My Lord, Your Splendor Has Not Faded

Golden Crocodile Douluo glanced at Xiunuo's astonished face. Having used the properties of his Martial Soul to conceal his presence and listened to the short account of his final disciple's six years of life, he had already seated himself beside his disciple.

Only when the bishop, who had been holding his grandson and chattering away, was nearly drunk did Golden Crocodile Douluo choose to release a trace of his Soul Power.

Golden Crocodile Douluo had originally planned to wait until his grandson had helped Mu Tian'en hunt down his First Soul Ring and brought him back to Spirit Hall's main headquarters before appearing to take him as a disciple.

But plans could not keep pace with change.

Golden Crocodile Douluo did not care much about Mu Tian'en's miserable life over the previous six years.

He had seen far too many people who had suffered more than Mu Tian'en.

Before Qian Daoliu burst onto the scene, the many Titled Douluo had been kept in check by Spirit Hall, maintaining a state of conflict without open rupture. Even so, they had indirectly caused untold destruction, and countless people had lost their homes and been driven from their native lands because of those unbridled Titled Douluo.

What he had always valued was Mu Tian'en's talent and Martial Soul.

Now, the reason he could sit so calmly beside Mu Tian'en was naturally that he valued his talent and Martial Soul even more.

A single circulation of Soul Power had caused the little fellow to lose five jin. That meant his Soul Power pathway was frighteningly long, so long that his body had been forced to consume fat to make up for what was lost as the Soul Power circulated.

A child in such a situation either had to give up cultivation or rely on a major faction, making up for the deficit caused by circulating Soul Power by consuming large amounts of high-energy food.

In that case, that boy Ma Chengyuan's assumption was correct.

The little fellow's first Soul Skill needed to let him store a large amount of energy.

But that energy did not necessarily have to be Soul Power. It could be fat, flowing water, or even nutrient-rich soil.

Of course, if the little fellow's First Soul Ring could draw energy from his surroundings, that would also be a very good approach.

However...

Right now...

Golden Crocodile Douluo had no intention of thinking about all that messy business.

Once Ma Chengyuan's mad fit had passed, that crazy fellow could naturally refine the idea for him, the Second Worship of the Worship Hall.

Judging from what had just happened, that fellow should already have an idea.

For now, feeding his final little disciple was clearly much more interesting.

He took a snack he usually gnawed on to grind his teeth from his Storage Soul Tool ring and slipped it soundlessly into Mu Tian'en's enormous bowl, before Mu Tian'en had realized that the uncles and even grandfathers around him had all been suppressed by his presence.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was already looking forward to seeing the little fellow's reaction when he bit into something hard and instinctively put down the enormous bowl in his hands, only to discover this old man standing beside him.

The sight of that plump, bouncy face with its little mouth hanging open should be much more amusing than his brat or little Jin Huang had been as children.

But in the next instant, he heard a frighteningly crisp crunch.

The snack he used to grind his teeth, something even an ordinary Soul Saint could not bite through, was like a peanut before his intended final disciple's teeth, crunching even after it had been bitten apart.

"Grandpa, do you have any more?"

Mu Tian'en lifted his head from his enormous bowl.

After that bite, Mu Tian'en's stomach, which was usually only eighty percent full even after he had eaten a whole table of dishes, felt a pleasant, near-satisfied fullness for the first time.

But after that sense of satisfaction, Mu Tian'en longed to eat more.

He could still eat.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was somewhat dumbfounded by the little fellow before him, who was not afraid of him at all and did not even care when he had appeared, but only wanted to ask him for more food.

He curiously examined Mu Tian'en's little belly.

It was flat, with barely any bulge.

That showed the food he had eaten had not taken up much space in Mu Tian'en's bottomless stomach. He could still fit more.

But Golden Crocodile Douluo knew that a single stick of his snack would leave even the Soul Saint youngsters of the Golden Crocodile Clan feeling bloated.

Granted, worried that the little fellow might have trouble digesting it, he had only broken off a piece of the snack barely larger than a fingernail and slipped it into his enormous bowl.

Even so, the boy could eat a little too much.

"Grandpa?" Mu Tian'en blinked at the old man, who had already shed his disguise and whose clothes looked even more magnificent than Grandpa Bishop Xiunuo's.

Golden Crocodile Douluo blinked.

Having recovered his senses, he looked at the little fellow clutching an enormous bowl and leaning almost right up to him. He reached out and poked Mu Tian'en between the eyebrows. "Little fellow, the next time someone gives you food, first figure out whether they're friend or foe before deciding whether to eat it."

When Mu Tian'en was poked, he instinctively drew back his neck.

Once he was sure the old grandpa had no intention of giving him anything tasty, he turned his attention back to the meal on the table before him.

Only after confirming that his snack would not harm his little disciple did Golden Crocodile Douluo slowly withdraw his presence, which had been like a towering wave.

At once, the Soul Masters who had originally wanted to join in the excitement and see the envoy from Spirit Hall's main headquarters quietly picked up the meals they had served themselves and left the cafeteria.

They knew that what followed would likely be a world beyond the reach of Soul Masters like them.

Only Old Suolong remained.

As the cafeteria's head chef, he should have excused himself.

But Old Suolong was also the third-strongest fighter in Spirit Hall's Vast Sea City branch and the foremost bishop under the cardinal, so he was naturally qualified to attend the banquet that followed.

It was just...

Looking at the old man who had suppressed everyone present by releasing only part of his presence, Old Suolong hesitated somewhat.

But while Old Suolong was still guessing the identity of the old man who had given Mu Tian'en a choice morsel, Old Xiu Nuo, who moments ago had been nearly mad with hatred and ready to fight to the death against the person who had tried to wipe out Spirit Hall's future, had already sprung from his seat and hurried over to the old man.

After performing Spirit Hall's greeting to a Worship, Old Xiu Nuo gazed with admiration and longing at the Second Worship, who had arrived at some unknown time but whose purpose was unusually clear.

"Qing Xiunuo, cardinal of Vast Sea City, pays his respects to Golden Crocodile Douluo."

"You know me?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo raised an eyebrow.

It had been a long time since he had last gone out and about.

It could even be said that, among those in Spirit Hall who had seen him, he had basically outlived all those who lacked sufficient strength or status.

And this time, only his eldest brother knew he had gone out.

Not only that, Golden Crocodile Douluo, who had been eavesdropping ever since his grandson arrived here, naturally knew that his grandson had not had time to reveal anything to the boy called Xiunuo either.

Yet this old fellow had actually recognized him!

Old Xiu Nuo pressed his lips together, straightened his clothes, and took a deep breath beneath Golden Crocodile Douluo's downward gaze.

"My lord, you once served as the dean of Martial Soul Advanced Academy for a time. I was fortunate enough to see your face then, as a student. I never imagined that after so many years, your appearance would remain unchanged."

Yet at that moment, Old Xiu Nuo also instinctively tried to hide his temples, which had long since turned gray.