Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

The beauty of Xingluo City mainly comes from the delicacy of the South, while Tiandou City is full of the grandeur of the North, each with its own merits.

Elegant and tranquil lights shone from the multi-story buildings of Yuexuan, and a steady stream of people entered through invitations.

As the Imperial Etiquette Academy of the Heaven Dou Empire, those who can enter Yuexuan must at least possess a noble title and be no older than thirty.

Undoubtedly, this is where the new generation of nobles of the Heavenly Dou Empire is trained. Tonight, the annual graduation ceremony is being held, and another batch of students will graduate.

Most of the invited guests were the students' parents and elders, who were all influential figures in the capital of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

Yuexuan only admits one hundred students each year, and all the nobles in Tiandou are vying for these one hundred spots.

Everyone knows that graduating from Yuexuan is like being gilded; graduates from here are hailed as true aristocrats.

Putting aside other matters, when nobles intermarry, the stronger party often asks the weaker party whether the other party's children have been educated by Yuexuan.

This demonstrates Yue Xuan's influence within the upper echelons of the Heaven Dou Empire. Of course, no one knew that the seemingly powerless Lord Xuan, the Lady Yue who supposedly had an ambiguous relationship with Emperor Xue Ye, actually came from the once number one Soul Master sect in the world.

The event was held on the third floor of Yuexuan, where many dignitaries and nobles were already seated in the prepared venue. Among this group of dignitaries and nobles, one person's figure stood out as quite out of place.

The owner of Yuexuan, Madam Yue, Tang Yuehua, stood on one side of the hall with a smile on her face, dressed in a silver palace gown. Occasionally, she would glance at the uninvited guest, her eyes revealing a hint of doubt.

Young men and women dressed in silver began to enter through the doors on both sides. The number of people, about a hundred, did not cause any noise in the hall.

Each of them wore the same elegant smile, their steps were so harmonious, and their every move exuded a subtle nobility that was neither arrogant nor awe-inspiring.

A door on one side of the hall opened, and a young man dressed in white slowly walked out, carrying an exquisite and beautiful golden harp.

The graduation ceremony performance at Yuexuan began. However, at this moment, many powerful figures in the empire, including Yuexuan's owner Tang Yuehua, were not focused on the performance. Instead, they kept glancing at the two people whispering in the audience seats.

Among the nobles in the audience, the most prominent was a young man, Xue Qinghe, the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Xue Qinghe came here on behalf of Emperor Xue Ye to win over some nobles. He never expected to run into this young man beside him at the entrance of Yuexuan.

In the audience seats, Xue Qinghe put down his teacup, smiled at the young man beside him, cleared his throat, and whispered, "Your Highness, we were unaware of your arrival in Tiandou City and failed to greet you promptly. It is a breach of etiquette on the part of the royal family." Yan smiled and shook his head, glancing at Tang Yuehua standing there before calmly saying, "It's alright. In order to find clues about certain villains, I kept my trip a secret this time. I still need Your Highness's help to prevent any leaks." Xue Qinghe's heart tightened, wondering if his secret had been exposed, but he remained outwardly calm and asked curiously, "Oh! What villains require Your Highness's personal intervention? Is there any assistance from the royal family?"

"Tang Hao has appeared." Yan leaned back in his chair without any regard for his image, creating a stark contrast with the elegant and attentive nobles around him, which also drew disdain from many nobles on the viewing platform.

"What?" Xue Qinghe's heart skipped a beat, his body trembled, and he subconsciously looked up at Tang Yuehua, who was stealing glances at him out of the corner of his eye. Their eyes met, and they could both feel each other's shock.

Tang Hao, a name that sounds extraordinary. The surname Tang is not very common in the Heaven Dou Empire. The most famous one is the former number one sect in the world, Haotian Tang. And in the entire Heaven Dou Empire, there is probably only one person whose name contains the character Hao.

Tang Hao, the youngest Title Douluo in the history of the continent and a peerless expert of the Haotian Sect who inherited the name of Haotian Douluo.

Twelve years ago, this powerful figure clashed with Qian Xunji, the then Pope of the Spirit Hall, and severely injured him, leading to the latter's death. This caused chaos within the Spirit Hall, which then spread to the Soul Master world, affecting the entire continent.

Such a top-tier expert only made a fleeting appearance twelve years ago, and then disappeared without a trace. Even when the Clear Sky Sect was forced to close its doors and go into seclusion, and the four major single-attribute clans were absorbed by the Spirit Hall, no news about him circulated, as if he had already died.

However, no one really believed that Tang Hao was dead. Title Douluos have extremely strong vitality. If they did not die on the spot, the probability of them surviving was very high. There are very few examples like Qian Xunji who died from serious injuries.

Furthermore, Tang Hao's ninth spirit ring was related to life, making it even less likely that he would perish. Over the years, not only the Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect, but also many other forces, including the Heaven Dou Royal Family, have been searching for Tang Hao, yet there has been no news of him.

When the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall infiltrated Heaven Dou City alone and came to Yuexuan, he told the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou the news that Xue Qinghe's first feeling was shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe that Yan's purpose was just this.

He understood Yan well; Yan was someone who, like him, cherished his life immensely. A son of a wealthy family should not sit under a dangerous roof.

People like them only take risks when they are absolutely certain of success. This Holy Son of the Spirit Hall has offended too many people, including Xue Qinghe himself. Countless people want his life, and the reason the latter is still alive and well is because he is cautious. He doesn't think this guy is the type to take risks.

"Could it be that the Spirit Hall has once again mobilized a large number of Title Douluos? What does this do to the Heaven Dou Royal Family? They really are a bunch of rioters." Xue Qinghe's mind raced as he began to speculate, and he immediately felt immense anger.

As the future ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, he had no liking for the Spirit Hall, an institution that controlled cutting-edge military power, especially those Title Douluos who could fly.

The power of a Title Douluo-level expert is too great a threat to nobles who hold power. They can kill a noble in a fit of anger, and what countermeasures can the nobles take?

No, not at all. If there were a conflict between nobles and Title Douluos, the Spirit Hall would definitely help. Faced with the behemoth that is the Spirit Hall, even the Heaven Dou royal family can only compromise time and time again. This compromise makes Xue Qinghe extremely angry and dissatisfied, but for the time being, he can only endure it.

Yan glanced at Xue Qinghe and then spoke again: "Your Highness, rest assured, apart from the two elders who are protecting my safety, no other elders have come to Tiandou City. Ordinary methods are useless against a villain like Tang Hao; we can only rely on the elite."

"Hehe, Your Highness, you risked your life, and I greatly admire your righteousness. However, for safety's sake, it would be best to gather more elders over." Xue Qinghe responded with a smile, although he wished Yan would die on the spot. He also knew that if this guy died, the consequences would be quite serious.

"If things go wrong, the Spirit Hall might support Star Luo and wipe out Heaven Dou directly. That's not impossible." Yan shook his head and laughed, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Actually, I didn't really put myself in danger. This huge Moon Pavilion is just an academy that teaches etiquette. What threat could it pose to me?" As he spoke, he pointed to the lonely scene over there. "Experiencing it with them is definitely different from what I'm going to do with little girls. What do you think, Your Highness?" Yan's words left Xue Qinghe speechless. He subconsciously glanced at Tang Yuehua over there, his mouth moving but unsure what to say.

Although Xue Qinghe was basically certain that the rumors about Tang Yuehua and Emperor Xueye were just that—rumors—they had been circulating for countless times, and he couldn't simply ignore them.

Besides, Xue Qinghe is such a vulgar person, how could he possibly criticize a lady? That would be so disrespectful.

Xue Qinghe remained silent, and Yan, finding the situation uninteresting, glanced at Tang Yuehua a few more times before looking away.

At this moment, a figure came from behind the viewing platform, emerged from the shadows and came to Yan's side, whispering a few words in his ear.

"Your Highness, it seems I must leave." After hearing the man's whispered report, Yan waved his hand, and the man retreated back into the shadows and disappeared. Although the whole thing happened right before Xue Qinghe's eyes, no matter how wide he stared, he could not find any trace of what had happened, which made him even more terrified.

At this moment, Yan spoke again.

“A little thing happened. Rongrong threw a tantrum after spending the night with me last night and is now running away from home. Sect Leader Ning was anxious to find me, so he went back first.” Yan smiled and patted Xue Qinghe’s shoulder before getting up. Xue Qinghe only came back to his senses as if he had been in a dream after Yan had walked away.

In this brief meeting, he heard a great deal of information: Why was Tang Hao near Tiandou City?

Furthermore, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall actually spent the night with Ning Fengzhi's daughter, Ning Rongrong. It seems there's no hope of winning over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

There were too many things to deal with at once, and Xue Qinghe's mind was in a mess. At this moment, Tang Yuehua came to his side. In his loss of composure, Xue Qinghe almost hurt her. After exchanging some information, the two were still not calm and hurriedly sent out messages through their own channels.

Tonight, Tiandou City is once again in turmoil because of the appearance of one person.

Chapter 275 Journey to the Kingdom of Barak

"How's the news about Tang Hao going? This period is the anniversary of some people's deaths, so logically, we shouldn't be completely without clues." On the streets of Tiandou City, a carriage sped towards the outskirts of the city, rapidly approaching the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's castle. Inside the carriage, Yan was asking his subordinates for some information.

He had not deceived Xue Qinghe in the Moon Pavilion. His purpose in coming to Tiandou City was to kill the famous Haotian Douluo.

After all, this period was close to the time when Qian Xunji was seriously injured, and it was also the time of Tang San's birth and Ah Yin's 'death anniversary'. According to Tang Hao in the original work, every year at this time, he would rush to the outside of Tian Dou City to accompany Ah Yin.

Although Tang Hao is very dangerous, if we can catch him alone, we still have a chance to ambush and kill him. And once we kill this Haotian Douluo, it won't be difficult to kill that so-called Chosen One with one blow.

Yan's concern has never been for that worthless Tang San, but rather for Tang Hao, whose combat power ranks among the top in Douluo Continent. That guy could threaten his life, so he had been quite low-key and restrained in dealing with the father and son.

However, after going to the Dragon Continent, Yan obtained a divine artifact, which greatly enhanced his ability to protect himself and his combat power. He then had the idea of ​​finding a way to kill Tang Hao. So, while in Wuhun City, he ordered the experts of the Wuhun Temple in Tiandou City to intensify their investigation.

"Reporting to the Holy Son, as per your instructions, we carefully investigated the waterfalls surrounding Heaven Dou City and identified several suspected locations. We did indeed find individuals resembling the villain Tang Hao in these areas." On the carriage, the deacon of the Heaven Dou City Martial Soul Temple reported the situation to Yan.

"However, it seems that Tang Hao has people helping him cover up his tracks and carry out his tasks. This group is quite powerful and acts cautiously, so no specific trace of Tang Hao has been found."

"Yuexuan? Or perhaps, Titan?" Upon hearing this, Yan immediately thought of Tang Yuehua of Yuexuan. According to some information he had obtained, Tang Hao in this life seemed to have reconnected with Tang Yuehua ahead of time. However, given Yuexuan's power, it shouldn't be possible to do this. Then he thought of another person.

Titan, a member of the Spirit Hall, is the president of the Heaven Dou City branch of the Mercenary Guild. He is a Soul Douluo powerhouse and one of the rising giants in the Soul Master world over the past decade.

But this guy has always been two-faced towards the Spirit Hall, and according to the news coming from the Mercenary Guild, something does seem a bit off.

"Titan, I hope you'll be sensible. White Crane has already compromised, why do you insist on leading the Mighty Ape clan into the abyss?" Yan thought to himself, and then gave the order.

"Instruct Bishop Salas to initiate the plan against Titan, and make sure to find out whether he has established contact with the mysterious man. After finding out the specific information, do not alert him. Leave everything to me."

"Yes." The deacon of the Martial Soul Temple bowed and agreed. At that moment, the slowly moving carriage came to a stop. They had arrived at the castle of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

...Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Inside the council hall. Sitting in the main seat facing south, Ning Fengzhi was handling sect affairs.

Ning Rongrong's departure initially worried him greatly, but after his subordinates discovered that the young lady was acting normally and was just being stubborn, he was somewhat relieved.

A powerful voice resounded throughout the hall, seemingly coming from all directions, causing the hall to tremble.

"Fengzhi, how can you still sit still? There's still no news from Rongrong." Sword Douluo Chenxin came out from the back hall, looking somewhat anxious, and sat down on a chair next to Sect Master Ning Fengzhi.

"Uncle Jian, please calm down." Ning Fengzhi picked up a cup of tea and placed it in front of this top expert on the continent, a hint of helplessness on his face.

"Rongrong just got angry with someone again. This kind of personality isn't good. Actually, it's good to let her go out and learn from her experiences. She needs to grow eventually."

"Train her up? What kind of talk is that? You know why Rongrong is angry. This time, it was that little bastard from the Spirit Hall who went too far." Sword Douluo Chen Xin was so angry upon hearing this that he glared and said, "That little bastard tricked Rongrong into spending the night with him, and then went off to do his own thing the next day. That's why Rongrong got angry and ran away. In the end, it's his fault. Rongrong is so young, how could he do such a thing? You have many sons, but only one daughter. Are you really willing to let that little bastard from the Spirit Hall bully her? Don't you feel sorry for her?" Ning Fengzhi's face showed a hint of helplessness, and he shook his head, saying, "Uncle Jian, it's not what you think. That matter..." Yan explained to me that Rongrong had misunderstood. Chen Xin said discontentedly, "Misunderstanding? There aren't that many misunderstandings. It's no misunderstanding that he made our Rongrong angry. I don't care what you think, Old Bone Dragon and I will definitely support Rongrong." Ning Fengzhi said resolutely, "Uncle Jian, no matter what, I will not allow you and Uncle Long to go this time. You don't need to worry about Rongrong's safety at all. I have been secretly protecting her. Please listen to my advice, let the young people handle their own affairs. You know what kind of person that Spirit Hall Holy Son is. I believe he will handle everything well and reconcile with Rongrong." Sword Douluo was about to say something more when he suddenly turned his head to look at the door, then snorted angrily.

"Fine, whatever. If Rongrong gets into trouble, I'll hold you responsible. I'm feeling a bit stiff, I'm going to find Old Bone Dragon to stretch my muscles." He said, walking out of the council hall with dissatisfaction. When he saw someone arrive, he glared at him angrily before turning away.

"Uncle Ning." Yan walked into the council hall and sat down on another chair next to Ning Fengzhi. Ning Fengzhi slightly raised his hand, and a cup of tea on the desk landed on the rosewood tea table next to Yan.

Yan Bo glanced calmly at Ning Fengzhi, who had a half-smile, and said lightly, "On my side, I must congratulate Uncle Ning on successfully crossing the Heavenly Barrier and getting one step closer to becoming a Title Douluo." Ning Fengzhi smiled and waved his hand.

"It's just that I gained some insights on the 89th level of the Heavenly Gate. Without forging the nine-story tower, how can I be considered a true Title Douluo?"

"How is Rongrong doing?" Yan took a sip of tea and put down his teacup before asking Ning Fengzhi about Ning Rongrong's situation. When he heard that Ning Rongrong had stormed off in a huff, he was slightly taken aback and felt a little guilty, as if he had gone too far with his joke.

“Rongrong doesn’t yet understand that you only helped her rebuild her martial soul that night. She mistakenly believes that you and she have already… and she’s angry with you. I’ve been busy cultivating these past two days and haven’t paid attention to her situation. According to the messages from my subordinates, she went to the Barak Kingdom?” Ning Fengzhi glanced at Yan before recounting Ning Rongrong’s recent situation. He knew everything about Yan and Ning Rongrong ‘spending the night’ that day, and he knew that nothing substantial had actually happened between Yan and his daughter, so his reaction had remained calm.

But it seems that his and Yan's indifferent reactions angered a certain little princess, who felt that she was just a tool for a political marriage, so she ran away in a fit of anger.

Yan frowned slightly when he heard this.

"The Kingdom of Barak? What's she going there for? By the way, isn't it the enrollment season for Soul Master academies recently?" Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment and then replied, "There don't seem to be any famous academies in the Kingdom of Barak. Rongrong is probably just going out to relax and doesn't have any other plans."

"I understand. I'll handle this." After thinking for a moment, Yan made a decision. He could try to make a trip to the Kingdom of Barak. He hadn't taken any action against Tang Hao because he was worried about being targeted. This was a chance to see if he could lure out his target.

"You handled it? The matter here in Tiandou City? Is there a result?" A hint of doubt flashed across Ning Fengzhi's face. He knew who Yan had come to Tiandou City for this time.

Although he admired the person who was his contemporary but had become a Title Douluo much earlier, from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's current position, he wished that person would be killed by the Spirit Hall.

“Tang Hao is always cautious in his actions. I suspect that apart from Tang Yuehua, he hasn’t contacted anyone from the Haotian Sect, and may even have instructed Tang Yuehua not to leak any information about him.” Yan shook his head.

"That guy is quite strong, and since he's acting alone, it'll be difficult to kill him without a suitable opportunity. However, it's not entirely hopeless. As long as I find a place, he'll definitely show up." Ning Fengzhi was quite unsettled after hearing this, but ultimately said nothing. He had mixed feelings about Tang Hao.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School should remain silent on this matter, neither participating nor opposing it, and wait for it to end.

“Holy Son, the situation in Heaven Dou City has been rather turbulent these past few years.” Ning Fengzhi hesitated for a long time before slowly putting down his teacup and speaking again: “It seems that the Heaven Dou royal family has obtained some information from within my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. I don’t know who leaked it, but they are trying to equip themselves with firearms.”

"I already knew about this. I'm grateful for Uncle Ning's reminder, but it's nothing serious." Yan's smile suddenly became incredibly bright and genuine.

"Let them continue their research. It's best to invest more resources and energy in them. If we don't give them any chance, they might become desperate and do something rash. We still need some time. In a few years, not only will Tian Dou and Xing Luo be nothing, but the entire Douluo Continent will be nothing. Uncle Ning, I believe you will make the right choice, won't you?"

"Of course." Ning Fengzhi forced a smile, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, his vest already chilled to the bone. He had thought that some of the actions of the Heaven Dou royal family were a huge bargaining chip, but he never expected that all of this was under the control of the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall. This young man in front of him was too terrifying.

Although he had known this person for nearly ten years, each time he met him again, he felt that the other person was unfathomable.

Ironically, he, the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and one of the strongest figures in the world, has always been terrified when facing such a young man. Just like this time, he was once again startled and broke out in a cold sweat.

"I'll go to the Kingdom of Barak first. I'll leave the matters here in Tiandou City to Uncle Ning." After saying this, Yan got up, leaving Ning Fengzhi with a departing figure, and quickly left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's castle. Without resting for a moment, he headed south, heading directly to the Kingdom of Barak.

Chapter 276 The Matters of Shrek Academy

The Kingdom of Barak, located in the south of the Heaven Dou Empire, borders the Province of Fasno and parts of the Star Luo Empire. It is one of the four major kingdoms within the Heaven Dou Empire and a key force in the Heaven Dou Empire's struggle against the Star Luo Empire.

Because the southern border of the Barak Kingdom directly borders the Star Luo Empire, and the two sides frequently clash on their borders, the Barak Kingdom possesses extremely strong military power, ranking first among the four kingdoms.

The Heavenly Dou Empire originally had ten provinces, but with the division of the four kingdoms, six forces were formed. The empire itself directly controlled five provinces, the four kingdoms each controlled one, and there was a duchy, which was second only to the kingdoms and occupied the smallest province in the east of the empire.

The four kingdoms and the duchy outwardly accept the rule of the Heavenly Dou Empire. However, in reality, apart from paying necessary tribute, they are completely autonomous.

If it weren't for the fact that the Heavenly Dou royal family controlled a large army, internal strife might have already broken out. The Star Luo Empire was in a similar situation, but the Star Luo royal family was relatively more powerful. Although there were dissenting voices within the country, they couldn't stand against the empire, which was slightly better than the Heavenly Dou Empire.

Within the Kingdom of Barak, there are two most important cities. One is Barak City, the capital that rules the entire country and is the political and economic center of the Kingdom of Barak.