The tavern fell silent for a moment.
Qian Renxue blinked, then made a face at Qian Daochen.
"Bleh."
"I don't believe you."
She waved her hand and turned to leave the tavern.
Sunlight fell upon her golden hair, casting a faint golden glow over her slender figure.
Qian Daochen watched her walk away without stopping her.
The thirty-year deadline had arrived.
Once he returned to Spirit Hall, the girl would naturally learn whether it was true or not.
The Soul Masters in the tavern looked at one another.
A moment later, several of them could not help laughing.
"Boss, at your age, you're still using excuses like this to get close to young girls?"
"Her granduncle? Why not say you're Qian Daoliu's elder brother?"
"A girl that beautiful is hardly someone an ordinary tavern owner can set his sights on."
Qian Daochen could not be bothered with them.
Near the entrance, a scar-faced Soul Master stared in the direction Qian Renxue had left, his gaze filled with lechery.
"That little girl really doesn't know her place."
"Anyone want to come with me and teach her some manners?"
The surrounding Soul Masters' expressions changed slightly.
Someone recognized the scar-faced man.
He was a Level 73 assault-type Soul Sage with quite a vicious reputation near Heaven Dou City.
Several Soul Masters were disgusted, but none dared speak up and offend him.
The scar-faced man called over two companions and strode out of the tavern.
Just as the three crossed the threshold.
A flash of sword light swept through the tavern.
Three heads rolled across the ground.
The scar-faced man's headless body took two more steps before crashing down.
The tavern became deathly silent.
Everyone stared at the three corpses on the ground, their faces drained of color.
A Soul Sage.
Before he could even release his Martial Soul, he had been killed by a single sword strike.
Everyone hurriedly turned toward the wooden table by the window.
The wine cup was still on the table.
But Qian Daochen had already vanished.
The few Soul Masters who had mocked him earlier froze in place, cold sweat seeping from their foreheads.
"The tavern owner..."
"Was he really a hidden master?"
No one could answer.
At that moment, the golden radiance in the sky surged once more.
The countless scrolling comments temporarily disappeared.
Majestic words filled the entire sky.
[The Strongest Ranking review is about to begin.] [The tenth place is about to be announced.]
Across the continent, everyone held their breath.
Whether Soul Master or Soul Beast, all eyes were fixed upon the Heavenly Screen.
The first person to appear on the Strongest Ranking.
Who would it be?
Qian Daochen walked out of Heaven Dou City.
Outside the city, a long wind brushed against his robes. Layer upon layer of mountains rose in the distance, while the golden Heavenly Screen still stretched across the heavens.
He raised his head toward those majestic words, anticipation growing in his eyes.
Douluo Continent had never been as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Limit Douluo were far from the continent's true limit.
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest hid the Silver Dragon King, who had fled from the Divine Realm.
The Far North also held Soul Beasts with astonishing cultivation.
The ocean was vast and boundless. No one could say for certain whether other creatures were hidden within it.
Now that the ranking had descended, those powerful figures who had slumbered for years, even those forgotten by the world, should emerge one after another.
Qian Daochen withdrew his gaze.
"Before returning to Spirit Hall, I'll retrieve my sword first."
That sword had lain dormant there for decades.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Outside the main council hall.
Ning Fengzhi held a scepter in his hand, his white robes fluttering softly in the wind.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong stood on either side of him, both gazing at the Heavenly Screen.
Many disciples within the sect had already gathered in the square.
Everyone was waiting for the tenth-ranked expert to appear.
Ning Fengzhi looked at Chen Xin beside him.
"Uncle Sword, you will surely have a place among the ten greatest peak experts."
"But this tenth place should not be yours."
Chen Xin possessed the Seven Killing Sword Martial Soul, and his Soul Power had reached Level 96.
With his formidable offensive power, he could contend against Titled Douluo of even higher levels.
Gu Rong nodded.
"Though that sword man is irritating to look at, his strength truly isn't weak."
"If he were ranked only tenth, I'd be the first to object."
Chen Xin cast him an indifferent glance.
"Old Bones, you should first consider whether you can make the ranking at all."
Gu Rong snorted.
"If I make the ranking, my position will definitely be above yours."
Ning Fengzhi shook his head helplessly.
These two Titled Douluo had competed for most of their lives. No matter what it was, they had to determine who was superior.
However, in his view, there would basically be no surprises among the top three positions on the continent.
Tang Chen.
Bo Saixi.
Qian Daoliu.
The three Level 99 Limit Douluo had long stood at the pinnacle of human Soul Masters.
Chen Xin stood with his hands behind his back, confidence written across his face.
"There are countless powerful experts in the world."
"Whether I can enter the top ten is still difficult to say."
As he spoke, a figure in white appeared in his mind.
That was a senior swordsman he had encountered in his youth.
The other man had used only a tree branch to break his Seven Killing Sword.
Only after that battle did Chen Xin understand that the path of the sword was far more vast than he had imagined.
"If that senior is still alive..."
"Even Tang Chen, Bo Saixi, and Qian Daoliu might not be able to defeat him."
Ning Fengzhi's expression shifted slightly.
This was the first time he had heard of someone Chen Xin held in such high esteem.
The Heavenly Screen's radiance flowed.
The three did not continue speaking and patiently awaited the ranking's announcement.
Clear Sky Sect.
Atop a mountain shrouded in clouds and mist, Tang Xiao led a group of elders standing in the sect square.
A large number of Clear Sky Sect disciples gathered around them, their faces filled with anticipation.
When it came to powerful experts in the world, Clear Sky Sect would not lose to any force.
Tang Xiao himself was a Level 97 Titled Douluo.
Several elders also possessed the cultivation of Titled Douluo.
More importantly, Clear Sky Sect had Tang Chen, their old ancestor.
The Seventh Elder was the first to speak.
"The old ancestor will surely rank first!"
"The Sect Master also has a chance to make the ranking."
"This time, perhaps more than one person from Clear Sky Sect will be ranked."
The other elders nodded one after another.
Ever since Tang Hao had offended Spirit Hall and the sect had been forced to seal its gates, Clear Sky Sect's prestige had greatly declined.
Though they did not say it aloud, they had always held back their resentment.
Now that the Strongest Ranking had descended, it was precisely Clear Sky Sect's chance to regain its fame.
Tang Xiao raised his head toward the Heavenly Screen.
"The Heavenly Dao's rewards can further increase the strength of those on the ranking."
"As long as the old ancestor obtains the first-place reward, Clear Sky Sect will no longer need to remain hidden."
A fiery light rose in the Seventh Elder's eyes.
"The number one sect in the world should have commanded the continent's Soul Masters from the start."
"If Spirit Hall can hold that position, why can't Clear Sky Sect?"
The disciples' blood boiled as they listened.
They had already begun looking forward to the day Clear Sky Sect returned to the continent.
Shrek Academy.
Everyone gathered in the center of the training field.
Ma Hongjun craned his neck, wishing he could immediately see the name on the Heavenly Screen.
"Who exactly will be the tenth on the Supreme Ranking? Which Titled Douluo?"
Oscar rubbed his chin.
"Could it be Spirit Hall's Angel Douluo?"
Dai Mubai shook his head.
"Qian Daoliu is a Level 99 Limit Douluo."
"Even if he ranks last among the three great Limit Douluo, he couldn't possibly be only tenth."
Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back and snorted.
"Angel Douluo?"
"How is he worthy of being called the foremost of the three great Limit Douluo?"
Everyone immediately turned to look at him.
Tang San asked seriously, "Teacher, have you already guessed who tenth place is?"
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