"Spirit Hall?"
Li Yuan let out a cold laugh inwardly.
They were quick to react. He had only just landed in Nibelungen, and Spirit Hall had already caught his scent.
But with his current power, and ten Titled Douluo standing guard, he wouldn't have to yield an inch even if Bibi Dong came in person—not to mention a mere branch in Suotuo City.
If Spirit Hall dared reach its hands in, he wouldn't mind breaking a few claws first.
"No need to concern yourself with them." Li Yuan waved a hand. "Yue Yao, I have another task for you."
"Please give your orders, Master."
"Go to Suotuo City and its surroundings at once and pick a suitable place. It needs to be spacious, with open terrain, for building an academy. Money isn't an issue. If you find a place you like, buy it outright."
Yue Yao nodded. "I'll see to it at once."
She turned and strode away, her skirt stirring a faint breeze.
After breakfast, Li Yuan brought Shui Bing'er to sit beside the stone table in a corner of the courtyard. He took the Frost-Speaker Left Arm Bone out of his system space. Its icy-blue light shimmered in the morning sun as wisps of chill spread through the air.
"Bing'er, this is for you."
Shui Bing'er had been sipping tea from her cup. At the sight of it, she nearly dropped the cup. Her eyes widened as she stared at the crystal-clear Soul Bone. "Is this a Soul... Soul Bone?"
"A ten-thousand-year left arm bone, with an ice attribute. It's highly compatible with your Martial Soul." Li Yuan held it out to her. "Go absorb it."
Shui Bing'er accepted the Soul Bone in both hands, her fingertips trembling slightly.
She had grown up at Skywater Academy and knew all too well how precious Soul Bones were.
An ordinary Soul Master might never lay eyes on one in their entire life, let alone own one.
Yet he had simply handed it to her, as casually as giving her pocket money.
"Master... this..." Shui Bing'er's voice trembled. "It's far too valuable. I—"
"Don't just stand there. Go absorb it." Li Yuan pressed the Soul Bone into her hands, his tone casual. "I'm going to make a small upgrade myself, so it won't take long."
"Upgrade?" Shui Bing'er blinked, her face full of confusion.
Li Yuan merely curled his lips into a mysterious smile, offering no further explanation.
Shui Bing'er watched him for a few seconds, but in the end swallowed her words. Clutching the Soul Bone, she turned and entered a side room. As she closed the door, her eyes still held a lingering, overwhelmed gratitude.
On an open training ground.
Di Jun and Long Yuan stood with their hands behind their backs, one on either side, ten paces apart. Their auras were restrained, yet they kept the entire area within their perception.
Li Yuan sat cross-legged in the center. His eyes were half-closed as he turned his palm over, and a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring floated before him, its surface gleaming with a gentle golden light.
He held his breath and focused, sinking his consciousness into his Martial Soul.
The phantom of the World-Destroying Black Dragon slowly appeared behind him. Its pitch-black scales reflected the sunlight, and its scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes gradually opened.
"Attach."
The God-Bestowed Spirit Ring became a streak of light and entered Li Yuan's body.
The next instant, a surging torrent of Soul Power burst from deep within his marrow, sweeping through his meridians like a tide.
Li Yuan clenched his teeth, his brows furrowing tightly. His body trembled faintly, but he never let out so much as a muffled groan.
A Spirit Ring took shape behind him.
One ring, two, three... The number of years surged wildly, passing one thousand, three thousand, five thousand, eight thousand, before finally settling at ten thousand.
A pitch-black Spirit Ring slowly revolved around him, dark as night and radiating an oppressive force utterly unlike that of an ordinary ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring.
Long Yuan and Di Jun exchanged a glance, both with a flash of surprise in their eyes.
The moment the Spirit Ring formed, three streams of information flowed into Li Yuan's mind.
First Soul Skill: Dragon Might of the End.
Passive effect: Releases the Vinster King's dragon might, causing opponents whose Martial Soul rank is lower than his to feel instinctive fear. All attributes are reduced by ten to thirty percent, and Soul Skill activation is delayed.
Active effect: Consumes a small amount of Soul Power to unleash the black dragon's roar across a fan-shaped area ahead, forcing a test of willpower.
Those who fail are paralyzed with terror and unable to move for one to three seconds. Those who succeed suffer a mental shock, disrupting the flow of their Soul Power.
Second Soul Skill: Scale of the Rebellious Dragon.
Dragon-scale armor covers the entire body, tripling defense and reducing damage from attacks of all elemental types by seventy percent.
Third Soul Skill: Dragon Breath of the End.
Breathes out a dragon's breath infused with the Black Flame of the End, unleashing astonishing power.
On impact, it continuously corrodes Soul Power, while the burning effect lasts for ten seconds.
Li Yuan slowly opened his eyes and lowered them to his hands. Black arcs of electricity danced across his fingertips.
Each of the three Soul Skills was heaven-defying in its own right. The foundation of a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring, combined with the enhancement of a Creation-Grade Spirit, had created an utterly terrifying set of abilities.
His very first ring could withstand ten thousand years and came with three Soul Skills.
Was this the power of a Creation-Grade Spirit?
And that wasn't all.
At the same time, the Soul Power inside him surged upward, breaking through the twenty-second and twenty-third levels before finally settling at level twenty-four.
His physical strength soared along with it. A layer of fine black markings appeared faintly on his skin, the outlines of dragon scales flickering into view before receding as his breathing steadied.
"Level twenty-four."
Li Yuan rose to his feet and stretched. His bones cracked softly.
He turned to the two beside him. Di Jun stood with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, while Long Yuan nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of approval.
"As expected of Master." Long Yuan sighed in genuine admiration. "You awakened your Martial Soul less than a day ago, yet your first Spirit Ring can already bear ten thousand years. In the entire history of the continent, you'd be hard-pressed to find another like you."
Di Jun nodded faintly, a profound look in his eyes. "The World-Destroying Black Dragon's foundation far exceeds our expectations. Master's foundation has now been laid. His future heights are beyond measure."
Li Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air, satisfaction curling the corners of his mouth.
"Second one."
Without hesitation, he summoned another God-Bestowed Spirit Ring. Dark-gold light once again sank into his body.
The phantom of the World-Destroying Black Dragon raised its head and roared at the sky. Black mist surged, completely enveloping him.
Meanwhile.
Suotuo City, Spirit Hall Branch.
In the council hall, Cardinal Krofu sat in the seat of honor, a cup of cold tea beside him.
He was in his early forties, with a square face and prominent brows. His hawk-like eyes held a trace of gloom.
He was Spirit Hall's bishop stationed in Suotuo City, a level-seventy-three Soul Saint who ruled the city without question.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. An attendant hurried in and bowed. "Your Eminence, I have important news to report."
Krofu lifted his eyelids. "Speak."
"Someone bought the manor in the west of the city yesterday. They've since begun recruiting people on a large scale, offering free Martial Soul awakenings to commoners."
The hand holding Krofu's teacup paused.
"Free Martial Soul awakenings?"
"Yes. They've also put out word that anyone they choose who's willing to join will have all their cultivation resources, food, clothing, housing, and travel expenses covered. They've promised to train them up to the Soul Douluo rank."
Krofu set down his teacup, his brows slowly drawing together.
Free Martial Soul awakenings had always been one of Spirit Hall's ways of recruiting people.
Through awakenings, they drew commoner families to their side, taking in every promising child with decent aptitude.
Now someone was doing the same thing right under Spirit Hall's nose. It was no different from snatching meat from their mouths.
"Do you know which faction they belong to?"
The attendant shook his head. "Not yet. We only know that the manor was bought recently and that they began their activities yesterday. I made inquiries, but they've kept a low profile. They haven't even put up a sign at the entrance, so it's impossible to gauge their strength."
Krofu gave a cold laugh. "They don't even dare show their name. That's interesting."
He rose and walked to the window with his hands behind his back, gazing toward the west of the city. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "They dare snatch business from Spirit Hall. Even that old thing, Emperor Xue Ye, wouldn't have the nerve. I'd like to see who's got the gall to do this."
"Your Eminence, should we report this to His Holiness the Pope?"
Krofu glanced back at him, his tone unkind.
"If we have to report such a trivial matter, His Holiness the Pope will probably think our Suotuo City branch is staffed by a bunch of useless fools."
Cold sweat beaded on the attendant's forehead, and he hurriedly lowered his head. "I spoke out of turn."
"Send people to investigate." Krofu sat back down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. His voice was unhurried. "Find out everything about them: their origins, their background, who's in charge. Get every last detail. I'd like to see what kind of extraordinary figure could turn up in Suotuo City."
"Yes! I'll see to it at once!"
The attendant bowed and withdrew.
The council hall fell quiet. Krofu gazed at the tea leaves drifting in his cup and tapped the tabletop twice with his knuckles.
"Stealing business right out from under my nose... Hah."
He set down his teacup, his gaze slowly turning cold.
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