"Gone!"
Su Tianxuan stared into the distance before gradually restraining his aura.
Xu Yunyue also withdrew her Martial Soul and turned to him. "Old Master, who was that just now?"
Frowning slightly, Su Tianxuan replied, "No idea. Never seen him before. A very powerful individual—his Spirit Power should be around Rank 98, but the pressure he gave me was even greater than that old monster from the Body Sect. He was spying on us… or more precisely, on Lin'er.
"If I hadn't been here, he might have made a move against Lin'er. Who could it be? Lin'er, did you offend anyone at Shrek Academy?"
Su Yunlin looked confused. "Offend someone? Not really. At most, I beat up the White Tiger Duke's second son. Does that count?"
Su Tianxuan let out a disdainful chuckle. "Dai Hao doesn't have that kind of strength. He wouldn't even qualify to stand before me! That person just now was a Rank 98 Super Douluo, and the aura he carried was savage and primal.
"I'm familiar with most of the experts in the Douluo Three Empires, but I've never encountered someone like him. Could he be from some hidden clan?"
"A hidden clan…" Su Yunlin muttered. "I might have a clue."
"What happened?"
Su Jinming also rushed over, having sensed the sudden surge of Spirit Power from both his father and wife.
Xu Yunyue immediately grabbed his ear. "You useless man, only showing up now! Our son almost got taken away, and you're just getting here!"
"What?! Which bastard dared touch my son!" Su Jinming exploded in anger. He had only this one son—he cherished him dearly. Anyone who dared harm him was courting death.
Su Tianxuan waved a hand dismissively. "Enough. Don't make a fuss. That person was only observing—there was no malicious intent. He left as soon as I noticed him. Lin'er said he has a clue, right?"
Su Yunlin nodded. "I probably know who it is… or at least which group. I'll confirm with her later."
"Oh ho~ is it that girl you've taken a liking to?" Xu Yunyue's eyes lit up instantly. "Come on, tell your mother—whose daughter is she? Is she pretty? How old is she? What's her personality like?"
Faced with the barrage of questions, Su Yunlin didn't even know where to begin.
Su Tianxuan and Su Jinming both looked at him with amused smiles. To them, their grandson/son finding someone he liked was a big deal—and a good thing.
"You'll meet her," Su Yunlin finally said. "She'll probably come find me near the end of the break. You can judge for yourselves then. My taste isn't bad."
That single sentence only made the three elders even more curious. What kind of girl could capture the heart of someone as exceptional as him?
"Oh right!" Su Yunlin added. "Dad, Mom—I'm going to obtain my fourth Spirit Ring. Who's coming with me?"
In the end, it was decided that Xu Yunyue would accompany him to the Star Dou Forest to hunt a spirit beast.
…
Clear Sky Sect
Niu Tian stood within Clear Sky Castle, watching Wang Dong absorb her Spirit Ring. As for the other sect master, Tai Tan—he had just rushed out earlier.
That simple-minded fellow had forgotten something. He only remembered to bring back the spirit beast but forgot to check on the person.
"Hmm? He's back."
Niu Tian turned his head, sensing Tai Tan's aura returning.
Moments later, Tai Tan burst through the door, his face filled with shock.
"Breaking doors again?" Niu Tian frowned. "What's gotten into you this time?"
"Big Brother, do you know what I found?!" Tai Tan exclaimed. "That kid Xiao Qi likes—there's divine consciousness on him! When I used my own divine sense to observe him, I saw the projection of the Judgment Scales!"
Niu Tian's expression changed drastically. "What? The Judgment Scales? Are you certain?"
"Absolutely certain."
Taking a deep breath, Niu Tian said, "No wonder even Tang San was silenced. That person indeed has both the authority and the power. Compared to that God King, Tang San still falls short."
He then noticed Tai Tan hesitating. "What else? Speak."
Scratching his head, Tai Tan admitted, "When I was observing Su Yunlin, I got discovered. It should've been the Blacknight Duke's ancestor—the Blacknight Douluo. He's already reached Rank 98, so he was able to detect me."
"Rank 98… impressive," Niu Tian said slowly. "Humans truly have an advantage in cultivation. Back then, despite our years of cultivation, we were still gravely injured by Bibi Dong and eventually sacrificed ourselves to Tang San.
"Afterward, Tang San revived us in the Divine Realm, reconstructing our bodies so we could freely switch between beast and human forms. He infused us with immense immortal energy, allowing us to evolve into divine beasts and become officials of the Divine Realm.
"However, we're still among the weakest divine officials. And here on the Douluo Continent, we can't use divine-level power. If we do, we'll be suppressed by the plane and punished by the Divine Realm.
"All the strength we currently wield has been cultivated again, bit by bit, over the years. But you, little brother… you've grown a bit lazy. You still haven't broken through to Limit Douluo."
Niu Tian spoke calmly. These two were none other than the former kings of the Star Dou Forest—Azure Bull Python Da Ming and Tai Tan Giant Ape Er Ming—who had sacrificed themselves to Tang San ten thousand years ago.
They had already become gods. Though merely low-ranking divine officials, they were still gods.
Since they were revived in the Divine Realm and empowered by immortal energy, their strength had been forcibly elevated to the divine level. However, because it wasn't achieved through their own cultivation, their combat strength remained at the bottom tier among gods.
As top-tier bloodline spirit beasts—especially the Azure Bull Python, which had evolved into an Azure Divine Dragon with true dragon lineage—they naturally weren't content with this.
Due to the awkward status of spirit beasts in the Divine Realm, they spent most of their time on the Douluo Continent. Tang San arranged for them to reside within the Clear Sky Sect.
After returning, their divine power was suppressed by the plane, leaving only the strength they had originally cultivated. Thus, they began cultivating anew. Niu Tian had reached Rank 99 Limit Douluo, while Tai Tan lagged slightly behind, stuck at Rank 98.
Their goal was simple: reach the peak of Rank 99 through their own efforts, then fuse their Spirit Power with divine power—so they would no longer remain the weakest among the gods.
For now, everything they used was power they had personally cultivated. Of course, they could still use divine power—but the consequence would be suppression by the plane and punishment from the Divine Realm.
Tai Tan scratched his head. "Breaking through to Limit Douluo really isn't easy. I don't get how those human Limit Douluo—or even Di Tian—manage to cultivate like that."
Niu Tian patted his shoulder. "Relax. We've already achieved what others spend their entire lives chasing. Time is the one thing we don't lack. Those Limit Douluo and that old black dragon are the ones racing against time."
Tai Tan nodded. "True enough. Honestly, becoming gods like this isn't bad at all. We're living pretty carefree now! Hahaha!"
Niu Tian chuckled as well. Their current life was indeed quite comfortable.
"Oh? Xiao Qi is almost done. She's about to finish absorbing her third Spirit Ring."