Dugu Bo Arrived in Heaven Dou Town

"A Yi, once we return, you'll join the Elder Council. I've reached level 96, so I'll become a member of the Offering Hall," Huang Batian said gravely, draining his cup of wine. "Once I enter the Offering Hall, I'll be stepping away from power. Don't act so recklessly from now on. I won't be able to use my authority whenever I please."

"Grandpa, once you enter the Offering Hall, you won't be under His Holiness the Pope anymore. Do you think he'll agree to that—or be happy about it?" Huang Tieyi asked earnestly.

"The previous pope stepped down to become the Great Enshrined and took charge of the Offering Hall. The pope governs the Elder Council and all Spirit Hall's Soul Masters and affairs. That's the rule Spirit Hall has handed down," Huang Batian said. "Now that I've reached the strength of a Super Douluo, the Great Enshrined won't allow me to stay out of the Offering Hall. It would go against tradition, too. This isn't my decision to make."

"Grandpa, of course it isn't your decision. But couldn't you think about it another way?" Huang Tieyi said with a mysterious smile.

"What wicked scheme are you cooking up now, boy?" Huang Batian teased when he saw the right corner of Huang Tieyi's mouth rise and his left brow dip. He looked like that whenever a startling idea struck him: a brilliant smile with nothing but bad ideas behind it.

"Grandpa, your Martial Soul is the Silver Saint Body, a Body Martial Soul. But Body Martial Souls still don't have a cultivation system of their own. People are developing them according to what they know about Tool Martial Souls," Huang Tieyi said seriously. "You could propose to the Great Enshrined and His Holiness the Pope that they establish an academy outside Spirit Hall Academy specifically to teach Body Martial Soul cultivation. You could serve as vice principal and train Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls."

"You certainly know how to dream up ideas, boy. But why would I only be vice principal? Who would be principal?" Huang Batian asked after pondering his words.

"His Holiness the Pope, of course. Grandpa, I'm suggesting you establish a school, not break away from Spirit Hall to found a sect. You couldn't possibly be its highest authority." Huang Tieyi sounded a little exasperated.

"You have a point. Establish a Body Martial Soul Academy to train Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls..." Huang Batian lay on the bed, murmuring as he weighed the idea's feasibility.

On the second floor of Fukelai Restaurant, four young men sat at a table by the window, eating. All four were Soul Elders of comparable strength. One had already reached level 40 and would become a Soul Ancestor as soon as he obtained a Soul Ring. They had come to Heaven Dou Town to enter the Star Dou Great Forest and hunt for a suitable Soul Ring.

"If you want life to go swimmingly, you'd better wear a little green on your head..." one of them joked when he spotted a man with bright green hair walking down the street with a boy.

"Wow, that man looks like a green-haired turtle..." another remarked.

All four had been drinking. They laughed and pointed, oblivious to the danger drawing near.

"Who are you calling a green-haired turtle..." Before Dugu Bo had finished speaking, he released his Martial Soul, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor. It coiled around three of them at once. Seeing trouble, Flander leaped out the window and fled.

"I was wrong! I was wrong! Please, let me go..."

"Senior, we know we were wrong. Please spare us..."

Dugu Bo's eyes were cold. His answer was to have the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor tighten its coils, crushing the three men into a mist of blood.

"Sir, killing people so brazenly in broad daylight won't do. Please come with us to Spirit Hall and explain yourself." Red-Clad Deacon Zhao Xingyun stepped forward with a troubled expression. He had never imagined that going out for a meal would land him in a situation like this.

As a Soul Saint, Dugu Bo regarded Zhao Xingyun, who was only a Soul King, with disdain. Still, he had to show Spirit Hall some respect.

"All right," Dugu Bo said reluctantly. "They insulted me first. Killing them wasn't going too far, was it?"

"Sir, if this had happened in Heaven Dou Town at any other time, I'd have turned a blind eye. But His Holiness the Pope is resting at the branch hall. I can't ignore you using your strength to bully the weak," Zhao Xingyun said, forcing himself to hold firm.

"I understand, I understand..." Dugu Bo caught Zhao Xingyun's quick glance behind him and immediately took the hint.

"Your Holiness, this man killed someone at Fukelai Restaurant..." Zhao Xingyun said softly as he brought Dugu Bo and his son, Dugu Sheng, forward. He feared disturbing Qian Xunji and Golden Crocodile Douluo, who were playing chess.

Qian Xunji glanced up. At the sight of Dugu Bo and his son, he burst out laughing. "Dugu Bo! So it's you, old rascal. What brings you to Heaven Dou Town? I thought you were living comfortably after claiming the Sunset Forest. Even the Heaven Dou Imperial Family can't do anything about you!"

"Your Holiness jests. I haven't claimed it. There are too many Poison Soul Beasts in the Sunset Forest for them to handle, so I'm merely looking after it for them," Dugu Bo said lightly.

"Enough. Sit down." Qian Xunji pointed to a nearby chair. "Let me finish this game first."

"Your Holiness, you have a guest. You should attend to him." Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at the board, where he was plainly losing, and pushed it aside.

"Second Uncle, you're cheating." Qian Xunji helplessly set down the piece in his hand and turned to Dugu Bo. "Old rascal, I'm not interested in the killing. If someone made you kill him, he either had a treasure or couldn't keep his mouth shut."

"So what brought you to Heaven Dou Town?" Qian Xunji glanced at Dugu Sheng's pale face and sunken eyes, then teased, "Is it your son?"

"It is. For some reason, his health has been poor. I came to Heaven Dou Town intending to enter the Star Dou Great Forest and find him a Soul Ring without poison, to see whether it helps," Dugu Bo explained.

"Your son does look weak. You think he's been poisoned?" Qian Xunji asked.

"Yes. I know very well what side effects come from adding Soul Rings to the Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul," Dugu Bo said with a nod. "Sheng'er's Soul Ring Configuration has always followed mine. I don't know why it's become this serious when he only has three Soul Rings."

"I see. Unfortunately, you're too late. If you'd come a few days earlier, we could have entered the Star Dou Great Forest together." Qian Xunji shook his head regretfully.

"Your Holiness, have you become a Titled Douluo?" Dugu Bo stared at Qian Xunji in shock, though inwardly he seethed. How has someone younger than me become a Titled Douluo when I'm still only a Soul Saint?