The next morning was the agreed departure time. However, on the final night before setting out, Li Xuansheng sat alone in his room, his consciousness sinking into the system interface.
[Current Summoning Points: 400.] [Summoning Level: Level 1 (0/5). Can summon a level 91–94 Titled Douluo. Cost: 150 Summoning Points per attempt.] [Proceed with summoning?]
Looking at the data on the screen, Li Xuansheng silently said, "System, use 150 Summoning Points to summon!"
As 150 Summoning Points were deducted, the system interface flared brightly, and an illusory roulette wheel began spinning at high speed.
[Ding! Summoning successful!] [Congratulations, Host. You have successfully summoned a level 94 Titled Douluo—She Long!] [Identity rationalization in progress... Implanting relevant memory fragments...] [Rationalization complete: He is a descendant of a branch of the Li Family that was scattered abroad. His ancestor was forced to leave Heavenly Phoenix City during the family unrest a century ago in order to protect a family treasure. For many years, they concealed their identities and secretly amassed strength. Now, having sensed the crisis facing the main family, he has returned with his cultivation to acknowledge his ancestors and rejoin the clan! Relevant memories have been vaguely implanted into the awareness of the current principal family members.] [Ding! Detected that the Host possesses one free forced renaming/bloodline addition opportunity. Use it on summoned character 'She Long'?]
She Long? Wasn't that the Snake Lance Douluo from Spirit Hall in Douluo 1? He had not expected it to be him. Although his performance in Douluo 1 had been rather underwhelming, he was still a level 94 Titled Douluo, only one step away from becoming a Super Douluo.
"Use it! Add the Li Bloodline to him, and rename him Li She Long!" Li Xuansheng ordered without hesitation.
[Command confirmed! Bloodline successfully added! Name successfully changed!]
The instant the system notification fell silent, Li Xuansheng sensed a powerful aura approaching from afar at tremendous speed, racing toward the Li Family residence. That aura carried a cold, sinister sharpness, yet also a trace of bloodline resonance that felt familiar to him.
Just as everyone was discussing the matter excitedly, a family guard hurried in to report, "Patriarch! An old man outside the residence requests an audience. He claims... claims to be a descendant of a branch of our Li Family that was lost outside, named Li She Long. He has come specifically to return to the clan!"
"Let's go take a look together!" Li Yuanhui immediately rose to his feet and led everyone outside.
Before the residence gates stood a tall, lean old man. His face was gloomy, but his eyes shone brightly. Upon seeing Li Yuanhui and the others, he immediately dropped to one knee, his voice hoarse yet unable to conceal his excitement.
"This unworthy descendant, Li She Long, greets the Patriarch! My ancestor, Li Qingyuan, was entrusted by the family to leave in order to protect its treasure! For a hundred years, my Qingyuan Lineage has wandered afar, never daring to forget our roots for even a single day! Now that I sense the main family is in peril, I have returned with my meager cultivation and the treasure, wishing to reenter the family register and die for the clan. I beg the Patriarch to accept me!"
Almost at the same time, Li Yuanhui, Li Tiancheng, Li Tianji, and even Chen Jianjun all froze slightly. It was as though sealed memories had been stirred within their minds, and vague fragments surfaced—of the internal strife a century ago, of the tragic figure of a family member leaving with the treasure, and of records in the family archives vaguely mentioning that "descendants may yet survive."
"This aura... it feels so familiar... It is the pure bloodline resonance of our Li Family!" Astonishment appeared on Li Yuanhui's face. He exchanged glances with the two elders and saw realization and excitement in their eyes. "So he truly is... the descendant of that ancestor recorded in the archives?"
"It must be so!" Li Tianji clapped his hands. "The family records were vague, but bloodline cannot lie! For him to return at this moment, he must have sensed the family's danger. He is truly the descendant of loyal and righteous people!"
His words perfectly matched the hazy memories that had just surfaced in Li Yuanhui and the others' minds. Combined with the pure and powerful Li Family bloodline resonance, they instantly dispelled everyone's last trace of doubt.
Li Yuanhui strode forward and personally helped him up, his voice filled with emotion and excitement. "Elder She Long, please rise! Our Li Family has never dared forget our ancestor's loyalty and righteousness! Your return in this time of crisis does not make you unworthy. You are the descendant of loyal martyrs, bringing glory to our family! From today onward, you are an elder of the Li Family, and together we shall protect the clan!"
He took the box. A mechanism lock sat atop it, one that required bloodline to open. Li Yuanhui paused, then squeezed out several drops of blood essence and let them fall onto it. With a clang, the mechanism lock opened. Inside was an orb, its patterns magnificent as though naturally formed. The energy fluctuations it emitted moved even Li Yuanhui. This was...? As he pondered it—
"This is the Phoenix Orb that vanished from our Li Family a century ago. It was once held by the Patriarch. Within it is the blood essence origin of a God Rank phoenix. Our Li Family's Sky Phoenix Halberd was originally merely an ordinary halberd. It was only after generations of nourishment from the phoenix origin and blood essence that it became the Sky Phoenix Halberd. Had it not been lost a century ago, after absorbing it for the past hundred years, our Li Family's Sky Phoenix Halberd should have become the Divine Phoenix Halberd, ranking among the continent's finest weapon spirits."
While Li Yuanhui was still deep in thought, Chen Jianjun, whose memories had been bestowed by the system, revealed the orb's origin.
"What? It is this treasure? I saw records of it in the family archives, but I had never seen it before. Back then, the old Patriarch merely said that this treasure had been lost. He also warned me that the orb possessed a spirit. If it was fated, it would return one day. If not, there was no need to force it. Our Li Family should strive constantly to grow stronger, and our chance at greatness would come naturally. I never imagined that it would truly return to the family now." Li Yuanhui was filled with emotion.
"The old Patriarch truly possessed great vision and magnanimity," Li She Long said with deep admiration.
"System, what is going on with this Phoenix Orb? Why did another treasure suddenly appear?"
Watching events unfold in a somewhat strange direction, Li Xuansheng questioned the system.
"Host, this is a huge loss. Your family really did experience such an event a hundred years ago. At the time, a branch truly did leave to safeguard a treasure, but they have all since died. The treasure really was an orb-type item, but it was only an ordinary jewel: the tree heart, or inner core, of a three-hundred-thousand-year-old Heavenly Phoenix Tree. Its energy had long been exhausted and dissipated."
"So that was what happened. But then how did it become a Phoenix Orb?"
Hearing this, Li Xuansheng suddenly understood, but confusion immediately filled his face once more.
"Because that setting was borrowed when She Long's identity was established. Now that he has been chosen to return to the family, an identical orb-type treasure had to be arranged. Among the orb-type treasures in the system that suited the Li Family's circumstances, only this Phoenix Orb was appropriate. Summoning this orb from the shop costs as much as summoning a second-level god. That is why this is such a huge loss."
Even the system's voice was full of resentment. Naturally, Li Xuansheng was immensely satisfied.
The arrival of a level 94 Titled Douluo, returning in such a "reasonable" manner and even bringing back the Li Family's Phoenix Orb—yes, that was right, the Li Family's original Phoenix Orb—filled Li Xuansheng with joy and lifted the spirits of the entire Li Family! This meant that even if Elder Li Tianji led the team away tomorrow, Li Yuanhui, Chen Jianjun, and Li She Long would still remain to guard the family as three top-tier powerhouses, greatly increasing its safety!
The next morning, daylight had only just begun to break.
Before the Li Family residence gates, the group had already assembled.
At the front stood Dongyue Qingxuan, the third elder of the Dongyue Clan. He wore a green robe, and his aura was as steady as an abyss and as imposing as a mountain. Beside him stood Li Tianji, an elder of the Li Family, his expression solemn.
Behind them were the younger family members who needed to obtain soul rings and would be undergoing training along the way. Li Xuansheng, Li Xuanbei, Dongyue Ling, Dongyue Xuejian, Dongyue Yu, and more than ten others were all present.
Li Yuanhui, Chen Jianjun, and the newly returned Li She Long stood before the residence gates to see them off.
"Elder Qingxuan, Tianji, these children are in your care," Li Yuanhui said solemnly, cupping his hands.
Dongyue Qingxuan nodded slightly. "Patriarch Li, rest assured."
"Set out!"
At Dongyue Qingxuan's command, the group of more than twenty people departed Heavenly Phoenix City in grand procession under the leadership of the two Titled Douluo, Dongyue Qingxuan and Li Tianji, heading east toward the vast and boundless Azure Jade Forest.
After leaving Heavenly Phoenix City, the group traveled eastward, passing through three small cities belonging to different minor and mid-sized factions. The two Titled Douluo made no effort to conceal their auras, drawing the attention of every faction along the way. The joint banners of the Li and Dongyue families fluttered in the wind, proclaiming their strength.
They encountered several groups of foolish bandits along the way, but all became whetstones for the disciples of the two families. Li Xuansheng and Dongyue Ling cooperated with increasing tacit understanding. Li Xuanbei used the Book of Nature to assist and control the battlefield, while Dongyue Yu's sound waves harassed their enemies. Even Dongyue Xuejian used her Heavenly Heart Ring to launch simple attacks, gaining valuable practical combat experience.
After traveling day and night for more than twenty days, the boundless forest stretching beyond sight, radiating immense life force and ancient pressure, finally came into view—Azure Jade Forest!
Even at its edge, they could feel both the vitality and danger within. Towering ancient trees stood everywhere, many of their trunks and branches displaying a warm jade-green luster. Azure Jade Forest truly lived up to its name.
Dongyue Qingxuan selected an open stretch of higher ground near a water source and ordered the group to set up camp and rest.
That night, beside the campfire.
The two Titled Douluo sat at the center, while Li Xuansheng gathered those who needed soul rings to make plans.
"First, let us clarify everyone's goals," Li Xuansheng said. "Cousin Xuanbei and I both need our fifth soul rings, with cultivation ages between twelve thousand and fifteen thousand years."
He looked at Li Xuanbei. "Brother Xuanbei, your Book of Nature leans toward control and support. It would be best to find plant-type soul beasts with elemental control or domain-type abilities, or beast-type soul beasts possessing similar talents. Azure Spirit Trees, Wind Spirit Foxes, Rock-Earth Tortoises, Water-Ring Snakes, and Prismatic Deer in Azure Jade Forest would all be ideal matches."
Li Xuanbei nodded. "Indeed. Those with natural attributes would have a high degree of compatibility."
Then Li Xuansheng spoke of his own needs, his tone firm. "My Divine Phoenix Halberd specializes in ultimate offense and destruction. Therefore, for my fifth soul ring, my first choice must possess extreme sharpness and piercing properties, capable of greatly enhancing the destructive power of the halberd blade. If it also has lightning attributes, that would be even better. The speed and explosive force of lightning can complement the flames of the Divine Phoenix, multiplying its power! Second, a top-tier soul beast with phoenix bloodline would certainly be able to trigger the origin of my martial soul through its soul ring, bringing about a qualitative leap!"
Several ideal soul beasts appeared in his mind: the Thunderwing Swordfeather Eagle, peerless in attack with sword-like wings; the Violet Lightning Phoenix-Billed Crow, which controlled destructive lightning; and even the Blazing Azure Luan, with its thin phoenix bloodline and violent temperament. All were top-tier choices that could greatly enhance his offensive power.
Finally, Dongyue Qingxuan stated the goal: "Xuejian needs her third soul ring, with a target cultivation age of around one thousand seven hundred years. Your Heavenly Heart Ring leans toward offense and control, so you may consider soul beasts with mental interference or attack-enhancing abilities. Heavenheart Foxes, Radiant Butterflies, Jade Spirits, and the like are all excellent choices."
There was also Dongyue Lin of the Dongyue Clan, a fourteen-year-old chubby boy with the mutated martial soul Glazed Ring, a level 40 support-type Soul Elder.
"And A-Lin, whose martial soul is the Glazed Ring, is a support-type tool soul master. He needs a soul beast between three thousand and five thousand years old. Support types can likewise consider Azure Jade Trees, Illusory King Flowers, Swift Monkeys, Rock-Armored Tortoises, and so on, to increase defense, speed, or recovery."
Dongyue Qingxuan added information about the distribution and traits of common soul beasts in the outer regions of Azure Jade Forest. Everyone then discussed coordination tactics until late into the night.
Gazing at the flickering campfire, Li Xuansheng's eyes were as sharp as halberds. Azure Jade Forest, I will return with the strongest offensive soul ring!
(End of Chapter Five)
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