Chapter 47: Rising Fame, Undercurrents Surging
"Oh, Senior Sister, you've already finished? How did it go?"
As Su Mo just walked out of the contestant passage, he saw Bibi Dong leaning against the wall, idly playing with a strand of hair at her fingertips.
Obviously, she had finished the battle long ago and was waiting for Su Mo.
Seeing Su Mo come out, her beautiful eyes beneath the mask instantly lit up; she took a few steps forward to meet him and affectionately hooked her arm into Su Mo's.
"Of course I won. The opponent was only a level 42 Spirit Ancestor; I didn't even use my full strength."
Su Mo nodded slightly without saying much more.
With Bibi Dong's current strength, crushing a beginner Spirit Ancestor was indeed more than enough.
"You must be hungry. Let's go find a place to eat first and come back tomorrow."
As Su Mo said this, he calmly scanned the surroundings with his peripheral vision.
He keenly captured that among the bustling crowd, a few figures appeared to be chatting idly, but in reality, their eyes were wandering, seemingly locking onto himself and Bibi Dong.
Su Mo knew clearly that the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena was a mixed bag of people, and there was no shortage of individuals from major factions.
Their performance on the arena stage today was too eye-catching; it was bound to attract attention.
Especially Bibi Dong; her second Soul Ring was already a thousand-year one, and the colors of her subsequent Soul Rings were even more intense, especially that fourth Soul Ring, which was clearly already approaching the ten-thousand-year level.
This secret of breaking the limit to absorb Soul Rings was enough to drive any Soul Master crazy, let alone those Sects and families. As long as they grasped this secret, their overall strength would increase significantly.
"Okay." Bibi Dong nodded slightly; she was not unaware either.
During the Martial Soul fight earlier, when she revealed her Soul Rings, the arena was first dead silent, followed by an explosion of earth-shattering exclamations and discussions.
After the match ended, she had keenly sensed a few tails that had been following her at a distance.
The two of them, Su Mo and Bibi Dong, did not show any signs of abnormality, continuing to chat and laugh as they walked out of the Great Spirit Arena gate.
Not long after they walked out of the gate, several figures quietly followed behind them.
Those people had light footsteps, their presence restrained, always maintaining a distance that was neither too far nor too close.
Su Mo and his companion ignored them and continued walking at a leisurely pace.
Until they turned into a secluded dead-end alley, the figure of Golden Crocodile Douluo quietly appeared by their side, and the presence of the three was completely cut off.
Immediately after, the figures of the three dissolved like water droplets into the ocean, disappearing without a trace.
When those tails followed to the entrance of the dead-end alley, only an empty alley remained before them.
...
Outside Heaven Dou City.
A continuous mountain range was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, resembling a fairyland.
In the mountain range, there was a peak named Seven Treasure Mountain; the mountain was majestic, resembling a sharp sword piercing straight into the clouds.
On the mountaintop stood a magnificent complex of buildings, with pavilions and towers arranged in an orderly manner, fully displaying the heritage and grandeur of a prestigious Sect.
This was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the Upper Three Sects.
Inside the Sect's discussion hall, an old man sat on the main seat, holding a cup of steaming tea.
The old man was none other than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School Sect Master Ning Mingyuan, also the father of the future Sect Master Ning Fengzhi.
Although he was elderly and his temples were gray, his eyes were bright and piercing, and every gesture displayed the majesty of a superior.
Below him sat the level 93 Sword Douluo Chen Xin and the level 92 Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
Just as they were discussing Sect matters, a disciple's report suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, an outer Sect disciple requests an audience, saying there is urgent intelligence!"
Hearing this, the conversation in the great hall came to an abrupt halt.
Ning Mingyuan put down his teacup and said in a deep voice, "Let him in."
Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing a gray robe walked in hurriedly.
His forehead was covered in sweat; he knelt on one knee in the center of the hall, breathing somewhat rapidly.
He was an outer Sect disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and happened to be at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena today, where he witnessed Bibi Dong's match with his own eyes.
At the same time, he was also one of the tails that had previously followed Su Mo and his companion.
He had not known about Su Mo's battle situation earlier; it was only after discovering that Su Mo and Bibi Dong knew each other and then losing them that he inquired with people at the Great Spirit Arena and learned about Xiu Luo's situation, which was why he rushed back to the Sect to report.
"Being so flustered, what kind of decorum is this?" Ning Mingyuan frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure. "Speak, what is this urgent intelligence?"
The disciple took a deep breath, calmed his mood, and said aloud:
"Reporting to the Sect Master, today at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, I discovered a woman who possessed a thousand-year second Soul Ring. Not only that, but her subsequent Soul Rings should all have exceeded the absorption limit, especially the fourth Soul Ring, which I fear is already approaching ten thousand years."
"What?!" Ning Mingyuan's gaze instantly became extremely sharp.
Such a configuration of Soul Rings that exceeded the limit meant that the other party held some method for absorbing Soul Rings beyond one's level, or had obtained some heaven-defying opportunity.
Regardless of which it was, it was of vital importance to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
If they could obtain this method, or recruit this person to the Sect, the overall strength of the Sect would take a qualitative leap.
At the same time, Chen Xin and Gu Rong also stood up abruptly, their eyes full of disbelief.
"A thousand-year second ring, a fourth ring approaching ten thousand years? How is this possible?" Gu Rong frowned deeply and said in a deep voice.
"Not only that." The disciple hurriedly continued, "Accompanying her was a man wearing a dark red mask, named Xiu Luo.
This person is equally extraordinary. He used his level 55 Soul Power to fight against a level 56 attack system Spirit King, and he didn't even release his Martial Soul; he defeated his opponent relying only on a sword condensed from Soul Power and a pair of black-gold winged Soul Bone.
Moreover, according to the audience on site, he seems to be completely immune to fire attacks, remaining unharmed even while being burned by the opponent's fourth Soul skills."
"Sword condensed from Soul Power?" A sharp light flashed in Chen Xin's eyes. "To be able to condense Soul Power into a sword and achieve this level, he has at least entered the realm of Sword Intent. This person's talent for the sword must be quite good."
"Old Sword Man, you wouldn't be interested in that kid, would you?" Gu Rong said in a deep voice.
Chen Xin snorted coldly, ignoring him, and instead turned his burning gaze towards Ning Mingyuan: "Sect Master, how about we go see for ourselves tomorrow?"
Ning Mingyuan pondered for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, and finally nodded.
...
Heaven Dou City Imperial Palace.
Inside the Imperial Study, Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire was sitting upright behind the dragon desk, reviewing the piles of memorials.
He was still in his middle age, and his brows revealed the majesty of an emperor.
At this moment, a secret agent dressed in black came into the room like a ghost and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, a major event occurred today at the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena."
Emperor Xue Ye raised his head, put down the vermilion brush in his hand, and rubbed his brow: "Speak."
The secret agent reported today's events in detail, especially emphasizing Bibi Dong's terrifying Soul Ring configuration.
After listening, Emperor Xue Ye's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Have you found out their whereabouts and origins?"
If such a genius could be used by the Empire, the power of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would be greatly enhanced!
"Reporting to Your Majesty, their information at the Great Spirit Arena should all be fake. The other party seemed to have detected the tracking and disappeared into thin air in an alley; no one knows where they went."
Emperor Xue Ye frowned slightly and said in a deep voice: "Increase the intensity of the investigation for me; at all costs, you must find out their identities!"
"Yes!"
The secret agent acknowledged the order and withdrew.
...
Heaven Dou City Spirit Hall branch.
"Soul Ring configuration exceeding the limit? A man and a woman, wearing masks?"
Platinum Bishop listened to his subordinate's report, lost in thought.
In his mind, the figure of the Elder he received yesterday and the pair of teenagers accompanying him quickly flashed by.
He suddenly realized something.
No wonder those two could have an Elder personally accompany them; it turned out they had such terrifying talent and strength.
These two were definitely geniuses secretly cultivated by the Spirit Hall.
"There is no need to investigate this matter further." Platinum Bishop waved his hand and said indifferently, "Go."
"Yes."
...
Of course, it was not just these few factions.
The Great Spirit Arena was a place with a mixed bag of people; news spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred. The number of factions receiving the news would only increase; it was just a matter of time.
For a time, undercurrents surged in Heaven Dou City, and various factions were secretly investigating the suddenly appeared Su Mo and his companion.