However, Xu Tianhao secretly made a mental note; he had always been the type to hold a grudge.
Once his strength completely surpassed Xu Tianran in the future, he would definitely make his currently arrogant older brother honestly sing him a song of submission to properly avenge the humiliation of being bullied by spirit power pressure today!
Watching the fleeting schemes flash in the depths of Xu Tianhao's eyes, how could Xu Tianran fail to guess his younger brother's thoughts?
The two brothers had grown up together, and daily displays of brotherly affection and playful bickering had long since become a habit.
Xu Tianran secretly found it funny and thought to himself: 'As the saying goes, eating, sleeping, and beating one's younger brother—none of these steps can be skipped.'
Aren't younger brothers meant to be bullied and beaten?
Taking advantage of his current overwhelming strength, if he didn't bully him a few more times now, then when Xu Tianhao's twin spirits were fully matured in the future, coupled with that heaven-defying Spirit Ability, the moon reading space, he wouldn't have the slightest confidence in being able to beat this monster of a younger brother.
After all, he was already this impressive with just one Spirit, and Xu Tianhao had two.
He knew better than anyone just how terrifying the potential of twin spirits was.
Facing this sensible flattery from his Stinky Younger Brother, Xu Tianran felt increasingly pleased, and an undisguised look of pride appeared on his face.
He sat back down at the stone table, picked up a teacup, and took a sip of tea before slowly beginning to recount the entire process of going out to obtain his eighth soul ring to Xu Tianhao and Xu Tianzhen.
Xu Tianhao and Xu Tianzhen immediately composed themselves, sat obediently to the side, and pricked up their ears to listen carefully, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.
During Xu Tianran's recounting, the early experiences were all normal; searching for the Spirit Beast and maneuvering and fighting it were all without danger, and relying on his own strength and the protection of the experts accompanying him, it went smoothly beyond imagination.
But when Xu Tianran reached the final moments, Xu Tianzhen's bright, large eyes instantly widened, her small mouth opening so wide that an egg could be stuffed inside.
Her face was written with unbelievable shock, and she stood frozen in place, unable to say a word for a long time.
'Picked up a Hundred Thousand Year Silver Moon Wolf King for nothing? A Shrek genius disciple narrowly escaped death? And conveniently kidnapped a Zhang Lexuan on the way back?'
Every single one of these things exceeded Xu Tianzhen's understanding, leaving her completely stunned.
Meanwhile, Xu Tianhao, who was on the side, although appearing calmer than Xu Tianzhen on the surface, already had stormy waves churning deep within his heart, and he couldn't help but exclaim frantically in his mind.
At the beginning, he had only thought about it silently in his heart, but he never expected that his thoughts would actually all become reality!
Not only had his older brother successfully captured the Hundred Thousand Year Silver Moon Wolf King, but he had actually kidnapped Zhang Lexuan and brought her back to the Sun Moon Empire!
Not to mention the issue of Zhang Lexuan's background.
Zhang Lexuan was currently a genius disciple of Shrek Academy, with top-tier talent, appearance, and strength, and was even one of Shrek's future leaders.
Now that Zhang Lexuan had been brought back to the Sun Moon Empire by his older brother, the significance was far greater than imagined.
Even taking a step back, even if the subsequent issues of Zhang Lexuan's identity and allegiance were not handled well.
Just that Hundred Thousand Year Silver Moon Wolf King brought back by his older brother was a treasure picked up for free!
The value of a hundred thousand year Spirit Beast was immeasurable; the resulting hundred thousand year soul ring and Spirit Bone were enough to make the top forces on the continent go crazy for either one.
Yet now it had become his older brother's possession; this opportunity was simply too good for words!
In fact, even Xu Tianran himself couldn't help but sigh inwardly that his luck was truly so good that it exceeded common sense, and could even be called bizarrely excessive.
Ever since his younger brother Xu Tianhao was born, it was as if he carried a heaven-defying luck that changed the fortune of their lineage, and even the entire Sun Moon Empire.
In the past, his father's road to the throne was filled with thorns, and the various forces in the court were intertwined.
But ever since Xu Tianhao was born, all obstacles melted away like ice meeting the sun; his father sat firmly on the throne, his decrees were carried out, the court and the public were united, and there were no more ripples.
And he himself, as the Crown Prince, should have faced countless open and hidden attacks.
The second and third brothers had always been ambitious, setting deadly traps to get rid of him.
But with Xu Tianhao's inadvertent reminders and secret help, he easily resolved the crises, not only escaping unscathed but also taking the opportunity to uproot his opponents' wings.
Along the way, he had almost never encountered a desperate situation in the true sense.
After so many years of wind and rain, Xu Tianran's position as Crown Prince was as stable as Mount Tai, and his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Resources, opportunities, and connections were all in his hands; his life was so smooth that others were endlessly envious.
This also made him incomparably clear in his heart that this entire transformation began with the arrival of Xu Tianhao.
In his heart, this younger brother was no longer just a relative connected by blood, but a precious treasure capable of bringing endless good fortune and assistance.
And this realization was equally carved into the hearts of his father, Poison Immortal, and even all the core members of the royal family.
Xu Tianhao's existence was the Sun Moon Empire's greatest surprise and trump card.
Since the opportunity was already in hand and reality had settled, Xu Tianran was not one to dwell on the past.
He had always been decisive in killing and firm in mind, knowing deeply that empty thinking was useless.
Regardless of why this good luck came, and regardless of whether the opportunity exceeded common sense, as long as tangible benefits were in his hands, that was the most real harvest.
Now he already possessed a hundred thousand year eighth soul ring, his strength had skyrocketed to an eighty-fifth level Spirit Douluo, and he had brought back unexpected gains.
Next, he only needed to make good use of these chips to allow his strength and the foundation of the Sun Moon Empire to rise to another level.
As for the other ethereal reasons, he simply disdained to delve into them.
Having finished recounting the experiences of this trip, Xu Tianran said no more; with a gentle flip of his wrist, two radiant spirit tools appeared on the stone table.
One was the ancient and heavy god-sealing platform, and the other was the slender and exquisite god-locking ring, wreathed in the power of imprisonment.
On the god-sealing platform, runes flowed and divine light was restrained; what was sealed inside was none other than that severely injured Hundred Thousand Year Silver Moon Wolf King.
And inside that seemingly small god-locking ring, what was sealed was Zhang Lexuan.
On the journey back to the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran had not neglected this Shrek genius.
Zhang Lexuan's identity was special; it was highly likely she was a descendant of Elder Kong. Since he had made up his mind to bring her back, he would absolutely not allow her injuries to worsen and her life to be in danger.
Along the way, Xu Tianran had several times stabilized Zhang Lexuan's chaotic blood flow and injuries.
Using healing Spirit medicines from the royal collection to sustain her vitality, he had performed the most appropriate simple treatment.
This approach, apart from considering the identity Zhang Lexuan might possess, stemmed more from the appreciation deep within Xu Tianran's heart.
Looking at the entire younger generation of the Douluo Continent, there were countless genius Spirit Masters.
But the only one who could truly stand side-by-side with Xu Tianran, or even be qualified to compete with him, was Zhang Lexuan alone.
Her talent, disposition, and strength were all one in ten thousand.
This mutual appreciation made Xu Tianran treat her with a bit more importance and courtesy.
It also made him more certain that bringing Zhang Lexuan back to the Sun Moon Empire would be an incomparably correct decision.