Chapter 64: Elder Xuan is Shocked! What? Liu Yuan Killed an Evil Soul Master Soul Saint?
On the barren plains, withered grass swayed in the biting breeze. Yet, at this moment, not a single person paid any attention to the desolate scenery. Every gaze present—whether it belonged to the Level 98 Super Douluo Du Busi, the Level 95 Heaven-Propping Douluo, or the elegantly poised Princess Xu Jiujiu—was anchored firmly onto Liu Yuan.
The sheer volume of information contained within Vina's breathless recounting was simply too heavy. It struck with such force that these powerhouses, individuals who stood at the very apex of the continent, temporarily lost their capacity for rational thought.
Within Du Busi's emerald green eyes, an incredibly complex storm of light flickered. There was deep shock and lingering suspicion, but overpowering it all was an irrepressible, wild ecstasy.
He took a heavy step forward. His massive, calloused hand clamped down onto Liu Yuan's shoulder with the force of a vice. When he spoke, his usual booming voice was reduced to a hoarse, trembling rasp.
"Brat... is what Vina just said true? Did you really, personally, take down one Soul King and one Soul Saint from those bastards?"
Nearby, the Heaven-Propping Douluo, the Shadow Douluo, and Ju Chui Douluo collectively held their breath. The wind seemed to stop. They waited in absolute silence for the boy involved to confirm the impossible.
Faced with this suffocating wall of scrutiny—a collective pressure from Titled Douluos that would make any ordinary youth's heart hammer against their ribs and their blood boil with panic—Liu Yuan remained entirely unfazed. His expression was like the surface of an ancient, lightless well. Not a single ripple of emotion broke his calm facade.
He did not seize the opportunity Vina had laid out to boast about his bravery. He displayed none of the haughty arrogance typical of a young genius who had achieved early, heaven-defying success. Instead, he met Du Busi's intense emerald gaze with cool detachment.
When he finally opened his mouth, his tone was crisp, concise, and entirely devoid of inflection, as though he were reciting a mundane official report.
"Master, the situation is indeed as Vina described. However, the details are not nearly as exaggerated as you all seem to imagine."
Liu Yuan paused, letting the silence stretch for a fraction of a second before continuing.
"That five-ring Evil Soul Master had already lost the use of his right arm during my initial probing strikes. He was bleeding heavily and in a state of severe injury. During his pursuit, his mind was clouded by an eagerness for quick success. I simply capitalized on his impatience, lured him into a blind spot, and used the instantaneous explosive power of the Qilin Precious Technique to sever his life."
He spoke of killing a Soul King as if discussing the pruning of a dead branch.
"As for that seven-ring Soul Saint..."
Liu Yuan's eyes remained half-lidded, his posture relaxed. "That outcome can be attributed almost entirely to luck."
"At the time, we were forced into the deeper zones of the Star Dou Great Forest. We happened to disturb a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor during its spawning period. A beast in that state is highly territorial and hyper-aggressive. I merely exploited the Evil Soul Master's desperation to capture me. I adjusted my trajectory, lured him directly into the spider emperor's primary attack radius, and slipped away. In the end, it was the wrath of that Soul Beast that tore him apart."
He gave a slight, dismissive shrug. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I borrowed the power of the forest overlord. That is all."
With those few, understated sentences, Liu Yuan dismantled his own legendary achievement, pushing all the credit onto the enemy's severe injuries and sheer, dumb luck.
But who among the people standing on this plain was not a battle-hardened veteran of the martial world?
Hearing Liu Yuan's sterile breakdown of the events, Du Busi and the surrounding Titled Douluos exchanged heavy, meaningful glances. Far from feeling relieved by the boy's humility, the look in their eyes shifted into something resembling deep, primal fear.
Luck?
To stand before a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast and escape with all limbs intact was a miracle even for high-ranking experts. For a mere three-ring Soul Elder to achieve such a feat while simultaneously being hunted by a bloodthirsty Soul Saint defied all logic.
Yet, Liu Yuan had not only preserved his own life under those impossible conditions. He had kept his mind cold enough to instantly formulate a plan to borrow a knife to kill. He had calculated the aggro range of an apex predator, mapped out the terrain, and precisely dragged a seven-ring expert into an inescapable death trap.
This caliber of absolute calm under suffocating pressure, this terrifying ability to weaponize the environment, and the flawless concealment methods required to slip away from the jaws of a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor—none of it could be summarized by the word 'luck'.
It demanded an absolute, monstrous psychological fortitude and a microscopic level of mastery over soul power control.
"What a terrifying 'right place at the right time'." The Heaven-Propping Douluo exhaled a long breath, unable to hold back his admiration. The way he looked at Liu Yuan had fundamentally changed. The condescension of a senior looking at a junior was gone, replaced by the wary respect reserved for an equal.
"Young friend Liu Yuan, there is no need to cloak your brilliance in false modesty. To orchestrate a counter-kill against an opponent of that caliber while actively being hunted—this kind of chilling wisdom and raw courage is something I have never witnessed in all my years."
He turned to Du Busi, shaking his head slowly. "For the Body Sect to recruit such a disciple... it is truly a sign of heaven-defying fortune."
Ju Chui Douluo crossed his massive arms, nodding in solemn agreement. "Indeed. If it were not for young friend Liu Yuan's ruthless decisiveness, I fear my bones would have already become fertilizer for the forest canopy. Such an achievement more than earns the title of a heroic youth."
For a long moment, the desolate plains echoed with the rising and falling murmurs of praise from the continent's apex predators.
Standing slightly to the side, Princess Xu Jiujiu watched Liu Yuan. The boy remained completely unruffled under the heavy weight of their collective awe, his posture relaxed, his breathing even. Beneath her elegant, composed exterior, a violent storm was churning in her heart.
She had originally deduced that Liu Yuan was a rare genius, a valuable asset worth courting. But she realized now just how severely she had underestimated him. His personal combat awareness and tactical lethality had reached a level that bordered on the monstrous.
For a fleeting second, her perfectly manicured fingers curled into her palms. She actually felt a sharp, bitter pang of envy toward Vina.
Naturally, after experiencing a targeted assassination attempt of this magnitude, the diplomatic team did not choose to retreat to the Heavenly Soul Empire. They had a mission to complete, and the letter still needed to be delivered.
However, Du Busi was absolutely unwilling to return to his mountain after this. He decisively shoved aside all trivial administrative matters within the Body Sect and personally took command of the vanguard.
In the blink of an eye, the original escort specification led by Ju Chui Douluo was violently upgraded. Now, a Level 98 Super Douluo was personally clearing the path.
During the remainder of the journey to the Star Luo Imperial City, Princess Xu Jiujiu's attitude toward Liu Yuan underwent an devastating transformation. She was, above all else, an extremely rational and calculating member of the royal family.
She could clearly see the nearly transparent political maneuvering behind the marriage alliance between Liu Yuan and Vina. She knew this peerless prodigy was already spoken for. But that did not deter her in the slightest from building her own foundation of goodwill.
In Xu Jiujiu's eyes, a monster like Liu Yuan was destined to become one of the absolute peak existences of the Douluo Continent. Rather than waiting to look up to him when he stood at the summit, it was infinitely more profitable to cultivate a deep friendship now, while his wings were still growing.
Thus, throughout the journey, Xu Jiujiu took careful, almost reverent care of Liu Yuan's daily needs. From the quality of his tea to the arrangement of his resting quarters, her actions were flawless. Every word she spoke carried a subtle, elegant undertone of deep admiration.
Several days later, the heavily guarded convoy successfully breached the towering gates of the Star Luo Imperial City, officially completing the mission of delivering the diplomatic letter.
After the dry, formal official business was concluded, Princess Xu Jiujiu did not rush to send her guests away. Instead, playing the role of the perfect host, she personally guided Liu Yuan and Vina through the bustling, opulent streets of the capital for several days.
She escorted Liu Yuan to the VIP chambers of the top-tier soul tool auction house in Star Luo, ensuring he had first pick of the rarest materials. She even bypassed royal protocol to grant him access to the secret library of the royal collection, allowing him to browse ancient texts lost to the outside world.
Amidst the luxury and the shared travels, the quiet bond between Vina and Liu Yuan continued to heat up, their interactions growing more natural and grounded with each passing day.
When the inevitable moment of parting finally arrived, Princess Xu Jiujiu personally led the glittering Star Luo royal honor guard to see them off at the massive city gates. The sheer scale and thoroughness of the courtesy displayed left the passing citizens of the Star Luo Empire staring in absolute amazement.
Regarding the logistics of the return journey, Vina had originally intended to split off and return to the Heavenly Soul Imperial City first, needing to report the assassination attempt to her father in person.
But just as the carriages were being prepared, a high-level encrypted soul tool flared to life. A secret letter from the Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire was transmitted directly into Vina's hands.
The contents of the royal missive were short, sharp, and entirely unambiguous.
There is no rush to report back. Just stay with Liu Yuan and return to the Body Sect.
The underlying intention of the Emperor was crystal clear. In his seasoned eyes, the terrifying interception by the Evil Soul Masters was not a tragedy, but a perfect, blood-forged catalyst. It was the ultimate fire needed to temper the relationship between the two youths.
Vina's most critical task right now was not to handle mundane state affairs. It was to strike while the iron was white-hot, to completely solidify the deep, unspoken goodwill established through their shared life-and-death experience.
Only by staying within the walls of the Body Sect, only by remaining a constant presence by Liu Yuan's side, could she truly tie the fate of the Heavenly Soul royal family to this future master of the continent.
Following the royal decree, Liu Yuan's group remained united. Under the suffocating, protective aura of Du Busi, they set off on the long journey back to the Body Sect.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, deep inside the hallowed grounds of Shrek Academy.
Due to the extreme geopolitical sensitivity of the border regions, fragmented intelligence regarding that heaven-shaking battle had already bypassed standard channels and transmitted directly back to the academy's spy network.
In a cluttered office situated not far from the sacred Sea God Pavilion, the air was thick and heavy with the pungent stench of cheap alcohol and roasted meat.
Elder Xuan sat slumped in a massive wooden chair, his posture entirely devoid of the dignity expected of a Super Douluo. He held a greasy, oversized chicken leg in one hand and a cracked clay pot of fine wine in the other. He chewed loudly, muttering endless, bitter complaints to the empty room about how the so-called geniuses he had scouted recently were all soft, unsatisfactory disappointments.
Just at that moment, the heavy oak door of the office was shoved open with a violent bang. A teacher in charge of the academy's deep-cover intelligence network sprinted into the room, his chest heaving, his face pale with sweat.
"Elder Xuan! Something big has happened!"
Because the staff member had sprinted all the way from the relay station, his breathing was ragged, making his words stumble over each other.
Elder Xuan stopped chewing. He frowned deeply, his greasy lips pulling back in a scowl as he glared at the intruder with blatant dissatisfaction.
"What kind of disgraceful demeanor is this, running around so flustered?" Elder Xuan grunted, taking a slow sip from his wine pot. "Even if the sky falls, Elder Mu will hold it up. Catch your breath and speak. What is it?"
"That... that dual-pupil prodigy from the Body Sect! The one you ordered us to keep a maximum-priority watch on!" The teacher gasped, thrusting forward a heavily sealed intelligence scroll. "We just received the latest, most accurate combat report!"
The instant the words 'dual-pupil' registered in his ears, Elder Xuan's originally murky, drunken eyes ignited with a fiery, desperate intensity.
He sat up straight so violently that the heavy chair groaned. He threw the half-eaten chicken leg onto the polished desk, leaving a smear of grease, and snatched the sealed letter right out of the teacher's trembling hands.
"Speak quickly! What exactly is the news?" Elder Xuan demanded, his voice tight with sudden anxiety as his thick fingers tore at the wax seal.
"He... he was ambushed at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest!" The teacher swallowed hard, his eyes wide with lingering disbelief. "With a cultivation base of only Level 39, he personally killed a five-ring Evil Soul Master, and then used a tactical scheme to indirectly slaughter a seven-ring Evil Soul Master of the Soul Saint level!"
The very second the teacher's trembling voice fell silent, Elder Xuan's hands froze. The fingers holding the torn envelope began to shake violently.
He stood up directly from the chair, his massive frame casting a shadow over the desk.
"What did you just say?" Elder Xuan whispered, his voice cracking. "Level 39... killing a Soul Saint?"
The heavy fog of alcohol that had clouded Elder Xuan's mind vanished without a single trace in that instant. He stared fixedly at the ink on the parchment, his breathing stopped, his eyes bulging so wide they looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
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