The Prestige of a Soul Saint

By the time they returned to Suotuo City, dawn had broken.

The Shrek group was covered in dust and dirt, as though they had rolled through the mud. Oscar kept grinning foolishly over his new Soul Ring, and Ma Hongjun found that grin so irritating he nearly kicked him several times.

Zhao Wuji walked at the rear, carrying two Ghost Face Society Evil Soul Masters bound up like rice dumplings over his shoulder.

Bai Jin walked slowest.

His face was still somewhat pale, but his mouth had not stopped moving.

"Oscar, your treat."

Oscar stared. "Why me?"

"You got a Soul Ring."

"I wasn't the only one who got something out of it."

"Exactly. So we'll all eat."

Oscar: "..."

The logic flowed smoothly.

Too smoothly to argue with.

Zhao Wuji snorted. "You still have an appetite, brat? If your life hadn't been so stubborn, we'd be burning paper offerings for you right now."

Bai Jin corrected him solemnly. "I'm not dead. That's bad luck."

"So you do know what bad luck is?"

"Of course. I'm particular about these things."

Zhao Wuji couldn't be bothered with him.

Once they entered the city, Spirit Hall's team was already waiting at the outpost.

Luo Wenshan saw the blood on Bai Jin and his expression changed.

"Captain!"

Wen Qimo froze too. "Who hurt you this badly?"

"A monkey," Bai Jin said casually.

Everyone fell silent.

Wu Xiangnan looked at Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji's expression was complicated. "A Titan Giant Ape."

Spirit Hall's team went utterly quiet.

After a long while, Luo Wenshan cautiously asked, "Captain, did you... escape from it?"

Ma Hongjun immediately perked up.

"Escape? Brother Bai drove it back!"

That didn't feel like enough, so he gestured as well.

"It was this huge. Boom! And it backed off!"

Luo Wenshan looked at Bai Jin.

Bai Jin waved a hand.

"Keep it low-key."

Wen Qimo's mouth twitched.

If you really wanted to keep it low-key, you wouldn't be standing in the doorway waiting for praise.

News spread quickly.

Not to ordinary people.

It traveled through Spirit Hall's confidential channels to Heaven Dou City, Spirit City, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Spirit City, the Worship Hall.

Qian Daoliu read the confidential report and remained silent for a long time.

Golden Crocodile Douluo stood beside him, brow tightly furrowed. "A level-seventy-three Soul Saint drove back a Titan Giant Ape head-on. That child's Six Eyes are even more frightening than we thought."

Qian Daoliu set down the letter.

"He isn't frightening."

"Then what is he?"

"Someone common sense cannot constrain."

The Worship Hall fell quiet.

Qian Daoliu gazed outside, his eyes distant. If someone like Bai Jin took one wrong step, he would be more dangerous than many Evil Soul Masters. But if he stood with Spirit Hall, he would be a blade capable of changing the course of battle.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

When Ning Fengzhi received the news, he was playing chess with Chen Xin and Gu Rong.

His chess piece was halfway to the board when he suddenly smiled.

Gu Rong raised an eyebrow. "What's that brat done now?"

Ning Fengzhi passed him the letter.

After reading it, a flicker of Sword Intent stirred in Chen Xin's eyes.

"A Soul Saint drove back a Titan Giant Ape."

Gu Rong grinned. "No wonder that brat dared fight me for a drink."

Ning Fengzhi smiled gently.

"It won't hurt Rongrong to face some hardship at his side."

Chen Xin looked out the window. "Hardship is fine. Injury is not."

Gu Rong nodded at once. "Right. If Rongrong loses so much as one hair, I'll settle accounts with Bai Jin."

Ning Fengzhi did not call them out.

The two Titled Douluo sounded fierce, but if they actually saw Bai Jin, they would probably first ask how he had pulled off that move.

That night, at the Crown Prince's Mansion in Heaven Dou City.

Qian Renxue sat behind her desk under the identity of Xue Qinghe, holding a secret report.

Snake Lance Douluo stood in the shadows, his expression unusually grave.

"Your Highness, Bai Jin drove back a Titan Giant Ape head-on in the Star Dou Great Forest."

Qian Renxue did not speak at once.

She read the report again.

A level-seventy-three Soul Saint.

He had driven back a Titan Giant Ape head-on.

Even if he had only forced it to retreat, that was enough to shake the entire Soul Master World.

Porcupinefish Douluo couldn't help saying, "That brat is looking less and less human."

Qian Renxue looked up at him.

Porcupinefish Douluo immediately coughed. "I meant it as praise."

Qian Renxue suddenly smiled.

It was a faint smile.

"He was always strong."

Her tone was calm, but it carried a hint of pride she could not quite hide.

Snake Lance Douluo noticed but said nothing.

Bai Jin held a special place in Spirit Hall.

Not because he was obedient.

Quite the opposite. He was far too disobedient.

But the strong had the right to be less obedient.

Especially a twenty-one-year-old Soul Saint who dared stand in a Titan Giant Ape's path.

Qian Renxue picked up her pen and wrote a reply.

"Tell him not to push himself too hard."

After writing that, she paused, then added another line.

"And come to Heaven Dou City as soon as possible."

Porcupinefish Douluo asked, "What does Your Highness need him to do?"

Qian Renxue looked out the window.

"If the Ghost Face Society dares go after Tang San and Shrek, Heaven Dou City can't be clean either."

Her voice was mild.

"He has nothing better to do anyway."

Snake Lance Douluo thought that if Bai Jin heard that, he would probably say he was very busy—busy eating, sleeping, and basking in the sun.

Suotuo City.

When Bai Jin received the letter, Ye Fan was in the middle of berating him from afar.

"You bastard! You dared take on a Titan Giant Ape head-on? Why didn't you just fly into the sky?"

"I did."

"What?"

"I flew pretty high just now."

The other end of the call went silent.

Then came an even louder roar.

Bai Jin held his earpiece farther away, looking perfectly at ease.

The Shrek group sat nearby eating, each pretending not to hear.

Ning Rongrong looked at Bai Jin and suddenly asked, "Does it really not hurt?"

Bai Jin looked down and picked up some food with his chopsticks.

"Of course it hurts."

"Then why are you still smiling?"

"Should I cry instead?"

Ning Rongrong had no answer.

Bai Jin placed a piece of pork rib in her bowl.

"Little princess, everyone in the Soul Master trade gets hurt. The difference is that some people retreat when it hurts, while others keep moving forward."

Tang San paused slightly.

As if he hadn't noticed, Bai Jin continued, "You all did well today."

Everyone looked up.

Bai Jin rarely praised anyone seriously.

"Mubai didn't retreat, Little Zhu moved in quickly enough, Oscar absorbed his Soul Ring steadily, Fatty kept his fire under control, Xiao Wu reacted fast, and Rongrong kept her boosts going."

Then he looked at Tang San.

"Tang San."

"Yes."

"You used Blue Silver Grass better than you did yesterday."

Something stirred in Tang San's heart.

"Thank you, Senior."

Bai Jin waved a hand.

"Don't thank me. Extra training tomorrow."

Everyone: "..."

The warm moment had not lasted long after all.

But this time, no one complained.

They had seen what the true pinnacle looked like.

And at last they knew how far they were from it.

After dinner, Bai Jin opened Qian Renxue's letter.

When he saw the words "come to Heaven Dou City as soon as possible," he smiled and wrote on the back:

"Got it, little Crown Prince."

After some thought, he added another line.

"Don't worry. I'll bring a whole group of even littler kids along."

He folded the letter and looked out the window.

The night in Suotuo City was quiet.

But he knew Heaven Dou City was no longer quiet.

Good.

The more people there were, the more fun things got.

Meanwhile, in the underground interrogation room of Spirit Hall's Suotuo City outpost, the two Ghost Face Society Evil Soul Masters had already woken.

Soul-Locking Chains bound them to iron chairs. The Ghost Mask markings on their faces flickered beneath the suppression of Reverse Cursed Technique, like black snakes pinned in place.

Luo Wenshan handled the interrogation.

He was usually a man of few words, but once he sat at the interrogation table, his composure was frightening.

"How many Ghost Face Society members are in Heaven Dou City?"

The Evil Soul Master refused to answer.

Wen Qimo stood beside him and gently pushed up his glasses.

"That's fine. The captain said he'll ask you himself when he gets back."

The Evil Soul Master's expression changed instantly.

Luo Wenshan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly felt this worked better than any punishment.

Bai Jin himself wasn't here.

But the mere mention of Bai Jin was enough to frighten people.

Half an hour later, the first confession was sent out.

The Ghost Face Society did have a base in Heaven Dou City.

And Tang San wasn't the only one they were after.

They were also targeting His Highness the Crown Prince, who had already secured his position in Heaven Dou City.

Luo Wenshan read the confession and remained silent for a long time.

Wen Qimo asked, "Should we tell the captain right away?"

"No need."

Luo Wenshan sealed the confession.

"The captain has probably already guessed."

Wen Qimo thought about it and found that entirely plausible.

Bai Jin usually seemed carefree, but those eyes of his were calmer than anyone's. It wasn't that he didn't know what was going on; he simply didn't want to waste time explaining.

"Then what do we do?"

Luo Wenshan looked up, his voice steady.

"Clean up."

"The captain's going to Heaven Dou City to flip the table right in their faces. The least we can do is strip every leg off the table here in Soto."

Wen Qimo smiled.

"That sounds like something one of his people would say."

Luo Wenshan didn't deny it.

Everyone on the special squad carried a trace of Bai Jin in them.