This was a hunched old man with a head full of white hair, dressed plainly. His cloudy eyes carried a vicious air, and he leaned on a black wooden cane topped with a scorpion head, its tip faintly glowing with a scalp-numbing purple toxic light.
The old man looked at Bai Shu. The viciousness in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by fervent reverence.
He shakily set down his cane, his knees gave way, and he respectfully dropped to his knees before Bai Shu in a grand salute.
"Your old servant, Xie Biyan, pays respects to the Young Master!"
"Young Master? Why are you calling me that?" Bai Shu was stunned by the sudden gesture and instinctively voiced his confusion.
"It was the Young Master who gave this old servant a new life, allowing this old servant to see the hope of advancing further—even attaining immortality. Such a life-recreating kindness is greater than the heavens. Naturally, this old servant must acknowledge you as his master and serve you like a dog or horse!"
Bai Shu nodded. The reasoning did make sense, but he was more inclined to believe that the system had brainwashed the old man.
Still, it did not matter. Judging by the man's expression and actions, he appeared sincere. With the system's methods, Bai Shu did not need to worry about betrayal.
Thus, Bai Shu's lips curved into a satisfied smile as he casually waved a hand. "All right, no need for such formalities among our own people. Get up first. Tell me, what is your martial soul, and what level is your strength at?"
"As you command, Young Master."
Xie Biyan slowly rose with the support of his cane. Anyone who saw him would have thought he was merely an ordinary old man on his last legs.
But the next instant, an incomparably terrifying, viscous pressure that seemed capable of freezing even the surrounding air erupted from his hunched body!
Bai Shu felt as though an invisible mountain had descended upon his head, choking off his breath.
Immediately afterward, one dazzling ring after another rose from beneath Xie Biyan's feet, carrying a soul-stirring rhythm.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
Nine soul rings emerged one after another from beneath his feet, radiating suffocating pressure!
Especially that blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring, which filled Bai Shu with delight.
Although Titled Douluo stood at the peak of this continent, Titled Douluo were not all equal. Weak ones like Dugu Bo could only dominate low-level fights and would immediately collapse when facing experts of the same rank.
The strong ones, like Tang Hao, could fight opponents above their level.
And hundred-thousand-year soul rings were the most direct proof separating mediocrities from geniuses! Whether one possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring made an enormous difference in combat strength!
Empowered by that red soul ring, the phantom of a gigantic vicious scorpion over ten meters long slowly condensed behind Xie Biyan. Its body gleamed with a bluish-black metallic sheen, while strange blood-red patterns covered its carapace!
Its savage pincers and flashing venomous stinger alone were enough to make one's soul tremble!
Xie Biyan bowed slightly, joy in his voice.
"Reporting to the Young Master, this old servant's martial soul is now called the Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor."
"As for my current strength, according to this world's classification, this old servant is a level ninety-six peak-ranked Super Douluo!"
After a brief hesitation, pride and ferocity flashed through Xie Biyan's eyes as he added, "However, if this old servant risks his life to unleash his natal venom, the Magic Poison Spot, then even a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo can be poisoned to death by this old servant!"
"Magic Poison Spot? You... came from the Dou Qi Continent?"
Bai Shu had been ecstatic over Xie Biyan's strength, but upon suddenly hearing the extremely familiar term "Magic Poison Spot," he instantly thought of the equally popular fantasy novel from his previous life.
No wonder the name Xie Biyan had sounded familiar. Wasn't this the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect's supreme elder who had nearly taken Xiao Huohuo's life in the early stages?
"Reporting to the Young Master, this old servant indeed came from the Dou Qi Continent."
Bai Shu suddenly fell into deep thought.
He suddenly felt that his previous perspective had been too narrow—or rather, that he had underestimated the system too much.
When he completed the first system mission, the martial soul awarded by the system should not have belonged to this world. But since he did not know its origins, and Tang Hao's threat had been imminent, he had not thought much about it.
But Xie Biyan's appearance made him realize that the system's abilities exceeded his imagination.
Since the system could bring someone from the Dou Qi Continent to the Douluo Continent, did that mean that one day, if he created a mission to travel across the myriad worlds, he could personally visit those vast and magnificent worlds?
The Douluo Continent had its advantages, such as its miraculous martial souls and the fact that becoming a god granted immortality.
But this world's upper limit was ultimately too low. His system required him to advance by an entire major realm before it could generate a mission, which meant that his future path would never end with Douluo!
Still, there was no use thinking about that for now. He had no mission-editing attempts left, so he could not even test it. Besides, even if the system truly could do it, the mission difficulty would certainly be absurdly high.
Shaking his head, Bai Shu calmed his surging emotions. For now, finishing what he had left undone was more important.
Previously, limited by his strength, he had only killed the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin. He still had not obtained the Spirit Bone she had left behind after her death!
"Xie Biyan, since you came from the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect, you shall call yourself the Ten Thousand Scorpion Douluo from now on."
"This old servant thanks the Young Master for bestowing this title." Xie Biyan answered respectfully.
"All right, there's no need to be so distant between us from now on. And stop bowing at every turn."
"This... yes. Thank you, Young Master."
Bai Shu was also somewhat speechless at the old man's behavior. Though one should adapt to local customs, as someone from modern society, he truly was not used to this sort of thing.
"Right, come help me with something." Bai Shu pointed at the inconspicuous hole in the rock beneath his feet and said to Xie Biyan, "Open up this cave. I need to go in and retrieve something."
Upon hearing this, Xie Biyan swept out with his spiritual power like a tide and instantly grasped the cave's entire layout. He nodded. "A simple matter. Young Master, please step back a little."
Bai Shu obediently retreated more than ten meters and watched Xie Biyan curiously. He also wanted to witness the methods of this former Dou Zong, now a Douluo.
Once Xie Biyan saw Bai Shu move away, he released the terrifying Blood Demon Scorpion Emperor martial soul again. He did not activate any soul rings, but his withered right hand rapidly expanded and transformed amid a series of cracking bone sounds. In the blink of an eye, it became a massive scorpion pincer thicker than a water barrel, gleaming with an icy metallic luster!
"Hah!"
Xie Biyan let out a low shout, and the massive scorpion pincer came smashing down at the small hole with a piercing shriek that tore through the air!
"BOOM!!!"
The deafening explosion shook the entire hill violently. The ground beneath Bai Shu's feet cracked, and he nearly lost his balance. The violent shockwave swept up dust and shattered stones that filled the sky, blocking his vision.
When the dust finally dispersed, a terrifying crater over five meters wide had appeared at the center of the blast, while the surrounding rocks were cracked like a spreading spiderweb.
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