After Ye Leng Leng left, Dugu Feng's life returned to its usual rhythm.
Cultivation occupied all of his time each day.
Soul Skills, Soul Power, Slaughter God Domain—and the two Emerald Dragon Snakes.
When they left Slaughter City, the Emerald Dragon Snakes had already grown to six thousand years in cultivation.
During this period, they hadn't stopped growing, and their age was now approaching seven thousand years.
They maintained a growth rate of over a hundred years per month.
It was astonishing.
Their rapid growth was mainly due to their excellent treatment.
The vast wealth of the Dugu Family ensured that the medicinal herbs and blood sacrifices the two Emerald Dragon Snakes needed were never interrupted.
After all, they were carnivorous Spirit Beasts.
Another contributing factor was the Core Pearl. The circulation between the Core Pearl and the Emerald Dragon Snakes helped enhance their physical strength and nourish their Soul Power.
Finally, the bloodline of the Emerald Dragon Snakes played a huge role—they were naturally gifted.
Their absorption rate of Soul Power was incredibly fast.
Yet, despite this, Dugu Feng still felt it was too slow. Only when they reached the level of ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts, combined with their bizarre Soul Skills, would they become truly useful.
For now, their strength was still somewhat lacking.
Dugu Feng could only continuously train their Soul Skills to stimulate their Bloodline Power, making their combat abilities increasingly formidable.
And so, time passed steadily.
Dugu Feng was gradually approaching his final year at the Heaven Dou Imperial Junior Academy.
Meanwhile, outside, the arrangements he had set in motion were causing an unexpectedly massive upheaval in the Spirit Master World.
At the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, two burly, white-haired old men in black robes and bamboo hats sped swiftly outward.
The one in front had two long eyebrows that reached his neck. His face was full of vigor, his complexion ruddy—if not for his white hair, one would never guess he was an old man.
The man behind him had a face as sharp as a blade, exuding a tough aura. His eyes gleamed fiercely, his energy fluctuating intensely, and his gaze occasionally flickered with excitement.
"Second Brother, now that I've successfully absorbed my ninth Spirit Ring, four of our five elders have become Titled Douluo. Including the Sect Master, our Clear Sky Sect will have five Titled Douluo in total!"
"Once we return to the sect, let's propose to the Sect Master that we lift the sect's seclusion. It's time for the Clear Sky Sect to return to the Spirit Master World!" the blade-faced man said excitedly.
The long-browed elder, however, remained calm. "I'm afraid the Sect Master won't agree. Five Titled Douluo may seem like a lot, but the Spirit Hall also has many Titled Douluo. The Sect Master will likely choose to continue biding his time."
The blade-faced man immediately frowned. "Endure, endure, endure—we've endured for eleven years! How much longer must we wait?"
He was none other than the Clear Sky Sect's Fifth Elder, Ranyang Douluo, who had just advanced to Titled Douluo with the help of the Second Elder, Qingyang Douluo, by absorbing his ninth Spirit Ring.
"At the very least, we must wait until Old Seventh becomes a Titled Douluo," Qingyang Douluo said.
Fifth Elder Ranyang Douluo immediately fell silent.
Originally, the Clear Sky Sect had seven elders. The First Elder and Sixth Elder had fallen in battle years ago.
Of the remaining five—Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, Fifth Elder, and Seventh Elder—four had already broken through to Titled Douluo after eleven years.
The Seventh Elder had already reached level 88. In a few more years, he would be able to make the breakthrough.
"Fine, we'll wait. Once Old Seventh becomes a Titled Douluo, let's see what excuses the Sect Master has left!" Ranyang Douluo said bitterly.
Revenge was an obsession shared by everyone in the Clear Sky Sect.
Wasn't their bitter cultivation all for the day when their sect could return to the Spirit Master World and shake the heavens?
Just imagine how earth-shattering it would be when the Seventh Elder became a Titled Douluo and all six Titled Experts of the sect emerged together!
The mere thought of that scene filled both men with excitement.
Dugu Feng could never have imagined that his offhand fabrication about the Clear Sky Sect's Fifth Elder advancing to Titled Douluo status would turn out to be such an uncanny coincidence.
During this very period, the Fifth Elder was indeed in the Star Dou Great Forest absorbing his ninth Spirit Ring.
What an incredible coincidence!
After half an hour, the two arrived at a supply town outside.
"Second Brother, let's have a hot meal. We've been searching for suitable Spirit Rings for three months without rest!"
Ranyang Douluo looked at the bustling crowd in town—this long-missed liveliness was hard to resist.
Eleven years... he hadn't seen so many people in eleven years.
This was his first time leaving the sect in over a decade, and they'd been hiding their tracks the entire journey.
Qingyang Douluo sighed deeply.
Their clansmen had suffered greatly—absorbing Spirit Rings like thieves, unable to show their faces or linger anywhere.
"Let's go!"
Qingyang Douluo couldn't bear to refuse. With Fifth Brother becoming a Titled Douluo, this should be his glorious moment.
He decisively led his second brother into a two-story inn.
Speaking in a suppressed voice, Qingyang Douluo reserved a private room on the second floor.
Ranyang Douluo quickly ordered over a dozen dishes.
"Second Brother, when we return to the sect, the others will be green with envy!"
Ranyang Douluo chuckled while ordering.
But the Second Elder felt melancholy—what ordinary people took for granted was sheer luxury for the Clear Sky Sect.
With his power level, he could easily sense the lively atmosphere both in their private room and the main hall downstairs.
How long had it been since the Clear Sky Sect experienced such vibrancy?
"Have you heard? The former number one sect under heaven—all its members are cultivating in seclusion, just waiting to take revenge on the Spirit Hall!"
A somewhat hushed voice spoke with gossipy excitement.
"Oh? Tell us more! What's going on?"
Seeing he had an audience, the speaker grew even more excited.
"You think the Spirit Hall is the most powerful force on the continent?
Dead wrong.
Let me tell you—it's the Clear Sky Sect.
Someone saw a powerhouse wielding the Clear Sky Hammer absorbing his ninth Spirit Ring in Star Dou Great Forest.
From his appearance—it was the Clear Sky Sect's Fifth Elder.
Now think—if even the Fifth Elder has broken through to Titled Douluo status, wouldn't the First, Second, Third and Fourth Elders all be Titled Douluos too?
Add their sect leader and that Haotian Douluo—that's at least seven Titled Douluos!
Tell me that's not shocking! Tell me that's not unexpected!"
The hushed voice brimmed with pride and excitement at holding everyone's attention.
These lower-tier Soul Masters weren't particularly clear about the deaths of the Clear Sky Sect's First and Sixth Elders.
It was precisely these half-true rumors that people loved hearing most.
"Holy heavens! Seven Titled Douluos? They could flatten the Spirit Hall!"
"No kidding—the Spirit Hall's in deep trouble this time!"
"That's nothing! That's just the Titled Douluos—think about how many Soul Douluos, Soul Saints and Soul Emperors they must have! Hundreds at least!
Even regular Soul Masters need ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts for their fifth Spirit Rings. An elder I know searched the forest for months to find one—guess why?
I'll tell you why—because the Clear Sky Sect has so many people breaking through, they've nearly hunted all the ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts in Star Dou Great Forest!"
Another voice loudly chimed in.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—just wait and watch the show. The Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall will soon be at war, and who knows who'll win this time."
More Soul Masters joined the discussion.
The entire first-floor restaurant of the hotel buzzed with excitement.
Gossip and curiosity made everyone's hearts itch with anticipation.
They'd already planned how they'd show off when returning to their respective academies and cities.