"Then what should your name be? Du Jiang Jue? Du Bi Jue? Or… Du Jue?"
The more Jiang Jue listened, the more absurd it became, and he quickly stepped in to stop it.
None of these names sounded good — every single one carried bad omens.
Jiang Jue suddenly remembered Du Bu Si's elder brother, Du Bi Si — wasn't it the same thing back then? With names like these, if you didn't die, it would almost feel disrespectful to your name.
"Senior, you didn't bring me here just to change my surname, did you?"
Du Bu Si stopped his surname-changing scheme, clasped his hands behind his back, and said slowly:
"Of course not. You bear a Body Martial Soul — naturally, you belong with our Body Sect. Bringing you back this time is simply like bringing you home."
Jiang Jue shook his head slightly, speaking with a hint of regret:
"I'm afraid I can't fulfill your wish, Senior. I already have a family, and they're probably waiting for me to return."
This was where Jiang Jue's acting skills had to be put to the test. He couldn't seem too eager, nor could he appear too hostile.
This delicate balance — Jiang Jue had to control it perfectly.
"…"
"Don't play dumb with me. You're all alone, a 'three-no' person — no background, no backing, no records. Where's this family of yours supposed to be? But no need to worry. From now on, our Body Sect will be your family."
Du Bu Si looked at Jiang Jue with a half-smile, the kind that said I've seen through you long ago.
"Still trying to play tricks on me? This time, I'm a step ahead of you," Du Bu Si thought secretly, feeling a little pleased with himself.
But he also knew — that Dragon Xiaoyao who fought Mu En that night was very likely the one behind this kid in front of him.
Still, once someone joined his Body Sect, there was no reason to let them go back. The Body Sect had lasted this many years — not without real strength.
If Dragon Xiaoyao dared to come, he would make sure the man understood what it meant that rogue cultivators were still just rogue cultivators — no sect power, no way to win against a sect.
Of course, he hadn't told anyone about this matter upon returning. Even Lang Ya and Yu Tao were ordered not to mention it.
After all, an Ultimate Douluo was something that needed to be treated seriously — no unnecessary panic should be stirred.
"Senior, you investigated me? Isn't that highway robbery?"
Jiang Jue looked at Du Bu Si, who seemed to have control of the situation, and spoke with reluctant dissatisfaction — though inside, he was laughing with joy.
This time, he was above the stratosphere.
Since he knew Du Bu Si would investigate him, naturally he wouldn't talk nonsense. Instead, he flipped the situation, making Du Bu Si believe he'd cornered him — when in truth, Jiang Jue was the one benefiting under a "protected victim" identity.
"Enough talk. Once you're in the Body Sect, you're Body Sect for a day, you're Body Sect for life."
Du Bu Si waved a hand, unconcerned as he spoke.
"Huh? Why does that sound so familiar?"
Jiang Jue froze for a moment, muttering in his heart.
The words he'd once said to Ma Xiaotao during the competition had now, in a strange way, returned to him.
"Stop dawdling. Still not eating? Let me tell you — our Body Sect's cooking is absolutely top-notch."
Looking at the untouched food by the door, Du Bu Si's lips moved slightly, as if speaking something silently across space.
Not long after, a maid walked in carrying a wooden tray — four dishes and a soup — and placed it inside the room.
"That'll do. You can leave now."
The maid respectfully stood by Du Bu Si's side until he waved her off. She bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Hurry up and eat. What, do you need me to help you down from the bed?"
The smell of delicious food wafted through the air. Jiang Jue's eyes flickered slightly as he stepped down from the bed and walked to the table.
For now, everything was still within his expectations. Next, he needed to show a little goodwill — he couldn't stay stiff forever.
After all, he was, by nature, a "kind and approachable" person.
"Since it's come to this, I might as well eat first."
Jiang Jue sighed softly, picked up the chopsticks, and began to eat.
"Mmm… this is authentic…"
The moment a slice of beef-type soul beast meat entered his mouth, Jiang Jue felt his taste buds come alive. As the beef slid down his throat, a faint surge of blood energy stirred within him.
"Of course. Hurry up and eat. Luckily I found you in time, or your Body Martial Soul's talent would've been wasted."
Du Bu Si hummed twice, clearly in a satisfied mood.
A sharp gleam flashed through Jiang Jue's eyes.
Coming to the Body Sect wasn't just about completing his Body Martial Soul's golden-grade second awakening. Another reason — he wanted to learn the Body Sect's combat techniques.
Body Soul Masters were different from ordinary Soul Masters. Within the Body Sect, there existed a special form of attack — not dependent on soul skills, but instead combining soul power with one's own blood and qi. These attacks were in no way weaker than soul skills. They were known as combat techniques.
These techniques consumed blood energy — naturally requiring large amounts of soul beast flesh and blood to replenish.
Very quickly, Jiang Jue finished the four dishes and soup in front of him.
"That's more like it. Eat your fill — then you'll have the strength. Next, I'll take you somewhere… and give you a fortuitous encounter."
Du Bu Si walked up beside Jiang Jue, placed a hand on his shoulder, and a surge of dark-green soul power enveloped the two of them.
In the next moment, light shifted, scenes changed.
"Seems Du Bu Si's strength has already placed one foot into the Ultimate realm. Not quite on Dragon Elder's level, but he's already begun dabbling in spatial power," Jiang Jue thought quietly.
Because of his own second soul skill — Soul Replacement — he had a certain sensitivity to spatial forces, so he could roughly sense it.
"Boom… boom… boom!"
Three deep, muffled sounds reverberated, humming through the space, refusing to disperse.
Jiang Jue looked at the sight before him, slightly stunned, murmuring aloud:
"A complete dragon skeleton?!"
By now, Jiang Jue stood inside an enormous palace. The walls were no longer wood, but massive bronze walls glowing with a faint ghostly light. The entire palace stood a hundred meters tall, narrowing toward the top. At the very center, on a colossal bronze pillar, three gilded characters gleamed: Heart-Enlightening Hall!
But that wasn't what truly shocked Jiang Jue. What truly stunned him — was a coiled, twisting, bone-white yet purple-black dragon skeleton stretching a hundred meters long.
This skeleton was intact — fully embedded into the bronze walls of the hall, half-buried, half-exposed, spiraling upward. Its massive dragon head rested atop the central bronze pillar, purple-black light glowing faintly in its eyes, terrifying and awe-inspiring.
Even in death, its pressure was extraordinary. Within the hall, a faint, dreadful dragon's roar could be heard echoing.
The moment Jiang Jue entered, he felt waves of spiritual fluctuation emanating from all around, as if he had stepped into some kind of mental domain, constantly assaulted by spiritual interference.
But Jiang Jue's own spiritual power was nothing to scoff at — easily, he shut out the waves around him. He was also doing this deliberately, letting Du Bu Si see it.
"Hm?"
Standing beside him, Du Bu Si noticed Jiang Jue's move and let out a surprised sound. He hadn't expected Jiang Jue to isolate the surrounding mental waves so easily.
You had to understand — even Body Sect disciples, Soul Emperors, when entering here, would be brutally tormented by these mental waves.
"Seems this time, I really picked up a treasure."
Du Bu Si's gaze toward Jiang Jue grew increasingly heated.
Sensing Du Bu Si's change, Jiang Jue subtly stepped to the side.
"Ahem. So — impressive, isn't it?"
Noticing Jiang Jue's reaction, Du Bu Si realized he was acting a bit improperly, coughed twice, looked around, then pointed at the spiraling dragon bones in front of them.
Indeed — when a man feels awkward, he pretends to be busy.
"Indeed… awe-inspiring."
Jiang Jue looked at the massive, majestic dragon bones and sighed inwardly.
"This is the skeleton left behind by a 150,000-year-old Nightmare Demon Dragon — and its soul bones are still within!"
(End of Chapter)