Chapter 88: The Truth Comes Out, Arrival at Spirit City!
After Wang Li stepped onto the stage, the remaining ranking matches were practically devoid of entertainment value.
His "battles" couldn't be called spectacular—just one slap per opponent, effortless and unremarkable.
But the moment he revealed his strength, the competition itself lost any reason to continue.
Even if all the contestants and referees were tied together, they probably still wouldn't be a match for him.
In the ranking matches, Sky Water Academy secured first place without any dispute.
Surprisingly, second place didn't go to Shrek Academy, but to God Wind Academy.
After being thoroughly beaten, Shrek Academy fell into a slump and skipped several matches in a row, so their final ranking wasn't particularly high.
Aside from first and second place—which earned the privilege of a bye—the rankings of the other teams no longer mattered.
After the ranking matches ended, the participating teams set off toward Spirit City under the "escort" of five hundred Royal Knights.
Calling it an escort was mostly for show.
Could five hundred Royal Knights really compare to the elites, teachers, and even principals from fifteen advanced Soul Master academies?
Originally, the finals were supposed to be held at the border between the two great empires, with the Spirit Hall responsible for security.
But for some unknown reason, the venue was changed to Spirit City.
"Brother Wang Li, you've got to teach that Pope a proper lesson!"
The traveling group stopped to rest. Inside the camp of the Crown Prince.
Qian Renxue spoke solemnly to Wang Li.
The fact that Wang Li was a Titled Douluo had been ordered by Emperor Xue Ye to remain confidential.
Whether anyone had leaked it, Xue Ye didn't know.
But Pope Hall likely hadn't received the news yet.
Salas certainly wouldn't dare disobey her orders by reporting Wang Li's situation…
As for whether Bibi Dong had other information channels, that was unknown.
"No problem!"
Wang Li smiled wickedly.
Seeing that smile, Qian Renxue trembled slightly, a faint stirring emerging deep within her soul.
The feeling brought her back to the "secret room" of her previous life…
Qian Renxue leaned close to Wang Li's ear and spoke
"As long as little brother slaps her face well, big sister will give you a reward!"
Wang Li glanced sideways at Qian Renxue.
"I'll go through fire and water for you, Sister Xue'er!"
Qian Renxue: "…"
This brat was still as unserious as ever…
Still, she needed to shift her focus back to cultivation.
Suddenly, Qian Renxue seemed to remember something and looked at Wang Li.
"Uh… was it you who emptied the royal treasury?"
Yes, the truth had come out.
Emperor Xue Ye was furious and launched a thorough investigation of everyone in the palace.
He suspected an insider.
The enormous royal treasury had been emptied without the slightest disturbance.
Losing the national treasure alone would have been bad enough—it was symbolic.
But the royal family's tens of thousands of years of accumulated wealth were disappearing without a sound…
Fortunately, the royal treasury wasn't the only one they had. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Wang Li had been lucky, or perhaps favored by fate.
The treasury he found happened to be the one storing the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
"They discovered it that quickly?"
Wang Li stroked his chin and asked in confusion.
His words were basically an admission.
That's right, he was the one who emptied it.
"Xue Ye suspects there's a traitor, but he doesn't suspect you."
"You're too mysterious. He actually wanted to gift you the national treasure to win you over—that's how he discovered the treasury was gone…"
Qian Renxue's expression was complicated. She hadn't expected the theft to really be Wang Li's doing.
Normally, powerful figures wouldn't do something like this.
Besides, the palace was heavily guarded. If word got out, a strong expert's reputation would suffer greatly.
Doing things secretly was one thing; publicly, everyone still cared about face.
And with a treasury that large, what kind of storage soul tool could possibly hold everything?
This definitely couldn't have been done by one person—it had to be a large team emptying the treasury right under Xue Ye's nose.
That was precisely why Wang Li wasn't suspected.
Even if the treasury were opened and Wang Li used storage soul tools freely, how much could he carry?
Ten or eight storage tools would be nothing in the face of such a massive treasury.
Wang Li's eye twitched.
He hadn't expected Emperor Xue Ye to try winning him over with the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
If he had known, he still would've gone to the treasury.
A gift from someone else was one thing; taking it yourself felt more meaningful.
After obtaining the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, Wang Li left Heaven Dou City overnight.
The moment he held it in his hand, the artifact eagerly fused with him.
Who knew what Poseidon's fragment of divine consciousness felt when it saw Wang Li?
Probably like seeing a ghost.
Not even fifteen years old, Rank 96…
A million-year-old head spirit bone??
When Poseidon himself was fifteen, was he even Rank 40?
This successor, Poseidon, was determined to have him; even if the Asura God came, he meant it!
---
After chatting briefly with Qian Renxue, Wang Li returned to the Sky Water Academy group.
The procession continued toward Spirit City.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by.
The participating teams arrived safely at Spirit City without incident.
Even the imagined assassination attempt on "Tang Yin" never occurred.
The Royal Knights set up camp outside Spirit City and did not enter.
The participating teams entered the city and were arranged by a red-robed bishop to stay in a hotel.
Qian Renxue disappeared for a while, her whereabouts unknown.
But Wang Li knew exactly where she had gone…
Spirit City, Grand Soul Arena
The Spirit Hall's Grand Soul Arena was operated by Spirit Hall itself. Residents of Spirit City could watch matches for free.
Because of the competition, the arena had been expanded to hold tens of thousands of spectators.
Even early in the morning, the arena was already packed with people cheering for the Golden Generation.
After all, this was Spirit Hall's home ground.
On the high platform, Bibi Dong held the Pope's Scepter, her gaze scanning the contestants.
When she saw Wang Li, she paused slightly.
Found him.
Fourth Trial of the Rakshasa God's Nine Trials: Find Wang Li and defeat him.
She had already completed 50% of the progress.
"Defeat him?"
Bibi Dong pondered what excuse she could use to attack a contestant.
Whether such a young man could even withstand her pressure was questionable.
"Guidance?"
Bibi Dong nodded slightly.
Regardless of victory or defeat, as long as she used "guidance" as an excuse and then "defeated" him, she could complete the fourth trial.
"I didn't expect the Rakshasa God to give such a simple task. Truly…"
Bibi Dong frowned, her expression slightly unnatural.
Rakshasa God: "…"
Simple?
Hahaha…
Finally—finally found him!
Who would have thought he would only be fifteen in this life… and had already obtained the aura of the Sea God.
—
End of Chapter