Even Geniuses Have Differences

Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu brought Qian Renxue to the main seats, while Lin Mo was led by Chrysanthemum Douluo to the waiting room.

The Soul Fighting Arena was enormous, roughly the size of a football field from his previous life.

The stands were already packed with spectators. Spirit City truly deserved its reputation as the holy land of the soul master world; most of those in the audience were soul masters, a clear display of Spirit City's foundations.

At the best viewing spot, Qian Xunji and the others were seated, with representatives from the major sects and powers beside them.

Of course, those seated around Qian Xunji were all Titled Douluo.

Only the ambassadors of the two great empires had seats beside Qian Xunji. The smaller factions and the Lower Three Sects could only sit far away.

"Your Highness, once the signal is given, you may enter."

"Dai Weisi: White Tiger martial soul, eight years old, soul power rank fourteen. First soul skill: White Tiger Protective Barrier."

"Zhu Zhuyun: Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul, eight years old, soul power rank fourteen. First soul skill: Netherworld Thrust."

Lin Mo accepted the booklet Chrysanthemum Douluo handed him. It was densely filled with Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun's various statistics, including the strength of their soul skills.

It made Lin Mo's scalp tingle. Spirit Hall's intelligence network was terrifyingly powerful; even the ages of their soul rings had been recorded with precision.

This was, after all, an internal Spirit Hall dossier, so its credibility was undoubtedly high. The information could not possibly have been filled in at random.

Besides, this was not like the eras of Soul Land II and Soul Land III, when there were instruments that could test soul power or soul rings. At present, there was no way to determine the exact age of a soul ring.

That left only one possibility: Spirit Hall had planted spies within the Star Luo Empire as well.

And they were the sort who stayed close at hand.

Chrysanthemum Douluo stood quietly to the side without speaking. He was waiting for the opening signal, waiting for the match to begin.

Lin Mo glanced at Chrysanthemum Douluo. He had always been rather curious about the man and was quite interested in him.

After all, he and Ghost Douluo could form a martial soul fusion skill, and the power of their Two Poles Stillness Domain was absurdly overpowered.

Furthermore, he would need Chrysanthemum Douluo's help to reach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well later on. Lin Mo was not Tang San, after all; he did not know anything about immortal herbs.

And the original story seemed to mention that different immortal herbs had different harvesting methods.

Lin Mo did not want to ruin such valuable treasures.

"Thank you, Your Excellency Chrysanthemum Douluo."

Lin Mo placed the booklet back on the table and thanked Chrysanthemum Douluo with a smile.

Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at Lin Mo in slight surprise, then nodded and returned the smile.

This child is quite polite.

Because of his voice and mannerisms, Chrysanthemum Douluo had often been mocked behind his back. His relationships with his colleagues could only be described as mediocre.

For the most part, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were isolated by everyone else.

"Alright, Your Highness. The match is about to begin."

Chrysanthemum Douluo reminded him.

Lin Mo nodded, rose to his feet, and strode toward the door to the waiting area. Chrysanthemum Douluo seemed to recall something and offered one final reminder.

"Your Highness, be careful. Though the two of them do not possess top-tier innate soul power, they do have a martial soul fusion skill. They may not be able to use it, but the coordination between their two families should not be underestimated."

"Put the two of them together, and they amount to one genius."

Lin Mo nodded. His steps paused briefly before he continued forward. Then, he suddenly let out a soft laugh and spoke with his back to Chrysanthemum Douluo.

"Heh. Even among geniuses, there are differences."

"Today, I'll show them that difference."

The clamor grew closer and closer as Lin Mo stepped out of the waiting area. Chrysanthemum Douluo stared at the closed door before him and remained silent for a long while.

Then, he chuckled.

"Interesting. He truly is a fine prospect."

"Hello, dear audience! I am the host for the Spirit City Soul Fighting Arena tournament, Li Yumei. It is my pleasure to host this match for everyone."

"Alright, we can see that both sides have now entered the arena."

"Representing Spirit Hall is Lin Mo, facing the Star Luo Empire duo of Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun."

The moment those words were spoken, boos erupted throughout the arena. Clearly, the crowd did not approve of a two-on-one match.

The Star Luo Empire's ambassador's face alternated between red and pale, leaving him exceptionally embarrassed. Unable to hold himself back, he spoke to Qian Xunji.

"Your Holiness, isn't this rather unfair to your son? It is two against one, and the two Star Luo Empire contestants are older than your son as well."

The representatives of the other powers said nothing. All of them watched from the sidelines, eager to see how the spectacle would unfold.

"Unfair? Heh..."

As though he had heard something utterly ridiculous, Qian Xunji gave a cold laugh. His eyes were full of disdain before he finally spoke.

"If Lin Mo fought you one-on-one, that would be what you call unfair."

"You should understand: letting Lin Mo face two opponents is the fairness I'm giving you."

When Qian Xunji said this, he was brimming with confidence. After all, he had seen Lin Mo's strength—fighting those two was as easy as playing around.

Yet it was precisely Qian Xunji's confidence that made everyone's expressions turn serious. Their gazes toward Lin Mo were now tinged with scrutiny.

Tang Zhen, Ning Fengzhi, and Yu Yuanzhen also had flashes of understanding in their eyes.

Sure enough, just as they had expected, Lin Mo was undoubtedly an unparalleled genius.

It was worth mentioning that Tang Hao had unexpectedly come along today as well. Qian Xunji did not mind; it was merely a matter of adding another chair.

However, Tang Hao knew nothing about Lin Mo, so he spoke quietly to Tang Xiao beside him.

"Big Brother, Lin Mo looks like nothing more than a pretty face to me."

"Against our Clear Sky Hammer, he'd still have to fall flat. Pick any brat from the sect, and they could knock that scrawny kid to the ground."

Tang Hao had not spoken loudly, but who among those present was not a top-tier expert? Naturally, every word reached their ears.

Qian Xunji immediately frowned and looked toward Tang Hao, sneering as he spoke.

"Tang Hao, a mere Soul Douluo dares to recklessly comment on the genius of my hall?"

"Presumptuous!"

The moment Tang Hao heard Qian Xunji's words, he flared up. Just as he was about to argue with Qian Xunji, Tang Zhen's furious roar suppressed him.

"Hao'er, shut your mouth! Do not be rude!"

After saying this, Tang Zhen hurriedly looked toward Qian Xunji—or rather, Qian Daoliu behind him—and spoke respectfully.

"Uncle Qian, I am truly sorry. Hao'er is still young and immature, and he has offended you."

"I beg you to be magnanimous and spare him this once for my father's sake."

Tang Zhen's words were truly well delivered. He first took the initiative to admit fault, then invoked his father, Tang Chen.

Everyone knew that Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen had once been known as the twin stars of Douluo Continent. Their relationship had also been excellent, both teacher and friend.

And there was also their gentleman's pact from back then.

Once those words had been spoken, what else could Qian Daoliu say?

"Heh heh, I hope your Clear Sky Sect can keep your mouths under control."

"After all, since Brother Chen vanished without return, your Clear Sky Sect is no longer as glorious as it once was."