Chapter 89: Expelled
Not long after Qian Xunji left, Jingni and Golden Crocodile returned.
Jingni, clad in her form-fitting purple and white striped metallic battle suit, had a stable aura. There was not even a trace of disarray on her body; she looked as heroic and valiant as ever.
In stark contrast, Golden Crocodile Douluo's exaggerated, heavy golden armor was damaged. His aura was unstable, and his skin was crisscrossed with small, fine sword marks. There were many signs of frostbite on his arms and face, and a noticeable piece of his majestic golden beard was missing. He wore a bitter expression, looking completely disheveled.
Who won and who lost was already clear at a glance.
"You lost?" Qian Daoliu stated, his voice calm, directed at Golden Crocodile.
Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded in frustration. He glanced sideways at Jingni, his ancient pride clearly wounded, and grumbled, "This girl's top-grade Spirit Bone has already merged into a full set of armor. Her sword skills... they far surpass those of Chen Xin from back then. And that Slaughter God Domain of hers has evolved to a substantial, tangible level. I am not her opponent."
[Inorin's Note: Chen Xin is the personal name of Sword Douluo, one of the most powerful Titled Douluo in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and widely considered the continent's greatest master of the sword.]
He was not a sore loser. It was just that he, a Level 98 Peak Douluo, had been completely suppressed and defeated by a young woman under 25. He hadn't even seen her release many of her Spirit Abilities. He was, quite frankly, deeply embarrassed.
His mind replayed the fight: her sword was not just fast; it was different. It flowed with a logic he couldn't predict, shifting from overwhelming aggression to pinpoint, fatal precision. His own techniques, honed over centuries, felt crude and slow. Her ice-cold Domain had coated his Golden Crocodile Spirit in frost, slowing his movements and dulling his Spirit Power, while her armor seemed to turn his own powerful counter-attacks into glancing blows.
"It seems you are even more formidable than I imagined." Qian Daoliu looked at Jingni, his eyes filled with profound relief and undisguised admiration. "From this day forward, you are the Second Guardian of Spirit Hall."
The position of Second Guardian, second only to Qian Daoliu himself, had been Golden Crocodile's for over a century. This was a monumental shift in power.
"Thank you, High Priest. Jingni takes her leave." Jingni's voice was clear and cold. She offered a simple bow, her loyalty not to the title, but to the man who had given her this new life. She then turned and quietly departed, her duty done.
"This woman's future is limitless." As he watched Jingni leave, Qian Daoliu's originally gentle gaze gradually became solemn.
Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded in deep agreement, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his ancient reptilian eyes before softening quickly. "Indeed. And it's fortunate she is Xuan'er's wife now. Otherwise... she might have been a great enemy to our Spirit Hall."
"This is the first time I've heard you praise someone so much," Qian Daoliu asked with a hint of amusement. "Don't you feel wronged to be ridden over by a junior?"
Nonsense, it would be strange if he didn't feel wronged. Golden Crocodile Douluo's old face flushed. He turned his head, snorted lightly, and said arrogantly, "Am I someone who can't lose?"
"Let's talk about the process of your battle instead." Qian Daoliu smiled, not exposing him.
The two had known each other for many years, and the other was his senior. More than superior and subordinate, they were like dear friends and brothers. The face that needed to be saved, still needed to be saved.
"Bastard! An explanation? What explanation? Does Qian Xunji really think my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is easy to bully?"
At the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's main hall, Yu Yuanzhen, the current clan head, smashed the ornate table and the letter on it—which was condemning his son, Yu Xiaogang—into pieces with one palm.
The heavy wooden desk exploded into splinters.
Just a while ago, the two newly promoted Titled Douluo of Spirit Hall, Gui Mei and Yue Guan, had personally delivered the invitation for the new Sect Competition to him.
This had initially made him incredibly excited. His father had "narrowly lost" to Tang Chen in the previous Sect Competition and had died of depression after the match. This time, he intended to avenge that humiliation and claim the title of the World's Number One Beast Spirit.
However, before he could be happy for long, the two Titled Douluo, Yue Guan and Gui Mei, poured a basin of cold water on him.
Yue Guan, his voice high and effeminate, had fanned himself with the invitation. "Oh, Clan Master Yu, there is just one more small matter. His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff is... very displeased."
Gui Mei had remained a silent, menacing shadow, but his presence was suffocating.
Yue Guan explained that their visit, besides delivering the invitation, was also specifically mandated by the Supreme Pontiff to demand an explanation for the Spirit Masters who had died because of Yu Xiaogang's "Ten Core Competitiveness of Martial Souls."
For this, as a spirited and righteous Sect leader who refused to yield to any power, Yu Yuanzhen had almost come to blows with Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
Fortunately, he was pulled back by his younger brother, Yu Luomian, at the crucial moment; otherwise, a disastrous conflict would have been inevitable.
"Brother, calm down!" Yu Luomian, the second in command of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, advised, his hand still on Yu Yuanzhen's arm. "You know how stubborn Xiao Gang is. This time, he has indeed caused a great disaster. It is not just Spirit Hall. Even the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire have implicitly expressed their dissatisfaction with our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"Why is Xiao Gang so stubborn?" Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but feel heartbroken when he mentioned his second son, Yu Xiaogang.
Before he was 6, he had high hopes for him. But due to a Spirit mutation, he awakened a pig, becoming a waste. This kind of disparity would confuse anyone.
"Brother, you saw the spirit rings of Yue Guan and Gui Mei just now," Yu Luomian said, his voice low and serious. "Although we don't know what kind of luck they had, if it's true as rumored that they obtained the legendary 100,000-year spirit rings, plus their Martial Soul Fusion Technique... improper handling of this matter could bring disaster to the clan."
"Don't I know?" Yu Yuanzhen said angrily, slumping into his high-backed chair.
Originally, he looked down on Titled Douluo like Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who came from unorthodox, commoner backgrounds. The two of them combined probably couldn't even gather two Spirit Bones.
But having a 100,000-year spirit ring was different.
This indicated that not only had they each gained two extremely powerful 9th Spirit Abilities, but they also possessed a 100,000-year Spirit Bone.
With such strength, even if his Spirit Power was above theirs, and he possessed the 'Number One Beast Spirit' Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, he still had to treat them with extreme caution.
Yu Luomian said, "As things stand, there's only one way."
"What way?" Yu Yuanzhen quickly pressed for an answer upon hearing this.
"Expel Xiao Gang from the clan." Yu Luomian resolved, his face grim. "This is the only way to preserve the clan right now. Announce it publicly. At the same time, those Spirit Master clans will likely say nothing more. Spirit Hall will also find no reason to trouble our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yuanzhen fell silent. After a long while, he sighed, full of helplessness, and said, "As things stand, we can only wrong Xiao Gang."
He was protective of his offspring, that was true. But he valued the interests of his Sect even more.
This time, Yu Xiaogang had committed such a grave taboo, offending both commoner Spirit Masters and nobles to the core. One misstep could very likely bring disaster to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and he had to make a choice.
Yu Xiaogang was expelled from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
This news spread like wildfire among the various Spirit Master clans on the Douluo Continent. At the same time, his 'work', "Ten Core Competitiveness of Martial Souls," was defined as 'impractical' by major forces led by Spirit Hall and the Two Great Empires, and the matter was considered concluded.
From rising to prominence, to being widely criticized, and finally being expelled from his Sect, Yu Xiaogang was unaware of the great ups and downs he had endured during this period.
If he knew, he would probably be so wronged that he would secretly find a place to cry profusely.
At this moment, he was on a ferry heading to Sea God Island.
The sea breeze blew, and the sunlight made the gently undulating sea shimmer with a myriad of colors.
Fifty large sea vessels, filled with Spirit Masters, were swiftly sailing across the ocean. The masts erected on their bodies carried huge golden sails, inscribed with the angel emblem symbolizing Spirit Hall.
On the central main ship, the four Titled Douluo—Ghost Leopard, Devil Bear, Giant Rhino, and Demonic Wolf—stood in a line, gazing into the distance, their powerful auras acting as a deterrent to any powerful sea Spirit Beasts.
Inside the cabin.
Thanks to Bibi Dong's status as Holy Maiden, Yu Xiaogang was able to travel with them.
[Inorin Note:
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