Yun Yibai and Du Gu Yan returned leisurely to Haoyue City. By the time they arrived, Oscar, Niu Tian, and Yang Tai—who had gone off to obtain soul rings—were still not back.
"It seems you accomplished your mission," an evening meeting convened in Yang Wudi's courtyard room, with Yang Wudi, Niu Gāo, and Yun Yibai in attendance.
Yun was invited under the pretense of casual conversation, but there was a more serious purpose at hand.
"Given my current soul power, if I lost to someone weaker like Feng Xiaotian, that would be a disgrace to my top-tier beast soul, the Blue‑Thunder Tyrannosaurus," Yun said, setting down his teacup with a confident smile.
"Since two elders invited me here, I'm sure you didn't ask me over just for tea. Let's cut to the chase," Yun added.
Yang Wudi laughed. "I appreciate your straightforwardness! Haha."
Niu Gāo, less versed in tea culture, preferred a robust drink. Yang continued, "Tell me, do you intend to found your sect someday?"
"I do!" Yun didn't hide his ambition. Capable people always have grand plans.
"Excellent—you have purpose!" Yang beamed. He then turned to Niu Gāo: "How about you?"
Niu nodded thoughtfully. "Our four single-attribute clans have been scattered far too long. Over the years, the Spirit Master Hall's flunkies have been harassing us. Brothers, we need to unite—either form our sect or join an existing one—to stand up to them. It's time they got the message that we're not easy targets."
Yang had proposed this idea before, but hadn't expected Niu to take it seriously—until meeting Yun Yibai.
"With this young man at your back," Yang gestured to Yun, "you've got Dugu Bo, a Title Douluo, and the Blue‑Thunder Tyrannosaurus behind you. While your clan won't openly support you, that's a powerful hidden backing. Neither your identity nor his match the Spirit Master Hall's affiliations."
He added warily, "The Fire Leopard clan in the lower four has wanted our Po‑Zhi clan to merge with them for years—and they've likely aligned with the Hall. That signals the Hall is actively recruiting souls. That's no good."
Niu coughed and stuffed his words into a deep breath. He laid out how his Yu‑Zhi clan was being pressured by the Elephant Armor clan—their mammoth-themed competitors.
"Niu Gāo, I thought your invitation was a joke, but after meeting Dugu Bo, I considered things seriously. What sealed it for me was you… Dugu Bo is a Title Douluo, no doubt. A sect's standing depends on its strongest member. A Title Douluo gives the Spirit Master Hall pause—if only a little—and disciples shape a sect's future."
"It's their dreams and achievements that nourish it. A great sect needs both a pillar like Dugu Bo and countless young souls with courage and ambition."
"In other words, Dugu Bo gives the sect its floor, but you, Yun Yibai, are the ceiling. Your Blue‑Thunder Tyrannosaurus soul shows your incredible potential: a 16-year-old Soul‑宗 with level 48 soul power, likely reaching Soul‑王 by 17—that's unheard-of. Even Tang Hao, once hailed as the youngest Title Douluo, never achieved this."
"And your fourth soul ring is a ten-thousand-year ring—breaking all precedent. If fortune favors you further, who knows if you'll reach a hundred-thousand-year ring someday?"
"All this body of proof shows you have Title Douluo potential. You could even surpass the strongest of the Tyrannosaurus tribe, Yu Yuanzhen. Your future soul power may enter realms even senior soul masters dream of."
"The stronger you become, the more the Spirit Master Hall fears you. Their arrogance might give way to caution—or even deferral to us. That's your power, and the glory of our sect."