The Wretched Fifth Elder of the Clear Sky Sect (1 / 2)

The Worship Hall.

"Hahaha, I told you! Your Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Souls were bound to make the ranking!"

Lion Douluo laughed as he looked at Qian Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo.

Qian Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo gazed up at the Sky Ranking List, their eyes gleaming.

"To think our Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Souls would rank thirteenth across the entire Douluo Continent. We're satisfied!"

Outside the Papal Hall, not far away.

Bibi Dong stared at the Sky Ranking List, her slender brows drawing together.

"Even the Coiling Dragon Staff made the ranking? That Martial Soul doesn't seem particularly remarkable. How did it get on there?"

Bibi Dong patiently watched the Sky Ranking List.

"Let's see how you evaluate the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul. What puts it above the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul and the Blazing Lion Martial Soul?"

Soon, a minute passed, and a new line of golden text appeared on the Sky Ranking List.

Every living being on the Douluo Continent immediately looked up, eager to see the Sky Ranking List's evaluation of the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul.

[Evaluation: Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul, a top-tier Power Attack System tool Martial Soul. Within it, a Break Evil Dragon formed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth is gestating. It possesses the ability to dispel evil and amplify its wielder's strength. However, the dragon has yet to fully develop, severely limiting the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul's potential. Otherwise, it would unquestionably be the world's greatest tool Martial Soul.]

Silence!

Utter silence!

Every living being across the Douluo Continent stared blankly at the evaluation on the Sky Ranking List, stunned out of their senses.

This Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul actually had the potential to become the world's greatest tool Martial Soul?!

As far as they knew, the world's greatest tool Martial Soul had always been the Clear Sky Hammer. Never could they have imagined that this Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul, which they had never even heard of, was so terrifying!

Once the Break Evil Dragon formed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth fully developed within the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul, it could surpass the Clear Sky Hammer and become the world's greatest tool Martial Soul!

They noticed the final sentence of the Sky Ranking List's evaluation.

Unquestionably.

That single word demonstrated the Sky Ranking List's absolute confidence in the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul.

Countless living beings across the Douluo Continent swallowed.

"I thought the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul was already fierce enough, but there's actually a Martial Soul even fiercer than it. Whose Martial Soul is this?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!"

At Blue Tyrant Academy, Yu Xiaogang stared at the evaluation on the Sky Ranking List, his brows deeply furrowed.

"How could there possibly be a tool Martial Soul stronger than the Clear Sky Hammer? And that whatever-it's-called Break Evil Dragon inside the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul—how could I, the Grandmaster, not know about it? Utterly absurd!"

Tang San also frowned as he gazed at the Sky Ranking List.

"The Sky Ranking List shouldn't be wrong. Since it said so, that means the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul has that potential. It simply hasn't finished developing the Break Evil Dragon yet, so its true might has yet to emerge.

"Until the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul completes its evolution, my Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul will remain the world's greatest tool Martial Soul."

"Third Brother is right."

Xiao Wu giggled as she hugged Tang San's arm.

Flender, Zhao Wuji, Liu Erlong, Dai Mubai, and the others nodded slightly as well.

Hearing Tang San's words, Yu Xiaogang froze briefly, then nodded.

"That's right. Until the Break Evil Dragon fully develops within the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul, the Clear Sky Hammer will remain the world's greatest tool Martial Soul."

Hidden in the shadows, Tang Hao fixed a furious, wide-eyed glare on the Sky Ranking List.

"How could there possibly be a tool Martial Soul on the Douluo Continent capable of replacing the Clear Sky Hammer? I refuse to believe it!!"

In his heart, the Clear Sky Hammer had always been the strongest tool Martial Soul, without exception.

Now the Sky Ranking List had suddenly declared that another tool Martial Soul could replace the Clear Sky Hammer as the world's greatest. How could Tang Hao accept that?

The Clear Sky Sect.

"What damned Coiling Dragon Staff? Something no one's even heard of dares compete with our Clear Sky Hammer?!"

The Clear Sky Sect's Fifth Elder snorted angrily as he stared at the Sky Ranking List with disdain.

Tang Xiao, the sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, looked skyward with a frown.

"Judging by what we've seen so far, the Sky Ranking List's evaluations should be accurate. Perhaps the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul truly does possess that potential."

"Bah!" The Fifth Elder spat and snorted coldly.

"I refuse to believe any tool Martial Soul could replace our Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul as the world's greatest! Just watch me destroy this Sky Ranking List!!"

The Fifth Elder seized the Clear Sky Hammer that materialized out of thin air. Unleashing his strongest Soul Skill, he hurled the heavy hammer at the ranking in the sky with all his might, sending it whistling sharply through the air.

"Fifth Elder, don't..." Tang Xiao was shocked. He had never expected the Fifth Elder to act so rashly.

BOOM!!!

The Clear Sky Hammer slammed into the Sky Ranking List.

"Hahaha, is that all?" The Fifth Elder sneered.

But before he could enjoy himself for long, a trace of golden light shone from the Sky Ranking List.

In an instant, the Clear Sky Hammer hurtled back with even more terrifying force.

The smile on the Fifth Elder's face abruptly froze.

Then, beneath his horrified gaze, the Clear Sky Hammer slammed into his own body.

BOOM—CRASH!!!

The Fifth Elder let out a piercing scream and sprayed blood from his mouth. Like a sack of blood, he flew backward, scattering crimson through the air before crashing into the wall behind him. With a rumble, the rubble buried him, and he fell silent.

"Fifth Elder!!"

Horrified beyond measure, Tang Xiao and the others immediately rushed over and dug the Fifth Elder out of the rubble.

But the sight of the Fifth Elder's condition made them suck in sharp breaths.

The Fifth Elder's entire breastbone had caved in and shattered, bloody bone splinters exposed beneath the sunlight. Blood streamed from all seven openings of his aged face, and his eyes had lost focus. He was clearly gravely wounded and on the verge of death.

"This ranking in the sky truly possesses supernatural power. Even the Fifth Elder, a Titled Douluo, was injured this severely!"

His face filled with horror, Tang Xiao whipped his head toward the sky. Yet the ranking remained completely unscathed after taking the Fifth Elder's strongest Soul Skill. His pupils trembled, and profound dread gripped him.

"This may be a manifestation of a Deity, something we mortals must not offend."

"Sect Master, the Fifth Elder is dying!" someone suddenly cried out through tears.

Tang Xiao hastily snapped back to his senses and shouted anxiously.

"Hurry! Go fetch a master physician!!"

"Heh, to think the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul possesses such potential. Those people from the Clear Sky Sect must be bursting with rage after seeing that evaluation."

Outside the Papal Hall, Bibi Dong chuckled.

"Given how accustomed those Clear Sky Sect people are to throwing their weight around, they probably won't be able to resist attacking the Sky Ranking List.

"Tsk, tsk. That would be quite an entertaining sight. A shame I can't see it."

Having attacked the Sky Ranking List herself, Bibi Dong knew all too well how terrifying it was.

The Worship Hall.

"Hahaha, Qian Jun, Jiang Mo, who would have thought your Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Souls possessed such terrifying potential? I'd love to see those Clear Sky Sect fellows fuming in helpless fury!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo looked at Qian Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo and burst into laughter.

Qian Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo stared at the Sky Ranking List, their eyes blazing.

"We didn't expect it either. To tell the truth, neither of us brothers realized that our Coiling Dragon Staffs were gestating Break Evil Dragons. If the Sky Ranking List hadn't revealed it, we wouldn't have known anything about it."

As he spoke, Qian Jun Douluo shook his head helplessly.

"I suspect it takes an extremely long time for the Coiling Dragon Staff to develop a Break Evil Dragon. It's impossible for us brothers. Perhaps only our descendants will get to experience the might of the fully evolved Coiling Dragon Staff."

Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded regretfully. He, too, wanted to see whether the fully evolved Coiling Dragon Staff or his Golden Crocodile King Spirit would prove stronger. Unfortunately, that was no longer possible.

"Look, the rating is out."

Just then, the Third Offering, Azure Luan Douluo, suddenly pointed skyward and spoke.

Qian Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo immediately looked up.

A new line of text had appeared on the Sky Ranking List.

Countless living beings across the Douluo Continent watched the Golden Scroll expectantly.

"The Sky Ranking List made the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul sound so powerful. How many stars will it receive?"

"It should reach Seven-Star, right?"

Soon, the line of golden text fully appeared before everyone's eyes.

[Rating: Six-Star]

"Still Six-Star?"

Every living being across the Douluo Continent wore a bewildered expression.

"Wait, why is it still Six-Star? Is a Seven-Star rating that hard to get?"

Qian Jun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo stared speechlessly at the sky.

Qian Daoliu was also stunned for a moment before sighing.

"To think even raising the rating by a single star would be so difficult. It seems that in the Sky Ranking List's eyes, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, the Blazing Lion Martial Soul, and the Coiling Dragon Staff Martial Soul all belong to the same tier."

"In that case, even our Qian Family's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul might not receive a ten-star rating."

Hearing this, Golden Crocodile Douluo and the other five Offerings fell silent.

There might not even be a Martial Soul worthy of a ten-star rating anywhere on the Douluo Continent.

As Long Yichen basked in the sun, he gazed at the Sky Ranking List and muttered to himself.

"The Six-Star rating covers quite a broad range. Gaining even one more star really isn't easy. At this rate, the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul will probably get nine stars at most, right?"

Just then, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

"Knock, knock, knock. Brother Yichen, are you home?"

Accompanying the knocking was a little girl's sweet, childish voice.

A smile appeared on Long Yichen's handsome face.

"It's Xiaoyu. Come on in. The door isn't locked."

Creak.

The door swung open, and a rosy-cheeked little girl of seven or eight came pattering over, struggling to carry a wooden food box with her two small, fair hands.

The little girl happily ran up to Long Yichen and strained to lift the wooden food box before him.

"Brother Yichen, Mommy asked me to bring you these sweets. She made them herself. They're really yummy!"

"What a good girl, Xiaoyu." Long Yichen reached out and pinched her adorable, rosy little cheek, making her giggle with innocent delight.

Taking the wooden food box she was struggling to hold up, he then ruffled her hair.

He opened the food box, and a rich, sweet aroma wafted out.

Inside were twelve emerald-green square pastries, stacked on a plate in triangular arrangements.

Long Yichen picked one up and took a bite. A rich sweetness spread through his mouth.

He smiled at the little girl's expectant face.

"They're delicious. Thank your mother for me."

"Mhm, mhm. Okay!" The little girl nodded obediently. Soon, she took the empty food box and happily skipped back home.

Watching her cheerful figure recede, Long Yichen's eyes warmed with a deeper smile.

"My little sister was just as sweet and thoughtful when she was young."

The little girl's name was Lin Xiaoyu, and she was his next-door neighbor's child. Her father had been a Soul Master who died in the Star Dou Great Forest while hunting Martial Souls two years earlier, leaving only mother and daughter behind.

Not long after moving here, he had encountered some distant relatives on her father's side trying to seize their house by force.

Unable to stand by and watch, he had stepped in and driven the group away, getting to know his neighbors in the process.

The mother often sent her daughter over with homemade food to thank him for standing up for them.

Through these back-and-forth visits over nearly a year, their two households had grown familiar with each other.

Besides, he was quite fond of little Lin Xiaoyu. She always reminded him of his own little sister.

It was just that Lin Xiaoyu's mother gave him strange looks every time she saw him, to the point that he no longer dared meet her.

It was rather frightening.