In the Hall of Offerings, Qian Daoliu, standing in the center of the hall, saw the information sent by Qian Renxue and a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. "Is it really going to end like this?"
Immediately, Qian Daoliu stood up. Although he thought Qian Renxue's actions were somewhat absurd, Qian Renxue was, after all, his only granddaughter and the only legitimate heir. He couldn't let Qian Renxue face the danger alone.
The Ye family.
In Qingmu's courtyard, Dugu Bo and Qingmu sat facing each other at a stone table, while Ivysaur sat beside Qingmu, skillfully brewing tea for the two of them.
"Qingmu, you've really stirred up a commotion this time."
As he said this, Dugu Bo looked at Fang Qingmu with a complicated expression.
From the moment he met Qing Mu, he knew that as long as Qing Mu didn't die, he would eventually become a top expert on the continent. The only thing he didn't expect was that this moment would come so quickly.
"Da na~"
At this moment, Ivysaur poured a cup of tea for the two of them. Qingmu picked up the teacup, took a sip, and smiled, saying, "It's just a small matter."
"This is no small matter!"
Dugu Bo shook his head, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down, saying, "Six first-rate forces, four second-rate forces, and one of them is the Elephant Armor Sect, one of the four lower sects. Now, the entire Soul Master world is in a state of panic because of you."
As one of the four lower sects, the Elephant Armor Sect was a household name among Soul Masters, and its destruction was an absolute shock to them.
"Such a big impact?"
Upon hearing this, Qing Mu was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "No matter how strong the Elephant Armor Sect is, its strongest member is only a peak Soul Douluo. Any random Title Douluo could do that. How could it have such a great influence?"
"Just a peak Soul Douluo? Do you think there are many Title Douluos in this world?"
Upon hearing Qing Mu's words, Dugu Bo rolled his eyes.
Then, Dugu Bo explained, "Even among the reclusive Title Douluos, there are no more than twenty on the entire continent. If we only count those who are publicly known, there are only a handful of Title Douluos."
A peak-level Soul Douluo, and one with the potential to break through to the peak of Soul Douluo like Hu Yanzhen, has no shortage of eyes watching him.
After hearing Dugu Bo's explanation, Qing Mu came to her senses.
He only thought that a peak Soul Douluo was nothing special because he had a god's-eye view. But in the public's view, Hu Yanzhen was already the top expert, second only to those legendary Title Douluos.
"Young Qingmu, I have a question."
Suddenly, Dugu Bo stared at Qing Mu and asked, "Just how far have you gotten in terms of strength?"
Long before Qing Mu obtained his fifth spirit ring, his combat power was already virtually unmatched among Soul Douluo.
Now that Qing Mu's soul power level has reached the Soul Saint level, Dugu Bo is unsure just how strong Qing Mu is now. He can only be certain that he himself is unlikely to be Qing Mu's match.
"My strength?"
Upon hearing this, Qing Mu smiled but remained silent.
After a long while, Qing Mu answered indirectly: "There are very few people and creatures on the mainland who can threaten my participation in the competition right now."
"Hiss~"
Although Qing Mu did not answer directly, Dugu Bo gasped upon hearing her words.
Because he could sense an unparalleled confidence in Qing Mu's tone, a confidence that Qing Mu had never possessed before.
Considering Qing Mu's overly cautious nature, it's likely that Qing Mu's words indicate that his actual strength is approaching the pinnacle of the continent.
Dugu Bo's guess was correct, but what he didn't expect was that the peak from Qing Mu's perspective was not the same as the peak in his eyes.
Dugu Bo's perspective was narrow; he didn't know about the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts including Di Tian, or even whether Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen were still alive.
He considered the pinnacle to be at most Sword Douluo, Tang Hao who had exploded his rings, and the level of Lion and Azure Phoenix, at most level ninety-seven or ninety-eight.
However, Qingmu considers the peak to be the level of top-tier ferocious beasts such as the Deep Sea Demon Whale, Di Tian, and Xue Di, as well as the level of the three Limit Douluo, Tang Chen, Poseidon, and Qian Daoliu. Therefore, their judgments on strength are vastly different.
"Um?"
Suddenly, Qingmu turned her gaze in a certain direction.
Dugu Bo, who was standing next to him, recovered from his shock and was about to say something when he saw the change in Qing Mu's expression and immediately became alert.
The next moment, a throwing knife landed on an osmanthus tree next to Qing Mu, with a letter stuck in it.
Qingmu carefully opened it, and after reading the information on it, she immediately crushed it into powder.
"Senior Dugu, I would like to ask you to look after my parents and the Ye family from now on. I'm going out for a bit."
Qing Mu remained expressionless, as if she were simply doing something trivial.
However, Dugu Bo knew that, judging from the situation just now, the person who saw him off was definitely a Title Douluo, and among Title Douluos, he was not weak.
After all, if it took two strong individuals like them to get this close to realize that someone was weak, how could they possibly be weak?
So when Dugu Bo heard Qing Mu's instructions, he immediately nodded solemnly, "I understand, be careful."
Dugu Bo knew that his abilities were not superior in a battle against a Title Douluo, so he did not beg to go with Qing Mu. Instead, he chose to listen to Qing Mu and guard the rear for him.
"I will."
Qingmu responded and called to Ivysaur, "Ivysaur, let's go!"
"Da na~"
Ivysaur immediately evolved into Venusaur and carried Qingmu away from the Ye family.
Soon, Qingmu and Venusaur arrived at a small hill outside the city and found their target.
She was a woman of noble bearing and stunning beauty, dressed in a magnificent purple robe trimmed with gold, holding a jeweled scepter.
Qing Mu was very familiar with this woman, because she was none other than Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Spirit Hall!
Sensing Qing Mu's arrival, Bibi Dong turned slightly, gave Qing Mu a warm smile, and said, "I knew you would come?"
"I wonder what Your Holiness the Pope intends to do by summoning me here?"
Although Qing Mu's expression remained normal, she had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
After all, this is Bibi Dong, who might go crazy at any moment; getting involved with her is unlikely to be anything good.
Despite Qing Mu's obvious unfamiliarity, Bibi Dong's expression remained unchanged. She simply continued, "I've been watching you for a long time. Are you interested in joining the Spirit Hall?"
Upon hearing this, Qing Mu was about to refuse outright, but Bibi Dong's next words interrupted him.
"Don't rush to refuse. As long as you are willing to join the Spirit Hall and submit to me, I can grant you any request. Whether it's women, money, treasures, or cultivation methods, you can have them all."
And I can help you obtain the position of Grand Expatriate, a position whose real power is second only to the Pope—virtually second only to the Pope, and above all others!