The rear courtyard of Chang'an Duke's Mansion.
The atmosphere in the main hall was solemn and dignified.
Chen Cong sat upright in the seat of honor. His expression was composed, and though his severe injuries had yet to heal, his authority as a Titled Douluo remained undiminished.
On either side, Zhu Yanfeng and Cheng Nanxing stood solemnly like two guardian deities, their gazes resolute, their presence imposing without a trace of anger.
Below them, Chen Xiaojun, Ling Yunxiao, who had just returned, Chen Hua, and Chen Chen sat in a row, each wearing a different expression.
On the other side of the hall sat three important figures from the Soul Breaking Spear Yang Family.
In the first seat was Yang Bu’er’s elder brother, Yang Wuyi, a burly man with rugged features.
Beside him was Yang Bu’er, whose gaze was as sharp as a spear.
The last was Yang Tieyi, head of the Yang Family and Yang Wuyi's son. He had inherited his elders' fierceness, tempered with an added measure of composure.
Interestingly, the hairstyles, sideburns, and beards of all three cleverly formed the shape of an inverted spearhead. This was unmistakably the Yang Family's signature, a display of their distinctiveness and pride.
The hierarchy in the Soul Master World was strict.
The heads of sixth- or seventh-grade families were usually Soul Saint experts, while the heads of the Twenty-Four Eminent Families, such as the Chen Clan, were often Titled Douluo.
As for families with eighth-rank martial souls, who stood between the two yet fell short of the eminent families' unbroken succession of Titled Douluo, their heads were mostly Soul Douluo.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Cong nodded lightly. Understanding his meaning, Chen Hua looked toward Chen Xiaojun. As the man overseeing the Duke's Mansion, he would speak on