A silent night passed.
The next morning, while Shuyan and Xu Jiujiu were eating breakfast, they received a piece of intelligence delivered on behalf of Nebula Douluo.
This intelligence had been sent from Xu Jiawei himself. It contained a rough record of the visitors from the southern region who had arrived in Star Luo City, and even thoughtfully included details about their martial souls and approximate soul power levels.
During the secret meeting in the palace, Shuyan had already expressed his intention to recruit the remnants of the Spirit Hall for his own use. At the time, Xu Jiawei's stance had been vague—he merely promised to give an answer later. But now, it seemed that Xu Jiawei's attitude had become clear.
Xu Jiujiu, nestled in Shuyan's arms, looked at the golden sheet of paper marked with the Starlight Crown totem. Shuyan glanced over it as well, and after a brief read-through, he seemed somewhat surprised.
"Aside from Luo Qinghan and the other two from yesterday, this list actually includes several people who could truly be called geniuses. But what surprises me even more is the number of top-tier martial souls from a thousand years ago that have survived and been passed down. Initially, I thought many of these spirits existed only in the pages of history."
Xu Jiujiu furrowed her brow slightly and pointed at several names on the golden paper:
"Tian Ling — Martial Soul: Golden Crocodile, Age 17, Soul Power: Rank 41.
Qian Gu Yueyin — Martial Soul: Coiling Dragon Rod, Age 15, Soul Power: Rank 47.
Huyan Hao — Martial Soul: Diamond Mammoth, Age 16, Soul Power: Rank 42.
Meng Ning — Martial Soul: Black Phantom, Age 13, Soul Power: Rank 27."
"All of these martial souls seem to be deeply tied to events from a thousand years ago. The Golden Crocodile is a lesser version of the Golden Crocodile King spirit once owned by the second consecrated elder of Spirit Hall, the Golden Crocodile Douluo. The Coiling Dragon Rod… is the same as Elder Qian's martial soul. I'm afraid there's a strong connection between her and the Elder. As for the Diamond Mammoth, that's a direct inheritance of the Elephant Armored Sect that once aligned with Spirit Hall. But this Black Phantom martial soul..."
At that point, Xu Jiujiu hesitated slightly, seemingly unable to recall any details about that particular martial soul.
Shuyan gently took the golden letter from her hands and said softly:
"The Black Phantom martial soul is quite unique. A thousand years ago, the head instructor of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy Meng Shenji possessed that spirit. It was regarded as one of the most terrifying control-type martial souls of its era. It's said that once a soul master falls into the illusion created by the Black Phantom, there's no escaping it. Undoubtedly, it's a top-tier control-type martial soul. As for why someone bearing this legacy would join the Spirit Hall remnants… that remains a mystery."
Prompted by his explanation, Xu Jiujiu suddenly remembered something. She organized her thoughts and continued:
"I remember now. I went through the imperial archives not long ago, and by chance, uncovered some long-buried stories. This one is even documented in the imperial records. It concerns the Snow Empress of the Heaven Dou Empire a thousand years ago."
"That emperor was a disciple of the Sea God. After the Divine War, when deities stopped interfering in mortal affairs, Snow Empress started off as a competent ruler. But eventually, he followed the same doomed path as so many Heaven Dou nobles before him."
"At the time, three head instructors of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy—two of whom had already reached Titled Douluo—risked their lives to give counsel. But in return, they were shunned and ostracized by most of the nobility. Their titles were stripped, and eventually, disheartened and disillusioned, the three quietly left Heaven Dou City with their families, never to be seen again…"
"Looking at things now, it's clear that life outside the city wasn't easy for them. Otherwise, their descendants wouldn't have ended up in such a dire situation."
Shuyan nodded gently. These old stories held little interest for him. What did catch his attention, however, was a specific person on the list.
"Fifteen years old and already at Rank 47 soul power. Even by Shrek Academy's standards, that would qualify her as a top-tier genius. Honestly, this Qian Gu Yueyin has the potential to reach Soul Emperor before the age of twenty. That alone demands our attention. And if she really does have a special connection with Elder Qian… barring any accidents, her lowest future potential is Super Douluo."
Xu Jiujiu nodded as well, her expression growing more serious.
"Though the core members of this group are all rare geniuses, the problems they face are also obvious."
"I did some investigating. Aside from these leading figures, the rest of their companions are also considered geniuses among them—but all of them are close to twenty years old. This suggests that despite the millennia of inheritance, they're experiencing unavoidable degradation in bloodline and talent. At this rate, in just a few thousand years, some of their families might completely die out."
Shuyan nodded again and then chuckled lightly:
"Which is exactly why they're being forced to consider alternative paths. Otherwise, they'll just have to watch helplessly as their clans fade into oblivion."
Xu Jiujiu playfully stuck out her tongue and pinched Shuyan's cheek, tilting her head up with a teasing smile:
"Then it looks like you've caught them right at their most lost and helpless moment, huh? Seems like the outcome is already clear."
Shuyan returned her smile, kissed her softly on the lips, and casually slipped the letter into his soul tool. Then he stood up, carrying her in his arms.
"Come on, let's go see just what kind of strength these so-called geniuses risen from the shadows—really have. And maybe let my dear Jiujiu see how strong I've become too…"
Xu Jiujiu giggled and nuzzled against his chest. Whispering sweet nothings to each other, the two soon left the Princess' Mansion.
Noon — Star Luo Arena.
As the largest soul master arena in the entire Star Luo Empire, the Star Luo Arena was so massive it could rival two Star Luo city squares combined. Countless matches were held here daily. In terms of traffic, it saw hundreds of thousands of visitors per day, and the monetary flow generated by the arena was staggering. Any random sum of profit or expense would be an astronomical figure to any ordinary noble.
Since the royal princess had arranged it personally—and the palace had given its approval—the arena management took the matter very seriously. The Tian-grade battle platform, usually packed to capacity, was completely vacant today. The surrounding area was guarded layer upon layer by elite royal shadow guards. Ordinary citizens couldn't even glance in the direction of the arena. Even some arrogant nobles, thinking they could waltz in due to their status, were turned away—some even thrown out entirely, losing all face.
Shuyan and his group were led by attendants into the prep zone of the Tian-grade platform. When the heavy wooden doors swung open, they were greeted by a spacious and bright interior—along with the sight of Luo Qinghan and her two companions from yesterday, as well as a few unfamiliar new faces…