Since both Graphite and Grinding Stone had reached level forty, it was only natural to help them obtain their fourth spirit rings and Spirit Bones before returning.
Golden Crocodile sighed with some regret.
"Below Xuanwu Lake, there are turtle-type Spirit Beasts, but unfortunately most of them are under a thousand years old. The only thousand-year one is barely over the mark—not suitable for either of you. Otherwise, we could've solved everything right here without going elsewhere."
This nameless lake was officially dubbed Xuanwu Lake. Given that the Xuanwu Secret Realm lay beneath it, the name was fitting and dignified.
In truth, Xuanwu Lake was nothing more than accumulated water atop the Black Tortoise God's shell, making it extremely attractive to turtle-type Spirit Beasts. However, due to the long-term occupation of the area by the two Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger Emperors, turtle-type Spirit Beasts here were pitifully few, and their cultivation years were extremely low.
Any that posed even the slightest threat to the Tiger Emperors had already been eliminated. The remaining weak ones occasionally became snacks when the Tiger Emperors dove into the lake.
Graphite and Grinding Stone merely laughed, clearly unconcerned.
Their Martial Souls had already undergone evolution—from Xuanwu Turtle to Xuanwu. While there was still a significant gap compared to the Divine Beast Xuanwu, this was already a qualitative leap.
The relationship was similar to that between a true dragon and sub-dragons, or between Dragon Clan Spirit Beasts and those merely possessing diluted dragon bloodlines. In fact, the Xuanwu Turtle was far closer to Xuanwu than most dragon-bloodline Spirit Beasts were to true dragons.
After all, Xuanwu could not be compared to a true dragon. Its lineage was extremely rare.
True dragons, by contrast, were famously indiscriminate. Over countless generations, their bloodlines diluted into what later became Spirit Beasts with Dragon Clan bloodlines.
More importantly, the brothers' Martial Souls had changed profoundly.
They could now perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
When the two Xuanwu merged, they formed the Divine Beast Xuanwu—though the dominant consciousness was clearly Graphite's rather than Grinding Stone's.
From this alone, it was obvious whose Xuanwu bloodline was purer.
As for the Xuanwu Secret Realm itself, it seemed to have nothing left to offer. Other than the legacy related to the Black Tortoise God's God Position, there were no remaining treasures—it felt almost barren.
Tang Zhen sighed regretfully.
"What a pity. Although your Martial Souls have evolved and your spirit power has risen sharply, it seems you no longer have any direct connection to the Black Tortoise God."
He shook his head.
"Finding another Spirit Master related to the Black Tortoise God would be far too difficult."
The identification of the Black Tortoise God largely stemmed from the widespread legends of the Divine Beast Xuanwu on the Douluo Continent. Much of this was due to deliberate promotion by the Dai Family of the Star Luo Empire, whose Martial Soul was the White Tiger.
In reality, their White Tiger was far inferior to the true Divine Beast White Tiger—much like the difference between Xuanwu and the Divine Beast Xuanwu.
To bolster their legitimacy, the Dai Family claimed their Martial Soul was the Divine Beast White Tiger and that they were a lineage sent down from the God Realm to unify the continent. While few truly believed it, the names of the Four Divine Beasts—White Tiger, Xuanwu, Azure Dragon, and Vermilion Bird—became deeply ingrained in popular legend.
As for the Azure Dragon, there were indeed traces of it in ancient records. The Sky Azure Bull Python possessed Azure Dragon bloodline; if allowed to evolve fully, it might one day truly become an Azure Dragon.
Tang Zhen took Graphite and Grinding Stone to hunt for their fourth spirit rings.
Yin Zhang, Qiangu Yunying, and Golden Crocodile did not follow—Tang Zhen alone was more than sufficient for such matters.
After returning to Spirit City, Yin Zhang began arranging plans for the future.
First was the Continental Elite Spirit Master Tournament three years later. By then, both he and Qiangu Yunying would still be within the age limit, but participating would be meaningless—they could win the championship with ease. It would be little more than child's play.
The current strength of Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan was still lacking somewhat, but that was not a major issue. Besides them, several former teammates who had once competed alongside Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying could still hold out until the next tournament.
Zhou Yuanyuan and a few others were among them.
There was no cause for concern.
According to the established pattern, Spirit Hall had won two of the first three tournaments, while the Star Luo Empire Royal Academy had claimed one. That meant the next one was likely theirs again.
Yin Zhang sought out Hu Liena.
Seeing him come alone, Hu Liena instinctively thought he had something personal to say. A faint blush rose to her cheeks.
Yin Zhang asked calmly,
"Nana, how did you feel after using the Water of Longing and Seeing Through I gave you?"
That item was extremely valuable. In the original records, Tang San had relied on it to elevate his mental force realm, allowing him to see through disguises at the level of hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts.
Hu Liena froze briefly—so that was what he meant.
She had intended to tell him earlier, but circumstances had always intervened. Smiling, she replied,
"It worked very well, Brother Zhang. My mental force improved a great deal, and I even gained a new Spirit Ability."
"A Spirit Ability?" Yin Zhang was momentarily stunned.
Hu Liena chuckled and summoned her Martial Soul, the Charming Fox. Two yellow spirit rings and one purple ring rose beneath her feet.
"I should clarify—it evolved from my First Spirit Ability, Fox Fire Command. I call the new version Fox Fire Charm Kill."
Her original Fox Fire Command was a single-target attack that generated foxfire of extremely high temperature, capable of corroding mental force. At higher cultivation levels, it could be released freely and shaped at will.
Now, Fox Fire Charm Kill went even further.
"Under the effect of mental corrosion," Hu Liena explained, "it can induce confusion in the enemy and significantly increase their spirit power consumption."
Yin Zhang nodded in clear approval.
"Excellent. That's a powerful enhancement. It seems I didn't give you that item for nothing."
Hu Liena laughed softly.
After leaving the residence, with nothing pressing to attend to, Yin Zhang wandered toward the southeastern market district of Spirit City.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a woman ahead.
She had short, ear-length hair and stood about 1.83 meters tall. Her posture was straight, her presence sharp.
Yin Zhang's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That spirit power aura… could she be a Titled Douluo?"
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