After cultivating for a long time, Hun Tiandi finally reached the Spirit Rank 49 and was not just one step from reaching the Spirit Rank 50 and becoming a Spirit King. At the age of 17, it was a very high Rank, not to mention his Spirit Ring Configuration was breaking all of the norms on the Douluo Continent.
All of his Spirit Rings were far older than was the norm on the Douluo Continent, and even his first Spirit Ring was more than 2,500 Years old, which was the usual age for either the 3rd Spirit Ring or the 4th Spirit Ring.
This was an average age when the Spirit Masters who wanted to reach the Spirit Elder or Spirit Ancestor would go. His 4th Spirit Ring was more than 80,000 years old. That was something that only the Soul Douluos who wanted to reach the Titled Douluo would choose as their 9th Spirit Ring.
Hun Tiandi knew that this was mainly attributed to his terrifying Spiritual Power, which was compared to the peak Mortal Level or that of the God Officials, so his physical body and soul were able to withstand absorption of the much, much older Spirit Rings that one was supposed to have according to the common sense of the Spirit Masters of the Douluo Continent.
But Hun Tiandi thought that common sense needed to be broken because it was too limiting for the development of the Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent. Today, he was in the Star Dou Forest searching for the nest of the Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent, which would become his 5th Spirit Ring for its innate ability, Worthless.
Today, he departed to the Star Dou Forest together with Golden Crocodile Douluo Jin Eyu as his protection detail because he wasn't really confident in handling the Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent alone in its natural habitat.
However, the two of them were not alone in the mission because there were another two people accompanying them on their trip to the Star Dou Forest.
One of the people who was present with them was the newest Cardinal of the Spirit Hall, Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan, who had just recently reached the Titled Douluo Realm and was now already at the Spirit Rank 92.
Due to the increased standards for the Cardinal position within the Spirit Hall, nowadays, only the Titled Douluos with Spirit Rank 92 and above were eligible for the position of the Cardinal, and even within the Douluo Consecration Hall, there have been talks to allow one to enter it only after one reached Spirit Rank 98 due to the increased Spirit Ranks of all current Worship Elders.
Among the existing eight Worship Elders, there were two Limit Douluos, namely Qian Daoliu and Jin Eyu. Of the remaining six, three were at the Spirit Rank 98, namely Azure Luan Douluo, Glowing Feather Douluo, and Mighty Lion Douluo.
Jiang Brothers were at the Spirit Rank 97, and Dugu Bo was at the Spirit Rank 96, but it was only a matter of time until he reached the Spirit Rank 98 due to his fast cultivation, which now consisted of assimilating various types of Poisons and Poisonous Herbs.
The Douluo Consecration Hall was a very specific part of the Spirit Hall that served as a sanctuary and cultivation ground for the high-ranking Spirit Masters of the Spirit Hall, where they focused solely on their Spirit Cultivation, Martial Soul Development, and other things to increase their strength.
In the end, the Worship Elders of the Douluo Consecration Hall were not really intervening in the daily matters of the Spirit Hall and acted only when it was necessary for them to act.
Nowadays, due to new cultivation methods and new inventions, the strength of the Titled Douluos of the Spirit Hall was steadily increasing at a good pace, so even the standards for the various positions within the organizational structure of the Spirit Hall needed to be reconsidered and raised.
Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan was a relatively young Titled Douluo, as she belonged to the younger generation of people who reached the Title Douluo Level. Even though she wasn't the youngest or so, her age was still her advantage because there were a lot of possibilities for her to advance even further.
It was the general rule of the cultivation that the younger one reached the higher ranks, the more chances for advancement. In regard to the Spirit Energy Cultivation, this was the ironclad rule, because one could reach Limit Douluo only when they were Called Douluo in their late thirties at the latest.
Together with her, there was her disciple, Ma Xiaotao, who was now 14 years old but was already near the Spirit Ancestor Realm as she was at the Spirit Rank 39 and needed to find a suitable Spirit Beast to become her 4th Spirit Ring.
Thus, when one of the Limit Douluos of the Spirit Hall was going to the Star Dou Forest to get the Spirit Ring for the future Holy Son, Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan joined because Golden Crocodile was one of the strongest people in the entire Spirit Hall and also on the entire continent.
They were right now on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, searching for the Spirit Beast that would provide the next Spirit Ring for Ma Xiaotao as they were closer to it.
Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent was somewhere in the deeper parts of the Star Dou Forest, so they were going there at a later date, or perhaps after Ling Yuan took her disciple back to the Spirit Hall.
The inner areas of the Star Dou Forest could be very dangerous even for the Titled Douluos, so even the Spirit Hall was very cautious about entering the inner regions of the Star Dou Forest due to the presence of the powerful Spirit Beasts.
Ma Xiaotao was dressed in red clothes with her face covered by a red veil, which did little to hide her exceptionally beautiful appearance. She has very long scarlet-red hair and a gorgeous pair of crimson eyes representing a ruby. She was also a buxom girl with a busty body.
She awakened a very rare type of Martial Soul called Evil Fire Phoenix, which was a mutated Beast-Type Martial Soul that had a very powerful fire capability, evil fire. This kind of flame is also exceptionally monstrous; not only is it extremely high temperature, but it also has very powerful adhering properties that are very difficult to extinguish. It truly has the possibility of becoming a True Phoenix.
But, this spirit also has an immense defect; although this variation brought a large amount of Spirit Energy, simultaneously, it also created a certain effect in the body.
It also made the user regard male-female relations that respect capability become extremely vigorous, with appetite impulses that are tenfold that of an ordinary person. If only suppressed and not conducted, then, at any time, it's possible this Evil Fire Phoenix would explode and die.
The Evil Fire Phoenix's evil fire can be purified by pure Yang Immortal Herbs such as Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower or Infernal Delicate Apricot and evolve into a True Phoenix, a Fire Phoenix.
Aside from searching for a suitable Spirit Beast for Ma Xiaotao, they were also searching for some of the Immortal Herbs that could be used to refine an elixir that would facilitate the evolution of her Martial Soul into that of the Fire Phoenix or perhaps even further.
It was generally accepted by the higher-ups of the Spirit Hall, that Ma Xiaotao had every strong potential to reach even Limit Douluo once she evolved her Martial Souls once or twice.
If her Martial Soul could evolve to the higher grade Martial Souls, then even reaching Godhood wasn't really out of the question because everyone knew that the Phoenixex were Divine Beasts of the highest order.
Hun Tiandi often pondered over the concept of Godhood and how to ascend to Godhood.
But it seemed that the Douluo's Divine Realm was lost as the connection between the Divine Realm and the Douluo Continent had apparently been lost many, many years ago. Yet, this was also playing into the Hun Tiandi's cards.
He knew that these Gods in the Divine Realm were very powerful, higher-dimensional beings, and they liked to intervene in mortal matters of all sorts. According to the Grand Worship, the Douluo Continent had a lot of Divine Sites that held the inheritances of the Gods.
Once someone obtains the inheritance, they will take the God Position from God and, well... become God.
However, what Hun Tiandi saw in this was just another form of slavery.
According to the ancient records he dug up in the Spirit Hall, the Gods who accepted the God Position, which was the only way to become God in this world, were severely restrained by their very own God Positions and the Laws of the Universe.
It was a really staggering shock how much of the lore the Spirit Hall possessed as the oldest and strongest faction in the Douluo Continent. Their legacy was deep, and they possessed a few world-shattering secrets that the Spirit Hall hid from all.
He was the Emperor.
Not a slave.
Not even to the will of the heavens themselves.
If that was the only way, then he would seal the heavens and replace it with his own.
***
Star Dou Forest, Some time later
"So, what Spirit Beast are we hunting for, the birdbrain?"
Saying that Hun Tiandi's and Xiaotao's relationship was... bad wouldn't be really bad, but it wouldn't be really accurate as well. Both of them were extremely competitive, and Ma Xiatao had a rather explosive and aggressive temper.
Especially when it came to provocations, as she was the type that often used her fists first and then asked questions last.
It was her usual style, and she was easily provoked into exploding, and her temper was legendary among the core members of the Spirit Hall...
Her own master, Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan, often had headaches about Ma Xiaotao because the girl was a troublemaker of the 1st class. Since she was little, she has been causing problems and mischief, and now, when she is older, it seems that she is continuing.
It was rather ironic that she had a fiery temper as well as a fiery Martial Soul.
"You red-eyed bastard!"
She already wanted to punch him as small flames were unconsciously formed around her, as this was a common occurrence that happened when she got angry. Because of the alignment of the Evil Fire Phoenix, she wasn't really that good when it came to handling her own emotions, and she often...
Well...
Exploded...
Sometimes literally.
"You have red eyes too, though..."
Hun Tiandi stated with mild amusement that Ma Xiaotao, too, had red eyes like him and also red hair. To bystanders, it would seem that two of them were siblings, in fact, even though their personalities were vastly different.
If one looked at them, they looked pretty similar, in fact, as both of them had red eyes and red hair. For Hun Tiandi, it was rather troublesome to get him angry, but if it happened, then it was one hell of a show to remember.
"You!"
Before she could do anything, one stern glance from Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan silenced her down as they continued through the Star Dou Forest. The last thing that was needed was to create a commotion in this place so that it would attract some of the ancient and powerful Spirit Beasts.
Even though he and Ma Xiaotao bickered a lot, both of them were something akin to friends he could say?
Within the Spirit Hall's younger generation, there were not many who dared to talk to him like they were his equal. Hun Tiandi seriously doubted that he was equal, and he only considered those at the peak of their own mortality as his equals if it could be called such.
Yet he found it refreshing for someone who wasn't really intimidated by his status and power.
"We need to find the Blue Flame Bird for your 4th Spirit Ring. According to the information, it should be somewhere around these parts, and it is around 250,000 Years Old."
25,000 Years Old Spirit Ring was something that Spirit Masters would choose for their 6th Spirit Ring and not their 4th. Hun Tiandi himself had an 80,000-Year-Old Spirit Ring because he was able to support it with the overwhelming power of his Soul and refined physique.
Still, the fact that Ma Xiaotao was able to accept such an old Spirit Ring right now and right here was a testament to her talent and dedication. Their group soon enough moved forward, not lingering in one place for too long, due to safety reasons.
Once they obtained the Spirit Ring for Ma Xiaotao, Jin Eye and Hun Tiandi would depart to the deeper parts of the Star Dou Forest to search for the Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent, which would become his 5th Spirit Ring.
Either that or the Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan and Ma Xiaotao would join them in their endeavor, though that wasn't decided yet for the time being. For the Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan, this was her first venture into the Star Dou Forest since she had reached the Titled Douluo.
Hun Tiandi previously proposed to the Qian Daoliu that the Worship Elders took a more active part in the overall development of the Spirit Hall, especially when it came to teaching the younger Spirit Masters or helping the other Spirit Masters to get their Spirit Rings, especially when it was concerning the Soul Douluos that were about to reach the Titled Douluo Rank.
This was a very crucial aspect.
This ensured that the Spirit Masters at the Soul Douluo with Spirit Rank 89 were able to get the best Spirit Ring possible for the breakthrough to the Titled Douluo at Spirit Rank 90.
This ensured that many breakthroughs for the Soul Douluos went without many problems, and the Spirit Hall not only welcomed new Titled Douluos, but the Titled Douluos who broke through got much better and more powerful Spirit Rings than they would have originally gotten on their own.
***
Azure Flame Bird was a phoenix-like Spirit Beast wreathed in ethereal blue fire. Unlike normal flames, its Azure Flame was cool to the touch, burning with Spirit Energy rather than heat, and it was also more versatile when compared to the flames of the other similarly aligned Spirit Beasts.
The Azure Flame Bird had a wingspan that stretched over 10 meters, with shimmering feathers that glowed like sapphire embers. Its eyes burned with an otherworldly light capable of piercing through illusions and deception.
Its tail extended into a long, trailing plume of ghostly blue fire, leaving a radiant afterimage as it soared. When it flapped its wings, embers of cold flame scattered in the air, forming constellations that flicker briefly before fading.
The four Spirit Masters of the Spirit Hall looked at the Azure Flame Bird that was sitting on its perch, which was placed in one of the high trees of the Star Dou Forest. It was relatively young compared to the other Azure Flame Birds, which was good and bad news at the same time.
The good news was that Ma Xiaotao was guaranteed to kill it and absorb its Spirit Ring as its own. The bad news was that, because it was young, it meant that it had more powerful relatives that were for sure above one hundred thousand years in age.
"Be careful of the Shriek Ability of the Azure Flame Bird that is able to disorient even Titled Douluos if they are not careful. Also, the Azure Flame Birds could unleash Skyfire Strom as one of their innate abilities through which they summon a tempest of Azure Flames that neither scorch nor destroy but instead drain Spirit Energy from foes."
Hun Tiandi said to the disciple of the Spirit Kite Douluo, as Ma Xiaotao scoffed, seeing him lecturing her because she didn't like this at all. One could say that when she saw that smug grin of his when he was saying something to others, she wanted to punch him very badly.
"I am not mentally retarded; I can understand it, you arrogant prick!"
She retorted as she looked toward the perch of the Azure Flame Bird, as Hun Tiandi snickered at her because he was sure that she hadn't read almost anything about the Spirit Beast that was going to become her next Spirit Ring.
"Well... at least it would be a good show..."
Hun Tiandi muttered silently as Jin Eyu opened the gourd with his Spirit Wine, and Ling Yuan frowned because she knew her disciple very well, and she hoped that she had prepared for the fight as she told her to do so.
But...
Considering the fact that Ma Xiaotao considered reading books boring things for bookworms and often teased Hun Tiandi about his researching the old tomes, something was telling her that her disciple probably hadn't even opened the Spirit Beast Compendium yet.
The Golden Crocodile Douluo started drinking merrily, even offering a cup of his wine to Hun Tiandi, who accepted despite not drinking really that often. Yet, this one came straight from the personal stash of the Golden Crocodile Douluo, one of the Limit Douluos with the Spirit Rank 99, so it was really the best stuff possible to obtain in the Douluo Continent.
Hun Tiandi preferred tea compared to a vine, but if the Golden Crocodile was offering, he saw no reason to decline.
Even the Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan got a cup of Spirit Wine from Jin Eyu as all three of them observed Ma Xiaotao, who approached the Azure Flame Bird that was perched up high on the tree.
According to their predictions, Ma Xiaotao should be able to handle and kill the Azure Flame Bird on her own.
If not, then the Titled Douluos would intervene.