The newly constructed Supreme Elder Hall was magnificent and imposing, its carved beams and painted rafters exuding an ancient air and supreme majesty.
The hall was spacious within, elegantly furnished without sacrificing luxury.
At that moment, Qian Wushuang sat upright in the chair above that represented the status of a Supreme Elder, holding a cup of fragrant tea as he gently blew at the floating leaves.
"Oh-ho—"
Hearing footsteps from outside the hall, Qian Wushuang slightly raised his eyelids. The sight of the blond young man swaggering in through the main entrance immediately irritated him.
"Isn't this our great painter, renowned throughout the world? You ran away from home for three months, went sightseeing and indulged yourself, and you still knew how to come back?! What a rare sight!"
Qian Wushuang heavily set his teacup down on the table and snorted coldly at the newcomer.
The man who entered was none other than Saint Radiance Douluo, Qian Wuji, who had supposedly gone out to sketch and admire the sights of the new era!
Qian Wuji carried a drawing board in one hand, with a golden rose still flamboyantly tucked behind his ear.
"Cough, cough—"
Hearing his elder brother's barbed rebuke, Qian Wuji's old face reddened. He awkwardly put away his drawing board and retorted, "Big Brother, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want!"
"I didn't spend these three months indulging myself or sightseeing! I was getting deep into the grassroots and gathering the most cutting-edge intelligence in this world!"
Qian Wuji spoke righteously and with utter conviction, even beginning to sound aggrieved. Other people might not understand him, but surely his elder brother did?!
"You?!" Qian Wushuang scrutinized Qian Wuji from head to toe with a suspicious look, then sneered. "Heh, you even know how to come up with a high-sounding excuse for yourself!"
"Does intelligence gathering, such dirty work, really require a dignified Ninety-Ninth Rank Peerless Douluo like you? Showing off, are we?"
"Our Spirit Hall intelligence network surpasses all others, with eyes and ears spread across every corner of the continent. Do we need a Peerless Douluo like you running around in public?!"
"If you were indulging yourself, then just admit you were indulging yourself. What, is our Qian Clan's great painter bold enough to do it but not bold enough to own it?!"
Mercilessly exposed by his elder brother, Qian Wuji was not angry. Instead, he casually walked over to a nearby chair, sat down, and cheerfully poured himself a cup of tea.
"Big Brother, what are you talking about? Why can't I understand a word of it?"
"Hearsay is unreliable; seeing is believing! I wasn't entirely empty-handed after being out for three months!"
Qian Wushuang rested his chin on one hand and leaned slightly forward, a teasing smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Oh? Is that so? Then I'd like to hear what earth-shattering discovery a Peerless Douluo like you made after personally going out."
Qian Wuji put away his frivolous demeanor, his expression turning serious. Lowering his voice as though sharing a secret, he said:
"Big Brother, I discovered that the two great empires of this era are pitifully weak. Calling them paper tigers that were strong on the outside but weak within would not be an exaggeration!"
"Hm?!" Qian Wushuang raised a brow and asked in surprise, "You needed to go out for three months to find that out? When have the two great empires ever truly surpassed our Spirit Hall in top-tier combat strength?"
"Big Brother, that's not what I mean. The moment you opened your mouth, I knew you definitely hadn't taken a deep look into the specific state of this era since your resurrection!"
Qian Wushuang nodded slightly at that.
During the months since his resurrection, all his attention had been focused on his two great-grandsons. He truly had not spent much time reading through this era's records. Even though Spirit Hall possessed the most comprehensive information, he had not looked through it.
"Then tell me carefully. What exactly did you discover on this trip?!"
Qian Wuji pondered for a moment and organized his words before saying gravely, "The two great empires of this era are no longer merely weak. They are weak to the extreme!"
"Weak to the extreme? Don't tell me a vast empire like that doesn't even have a Title Douluo?"
Qian Wushuang smiled faintly, feeling that Qian Wuji was exaggerating.
"That's right! Big Brother, you actually hit the nail on the head. They don't even have a single Title Douluo. It really is that absurd!"
Qian Wuji's tone was filled with disbelief. "Do you know that the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, with such vast territory and so many resources, does not even have a single Title Douluo retainer willing to serve them? Forget Title Douluo retainers—even Soul Douluo retainers are pitifully few!"
"I'm talking about Soul Douluo retainers who truly belong to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and are directly under their control. There aren't even more than ten of them!"
"Hiss—"
Qian Wushuang frowned, deeply surprised. "The Heaven Dou Imperial Family's White Swan Martial Soul may have little combat power and an abysmally low upper limit."
"But using resources and noble titles to win people over has always been their specialty. How could they have become this weak? Each generation really is worse than the last!"
"Big Brother, that isn't even the most outrageous part. Hehe~"
Qian Wuji revealed a lecherous grin that any man would understand and said awkwardly, "You might not believe this, but in order to verify the accuracy of the information..."
"A few days ago, I secretly snuck into the imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire. I walked around inside, yet there wasn't a single Soul Master who could detect my aura."
"The imperial palace treasury was as easy for me to enter as my own backyard. And leaving everything else aside, that little emperor..."
"Hehe~ His cultivation wasn't much to speak of, but he sure played wildly."
"You..." Qian Wushuang's face darkened at once. He glared at the other man and sternly rebuked him:
"Our Qian Clan has passed down the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul through the generations and has always acted openly and honorably. How could you... sneak in during the middle of the night to steal someone else's imperial consort? Little Brother, I think you were truly starving."
"Pfft—"
"Cough, cough—"
Qian Wuji sprayed out the mouthful of hot tea he had just drunk, nearly choking himself to death.
His eyes widened as he protested indignantly, "Big Brother, which screw did you have loose? What kind of thought process is that?"
"When did I ever say I went to steal someone else's imperial consort? I was investigating the palace's defensive strength. Isn't your focus just a little off?"
"And how could you slander my innocence? Big Brother, don't you know what kind of person I am?"
"Hm? Then when you snuck into the imperial palace in the dead of night, did you really just take a stroll around? You didn't do anything at all?"
Qian Wushuang stroked his chin and looked at Qian Wuji with intense suspicion. "That doesn't sound like the way you behaved when you were young, Little Brother!"
"Didn't you call yourself the Romantic Young Master back then?"
Qian Wuji: "..."
There was no way to continue this conversation. This really was his biological elder brother, ruthlessly exposing his embarrassing past. Back then, hadn't he simply been young and ignorant?
He had been so strong in his twenties. It was only human nature.
"Hahahaha." Seeing his younger brother deflated, Qian Wushuang finally could not help bursting into laughter. "All right, Little Brother, don't be so depressed. I was only joking with you. Aside from the Heaven Dou Empire, what is the situation over in the Star Luo Empire?"
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