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"What!"
Prompted by Xiao Wu's exclamation, Da Ming and Er Ming finally shifted their focus to the massive, mangled remains of the Dark Devilgod Tiger lying on the forest floor. More importantly, they realized that the tiger's soul ring had already vanished—it had been successfully absorbed.
"You actually managed to kill the Dark Devilgod Tiger?"
A flicker of wary apprehension crossed the minds of both Da Ming and Er Ming. Their caution stemmed primarily from the fact that, looking at Su Wen and the others, they saw no signs of devastating injuries.
Upon closer inspection, they could tell that Chen Xin and Dugu Bo were no longer at their absolute peak condition, but the lack of severe, debilitating wounds was the most telling factor. This indicated that the group had taken down one of the forest's most dangerous predators without paying a crippling price. Even if the humans were currently drained, they likely still possessed enough strength to take at least one of the two forest overlords down with them in a desperate struggle.
Furthermore, Xiao Wu was right there, vulnerable.
"Humans! Leave the Star Dou Great Forest at once!" Da Ming let out a thunderous bull-like roar, unleashing a wave of suffocating intimidation that shook the very air.
Beside him, the Titan Giant Ape's soul power surged violently, radiating a terrifying pressure that felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Uncle Ning, it's time to go," Su Wen whispered urgently. Three glowing pages from his book flew out and merged into the bodies of his three companions, instantly manifesting shimmering green wings on their backs.
With a swift wave of his right hand, Su Wen's Phantasmal Domain descended momentarily to stow the Dark Devilgod Tiger's corpse into his storage space. Then, with the "Divine Wind Wings" unfurling from his own back, he kicked off the ground and shot backward.
The four of them streaked toward the forest's outskirts. While Title Douluos were capable of flight, the sheer efficiency and speed of Su Wen's Divine Wind Wings surpassed their standard methods. Chen Xin's sword-flight was faster in short bursts, but it lacked the sustained endurance of Su Wen's wings. Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor martial soul was never suited for aerial travel, making Su Wen's support invaluable.
Watching the four humans vanish into the distance, the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python did not give chase.
"Da Ming, Er Ming! Why didn't you attack them?" Xiao Wu asked, her voice filled with anxious frustration.
"Xiao Wu, they were capable of killing the Dark Devilgod Tiger; their strength is significant," Da Ming explained solemnly. "It is better to avoid a full-scale conflict if possible. We are currently in the outer regions, not the core. If they have other human Title Douluos lying in ambush nearby, chasing them would put us at a grave disadvantage."
Er Ming and Xiao Wu nodded thoughtfully. Xiao Wu caught Er Ming nodding along with her and rolled her eyes at the giant ape, who met her gaze with a sheepish, awkward grin.
Spirit City, The Supreme Pontiff's Palace
"Your Majesty, reports have arrived from the Star Dou Great Forest. Sightings of Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Dugu Bo, and Su Wen have been confirmed," the Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan, reported.
"Oh? What were the four of them doing in the forest?" Bibi Dong asked, her voice calm but commanding.
"According to our sources, powerful combat fluctuations were detected in the outer circle, caused by a battle between Spirit Masters and a soul beast. The Spirit Masters in the vicinity weren't high-ranked, so their judgment isn't precise, but they are certain the soul beast was at least at the eighty-thousand-year level. They reported seeing immense sword-qi, toxic fogs, and the distinct light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's augmentations."
Yue Guan continued, "Due to the intensity of the battle, low-level Spirit Masters didn't dare approach. For several days afterward, Chen Xin and Dugu Bo maintained a constant aura of intimidation, preventing anyone from investigating. Later, the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python were seen, but no conflict broke out. Eventually, Ning Fengzhi and the others were spotted passing through Xingluo Village."
Bibi Dong listened to the detailed report, a thoughtful glint flashing in her narrow, phoenix-like eyes. Yue Guan had reported the news as soon as it arrived and was only now beginning to digest the implications himself.
"With a lineup like that, they were clearly hunting for a soul ring," Yue Guan mused. "But... which of those four would actually need one?"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Poison Douluo Dugu Bo already possessed a full set of nine soul rings; they had no need for more. That left only Su Wen and Ning Fengzhi.
"Ning Fengzhi's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is capped at seven rings. He can't add another," Yue Guan noted. "So... is it Su Wen? But that's impossible. How could he be this fast? He's only sixteen!"
"Furthermore, the target was at least an eighty-thousand-year beast. Some say the energy fluctuations were on par with the two forest overlords who arrived later, suggesting it was a top-tier or even a super soul beast. The difficulty of absorbing such a ring would far exceed a typical eighty-thousand-year one."
It seemed inconceivable that Su Wen could absorb a ring of that caliber. In fact, reaching Rank 60 by the age of sixteen was an impossibility in itself. Reaching Rank 50 at sixteen was already pushing the boundaries of logic, though it could arguably be explained by his various unique cultivation methods. But Rank 60? That defied all explanation.
"Old Chrysanthemum, you might have been looking in the wrong direction from the start," the eerie, rasping voice of the Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei, chimed in.
Yue Guan narrowed his eyes, considering his partner's words. Wrong direction?
"Why couldn't it be Ning Fengzhi absorbing his eighth soul ring?" Gui Mei asked.
"Because the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can only—" Yue Guan stopped mid-sentence, his voice trailing off into silence.
He thought of Ning Rongrong.
During the Continental Spirit Master Tournament, Su Wen had been so brilliant that he overshadowed every other talent. But three months ago, Su Wen's partner, Ning Rongrong, had revealed that her martial soul had evolved into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. And she was Ning Fengzhi's daughter.
If the daughter's martial soul could evolve, why couldn't the father's?
"But Ning Fengzhi displayed his martial soul at the end of the tournament," Yue Guan argued. "It was still the Seven Treasure form."
"Perhaps it was a ruse to mislead the world," Gui Mei countered. "After all, if the battle hadn't alerted so many people, we wouldn't even know they had gone to the forest."
Bibi Dong listened to their exchange without interrupting. Gui Mei's reminder had brought the evolution of Ning Rongrong's martial soul back to the forefront of her mind. If the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had truly mastered the secret of martial soul evolution, Ning Fengzhi displaying a seven-story pagoda at the tournament would indeed be a calculated deception.
However, in her heart, Bibi Dong didn't entirely rule out the possibility of Su Wen absorbing his sixth ring. After all, Su Wen had already broken far too many "impossible" records.
"Monitor the movements of Su Wen and Ning Fengzhi closely," she commanded. "Gather all information possible to determine exactly who absorbed that soul ring."
No matter which of the two it was, the implications were monumental.
Xingluo Village
"Xiao Wen, it's time for you to get to work," Ning Fengzhi said, closing a recent intelligence report. "News from the sect confirms that the construction of the Academy branches in the major cities of the Heaven Dou Empire is complete. All that's missing now is your 'Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning.'"
Su Wen wasn't surprised. The sensation caused by the tournament had ensured that the construction of the Academies would proceed with unprecedented speed across the continent.
The only remaining question was whether the Academy could be sustained in the long term. For Su Wen, however, that was a question he had answered long ago.
(End of Chapter)