Handling

At this moment, in a suburb outside Heaven Dou City, streaks of crimson light began to gather, finally forming a black-robed figure.

"Cough! Damn it, that old man was actually this strong! Is this the difference in power between Three-Word Battle Armor and Four-Word Battle Armor?" Blood seeped from the corner of the black-robed man's mouth, but he quickly wiped it away, unable to stop himself from cursing.

"After this incident, Zhenhua's side will probably be completely on guard. It'll be nearly impossible to make another move against that Li Ziming. This mission has practically failed completely.

"What a pity about that Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. If I'd gotten it, I definitely could've become a Super Douluo."

The evil Soul Master couldn't help sighing. This mission had been a major assignment he'd fought hard to secure within the cult.

For this mission, he'd paid quite a considerable price.

Not only had he dispatched the hidden Mecha squad under his command, he had even invited a level-nine Soul Tool master from the cult to forge him a level-nine concealment Soul Tool.

The employer had also activated quite a few hidden agents to cooperate with him, and through his dealings with them, he had learned some secrets.

"Heh, how ironic. The Star Luo Empire once took pride in exterminating the Holy Spirit Cult and called itself righteous, yet now, to snuff out a genius, it actually chose to collude with evil Soul Masters." The evil Soul Master sneered.

"Yes, it really is ironic!" A man's voice rang out beside the evil Soul Master's ear.

"Who?!"

In an instant, the evil Soul Master's aura surged. A pair of blood-colored wings suddenly spread from his back, resembling bat wings. As they flapped, blood light surged forth, and the evil Soul Master vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

The evil Soul Master's spiritual power swept wildly through the area, trying to locate the owner of that voice.

The only answer he received was a golden fist shadow descending from the sky.

Forging Masters Association

When the group arrived at the office, Zhenhua's Four-Word Battle Armor turned into streaks of red light and vanished into his body.

"Sit." Zhenhua pointed at the sofa.

"Martial Uncle, will it really be all right if we just wait here?"

"Don't worry."

Just then, a golden figure appeared in the distance.

As the golden light faded, the golden figure revealed his true appearance. It was Mu Ye, carrying a person in one hand.

Zhenhua looked at him. "How did it go?"

Mu Ye shook his head slightly. "He was fairly fast—a rare agility-type Title Douluo, and he should be close to reaching the Super Douluo level.

"He wasn't much in a frontal fight. One punch from me and he was finished.

"I questioned him briefly. All I know is that he was from Star Luo.

"However, he seemed to know very little about who exactly gave the order."

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Ziming and gave a slight nod as a greeting.

After hearing Mu Ye's words, Zhenhua pondered for a moment before saying, "Mm... just as expected. It seems they had been planning this assassination for quite some time.

"But how did they know Ziming and the others' whereabouts?

"It seems the Association's internal affairs need a thorough cleanup."

He then looked at Elder Ye beside Li Ziming and bowed.

"Elder Ye, thank you for your hard work this time."

Elder Ye shook his head slightly and let out a sigh.

"Alas, this old man is ashamed. Something nearly happened this time, so I cannot accept the president's courtesy.

"This old man will take his leave first."

With that, he turned and left.

Zhenhua could only sigh helplessly at the sight. Looking at Li Ziming, he said, "All right, Ziming. This matter is settled.

"You escaped danger this time. Go get some rest first. You'll stay in the same room as last time.

"In a couple of days, we'll begin your lessons."

"Yes, Martial Uncle." After bowing, Li Ziming left.

After Li Ziming departed, Zhenhua turned to Mu Ye and said, "Although they failed this time, there's no guarantee they won't act again.

"I'll have to trouble you to stand guard for the next few days."

"It's nothing. This isn't the first time you've troubled me.

"However, I also found some high-grade concealment Soul Tools on that evil Soul Master.

"That should be why he was able to infiltrate so close to the Association.

"Combined with what he said about the cult's arrangements, as well as the Mecha unit Elder Ye and the others encountered, you have to admit now..."

Although Mu Ye didn't finish his sentence, Zhenhua already understood what he meant.

"Yes. The Holy Spirit Cult, which was destroyed ten thousand years ago, has risen from the ashes. Evil Soul Masters are no longer fighting alone, and their strength is greater than we anticipated."

Zhenhua gazed at the scattered lights outside the window and sank into thought.

Eastsea Academy

After receiving the information, Liu Tianran began to think.

"Were they sent by the Star Luo Continent?

"It seems Li Ziming's forging talent has already touched their sensitive nerves.

"The existence of one Divine Blacksmith is already the limit of their tolerance. They absolutely won't allow the Federation to have two Divine Blacksmiths at the same time, will they?"

"However, I can use this opportunity to help Li Ziming's spiritual power advance to the Spirit Abyss Realm."

In truth, with Liu Tianran's reserves, helping Li Ziming advance his spiritual cultivation wasn't a problem.

But there had never been a suitable opportunity—or rather, a suitable excuse.

Because the Spirit Abyss Realm was simply too special.

Its preceding realm, the Spirit Sea Realm, represented spiritual power truly reaching the advanced level and laid the foundation for becoming a powerhouse. Ordinary Title Douluos were generally trapped in that realm for their entire lives.

The Spirit Abyss Realm, on the other hand, was a truly top-tier spiritual realm and the foundation for possessing a legendary Spirit Soul.

In theory, one could fuse with Spirit Souls of any level, though orange and red Spirit Souls could only be fused under normal circumstances. The Spirit Abyss Realm was considered the limit of human spiritual power.

If one could step into it, it was basically equivalent to obtaining a ticket to become a Super Douluo.

Thus, in the eyes of the outside world, Li Ziming had also been "stuck" at this realm.

This assassination happened to provide a good excuse.

"Li Ziming's matter has come to an end. Now, it's time to properly prepare for the Skysea Alliance Grand Tournament."