A farce? A conspiracy?

Bibi Dong remained utterly composed, but a dense layer of fine sweat had already beaded on Demon Subduing Douluo's forehead.

Strong as Bibi Dong was, he was not entirely without a fighting chance. But with everyone watching, a rash attack would give people ammunition against him. He represented not only himself now, but the entire Elder Hall...

Just as the two remained locked in their standoff, a boy outside the arena spoke timidly. "Lord Worshipper, the incense has burned out now. Can we stop the assessment...?"

The boy was another of those bought off by the Elder Hall. After witnessing Qin Chao's ruthless methods, a little fear had taken root in his heart.

Every candidate who qualified for the assessment was a favored child of heaven. Even if they could not join the Golden Generation, they were still the cherished jewels of their respective branch halls, with bright futures ahead. Lost soul coins could be earned again, but once their lives were gone, they would have nothing left...

Life was full of unexpected turns. The boy had intended to speak up for Qin Chao and the others as a gesture of allegiance to the Pope Hall, never imagining that he would instead help Demon Subduing Douluo.

Drawing his soul power back into his body, Demon Subduing Douluo quickly withdrew his right hand and tucked it behind his back.

"That was a momentary oversight on my part..." he declared, offering an explanation to everyone inside and outside the arena.

His gaze swept across the grounds. Of the nearly hundred participants, only a dozen or so remained, and only Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena still had enough strength to stand there.

The three youths stood tall and straight, like extraordinary cranes among a flock of chickens. Yet most eyes were fixed on the child cradled in Xie Yue's arms.

Though Qin Chao was exhausted, no one could overlook his strength.

The crowd's eyes were sharp and clear. The three members of the Golden Generation could stand there so calmly only because of that child's Golden Tower martial soul.

The fact that he had single-handedly protected four people through the assessment spoke volumes about his strength, to say nothing of his two outrageous soul rings.

Gaze after gaze settled on Qin Chao. Most held envy or jealousy, but some carried cold hostility...

In another corner of the training grounds, the three planted by the Elder Hall helped one another to their feet.

Their strength was considerable. The reason they had been injured and coughed up blood was, ironically, that Demon Subduing Douluo's attempt to go easy on them had been disrupted.

Young people all had their pride, and naturally refused to admit defeat because of someone else's interference. Now that their limelight had been stolen, a fierce fighting spirit blazed in their hearts.

The least injured of the three was Ci Jie, Porcupinefish Douluo's own grandson. His martial soul had been passed down through his bloodline, and he was the strongest of the three. He had already broken through the threshold of rank thirty at fourteen, his talent no weaker than that of the Golden Generation.

He raised his head indignantly, his gaze dark and venomous as he looked at Qin Chao.

Damn it, Grandpa promised he would make sure I shone in this assessment! Spoiled since childhood, he had often swaggered around the Spirit Hall under Porcupinefish Douluo's name. Naturally, having his thunder stolen left him seething.

"Pah, what's there to show off about? He's just been stuffed full of the Pope Hall's heavenly treasures. Just watch. Once I get the chance, I'll show him what real strength looks like!"

Ci Jie spat out a mouthful of bloody foam and spoke bitterly, completely forgetting how many privileges he himself had received from the Spirit Hall thanks to Porcupinefish Douluo's status...

Seeing the resentment on Ci Jie's face, the boy beside him hurried to agree.

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right, boss. He's just a little brat. So what if his soul rings are old? What matters most is that they suit your martial soul. Senior Pufferfish personally selected every one of yours with great care. If you ask me, this so-called Golden Generation probably couldn't even withstand a single blow from you on a real battlefield..."

The flattering boy's father was a trusted subordinate directly under Porcupinefish Douluo. Though relatively weak, he was still a Soul Douluo.

Because of his father, the boy had followed Ci Jie around since childhood. With his shameless gift for fawning, he had successfully wormed his way into becoming Ci Jie's number-one lackey.

The two made no attempt to lower their voices, and the disdain, contempt, and arrogance on their faces were unmistakable. For a moment, eyes darted back and forth between the two sides, everyone curious how the Golden Generation would respond to such provocation.

Yan's temper had always been as explosive as his martial soul. At the sight, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight without another word.

Xie Yue, the elder brother of the group, hurriedly reached out to stop him, though the look he directed at Ci Jie and the other two was anything but friendly.

"They're just a few dogs that know nothing but barking. Why stoop to their level...?"

Starting a fight in full view of everyone was hardly appropriate. Darkness, a sack over the head, and a sound beating would suit them much better.

"Hey, you little shit! Who are you calling a dog?!" Ci Jie could hardly swallow such humiliation. Soul power surged through his body, which swelled a full size larger as countless purple spikes sprouted from within and covered his skin. He looked fierce enough, but his round, plump figure was decidedly comical.

"Whoever answers, obviously. You're just a shoe brush. What have you got to be so cocky about?" Before Xie Yue could speak, Qin Chao beat him to it. His little mouth seemed dipped in poison, stabbing straight into Ci Jie's heart and lungs.

Qin Chao's description was so fitting that the crowd immediately burst into laughter. Even the corners of Bibi Dong's mouth twitched a few times.

A shoe brush... come to think of it, he really did look like one. Some things simply could not bear close scrutiny. With those words, Qin Chao had caught not only Ci Jie in the blast, but Porcupinefish Douluo too. The latter probably would not dare summon his martial soul for a while...

"You're insolent!" Ci Jie strained for ages without producing any effective retort. The lackey beside him, however, hurried to speak up on his master's behalf.

"Do you know who our young master's grandfather is? How dare you shoot your mouth off here! Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its master!"

At the boy's words, Qin Chao's grin widened even further...

"Brilliant performance. You deserve a reward! If you're this good at talking, keep going!"

Another uproar rose, and for a moment, merriment filled the air inside and outside the arena.

Smack! A crisp slap rang out. Perhaps from sheer rage, Ci Jie's already rotund body seemed to swell a little more.

"Fuck, you useless idiot! Are you calling me a dog?!"

Qin Chao cleared his throat and cheerfully twisted the knife. "Ahem, I don't think he just insulted you. He insulted your father too, and your father's father... tsk, tsk, tsk. What a wonderfully filial son you are!"

"You..." Unable to endure such provocation, Ci Jie abruptly stepped forward with his bloated body, ready to attack without any regard for the occasion.

The Golden Generation never went looking for trouble, but they were not afraid of it either.

Several flashes of light flickered, and nine neatly arranged soul rings appeared at once. Their ideal configurations of yellow, yellow, and purple sent a shock through everyone present.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense, thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Watching the farce unfold in the arena, Demon Subduing Douluo felt nothing but shame.

Fuck, what sort of useless fools did Pufferfish find? Losing a war of words was bad enough, but they just had to invite further humiliation. They're disgracing our Elder Hall!

He had intended to intervene, but the uncontrollable trembling in his right hand reminded him that he must not overstep in front of Bibi Dong. He could only put on a smile and address her quietly.

"Your Holiness, about this matter..."

Bibi Dong watched the show with interest, her arms folded. She genuinely wanted to see what sort of trouble these children could stir up. Unfortunately, her position as Pope was what it was, and now that Demon Subduing Douluo had spoken, she could hardly deny him face.

"If you still have the energy to fool around here, I suppose this assessment wasn't demanding enough..." Bibi Dong said softly. Gentle and mild though her voice was, it instantly extinguished the battle about to erupt in the arena.

"Since you're all so full of energy, go for a run. Each of you will carry fifty jin and run twenty kilometers. No food until you finish! Chrysanthemum Douluo, sorry for the trouble, but please supervise them..."

With that, Bibi Dong swept away, though she could not suppress the upward curve of her lips.

On the surface, the punishment gave each side thirty strokes of the rod and could be considered fair. Yet she had deliberately chosen Yue Guan, the fiercest protector of his own, to supervise. Whether every passerby knew Bibi Dong's intentions, as they had known Sima Zhao's, was uncertain, but the Golden Generation clearly understood them all too well. Each held their head high and chest out, looking less like they had been punished than praised by a parent...

"Ahem, today's assessment ends here. The ten people remaining in the arena have passed. The assessment will continue tomorrow..."

After those brief closing remarks, Demon Subduing Douluo turned and left as well, not forgetting to shoot Ci Jie a dirty look before he went.

With the two powerful figures gone, the bustle returned inside and outside the arena. No one noticed the flash of cunning that passed through Ci Jie's eyes...