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Spirit City, the Pope's Hall!
Accompanied by Hu Liena, Bibi Dong stepped out of the grand hall and onto the plaza, which was already packed with people. These were representatives of various factions gathered to participate in the re-selection tournament of the Seven Great Sects.
In other words, they were puppet forces that had rapidly expanded under the support of the Spirit Hall. Without submitting to Spirit Hall, they would not have been allowed to take part in this tournament.
This so-called re-election of the Seven Great Sects, though it appeared fair and just, was in reality a grand spectacle staged by Spirit Hall for appearances—a performance entirely under their control.
Bibi Dong wore a regal robe of royal purple and gold, crowned and holding a scepter, exuding supreme dignity and nobility. Yet, on her stunning face, a gentle smile appeared as her gaze swept across the crowd.
Not seeing Wang Li or Dugu Bo present made her heart swell with satisfaction. At this moment, Wang Li, Dugu Bo, and their forces should have been completely annihilated.
Then, Bibi Dong raised her scepter and struck the ground. A wave of soul power rippled outward, and as it spread, the crowd instantly fell silent, their eyes turning toward the source—Bibi Dong herself.
After effortlessly seizing control of the scene, Bibi Dong raised her voice and announced:
"Honored sect masters and clan leaders, welcome to the re-selection tournament of the Seven Great Sects. As you all know, just half a year ago, the soul master world suffered a grievous tragedy."
"An unknown force attacked the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, utterly annihilating the former and severely wounding the latter in a very short time."
"We at Spirit Hall are deeply grieved by these events. The Seven Great Sects are the foundation of stability for the soul master world. Now, with one sect retreating, another destroyed, and one severely weakened, they are no longer capable of leading the continent's soul masters."
"Therefore, under the leadership of Spirit Hall, we are holding this selection to appoint a new Seven Great Sects, to preserve peace and stability across the soul master realm."
As her words concluded, the leaders of the various factions present revealed excited smiles. Their allegiance to Spirit Hall had all been for this moment.
The lower four sects aimed to ascend to the top three, while other factions aspired to enter the ranks of the lower four. Once part of the Seven Great Sects, honor, prestige, wealth, and glory would all be within reach.
Though Bibi Dong's expression remained calm, waves surged within her heart. She was drawing ever closer to her ultimate goal. By controlling the Seven Great Sects, she would command over half the soul masters on the continent. With their power, she could establish a soul master empire.
With such an empire, she could formally declare war on both the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires. Even with each empire commanding a million troops, she believed she could claim victory—utterly destroying everything through war, be it the two empires or the vast Spirit Hall itself.
Then, Bibi Dong continued, "Now, return to your respective rest areas and send a representative to the front of the Pope's Hall to draw lots for your first-round opponents."
At her command, all the participating factions in the plaza moved—some returning to the rest areas, others going to draw lots.
Though the tournament had yet to officially begin, tension already filled the air. Each faction was ablaze with fighting spirit, eager to win the highest honors and become one of the top three sects—or even rise as the foremost among them.
At that moment, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo silently returned to Spirit Hall. They approached Bibi Dong and used soul power to form a private sound line, relaying the full account of recent events.
After hearing them out, even Bibi Dong's chest rose and fell with rage. To deal with Wang Li and Dugu Bo, she had dispatched six Titled Douluo and five thousand elite soul masters.
Yet Wang Li and Dugu Bo had never even shown up. Her forces were still foolishly waiting for them in the canyon.
An utter humiliation!
Bibi Dong gripped her scepter so tightly that deep indentations were left on its surface. Her silver teeth clenched, and her eyes darkened with fury.
Two Titled Douluo and seven or eight Soul Douluo—such a powerful force failing to participate in the tournament was utterly baffling.
She quickly shut her eyes, then reopened them, having regained her composure. Turning slightly, she sent a message to Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo:
"Pull everyone back. Order them to remain silent about this. I will personally handle the matter—tell the elders to remain calm."
Originally, upon not seeing Wang Li and Dugu Bo at the tournament, she assumed they had been eliminated. Yet in truth, they had never even set out.
This situation was certain to damage her authority. She had mobilized six Titled Douluo—elders of the Elder Hall—and five thousand elite soul masters from Spirit Hall for an ambush that never happened. Such a blunder required an explanation.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged bitter smiles. The sensitive-agility soul masters they had dispatched deep into the Heaven Dou Empire to investigate had returned with the news—Wang Li and Dugu Bo had not made any move.
Upon receiving the news, they were left bewildered, feeling as if they had been made fools of. A sense of frustration and humiliation washed over them, but with things having reached this point, the two could only bow respectfully and respond:
"By your command!"
Without another word, the two departed quietly, heading to the canyon to arrange the withdrawal of their forces.
Back at the plaza, Bibi Dong's mind was in turmoil. Wang Li—this man always acted unpredictably, constantly giving her the sense that he was slipping beyond her control.
A cold gleam flickered in her eyes as she thought to herself:
"Since Wang Li is proving to be such a nuisance, next time I'll personally take action. I cannot allow him to keep disrupting my plans."
She then turned her gaze back toward the plaza, where the first round of the tournament had already begun. The Elephant Armored Sect was facing off against the Black Tiger Sect. The sect masters of both factions did not immediately take the stage—instead, Soul Sage-level elders were currently engaging in battle.
Among the participating factions, the overall quality of soul masters was quite low. They couldn't even produce a single Titled Douluo; most sect leaders were only Soul Douluo, and Soul Sages had been brought in just to make up the numbers.
…
So, what was Wang Li doing while not participating in the Seven Great Sects re-election tournament?
He was inside his sect, studying a detailed sand table model. It had been crafted by the Royal Clan—complete with the academy at the base of the mountain, the sect atop it, and meticulous layouts for buildings and defensive measures, all clearly marked.
Niu Gao stood beside him, proudly introducing each section and explaining the function of various facilities. Construction and defense were his specialties, and he beamed with confidence as he spoke.
Wang Li nodded repeatedly in approval. As expected, when professionals handled things, the results were excellent. He made a decisive announcement:
"Good. Let's proceed with this. Once the imperial procedures are finalized, we'll begin construction on both the sect and the academy."
Niu Gao grinned widely and cupped his fists, replying:
"Understood!"
Watching everything gradually fall into place brought a sense of accomplishment to Wang Li. Next on his agenda was to head to Gengxin City and invite Lou Gao back.
Lou Gao was a true genius. He had managed to recreate legendary weapons like the Peacock Plume, Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, and the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle in this world. Unfortunately, he had used his own blood essence to activate the sharpness of Deep Sea Silvermother, which was a waste.
Given his ability to forge with rare metals, Lou Gao's life should not be spent to create a one-time-use hidden weapon.
Both soul tools and hidden weapons required rare metals, but soul tools were clearly more valuable. Once engraved with a core magic array, they could perform a wide array of functions.
Since soul tools involved the use of soul power, they held greater potential than hidden weapons—especially in a fantasy world rich with the energy of heaven and earth, where soul masters could refine this energy to cultivate their strength.
Wang Li planned to use a few hidden weapon blueprints to lure Lou Gao over, then gradually and subtly shift his focus from hidden weapons to soul tools.
With that in mind, Wang Li clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. Then, with a smile, he addressed the group:
"The sect and academy are progressing smoothly, and everyone should continue performing their duties. In the meantime, I'm going to recruit another talent—Lou Gao from the Blacksmith Association."
"Clan Chief Tai Tan, regarding hidden weapon production, let your son Tai Nuo oversee it temporarily. You're coming with me."
Upon hearing this, Tai Tan immediately roared:
"Sect Master, no problem! As long as we bring two completed weapons—the Zhuge Divine Crossbow and the Flying God Claw—we're sure to win that old fellow Lou Gao over."
That very day, Tai Tan handed over his responsibilities to Tai Nuo, instructing him to closely monitor the production of hidden weapons within the sect. Any mishap would not be tolerated, and Tai Nuo would bear the consequences.
In truth, Tai Tan didn't even need to remind him. Ever since Tai Nuo learned that he had soaked in medicinal liquid for seven years and was ultimately cured by Wang Li, he had been filled with gratitude.
Back then, his organs and nerves had deteriorated, leaving him completely unresponsive to the outside world. He had no concept of time passing—those seven years felt like a dreamless sleep, with no awareness of anything.
Now, having awakened, he considered himself incredibly fortunate just to be able to see his father and son again.
The next day, they set off. The travel party was small: Wang Li, Dugu Yan, Tai Tan, and two disciples of the Strength Clan.
With Dugu Bo back to watch over things, Wang Li felt at ease bringing Dugu Yan along on the journey to Gengxin City.
Their group was lean, but each was a soul master. Even without delays, it still took them twenty days to reach the renowned City of Metal in the Star Luo Empire.
During these twenty days, the Spirit Hall's Seven Great Sects re-election tournament also reached its conclusion after several fierce rounds of competition.
The new top three sects were: Elephant Armored Sect, Holy Dragon Sect, and Black Tiger Sect.
The new lower four sects were: Wind Sword Sect, Fire Leopard Sect, Rock Antelope Sect, and Wasp Sect.
The new Seven Great Sects had a common trait—they didn't have a single Titled Douluo among them.
The overall quality of the soul masters was far too poor. If it weren't for the support of the Spirit Hall, there would be no credibility to their existence. And the Spirit Hall had something to say about this: If you consider yourself strong but refuse to participate in the Seven Great Sects re-election tournament, then you can't blame them for taking action.
This was a clear scheme—if anyone dared show up, they would be eliminated. If they didn't show up, it meant giving up on the election.
Then, Bibi Dong made a statement:
"The main responsibility of the Seven Great Sects is to maintain stability within the soul master world. After returning, you must lead your local soul master forces, protect your lands, and maintain peace."
While this sounded perfectly reasonable on the surface, the Spirit Hall controlled the Seven Great Sects, and in turn, these sects controlled the local forces. The number of soul masters under their direct or indirect control had already reached terrifying levels.
The ambitions of the Spirit Hall had become so blatant that they could no longer hide them...
---
Switching to Wang Li's side:
Upon arriving in Gengxin City, it was clear that Tai Tan was very familiar with the area. He gave a simple introduction:
"Blacksmiths are generally looked down upon across the entire Douluo Continent, except here in Gengxin City. Not only does it produce a variety of rare minerals, but blacksmiths are also relatively respected here because of the protection of the Blacksmith Association."
"The person we're looking for, Lou Gao, is the president of the Blacksmith Association, one of the three great divine blacksmiths on the continent. The other two? Well, one is me, and the other... let's just leave that for now."
Tai Tan scratched his head, smiling awkwardly.
Wang Li, of course, knew who the last divine blacksmith was—Tang Hao, whose body must be rotting by now.
Tang Hao was quite extraordinary. As a divine blacksmith, he must have spent years honing his craft. He also had the Killing God Domain and had likely spent a long time in the City of Slaughter. He had mastered the Ho-Tian Sect's ultimate techniques, which also required significant time and effort to master. Despite all that, he had managed to become a Titled Douluo by the age of 44.
Wang Li showed no emotional reaction to the mention of a dead person, calmly saying:
"Let's go to the Blacksmith Association first and recruit Lou Gao. Then, before we return, we might be able to use his connections to purchase rare metals at a lower price to bring back to the sect. It'll definitely come in handy."
Tai Tan nodded and replied:
"Understood. We'll head to the Blacksmith Association right away."
---
The Blacksmith Association!
It was an imposing building, primarily gray-black in color, giving off an aura of steadiness and weight.
Tai Tan led the way inside. His sturdy build and sharp features made him easy to recognize, and soon, he was identified.
"Godsmith Tai Tan!"
"It's Godsmith Tai Tan!"
"…"
Tai Tan entered with a friendly smile, laughing loudly as he greeted the familiar faces:
"Si Long, Si Di, long time no see! Where's your teacher, Lou Gao? I have important business with him."
Si Long and Si Di, Lou Gao's disciples, greeted him with respectful smiles. Si Long spoke up:
"Godsmith Tai Tan, the teacher is working on something right now. He's trying to forge more powerful weapons, so he doesn't let us disturb him. Only when something really important comes up do we get to visit him."
Hearing this, Tai Tan was elated:
"What a coincidence! I came to discuss weapons with him. Take me there right away—he won't say a word once he sees me."
Si Long glanced at Tai Tan, then at Wang Li and Dugu Yan, who were standing behind him. He was a little hesitant but ultimately figured that since Tai Tan was a divine blacksmith and a friend of his teacher, it probably wouldn't be a problem.
He turned around, raised his hand, and said:
"Please follow me."
With that, Si Long led Tai Tan, Wang Li, and Dugu Yan deeper into the Blacksmith Association. They arrived at a door and knocked before calling out:
"Teacher, Godsmith Tai Tan is here. He says he has important matters to discuss with you, and it's related to weapons."
After a long pause, the door opened. Behind it stood a solid, muscular figure. While not as tall as Tai Tan, the man was still quite imposing. As a divine blacksmith, he was certainly no small man—blacksmiths who could wield a large hammer were never small or thin.
His hair was graying, and judging by his face, he was at least seventy, but his spirit seemed good. This was Lou Gao. He looked curiously at Tai Tan and asked:
"Why are you here, old fellow? I told you, if it's not something important, I don't have time to entertain you."
Tai Tan grinned mysteriously and replied:
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied…"
---
(End of chapter)