everything to Gu Yuena. His grandfather and the sitting Pagoda Master died in battle, and Hạozi wouldn't even bring them back to life.
Before long, this spirited young genius had been driven mad.
Qiangu Zhangting was keenly perceptive. He caught the fleeting pity and regret in Qian Jue's eyes.
Damn it, was this guy feeling sorry for him?
From childhood, Qiangu Zhangting had displayed extraordinary talent. Many believed he would be the next Pagoda Master.
His grandfather had doted on him, doing everything he could to help him cultivate. He had even made time to personally teach him what it meant to wield the Coiling Dragon Staff with unyielding resolve.
Qiangu Zhangting had thought his life would continue smoothly, just like that.
Until Qian Jue appeared.
His beloved grandfather had gone so far as to personally plead with the great-grandfather to come out of seclusion and teach Qian Jue the true essence of the Coiling Dragon Staff.
Worse still, people were saying that once Qian Jue came of age, Qiangu Dongfeng might step down and pass the position of Pagoda Master to him.
The sycophants had gradually begun abandoning him. Even those who stayed treated him far worse than before.
"I heard my little brother grasped the Staff Intent of the Coiling Dragon Staff a few days ago. I've only just barely touched its edges myself. Since Grandfather is here today, I hope you won't hold back. Give your big brother a few pointers."
Qiangu Zhangting smiled as he spoke.
A six-year-old had grasped the staff's force and attained the rudiments of Staff Intent?
Great-Grandfather believed it. Grandfather believed it. But he didn't!
Let's test it out. Even if he lost, he'd accept the result.
"Sure. Let's head to the academy's training ground. It's spacious enough for us to stretch our limbs." Qian Jue didn't overthink it and readily agreed.
It was a perfect opportunity. Qiangu Dieting, a seasoned Limit Douluo renowned as the greatest in explosive power, would be watching from the side.
Perhaps he could point out the flaws in Qian Jue's rudimentary Staff Intent.
Qiangu Dieting had no objections to the two of them squaring off. On the contrary, he was all for it.
"Hahaha! As the saying goes, you don't know someone until you've fought them. Qian Jue, watch closely. Your big brother Zhangting's Indomitable Staff Technique was taught to him personally by his grandfather."
"When I teach you afterward, we'll see how much you manage to grasp."
"I wonder if the captain can beat that guy later. I've got a bad feeling about Qiangu Zhangting," Xie Xie said as they walked back to the villa, leading the way.
"Are you so sure Qiangu Zhangting's going to hurt the captain?"
Xie Xie shot Wang Jinxi a look, utterly confident. "You common folk don't understand the ways of the great clans. That kid's clearly used to having everything handed to him. Then our captain comes out of nowhere and steals his resources and everyone's attention. He's probably picked this fight because he's resentful."
"Doesn't that mean the captain's in danger?" Tang Wulin asked worriedly.
Gu Yue and Na'er, however, remained calm. They both agreed that Qiangu Zhangting was no match for Qian Jue.
"Qian Jue's grandfather is Qiangu Dieting, the previous Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda."
"Is he that powerful?"
"Yes. As far as I know, he was already a Limit Douluo decades ago. After all these years, he can only be even stronger."
Gu Yue's answer finally put everyone's minds at ease.
That man was a Limit Douluo—the true pinnacle of the continent, a living legend in the Soul Master World.
Every Limit Douluo was a legendary figure.
With a Limit Douluo watching over them, as long as they didn't encounter some especially powerful opponent or an unforeseen calamity like a natural disaster, they shouldn't suffer any casualties.
If someone still died under those circumstances, then that Limit Douluo might as well be dead.
Utterly useless.
Meanwhile, at Eastsea Academy's training ground.
Qiangu Zhangting summoned his Coiling Dragon Staff. Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet, circling around him.
His Break Evil Dragon dwelled within the staff. As he gripped it, a mighty presence rose from him, as if he could hold up the heavens and stand firm on the earth.
By comparison, Qian Jue's side seemed rather shabby.
Although the mutated Coiling Dragon Staff was no less impressive in appearance than the original, it had no Soul Spirit attached to it. Its outward splendor was still somewhat lacking.
But who was Qiangu Dieting?
In this day and age, aside from the likes of Yun Ming and Chen Xinjie, the other Limit Douluos were at best his equals.
With a single glance, he could see the difference in the two boys' sense of "unyielding resolve."
"Please, instruct me!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qiangu Zhangting struck first, sweeping his staff across with the force of a thousand jun.
Qian Jue stood firm, unmoving, like a towering mountain range.
Then he casually swung his staff.
Whoosh!!!
A gale swept across the training ground. The clash of the two Coiling Dragon Staffs rang out like metal striking metal.
An irresistible force surged through the staff. Qiangu Zhangting's expression changed, and he had no choice but to use a Soul Skill to resist.
His Soul Rings flashed. With the boost, Qiangu Zhangting put all his strength into it and forcibly drove Qian Jue back.
He pressed the attack.
Before Qian Jue could regain his footing, Qiangu Zhangting suddenly stepped forward. The Coiling Dragon Staff in his hands grew larger, then slammed toward Qian Jue like a pillar supporting the sky, wrapped in an aura that seemed rejected by heaven and earth.
The first form of the Indomitable Staff Technique: Battle Heaven Fight Earth!