Howling Sky Emerges

After studying the Disguise Technique, Lan Hong indeed discovered that he could use its principles to disguise Spirit Rings.

By disguising his Spirit Rings, Lan Hong's original three white rings now appeared to others as white, yellow, and purple.

Lan Hong could also use the Disguise Technique to alter his appearance. After all, if Hei Xiaohu could perfectly disguise himself as Hong Mao, it was hardly surprising that the technique could change one's face.

Lan Hong disguised himself with an ordinary face. Unless necessary, he would use this identity whenever he went out in the future.

"Lan Hong, I'm going to Condense my First Spirit Ring next. Get ready!"

"Mm! Brother Cat, you can begin!"

Lan Mao began Condensing his First Spirit Ring. Unlike Hong Mao's first time, Lan Mao's Spirit Ring did not form so easily.

Lan Hong sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing as his Soul Power was relentlessly drained. It took a full half day before Lan Mao's Spirit Ring barely completed its cycle.

Then came the bloodline inscription. While his Soul Power continued to be drained, Lan Hong also had to endure agonizing pain that pierced deep into his soul.

Lan Hong was now rather glad that he had chosen to let Hong Mao Condense a Spirit Ring first. Otherwise, he absolutely, absolutely would not have been able to endure it.

In the end, after an entire day, Lan Hong had been tortured until he was barely recognizable before it was finally completed. Though it was still a White Spirit Ring, he could clearly sense that Lan Mao's Spirit Ring was different.

"Little Hong! We succeeded!"

"Yes! We finally succeeded! Brother Cat, we'll talk about the Spirit Skill tomorrow. Let me sleep for a while first!"

"Alright! Get some good sleep! You worked hard today!"

When Lan Hong opened his eyes the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. It had been a long time since he had slept in so late.

"Lan Hong, you're awake! Are you alright?"

"Mm! I'm fine. I feel completely refreshed!"

"That's good!"

After breakfast, Lan Hong left the city and found a secluded clearing. People usually did not come here.

Lan Hong had Lan Mao take physical form, after which Lan Mao began releasing his First Spirit Skill.

"First Spirit Skill, Howling Sky Emerges!"

A dragon's roar rang out, and the red-and-gold Tyrant Dragon Howling Sky appeared before Lan Hong.

This dragon rider, Howling Sky, was a Gold Grade Howling Sky, a Howling Sky with no weaknesses whatsoever.

"Howling Sky Transform, Flame Chariot!"

Clack! Clack! Clack! The sounds of mechanical transformation rang out as Howling Sky turned into a Flame Chariot in the blink of an eye.

"Little Hong, come in and have a seat too! We should be able to summon other dragon riders in the future, so you need to learn how to drive them as well!"

"Alright!"

Lan Hong sat inside the Flame Chariot, where the screen clearly displayed the scenery outside.

The Flame Chariot was tremendously powerful when it charged about. Lan Hong felt that even a Spirit King would definitely be unable to withstand a single collision from it.

"Brother Cat, what level is Howling Sky's strength at?"

"Judging by the strength Howling Sky can unleash, it should be able to contend with a Soul Saint!

Your Soul Power is still too low. Once battle begins, Howling Sky can't be maintained for long, so it can only be used as a trump card!"

"Being able to contend with a Soul Saint should be enough at this stage!"

After putting Howling Sky away, Lan Mao returned as well. With Howling Sky as a trump card, Lan Hong's safety was somewhat guaranteed.

At the very least, he would no longer find himself in constant peril whenever he encountered a Spirit King-level Fallen One.

Next, Lan Hong continued practicing the Purple Cloud Sword Style. The Purple Cloud Sword Style was supremely yin and gentle, containing illusion within substance and substance within illusion. In truth, like the Ice Soul Sword Style, it was not suited for men to learn.

However, since it was an inheritance bestowed by his Spirit Ring, Lan Hong was not restricted by that. As long as he studied and trained diligently, he could wield the Purple Cloud Sword Style perfectly.

After practicing the Purple Cloud Sword Style for some time, Lan Hong registered a new identity under the alias Sally at the Great Soul Arena in Silvis City and began participating in Soul Elder-level Soul Fighting matches.

Standing on the Soul Fighting Stage, Lan Hong wore a squirrel mask. His opponent stood opposite him with a sword in hand. He seemed to possess a sword martial soul as well and appeared to be an aristocrat out on training.

The battle began quickly and ended just as quickly. Lan Hong used only one move, Myriad Purple Lights, followed by Purple Qi Comes East, to end the fight. His opponent did not even manage to release a Spirit Skill.

This also made Lan Hong realize that some of the feint moves within the Purple Cloud Sword Style could be used like Control System Spirit Skills.

A few days later, Lan Hong left Silvis City and continued toward Heaven Dou City. Before long, he arrived at the legendary Jialing Pass.

As the gateway to Heaven Dou City, Jialing Pass was indeed quite magnificent. But considering that during the battle between the two gods, even a god's attack could only blow open one section of the wall, it was rather hard to judge.

Aside from their long lifespans, the gods of the Douluo World truly did not amount to much when compared to the supreme beings of other fantasy worlds.

Jialing Pass normally allowed people to enter and leave freely without much inspection. Notices such as wanted posters were also posted at the gate.

Lan Hong spotted the wanted poster Spirit Hall had put up for Tang Hao.

"This artist drew him quite well. Though Tang Hao should be even more disheveled now!"

Not bothering with Tang Hao, Lan Hong entered Jialing Pass and continued along the official road toward Heaven Dou City.

That night, Lan Hong casually found a tree to rest beneath. He had long grown accustomed to sleeping in the wilderness.

Unexpectedly, he encountered bandits on the official road as well, and there were two Soul Elders in their thirties.

The person being robbed was clearly a minor noble. He was also a soul master, though only in his twenties, with one white and one yellow Spirit Ring. His martial soul was a sword as well.

"Don't come any closer! Do you know who I am? I'm the son of the Lord of Nova City."

"Who cares who you are? We'll kill you and bury you. Who'll know it was us brothers?"

"Stop talking nonsense and make your move!"

The minor noble was clearly poor at fighting. He was knocked down after only two or three exchanges.

Just as the bandit soul masters were about to deliver the killing blow, Lan Hong raised his hand and threw out two Ice Needles, pinning one of them in place.

"Who is it? Who's meddling in our business!"

Purple mist then appeared. After two screams of "Ah! Ah!", the mist dispersed, leaving only two corpses on the ground.

The minor noble did not care about anything else at that point. He scrambled to his feet and ran, only to collapse after taking a few steps. Lan Hong hurried over, only to discover that the man was already dead.

It turned out that the soul master who had not acted earlier was a poison-attributed soul master. He had poisoned him long ago.

"Sigh! All I can do now is help collect your body!"

After burying the corpse, Lan Hong found something on him.

"A letter of recommendation! He really was some Lord of Nova City's child. A once-glorious great noble family had now fallen into decline.

Using personal connections to get recommended to study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy?

Could I pull off a switcheroo? Not only does Heaven Dou Royal Academy provide abundant cultivation resources, its collection of information is also among the best on the entire Douluo Continent."

With that thought, Lan Hong decided to give it a try. Even if he failed, he could use Xue Qinghe's token to get away.

Two more days passed, and Lan Hong finally arrived at Heaven Dou City. The capital of the Heaven Dou Empire was indeed enormous, seemingly even larger than Barak City by a full measure.

He needed to pass through Heaven Dou City to reach Heaven Dou Royal Academy outside the city on the other side. He could also take the opportunity to explore the capital.

Suddenly, Lan Hong sensed an exceptionally sharp sword intent. Following that feeling, he saw an old man and a little girl of eight or nine.