Star Lou City, Grand Duke's Mansion.
The eldest son's residence blazed with light at night, heavily guarded—every bit as grand as the palace itself.
In his study, Dai Weisi, eldest son of the Star Lou Empire, stood with hands behind his back, gazing out at the dim night. Tall and broad-shouldered, with long golden hair spilling carelessly over his back, he emanated the dominant aura of a slumbering tiger—a natural force born of the White Tiger martial soul.
Behind him, an elegant, curvaceous woman reclined on a soft sofa—his fiancée Zhu Zhuyun, eldest daughter of the Zhu family. She wore tight black leather armor that accentuated her full chest and slender waist, her eyes glinting with feline cunning and danger.
Dai Weisi turned, the heat in his wicked tiger eyes betraying both his possessive desire for his fiancée's beauty and his hunger for power. He broke the study's silence in a low voice:
"Our eyeliner at the Star Lou Hotel has just reported. The legendary Wisdom Brain Douluo, and the young sect master of the Body Sect, Chen Yi, have arrived."
At this, Zhu Zhuyun's slender neck arched slightly, her lips curving in an interested smirk. "Oh? The one born at the pinnacle, who single-handedly ended the legend of the Clear Sky Douluo—Wisdom Brain Douluo? I've long wanted to see him for myself."
She toyed with her lacquered nails, her tone calculating. "The Body Sect may be rooted in Heaven Dou Empire, but those pampered swans obviously couldn't suppress this tiger. It seems our Star Lou still has a chance to claim this sharp blade for our own."
Dai Weisi walked over and sat beside her, his large hand naturally encircling her slender waist, though his brow furrowed slightly. "It's not that simple. The Body Sect has been hidden for years, yet now emerges in a high-profile, domineering manner—enough to shake even the Clear Sky Sect. Why would they willingly submit to anyone else? I'd like to make use of them for Star Lou, but I'm worried it won't be easy."
Zhu Zhuyun nestled against his arm, her confident eyes shining like a hunter eyeing her favorite prey. "It's not easy, but not impossible, either. Back then, the Clear Sky Sect was also born in Heaven Dou, but in the end, didn't they refuse to support Heaven Dou at a crucial moment, giving a major blow instead?"
She reached out with slender fingers, lightly tapping Dai Weisi's chest. "To these top clans, is it only about eternal interest, sect continuation, and national justice? That's just icing on the cake. If the price is tempting enough, there's nothing to fear."
A wicked glint flashed in Dai Weisi's eyes as he shook his head slowly, dropping a bombshell. "The issue is, it's not just Chen Yi and the Great Elder of the Body Sect this time. The head of the Ye family, Ye Cien, is with them as well."
"Ye Cien?" Zhu Zhuyun's confident smile instantly froze. She sat up straighter, suspicion filling her gaze. "Our spies reported he'd retreated within the Body Sect, seeking a breakthrough at the Titled Douluo bottleneck. Why is he here? Don't tell me…"
Dai Weisi nodded heavily, affirming her guess. "Unfortunately, since he's left the sect and come straight to the tournament, the only explanation is… he's broken through."
A brief silence fell over the study.
The calm calculation on Zhu Zhuyun's face vanished, replaced by solemnity. She knew the Ye family didn't have a happy history with the Star Lou royal family, but the details were sealed. Now, the Ye family had moved entirely to Martial City, joined the Body Sect, and with Ye Cien's further success, the two were more tightly linked than ever. This would make the royal family's plan to recruit the Body Sect much harder.
"Ye Cien… that's truly troublesome," Zhu Zhuyun muttered, unconsciously clenching her fingers.
…
At the same time, Star Lou City's elite guard had prepared a lavish residence for the Spirit Hall team.
Even in the spacious living room, the atmosphere was anything but relaxed. Among the Spirit Hall team, the revered Azure Luan Douluo sat alone on a distant sofa, eyes closed, seemingly isolated from the world. Yet the faint, terrifying aura he emitted an invisible pressure enveloped the entire room.
Gathered here were the core members of the Spirit Hall team, all young but already formidable soul masters. One teenager, with a youthful face yet unusually clear, sharp eyes, was surrounded by the others.
"Guang Yu, did you really see that Body Sect's Chen Yi?" the tall Qing Yao asked, gazing at the feather-light youth before him.
Guang Yu, his expression unusually mature for his age, nodded. "Absolutely. I went out to buy some rare local goods and saw three people enter the Star Lou Hotel. I recognized Chen Yi—there's no mistaking him."
Guang Yu was the grandson of Worship Hall's Glowing Feather Douluo, inheriting the family's supreme martial soul, the Glowing Feather Bow. Especially in spiritual detection, he far outclassed his peers.
"How strong is he? Can you sense it?" Wang Jie asked in a low voice. Guang Yu's spiritual sense was uncanny; it shouldn't be hard for him to gauge Chen Yi's power.
Guang Yu frowned, recalling and analyzing, and finally shook his head, tone grave. "I can't tell… I can't sense his true strength at all. His aura is completely suppressed—like an ancient, bottomless well. My spiritual power flowed toward him, but fell into the void, detecting nothing."
"And that Wisdom Brain Douluo was beside him. I didn't dare probe too much, fearing it would raise their suspicions."
At the mention of "Wisdom Brain Douluo," even the seemingly dozing Azure Luan Douluo on the far sofa twitched his eyelids, though he didn't open them. The room's air seemed to thicken.
Guang Yu took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. "But I'm certain—he's strong. Very strong! The unfathomable feeling he gave me was beyond even…"
He abruptly bit back the rest, face reddening, unable to voice the shocking comparison. Yet everyone present understood—young Chen Yi impressed Guang Yu as much as, if not more than, the legendary Qian Renxue, possessor of the Seraphim martial soul.
"Nonsense!" Wang Jie laughed loudly, breaking the stifling silence and banging the table. "Where did that brat learn to act so mysterious? He's not even thirteen yet—just a hairy little kid. How strong could his soul power be? How tough his body? Even if he started training in the womb, he couldn't match my elder sister!"
Wang Jie's words were arrogant and dismissive, but if one looked closely, a solemnity lurked in his eyes. As the future head of the Coiling Dragon Staff family, he might be violent, but he was neither ignorant nor reckless. They all knew Guang Yu's spiritual detection ability—if even he said Chen Yi was "unfathomable," he couldn't be underestimated.
While a few were still skeptical, the living room door quietly opened.
A tall, beautiful figure entered, haloed by a faint golden radiance. She had long blonde hair, skin fairer than snow, features so perfect as to defy humanity, and clear lilac eyes devoid of human emotion—just cold detachment and divinity, looking down on all life.
Her arrival brightened the room, and an invisible force compelled awe.
Qian Renxue's gaze swept calmly over everyone, finally stopping on Guang Yu and Wang Jie. Her cold, pleasant voice rang out, brimming with absolute confidence:
"Oh, such pointless speculation. No matter how many times the Body martial soul awakens, before the supreme Seraphim, all must… ultimately submit."
…
Bonus chapter at 300 PS