Chapter 255 The Heavenly Soul Emperor's Order: Participate in the Second Soul Master Competition!
The dust on the training ground had completely settled.
Poison Undying stood on the stone steps in front of the main hall, his gaze sweeping across the entire area.
His aura had not been completely concealed; the oppressive feeling of a Limit Douluo still lingered in the air, making the surrounding disciples dare not get too close.
But Elder Chen couldn't care less about all that.
He walked a few steps to the stone steps, looked up at Du Busi, and his voice was a little strained.
"Sect Master, have you really broken through?"
Du Bu Si looked at him and nodded.
"Breakthrough. Level 99."
Elder Chen raised his hand from his side as if to pat something, then lowered it again.
His lips moved a few times, but he only managed to utter one sentence.
"Okay. Sure."
Elder Zhang picked up his glasses from the ground, wiped the lenses with his sleeve, and put them on. He walked over to Elder Chen, looked at Du Busi, and adjusted his glasses.
"Sect Master, how are you feeling now? Is there any discomfort in circulating your soul power?"
Du Bu Si moved his shoulders, and his bones made a faint cracking sound.
"I feel no discomfort. It's very smooth, much smoother than when I was at level 98."
The disciples in the training ground began to gather towards the stone steps.
No one took the lead, but everyone wanted to get closer, to see more clearly, and to hear Du Bu Si say those words with their own ears.
Chen Lu squeezed into the crowd, standing on tiptoe to look ahead.
His face was full of excitement, his mouth was wide open, he wanted to shout something but didn't dare to.
Wang Yanfeng stood next to him, his fingers no longer tapping, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and the corners of his mouth turned up.
Long Aotian stood at the very front of the crowd without being pushed, as his position was already quite close to the front.
He looked at Du Bu Si, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.
"Congratulations, Master."
Du Bu Si glanced at him and nodded.
Then he shifted his gaze from Long Aotian and began scanning the crowd.
He looked at Elder Chen, Elder Zhang, Elder Li, and the disciples huddled together.
Finally, his gaze settled on the ring.
Liu Yuan was still standing on the arena.
He neither pushed his way to the front nor moved.
He stood there, the dark golden light in his three pupils completely subsided, but his aura was not yet fully contained; the lingering afterglow of his newly evolved martial soul still lingered around him.
Poison Undying's brow twitched.
He descended the stone steps, weaved through the crowd, and walked towards the arena. The crowd automatically parted to make way for him; no one blocked his path.
He walked to the edge of the ring, stood still, and looked at Liu Yuan.
"Hey kid, what's going on?"
Liu Yuan looked at him and answered.
"My martial spirit has evolved three times. I completed it during my seclusion just now."
Poison Undying's eyes lit up. Not in a sudden, wide-open way, but rather something flickered deep within his pupils.
"Three evolutions?" he repeated.
Liu Yuan nodded.
Without asking for details, Du Busi turned around and looked at Elder Chen.
Elder Chen was standing on the other side of the arena when he saw Du Busi's gaze and walked over.
"Is poison not dead?" he asked.
"What level of strength has Liu Yuan reached now?"
Elder Chen glanced at Liu Yuan, then at Du Busi, and answered.
"Sect Master, just before you came out of seclusion, Liu Yuan fought with me."
Poison Undying raised an eyebrow.
Elder Chen continued, speaking in a calm tone, but pronouncing each word clearly.
"He won."
Poison Undying laughed.
"Okay," he said, his voice low but firm.
He turned around, looked at everyone in the training ground, and raised his voice.
"Today, we have double joy. I have broken through to level ninety-nine, and Liu Yuan has completed the third evolution of his martial soul. This is a great event for the Body Sect."
He paused, then scanned the entire room.
"Pass down the order: a banquet will be held in the main hall of the sect tonight. Everyone in the sect, whether inner or outer disciples, must attend. There will be no cultivation today; everyone should have a good meal."
The disciples in the training ground were stunned for a moment, and then burst into cheers.
Elder Chen smiled and shook his head, not stopping him.
Elder Li turned and walked towards the canteen, but after a few steps he stopped and turned back to ask a question.
"Sect Master, how should the scale of the banquet be determined?"
Poison Undying waved his hand.
"Top-of-the-line. Bring out all the best wines from the warehouse, don't skimp."
Elder Li responded and quickly walked towards the dining hall.
The news quickly spread throughout the entire sect.
Those disciples who didn't come to the training ground, those disciples who were in seclusion in the back mountain, those chefs cooking in the canteen, and those stewards reading in the library all knew.
The sect leader has broken through to level 99, and Liu Yuan has completed the third evolution of his martial soul. Tonight, the entire sect will hold a banquet to celebrate.
No one objected.
This is indeed a joyous occasion worth celebrating.
By evening, the open space in front of the sect's main hall was filled with tables and chairs.
The dishes were prepared by the cafeteria staff in one afternoon.
It wasn't anything fancy; it was just large chunks of meat, big bowls of soup, and whole fish—generous portions and strong flavors.
The wine was moved out of the warehouse and stacked in the corner, jar after jar. The mud seals hadn't been broken yet, but the aroma of the wine was already seeping out from the mouths of the jars.
The disciples took their seats one after another.
No seats were assigned, so everyone had to find their own place to sit.
Those who were close huddled together, while those who weren't familiar with each other sat a few tables apart. Those who arrived first took the seats at the front, and those who arrived later sat at the back.
It was chaotic, but lively.
After darkness fell, all the soul-guiding lamps in front of the sect's main hall were lit.
The sunlight shone on the open ground, illuminating everyone's face.
Poison Undying walked out of the main hall, now wearing a clean dark green robe. His hair was still messy, but no one cared.
He walked to the head seat at the front, waved his hand, and signaled that everyone could begin.
Elder Chen sat to his left, Elder Zhang to his right, and Elder Li next to Elder Zhang. The other elders took their seats in turn, each with a smile on their face.
Liu Yuan sat at the table with his disciples.
Long Aotian sat to his left, Chen Lu to his right, and Wang Yanfeng, Gu Tong, and Vina sat opposite him. This table was located near the front, not far from the head seat.
As soon as Chen Lu sat down, he started using his chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and mumbled something indistinctly.
"The meat is stewed until it's very tender."
Wang Yanfeng poured himself a glass of wine, picked it up, smelled it, and then put it down.
"Good wine. The sect leader has really gone all out this time."
Vina sat opposite her, holding a glass of wine, but didn't drink it.
Her gaze passed over the wine glass and landed on Liu Yuan.
Liu Yuan felt her gaze and looked up at her.
Vina smiled, raised her glass, and took a sip.
Liu Yuan also picked up his wine cup and took a sip.
Long Aotian sat to the side, watching everything unfold without saying a word.
He poured himself a glass of wine, picked it up, and downed it in one gulp.
As the banquet progressed, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.
Several tables of disciples began offering toasts, carrying their cups around.
First, pay respects to Du Busi, then to the elders, and finally to Liu Yuan.
Liu Yuan's table was surrounded by several groups of people. Chen Lu helped him drink a few cups, and Wang Yanfeng also helped him drink a few cups, but they still drank quite a lot.
Poison Undying sat in the main seat, welcoming all who came.
He would drink whenever someone offered him a drink, and after finishing, he would laugh heartily, his laughter carrying far and wide.
Just as the atmosphere was at its most lively, a gatekeeper disciple ran in from outside.
He walked quickly through the crowd, reached the head of the table, and knelt down on one knee.
"Sect Master, someone is requesting an audience outside the mountain gate. It is an envoy sent by His Majesty the Heavenly Soul Emperor, who says he has urgent business to discuss with you."
Poison Undying put down his wine glass, his smile fading slightly.
"Let him in."
The gatekeeper accepted the order and ran out.
The noise in the training ground gradually subsided.
The disciples didn't know what had happened, but seeing the gatekeeper's hurried appearance, they all stopped what they were doing and turned to look in the direction of the main seat.
Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in the official robes of the Heavenly Soul Empire strode into the open space in front of the main hall.
His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, clearly indicating that he had been traveling without rest.
He walked to the main seat and bowed deeply to Poison Immortal.
"Poison Sect Master, I have been ordered by His Majesty to travel day and night to deliver this message."
He took a sealed letter tube from his pocket and presented it with both hands.
Poison Undying took the letter tube, broke the seal, took out the letter inside, and unfolded it.
The middle-aged man's voice rang out again.
"His Majesty hopes that Poison Immortal will once again lead the team, along with the disciples of the Body Sect, to participate in the second Soul Master Competition, just like last time."
(End of chapter)