Phainon's Martial Souls! The Unluckiest Black Swan vs. Di Tian (3K)

Everyone stared at Stellaron Sprite, eyes widening. Nothing so outrageous had ever appeared among the Martial Souls in Douluo Continent's history.

Qian Renxue widened her eyes too, then steadied herself. "Let's test your Innate Soul Power next."

She had Stellaron Sprite place her hand on the crystal ball.

The next instant,

Stellaron Sprite had barely touched it when the crystal ball blazed with light.

Her Innate Soul Power filled it to overflowing.

Qian Renxue stared in shock.

"Level ten Innate Soul Power. That's Innate Full Soul Power."

Even Phainon was astonished. "Not bad, partner!"

As expected of Stellaron Sprite—she had a solid foundation!

Stellaron Sprite chuckled.

She had barely finished laughing when the crystal ball failed to withstand the power and exploded into shards.

Huh?

Was this some kind of scam?

Stellaron Sprite jumped. That crystal ball had looked expensive.

She asked meekly, "I'm not going to have to pay for that, am I?"

How many trash cans would she have to rummage through to cover it?

Qian Renxue, meanwhile, was stunned.

She had seen this happen before—when she herself tested at level twenty Innate Soul Power!

She hadn't expected Stellaron Sprite to be the same.

Qian Renxue said, "This isn't about paying for it. Your Innate Soul Power exceeds Innate Full Soul Power."

Hearing she wouldn't have to pay, Stellaron Sprite relaxed at once.

She asked, puzzled, "Is that impressive?"

Wang Dong explained, "Normally, Innate Soul Power tops out at level ten. Only a Divine-Given Soul Ring can let someone break through to level twenty. That's beyond the limits of the rules."

Stellaron Sprite rubbed her nose and grinned. "Rules are made to be broken."

Phainon: ...

She really pulled that off!

As expected of little Stellaron Sprite, every now and then she'd come out with a line that sounded absurdly cool.

It was such a contrast with her usual cheeky self!

Everyone else couldn't help thinking: As expected of someone from beyond the skies, a powerhouse who had fought Iron Tomb!

Perhaps even level twenty Soul Power was too low for her!

It was only Douluo Continent's limitations holding her back!

Now everyone's gaze turned to Phainon.

They were eager to learn what Martial Souls Phainon, the melancholic version of the top-ranked savior who had faced Iron Curtain, would awaken.

Qian Renxue was excited too, and personally helped Phainon with his awakening.

The next instant,

A clear sword cry rang out.

An all-too-familiar longsword appeared before them!

It was Dawn, which had accompanied Phainon through more than thirty million lifetimes!

Seeing his old companion take form this way, Phainon found it fascinating.

He gripped Dawn's hilt and felt a new connection between them.

"I didn't expect Douluo Continent's laws to have their interesting side."

Phainon didn't think Douluo Continent's system of power was particularly strong.

But it seemed to have something worthwhile after all.

Phainon had decided to take it easy, but that didn't mean he had no interest in growing stronger.

He was already so powerful that ordinary increases in strength did nothing for him!

A law that simply deepened his bond with Dawn felt far more valuable.

Before everyone had recovered from their shock,

Phainon's body blazed with light as well.

A gleaming golden Core Flame appeared before them.

Stellaron Sprite's eyes lit up. "A Core Flame!"

Huo Yuhao was stunned too. Surely this had gone far beyond Ultimate Fire?

The most extreme power he had ever experienced was Ultimate Ice.

The Core Flame before him couldn't be judged by Douluo Continent's common sense.

Phainon raised an eyebrow.

He had expected to awaken something else, not a Core Flame.

Then again, the Core Flames were what he was bound to most deeply.

The power of more than four hundred million Core Flames seemed to condense into a single miniature form before him.

His Innate Soul Power was level twenty as well, without the slightest suspense.

Another crystal ball cracked.

Everyone fell silent.

Qian Renxue drew a sharp breath.

She had always thought her talent was what she could take the most pride in!

Today had dealt her one blow after another.

Seeing people casually awaken at level twenty left Qian Renxue struggling to keep it together.

Snake Lance Douluo, standing nearby, wiped cold sweat from his brow with a complicated expression.

Was this what people from beyond the skies were worth? They came to Douluo Continent and crushed everyone without even trying.

Phainon, however, didn't care about his Soul Power Level.

If awakening Soul Power had one benefit,

it was that he could use it to deal with weak opponents from now on.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about killing someone by accident.

Phainon had wanted to catch up with Stellaron Sprite, but outside Phainon's Clothing Store, the crowd had erupted.

As the Sky Curtain's revelations continued to spread, Heaven Dou City nearly lost all order and descended into madness.

Countless people rushed in from elsewhere.

Snake Lance Douluo asked, "Lord Phainon, should we leave first?"

Phainon waved a hand.

"No need. Get ready to open for business."

There was a lull before the Sky Curtain revealed its next round.

Why not open up and do some business?

He had originally planned to make himself scarce, but Stellaron Sprite had shown up!

If he didn't get some free labor out of her, wouldn't that golden ticket of his have gone to waste?

Thanks to the Sky Curtain's rankings, Phainon had quite a stockpile of clothes.

Faced with this heaven-sent fortune, Phainon couldn't let it slip away. It wasn't about the money.

It was about that slow swell of pride, like reeling in a big fish!

Qian Renxue still looked worried. "There are too many people outside. What if someone gets trampled when we open the doors?"

Phainon said calmly,

"Back when I was just an ordinary shopkeeper, they might have dared to cause trouble."

"Now everyone knows who I am. What Little Scumbag would dare act up here? Unless he thinks he's lived too long."

Qian Renxue fell silent at that.

True.

Who would dare provoke Phainon now?

Once everyone was ready,

Stellaron Sprite took the door!

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao became sales assistants!

Qian Renxue helped at the register!

Snake Lance Douluo stood guard!

And Phainon oversaw it all, waiting to count the money.

Then the doors of Phainon's Clothing Store opened.

The Soul Masters and townspeople outside froze for a moment, then shouted,

"The doors are open! They're open! We can finally meet Lord Phainon!"

"Lord Phainon, I want to buy clothes! I was here first!"

Though everyone was excited when the doors opened, the chaos they had imagined never came.

After all, anyone who had seen the Sky Curtain knew how formidable Phainon was.

Stellaron Sprite came out carrying a baseball bat. "Line up and come in one at a time."

At the sight of her, the people of Heaven Dou City began chanting fervently,

"Trailblazer! Trailblazer!"

Stellaron Sprite blushed a little at the sight.

"Is all this really necessary? You're making me feel shy."

The customers filed in and bought every piece of clothing Phainon had.

Phainon brought out another batch!

Even he was stunned.

Business had never been this frantic, not even at its previous peak. He was having the time of his life selling.

Most had come hoping some of his glory would rub off on them. He barely said a few words to them, yet they were beside themselves with excitement.

It was like meeting their favorite celebrity.

Just as nearly everything had sold, with only a dozen or so pieces left,

a tall man wearing a mask entered at the back of the line.

Despite his efforts to conceal himself, the long-dormant Sky Dream Ice Silkworm inside Huo Yuhao suddenly woke.

He cried out in fright,

"It's Di Tian! Di Tian's here!"

Huo Yuhao immediately went on guard.

Di Tian was the uncrowned king of the Star Dou Great Forest!

First among its inhabitants, second only to the Silver Dragon King!

Now that Di Tian had come, Huo Yuhao's heart raced.

Had the Sky Curtain's rankings made the Soul Beasts feel threatened? Or was the Silver Dragon King about to attack?

The others caught on too. The newcomer might be here for trouble.

Finding everyone staring at him, Phainon included,

Di Tian removed his mask.

The proud, untamed Beast God Di Tian broke into a smile the moment he saw Phainon.

He even looked a little fawning.

"Everyone, I'm here to buy clothes."

They all froze at that.

Beast God Di Tian had come to buy clothes?

Who would believe it if they heard?

Huo Yuhao let out a long breath, but everyone remained doubtful.

Was this really Beast God Di Tian?

Why did he look like a reseller here to stock up?

Stellaron Sprite came in from outside. Seeing everyone's baffled faces, she asked, "Hey, mister, are you a big deal?"

Di Tian didn't dare put on airs in front of Stellaron Sprite either. He said,

"I'm just here to buy clothes."

Cold sweat ran down his back.

Phainon was terrifying, and that little grey-haired girl was frighteningly powerful too. He couldn't afford to offend either of them.

Phainon asked curiously,

"Are they for you?"

Were his clothes really going to sell all the way into the Star Dou Great Forest?

The picture was quite something.

It puzzled him, too. Di Tian could conjure up clothes himself, so why did he need to buy any?

Di Tian said respectfully,

"I want to buy them and distribute them back home. One outfit each for Xiong Jun, Bi Ji, and Scarlet King."

"And our Master needs a set too."

Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard that.

Qian Renxue froze as well. What did he mean, the Silver Dragon King wanted to wear clothes made by Phainon too?

At last, Di Tian said awkwardly:

"I'd like to offer Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Grass and Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit as payment."

"Would that be acceptable, Lord Phainon?"

Phainon raised no objections. He simply nodded.

In terms of value, he was coming out ahead.

Di Tian let out a breath of relief.

Those materials were worth far more than Gold Soul Coins. If Phainon refused them, though, he really would have to exchange them for money.

Everyone else was stunned too. Those herbs were of the finest quality, yet Di Tian had brought them out to buy clothes. The Star Dou Great Forest was rich indeed.

Di Tian was about to exchange a few more pleasantries when the Sky Curtain suddenly rearranged itself again.

[It has been detected that everyone still cannot stop thinking about the story of Amphoreus. The rankings will now continue in a head-to-head format.]

The sight of the Sky Curtain left everyone with question marks hanging over their heads.

A head-to-head format? What was that supposed to be?

In the Sunset Forest.

Yu Xiaogang frowned.

"Did they change the format of the TOP 0 rankings because of me?"

"I've waited long enough. Hurry up and show it."

Chrysanthemum Douluo was baffled by Yu Xiaogang's words.

Who are you? What makes you think you're such a big deal?

[This round's theme: Clash of the Most Miserable Unlucky Souls]

[Guide to the Amphoreus Trailblaze journey, the mysterious woman who lent a hand: Black Swan]

[VS]

[The weary father who has worried himself sick over the Soul Beast Clan: Beast God Di Tian]

Yu Xiaogang: ???

Wasn't I supposed to be next?