Three Great Powers Gather in Linhe City!

The news had leaked out through a recording crystal merchant in Linhe City.

In this era, what was the most valuable thing?

Not soul tools, nor rare medicinal herbs.

It was intelligence, gossip capable of overturning everything people thought they knew.

A crystal containing footage of the Sky Abyss Academy preliminaries had been driven up to the astronomical price of thirty gold soul coins on the black market.

That price was enough for an ordinary family of three to live comfortably for two months.

Buyers came from all three great empires.

Shrek Academy's residence.

Flender had gritted his teeth and paid for the crystal himself.

At that moment, the crystal floated above the conference table, fully projecting Su Chen's earth-shattering performance onto the wall.

Seven people stood in the room.

The Shrek Seven Devils were all present.

A deathly silence filled the room.

On the screen, the Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear crashed down. The hard stone tiles shattered like a spiderweb, and even the projected light shook violently.

Next came the Nether Shadow Leopards, the Purple Lightning Thunder Eagles, and the massive Black Tortoises.

Ten.

Another ten.

Then another ten.

Ma Hongjun's lips trembled as he became the first to break the suffocating silence.

"...Is that fucking martial soul? Isn't that a damn moving company? What kind of martial soul comes with a whole soul beast zoo?"

No one could laugh.

Oscar's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He stared at the ten Purple Lightning Thunder Eagles circling on the screen, his voice dry.

"One Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Eagle would be enough to make a Soul Venerable fight with everything they had."

"Ten of them..."

"Enough."

Tang San's voice was soft, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

Everyone fell silent.

He walked to the wall and pointed at the figure surrounded by countless beasts.

The gray-robed youth stood at the center of the storm with his hands tucked into his sleeves, and there was even a trace of... boredom on his face.

"Look at his positioning."

Dai Mubai frowned and leaned closer. "What's wrong with it?"

"From beginning to end, he didn't move a single step."

Tang San's finger swept across the projection, tracing the movement paths of those terrifying soul beasts.

"The Fearclaw Bears advanced in a fan-shaped formation at the front. The Shadow Leopards cut off both flanks. The Thunder Eagles sealed the skies. The Black Tortoises guarded him at close range."

"This wasn't a chaotic fight."

"This was a military formation."

"He was... commanding an army."

Grandmaster, who had remained silent all this time, stood in the shadows of the corner with his arms folded across his chest. His expression was terrifyingly grim.

"I've studied martial soul theory for thirty years."

His voice was low, as though he were speaking to himself, yet also passing judgment on his own system of theories.

"The Martial Soul Encyclopedia contains twelve thousand three hundred and seventy-one martial souls. I can recite the classification and attributes of every one of them."

"But the Supreme Summoner—"

He paused.

"There is no such thing in my theories."

Tang San turned around, his gaze blazing. "Teacher, his weakness."

Grandmaster raised his eyes to look at him.

"He must have a weakness." Tang San's tone was frighteningly calm, as though he were stating an unquestionable truth. "Maintaining forty Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in this world simultaneously must consume an astronomical amount of soul power. None of his three matches lasted more than twenty seconds. He was deliberately avoiding prolonged battles."

The clouded look in Grandmaster's eyes instantly brightened.

He stared at Tang San as though he had seen the only ray of light in the darkness. He lunged toward the table, grabbed pen and paper, and began calculating frantically.

"Soul power consumption... Right! If every summon requires him to continuously supply soul power, then his maximum duration..."

Grandmaster pressed too hard with his pen, punching a hole straight through the paper.

"Based on the soul power reserves of a four-ring Soul Ancestor, forty Ten-Thousand-Year-Class Soul Beasts... the theoretical limit at full output cannot exceed three minutes!"

"Three minutes." Tang San repeated the number as though savoring the moment of his prey's death.

He looked at Xiao Wu, then at the others.

"Hold him down."

"My Blue Silver Grass will control the field. Xiao Wu's charm and Waist Bow will follow up with a control chain. Fatty's Phoenix Flame Wall will divide the battlefield, while Zhu Qing restrains him from the flank."

"Drag the battle out to five minutes."

Ning Rongrong raised her hand, her face full of worry. "But... what if he doesn't drag it out with us? What if he sends all forty soul beasts charging at us from the start and finishes us in twenty seconds?"

Tang San fell silent.

That was what worried him most as well.

Heaven Dou Imperial Capital, Spirit Hall branch.

Crack!

The white jade teacup before Bibi Dong turned into a pile of powder.

Scalding tea soaked half the intelligence report on the table, yet the two Titled Douluo beside her, Gui Mei and Yue Guan, did not even dare to breathe loudly.

They had followed the Pope for decades, yet they had never seen her lose control like this.

"Supreme Summoner."

Bibi Dong picked up the soaked report. Her fingertips did not tremble in the slightest as she read the records aloud word by word.

"Four Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, forty Ten-Thousand-Year summons, three consecutive victories in the preliminaries, no one able to withstand even a single move."

She set down the report, and her voice had regained its detached calm.

Yet this calm was more chilling to the bone than any anger.

"Investigate."

"Investigate his origins, his teacher, and the background of every person around him. Dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find everything out."

Gui Mei's figure merged into the shadows as he accepted the order and prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Bibi Dong stopped him.

"Where is Qian Renxue?"

"The young mistress... is cultivating in the inner hall."

"Have her come see me."

Three minutes later, Qian Renxue pushed open the door and entered.

She wore a simple white gown, her face cold as ice. Though she was only sixteen, her composed bearing far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"Mother..." Her lips moved before she swiftly corrected herself. "Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong looked at this most perfect creation of hers. Her gaze contained scrutiny, pride, and a complexity no one could understand.

"In this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, you will participate as a representative of Spirit Hall Academy."

Qian Renxue did not ask why.

She asked only one word.

"Who?"

"Su Chen. Sky Abyss Academy."

Bibi Dong rose to her feet and walked to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside, the countless lights of the Heaven Dou Imperial Capital reflected in her golden eyes like a dense field of chess pieces.

"Go test his limits first. If he is willing to serve Spirit Hall, promise him... anything he can think of."

"And if he isn't willing?" Qian Renxue's voice remained level.

Bibi Dong did not turn around. All she gave her was the back of a sovereign who ruled over the world.

"Then make him disappear."

"A man capable of summoning an army, if he cannot be used by me, cannot be used by anyone."

Qian Renxue lowered her eyes, bowed, and silently withdrew from the hall.

In the corridor, her footsteps rang out crisp and even.

Her fingertips lightly rubbed the token at her waist, the symbol of Spirit Hall's highest authority.

A person capable of summoning forty Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

She suddenly wanted to see him.

What kind of world was reflected in that person's eyes?

Heaven Dou Empire Imperial Palace, royal study.

Prince Xue Beng knelt on one knee and presented a sealed intelligence report marked with three wax seals.

"Your Majesty, I believe this person..."

"I'll speak after I read it."

Xue Qinghe opened the report. His gaze swept over fewer than ten lines before his fingers stopped.

He raised his head and looked sharply at Xue Beng.

"Forty Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts?"

"Absolutely true. Three thousand spectators in Linhe City witnessed it firsthand, and recording crystals have already entered circulation on the black market."

Xue Qinghe closed the report, leaned back against the dragon throne, and shut his eyes in thought for a long while.

"Where is he now?"

"At an inn in Linhe City. He has six companions, all youths. There isn't a single adult soul master guarding them."

"A group of children..." Xue Qinghe opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting into a meaningful curve. "Xue Beng, do you think I should recruit him or eliminate him?"

"I believe we should act with thunderous force—"

"I was asking a rhetorical question."

Xue Qinghe stood and walked to the enormous map of Douluo Continent. His finger pressed heavily onto Linhe City.

"Can you even eliminate someone like that?"

"Forty Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Who would you send? A Titled Douluo? An entire legion?"

Cold sweat formed on Xue Beng's forehead, and he immediately fell silent.

"Convey my decree."

Xue Qinghe turned around, the hem of his dragon robe sweeping a majestic arc across the floor.

"In the name of the Heaven Dou Imperial House, invite all members of Sky Abyss Academy to the imperial capital to watch the matches."

"The reception standard—"

"Equivalent to that of a prince."

Linhe City, Drunken Immortal Tower Inn.

Su Chen sneezed.

"Someone's talking about me."

He lowered his head and looked at Iron Wall, who was lying at his feet and rubbing its enormous head against his knee.

The notorious Dark Golden Terrorclaw Bear had shrunk to the height of a person. Like a spoiled golden retriever, it rubbed against him until his entire pant leg was covered in fine golden fur.

"Enough rubbing. I only have two pairs of pants to change into."

"Roar..." Iron Wall gave an unhappy grunt and rubbed against him even harder.

In the corner, the smallest Fearclaw Bear cub, Little Gold, chased its own tail in circles and accidentally swept the teapot off the table with one paw.

"Su Chen!"

Chu Yao poked her head out from the next room. "Someone delivered an invitation downstairs just now."

"From whom?"

"The Heaven Dou Empire Imperial House." Chu Yao waved the lavish gold-embossed invitation in her hand. "They're inviting us to the imperial capital with reception standards equal to those of a prince."

Su Chen took the invitation, flipped through it casually, and tossed it onto the table.

"What else?"

Chu Yao froze for a moment before taking out two more letters.

"One from Spirit Hall, and one from the Star Luo Empire."

Su Chen leaned back in his chair, clasped his hands behind his head, and looked at the ceiling.

Three invitations.

Three great powers.

All arriving on the same day.

He suddenly smiled.

"This is getting more interesting."

He stacked the three invitations together and casually pressed them beneath the teapot.

Then he bent down and forcefully pushed Iron Wall's furry head off his knee.

"Behave yourself. The semifinals are tomorrow."

Iron Wall let out a dissatisfied low growl.

Su Chen patted its head.

His gaze passed through the window toward the brightly lit distance.

That was where Shrek Academy's camp was located.

"Don't worry."

"Not one of those who should come will get away."

Outside the window, the night wind suddenly turned several degrees colder.

At the end of Linhe City's post road, an inconspicuous black carriage slowly entered the city gates.

The carriage curtain was lifted by the wind at one corner.

A sleeve of pristine white, along with a token engraved with the Six-Winged Angel emblem, flashed into view.

Qian Renxue.

She had arrived.