Over these six years, the landscape of the Douluo Continent underwent earth-shaking changes, with various forces rising and falling as undercurrents surged.
After Qian Xunji succumbed to his severe injuries, the Spirit Hall ushered in a new era. The Holy Maiden Bibi Dong succeeded as the Pope. This exceptionally talented and ruthless woman implemented sweeping reforms upon taking power. She aggressively expanded the Spirit Hall's influence, establishing branch halls in various cities and villages, widely recruiting outstanding Soul Masters, while simultaneously strengthening infiltration and control over major Soul Master families and sects.
Under Bibi Dong's iron-fisted rule, the Spirit Hall's power expanded at an astonishing rate, its influence even beginning to surpass that of the two great empires. Many Soul Master families succumbed to coercion and inducements, aligning themselves with the Spirit Hall, while those sects that insisted on independence faced unprecedented pressure.
More disturbingly, Bibi Dong's daughter, Qian Renxue, had successfully infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, assuming the identity of the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe. In this meticulously orchestrated conspiracy, the Second and Third Princes of the Heaven Dou Empire successively met with "accidental" deaths, leaving only the Fourth Prince, Xue Beng, as the sole legitimate heir.
Marco had once met Prince Xue Beng at a palace banquet. Accompanying his father, Li Zhaoyan, to the palace feast, he happened to see Xue Beng frolicking and joking with attendants in the garden—his behavior frivolous and utterly lacking in royal dignity. Marco keenly sensed that this prince seemed to be using the facade of a spoiled noble to conceal something, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what. They had a brief conversation during which Xue Beng showed little interest in Soul Master cultivation, instead focusing more on the banquet's entertainment arrangements, causing Marco to inwardly shake his head.
Meanwhile, Li Zhaoyan never slackened in his training. Over these four years, he practiced with even greater diligence, advancing his Soul Power to the eighty-seventh rank, achieving the Soul Douluo realm. While this was undoubtedly due to his talent and hard work, there was another crucial opportunity—during a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest to search for the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, he killed a fifty-thousand-year Great Strength Gorilla and unexpectedly obtained a fifty-thousand-year Great Strength Gorilla Right Arm Bone.
This Soul Bone granted Li Zhaoyan a powerful Spirit Ability—Divine Strength, which could double his strength for a short period. This Spirit Ability complemented his Hundred Wood Divine Spear Martial Soul perfectly, significantly enhancing his offensive power. With this Soul Bone and new Spirit Ability, Li Zhaoyan's strength reached new heights, and his reputation in Heaven Dou City grew increasingly prominent.
Surprisingly, the Spirit Hall's expected retaliation against the Breaking Clan and Li Zhaoyan never materialized. Behind this lay a little-known reason: during his youth while traveling the continent, Li Zhaoyan had crossed paths with the Spirit Hall's two Title Douluos, Qianjun Douluo and Xiangmo Douluo. The two Title Douluos admired Li Zhaoyan's talent and character, having provided him with guidance. Although Li Zhaoyan never joined the Spirit Hall, a rare friendship and mutual understanding had formed between them.
It was this lingering camaraderie that led the Spirit Hall to show restraint when suppressing the Breaking Clan, refraining from extreme measures against Li Zhaoyan and his family. Seizing this opportunity, Li Zhaoyan secretly provided shelter to the Breaking Clan, helping them establish a foothold in Heaven Dou City and gradually recover their strength.
During these four years, Dugu Bo finally broke through the ninetieth level barrier and successfully advanced to become a Titled Douluo, with the title "Poison." After becoming the Poison Douluo, both his strength and status were greatly elevated. Not only did he hold an important position in the Heaven Dou royal family, but he also earned widespread respect in the Soul Master World.
Based on various pieces of information, Marco speculated that after advancing to Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo had likely discovered the legendary Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. This treasured location, situated deep within the Sunset Forest, formed a unique landscape where extreme heat and extreme cold coexisted due to special terrain and spiritual energy convergence, nurturing countless rare medicinal herbs. Originally suffering from the backlash of his Martial Soul, with the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison continuously eroding his body, the unique environment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well happened to suppress the toxins within him while providing precious materials for concocting antidotes.
However, Marco's search for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was not smooth sailing. As early as two years ago, when he learned of this treasured land's existence from ancient texts, he had ventured into the Sunset Forest multiple times to investigate. Drawing on his knowledge of pharmacology, Marco knew that the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was roughly located deep within the Sunset Forest, surrounded by poisonous miasma, containing a strange spring where ice and fire converged, with countless rare Immortal Herbs growing around it.
Yet despite repeatedly risking journeys deep into the Sunset Forest, even relying on the toxin resistance of his Azure Flame Phoenix Spirit to traverse the poisonous miasma areas, Marco never managed to pinpoint the exact location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. That area was cleverly concealed through artificial means, combined with the protection of natural poisonous miasma, making it difficult for outsiders to discover.
Marco had also considered approaching Dugu Bo through Dugu Yan. He knew Dugu Yan was Dugu Bo's granddaughter and the person he cherished most. If introduced through Dugu Yan, he might have an opportunity to meet Dugu Bo and subsequently access the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. But at that time, Dugu Bo hadn't yet broken through to Titled Douluo, maintained a low profile, and had unpredictable movements. Marco couldn't grasp the right timing, fearing that rash contact might instead alert Dugu Bo.
Now that four years had passed and Dugu Bo had advanced to Titled Douluo, Marco speculated he had likely discovered the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Marco believed the timing was ripe - it was time to formally contact Dugu Bo through Dugu Yan. He planned to reveal his interest and knowledge in pharmacology to Dugu Yan at an appropriate moment, using this as an opportunity to get acquainted with Dugu Bo, with the ultimate goal of gaining access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
During these six years, the members of the Royal Fight Team had also made significant progress. Though everyone usually cultivated separately with little interaction, the team's camaraderie remained. On this day, through Dugu Yan's careful arrangements, the Royal Fight Team welcomed a rare gathering.
The gathering venue was chosen at the most renowned "Royal Courtyard" restaurant in Heaven Dou City. This was a top-tier establishment catering specifically to Soul Masters and nobility, featuring an elegant environment and exquisite cuisine. More importantly, it contained dedicated training grounds and competition platforms for Soul Masters to spar and exchange techniques.
As evening fell and lanterns lit up the night, the Royal Fight Team members gradually arrived at the private room. As the organizer, Dugu Yan arrived early to arrange everything. She wore a dark green long dress today that complemented her snow-white skin, with the unique temperament brought by her Jade Phosphor Serpent Martial Soul making her particularly striking in the crowd. After four years, her Soul Power had reached level twenty-seven, and her control over the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison had become more refined.
Yu Tianheng arrived shortly after. As the heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he carried an aura of steady pride, his tall figure accentuated by a fitted blue outfit. With his Soul Power reaching level 28, he was the highest-level member of the team aside from Marco. The imposing pressure of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit grew more pronounced with age, and even when restrained, it still emanated a faint sense of intimidation.
Ye Lingling and Marco arrived together. Ye Lingling wore an elegant white dress, reminiscent of an orchid in a secluded valley. Her Nine Heart Begonia Spirit endowed her with a serene, healing presence. Her Soul Power had reached level 26, enhancing her therapeutic abilities further. Marco, dressed in black training attire, stood tall with a sharp gaze. The Azure Flame Phoenix Spirit imbued him with a blazing aura, and after four years of rigorous cultivation, he had attained level 36, just four levels away from becoming a Soul Ancestor.
Next to arrive was Osler, with his Ghost Panther Spirit and level 26 Soul Power. Influenced by Marco in recent years, he had trained more diligently, becoming agile and swift. He entered the private room almost soundlessly, embodying the traits of a typical Agility Attack System Soul Master.
Yufeng followed closely behind, possessing the Wind Chime Bird Spirit and level 25 Soul Power. His demeanor was light and nimble, his steps effortless, as the Wind Chime Bird Spirit granted him exceptional speed and flexibility.
Lastly, the Shi brothers—Shímó and Shímò—arrived. Both had the Black Tortoise Turtle Spirit and level 25 Soul Power. Sturdy and composed, their Black Tortoise Turtle Spirits provided formidable defense, making them the indispensable defensive core of the team.
With this, the Royal Fight Team was fully assembled: Yu Tianheng and Marco in the strong attack system, Dugu Yan in control, Ye Lingling in support, Osler and Yufeng in agility attack, and Shímó and Shímò in defense. This was a well-balanced team with complementary Spirit Rings, excelling in both offense and defense.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the conversation turned to their cultivation experiences and anecdotes from the past four years. Naturally, the topic shifted to their individual achievements and combat records.
Yu Tianheng was the first to share, recounting how he had defeated a level 35 Soul Honour despite being out-leveled, leveraging the formidable offensive power of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Dugu Yan then described an instance during her training where she had repelled a group of thousand-year Soul Beasts using her Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison.
When asked about his own accomplishments over the years, Marco humbly mentioned his track record at the Great Soul Arena and some insights from his cultivation. However, Ye Lingling and Osler chimed in with additional details, including how Marco, at level 36, had defeated a level 43 Soul Ancestor, as well as the origin of his "Phoenix" moniker.
As everyone marveled at Marco's feats, Yufeng suddenly snorted, his face etched with clear dissatisfaction. "Cross-level challenges aren't that impressive. With the speed advantage of my Wind Chime Bird Spirit, it's anyone's guess who would win in a real fight."
The atmosphere in the private room instantly grew tense. Yu Tianheng frowned at Yufeng, Dugu Yan's smile froze, Ye Lingling looked worriedly at Marco, and Osler glared at Yufeng in displeasure. The Shi brothers exchanged glances, uncertain how to smooth things over.
Marco simply smiled faintly, unbothered by Yufeng's attitude. "Brother Yufeng is right. The Wind Chime Bird Martial Soul's speed advantage is indeed significant. In a real duel, I wouldn't be confident of certain victory either." He raised his wine glass in a toast to Yufeng. "When the opportunity arises, we can spar and learn from each other."
Marco's magnanimous response eased the tension considerably. Yu Tianheng seized the moment to interject, "Since we're discussing sparring, why don't we arrange an internal team practice match? It's been so long since we last trained together. This would be a perfect chance to familiarize ourselves with each other's progress."
The suggestion was met with enthusiastic agreement from everyone. Dugu Yan immediately began planning the time and venue for the practice session. The Shi brothers discussed improvements to their defensive coordination, while Osler and Yufeng started contemplating how to counter Marco's blue flames and domineering aura.
The gathering continued amidst laughter and cheerful conversation. They talked about future cultivation plans, sharing their experiences and insights. Though they had focused on their individual training over the past six years with little overlap, their camaraderie as comrades remained profound upon reuniting.
As the night deepened, the gathering eventually drew to a close. Before parting ways, they agreed to meet regularly for gatherings and training sessions, ensuring their team bonds wouldn't fade with time. Marco and Ye Lingling walked side by side on their way home, the moonlight casting long shadows behind them.
"Time flies," Ye Lingling murmured softly. "In the blink of an eye, we've all grown up."
Marco nodded, his gaze drifting into the distance. "Indeed. The continent's situation is changing rapidly too. All we can do is keep growing stronger to face the challenges ahead."