The late-morning sunlight shone straight down.
Flaming wings swept across the sky as Ling Yuan Douluo brought Xu Zi down onto Douluo Mountain.
An outer plaza had been built on the upper-middle slopes of Douluo Mountain. Vast in scale, it resembled a platinum disc embedded horizontally in the mountainside.
The plaza was paved with yellow and white bricks that reflected a dazzling glare beneath the sunlight.
At the far end of the outer plaza stood a Six-Winged Angel statue, holding its holy sword high as it overlooked the entire plaza.
The morning after tomorrow, the ranking rounds of the Soul Master Tournament, held once every five years, would take place in this outer plaza, beneath the Angel God Statue.
The thirty-one teams that had advanced from the Heaven Dou Division and Star Luo Division would be matched against their opponents here.
Pope Hall stood far behind the Angel God Statue.
Ling Yuan landed and led Xu Zi toward Pope Hall.
The temple guards saluted one after another.
Morning court had just ended. A few red-robed bishops who were leaving late greeted Ling Yuan Douluo as they descended the steps outside the hall.
"Good morning, Elder Ling Yuan."
"Mm, good morning."
They followed the corridor inside toward the council chamber.
From Xu Zi's perspective, Ling Yuan's short reddish-brown hair bounced rhythmically against her shoulders with every step.
They passed through Pope Hall's corridor, skirted a wishing pool decorated with little angels, pushed open the council chamber doors, and continued along the red carpet.
Since Xu Zi held a Pope Token and enjoyed elder-level privileges, he could enter the council chamber directly without waiting for the guards to announce him.
It was now the equivalent of nine in the morning in the real world, and Pope Hall's morning court had already ended.
Bibi Dong still sat on her throne, her ten slender fingers sorting through sheets of information. Clearly, she attached particular importance to the opening ceremony the day after tomorrow.
"Ling Yuan pays her respects, Your Majesty."
"Xu Zi greets Your Majesty."
"Mm." Bibi Dong did not raise her eyes. Her perfunctory attitude seemed to express her dissatisfaction with the two below.
Especially Ling Yuan. A dignified Titled Douluo had gone to find a level-30 Soul Grandmaster, yet had failed to report back for an entire night and morning.
Bibi Dong left them standing for a minute before asking, "Has the wager match been canceled?"
The atmosphere was one of a reckoning.
Ling Yuan fell silent for a second. After exchanging a glance with Xu Zi, she answered, "Your Majesty, that Jin Yu was defeated by Student Xu."
Bibi Dong's fingers stopped, and the rustling of paper ceased. She seemed not to have processed it.
Raising her purple eyes, Bibi Dong looked down at Xu Zi and asked, "You won?"
Xu Zi gave a deep nod.
"Tell me how." Bibi Dong's attitude changed noticeably, and a hint of impatience entered her voice.
Xu Zi said modestly, "Mainly, that Golden Crocodile young master was careless. He paid no attention whatsoever to a level-37 Soul Elder like me. I rushed into close range, injured him with two charged punches, then swung him hard and knocked him unconscious against the ground."
Bibi Dong remained silent for several seconds before arriving at a guess. "A level-37 Soul Elder... You took that 2,100-year-old Golden Crocodile as your third Soul Ring, didn't you?"
"Your Majesty's eyes are like blazing torches." Xu Zi did not deny it, instead steering the answer toward what he wanted to reveal. "After absorbing the Soul Ring, this student's physique received the Golden Crocodile's combined offensive and defensive enhancement. Only then could I fully achieve Martial Soul Possession."
"It was also thanks to the enhancement from the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon's possession that this student could defeat Jin Yu by catching him off guard."
Bibi Dong turned her gaze toward Ling Yuan Douluo, seeking confirmation.
Fortunately, Xu Zi had already coordinated with Ling Yuan Douluo, so she did not reveal that his second Soul Ring was a thousand-year one.
"Good. Very good!"
Bibi Dong rose from her throne.
She paced around the desk used for government documents, seemingly deliberating over a decision.
"Show me your Soul Rings," Bibi Dong suddenly ordered.
"Yes." Xu Zi immediately summoned his Martial Soul, and his eyes turned purple.
A Purple Sun slowly rose amid radiant light. Three rings-yellow, yellow, and purple-revolved around the sun's outline like three differently colored stellar bands.
"It really is true." Bibi Dong's purple eyes brightened.
The Soul Power fluctuations when he summoned his Martial Soul made it easy to determine Xu Zi's actual cultivation. He was indeed around the upper Soul Elder ranks, so in Bibi Dong's eyes,
That 2,100-year-old Golden Crocodile truly had become the young man's third Soul Ring.
The limit recorded by Golden Configuration theory had been broken!
Brilliant lights flashed repeatedly through Bibi Dong's eyes.
If not for Xu Zi's background, she would have wanted to take him under her wing immediately.
"Ah, what a pity." Yet Bibi Dong suddenly shook her head and sighed softly.
Had this boy been from Holy City, she would have taken him as her disciple without hesitation. Even a rural background would have been fine.
Unfortunately, the other shore was too distant, and his identity simply could not be verified.
Once someone of unknown origins touched Spirit Hall's center of power, it would sow the seeds of future disaster.
So she could only...
"If She Long weren't away on a mission, I would truly like to introduce you to him, have him teach you his experience with a Martial Soul combining tool and beast, and guide your future cultivation."
Bibi Dong stopped in front of the government affairs desk.
At this point, Ling Yuan gave a full mission report on everything she had seen and heard that day, including the Golden Crocodile young master's injuries and the removal of the three commoner team members.
After listening, Bibi Dong nodded lightly. "None of those are major matters."
"You may leave first. I have some things to discuss with him alone."
"Yes." Ling Yuan saluted and turned.
After stealing a glance at Xu Zi, she quickly disappeared beyond the closing chamber doors.
Only after the doors shut and silence returned to the chamber did Bibi Dong say, "You lived in Heaven Dou for more than a little while, didn't you?"
Xu Zi sighed inwardly. Just as I thought.
Heaven Dou Spirit Temple had acted just as swiftly as he had expected.
Fortunately, everything he had told Bibi Dong during his previous audience had been true. He had merely used a montage approach, revealing half and concealing half.
He knew that as long as he interacted with others, the traces he had once left in Heaven Dou Imperial City could never be completely concealed.
Now that his movements had been exposed, Xu Zi offered no excuses. He simply saluted and admitted, "Yes. Your Majesty sees even the finest autumn down. I once lived in Heaven Dou Imperial City for three years."
"To wait for a-Dragon Scale Fruit, correct?" Bibi Dong raised her left hand before her face, flexing it like a spider.
"Yes," Xu Zi admitted.
Back then, Xu Zi had come from Sun Moon, landing on the West Sea coast of Douluo Continent at just twelve years old.
Afterward, he had quickly headed inland with a clear destination-Heaven Dou Imperial City.
That was because the Dragon Scale Fruit Tang Wulin obtained twenty thousand years later had appeared at the auction house in Heaven Dou Imperial City.
At the time, Xu Zi's Martial Soul had still been a sun.
That was right. He was not one of the lucky ones, not a one-in-ten-thousand awakener of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon.
Before obtaining the Dragon Scale Fruit, he had merely been an ordinary member of the imperial family, just as ordinary as his brothers and sisters. Nothing more.
But the probability of a Sun Martial Soul mutating into a Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon was constant. Every Sun Soul Master surnamed Xu had a chance of achieving it.
Rather than quietly waiting for good fortune to arrive, he might as well demand it from fate and actively induce his Sun Martial Soul to mutate.
As a member of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family, Xu Zi would not actually have found it difficult to obtain treasures that induced Martial Soul Mutation. There was no need to cross the ocean to Douluo.
Thus, the only obstacle he faced was that the direction of Martial Soul Mutation could not be controlled, especially when dragon Martial Souls were involved.
Take, for example, one of the only two dragon Soul Master groups in the world today-the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was king of the lightning element, yet its descendants could mutate into a fire-element Scarlet Dragon, a light-element Radiant Sacred Dragon, or even a pig.
So, as a transmigrator, he knew that to reliably induce his Sun Martial Soul to mutate toward a dragon,
There were only two "artificial" methods:
First, sneak into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and steal an immortal herb nourished by Dragon Qi, preferably a dragon-type immortal herb-the Earth Dragon Golden Melon.
But Poison Douluo guarded the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He might meet his end halfway through before even crossing the poisonous barrier, so option one was not viable.
Thus, Xu Zi could only spend the time required to put his second plan into action: search for a Dragon Scale Fruit.
The exact location where the Dragon Scale Fruit first appeared in the book was the Heaven Dou Auction House.
On his journey to Heaven Dou Imperial City, he passed through one major city after another, exchanging the considerable valuables he carried for Douluo Continent's standard Gold Soul Coins in batches while learning the continent's common language along the way.
After taking half a year to reach Heaven Dou Imperial City, he immediately headed to the Heaven Dou Auction House to search for traces of a Dragon Scale Fruit.
Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished-he found nothing.
Fortunately, Heaven Dou Imperial City had quite a few treasure-hunting teams.
So Xu Zi offered a high price, using the auction house as an intermediary to post a bounty for a Dragon Scale Fruit.
Now he suspected that this very action had led Heaven Dou Spirit Temple to discover him.
Fortunately, effort did not fail the determined, and he succeeded.
Most people would die for wealth, and a rich reward drew many brave souls.
After waiting quietly in Heaven Dou Imperial City for two and a half years, he finally obtained a Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit as he had wished, thanks to the tireless searches of several treasure-hunting teams.
Using its medicinal effect of "drawing the bloodline toward its strongest ancestor," he awakened the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon Martial Soul, taking on the form of the Dragon God's companion from those days:
Sun and dragon coexisting as one.
Xu Zi had even suspected that the majestic form of that Dragon God's Companion was a Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon with a blazing purple sun behind it.
After his Martial Soul successfully mutated, what followed was fairly clear:
The Power of Destruction destroyed his two Soul Rings, causing Xu Zi's level to plummet, but returned two empty Soul Ring slots to him.
Xu Zi broke away from the rigid thinking of the Power Attack System's Soul Ring selection:
For his first Soul Skill, he absorbed a Fear Demon Dragon Soul Ring, successfully bringing the Will of Destruction within the Purple Sun under control;
For his second ring, he absorbed a Devouring Dragon Soul Ring, awakening his Purple Sun Martial Soul's devouring ability.
So, once Bibi Dong exposed his act of posting a bounty for a Dragon Scale Fruit, he only needed to admit it...
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Neither servile nor overbearing, Xu Zi said, "Your investigation was correct. I stayed in Heaven Dou Imperial City for three years to wait for a Dragon Scale Fruit and induce my Sun Martial Soul to mutate."
"Several generations of our Sun Clan's ancestors awakened the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon Martial Soul, so I wanted to try."
"Fortunately, the gods blessed me, and I succeeded. Only then did I qualify to come before you and offer my service."
At those words, Bibi Dong's left hand stopped moving.
The gloomy atmosphere around them diminished considerably.
"Waiting three years for a single fruit must have been hard on you. However..."
A Soul Tool ring on Bibi Dong's left hand lit up faintly.
The next moment, an unusual purple fruit bearing golden patterns appeared in her hand.
Xu Zi's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed inwardly, A Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit!
Attached is a chart of the combat strength distribution among Spirit Hall's three factions:
(Only a little over eight hundred characters, below the billing threshold of one thousand characters.)
If any important character seriously contradicts the original setting, you can offer suggestions to the author. Changes will be made as appropriate.
Young master of Spirit Hall: Qian Renxue Age: 27. (36 at the ending.) Profile: Daughter of the previous and current Popes, successor to the Angel God (third generation), false crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Level: Level-72 Soul Saint. (At her first appearance.) Martial Soul: Six-Winged Angel (god-level Martial Soul). Domain: Angel Domain. Soul Rings: Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black. (At her first appearance.) Soul Skills: 1. Angel Assault, 2. Angel's Protection, 3. To be determined, 4. To be determined, 5. Holy Sword Judgment, 6. Angel Hymn, 7. Six-Winged Angel True Body, 8. Unknown, 9. Unknown.
First faction: Pope Hall-
Pope: Bibi Dong Age: 50 (56 at the ending) Profile: Eighth Slaughter God of the City of Slaughter and Depravity; chosen successor of the Rakshasa God; Level: Level-97 Peak Douluo (current cultivation) Martial Souls: Death Spider Emperor/Soul-Eating Spider Emperor Domain: Rakshasa Domain. Soul Rings: Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red; black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black. Death Spider Emperor's nine Soul Skills: 1. Unknown, 2. Unknown, 3. Death Spider Web Restraint, 4. Thorn Spider Armor, 5. Unknown, 6. Blood-Sucking Spider Thorn, 7. Death Spider Emperor True Body, 8. Spider Emperor Clone, 9. Undying Body. Soul-Eating Spider Emperor's nine Soul Skills: 1. Half Moon, 2. Unknown, 3. Demon Spider Summoning, 4. Unknown, 5. Unknown, 6. Eternal Wound, 7. Soul-Eating Spider Emperor True Body, 8. Life and Death Are Both a Dream, 9. Space-Rending Abyss Slash.
Left guardian (Ghost Douluo): Gui Mei Level: Level-95 Super Douluo Martial Soul: Ghost
Right guardian (Chrysanthemum Douluo): Yue Guan Level: Level-95 Super Douluo Martial Soul: Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum
Heaven Dou Platinum Bishop: Salas (level-89 Soul Douluo) Star Luo Platinum Bishop: Owens (level-89 Soul Douluo) Holy City Platinum Bishop: ... (level-89 Soul Douluo) Coastline Platinum Bishop: ... (Rank 89 Soul Douluo) ... Second faction: Elder Hall- Great Enshrined: Qian Daoliu Age: 150+ Profile: Faithful servant of the Angel God. Rank: Rank 99 Peerless Douluo. (Unrivaled among humans in the sky) Martial Soul: Six-Winged Angel. Domain: Angel Domain. Soul Rings: Black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, red. Soul Skills: 1. Angel Assault, 2. Angel's Protection, 3. To be determined, 4. To be determined, 5. Holy Sword Judgment, 6. Angel Hymn, 7. Six-Winged Angel True Body, 8. Unknown, 9. Unknown. ... Second Worship: Golden Crocodile Douluo Age: 200+ Rank: Rank 98 Peak Douluo. Martial Soul: Golden Crocodile King. ... Third Offering: White Dragon Douluo Age: 150+ Profile: Supreme Elder of the Holy Dragon Sect. Rank: Rank 97 Peak Douluo. Martial Soul: White Armored Earth Dragon King. ... Fourth Offering: Mighty Lion Douluo Age: 100+ Rank: Rank 97 Peak Douluo. Martial Soul: Blazing Lion. ... Fifth Offering: Demon Subduing Douluo Age: 100+ Rank: Rank 96 Super Douluo. Martial Soul: Coiling Dragon Staff. ... Sixth Offering: Qian Jun Douluo Age: 100+ Rank: Rank 96 Super Douluo. Martial Soul: Coiling Dragon Staff. ... Four Great Elders- Ghost Leopard Douluo (Rank 95 Super Douluo) Demon Bear Douluo (Rank 94 Titled Douluo) Snake Lance Douluo: She Long (Rank 93 Titled Douluo) Porcupinefish Douluo (Rank 93 Titled Douluo) ... Third faction: Unofficial affiliated personnel- Sect Master of the Holy Dragon Sect: Tuoba Xi Age: 80+ Cultivation: Rank 90 Titled Douluo. (In the near future) Martial Soul: White Armored Earth Dragon. ... Sect Master of the Elephant Armor Sect: Huyan Zhen Profile: Foremost sect master of the Lower Four Sects. Rank: Rank 89 Soul Douluo. Martial Soul: Diamond Mammoth. ... Sect Master of the Wind Sword Sect: Feng Bailong Profile: Third-ranked sect master of the Lower Four Sects. Rank: Rank 89 Soul Douluo. Martial Soul: Wind-Chasing Sword.