Star Luo Empire — Imperial Palace
Star Luo City was unusually quiet.
Within the grand palace, the atmosphere was heavy, as if an invisible hand were pressing down upon every official present.
Seated upon the dragon throne was Emperor Dai Tianfeng. His expression was dark as thunder as he listened to the intelligence officer kneeling below.
"…according to reliable sources, aside from establishing that academy, sect master Tang Xiao also intends to relocate the entire sect to the Heaven Dou Empire," the officer reported cautiously.
Crack.
The jade armrest shattered beneath Dai Tianfeng's grip.
"Tang Xiao…" His voice was low, suppressed, yet seething with fury.
"He dares."
This was not merely the loss of a sect.
This was the loss of balance.
For years, the Three Upper Sects had acted as invisible anchors between the two great empires. The Clear Sky Sect's presence within Star Luo served as a powerful deterrent against the Heaven Dou Empire. With the imperial family's strength—no weaker than any of the Lower Four Sects—combined with the Clear Sky Sect, Star Luo had been able to maintain equilibrium, even slightly overpowering Heaven Dou, which possessed two of the Three Upper Sects.
Now, this sudden decision by the Clear Sky Sect—one that seemed to lack any rhyme or reason—threatened to plunge the Star Luo Empire into its darkest era.
Although Dai Tianfeng was furious, he knew he could do nothing against the Clear Sky Sect. His strength was insufficient.
The Clear Sky Sect had Tang Chen—one of the two absolute peaks of the continent.
Since Tang Xiao's wedding, countless rumors and speculations had circulated regarding Tang Chen's status. Yet no one dared to truly test whether those guesses were correct.
If it were any ordinary Titled Douluo, people would dare to speculate about their death.
But Tang Chen?
In the collective consciousness of the continent, the possibility of Tang Chen meeting misfortune was nearly zero. He was a level ninety-nine existence—stronger even than Qian Daoliu—and still at the peak of his lifespan. There was nothing that could force such a man to death.
Thus, although Dai Tianfeng raged inwardly and uttered furious words, opposing the Clear Sky Sect never entered his calculations.
Suppressing his anger and steadying his breath, he spoke to his ministers, word by word, his helplessness evident even as he gritted his teeth:
"Make them stay. We cannot allow them to leave. Ask whether our royal family has made any mistakes—whether we treated them poorly or failed to satisfy them in any way. Ask clearly."
"We can afford to lower our heads. We can afford to offer anything."
"But we cannot afford to lose them."
Unable to understand what had driven Tang Xiao to make such a decision, Dai Tianfeng could only search for fault within himself and humble his stance. Even if it meant relinquishing a tenth of his empire, he had to make them stay.
Otherwise, it would not be long before the Star Luo imperial family ended up like that of the Heaven Dou Empire.
…
As the two emperors of the two great empires experienced vastly different emotional upheavals—
Within the Supreme Pontiff Palace, Qian Xunji listened quietly as the red-clad bishop reported on the Clear Sky Sect's recent movements.
As the report continued, the handsome face that resembled an angel gradually darkened.
"What a noble objective… an academy for commoners," Qian Xunji sneered softly.
Unlike the two emperors—who focused solely on the sect's relocation and paid little attention to the so-called academy's purpose—Qian Xunji saw things differently.
"I never knew the Clear Sky Sect carried the people of the world in their hearts," he said mockingly.
"Heh. Is Tang Xiao trying to compete with the Spirit Hall Academy? Wishful thinking."
When he heard the phrase academy for commoners, Qian Xunji nearly laughed aloud.
When had the Seven Great Sects or the two empires ever truly cared about the lives of commoners?
Laughable.
Putting aside the motive behind this sudden display of benevolence—
Did the Clear Sky Sect truly believe that by establishing such an academy, they could imitate Spirit Hall and achieve something?
A fool's dream.
The hearts of the people had long been won by the Angel Family. Even imitation was meaningless—let alone innovation.
"Heh… all for nothing."
"Keep a close eye on everything related to the Clear Sky Sect," Qian Xunji said calmly. "I want to see exactly what Tang Xiao is planning."
Though he dismissed it outwardly, he still ordered constant surveillance. The whereabouts of Tang Hao and that hundred-thousand-year soul beast had yet to be confirmed, and now the Clear Sky Sect was making drastic moves.
It was always better to watch closely.
After the bishop departed, Qian Xunji remained alone in the magnificent hall, his expression turning momentarily weary.
"If I hadn't locked Dong'er in the secret chamber for three years… she would have already been nearing level ninety by now," he sighed softly.
"I hope that hundred-thousand-year soul beast will be enough to repair our relationship."
He sighed—but felt no regret.
If anything, he believed his actions had been entirely correct.
Wasn't it evident from how his adorable, beautiful little daughter awakened with level twenty innate soul power just a week ago?
Any lingering guilt vanished completely.
Bibi Dong was destined to belong to the Qian Family.
"Little Renxue… if she has already adapted to her soul power under father's guidance, then it's time for her to obtain her soul rings. Perhaps I should personally accompany her and help her acquire her first soul ring."
"I should also ask the old man whether Tang Chen is truly alive—or whether that bastard met his end somewhere."
Thinking of his daughter, Qian Xunji disappeared from the pontiff hall with a faint smile.
…
Far North.
The northernmost region of the Douluo Continent, bordering the Heaven Dou Empire.
As far as the eye could see, the land was a white-blue expanse, an endless plain buried beneath ice and snow. The air was incredibly dry, and the frigid winds sliced through flesh like invisible blades. Not a single stalk of grass existed here. The terrifyingly low temperatures continuously eroded every soul master's soul power, making survival nearly impossible.
Moreover, ice-type soul masters were a rarity to begin with.
Because of this, very few soul masters ever ventured into this desolate land to hunt soul beasts.
And that was only the periphery.
The deeper one traveled—closer to the core region—the lower the temperature plunged. Violent hurricanes raged high in the sky, accompanied by biting winds that carried terrifying destructive force, comparable to a full-powered attack from an eight-ringed Soul Douluo. Each gale was explosive and relentless, capable of tearing apart anything caught within.
In such an environment, even a Titled Douluo could not survive for long.
Here, the greatest threat of the Extreme North was not its soul beasts—
—but the environment itself.
It had already been over a month since Tang Xiao entered the Far North.
During this time, the cooldown period of his Ring Detonation technique had long ended, and he had returned to his peak combat condition.
After a month of searching, they had already swept through the peripheral regions. Unfortunately, they had yet to encounter even a single hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
"Big brother, I'm nearing my limit. We should rest and dispel the cold from our bodies before continuing…" Tang Hao said, his face covered in frost, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Beside him, the two elders were faring even worse. Their hands showed clear signs of frostbite.
Although everyone present was a Soul Douluo of level eighty or above, possessing bodies and vitality far surpassing ordinary people, enduring this biting cold—capable of freezing a normal person in a single second—for an entire month was already proof of their extraordinary resilience.
But now, the cold had begun invading their internal organs through their soul power.
Only by resting and meditating to expel the accumulated chill could they return to peak state—a process that would take at least a full day.
"Yes, Sect Leader. We should rest…" the First Elder added, tightening the beast-skin coat around himself as he looked at Tang Xiao. "You also need to remain in top condition for whatever lies ahead."
Yet to his surprise, Tang Xiao showed no signs of fatigue or discomfort.
He appeared as though he hadn't exerted himself at all.
"Alright," Tang Xiao said with a faint smile. "You all excavate a cave and rest for a day. I'll stroll around alone and scout the area. If I find a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, I'll lure it toward the periphery—just as we planned."
To their concern, this was the only response he gave.
The biting cold that froze their bloodstreams felt no different from ordinary air to Tang Xiao.
The Ice and Fire Alchemy Body Refinement he had undergone was simply that absurd.
Forget ordinary ice and fire—
even Extreme Ice and Extreme Fire posed no threat to him.
But how could he say such things out loud?
Some secrets were best kept hidden. Flaunting them would only invite unnecessary attention.
"Big brother, be careful. If anything happens, send a signal immediately," Tang Hao said.
"Yes, Sect Leader. Be careful," the two elders echoed.
By now, they had already noticed Tang Xiao's abnormal endurance.
After much thought, the only explanation they could come up with was martial soul evolution. Perhaps it had granted him endurance double—or even triple—that of others at the same level.
But how could they know?
Even if Tang Xiao were to live here for decades—no, centuries—he wouldn't mind in the slightest.
"Alright. I will," Tang Xiao replied calmly.
Seeing them begin excavating a cave, he bade them farewell and headed deeper into the frozen land.
They were already at the edge of the core region. Soon, they would venture inside together. For now, it was best for him to scout ahead and determine whether his desired soul beasts truly existed here.
"If nothing unexpected had happened, my normal endurance limit for the next soul ring would be around 120,000 to 130,000 years—just like other Titled Douluos," Tang Xiao calculated silently.
"But I've absorbed two high-quality soul bones above fifty thousand years each. That alone should push it to around 150,000 years."
"And the Ice and Fire Body Refinement increased it little further—perhaps another five thousand years or so."
"In other words, absorbing a 150,000-year soul ring poses no real problem."
For ordinary soul beasts, he couldn't exceed this limit.
But what if it was an ice-type soul beast?
With his ice immunity, the limit could rise by another twenty thousand years.
That was precisely why he had traveled all this way to the Extreme North—to fully exploit every advantage he possessed and absorb the highest-aged soul ring he could possibly endure.
"Once I replace my eighth soul ring with one over 170,000 years…" Tang Xiao's eyes gleamed.
"Then for my ninth, I might attempt something in the range of 300,000 to 350,000 years."
If that happened—
With all nine soul rings set, and with the Great Sumeru Hammer Technique, his combat power would skyrocket.
The total age of his first seven soul rings was around ninety thousand years. Though his current eighth ring would be replaced, once he obtained a ~170,000-year eighth ring and a ~300,000-year ninth ring, the total would reach roughly 560,000 years.
With the Great Sumeru Hammer Technique's Ring Unification—
one layer of hammer weight for every forty thousand years—
That would be fourteen layers.
By comparison, Tang Chen and Tang Hao's total soul ring age upon becoming Titled Douluos would only be around 250,000 years—roughly six layers.
Tang Xiao's would be more than double.
Not to mention his default 2.5× amplification, and the fact that hammer weight increased drastically with each new soul ring absorbed.
The power gap would only widen further.
Unless someone like the future Tang San—armed with an absurd Clear Sky Hammer configuration of four black rings, four red rings, and one gold ring—appeared…
Tang Xiao would dominate everyone within the same rank.
No wonder the Great Sumeru Hammer Technique was hailed as a divine technique—one that truly revealed its might only after godhood, when soul ring ages would continue to rise alongside cultivation.
"Ice Bear King… Ice Devil Titan King…" Tang Xiao murmured, his lips curling slightly.
"I'm coming for your soul rings."
"I just hope your ages aren't as high as they'll become ten thousand years from now."
The thought alone made his blood stir.
For his eighth soul ring, it had to be one of them.
That was his goal.
Just as Tang Xiao moved forward, immersed in calculation—
His expression suddenly froze.
Far in the distant sky…
"…Lightning?"