The city stretched before them, pristine streets winding between elegant European-style buildings, each one a testament to centuries of careful design. This was Spirit City, the sacred heart of the Douluo Continent and the ultimate destination for soul masters across the land.
Rising above it all, the platinum-colored Spirit Hall dominated the skyline. Its towering spires caught the morning light, transforming the building into something that seemed to glow from within. Even Victor had to pause, momentarily impressed.
"Is this really supposed to be a fantasy world?" he muttered. "Feels more like I've wandered into some Western fairy tale."
Beside him, Xiao Wu fidgeted nervously. Her gaze remained fixed on the Spirit Hall in the distance, and her fingers twisted together in an anxious knot. "Um... Master, can you really bring my mother back?"
Victor stopped walking and turned to face her. "That's the third time you've asked that question."
Xiao Wu's head dropped immediately. "I'm sorry, Master."
He waved a hand, cutting off her apology. "I know you're worried. I'll answer with results, not words. Just watch."
"Yes, Master."
They continued forward, the Spirit Hall growing larger with each step.
If Victor wanted to resurrect Xiao Wu's mother, he needed to find her soul first. That soul currently resided within Bibi Dong, the Spirit Hall's Pope. More precisely, it existed within Bibi Dong's spirit ring, the one she'd claimed when she hunted down and killed Xiao Wu's mother all those years ago.
The process was straightforward enough. Extract the soul from Bibi Dong's spirit ring, then use the same resurrection method he'd employed for Shinoa, courtesy of the techniques from the Ninja World. Simple, really.
They approached the Spirit Hall's gates. As expected, the guards immediately stepped forward to block their path.
"This is the Holy Land of Spirit Hall. Unauthorized personnel, leave immediately!"
Victor didn't bother responding. He simply met their eyes, channeling just enough power through his gaze to bypass their mental defenses entirely. The guards' expressions went slack, their pupils dilating as they fell under his hypnotic influence.
He walked past them without a second glance, Xiao Wu hurrying to keep pace.
Since he was here to strip away part of Bibi Dong's power, subtlety wasn't exactly a priority. Making enemies of Spirit Hall was inevitable. Still, the gate guards were just doing their jobs, so he'd left them alive. Call it professional courtesy.
Now came the tricky part.
Where exactly was Bibi Dong?
Spirit Hall was massive, and he'd never been here before. While he could easily scan the entire complex with his spiritual sense, that presented its own problem, he'd never actually seen what the animated version of Bibi Dong looked like.
He needed someone to point him in the right direction.
Victor glanced around, searching for a likely candidate. And right on cue, three figures appeared behind them, one woman and two men.
The woman caught his attention first. She had short golden hair that fell to her shoulders and a white dress that hugged her curves. Her face carried an air of laziness, though a faint charm lingered between her furrowed brows. Beautiful, though the irritation in her expression was impossible to miss.
The two men with her were less interesting, one with white hair, the other with red. Victor barely registered their faces before dismissing them entirely.
"Nana, how about we go out for a bit?" The red-haired man leaned closer, his voice taking on an eager, pleading tone. "I heard there's a new auction house that just opened in the city. Might be some good stuff there."
The woman, Nana, didn't even look at him. Her frown deepened. "Yan, can you please stop bothering me? Can't you see I'm not in the mood?"
That's exactly why I'm trying to cheer you up! The man, Yan, bit back his retort, forcing a strained smile instead.
The white-haired man spoke up, his tone more diplomatic. "Yan, my sister's tired. Let's try again another time."
"Yeah... sure."
Victor, standing far enough away that they shouldn't have been able to hear him, had caught every word perfectly. His spiritual sense made eavesdropping embarrassingly easy.
Nana. Yan. Sister.
So these were Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan, the so-called Golden Generation of Spirit Hall. Perfect timing.
His guide had just walked right up to him.
Victor smiled and started walking toward the trio, Xiao Wu following dutifully at his side.
The three noticed them approaching almost immediately.
Hu Liena's eyes widened slightly as she took in Victor's appearance. Her previously tense expression softened, smoothing out as fascination replaced irritation. "So handsome..." she breathed, the words barely audible.
Yan noticed her reaction instantly. His eyes narrowed, hostility radiating from him as he fixed Victor with a cold stare. Before Victor could say anything, Yan spoke first.
"Who are you?" His tone was sharp, accusatory. "You don't look like you're from Spirit Hall. What are you doing here?"
Victor didn't appreciate being interrogated like a common criminal. He was about to respond, probably with something that would wipe that arrogant look off Yan's face, when Hu Liena rounded on her companion instead.
"Yan! Shut up!" She glared at him, her voice carrying a sharp edge. "What do you mean by that? Even if he's not part of Spirit Hall, he could still be a guest. Don't be so rude!"
Oh, this was interesting.
Victor raised an eyebrow, amused. The most infamous traitor in Spirit Hall, acting exactly according to her reputation. In the original story, she'd fallen for Tang San and abandoned Spirit Hall without a second thought. Now here she was, snapping at her own companion in defense of a complete stranger she'd known for all of five seconds.
Beauty really was justice, wasn't it?
Xie Yue remained quiet, studying both Victor and Xiao Wu carefully. He was trying to read something, anything, from them. Unfortunately for him, the only thing he could sense was the soul power emanating from Xiao Wu. Victor himself registered as completely ordinary, which probably confused him more than anything else.
Maybe he really is a guest, Xie Yue thought. After all, the gate guards were all Soul Masters. Nobody could break into Spirit Hall unless they were invited.
Yan didn't share his friend's cautious reasoning. All he knew was that his goddess had just yelled at him for the sake of some pretty-boy stranger. The jealousy burned hot in his chest.
This couldn't stand.
But he couldn't blame Nana. What kind of devoted admirer would do that? If she was angry with him, clearly it wasn't her fault.
No, it was this outsider's fault. This bastard with his stupid, perfect face had somehow seduced his goddess. That was the real problem.
Yan's jaw clenched. "I challenge you to a duel!"
Victor actually laughed. "You remind me of a friend of mine from a place called the Green Grassland."
Even Xiao Wu stared at Yan like he'd lost his mind. Challenging the Master? This man had a death wish.
"Stop talking and summon your martial soul!" Yan's body erupted with flames as his spirit manifested. The heat rolled off him in waves, distorting the air.
Before he could do anything with that power, Hu Liena stepped directly between them.
"Yan! That's enough!" Her voice was ice. "If you dare attack this gentleman, don't even think about talking to me again. And apologize to him. Now."
Yan froze, his world crumbling around him. "Nana... why are you doing this?"
Victor's smile widened, the corners of his mouth curving up in barely restrained amusement. He looked insufferably smug.
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