Zhongli Wu's laughter abruptly stopped.
"Ahem, disciple, what do you mean by this?"
"He is merely a cripple, a man who cannot bear children—what is there to fear?"
With a wave of his right hand, Zhongli Wu exuded an aura of dominance.
"Master, nothing in this world is absolute. It is always better to be cautious."
Jiang Jue knew his master's temperament and avoided confronting him directly. Instead, he spoke slowly and gently.
Xu Tianran was not someone to be underestimated. If they truly intended to bring the Sun-Moon Empire under their control in the future, he was a threat that had to be taken seriously.
Once Xu Tianran wielded true power, he would never allow the Holy Spirit Cult to dominate him. Just like in another timeline, before he had even fully conquered the original three great empires, he had already planned to eliminate Ye Xishui, an Ultimate Douluo.
Of course, Ye Xishui had been somewhat careless, and coupled with Long Xiaoyao's injuries, the two had ultimately retreated together.
Nonetheless, Xu Tianran needed to be guarded against.
According to Jiang Jue's plan, once the time was right, they would use a large-scale memory-erasing technique on Xu Tianran.
"Hmm... my disciple makes a good point. I will take this into consideration in the future," Zhongli Wu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
But did he truly understand? Jiang Jue was not certain.
"By the way, Master, there is something I wish to ask of you. I hope you will agree."
Seeing that the moment was right, Jiang Jue spoke up.
"Let's hear it."
"I wish to participate in the upcoming Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Tournament."
"What?! Impossible!"
Zhongli Wu rejected the idea outright.
Right now, the original three great empires were cracking down hard on evil spirit masters. Anyone caught would be executed on the spot—there was no way he would allow it.
"Tell me, why do you want to join the tournament?"
Perhaps realizing that he had been too blunt, Zhongli Wu softened his tone.
"I want to witness the continent's greatest geniuses firsthand."
"Hahaha, let me tell you, you are the greatest genius on this continent! There's no need for you to observe them. Besides, what if your Soul Refining Banner is discovered?"
Jiang Jue raised his left hand, summoning the Soul Refining Banner. At once, it radiated a brilliant golden light, pure and dazzling.
Under this radiant light, Jiang Jue himself seemed righteous and noble—completely unlike an evil spirit master.
"Master, have you forgotten that my banner has a Light Attribute form? And from now on, please call it the 'Human Sovereign Banner'!"
Zhongli Wu's mouth twitched. Could this really work?
"Moreover, Master, isolating oneself is not the right path. Going out into the world will help my cultivation. Besides, I will only be a reserve member—I may not even have to compete."
Jiang Jue's voice was filled with sincerity as he looked at Zhongli Wu.
Before coming here, he had already anticipated that Zhongli Wu would refuse, so he had prepared his arguments in advance.
After a few moments of silence, Zhongli Wu finally spoke.
"Very well… I won't say that I'm giving you this opportunity freely. The Fourth Elder recently took in a disciple named Yan Feng, whose martial soul is a Bone Dragon."
"He is currently at Rank 57. If you can defeat him, I will allow you to participate. How about that?"
"Thank you, Master! I will not disappoint you!"
Jiang Jue's eyes gleamed with determination as he swiftly agreed.
This was all part of his plan.
He couldn't just leave like this—he needed to make a strong impression on the Holy Spirit Cult, ensuring that Zhongli Wu would always remember him.
The simplest way to achieve this was through contrast.
According to the original trajectory, Yan Feng should have become Zhongli Wu's direct disciple. But with Jiang Jue in the picture, that was no longer possible.
However, Yan Feng's talent was still exceptional. Though he was two and a half years older than Jiang Jue, he had already reached Rank 57. His martial soul was also of high quality—second only to Ma Xiaotao among the new generation of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Taking him down was Jiang Jue's best option.
"Yan Feng is not like those Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy students who rely on drugs to increase their cultivation. I urge you to reconsider," Zhongli Wu said gravely.
"A man of his word— I, Jiang Jue, have full confidence that I can defeat him in a single strike!"
"Good! It's settled then!"
Zhongli Wu admired Jiang Jue's unwavering determination. With such a spirit, his disciple's path to power was boundless.
As for Ming Lei Douluo, he remained silent, watching the entire exchange like a bystander enjoying a show.
"Then, Master, I shall take my leave to prepare."
"I look forward to your performance."
Jiang Jue bowed deeply before stepping out.
Zhongli Wu watched his disciple's retreating figure, his eyes flickering with thought.
"It seems I need to arrange for some people to protect him."
Before Jiang Jue had obtained his fourth spirit ring, Zhongli Wu would not have believed he could defeat Yan Feng. But now, with that fourth ring… things were different.
After all, that twenty-thousand-year-old soul beast had been personally captured by him. The soul skill it granted was extraordinary…
Mingdu. Prosperous Street.
Outside a hairpin shop.
A young girl stood with flowing hair, balancing lightly on her toes. Her ice-blue eyes scanned her surroundings.
Suddenly, a pair of slender hands covered her eyes.
"Guess who?"
A deep, charming voice sounded.
"Jiang Jue, are you a child?"
"Take your hands off me, or I'll punch you!"
The girl pouted, her voice playful.
"As you command, General Meng Hongchen!"
The two playfully bickered. They were none other than Jiang Jue and Meng Hongchen.
Over the past semester, their relationship had grown closer, and Meng Hongchen was no longer as reserved as before.
Ever since Jiang Jue had told her about an anime from his past life, Meng Hongchen had insisted that he call her "General Meng Hongchen," while she referred to him as "Sergeant Jiang Jue."
These nicknames had become an intimate code between them.
Jiang Jue lowered his hands and naturally wrapped an arm around Meng Hongchen's slender waist.
Looking up, he saw the name of the hairpin shop written in golden characters: "Floating Life's Fate."
"Meng, the hairpins here look nice. Do you want to go in and take a look?"
Meng Hongchen's ears turned red.
"Jiang Jue, do you know what it means to give a girl a hairpin?"
Her voice was so soft even she could barely hear it.
"What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing!"
"Let's go inside."
Ignoring her protests, Jiang Jue led her into Floating Life's Fate.
"Welcome! How may I help you?"
A young saleswoman greeted them with a bright smile.
She had been in this business long enough to tell, just from their clothing, that these two were wealthy customers.
She had a keen eye for money!
"Show us your finest hairpins," Jiang Jue said softly. The saleswoman's eyes lit up.
"Please, follow me. The second floor holds our most exquisite selections."
Indeed, the second floor was filled with dazzling hairpins, each radiating brilliance.
"Meng, pick one you like."
"Jiang Jue, I want you to choose for me."
Meng Hongchen's voice was gentle as she gazed at him expectantly.
"Alright, then I'll choose."
Jiang Jue scanned the room until his eyes landed on the perfect one—a crystal-blue hairpin with flowing water-like patterns that shimmered under the light.
"Meng, how about this one?"
"It's beautiful. I'll take it!"
She smiled softly.
The saleswoman quickly wrapped it up, thrilled at the hefty sale—over six hundred gold soul coins!
Meng Hongchen tiptoed up to Jiang Jue's ear and whispered,
"Jiang Jue, you're the best."
As if this were a little secret shared only between the two of them.
Jiang Jue's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke softly.
"Meng, if one day I have a very powerful enemy, so strong that I don't even know if I can defeat him…"
"Would you still—"
"Shh!"
Meng Hongchen pressed a finger against Jiang Jue's lips.
"I, General Meng Hongchen, will always stand by Jiang Jue, no matter if the world turns upside down."
"As long as you're here, I won't fear anything."
Hearing Meng Hongchen's words, Jiang Jue's body suddenly froze.
"Meng…"
Before Jiang Jue could continue, Meng Hongchen spoke again.
"If we can defeat that powerful enemy of yours… Jiang Jue, through all the rivers and mountains, through the vastness of life, would you be willing to travel with me and see it all?"
Meng Hongchen murmured softly, her eyes filled with hope.
In this moment, she no longer cared about that overwhelmingly powerful enemy Jiang Jue spoke of. She only wanted to stay by his side—forever.
Jiang Jue's gaze trembled slightly, as if a calm lake had been disturbed by a small stone, sending ripples across the surface that lingered, unable to settle…
(End of Chapter)