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In the aftermath of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, aside from the monumental task of establishing the Academy, Su Wen had poured a significant amount of his focus into another critical matter: maintaining a vigilant watch over Spirit Hall.
In the original trajectory of history, Spirit Hall had launched its "Spirit Extermination Action" exactly five years after the tournament—just before the commencement of the next session. During that ruthless campaign, they had ambushed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, effectively erasing the two Great Sects from the face of the continent.
Following the initial strikes, while the news rippled across the lands and sent the continent into a state of shock, Spirit Hall took the opportunity to step forward and denounce the "unknown culprits." By doing so, they washed their hands of the atrocity and simultaneously announced a grand competition to be held a year later to re-select the "Seven Great Sects," determining the most powerful organizations through a display of raw strength.
Su Wen had never been certain whether the Spirit Master Tournament of that era had even been held normally; he only recalled that a "Sect Competition" took place exactly one year after the original tournament date.
However, the specific timing of tournaments was not the core issue. The true weight on his mind was Spirit Hall's "Spirit Extermination Action."
Although Su Wen had already begun to amass formidable power and had gained immense prestige through the founding of the Academy—granting him a significant voice on the continent—his overall strength still paled in comparison to the juggernaut he faced. If Spirit Hall chose to proceed with their genocidal campaign, Su Wen could not guarantee that he could preserve the two Great Sects in the face of so many high-level powerhouses. Even protecting just the direct lineage of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would be an exhausting ordeal; the sect itself would almost certainly fall under the relentless assault of Spirit Hall.
Such was the overwhelming might of Spirit Hall.
Consequently, while Su Wen spent his time opening "Mountains of Books and Seas of Learning" in major cities after obtaining his sixth spirit ring, he never stopped monitoring Spirit Hall's movements. As the friction between Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect intensified—with tensions mounting and conflicts erupting more frequently—Spirit Hall began to expose more of its hidden strength. Surprisingly, this actually set Su Wen's mind at ease.
He realized that Spirit Hall seemed to have shifted its crosshairs onto the Clear Sky Sect, deviating from the original timeline where the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clans were the primary targets.
Su Wen knew his presence had likely triggered this butterfly effect. After meticulously analyzing every possibility, he concluded that one theory stood closest to the truth.
While Bibi Dong's "Spirit Extermination Action" was undoubtedly a strategic move for the future Spirit Empire, the sheer logic behind her decision-making was the key. Why was she so hell-bent on leading Spirit Hall to unify the continent through blood?
In the past, Su Wen had written off Bibi Dong's incomprehensible maneuvers as the whims of a "love-struck" or "insane" woman. But after deep reflection, he noticed a crucial detail he had previously overlooked: Bibi Dong was undergoing a God's Trial.
Specifically, she was inheriting the divinity of the Rakshasa God.
The original records never detailed the specific requirements of the Rakshasa God's Trials. Therefore, the irrational and frenzied actions Bibi Dong took might very well be the mandates of her divine ascension. It wasn't necessarily that she was a mere puppet of the trial; rather, her lingering obsession with past love and her innate touch of madness were captured and amplified by the Rakshasa God. The trials were guiding her, step by step, to become the perfect vessel for the Rakshasa divinity.
"The Rakshasa God governs evil thoughts, controlling the power of ultimate malice and the slaughter born of resentment. This god represents all negative emotions of the mortal world—and igniting a total war is the most perfect manifestation of that divine philosophy."
Beyond war, there was slaughter. Specifically, slaughter tied to resentment and grudges, rather than the pure accumulation of murderous intent associated with the Asura God. This was the fundamental distinction between Rakshasa and Asura.
Thus, Su Wen wondered: Could Bibi Dong's tasks include the complete annihilation of prestigious sects? To increase the difficulty, it would only be logical if the trials required her to personally slay several Titled Douluos during the process.
Su Wen couldn't be certain his hypothesis was correct, but he suspected that after today's events, he would finally be able to make a preliminary judgment.
However, Bibi Dong's personal path was not Su Wen's immediate concern. He turned his attention to the seven powerhouses standing before him, a cold glint of killing intent gradually surfacing in his gaze.
"You all," Su Wen said calmly, "have likely underestimated our strength."
For his eighth spirit ring, Xiao Zhan had hunted an eighty-thousand-year-old Flame Sovereign, obtaining its torso spirit bone in the process. After absorbing the ring, the mutation triggered by the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower—combined with his previous accumulation at Rank 79 and the feedback from condensing a Spirit Core—had instantly propelled his spirit power to Rank 83. The subsequent absorption of the torso bone had luckily pushed him up another rank.
At that time, Su Wen had imparted both internal and external cultivation techniques to Xiao Zhan, having already provided him with the Soul Fusion Method much earlier. Two years had passed since then, and Xiao Zhan had successfully climbed another five ranks.
This meant his spirit power had reached Rank 89.
This rapid advancement was the result of his martial soul's evolution and the superior cultivation methods Su Wen provided. Once he crossed the next great threshold—condensing a second Spirit Core and attaining the Titled Douluo realm—his cultivation speed would likely stabilize to a more normal pace.
But for now, Xiao Zhan was an indisputable peak Spirit Douluo.
At Rank 89, with solidified spirit power and a condensed Spirit Core, the only thing separating him from a Titled Douluo was a ninth spirit ring. Furthermore, since Xiao Zhan did not rely on spirit ring abilities as his primary means of combat, his actual battle prowess was firmly at the Titled Douluo level. He wasn't a control-oriented, relatively weaker Titled Douluo like the Poison Douluo, but rather a powerhouse with the strength of an attack-system Titled Douluo.
With Ning Fengzhi's astronomical buffs and the perfected Ring Fusion Method Su Wen had tailored for him, Xiao Zhan could hold his own against a Rank 95 Super Douluo in a short-term clash.
This was the true Xiao Zhan.
"Boy, prepare to die!" The Seventh Elder, incensed by Su Wen's indifferent attitude, let his spirit rings flare as he charged forward, Clear Sky Hammer in hand.
"Uncle Zhan, the Seventh Elder is yours," Su Wen commanded.
"Understood!"
Xiao Zhan watched the charging elder with palpable anticipation. Effortlessly killing a Spirit Saint-level assassin moments ago hadn't been enough to satisfy his itch for battle; that glass-cannon assassin had folded before he could even exert his full strength. Now, he hoped this elder from the Clear Sky Sect could provide him with some actual pressure.
Xiao Zhan made no effort to hide his eagerness, which only served to stoke the fires of the Seventh Elder's rage. Given his status in the Clear Sky Sect, he shouldn't have been so easily provoked, but years of being suppressed by Spirit Hall and being forced into seclusion had bred a hidden sense of insecurity within the sect's members.
Or rather, it was a simmering resentment.
To the Seventh Elder, Xiao Zhan's posture was a direct insult to the "Number One Sect in the World" and the "Number One Tool Martial Soul." Did a mere Spirit Douluo truly believe he could bridge the gap against a Titled Douluo of the Clear Sky lineage? Was he truly that dismissive of the Clear Sky Hammer's majesty?
"Hahaha! Let me see what the legendary Clear Sky Hammer is truly made of!"
Xiao Zhan let out a boisterous laugh as his seventh spirit ring ignited. His entire being seemed to transform into a sovereign of flames. Since his martial soul's evolution and the absorption of the Flame Sovereign ring, his Seventh Spirit Skill, the Spirit Avatar, had taken on a new form.
*The Fire Demon Form.*
In this state of pure flame, he possessed a natural affinity for the element, allowing him to push the "Fire Demon Style" to its absolute limit. Outside his body, eight spirit rings stacked upon one another, merging perfectly before sinking into his physical frame.
*The Ring Fusion Method.*
In the past, this was merely a technique for explosive bursts, but with Su Wen's refinements, it now allowed him to perfectly integrate the rings into his martial soul. The most significant result of this state was that he could now utilize the powers of all eight spirit skills as instinctively as breathing, no longer needing to explicitly call upon the rings.
BOOM!
The first collision erupted.
The Seventh Elder's expression shifted as he was forced back by the violent pressure of the roaring flames.
"Hahaha! The Clear Sky Hammer? The Clear Sky Sect? Nothing special!" Xiao Zhan shouted, his arrogance reaching its peak.
(End of Chapter)