Sure enough, Du Busi's dazzling entrance predictably got under Xuan Zi's skin. Worse still, he landed squarely in front of Xuan Zi, blocking the entire Shrek party's path.
Provocation. This was provocation!
This was the Body Sect looking down on our Shrek. They had to be taught a lesson!
Xuan Zi's face slowly reddened, and with a sharp crack, he crushed the Orleans-flavored chicken leg in his hand into minced meat.
"Du Busi, what are you trying to do?" Chicken Leg Douluo demanded in a low voice, barely containing his anger.
"Do? What do you mean, do?" Du Busi casually dug a little finger into his ear, curling his lip as he gave Xuan Zi a sidelong look.
His contemptuous pose all but plastered the words "I look down on you, Xuan Zi" across his face.
Xuan Zi's blood pressure shot through the roof on the spot.
It was just like Ke Jie's attitudes toward Go and Golden Spatula.
Tell Xuan Zi he couldn't beat you, and he would merely smile without a care. But tell him he couldn't beat Du Busi, and he really would overheat.
Xuan Zi: "Du Busi? What fucking Du Busi? If Du Busi dares show up, I'll slaughter him!"
But when he actually faced Du Busi, Xuan Zi would only do what he was doing now: say nothing and keep overheating!
And he really wasn't in a position to strike. For one thing, he was away from home and represented Shrek's dignity, so he couldn't just get into fights. More importantly, his opponent was Du Busi, whom he most likely couldn't beat, making a fight even more out of the question.
Thus, Xuan Zi could only condemn him in the strongest moral terms. "What do you think? This road is so wide, yet your Body Sect people just had to land in front of us from Shrek instead of anywhere else. What is this, Du Busi? Does your Body Sect want to declare war on Shrek?!"
"What's all this talk of war? Xuan Zi, you old rascal, you just can't take a joke. One word and you're all worked up." Du Busi still wore that utterly unconcerned expression, and his tone even carried a hint of mockery.
"Besides, wide as this road is, Shrek didn't build it. I'll land wherever I damn well please. What business is it of yours? If you don't like it, come up into the sky and have a round with me!"
"It's been so many years. I'd like to see just how much you've improved, Xuan Zi!"
Xuan Zi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists hard. The fluctuations of Soul Power around him radiated a heavy pressure as his emotions surged violently.
Du Busi met him head-on, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes. Dark green flames of Soul Power burned over his body, crashing fiercely against the aura Xuan Zi released.
Crack-
Great swathes of cracks spread from beneath their feet, rapidly shattering the glazed tiles within a ten-meter radius.
It wasn't just the two leaders. Shrek's entourage and the Body Sect's disciples also stood behind their respective chiefs like dogs emboldened by their masters, directing openly hostile looks at the other side.
Fight, fight!
Just kidding. There was no way a fight would break out.
"You have both come from afar. Please do this old woman a favor and refrain from clashing here." A gentle voice drifted over as Wang Xian'er arrived gracefully with Su Yuan and Xu Jiujiu, landing at a third point.
Her positioning not only subtly separated the Body Sect from Shrek, but also interrupted the contest of auras between Du Busi and Xuan Zi.
Wang Xian'er's arrival drew the gazes of both parties.
Du Busi first glanced at Su Yuan and Xu Jiujiu beside Wang Xian'er. Finding them to be merely two unremarkable juniors, he turned his attention back to Wang Xian'er.
Xuan Zi, on the other hand, let his gaze linger on Su Yuan for an extra second.
Xuan Zi had no interest in Xu Jiujiu, the imperial princess, since taking an interest would do him no good. But Su Yuan's youthful vitality, along with the steady aura of someone who had reached level 34, warranted another second of scrutiny.
He was twelve at most, yet he already possessed Soul Elder cultivation and had taken several more steps into that rank.
Even at Shrek, that level of cultivation would qualify him as a young genius.
"To think you really succeeded. Congratulations are in order." After a brief silence, Du Busi spoke slowly, his tone lacking the aggression he had shown toward Xuan Zi.
"I'd thought you would reach the end of your lifespan and pass away before long, too. Yet at a time like this, your cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and you even regained your youth. That was unexpected."
"I merely encountered a little opportunity. I cannot compare with the two of you, who reached level 98 so early," Wang Xian'er replied with a smile, though her tone carried a trace of melancholy.
Indeed, Du Busi was right.
Without Su Yuan and the gold of life he had found, she really would have been close to the end of her lifespan.
But now, she had not only survived, she also possessed the ability and resources to strive for Limit Douluo.
"What good did reaching it early do? We're still stuck fast here, unable to advance an inch, with nothing but uncertainty ahead." Du Busi sighed. "You, on the other hand, have such ample momentum left. Surely you've already glimpsed that path?"
Du Busi was probing her.
Wang Xian'er merely smiled without answering. She neither said she could see it nor said she couldn't. Whatever the actual situation was, the two of them could take their time guessing.
Her attitude made Du Busi and Xuan Zi exchange an involuntary glance, their hearts sinking in unison.
As level 98 powerhouses, the two of them naturally hadn't come to attend some banquet celebrating a breakthrough simply because they had nothing better to do. They were here primarily to gather information.
The balance of power on the Douluo Continent only had so much room. The emergence of every peak powerhouse meant a shift in that balance and a redistribution of influence.
Strictly speaking, they were all powerhouses of the same era.
Du Bisou belonged to the same era as Mu En, and Du Busi was Du Bisou's younger brother.
Although Xuan Zi addressed Mu En as his junior martial uncle in terms of seniority, he actually belonged to the same era as Mu En as well. Mu En had merely made his name earlier, and so he had often looked after Xuan Zi on his senior brother's behalf, earning his lofty standing in Xuan Zi's heart.
Their actual age difference was not large.
That was also why Du Busi, despite belonging to the same generation as Mu En, instead constantly butted heads and picked fights with Xuan Zi.
Old fellows their age had essentially exhausted their potential. One more step forward would make them Limit Douluos, but although that step appeared close, taking it was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Both of them had even prepared themselves for never taking that step in their lifetimes, never seeing the vistas of a Limit Douluo.
They had assumed Wang Xian'er was much the same, only living as long as they had thanks to the advantages of her life attribute.
Yet while they were sitting at home, news that she had broken through to level 98 came crashing down from the heavens.
She had crossed the enormous gap from level 95 to level 98 in such a short time. Both men were startled and doubtful, even suspecting that Wang Xian'er might come from behind and overtake them, becoming a Limit Douluo first.
That was why they had traveled such a great distance to investigate.
As for Xuan Zi, he had not only wanted to come see for himself; there had also been some encouragement from Mu En behind his visit.
If she became a Limit Douluo, the significance would be far beyond ordinary.
She would be the first Healing Soul Master in countless years to become a Limit Douluo!
Before you continue