Douluo: Peerless Ice Throne [51]

A quiet night passed without disturbance.

Early the next morning, while Shu Yan and Xu Jiujing were having breakfast, they received a piece of intelligence delivered by Nebula Douluo on someone else’s behalf.

This report had originally been sent out from Xu Jiawei’s hands. It briefly recorded some information about the southern guests who had arrived in Star Luo City, even helpfully including their respective martial spirits and approximate soul power levels.

During the previous secret meeting at the royal palace, Shu Yan had already made clear his intention to recruit remnants of the Spirit Hall for his own purposes. At the time, Xu Jiawei’s attitude was ambiguous—he had only said he would give an answer later. But now, it seemed Xu Jiawei had more or less made up his mind.

Curled up in Shu Yan’s arms, Xu Jiujing gazed at the golden paper embossed with a star-crown totem. Shu Yan looked down with her and, after a brief skim, was visibly surprised.

“Besides Luo Qinghan and the other two from yesterday, this list includes a few genuine talents. But what surprises me even more is the number of top-tier martial spirits from ten thousand years ago that have survived and been inherited. I honestly thought those spirits had long since faded into the pages of history.”

Xu Jiujing furrowed her brows and pointed to several names on the golden sheet.

“Tian Ling, martial spirit: Golden Crocodile. Seventeen years old. Soul power level: 41.”
“Qianguyue Yin, martial spirit: Coiling Dragon Rod. Fifteen years old. Soul power level: 47.”
“Huyan Hao, martial spirit: Diamond Mammoth. Sixteen years old. Soul power level: 42.”
“Meng Ning, martial spirit: Black Enchantress. Thirteen years old. Soul power level: 27.”

“These martial spirits seem deeply connected to the era ten thousand years ago. The Golden Crocodile is a lower-tier version of the Golden Crocodile King spirit once wielded by the second consecrated elder of Spirit Hall, Golden Crocodile Douluo. The Coiling Dragon Rod… is the same spirit as Elder Qian's, which likely indicates a significant relationship between her and Elder Qian. As for the Diamond Mammoth, that’s a direct lineage spirit of the Xiangjia Sect, which was once affiliated with Spirit Hall. As for the Black Enchantress…”

She paused, brows furrowing again, seemingly unable to recall details about that particular martial spirit.

Shu Yan gently took the golden letter from her hand and said softly:

“The Black Enchantress is quite special. Ten thousand years ago, the chief advisor of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Meng Shenji, possessed that same martial spirit. It was renowned as one of the most terrifying control-type spirits of its time. They say that once a soul master falls into the dreamscape conjured by the Black Enchantress, there's virtually no escape. It's undoubtedly a top-tier control spirit. But why a successor of this spirit would end up among the remnants of Spirit Hall... remains a mystery.”

Thanks to Shu Yan’s reminder, Xu Jiujing suddenly remembered something. She organized her thoughts, then continued:

“I remember now. Not long ago, I went through some imperial history texts and, by coincidence, uncovered several hidden past events. This particular matter was recorded as being related to the Snowbound Emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire from ten thousand years ago.”

“The Snowbound Emperor was a disciple of the Sea God. After the Divine War ended, the gods ceased intervening in mortal affairs. Initially, Snowbound ruled as a competent monarch, but in the end, he still followed the corrupt path of many nobles before him.”

“At that time, three advisors of Heaven Dou Royal Academy had already broken through to the Titled Douluo realm. They risked their lives to offer counsel, but ended up being ostracized and dismissed from their positions by the court. Eventually disillusioned, the trio left Heaven Dou City with their families and disappeared.”

“Judging by what we see today, their lives after leaving must not have gone smoothly. Otherwise, their descendants wouldn’t have fallen into such dire straits.”

Shu Yan nodded gently. These trivial old stories didn’t particularly interest him. What did catch his attention, however, was a certain individual on the list.

“Fifteen years old with a soul power of 47. Even in Shrek Academy, that would rank among the top talents. No exaggeration—this Qianguyue Yin could potentially break through to Soul Emperor before the age of twenty. That alone deserves our attention. Add her connection to Elder Qian, and if all goes well, her future achievements are almost guaranteed to reach the Super Douluo level.”

Xu Jiujing nodded as well, her expression growing slightly more serious.

“Though the leaders among them are all rare geniuses, they also face a very clear problem.”

“I made some inquiries. Aside from these few prodigies, the others accompanying them are also talented, but they’re all close to twenty years old. This suggests that despite the continuation of these ancient martial spirits, their bloodlines and overall talent are visibly deteriorating. At this rate, it won’t take more than a few thousand years for some of these families to disappear altogether.”

Shu Yan nodded once more, then chuckled.

“Exactly. That’s why they’re now being forced to consider alternative paths. Otherwise, they’ll be left watching helplessly as their clans fade into oblivion.”

Xu Jiujing playfully stuck out her little tongue, pinched Shu Yan’s cheek, and tilted her head with a grin.

“So, A-Yan, you really did catch them at their most confused and helpless moment. I guess the outcome is all but certain.”

Shu Yan smiled and kissed her gently on the lips. Then, casually storing the golden letter into his soul guide, he stood up with Xu Jiujing in his arms.

“Let’s go. Time to see just how strong these so-called geniuses from the shadows really are. It’ll also be a good chance for you to witness what I’m truly capable of now.”

Xu Jiujing let out a soft laugh, rubbing her cheek against his chest. The couple, still in their affectionate banter, soon left the Princess’ Mansion...


---

Noon. Star Luo Arena.

As the largest soul master arena in the Star Luo Empire, Star Luo Arena was massive—its size comparable to two full Star Luo Plazas. Events were held here daily in astonishing numbers. On average, the arena drew hundreds of thousands of people every single day. As such, the money flowing through it on a daily basis reached astronomical levels. Even a single transaction here could amount to a fortune that most nobles could only dream of.

With a royal princess personally involved and the approval of someone even higher within the palace, the arena’s administrators naturally treated this with the utmost importance. The normally packed Heavenly Arena was completely cleared out today. It was surrounded by layers upon layers of royal secret guards. Ordinary citizens weren’t even allowed to glimpse the perimeter. Even some nobles, who tried to rely on status to sneak in, were driven away some were even thrown out outright, thoroughly humiliated and unable to show their faces for a while...

Led by maids, Shu Yan and his party stepped into the preparation zone of the Heavenly Arena. As they pushed open the heavy wooden doors, a spacious and bright space came into view along with Luo Qinghan and the other two from the previous day, and several unfamiliar new faces.