Join Spirit Hall, and Marriage to the Saintess and Core Disciple Privileges Are Yours

She had been about to toss the letter aside and return to her other affairs.

But the Rakshasa God Power within her faltered for an instant.

Bibi Dong could sense even the slightest fluctuation out of the ordinary.

She frowned. Nothing like this had happened since she inherited the Rakshasa God's power.

Her gaze returned to the letter.

She unfolded it again and read it word by word.

Then she picked up the Recording Crystal that had arrived with it and infused it with Soul Power.

The image lit up.

An iron vehicle collided with a Heaven-Shaking Divine Bull. A black Spirit Ring appeared.

What caught her attention most were the colors of the two Spirit Rings around the boy.

The instant that black light rose within the image,

the Rakshasa God Power inside Bibi Dong shuddered violently!

Boom!

Purple flames erupted from her body.

The floor of the great hall hummed from the shock!

A stray surge of divine power burned a charred mark into the stone pillar nearest her!

Bibi Dong gripped the armrests with both hands.

She stared at the image in the crystal. Only after it faded did silence gradually return to the hall.

Bibi Dong closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, her gaze was calm.

Yet beneath that calm lay a gravity she had never felt before.

"Investigate!"

She said only one word.

A black-clad attendant emerged from the shadows and knelt on one knee, head bowed. "Your Holiness, what would you have me do?"

"I want to know who he is, where he came from, how much Soul Power he has, and what his Martial Soul is."

"I want to know everything."

"As you command!" The attendant vanished from the hall in a flash.

Bibi Dong sat alone, her gaze resting on the Recording Crystal.

She remained silent for a long time.

Then she spoke abruptly.

"This boy absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring? And he absorbed that Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast as his Third Soul Ring?"

That same night,

the same news spread across the continent, sending ripples outward like a stone dropped into a lake.

At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect,

Ning Fengzhi sat in his study, reading a secret report that had just arrived.

His brows drew together. The shock on his face gave way to an expression too complicated to describe.

He set down the report and turned to the white-haired elder beside him.

The elder was lean, with refined features. He wore white robes and carried an ancient sword on his back.

He was like a peerless blade resting in its sheath, its edge concealed yet somehow impossible to ignore.

He was Sword Douluo Chen Xin, a level ninety-six Titled Douluo whose Martial Soul was the Seven Kill Sword.

"Uncle Chen," Ning Fengzhi asked hoarsely, "could you withstand that collision?"

Sword Douluo said nothing.

He reached up and lightly stroked the hilt of his sword.

After a pause, he answered slowly, "Perhaps not."

Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted.

Sword Douluo's answer crushed the last shred of hope he had held.

Even a level ninety-six Titled Douluo doubted he could withstand that collision.

Just how strong was this boy?

At Heaven Dou Palace,

Emperor Xue Ye summoned his ministers overnight for an emergency council.

Candlelight flickered in the great hall.

Civil and military officials stood in rows on either side, their faces grave and bewildered.

They could not understand why His Majesty had summoned them to confer in the middle of the night.

Emperor Xue Ye sat on the dragon throne, his expression heavy.

Clutching a secret report, he said, "Find this man at any cost."

An uproar swept through the ministers.

"Your Majesty, who is he?"

"Why must we find him? What has he done?"

"Your Majesty, has something serious happened?"

Emperor Xue Ye offered no explanation. He merely repeated his order.

"Find him at any cost! Alive, if possible!"

On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest,

atop the Nameless Mountain Peak,

a disheveled middle-aged man sat at the edge of a cliff, clutching a wine gourd. He tipped his head back and took a long swig.

His clothes were worn, his hair was a mess, and stubble covered his face. He looked like a drunk who had fallen on hard times.

But anyone who looked closely into his eyes would find a sharpness and world-weariness few could match.

He was Tang Hao, a level ninety-five Titled Douluo whose Martial Soul was the Clear Sky Hammer. His title was "Clear Sky."

He, too, had just received news

about the boy driving the Handcart and the three Spirit Rings around him.

Tang Hao took another swig. A bitter yet relieved smile slowly spread across his face.

"One Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and two Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings... Interesting."

He lowered the wine gourd and looked into the distance.

"I'd like to meet this kid."

His solitary figure remained on the mountaintop beneath the moonlight all night.

Three more days passed.

At an exit on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Mountains,

Lu Yuan drove Big Luck out of the forest.

Suddenly, he found a large crowd standing on the official road ahead.

An elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stood at the front, dressed in fine robes and wearing a warm, kindly smile.

Behind him stood more than a dozen elite disciples. Every one of them seemed composed and well-trained, with considerable cultivation.

The Heaven Dou Royal Family's agents stood to the left. There were few of them,

but each looked tough and capable, with eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

Spirit Hall's Soul Masters stood to the right. They were the largest group and had the most imposing presence.

Their leader was a Soul Sage-level deacon with a stern expression.

The three factions had packed the exit of the official road so tightly that no one could pass.

The pressure of several Soul Sages blanketed the area.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

Lu Yuan stepped on the brake, and Big Luck rolled to a stop.

He looked at the crowd ahead, checked that he had taken the right road, then sighed, opened the door, and jumped down.

Rather than approach them, Lu Yuan walked around to the back, opened the Cargo Box, and pulled out a bright red apple.

Crunch.

He took a bite and leaned against the front of the vehicle, chewing.

The crisp sound rang out with startling clarity along the silent road.

All three factions froze. For a moment, none of them knew how to react.

At last, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect elder broke the silence.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled. "Young friend, I am Ning Zhiyuan, an elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I've long heard of you."

"I came today to invite you to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If you agree, we will grant you the position of elder. Rare treasures and cultivation resources will be yours in abundance."

Lu Yuan kept chewing his apple and said nothing.

Seeing this, the leader of the Heaven Dou Royal Family's agents stepped forward as well. "Young man, the Heaven Dou Royal Family offers you an earldom, a thousand miles of land, and untold riches. Serve the empire, and you will want for nothing."

Lu Yuan took another bite of his apple. He still said nothing.

Spirit Hall's Soul Sage deacon gave a cold snort and stepped forward, his face tinged with arrogance.

"Young man, you should know by now how sincere Spirit Hall is!"

"Her Holiness has personally decreed that if you join Spirit Hall, marriage to the Saintess and the privileges of a core disciple are both on the table."

"Countless people would beg for an opportunity like this."