The Lord of the Great Luo Heavenly Domain!

The Red-Clothed Cardinals beside them all chimed in.

They had long since realized that the waters of the Great Thousand World ran deep. Once there, keeping their tails tucked between their legs and finding someone powerful to lean on was the wisest choice.

As long as Yue Guan could establish himself in the Great Luo Heavenly Domain, Spirit Hall might someday bask in a little of his reflected glory.

In the image, Yue Guan followed a quiet mountain path toward the Great Luo Heavenly Domain.

Ancient trees of every strange shape lined both sides of the path. Sunlight filtered through layer upon layer of branches and leaves, casting patches of dappled light across the ground.

A faint, cool floral fragrance filled the air.

As he walked, Yue Guan suddenly slowed his steps.

His keen instincts as a plant-type Soul Master alerted him to a trace of something extraordinary.

"Such pure origin of plants and trees..."

Yue Guan stopped, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed it for a moment. A flicker of surprise crossed his narrow eyes.

It felt as though he had encountered a peerless immortal herb of a quality far surpassing the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum. Even the Martial Soul within him could not help trembling with a faint hum.

Following that aura.

Yue Guan pushed aside a dense curtain of vines and looked toward a clearing ahead.

There, on the grass carpeted with fallen leaves.

A little girl who looked only eleven or twelve stood quietly.

The little girl wore an elaborate, exquisite black dress, its hem embroidered with strange dark-gold patterns.

Her long black hair reached her waist, and her two small, fair feet were bare. Her head was slightly lowered, as though she were examining a little black flower beside her feet.

For such a pretty little girl to appear all alone deep in the perilous mountains of the Great Thousand World.

The scene carried a hint of eeriness no matter how one looked at it.

But at that moment, Yue Guan's attention was entirely on the aura emanating from the little girl.

"My heavens..."

Holding his fingers in the Orchid Finger gesture, Yue Guan covered his mouth, his eyes shining.

He could clearly sense that this little girl was practically a natural-born spirit body of plants and trees!

With that pure origin carrying a hidden fragrance, if she were trained as a plant-type cultivator, she would absolutely be a supreme genius, one in ten thousand!

"Could this be an opportunity heaven has bestowed upon me, Yue Guan?"

Yue Guan's thoughts immediately began to race.

If he could take this extraordinarily gifted child as his disciple and bring her along to the Great Luo Heavenly Domain's assessment.

Once she displayed her astonishing talent, perhaps even he, her master, would receive special regard from the sect's higher-ups and soar straight into the clouds!

At that thought, Yue Guan straightened his somewhat disheveled Golden Armor and tried to assume the kindly air of an otherworldly expert.

He stepped forward, his face wreathed in a gentle smile, and approached the Little Girl in the Black Dress.

"Oh my, whose lost little child is this? How did you end up all alone in these deep mountains and ancient woods?"

Yue Guan's voice was shrill and thin, with his trademark effeminate inflection.

Hearing him, the Little Girl in the Black Dress slowly turned around.

Her little face was exquisitely beautiful, her skin fair and translucent. Only her eyes, a deep dark gold, held an indifference beyond her years.

Faced with Yue Guan's sudden appearance, the little girl showed none of the fear an ordinary child would have.

She merely tilted her head slightly and quietly regarded this strange, feminine-looking uncle as though studying a rare animal.

Under those dark-gold eyes, Yue Guan's heart gave an inexplicable jolt.

But he quickly put that illusion out of his mind. After all, she was only a girl in her early teens.

"Little girl, don't be afraid."

Yue Guan stopped a few steps away from her and bent slightly at the waist, trying to fill his gaze with affection.

"I can see that you have an exceptional constitution, and you possess an exceedingly rare plant-and-tree spiritual aura."

"For such peerless talent to be buried in these desolate mountains would truly be a reckless waste of heaven's gifts."

Yue Guan flicked back the long golden hair beside his ear and placed one hand behind his back, assuming the bearing of an expert holding forth on great affairs.

"Our meeting means we share a bond of fate."

"Would you be willing to take me as your master and cultivate under me from now on?"

At those words, a trace of an odd expression finally appeared on the little girl's impassive face.

Her dark-gold eyes looked Yue Guan up and down several times.

She seemed to be checking just where this fellow, who had not a trace of Spiritual Energy in his body and only chaotic energy flowing through his meridians, had found the confidence to say such a thing.

Seeing her remain silent, Yue Guan assumed she had been frightened because she had never seen the world.

So he cleared his throat and tossed out a weighty lure he believed she could never refuse.

"Little girl, do you know what the most powerful force around here is?"

Yue Guan lowered his voice, a proud smile appearing on his face.

"It's the Great Luo Heavenly Domain, a renowned supreme overlord of the Tianluo Continent!"

"Ordinary people aren't even qualified to approach the gates of such a colossus."

At this point, Yue Guan straightened his back, thumped his chest with absolute assurance, and made an utterly shameless boast.

"But you're lucky. You met me."

"To tell you the truth, I'm on my way to join the Great Luo Heavenly Domain."

"As long as you obediently kowtow and take me as your master, I'll show you great mercy and bring you in with me!"

"With me looking after you, I guarantee you'll feast on the finest food and drink in the Great Luo Heavenly Domain, and no one will dare bully you. What do you say?"

A breeze blew past.

A long silence settled over the forest clearing.

The Little Girl in the Black Dress stood quietly where she was, listening to Yue Guan's endless boasting, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

A breeze blew past.

A brief silence settled over the forest clearing.

The Little Girl in the Black Dress stood quietly where she was, listening to Yue Guan's endless boasting.

The corners of her mouth slowly rose, forming a faint curve.

This girl usually spent far too long deep within the Great Luo Heavenly Domain, facing nothing but trembling subordinates who did not even dare raise their heads.

Today, she had finally come out for some fresh air, only to encounter such an outrageously boastful oddball.

Interesting.

The little girl blinked her dark-gold eyes, and her indifferent gaze instantly turned innocent.

"The Great Luo Heavenly Domain?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a child's particular innocence.

"I've heard the grown-ups at home mention it. It sounds like quite a fun place."

Hearing her respond, Yue Guan's smile deepened. He thought that this little mountain girl really was easy to fool.

But before he could continue his pitch.

The little girl gently shook her head and pressed her two small, fair feet against the grass, saying casually, "But forget taking you as my master. I don't want to go kowtowing to just anyone."

With her little hands behind her back, she took two steps forward.

"If you really have what it takes, take me for a look around the Great Luo Heavenly Domain. I could go along with you."

Rejected to his face by a child of ten or so, Yue Guan found himself unable to save face, his old features covered in makeup.

He was a distinguished elder of Spirit Hall. So many geniuses normally lined up to become his disciples, yet today, when he offered an olive branch himself, he had actually been spurned.

But then Yue Guan reconsidered.

Ultimately, this little girl had never seen the world. Once they reached the Great Luo Heavenly Domain's Recruitment Area and she witnessed those battles between immortals and learned how dangerous the outside world was, she would naturally come running to beg him to accept her as his disciple.

"All right."

Holding his fingers in the Orchid Finger gesture, Yue Guan put on the air of a magnanimous elder and sighed.

"You're quite a stubborn little child."

"Since we've met, I'll show some kindness and take you to see the world."

"Stay close. If there's danger, just hide behind me."

The little girl nodded and obediently said, "Okay."

Yet as she lowered her head, a sly glimmer of amusement flashed through the depths of her dark-gold eyes.

Beyond the Sky Screen, on the Douluo Continent.

Inside the Pope's Hall in Spirit City, the elders and Red-Clothed Cardinals began whispering among themselves as they watched.

Ghost Douluo Gui Mei stood at one side of the Main Hall. Watching his old partner in the image, he could not help snorting.

"Even after reaching a higher-dimensional world like that, Yue Guan still has time to concern himself with a little girl of unknown origins."

"Does he really think the Great Thousand World is our Douluo Continent's backyard?"

But Bibi Dong, seated on her throne, waved a hand. Her eyes remained on the Sky Screen, her tone carrying a measure of matter-of-fact confidence.

"It's fine."

"Yue Guan may be rather ostentatious at times, but he still knows his limits."

"Since he dared bring that little girl along, he presumably took a fancy to her talent with plants and trees."

Bibi Dong leaned back slightly in her chair, her eyes revealing pride in her own expert.

"Since the Great Luo Heavenly Domain is recruiting disciples widely, strength and talent are naturally what it values."

"After all, Yue Guan is a veteran Titled Douluo of our Spirit Hall. His mastery of Soul Power has long since reached perfection."

"Even if he suffers some suppression in that world, passing a sect's outer entrance test should surely be as easy as reaching out his hand."

The other cardinals in the Main Hall nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"His Holiness the Pope is right!"

"When Elder Ju unleashes his ninth Soul Skill, his petals become blades of astonishing power."

"How could those youngsters taking the test possibly be his match?"

"If you ask me, Elder Ju will certainly pass the assessment with ease."

"As for that barefoot little girl..."

One Red-Clothed Cardinal stroked his chin, looking at the seemingly frail Little Girl in the Black Dress in the image, and could not help letting out a contemptuous laugh.

"She probably won't even reach the threshold of the first stage. She'll surely be frightened into bawling her eyes out and turn around to beg Elder Ju to take her in."

All of Spirit Hall's higher-ups had blind confidence in Yue Guan.

In their established understanding, Titled Douluo represented the pinnacle of fighting strength.

No matter how powerful the Great Thousand World was, surely he could still pass a mere entrance test.

At that moment, in the Sky Screen's image.

Yue Guan led the Little Girl in the Black Dress along the mountain path, stopping now and then.

After roughly half a day, the two finally emerged from the ancient mountain forest.

The view before them suddenly opened up.

On an enormous plain ahead stood a magnificent bluestone plaza.

Around the plaza stood Coiling Dragon Stone Pillars that towered into the clouds, exuding an ancient, imposing aura.

This was one of the recruitment sites the Great Luo Heavenly Domain had established on the outskirts of the Tianluo Continent.

At that moment, the plaza was already a sea of people.

Countless cultivators from every direction had gathered here, with all manner of clothing and appearances.

The bustling clamor merged together and soared into the clouds.

The moment Yue Guan reached the edge of the plaza with the little girl, an involuntary shudder ran through him.

He swallowed dryly, his gaze turning exceedingly grave.

There were far too many people in this plaza.

Moreover, with just a casual glance at the young people queuing for the test around him, he discovered that the Spiritual Energy fluctuations they emitted were outrageously powerful.

Even a youth who looked seventeen or eighteen actually contained energy several degrees more substantial than that of the Soul Saints on the Douluo Continent!

Yue Guan felt his legs trembling faintly.

He drew a deep breath and tried to straighten his back, refusing to show fear in front of the little girl.

He turned his head, wanting to see whether she had already been scared witless by this spectacle.

But when he looked back, he froze.

The Little Girl in the Black Dress stood barefoot on the somewhat rough bluestone paving.

Not only did she show no fear whatsoever, but she was looking this way and that with her little hands behind her back, her dark-gold eyes full of interest in the spectacle.

The surrounding Spiritual Energy pressure, heavy enough to seem tangible, fell upon her like clay oxen entering the sea, raising not even a single ripple.

This little girl... really is a freak.

Yue Guan muttered inwardly, merely assuming she was young-a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

Following the flow of people, the two slowly squeezed their way into the Testing Area at the center of the plaza.

Directly ahead of the Testing Area stood a massive black stone over a dozen zhang tall.

Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, with strange formation patterns faintly flickering across it.

Beside the massive stone stood a Middle-Aged Deacon dressed in the Great Luo Heavenly Domain's attire.

His face full of impatience, the deacon was shouting at the crowd below.

"Next!"

"Listen carefully, all of you! Our Great Luo Heavenly Domain doesn't accept trash!"

"Press your hands against the Spirit Testing Stone and drive your Spiritual Energy with all your strength."

"If you can't even light up the third glowing pattern on the stone, get the hell out now! Don't waste everyone's time!"

At the deacon's roar, a burly man stepped forward as well.

The burly man let out a roar, his muscles bulging as a powerful surge of spiritual energy instantly erupted from him.

He slammed both hands against the massive black stone.

Bzzzt!

A ray of white light lit up at the base of the stone. Then the white light struggled upward, illuminating the second luminous marking.

Just as it was about to touch the third luminous marking, the white light flickered twice and went out completely.

"Failed! Get lost!" The deacon waved a hand without mercy.

His face filled with dejection, the burly man could only slink back into the crowd.