Attention from All Sides

Snow Empress slightly opened her icy eyes at his words. "Let me see it."

"Mm."

Ye Feng nodded and handed over the iron shard. "It feels cold to the touch, but whenever I touch these golden patterns, my Martial Soul seems to stir."

Snow Empress accepted the iron shard. Icy-blue Soul Power surged forth, gradually enveloping the piece of iron.

A moment later, her icy eyes narrowed slightly. "There is a faint life imprint remaining inside. It is extremely ancient... and it seems to have been sealed by some kind of power."

"Sealed?"

Ye Feng was intrigued. "Can it be opened?"

Snow Empress shook her head. "With my current strength, forcibly breaking it may damage the imprint inside."

"Besides, this object is fire-attributed. Once it comes into contact with extreme cold, it is very likely to be damaged."

As she spoke, Snow Empress handed the iron shard back to him. "Keep it for now. Once you can fully control Karma Fire, perhaps you will be able to uncover its secret."

Ye Feng nodded and stored the iron shard back in his Soul Tool.

He had a feeling that this iron shard might have some inexplicable connection to his Martial Soul.

There was simply no way to unravel it yet.

Forget it. He would let nature take its course.

Ye Feng cleared the distracting thoughts from his mind. With a slight shift of intent, three Soul Rings—purple, purple, and black—slowly rose around him.

Ye Feng had obtained his third Soul Ring by hunting a three-thousand-year-old Mystic Fire Red Oriole three years ago.

For this Soul Ring, Ye Feng had endured an inhuman trial of mental strength for quite some time.

Of course, the main credit went to the Immortal Herb, Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, which had raised his mental strength to an unprecedented level.

The final result had not disappointed Ye Feng either.

His third Soul Ring had granted him a Soul Skill named Mystic Fire Phoenix Transformation.

This Soul Skill was somewhat similar to Martial Soul Possession. Once activated, it doubled all his attributes.

At the same time, it came with an extremely rare ability: Elementalization!

As the name implied, while the Soul Skill was active, Ye Feng could turn his body into the fire element.

Whenever he encountered an attack he could not withstand, he could transform into fire and evade it without injury.

The effect was practically heaven-defying!

"I wonder when I'll find a suitable second Martial Soul." Ye Feng let out a soft sigh.

While improving his strength over the years, he had also been searching for an appropriate second Martial Soul.

Because the Nether Karma Fire Phoenix was too powerful, the range of possible second Martial Souls had been narrowed infinitely.

As everyone knew, Twin Martial Souls had one defining trait: the gap between the Martial Souls could not be too large.

Once the difference became excessive, the stronger Martial Soul could devour the weaker one.

That meant Ye Feng had to find a second Martial Soul of a grade comparable to the Nether Karma Fire Phoenix.

That was easier said than done.

The only ones he could think of that met the requirements were the Six-Winged Angel and Sea God Martial Souls.

Both were god-grade Martial Souls. Their strength should not be inferior to the Nether Karma Fire Phoenix.

But the problem was that both Martial Souls belonged to inheritance lines.

No matter which one appeared, he would have to face the attention of a demigod-level powerhouse.

"It's a pity I can't copy them from soul beasts. Otherwise, there would be far more options."

Ye Feng sighed softly and focused his attention on meditation once again.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, council hall.

Ning Fengzhi sat in the seat of honor, his index finger lightly tapping the smooth rosewood table as his gaze rested on the intelligence dossier spread before him.

At the top of the dossier was a blurry image recording.

Crimson combat attire, a phoenix mask, and golden eyes blazing like fire.

Below the image were several brief records:

[Codename: Karma Fire Phoenix]

[Record: Fifty consecutive victories (ongoing)]

[Martial Soul: Suspected top-tier fire-attributed phoenix type]

[Soul Power Level: Estimated Soul Ancestor to Soul King]

[Traits: Crimson-gold flames, domineering combat style, average battle duration no more than one minute]

"Fifty consecutive victories..."

Ning Fengzhi murmured softly, a thoughtful look appearing on his refined face.

He lifted the celadon teacup at his side and took a sip.

The fragrance of tea spread through his mouth, yet it could not dissolve the faint worry between his brows.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was one of the Upper Three Sects, wealthy enough to rival a nation and home to countless retainers.

It appeared infinitely glorious on the surface, but danger lurked beneath.

Although Uncle Sword and Uncle Bone were powerful, they were ultimately growing older.

Among the younger generation of the sect, there was a genius like Ning Rongrong with Innate Soul Power Level Nine. Yet an auxiliary-type Martial Soul was still an auxiliary-type Martial Soul; she could not stand alone.

The sect urgently needed a talented assault-type Soul Master capable of carrying its banner and supporting the backbone of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect after the two elders, Sword and Bone.

"Fengzhi."

A deep voice came from outside the hall.

A figure in white walked in slowly. He had sword-like brows and starry eyes, an aloof bearing, and a back as straight as an unsheathed sword.

It was Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

He walked to Ning Fengzhi's side, swept his gaze over the dossier, and raised a brow. "You have your eye on this Karma Fire Phoenix?"

"Uncle Sword." Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Nothing can be hidden from you. This person's record is astonishing, and his Martial Soul is suspected to be a top-tier fire phoenix. If we can recruit him into the sect..."

"A fire phoenix?" Chen Xin's tone was calm. "Phoenix Martial Souls are indeed powerful, but their wielders are often proud and aloof. He may not be willing to accept the restrictions of a sect. Besides..."

He paused and looked at Ning Fengzhi. "This person's identity is a mystery. After fifty consecutive victories, no one even knows his origins. There is probably more to this than meets the eye."

"That is precisely why he is worth trying to recruit."

Ning Fengzhi sat back down. "I have already sent people to investigate. This person first appeared at Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena four years ago. Since then, he has fought there at fixed intervals every month. He keeps a low profile, leaves immediately after every match, and never contacts any faction."

"What is interesting is..."

He turned to the next page, where several lines of small text were recorded:

[Multiple factions have attempted to approach him, but all were stopped by a mysterious Titled Douluo]

[Traits of the Titled Douluo: long dark-green hair, jade-green eyes, suspected poison user]

[Most recent interception: three years ago, when a red-clad bishop of Spirit Hall attempted to recruit him and was forced back on the spot]

Chen Xin's gaze sharpened. "Poison Douluo Dugu Bo?"

"Most likely."

Ning Fengzhi closed the dossier and rubbed the space between his brows. "If Dugu Bo truly is protecting him from the shadows, then this person's background... is likely far more complicated than we imagined."

Although Dugu Bo was only a Rank 91 Titled Douluo, his methods of using poison were sinister and unpredictable. Even ordinary Titled Douluo were unwilling to provoke him lightly.

More importantly, he was a loner who had never attached himself to any faction.

Just what kind of background did this "Karma Fire Phoenix" have, to make him willingly serve as a guard?

"Uncle Sword."

Ning Fengzhi suddenly raised his head, determination flashing in his eyes.

"I want to meet this person myself."

The crown prince's residence, study brightly lit.

Crown Prince Xue Qinghe sat behind her desk, holding a thin intelligence dossier.

She wore plain, elegant clothes, her golden hair tied back, her features handsome and gentle.

Only in the depths of her azure eyes did a trace of maturity beyond her age occasionally flicker.

The contents of the dossier were largely similar to the one in Ning Fengzhi's hands, likewise focused on Karma Fire Phoenix's exaggerated fifty-win streak.

"Interesting. When did such a person emerge in Heaven Dou City?"

The personal guard standing nearby said quietly, "Your Highness, this person's movements are mysterious. He leaves immediately after each match and never socializes. Our people have tried to approach him three times, but all were stopped."

"Oh?"

Xue Qinghe raised her eyes. "By whom?"

"Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Xue Qinghe's gaze narrowed slightly.

That old poison freak was solitary and eccentric. He might not even give the Heaven Dou Imperial Family full respect, yet he was actually serving as someone's guard?

It seemed she needed to meet this so-called phoenix.