The Holy Grail was truly exquisite—like a work of art. Yin Zhang held it in his hand and examined it carefully for a while before merging it back into his body.
He would be setting off the next day to return to Spirit Hall.
Once back, his teacher, Golden Crocodile Douluo, would take him to meet the other Consecrators of the Hall of Worship. Just the thought of it filled him with anticipation.
Before going to sleep, Yin Zhang hesitated briefly, then decided to use the five-hundred-year Spirit Ring Age Promotion Card on his first spirit ring.
With that, the age of his first spirit ring increased from 920 years to 1,420 years.
Now, all three of Yin Zhang's spirit rings were purple.
As expected, his first spirit ability—Azure Flame Shield—underwent a noticeable change.
Originally, it provided a onefold boost to all attributes. Now, it granted a 1.2× increase. The improvement wasn't dramatic, and the upper limit remained at a maximum of 2.5×.
This left Yin Zhang a little disappointed, but thinking it over, it was reasonable—after all, it was only a thousand-year spirit ring.
The Spirit Ring Age Promotion Cards he obtained later could be saved for upgrading his future spirit rings.
Early the next morning, Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yuan boarded the carriage once more and headed toward Spirit City.
On Dugu Bo's side, Dugu Xin's life-threatening crisis had been resolved. After the initial attempt, the "intensity" of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison ravaging Dugu Bo's own body had also steadily diminished.
The excruciating pain that used to strike late at night and last for half an hour had nearly faded into nothingness.
More precisely, it still existed—but compared to what Dugu Bo had endured before, it was no more than a pinprick, hardly worth mentioning.
Before addressing the poison itself, with Dugu Bo's assistance, Dugu Xin had absorbed the sixty-thousand-year Poison Dragon Left Arm Bone. His spirit power jumped directly to level sixty.
Afterward, under Dugu Bo's guidance, they slowly filtered the poison out of Dugu Xin's meridians and bones, bit by bit, concentrating it inside the Spirit Bone. This process was destined to be agonizing.
But for Dugu Xin, who had already been standing at death's door, it was nothing.
After a night of pain, his body appeared to return to normal—at least on the surface.
Internally, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison still lingered within him.
Even so, this was already a massive improvement, and the Dugu father and son wept tears of joy.
Once they returned to Heaven Dou City, they would be able to resolve the serpent poison in Dugu Yan's body before she ever had to suffer its torment—allowing her to enjoy a happy childhood that countless ancestors of the Dugu Family had never known.
However, there was still one regret weighing on Dugu Xin's heart.
Shortly after giving birth to Dugu Yan, his wife had died on a rainy night, her body overwhelmed by the accumulated Jade Phosphor Serpent Poison triggered by childbirth.
What Yin Zhang could foresee was that once Dugu Xin fully resolved the poison and his life-threatening condition, combined with decades of suppressed cultivation and the boost to his aptitude and spirit power from the sixty-thousand-year Spirit Bone…
…it was entirely possible that, like Dugu Bo, Dugu Xin could steadily accumulate strength and eventually become the second Titled Douluo of the Dugu Family.
On the road, Qiangu Yuan watched Yin Zhang—whose hands and mouth never stopped moving—and the corner of his mouth twitched out of habit.
"You brat really are the reincarnation of a glutton."
"Hehe."
Yin Zhang lowered his head and continued gnawing on the pig's trotter in his hand, his mouth smeared with grease.
"Uncle Qiangu, you don't understand. The joy of eating like this might seem boring to you, but the feeling of flavors dancing nonstop in your mouth is something most people can't appreciate."
"I really admire how you managed to describe the word 'glutton' in such a fresh and elegant way," Qiangu Yuan replied after a moment of silence.
After finishing the pig's trotter, Yin Zhang habitually sucked on his thumb, still covered in grease and meat scraps, and spoke while meeting Qiangu Yuan's look of disgust.
"Uncle Qiangu, what do you think—after I go back and tell my teacher and the others about what I've encountered these past few days, how will they react?"
"Senior Poison Douluo has deep hatred toward our Spirit Hall's Chrysanthemum Douluo. Will that further worsen the relationship between the Hall of Worship and the Supreme Pontiff Palace?"
Looking at Yin Zhang's wide, sparkling eyes, Qiangu Yuan felt utterly speechless.
"What impact could that have? If you don't say anything, how would the Supreme Pontiff Palace know? And even if they did, so what?"
"The Second Consecrator has lived in seclusion within the Hall of Worship for many years now. With his strength, aside from the High Priest, he is the most powerful figure there. Even if Chrysanthemum Douluo is unhappy, he can only swallow it."
Qiangu Yuan's tone was sharp. Yin Zhang could tell that he harbored real resentment toward the Supreme Pontiff Palace—otherwise, he wouldn't sound so pointed.
Curious, Yin Zhang asked,
"Hey, Uncle Qiangu, listening to your tone… it sounds like you really dislike the Supreme Pontiff Palace?"
Qiangu Yuan nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. Back then, one of my brothers followed Qian Xunji along with Chrysanthemum and Ghost to hunt down Tang Hao and the hundred-thousand-year spirit beast Ah Yin—that pair of adulterers. He ended up dying mysteriously on the way."
"I went to question Chrysanthemum and Ghost afterward, but they were evasive, only saying he died under Tang Hao's hammer. If my strength were sufficient, I would've fought those two long ago."
Yin Zhang was stunned. So that was the reason.
He hadn't expected such a history between Uncle Qiangu and the Supreme Pontiff Palace. But at present, Qiangu Yuan could only vent his anger—his strength simply wasn't enough.
Even if he went to seek out Qian Jun or Xiang Mo, those two wouldn't stir up trouble with the Supreme Pontiff Palace over someone else's life or death. They were Titled Douluo, after all—it would damage their standing, and they weren't that kind of people. Even if Qiangu Yuan went personally, they likely wouldn't give him the time of day.
Meanwhile, inside Spirit Hall Academy in Spirit City.
Elite Class One.
Qiangu Yunying sat on a bench, utterly bored, listening to a Spirit Saint-level instructor on the podium lecturing about spirit theory and knowledge related to spirit beasts.
She couldn't help muttering to herself.
"I wonder when Dad will be back. With him gone, it's so hard for me to go out. Grandpa and Great-Uncle are just way too strict."
Qiangu Yunying was nineteen years old this year. Not only was she the captain of the Spirit Hall Academy team, but her cultivation was also the highest among the seven main members, reaching level fifty-three.
Through her own training and exploration, she had mastered her Flame Plundering Spear to perfection. Among the team, the boys respectfully addressed her as "Big Sister," and she carried herself with undeniable authority.
"Knock, knock—Qiangu Yunying, your Great-Uncle wants to see you."
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. A woman stood at the entrance, interrupting Qiangu Yunying's thoughts.
"Huh? Great-Uncle?"