"9...98?!" Everyone present except Ning Rongrong gasped in shock.
"Uncle Sword, are you certain?" Ning Fengzhi asked reflexively.
It wasn't that he refused to believe it but this information was simply too terrifying.
Ning Fengzhi wasn't entirely sure of Bibi Dong's exact age, but she was roughly around fifty, likely not even fifty-five yet.
A level 98 Title Douluo at fifty? Was that even humanly possible?
By this calculation, Bibi Dong might have become a Title Douluo even earlier than Tang Hao, hailed as the youngest Title Douluo in history.
"Quite shocking. Coward, you're not just exaggerating her strength to save face after being discovered, are you?" The Bone Douluo stroked his chin thoughtfully.
The Sword Douluo's face darkened instantly.
"I still have some dignity. After realizing I'd been detected, I suppressed my soul power to level 96. But when she probed the barrier, she didn't conceal her own soul power at all."
"The soul power Bibi Dong released far exceeded level 97 at least on par with when Fengzhi boosted me to kill the Evil Spirit Orca King."
"That's truly terrifying!"
Seeing the Sword Douluo's grave expression, even the Bone Douluo couldn't help but frown.
Ning Rongrong listened quietly without interrupting.
She was somewhat unclear about Bibi Dong's exact strength, but regarding age
Bibi Dong had become a god at 62, while Tang San achieved godhood at 25. Factoring in Tang San's current age...
Bibi Dong was 49, not even fifty yet a level 98 Title Douluo.
Just saying it aloud could scare people to death. Not everyone was like the protagonist squad, cheating their way to Title Douluo before thirty.
"So what now? Do we still go observe?" Bibi Dong's strength had stunned everyone, but Dugu Yan remembered their earlier plan to watch the mother-daughter pair before deciding their next move.
But with Bibi Dong's perception being so sharp, wasn't this asking for trouble?
The thought made Dugu Yan hesitate.
"Relax, look what I brought!" Ning Rongrong retrieved six cylindrical objects from her soul tool and handed them out.
"What's this?"
Dugu Yan was baffled.
Ning Fengzhi and the others weren't much better, turning the strange soul tool-like tubes over in their hands with visible confusion.
Ning Rongrong grinned. "These are called telescopes. They let you see things very, very far away."
"I specifically asked Pavilion Master Lou Gao to make them for... ahem... reconnaissance purposes."
"No soul power needed. Just look through the smaller end, and you can see distant objects clearly. If the image is blurry, adjust the focus by rotating the outer tube."
As soon as she finished explaining, everyone tried out the telescopes.
Almost immediately, Ning Rongrong heard a series of sharp inhales.
"So clear!" Dugu Bo exclaimed, pulling the telescope away from his eyes, his face still etched with shock. "I can even see the intricate carvings on the Alchemy Pavilion's doors from this distance!"
"Exactly. With these, even if Bibi Dong were a level 99 Title Douluo, she wouldn't detect us."
In the original story, Tang San had mentioned his spiritual detection range was 1,500 meters during his battles with Spirit Hall.
To be safe, Ning Rongrong had even confirmed with the Sword Douluo the detection range of a level 98 powerhouse before finally feeling at ease.
Truthfully, the telescope idea had come to her earlier. After absorbing the 100,000-year soul ring, Lou Gao's craftsmanship had improved dramatically, especially when using his martial soul.
So Ning Rongrong had tentatively asked if he could make telescopes. Lou Gao had been thrilled.
After explaining the basic principles of telescopes, concave lenses, and convex lenses, Lou Gao had confidently guaranteed he could produce them.
And just as Ning Rongrong had envisioned the times are changing in Douluo Continent.
If soul perception can detect us, then we'll just observe from afar with telescopes. You can't sense that, can you?
Thus, the soul tool "telescope" was born usable by anyone without requiring soul power.
"Excellent, Rongrong. Make sure to thank Pavilion Master Lou Gao properly later." Ning Fengzhi nodded approvingly after hearing Lou Gao was the creator.
This thing was incredibly useful! The strategic applications were vast, but it was best not to let it spread keeping it for their own use was ideal.
The group took to the skies, ready to scout their targets.
What, no one guarding the sect?
It wasn't like they'd be gone for ten days or half a month just a few hours at most.
What force could possibly bulldoze through the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, with its dozen-plus Soul Douluos and several dozen Soul Sages, in such a short time?
As Ning Rongrong and the others headed to their observation point
Bibi Dong, on her way back to the Pope's Palace, was intercepted by three figures.
Leading them was a golden-haired woman with snow-white skin, slender phoenix-like eyes, and breathtaking beauty Qian Renxue, having shed her disguise.
Flanking her were the Title Douluos Ci Xue and She Long.
"Long time no see... Mother."
Qian Renxue spoke after a long pause, forcing her tone to remain steady.
"Silence! Who allowed you to call me that?" Bibi Dong's voice turned icy. "Instead of returning to the Heaven Dou Empire, why seek me out?"
"Can't I just... come see you?" Qian Renxue said quietly.
"Fine. You've seen me. Now leave."
Ignoring the fury in Bibi Dong's voice, Qian Renxue pressed on.
"Why do you need the Breakthrough to Elder Pill? And only one?"
"If Spirit Hall wanted it, you wouldn't have needed to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect personally. A single pill is too suspicious."
"Unless... the person who needs it has some connection to you?" Qian Renxue's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing her.
Years in the Heaven Dou Empire had honed Qian Renxue's ability to read people.
From her third-party vantage point earlier, she had watched Bibi Dong's entire conversation with Ning Fengzhi.
Especially when Ning Fengzhi confirmed the pill could be made she had spotted a flicker of relief in Bibi Dong's expression.
Even the subtle shift in Bibi Dong's tone after securing the pill hadn't escaped Qian Renxue's notice.
A mere Breakthrough to Elder Pill, at best helping a Great Soul Master reach Soul Elder
How could it evoke such a reaction from this woman?
Something's wrong.
That's why she had asked Ning Fengzhi to investigate before leaving.
As the continent's wealthiest sect, their intelligence network was formidable perhaps second only to Spirit Hall's.
As for Spirit Hall itself, Qian Renxue held little hope. Information about the Pope even her own father, the previous Pope seemed deliberately erased.
And the one likely responsible was her grandfather, Qian Daoliu.
What Qian Renxue didn't realize was that probing the pill's purpose had struck Bibi Dong's deepest nerve.
The atmosphere in the space between them
Froze instantly.