The courtyard fell silent once again.
The Third Elder's hand hovered in mid-air, not lowering it for a long time. He stared at Bai Yuanqi, the muscles on his face tense. The weight of level Level 98 pressed on his chest, making it harder for him to breathe than any Soul Skill.
He recognized the face and knew that this person was the head of the Speed Family back then, but his sudden appearance here after disappearing for decades, and his attainment of Level 98, meant that too many things had exceeded expectations.
The Third Elder stared at him for a long time, knowing that he wouldn't get any more information from him.
He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly took out a palm-sized round object from his sleeve. It was dark bronze in color and had fine patterns engraved on its surface.
He squeezed it in his palm, and the patterns on the object lit up for a moment, as if some kind of signal had been sent out.
No one present had ever seen what it was. But Feng Lingtian, standing behind Feng Qingxuan, lingered on the object for a moment—
He recognized it as a Communication Soul Tool, though its design was extremely rudimentary and it was still usable. He didn't speak, but silently memorized it.
Bai Yuanqi didn't stop him. He could tell that the Third Elder was calling for someone, but he just stood there waiting, without moving an inch.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, no one spoke in the courtyard. Feng Qingxuan stood still, while Dugu Bo stood to his side and slightly behind, his fingertips still slightly bent.
Feng Lingtian stood behind Feng Qingxuan, his gaze lowered, but his ears did not miss any sound.
Then, a figure descended from the horizon.
There was no roar, no shockwave, and not even a noticeable fluctuation of Soul Power. When the figure landed in the center of the courtyard, not even a crack appeared in the stone slab beneath its feet.
The newcomer seemed to possess no Soul Power, but that was only because he had absorbed all his energy into his body, not letting a single trace escape. Just by standing there, the air in the entire courtyard became three times heavier than before.
Those who come are from Qian Daoliu.
Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall, Level 99 Peerless Titled Douluo.
He didn't look at Ghost Douluo, nor did he look at the Third Elder.
His gaze swept across the courtyard, finally settling on Bai Yuanqi. After a few moments, he slowly spoke, " Bai Yuanqi, you're still alive."
"You're not dead, so what's so surprising about me being alive?" Bai Yuanqi's tone was calm, but his words carried a barb.
Qian Daoliu understood, but didn't respond. He knew why Bai Yuanqi was acting this way—
When the Speed Family was wiped out, as the Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall, it was impossible for him to be completely unaware of it beforehand.
But he neither stopped it nor informed anyone, so it's understandable that Bai Yuanqi was angry.
"You called me here just for this?" Qian Daoliu to the Third Elder, his tone as indifferent as if he were asking about a trivial matter.
The Third Elder opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Qian Daoliu raised his hand, indicating that he didn't need to explain.
Qian Daoliu around, looked at Bai Yuanqi again, and remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Let's leave it at that."
Bai Yuanqi looked at him. "Is there really a problem with the Pill Pavilion?"
Qian Daoliu did not answer the question. He simply repeated, "I said, that's enough."
He didn't say "yes," nor did he say " Pill Pavilion is innocent." But he didn't deny it either. Everyone present understood—the fact that the Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall said those words was itself a tacit approval.
Bai Yuanqi didn't press the matter further. He took half a step back, making way for them.
Qian Daoliu didn't look at anyone again. He turned around and walked out of the courtyard. His steps were still steady, but each step on the stone slabs felt heavier than when he came.
The wind swept through the courtyard, ruffling the hem of his formal robe. As the hem flipped up, a slightly worn cuff was revealed. He didn't turn around.
"Fall back." His voice came from ahead, not loud, but loud enough for the Third Elder and Ghost Douluo to hear.
The Third Elder followed. Ghost Douluo walked at the back, falling half a step behind when he turned around. No one noticed that as he took that step, he glanced sideways at Feng Lingtian's direction. That glance was faint, as if it were an unintentional sweep.
Feng Lingtian vaguely sensed something was amiss and found it a bit strange, but he didn't dwell on it.
The Spirit Hall's troops retreated from the gates of the Godwind Academy like a tide, their footsteps fading into the distance, the clanging of armor gradually disappearing beyond the academy walls.
Bai Yuanqi stood there, watching the direction Qian Daoliu left, without saying a word. He stared for a long time, until Feng Qingxuan turned and glanced at him, before Bai Yuanqi slowly withdrew his gaze.
The courtyard fell silent again. Feng Qingxuan's Soul Power slowly receded into his body, and the phantom of the Wind Wolf vanished before him.
He glanced at Bai Yuanqi, then at Feng Lingtian, and only after confirming that both of them were alright did he slowly exhale.
Bai Yuanqi turned around and looked at Feng Lingtian: "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Feng Lingtian said. He paused, looking at Bai Yuanqi's face as if confirming something, and then asked, "You... are you the ancestor of our Speed Family?"
Bai Yuanqi glanced at him but did not deny it.
Feng Qingxuan stood aside, his expression complex. Of course he knew who Bai Yuanqi was—the former head of the Speed Family, the source of the Bai Family bloodline.
But he had never seen this person before, nor had he ever imagined that he would meet him in this way or on this occasion.
"I always felt like someone was watching me from the shadows," Feng Lingtian suddenly said. "Was it you?"
Bai Yuanqi did not answer. He looked at Feng Lingtian, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "We'll talk about it later."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the back of the courtyard, his steps unhurried, as if nothing had happened.
Feng Lingtian stood there, watching his figure disappear around the corner, a bunch of questions swirling in his mind, but now was not the time to ask.
When he turned and walked back to the side hall of the Pill Pavilion, Su Mei'er was already inside. Unlike the others, she didn't crowd around asking him all sorts of questions; she simply sat quietly on a chair in the corner, an open book on her lap.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up at him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment as if confirming something, before uttering two words: "You're back?"
Feng Lingtian responded with a "Mm."
Su Mei'er didn't speak again and continued reading with her head down. But Feng Lingtian noticed that she had stopped turning the page before he came in, and only turned to the next page after he responded.
Feng Lingtian didn't say anything, but sat down beside him, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. Through his thin eyelids, sunlight streamed in from the window, casting an orange-red glow.
He listened to the wind outside the window, slowly re-arranging each piece on the chessboard in his mind, then opened his eyes and looked out the window.
The game isn't over yet.
That afternoon, a short notice appeared on the counters of several Pill Pavilion branches in Heaven Dou City.
The notice only listed a few lines of facts.
The dates Salas's attempt to recruit Pill Pavilion was rejected, the dates rumors simultaneously broke out in the three cities, the dates Ghost Douluo led the encirclement and suppression, and the last line: After the Qian Daoliu, the Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall, he declared, "This is the end."
There were no accusations, no explanations. But every person who came to the store to buy medicine, after reading those few lines of dates and seeing the sentence " Qian Daoliu himself said it ends here," had already pieced together their own judgment.
Within the Spirit Hall's ranks, discussions about Evil Soul Master had already begun to spread.
On the way back to the camp, some people remained silent, while others frowned and whispered to those around them, "Have you seen that guy in the gray robe before?"
The person next to him shook his head, not daring to say anything more. But that slight wavering was like a thin thread; once pulled out, it would never break back.
Inside the council hall of Spirit City, Qian Daoliu sat in the main seat, with the Third Elder and Ghost Douluo standing in front of him. He did not get angry, but sat quietly for a long time before raising his head, glancing at the Third Elder, and then at Ghost Douluo.
"Does Bibi Dong know that there are Evil Soul Master mixed in with the team?" Qian Daoliu asked, his voice low.
The Third Elder did not answer. Ghost Douluo stood half a step behind him, his eyes lowered, as if he hadn't heard.
Qian Daoliu was silent for a moment, then said, "Summon Bibi Dong to see me."
After Qian Daoliu speaking, the council hall fell silent, with only the candlelight flickering silently in the corner.