Huo Yuhao stood to the side, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the two brothers who were sitting cross-legged.
His going to such lengths to help two complete strangers was certainly not just a spur-of-the-moment decision.
As a transmigrator with memories of his past life, his understanding of Luo Sanpao's top-grade useless martial spirit was even more thorough than that of all the elders of the Heavenly Dragon Sect combined.
In fan fiction filled with all sorts of imaginative ideas, this thing is undoubtedly a frequent guest.
Almost every senior who roamed the Douluo Continent with a cheat code would come up with an extreme advanced operation—feeding the spirit dragon meat and infusing it with true dragon blood—once they encountered this spirit.
They can transform a pig that only knows how to fart into a top-tier true dragon capable of devouring the heavens and the earth.
When he read those descriptions before, he only thought that the forced elevation of the bloodline was quite interesting, and treated it as a way to pass the time.
Now that he has truly arrived in this world, holding the Qiankun Creation Cauldron that can analyze all things, he happens to run into two ready-made test subjects carrying the original Luo Sanpao.
If he doesn't take this opportunity to conduct a comparative experiment and collect some first-hand deconstruction data, it would be a waste of his entire setup.
Once he figured out the underlying transformation logic of this useless martial soul when it absorbed the same source of dragon blood, he could then decide how to mold and modify any other bizarre martial soul he encountered in the future.
A pale blue fluorescence quietly shone in his eyes.
The Spirit Eye's second soul skill, Spirit Detection, silently unfolded, completely enveloping the rocky beach in front of it.
The slightest rustling within a radius of several hundred meters vanished instantly. The extremely minute circulation routes of the soul power within the two brothers' bodies, the speed of blood flow, and even the expansion and contraction of every node in their meridians were clearly imprinted in his mind as if he were looking at the lines on his palm.
Huo Yuhao's attention first fell on Long Batian, who was slightly older.
This kid is currently absorbing the 230-year-old Holy Light Dragon Soul Ring.
As the pale golden soul power source flowed into his dantian with the pull, the bright yellow Luo Sanpao martial soul was forcibly summoned and lay down beside him to absorb the power.
However, the results revealed at the microscopic level were somewhat unexpected.
After that pure essence of a hundred-year-old soul beast merged into the martial soul, it was like a drop of water falling into a dry, boundless sandy land, without even causing the slightest ripple.
Luo Sanpao's burly body, composed of soul power, looked like a tattered bamboo basket leaking from all sides in the field of mental detection.
No matter how much pure energy is poured in from the outside, it will dissipate on its own along the incomplete martial spirit patterns after circulating for half a cycle.
The amount of soul power that can truly settle within the body and be used to strengthen the origin of one's bloodline is pitifully small, making it difficult even to maintain the physical form of one's martial soul.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.
This is the absolute constraint brought about by innate half-level soul power.
This body's energy conversion efficiency is outrageously low, unable to even achieve the most basic solidification of soul power, let alone stimulate the dragon bloodline to revert to its ancestral state.
At this absorption efficiency, this two-hundred-year-old Holy Light Dragon has been completely wasted.
He shifted his gaze away and turned his mental energy detection focus to his younger brother, Long Zhantian, who was standing beside him.
This little guy has a talent level of two and a half, and his foundation is a bit thicker. He absorbed the soul ring that was 212 years old, so his internal condition is obviously much more active.
As soon as the pale golden light-attribute soul power entered his body through the meridians, the soul power in Long Zhantian's dantian rushed towards it like a school of fish smelling fishy odors.
The two forces of the same origin quickly intertwined and merged upon contact, creating a faint halo of light in the meridians.
The Luo Sanpao lying beside him raised its short, thick neck, opened its mouth wide, and greedily swallowed the century-old essence flowing in along with the pull of master and servant.
As energy was continuously injected, the bright yellow short hairs on the surface of the martial spirit began to glow with a faint golden light.
Within Huo Yuhao's extreme vision, the martial soul patterns within Luo Sanpao's body, which were originally in a broken state, were slowly undergoing self-repair under the nourishment of light-attribute soul power.
The originally short limbs and blunt bones have also undergone some subtle stretching that is difficult to detect with the naked eye.
That's right.
Huo Yuhao looked at the two completely different sets of data and silently created a file in his mind.
While the tropes in fan fiction may be exaggerated, the general direction is not wrong. As long as the attributes of the external resources are compatible enough and the host's own transformation efficiency is up to standard, a mutated useless martial soul like Luo Sanpao does indeed have the potential for acquired evolution.
Time slipped away little by little on the silent, rocky beach.
About half an hour later, the fluctuations in Long Zhantian's soul power subsided.
He ended his meditation and opened his eyes.
The bright yellow, century-old soul ring was securely encircled on his body, bobbing up and down with a vibrant rhythm.
Feeling the abundant power within his body, Long Zhantian's face lit up with barely suppressed joy, and even his movements as he stood up were much lighter than before.
In contrast, Long Batian's progress is much slower.
It took him almost an hour to finally tame the older soul ring and suppress its violent residual energy deep within his meridians.
As the light faded, Long Batian opened his eyes weakly, his face even more pale than before.
Huo Yuhao dispersed the pale blue fluorescence in his eyes and stepped forward to stand in front of the two.
"How do you feel?"
He asked in a calm tone, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them.
"..."
Long Batian opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to answer.
He glanced down at Luo Sanpao, who was lying at his feet and hadn't changed at all except for his fur being slightly shinier, and silently clenched his fist.
"In response to your question, senior."
Long Batian gritted his teeth, suppressing the overwhelming sense of disappointment in his heart. His voice sounded extremely dry. "Although I absorbed the soul ring and forcibly broke through to level eleven, I did not generate any soul skills."
"There is no sign of any change in the martial spirit; it remains the same as before."
This was entirely within Huo Yuhao's expectations.
His innate essence was too weak, and his martial soul structure was riddled with holes. He couldn't even gather enough foundation to condense a complete soul skill. He was lucky to be able to absorb something beyond his level.
He turned to look at Long Zhantian beside him.
"And you?"
Long Zhantian quickly stood up straight and patted the energetic Luo Sanpao beside him.
"Senior, I have acquired a soul skill."
The gloom on his face vanished instantly, and his tone revealed an undisguised excitement, "It's called Holy Light Cannon!"
Huo Yuhao raised his chin.
"Try using it."
Long Zhantian immediately activated the soul power that had just stabilized within his body, and the bright yellow century-old soul ring on his body lit up.
Luo Sanpao, who was lying on the ground, grunted twice and took a deep breath through his protruding nose. His already fat belly visibly swelled into a round ball.
Then, it opened its mouth and let out a low growl.
A ball of energy, no bigger than a fist and gleaming with a faint golden light, shot out of its mouth, wobbling and tracing a parabola in mid-air before crashing into a rock two meters away.
*Smack*
A dull, soft sound rang out.
The sphere of light shattered into specks of light and dissipated. The fist-sized rock only developed a fine crack on its surface; it didn't even break apart.
The power of this sight made Huo Yuhao's lips twitch.
With such a slow attack speed and pitiful killing power, let alone a hundred-year-old soul beast, even a ten-year-old soul beast with slightly thicker skin would probably only be used to tickle someone.
"Aside from this, are there any other changes?"
Huo Yuhao suppressed the urge to complain and continued to ask questions.
Long Zhantian scratched his head and pointed to the area on both sides of Luo Sanpao's back.
"It seems like something has grown on the Martial Soul."
Huo Yuhao leaned closer for a look.
Beneath the bright yellow short hairs, there were indeed several pale gold scales, each smaller than a fingernail.
This thing looks like dragon scales, but it's as thin as paper. It offers no defense whatsoever and doesn't carry any special attributes. It's just a pure decoration.
But for a useless martial spirit like Luo Sanpao that has remained unchanged for millennia, this is ultimately a genuine positive change.
The pale blue fluorescence in Huo Yuhao's eyes did not dissipate.
He maintained a god-like perspective of spiritual detection, shifting the precision of his detection from the martial spirit to the two brothers' physical bodies.
According to the common sense of the Soul Master world in Douluo Continent, after a Beast Martial Soul absorbs a Soul Ring, it will often feed back a large portion of its violent Soul Power energy to its host.
This feedback is the most important way for Soul Masters to strengthen their physique and expand their meridians.
However, under Huo Yuhao's careful observation, this most basic rule completely failed with Long Batian.
Compared to before absorbing the soul ring, this kid's physical data had hardly changed at all. The energy that should have been used to strengthen his muscles and bones was silently lost after circulating for half a cycle through the gaps in his meridians, which were riddled with holes.
In contrast, his younger brother Long Zhantian's blood circulation was noticeably faster, his muscle fibers were significantly more resilient, and even his breathing rhythm became longer.
The difference in innate soul power between two and a half levels and half levels was fully demonstrated at this moment.
Just as Huo Yuhao was silently compiling and comparing data in his mind, Long Batian took half a step forward.
He shielded his younger brother tightly behind him, clasped his hands together, his body tense, and bowed deeply to Huo Yuhao.
"Thank you for bestowing this ring upon me."
Long Batian spoke with extreme respect, even with a hint of caution, "My brother and I are of low strength and dare not continue to venture deeper into the canyon, thus burdening our seniors. We shall now take our leave."
His words were perfectly flawless.
They were already close to the dangerous area of the Meteor Dragon Canyon. As two level 10 useless martial soul masters, if they went any further, even a hundred-year-old soul beast could take their lives, let alone going deeper into the canyon.
Huo Yuhao didn't even lift his eyelids.
Did I let you leave?
He casually flicked his sleeve, not releasing a single trace of soul power, but his seemingly light words felt as heavy as a thousand pounds to the two brothers.
"Since we've already encountered this, let's continue following it; there might be other benefits as well."
Long Batian was stunned.
His already pale face immediately froze, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
These powerful individuals, whose strength is unfathomable, have always had eccentric temperaments. If the other party does not release them, they will not even have the right to escape.
The two exchanged a glance, neither daring to utter a word of disobedience.
Compared to his brother's composure and vigilance, Long Zhantian's impulsive nature was clearly hard to contain.
He had been protected by his older brother since childhood and didn't have much respect for the treacherous laws of the wilderness. He leaned half his body out from behind his brother and looked at Huo Yuhao with a puzzled expression.
"Senior, our Luo Sanpao is recognized as a useless martial spirit on the mainland, good for nothing."
Long Zhantian shrugged, "Why would a powerful figure like you need to drag the two of us along as a burden?"
Upon hearing this, Long Batian's face immediately turned pale.
He grabbed his brother's arm and forcefully pulled him back behind him, protecting him tightly, afraid that his brother's reckless behavior would anger the menacing figure before him.
"Please calm down, senior!"
Long Batian bent down, his voice revealing undisguised urgency and fear, "My younger brother has never been very bright since he was little, and he speaks without thinking. He absolutely did not mean to offend you, so please be lenient."
Looking at the scene before him, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh.
The older brother is quite vigilant.
In this perilous wilderness, to protect his younger brother to such an unsuspecting degree is truly the act of an elder brother acting as a father.
He didn't dwell on the topic, but simply turned around casually and strode into the depths of the canyon.
"Just follow along, I won't hurt you."
The cool, clear voice drifted over on the wind.
The two brothers exchanged a glance, then reluctantly stepped forward and followed.
...
The edge of the core area of Meteor Dragon Canyon.
The miasma here is so thick that it obscures most of the view, and the toxins in the air can even cause ordinary low-level Soul Masters to fall into a coma within a few breaths.
However, Huo Yuhao only maintained the basic operation of the three-colored soul core. A wisp of extreme ice cold air lingered around the three of them, keeping the highly poisonous gray fog completely out.
With this powerful protector, the two brothers walked cautiously but did not suffer any real harm.
Less than 100 meters ahead, an armored earth dragon over five meters long was lying in the mud feeding.
The scales on this beast gleamed with a thick metallic sheen, and judging from its thick hind limbs and the bony spurs protruding from its back, it was definitely a ferocious creature that had existed for over two thousand years.
Huo Yuhao didn't even pause, his right index finger lightly tracing a line in the air.
The spatial force overflowing from the fingertips was compressed to the extreme, transforming into a transparent thread even finer than a hair.
untie.
The invisible blade of space silently swept across the swamp.
The armored earth dragon, still tearing at its prey, didn't even have time to make a sound before its massive head slid neatly down its neck.
The incision was as smooth as a mirror, and not a single drop of blood immediately seeped out.
Only when the head slammed into the mud and water did a torrent of dark red blood gush out from the severed neck.
Long Batian and Long Zhantian swallowed hard as they watched from behind.
A two-thousand-year-old soul beast was slaughtered as easily as cutting tofu.
Huo Yuhao walked to the corpse and placed his right hand on the hard dragon scales.
He released a massive amount of spiritual energy, which transformed into an invisible giant hand that reached directly into the body that had not yet completely lost its warmth.
With precise mental power, he peeled away the faint essence of the dragon vein, forcefully extracting the remaining source of the dragon bloodline from its body.
A few drops of viscous semen, shimmering with a faint golden light, floated in mid-air.
Then, he used his spatial power to cut off two pieces of the freshest flesh from the inside of his thighs and dripped the extracted essence evenly onto them.
"Release your martial spirits."
Huo Yuhao turned his head and threw the two pieces of flesh dripping with blood and essence at the feet of the two brothers.
The two brothers: ...
Faced with this act of directly throwing the flesh and blood of a thousand-year-old soul beast at them, the two of them stared at each other, their minds in complete confusion.
"Feed them." Huo Yuhao raised his chin, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Although I had no idea what this senior was trying to do, in a place where strength is paramount, doing as he said was always the best solution.
The two quickly activated their soul power and summoned their respective Luo Sanpao.
As soon as the two bright yellow little beasts landed, they seemed to smell an unparalleled delicacy. Their protruding noses twitched wildly as they pounced on the flesh and blood on the ground without any hesitation, tearing and swallowing it in large bites.
Huo Yuhao activated his mental detection, his eyes slightly narrowed, intently recording the energy feedback of the two martial souls after they devoured high-level flesh and blood.
After eating the Thousand-Year Dragon meat, the fur of the two Luo Sanpao did indeed become shinier, and the flow of soul power within their bodies became slightly smoother.
But that's not enough.
For the next half day, the three continued to wander on the edge of the core area.
With his God-like perspective from mental detection, Huo Yuhao felt as if he were strolling through his own backyard.
They encountered six or seven thousand-year-old mutated dragons along the way.
Whether it was the rock horn dragon skilled in disguise or the fiery red dragon lizard with its volatile temper, neither could withstand a single exchange against Huo Yuhao's unreasonable "solution".
The entire process is exactly the same.
Instant kill, extract essence and blood, cut flesh and blood, distribute and feed.
Long Batian and Long Zhantian went from being shocked and terrified at the beginning to becoming completely numb later on.
They finally understood that this senior wasn't there to train them at all; he was using them as guinea pigs.
After a series of intensive feeding tests, Huo Yuhao finally collected all the data he needed.
He discovered that feeding Luo Sanpao the flesh and blood of high-level, homologous soul beasts could indeed produce an evolutionary effect, but the effect was not as good as expected.
Furthermore, this transformation depends on the host's own innate constitution.
After consuming so much flesh and blood from the past thousand years, Luo Sanpao, the creature of Long Zhantian, did indeed grow several more small scales on its back, and its dragon veins became thicker. Even the holy light cannon it emitted was larger.
As for Long Batian's creature, no matter how much good stuff he was fed, most of it evaporated into the air along with the incomplete martial soul essence during the swallowing process.
This rate of repair is simply not enough to fill that bottomless, leaky hole.
Individual differences are magnified infinitely when resources are allocated equally, and it is difficult to bridge this huge gap by forcibly piling on external resources.
Inside the most luxurious suite of the Mingkun County Star Emperor Hotel.
The delicate fragrance of incense rose from the openwork bronze censer, creating an extremely tranquil atmosphere in the room.
Xu Jiawei stood in front of the mahogany table, looking at the slender but upright young man opposite him. His expression revealed a hint of helplessness, and his eyes also hid a trace of guilt that he could not hide.
As the current ruler of the Star Luo Empire, he has prepared extremely generous bargaining chips for this secret meeting.
As long as the young man nods, all the high-grade soul bones, the top-level simulated training grounds, and even the core cultivation sequence that only the direct descendants of the Star Luo royal family can enjoy in the royal treasury can be given to him without reservation.
Xu Mingzi didn't even glance at the priceless tokens on the table.
He wore the neatly tailored uniform of Minghuang Academy, and his handsome face showed no trace of fear in front of a monarch, only a cold indifference that kept people at a distance.
"Your Majesty, the conditions you have offered are indeed so generous that they are hard to refuse."
Xu Mingzi spoke calmly, his voice revealing no emotion whatsoever.
"But when I was eight years old, when my mother was bedridden in the dilapidated thatched hut, where were you and the Xingluo royal family?"
Xu Jiawei was speechless at this blunt question.
"..."
He opened his mouth, but for a moment he couldn't find a single word to refute it.
Xu Mingzi didn't give the other party a chance to organize their thoughts and continued speaking.
"On the day I naturally awakened my martial soul, there wasn't even a single piece of inferior crystal to test my soul power. It was only by exchanging my mother's belongings for half a piece of dry food that I didn't starve to death on the street."
"From the moment I was born, the role of a father has never existed in my world."
He slightly raised his chin, meeting Xu Jiawei's gaze without any hesitation.
"Later, Minghuang Academy took me in."
"It was Senior Sister Orange who gave me food and taught me how to plan my life."
"It was Senior Sister Gu Yi who, with her sword in hand, corrected my soul skill usage time and time again, and taught me from a wild child who could only wander around into the Minghuang team member I am today."
Xu Mingzi took half a step back, bowed slightly, and performed a perfect, flawless gesture of courtesy.
"Minghuang raised me, and my senior taught me. Now you're asking me to betray my real family for a bloodline that has never been fulfilled."
"Absolutely impossible."
After saying this, he didn't linger. He turned around, opened the heavy wooden door of the room, and strode out.
The crisp sound of footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor.
Xu Jiawei slumped into the luxurious soft chair and sighed.
This meticulously planned secret meeting ultimately fell apart completely.
...
Minghuang Academy, the upper-level study room inside.
Orange sat behind her large desk, flipping through the financial jade slips that Lingyao Pavilion had just submitted this month.
Xu Mingzi pushed open the door and walked in, giving a detailed account of the negotiations that had just taken place in the Xinghuang Hotel's private room.
Ju Zi didn't even put down the jade slip in her hand, she just nodded slightly.
She was not at all surprised by Xu Jiawei's attempt to win over Xu Mingzi with resources and family ties.
Since the Xingluo royal family was able to accurately find Xu Mingzi in this vast sea of people, it means that they have already found out the boy's true identity.
Not only Xu Jiawei knew, but Ju Zi also had the complete and legendary resume of this young man in his previous life in her mind.
In her previous life, after Xu Yunhan successfully ascended the throne, she gracefully retired and completely withdrew from the public eye.
In her spare time, she kept a close eye on the top-secret intelligence coming back from the Star Luo Empire.
At that time, the Star Luo Empire was suffering repeated defeats in the war, and Xu Jiawei also abdicated and became the Duke of Tianxing.
At that critical juncture of turmoil, a major event that shook the entire city of Xingluo occurred.
A young man, all alone, charged directly into the heavily guarded Duke Tianxing's mansion.
The young man's cultivation level was only at the Soul Douluo level at the time, but with the strange Star Staff Martial Soul in his hand, he managed to suppress all the Title Douluos enshrined in the Duke's mansion in public.
The starlight transformed into tangible shackles, completely sealing off the entire space.
Half a minute.
For a full half minute, those high and mighty Title Douluos were frozen in place by the light of the Star Staff, unable to even activate their Martial Soul True Body.
The young man revealed his identity in front of everyone.
It wasn't until that moment that Xu Jiawei realized that this young scoundrel who had stormed into the Duke's mansion was actually his illegitimate son who had been left behind.
Xu Mingzi used this most domineering and forceful method to complete the process of recognizing his ancestors, changing his surname to Xu, and personally inviting his mother's memorial tablet into the ancestral hall of the Duke's mansion.
But things didn't settle down immediately.
The Star Crown Sect, which was behind the Star Luo Royal Family, quickly learned of the news.
Those self-important elders from the sect stormed into the Duke's mansion and, in front of Xu Jiawei, denounced Xu Mingzi as a bastard who had broken the rules.
They would never allow an illegitimate child to occupy the Duke of Tianxing's place in the line of succession.
Faced with this humiliating pressure, Xu Mingzi did not choose to compromise. He directly announced the division of the family, took his mother's memorial tablet, and left the Duke's mansion without looking back, establishing his own household.
The position of Duke of Tianxing was ultimately inherited by a so-called legitimate bloodline chosen by the Xingguan Sect.
Everyone thought that this young man, who had lost the protection of the royal family, would disappear completely in this power struggle.
But no one expected that Xu Mingzi's talent for cultivation was nothing short of monstrous.
Through his own efforts and exploration in the face of life and death, he managed to overcome the level 90 barrier and become a true Title Douluo.
On the day of his breakthrough, he stormed the gates of the Star Crown Sect all by himself.
In that battle, the brilliance of the Star Staff Martial Soul overshadowed the star crowns covering the entire mountain.
Even when the hidden Super Douluo of the Star Crown Sect personally took action and released his proud Star Radiance Technique, his soul power core was shattered with a single blow from his staff, and the power of the stars in the staff was used to forcibly suppress and seal it.
He returned the humiliation of being called a bastard and forced out of the duke's mansion to that high and mighty sect without reservation.
The Star Staff Martial Soul is so special that it is said that even if an Extreme Douluo comes, he will have to endure 10 seconds of control before he can use his Soul Skill.
After witnessing the almost insurmountable power of the Star Staff Martial Soul, the elders of the Star Crown Sect made a complete 180-degree turn in their attitude and tried to reintegrate him with the sect's most prestigious treatment.
But Xu Mingzi only told them that he didn't care at all.
He completely severed all ties with the Star Luo royal family and established the Star Staff Xu family in his own name.
Orange pulled herself out of her reverie and turned her gaze back to the boy in front of her, who, despite being only a teenager, already displayed an indomitable spirit.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
This is a truly unparalleled genius.
In terms of temperament, talent, and ruthlessness, he has reached the highest level in the Douluo Continent.
Now that she has been given a second chance at life and has complete information about the future, how could she possibly let such a prodigy continue to wander outside and suffer hardships that he shouldn't have to endure?
So she sent someone to find the young Xu Mingzi early on, brought him back to Minghuang Academy, nurtured him with the best resources, and bound him with the purest camaraderie.
Compared to the lone-wolf Xu family patriarch of her previous life, Xu Mingzi in this life has been personally cultivated by her into the sharpest trump card of Minghuang Academy.
Inside a secluded private room on the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel.
Dai Hao sat on the rosewood chair, his gaze fixed on the tea in front of him, which had gone completely cold.
The heavy wooden door was pushed open from the outside.
Xu Jiawei strode in, his face revealing an undeniable weariness.
Dai Hao immediately stood up and clasped his hands in a salute.
"His Majesty."
Xu Jiawei waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities, and then walked to the main seat and sat down, picking up his teacup to moisten his throat.
The talks broke down.
He placed the teacup on the table, making a crisp clinking sound. "That kid didn't even glance at the chips; he rejected the offer outright."
Dai Hao raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He knew very well the generous terms the royal family had offered to win over that bloodline that had been separated from the people. Any normal soul master would have no confidence to refuse.
This kid is even more stubborn than he expected.
After a brief moment of surprise, Dai Hao's expression became serious, and his battle-hardened face regained its usual calm.
"Since the article approach is not feasible, we can only proceed according to the original plan."
Xu Jiawei stood up and straightened his slightly wrinkled sleeves.
"Let's go to Tianlongmen."
...
Dragon City, the headquarters of the Heavenly Dragon Gate.
This magnificent palace, which resembles a giant dragon coiled atop the mountain, is now hosting the most prestigious secret gathering in hundreds of years.
Inside the spacious council hall, more than a dozen figures with profound presence sat upright.
Those who can sit here have at least crossed the level 90 threshold in terms of cultivation.
The leaders of Tianlongmen are Long Yuhan, Jiangu Valley Master Jian Wushuang, Xuanming Sect Master Xu Quexin, Duke Hanyue of Douling Empire Chang Junming, and the Third Elder Yao Haoyue.
These people are all top-tier experts who control their own territories and are influential throughout the continent. They belong to different imperial families, reclusive sects, and old noble families.
They usually compete openly and secretly for their own interests, making it impossible for them to sit down at the same table peacefully.
But today, they have reached a tacit understanding for the first time ever.
All of this points to the same goal.
Minghuang Academy.
Accompanied by a series of steady footsteps, Xu Jiawei and Dai Hao entered the main hall under the guidance of the Tianlongmen elders.
The two took their seats in the reserved area, and the conversation in the hall gradually subsided.
This gathering, which could determine the future landscape of mainland China, has officially begun.
An elderly man sitting at the head of the left seat stood up.
He was dressed in a simple blue robe and held an old, unbound scroll in his hands, exuding a sense of world-weariness and vicissitude.
This old man was none other than the master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, the Heavenly Secrets Douluo Gongsun Shu.
His intelligence network has always been the most mysterious and unpredictable in mainland China. It is said that as long as the price is right, it can even uncover some of the secrets of gods.
"Now that everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point."
Gongsun Shu coughed lightly, unfolded the blank book in his hand, and a strange wave of soul power rippled out from the pages.
"In the past half month, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has thoroughly exposed the secrets of Minghuang Academy, Lingyao Pavilion, and the Divine Mechanism Hall hidden on the border."
These three enormous entities, which appeared out of nowhere, have expanded wildly over the past few years, not only monopolizing the low-grade pill market but also possessing soul-guided technology capable of overturning the course of the war on the continent.
Everyone assumed that these three forces were backed by different ancient traditions.
Gongsun Shu glanced around and calmly dropped a bombshell.
"The actual ruler of these three forces is the same person."
A slight commotion immediately arose inside the hall.
"Moreover, this behind-the-scenes boss is neither some ancient monster who has lived for hundreds of years, nor the leader of any reclusive sect."
Gongsun Shu reached out and gently touched the Heavenly Book, and a light screen condensed from soul power floated in mid-air.
An image of a black-haired girl appeared on the screen.
The girl had a cool and aloof look, and an intellectual air about her; she appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.
"Her name is Orange. She comes from a military family that guards the western border of the Sun Moon Empire. She is a commoner girl with no background."
For a moment, everyone present was stunned.
Everyone: ...
They had considered countless possibilities, but they never expected that the mastermind behind the upheaval that turned the entire Douluo Continent upside down would actually be a little girl who had not yet reached adulthood.
Jian Wushuang frowned, stared at the image on the screen for a while, and then snorted coldly.
"Pavilion Master Gongsun, are you making fun of us?"
His tone revealed undisguised skepticism: "How could a commoner from a military household produce such unheard-of elixirs and soul-guiding techniques?"
Believe it or not.
Gongsun Shu didn't even bother to explain; he simply threw a stack of copied secret scrolls onto the table.
"This contains all the records of her financial flows and personnel transfers from her rise to power in the border town, the establishment of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, and the secret fundraising for the Divine Machine Palace. Every single detail is crystal clear."
The group of bigwigs exchanged glances and immediately picked up the secret scrolls to look through them.
As they read on, the doubt on their faces was gradually replaced by an indescribable solemnity.
The information was so detailed it was outrageous.
Whether it's the almost monstrous student recruitment of Minghuang Academy or the material transportation of the Shenji Palace underground fortress, it all depends on this girl named Ju Zi.
The atmosphere inside the main hall became somewhat eerie.
After the initial shock, a feeling called greed began to quietly spread in the eyes of these people in power.
They finally saw through the true nature of this lucrative opportunity.
This young girl possesses technology capable of altering the course of the continent, astonishing wealth comparable to that of a nation, and immeasurable strategic resources.
However, the high-level combat power behind her was ridiculously weak.
All things considered, the only one truly outstanding is Dugu Ling, a titled Douluo from the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.
A titled Douluo might be an insurmountable figure in an ordinary sect, but in front of a gathering of super Douluos and a king, he is no real obstacle.
This is like a child carrying a gold brick and flaunting it in the street, while all around are hungry wolves.
Long Yuhan broke the silence by lightly tapping his fingers on the table.
"This girl's abilities are indeed frightening. If we let her continue to develop, she will completely hollow out the foundations of the three great empires within ten years."
He paused, a ruthless glint in his eyes, "Moreover, she is a member of the Sun and Moon Empire."
In the eyes of the powerful figures of the Three Kingdoms who originally belonged to the Douluo Continent, this identity was itself a kind of original sin.
Xu Quexin, the sect leader of the Xuanming Sect, stroked his beard and nodded in agreement.
"The Dragon Gate Master is right. Those who are not of our kind will surely have different intentions."
His words sounded grand and dignified, but everyone could hear the underlying meaning.
Chang Junming leaned back in his chair and let out a cold laugh.
"Over the years, how many promising talents who should have belonged to our sect have been recruited by Minghuang Academy?"
"The Spirit Medicine Pavilion has monopolized the circulation of low-level pills, snatching a large piece of meat from our mouths."
"And then there's the Divine Machine Hall. The soul-guided devices they create are the envy of even the militaries of the major empires."
He stated bluntly, "Now that we know the details, there's no need to hide anything anymore. Let's join forces and surround her. The skills and resources she has are enough to feed everyone here to the brim."
This suggestion was immediately accepted by everyone present.
No one can resist the temptation of such a seemingly risk-free and highly profitable scheme.
They decided to stop making any pointless probes and instead use their top-tier resources to launch a devastating raid, uprooting Orange and her forces and dividing them up completely.
Just as everyone was about to discuss the specific details of how to proceed, Xu Jiawei suddenly turned to look at Gongsun Shu, who had put away the light screen.
"It's best to be cautious before taking any action."
Xu Jiawei suggested, "Pavilion Master Gongsun, since your wordless book can discern the secrets of heaven, why don't we take advantage of everyone's presence and cast a divination to see how auspicious or inauspicious this operation will be?"
Inside the Tianlongmen Council Hall, the atmosphere was so heavy that even the air seemed somewhat oppressive.
All eyes were focused on the figure at the head of the left side.
Gongsun Shu stood up, made a grasping motion in the air with his right hand, and an old book, exuding the aura of time and vicissitudes, materialized in his palm.
There were no words on the book cover, yet it exuded an indescribable, mysterious aura.
This is his innate martial spirit, the wordless heavenly book.
As a rare functional weapon spirit on the mainland, this Heavenly Book can not only deduce destiny and record cause and effect, but also has extremely strange predictive and control abilities in actual combat, which is the foundation for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion to stand firm.
One after another, spirit rings belonging to a Title Douluo rose from beneath his feet.
Two yellow, two purple, and five black.
The nine soul rings shone brightly, and a tremendous pressure belonging to a level 93 Title Douluo suddenly spread throughout the hall.
While the Super Douluo and the king of a country, who were sitting upright in their chairs, were unaffected, the guards standing at the edge of the hall all bent over uncontrollably, and even their breathing became difficult.
Gongsun Shu tapped lightly on the spine of the Heavenly Book with his withered fingers, his gaze fixed on the deep fifth soul ring.
The black soul ring shone brightly, and a strange soul power that guided the trajectory of fate flowed down his arm and into his martial soul.
Fifth Soul Skill: Heavenly Calculation.
This soul skill can forcibly peek into the fortunes of the caster in the near future by consuming a portion of the caster's spiritual power and blood.
Both Emperor Xu Jiawei of Xingluo and Long Yuhan, the sect leader of Tianlong Sect, were well aware of the value of this unique skill.
Over the past century, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has relied on this almost heaven-defying predictive ability to avoid countless crises that threatened to destroy the sect.
The title page of the wordless book moved automatically without wind. After quickly flipping through a dozen pages, a completely blank sheet of paper fell off the book and quietly floated in mid-air.
A shimmering halo, like ripples on water, appeared on the surface of the paper, as if it were carrying some kind of divine revelation that was about to appear.
The dozen or so top experts in the main hall all stopped talking and fixed their gazes on the white paper.
As the fluctuations in soul power subsided, two powerful, dark characters slowly spread across the paper, exuding an undeniable certainty.
Great fortune.
Gongsun Shu reached out and pinched the paper between his fingertips. An irrepressible joy immediately spread across his old face, and even the wrinkles on his face smoothed out a lot.
"Everyone."
He waved the paper in his hand, laughed loudly, and said with absolute certainty, "Heaven has decreed that our operation will be a resounding success, and everyone will reap a great reward!"
The lingering apprehension in the hall was completely dispelled, replaced by an almost fanatical confidence.
With the personal divination endorsement of the Master of Tianji Pavilion, everyone felt that this piece of fat meat had already fallen into their pockets.
Chang Junming leaned back in his chair, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Since fate is on our side, let's not delay any longer and come up with a plan."
Xu Quexin nodded in agreement, his tone chilling, "The defenses around Minghuang Academy are nothing to worry about. The key is to pinpoint the location of Ju Zi and that Dugu Ling as soon as possible, and not allow them to escape."
With no more reservations, everyone gathered around the large table and began to discuss in detail the specific action plan and troop deployment for the hunt for the oranges.
...
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
On a rocky beach on the edge of the core area of Meteor Dragon Canyon, the miasma is still thick.
The hazy poisonous fog churned in mid-air, but was blocked by an extremely thin layer of icy blue halo, unable to penetrate even a little.
Huo Yuhao sat on a relatively flat bluestone, holding a dry tree branch in his hand, sketching the experimental data and energy model he had just recorded on the ground.
He gained a lot from these five days of high-intensity comparative experiments.
He used the two brothers, Long Batian and Long Zhantian, as ready-made observation samples, precisely controlling the amount of food they were fed every day and meticulously observing the growth trajectory of those two useless martial souls.
First and foremost, it is certain that feeding Luo Sanpao high-level dragon meat and blood can indeed produce substantial evolutionary effects.
However, this simple and crude evolutionary process contains a huge variable.
Individual differences.
The biggest reason for this difference is the innate level of the Soul Master.
The higher the host's innate soul power level, the better the conversion efficiency after absorbing the same source of dragon flesh and blood, and the more obvious the evolutionary effect will be.
During the first three days of the experiment, Huo Yuhao led his two brothers to hunt in various places, feeding the two little guys almost the same amount of Thousand-Year Dragon Beast flesh and blood.
Every time they were fed, the two bright yellow Luo Sanpao would rush up and bite impatiently, but the results were completely different.
With a base of two and a half levels of innate soul power, Long Zhantian's absorption efficiency was quite remarkable.
After eating and drinking his fill, Luo Sanpao grew more fine, light golden scales on its back, its limbs became thick and powerful, and even its originally short and thick tail grew longer.
The dragon veins within his body expanded by a full circle, and the speed of soul power circulation increased significantly.
Even the holy light cannons that were emitted were larger, and their power was visibly enhanced.
On the other hand, the data on Long Batian's side was simply appalling.
This kid was born with only half a level of soul power, and his meridians were pitifully narrow. Most of the high-level dragon meat he ate was wasted.
Apart from growing a little bigger and having slightly shinier fur, his Luo Sanpao did not undergo any substantial physical changes.
The good things we eat are mostly lost after only half a cycle of metabolism; their absorption and transformation are ridiculously slow.
The only redeeming quality is that a small portion of the residual blood and energy that was not fully digested by the martial spirit was fed back to the host.
Long Batian's originally weak body, which had no foundation for enhancement, was slightly strengthened as a result.
That was the only thing that happened.
This stark difference cannot be explained simply by the absorption efficiency of the meridians.
After observing and probing with his mental powers for three full days, Huo Yuhao finally found the core reason at a more hidden microscopic level.
The activity of the martial spirit essence within the two individuals is completely different.
Although both of their martial souls have flaws, their underlying operating logic when faced with external energy stimuli is completely different.
Long Zhantian's martial soul essence is more active, making him extremely sensitive to stimulation from external energies of the same origin.
As long as high-level Qi and blood are injected, those damaged origins will actively devour and integrate them, thereby repairing themselves.
With this highly active state, he can accept this external evolutionary change without rejection, and truly transform the resources he ingests into his essence.
The activity level of the martial spirit essence within Long Batian's body was shockingly low.
It's just like a hibernating toad; even if you poke it a few times with a stick, it might only hop once with difficulty.
The vast majority of foreign resources are wasted during the process of being absorbed, and this is the root cause.
This somewhat comical discovery did not dampen Huo Yuhao's interest; on the contrary, it aroused in him an unprecedented desire to explore.
He was pleased that he had seized upon this blind spot that everyone had overlooked.
For him, this is a new topic with great research value.
The degree of activity of the martial soul's origin affects the soul master, the quality of the martial soul, and the soul power.
Once this theory is thoroughly implemented, he will be able to provide the most accurate modification solutions when dealing with incomplete martial souls or special bloodlines.
After determining his next research direction, Huo Yuhao changed his feeding strategy.
For the next two days, he did not instruct the two brothers to eat the bloody chunks of the thousand-year-old dragon's flesh raw.
He summoned the Creation Cauldron of Heaven and Earth, and poured the flesh, blood, and essence of the thousand-year-old soul beasts he had hunted into the chaotic, dark gray cauldron. Using his immense soul power as fuel, he activated the hazy mist of creation at the mouth of the cauldron, removing all the violent impurities and retaining only the purest essence of the dragon race's bloodline.
No complicated operations are required; the Creation Cauldron operates on its own.
In no time, a rich and unique fragrance wafted from the cauldron, producing a batch of Dragon Blood Pills of perfect quality.
These pills have a faint golden glow on their surface and contain pure dragon blood and qi. They are not only easy to absorb, but also eliminate the frenzied backlash that might result from directly consuming flesh and blood.
After receiving the finished product, Huo Yuhao distributed it to Long Batian and Long Zhantian in exactly the same amount to continue this high-precision comparative experiment after eliminating impurities