Snake Spear Douluo

Spirit Hall's arrival came faster than Zhao Ming had imagined.

In little more than half a month, a gray-haired old man appeared at the Spirit Hall branch in Vast Sea City.

His hair stood in sharp spikes, and a long, deep scar ran across his left eye, extending from his brow bone all the way to his cheekbone. Though the wound had healed many years ago, it still carried a hint of savagery.

He stood nearly two meters tall, lean and erect, with a long, straight torso. His entire frame resembled a spear, taut and razor-sharp.

Though he looked to be an old man past eighty, years of arduous cultivation had left him strong and vigorous, without the slightest hint of frailty or stooping age. A fierce, killing aura naturally surrounded him. Simply standing there seemed to make the air throughout Vast Sea City's Spirit Hall grow several degrees more stagnant.

The old man casually took out a Spirit Hall Elder's token and tossed it to Tom, who had stepped forward to greet him.

Tom caught the token and took one look at it. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his attitude immediately became incomparably respectful.

Spirit Hall Elders were all Title Douluo-level existences, peak powerhouses across the entire continent. There was no way he could show anything but respect.

Tom respectfully returned the token with both hands and bowed. "I did not know an Elder would be arriving. Please forgive me for failing to welcome you properly."

"Enough, enough! No need for such formalities. Bring that child over." The old man waved his hand, sounding somewhat impatient, though his gaze had already passed over Tom and swept toward the rear hall.

A moment later, Zhao Ming was brought before the old man.

The old man sized up the six-year-old child before him, his gaze as sharp as a blade, as though he wanted to see Zhao Ming through inside and out.

Yet under that gaze, Zhao Ming showed no trace of fear. He merely stood quietly where he was, neither servile nor overbearing as he returned the old man's look.

"Release your martial soul," the old man said. His voice was hoarse, yet full of strength.

Zhao Ming did as instructed, extending his right hand and summoning his steel whip. The entirely black steel whip gleamed with a cold metallic sheen beneath the sunlight. It was about three chi long and looked quite weighty in Zhao Ming's hand.

The old man reached out and took the steel whip, weighing it in his hand. His eyes soon lit up slightly. He spun the whip twice more in his hand, feeling its heavy weight, and at last a trace of satisfaction appeared on his face.

"Not bad." The old man returned the steel whip to Zhao Ming, his tone carrying more approval. "Its hardness is close to that of a top-tier martial soul, while its weight has already reached the standard weight for a top-tier blunt weapon martial soul. It is only natural for it to possess innate full soul power. This martial soul is indeed worthy of it."

He paused, turning his gaze toward Tom and Snake, who stood respectfully to one side. He casually took a card from his soul tool and tossed it over.

"You have done well. You discovered such a fine seedling for Spirit Hall. These fifty thousand gold soul coins are your reward. If there are opportunities for promotion in the future, you will also receive priority consideration."

Tom caught the gold card and hurriedly bowed in thanks.

Fifty thousand gold soul coins was already a considerable reward for a city branch hall, not to mention the promise of promotion.

The old man no longer paid them any attention. He bent down, scooped Zhao Ming up in one hand, and soul power surged beneath his feet. He shot into the sky like an arrow loosed from a bow, vanishing beyond the horizon in an instant.

During the flight, the old man used soul power to form a protective barrier around Zhao Ming, shielding him from the biting wind pressure at high altitude.

Zhao Ming looked down. Vast Sea City rapidly shrank beneath them, soon becoming nothing more than a tiny black dot.

"Kid, this old man is She Long, titled Snake Spear, a level ninety-one assault-type Title Douluo." The old man introduced himself to Zhao Ming as they flew.

"Greetings, Elder Snake Spear."

"No need to be so polite. I will first take you to Star Dou Forest to hunt for a soul ring. Do you have any soul beasts in mind?"

Zhao Ming had not spent the past half month idling around in Vast Sea City's Spirit Hall.

He had used that time to read through all manner of soul beast encyclopedias collected in Spirit Hall, selecting several options suited to becoming the first soul ring of his steel whip martial soul.

Hearing She Long's question, Zhao Ming immediately named the soul beasts he had chosen. "Elder Snake Spear, I have selected three soul beasts. The first is a Titan Giant Ape, the second is a Golden Armored Earth Dragon, and the third is a Terrorclaw Bear."

She Long's expression turned somewhat strange. He could not help lowering his head to glance at the little fellow in his arms. "The soul beasts you chose are all quite difficult to find.

Titan Giant Apes possess powerful bloodlines and can be considered invincible among those of the same rank. Golden Armored Earth Dragons are rare subdragon species. Terrorclaw Bears are lesser variants of Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears, infamous for their ferocity.

And all three soul beasts lean toward strength attributes. Do you want your first soul ring to enhance your strength?"

Zhao Ming nodded and answered seriously, "Yes, Elder Snake Spear. My martial soul is a steel whip, so I will definitely take the path of an assault-type soul master in the future. Uncle Tom told me that my martial soul is a blunt weapon type, suited for overcoming skill with sheer strength. That is why I wanted my first soul ring to be one that boosts strength."

A trace of appreciation flashed through She Long's eyes. To possess such a clear cultivation plan at so young an age was truly rare. No wonder the Grand Worshiper had specifically sent someone to Heaven Dou City to report this child's information to the Young Master.

Snake Spear Douluo had come to take Zhao Ming because he had snatched him away from the Pope Palace.

This was also related to Bibi Dong's failure to fully control Spirit Hall. The current timeline was the fifth year after Bibi Dong became Pope, namely Douluo Calendar year 2636. Tang San was only five this year, while Zhao Ming was one year older than him.

Bibi Dong had only been Pope for five years, and her foundation was unstable. At least half of Spirit Hall's soul masters remained loyal to the Angel lineage, and many refused to submit to her.

That was precisely why, after Zhao Ming awakened with innate full soul power, information about him and the circumstances of his awakening had been prioritized and sent to Qian Daoliu.

Qian Daoliu saw that Zhao Ming had once been saved by an Angel soul master as a child. In addition, Xue Qinghe, whom Qian Renxue was impersonating, had just become the Heaven Dou Crown Prince. He felt that Qian Renxue should be given another helper, so he sent Zhao Ming's information to her.

Qian Renxue also wanted a genius soul master to help her control Heaven Dou Academy, so she immediately sent Snake Spear Douluo to retrieve him.

Snake Spear Douluo did not explain any of this to Zhao Ming. The Young Master would tell him later. At this time, Snake Spear Douluo said nothing more and merely silently increased his flying speed.

The two flew for three full days before finally reaching the edge of Star Dou Forest.

Snake Spear Douluo had already prepared himself to spend some time in Star Dou Forest. Yet just as they stepped into its outer region, a massive Golden Armored Earth Dragon charged straight out from the bushes beside them.

Its entire body was covered in dark golden scales that glittered beneath the sunlight. Its vertical pupils brimmed with savage ferocity, clearly having mistaken the intruders for prey.