Divine Realm.
In front of a resplendent palace.
Tang San stared gloomily at the letter in his hand. Da Ming and Er Ming had used the divine altar he had set upon the Clear Sky Sect's rear grounds to contact him—his good daughter Wang Dong'er had indeed appeared at the tournament on schedule, getting cozy with Su Wen—fine, that was bait he himself had set.
But the problem was, not long ago, the divine sense he left in Wang Dong'er's spiritual sea had suddenly been cut off!
It was as if that divine sense had been swallowed by the Silver Dragon King; her powerful body blocked all his probing. He flew into a rage, yet could do nothing.
That day, just as he was about to administer a small punishment to let the Silver Dragon King and that rebellious girl know there are lines one must not cross, that old Destruction suddenly barged in, severing his link to his lower-realm avatar—after that, the connection was completely gone, he could no longer sense the slightest trace.
Destruction had definitely marked him! Any ripple, and he'd show up at once.
No!
Tang San's face twitched. He even suspected that fellow had stationed a subordinate outside his palace just to watch him…
His eyes glanced slightly toward the depths of the cloud sea.
One breath, two, three…
Swish—
At the edge of his gaze, a vortex suddenly rose in the cloud sea, and a black shadow slipped away at top speed.
Tang San: "…"
He really smoked one out!
At least a First-Level God King, extremely skilled at concealment and erasure—most likely one of the Seven Deadly Sins—otherwise they couldn't have lurked right under his eyelids without him noticing.
Buzz—
Tang San's eyes narrowed.
His vast divine sense spread like an ocean, blanketing all within sight… No gods left.
"I knew it." Tang San snorted.
But then a thought struck him, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
"That Destruction definitely won't give me a chance to meddle in the lower realm. My main body's pinned by him, no chance at all. But if I split off a strand of divine sense and invest it into the Clear Sky Sect's rear altar…"
"Third brother? What are you thinking?"
A pink silhouette arrived soundlessly, smiling at Tang San.
"I was thinking about Xiao Qi. She's been down below so long—don't know if she's happy under the Clear Sky Sect's protection." Tang San paused, then showed a doting look, stroking Xiao Wu's long hair.
"Then why did you let that girl descend in the first place? I miss her. Let's have her come back early." Xiao Wu pouted.
"Ahem… Children should go through wind and rain. If they live forever under our wings, they won't be able to shoulder the future. By the way, heading to Rongrong's? I'll go with you this afternoon."
"Mm, okay…"
Seeing he'd successfully changed the subject, Tang San wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
Why did I have to say more.
Still, this Continental Soul Master Tournament is a good time to teach that Su Wen a lesson…
…
Extreme North.
The cold wind cut like sharp blades across the skin. This was the very core of the Extreme North: over a hundred degrees below zero, and winds sharp as knives—an Ice-attributed Soul Emperor would last only seconds before becoming a lifelike ice sculpture.
Snow Empress drew a deep breath.
Her crystalline eyes fixed on a vividly blooming snow lotus. Unlike ordinary ones, this lotus bore four layers of petals: a hundred-thousand-year snow lotus—something even she dared not hope for—and by sheer accident, she'd found it in the very core of the Extreme North.
What she'd told Su Wen before—that she would take human form—had been more of a pretext. Beyond a hundred thousand years, one's power could no longer be constrained by self-seals. Even discarding that power would not suffice. Taking human form was no less dangerous than facing heavenly tribulation.
So she had hesitated…
Who'd have thought she'd encounter a pure, pale hundred-thousand-year snow lotus today!
A hundred thousand years!
Enough for her to securely bind her power within and take human form.
The Snow Empress raised her swan-like neck, looking up into the dark sky. Was this the guidance of the heavens?
They had found much Myriad-Year Cold Marrow in the Earth Dragon Sect—enough for Ice Empress to weather several more tribulations. She'd been generous and shared plenty with Xiao Bai and Ah Tai.
Thus the three strongest of the Extreme North besides her slept the days away in their caves.
This was the core of the Extreme North—her territory. No humans would dare venture here.
"In that case…"
Her gaze toward the snow lotus grew resolute.
She cupped her palm and lifted.
The lotus bloomed layer by layer. Gentle silvery-white light like threads drifted through the air and twined around her, enveloping the Snow Empress as the powerful energy streamed into her body.
"As long as I absorb it all, I will completely control my power and take human form!" The Snow Empress's heart surged. Her figure gradually curled, faintly shifting toward the posture of an infant…
…
Star Luo Imperial Capital.
Su Wen and Wang Dong wandered several major merchant guilds. Star Luo's goods were abundant. Sea soul-beast and land soul-beast hides and flesh could be food or shields. Soul tools had not yet replaced every facet of common life. Even sharp teeth, polished and honed, made serviceable weapons.
This wasn't primitive blood-and-raw-meat. The Douluo world differed from his previous life—soul-beast teeth were far harder than one might imagine. Polished, their sharpness could even exceed common ironware—hence their continued use.
Su Wen weighed the dagger in his hand.
Its blade gave off an amber sheen. A simple hilt wrapped with a few loops of white cloth. Crude, yet not expensive—just thirty gold soul coins.
Injecting soul power, he could sense its original owner's cultivation years: a leopard of roughly a hundred years. As his soul power flowed, the short blade's glow grew stronger, seeming sharper, too.
For a soul master around the teens in level, this was a fine weapon. Past level twenty, though, it became rather chicken-rib.
"Young master, if you're interested, we can haggle. Good quality, fair price—anything you want, I've got." The shopkeeper lounged, smiling.
Judging by the boy's age and the ongoing capital tournament, he was likely a teen-level soul master. Sure, top teams like Shrek or Sun-Moon Empire's favorites fielded "monsters" starting at Soul Elder and capped by Soul Kings—but most ordinary teams had plenty of Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors in the main lineup, not to mention reserves…
Even if he was underestimating, surely not over level twenty.
His eyes were seasoned from a lifetime behind the counter; age was a glance's work.
"…"
Su Wen said nothing.
He increased the soul power flowing into the blade.
At first, cautious, worried it might shatter. But these beast-bone items were sturdy. No wonder that four thousand years after the continents merged, soul tools had taken a big market share yet still couldn't drive out these "traditions."
An equivalent soul tool would cost one to two times more and be less durable.
"Young master…" the boss frowned, about to prod him.
Crack—
A fissure appeared at the dagger's root. With a chorus of cracking sounds, it spread through the blade. Its faint glow, spent, dimmed to darkness. It broke into fragments, spilling across Su Wen's palm.
The boss's eyes bulged. His lounge stopped creaking. He stared at the broken shards in Su Wen's hand.
At the same time, Su Wen looked back at him.
Su Wen: He's not going to scam me, is he?
Boss: He's not going to flip my stall, is he?
The air grew awkward.
There were many onlookers. People had already been watching when Su Wen injected soul power. Now that the blade had shattered, more gathered—glancing from Su Wen to the boss with surprise.
"Thirty gold soul coins, not a coin less." Su Wen scooped from his spatial ring and tossed it to the boss. He turned to leave, but paused and added, "Good quality."
The boss's face flushed crimson.
It had endured nearly level-30 soul power and only shattered at level forty—proof of fine quality. Su Wen's words weren't false. The blade had likely gone through some ancient processing. A conscientious merchant's wares—well worth the price.
But to the boss, it sounded like a fatal mockery.
He trembled with rage—and disbelief.
His family had sold beast daggers, helms, and gear for generations, using an ancient method thousands of years old. After soaking in special herbs, hardness increased qualitatively. A hundred-year leopard-tooth dagger like this could withstand battles between Soul Grandmasters, even Soul Elders!
Could he be a Soul Ancestor?!!
Impossible.
How could a Soul Ancestor be so young!
"Yo, Old Yao, you folks started scamming customers now? With the tournament crowds, can't keep up, so you thought up this rotten trick?"
The boss from across the street approached, grinning, and lifted another short dagger.
Rivals, competitors.
Normally, Old Yao would snap back. But now… his mind was in chaos.
"Heh, everyone, look close. This dagger is the pair to the one that boy had—both from the same leopard. Since that boy shattered his just by injecting soul power, the quality must not be great. Let me try…"
Old Yao hurried to stop him. If the second tooth shattered too, his centuries-old family shop would be in trouble. If it truly was a defective item, he'd refund triple without complaint.
But the burly rival blocked him with a vicious smirk.
He poured soul power in. The blade brightened.
As time passed…
The atmosphere turned odd.
The rival shop boss's face flushed. He poured every drop of soul power into it—no change. No shattering. Not even a ripple.
"Hmm?"
Old Yao came to his senses.
So it wasn't his dagger—it was that boy…
"I'm a level 37 Soul Elder. Let me try." A middle-aged man in fine robes, suspicious, spoke up.
He took the dagger. Pale red soul power poured in.
Same result as the rival shop boss.
"Martial Soul: Possession!"
The man's eyes widened. A gust burst from him, sending bystanders sprawling. Minutes later, the dagger was still intact…
People's surprise grew.
"Let me try."
Two figures squeezed out of the crowd.
A young man and woman, somewhat similar in looks, but the boy only counted as handsome, while the girl was dazzlingly beautiful.
Old Yao no longer panicked. He stood back with a squinting smile.
If it were defective, disaster.
But since it wasn't… free advertising.
"I'll do it, Meng." Xiao Hongchen arched a brow, took the dagger, and fed soul power—level 10, 20, 30… At the instant he crossed level 41, the dagger flickered and shattered like the last one.
"Above level 40," Xiao Hongchen clicked his tongue, tossing the fragments back and flipping the boss thirty gold soul coins—just like Su Wen.
"Soul Ancestor?!!"
The crowd gaped.
"Xiao Hongchen, Reserve Captain of Sun-Moon Empire Royal Academy." Xiao Hongchen smiled calmly.
"I'm a level 52 Soul King. That should qualify me to say that, right?"
Five soul rings rose at his feet: two yellow, two purple, one black. Though the tournament had brought many academy contestants to Star Luo, a Soul King's presence still stunned.
This level qualified as the main-captain in many strong academies.
More exaggerated: some instructors didn't even reach Soul King…
Smack.
Xiao Hongchen clutched his head and grimaced. "Meng, what was that for?"
"Stop embarrassing us outside. Grandfather said true experts challenge peers of their own realm, not show off before low-level cultivators." The silver-haired girl frowned.
"Okay, okay, save me some face…"
"…"
"All monsters," Old Yao sighed, watching the siblings leave.
"But who was that boy earlier? So young, yet already a Soul Ancestor?!!"
As the Hongchen siblings left, the shop grew lively.
Many watched both groups' backs with emotion: "Such peerless prodigies—I never thought I'd see them in my life. This tournament is truly filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers."
"And who was that earlier boy?"
"Heard he's Shrek Academy's reserve team captain. Some insider said this time Shrek's main team only brought two; the main force is reserves. The roster's set—unless Shrek shamelessly changes rules, otherwise…"
"For real?!! Come on, drinks on me—tell me everything."
"…"
Night fell.
The shops didn't close—business boomed.
Like a night market.
"Does this bow look good?" Wang Dong beamed, clipping a hairpin by her temple. Her light-blue eyes fixed on Su Wen, full of expectation.
"Mm…"
Su Wen looked conflicted.
He should have had the "boy" dress as a girl today.
Disguised as Wang Dong, her manner was pure feminine grace. Add a hairpin… Anyone who didn't know would think she was a delicate girl (she is). Even nearby looks turned odd and teasing.
"Beautiful." Under pressure, Su Wen nodded with difficulty.