Chapter 21 – The Spoils of Divinity
Inside the Supreme Pontiff's inner sanctum, the air is heavy with the scent of sandalwood and cold power. Ling Yue stands before Bibi Dong, her hands trembling as she offers a high-grade Storage Soul Tool—a jade bracelet pulsing with spatial energy.
"Your Majesty," Ling Yue's voice is a mere whisper. "In that valley... Lakan did not just find a ring. He found a graveyard of gods. He spent days burying the remains with the respect of a prince, and in return, the valley gave up its treasures."
Bibi Dong takes the bracelet. She probes it with a thread of her spiritual sense, and for the first time in years, the Supreme Pontiff nearly loses her composure. Inside the spatial fold, hundreds of soul bones glow with a terrifying, bloody radiance.
"One hundred thousand years... all of them," Bibi Dong breathes. "An entire set for ten people? Bird-type, wind, fire, and light..."
"There is more," Ling Yue adds, looking down. "Lakan was... chosen. I could not see the figure clearly, but a divine consciousness manifested. It looked at Lakan not as a mortal, but as a successor. Lakan carries a 'Seed' now, Your Majesty. He is no longer just a genius of Spirit Hall. He is a God-candidate."
Bibi Dong's grip tightens on her scepter. She felt the resonance earlier, but hearing it confirmed sends a chill down her spine. She isn't just a teacher anymore; she is the guardian of a nascent Supreme God.
The Elder's Hall
In the Hall of Douluos, the news arrives like a thunderclap. Qian Daoliu stands before the Angel Statue, reading the report from the spies and Ling Yue's official record. The other six Great Priests stand in stunned silence.
"Soul Spirits... Anito Tools... a 100,000-year Red Ring at age six," the Golden Crocodile Douluo (Rank 98) growls. "High Priest, this boy is shattering the foundation of everything we know. If he can create living rings, the 'Age of Rings' is over. The 'Age of the Soul Spirit' has begun."
Qian Daoliu looks up at the statue of the Seraphim. A deep sense of paternal anxiety gnaws at him.
"My Xue'er is in the Heaven Dou Empire, playing a game of politics and disguise," Daoliu thinks. "While she wastes her years as a prince, this Lakan Diwa is collecting the blood of phoenixes and kitting himself in 100,000-year bones. If she stays there, she will be left in the dust. She is the chosen of the Angel, but he is the architect of a new world."
He turns to the Second Priest. "Increase the frequency of our secret shipments to Renxue. Send her the Tide-Flow advanced scrolls and the Whale Glue refined by Yue Guan. We cannot bring her back yet, but she must not fall behind this 'Noble Soul'."
In his own quarters, Lakan sits on the floor, his personal storage tool open. Inside are the nine vials of Phoenix Bloodlines and his own complete set of 100,000-year Soul Bones.
"I have the full set," Lakan reflects, his eyes glowing with a faint prismatic light. "But my body is still six years old. If I absorb six 100,000-year bones right now, even with Iridescent Bone Forging, the sheer volume of 'Divine Attribute' will crystallize my blood. I need to reach Rank 50 or 60 before I can wear the full armor of the Phoenix."
He looks over at Shui Bing'er, who is currently meditating with her Right Arm Ice Phoenix Bone and her Silver Kampilan. Because of the Sumpa link, he can feel her soul power purifying, turning into a crystalline, absolute cold.
"Bing'er," Lakan calls out.
She opens her eyes. "Yes, Lakan?"
"The Spirit Hall Academy starts tomorrow. We aren't just going there to study. We're going there to build a core. Those 'Golden Generation' kids have talent, but they have no 'Flow.' We're going to show them that a Phoenix doesn't just fly higher—it makes the sky its own."
Before the duel begins, the elders are still reeling from the final pages of Lakan's report. He has added a crucial "Growth Clause":
• Soul Spirit Ring: Because the spirit is alive in the Spiritual Sea, it consumes a portion of the master's daily cultivation to "age" itself. A 10,000-year spirit can eventually become a 100,000-year spirit if the master provides enough high-quality energy over decades.
• Soul Spirit Tool: The weapon evolves through Material Feeding. By "fusing" higher-grade ores or spirit-woods into the blade later in life, the tool's physical vessel expands to hold more of the Anito's power.
The next morning, the sun rises over Wuhun City. Lakan and Bing'er walk toward the Academy. Lakan is dressed in his customized "Noble Soul" robes—white with gold Baybayin trim.
As they approach the gates, they see the crowd. Hundreds of students, many twice Lakan's age, part like the Red Sea. In the center stands Yan, his hair practically on fire from his agitation.
"So, the brat finally shows his face," Yan sneers, though his eyes are twitching as he looks at the four rings Lakan isn't even bothering to hide. "I've heard the fairy tales, Lakan. But in a real fight, 'Flow' is just a fancy word for running away. I'm Rank 47. Let's see if your Red Rings can handle a King's fire."
Lakan smiles—that wide, slightly chaotic confident grin. "A King's fire? Yan, you're a candle complaining that the Sun is too bright. Bing'er, do you want the left side or the right?"
Shui Bing'er draws the silver Buan. "I'll take the brother and the fox. You deal with the loud one."
"Deal," Lakan chirps. He steps forward, his Ten-Headed Wings unfurling with a snap that sends a shockwave through the courtyard. "Eight-Directional Flow: The First Lesson begins now."