Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 135: On the Eve of the Spirit Master Tournament

At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo regarded the two letters with somber expressions. Finally, Ning Fengzhi spoke up. "Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, these letters present us with an unprecedented crisis. We need to identify the person behind them immediately. Whoever it is clearly knows our internal affairs and even anticipates our moves. With the current situation, facing Spirit Hall on our own is unfeasible. We must bring the other two Great Clans on board, especially the Clear Sky Clan, who has stayed hidden for over a decade. It's time they come forward as well."

Ning Fengzhi continued, "Furthermore, I suspect that more than these two letters were sent out. We need to obtain any other copies if we're to craft a proper response."

Bone Douluo spoke gravely, "Fengzhi, do we have any leads on the messenger?"

Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "Reports from various Spirit Hall branches suggest the sender was a fire-attributed flying spirit master of considerable speed, likely at least a Spirit Sage."

Clearly, every major faction was eager to find this mystery figure. However, after extensive investigation, they had turned up nothing—not even a trace. Spirit Hall, in particular, seemed poised for a massive confrontation, although each faction exercised restraint, holding back from open conflict.

Unbothered by the chaos outside, Yang Potian observed from a distance. He knew all eyes were on the hunt for the letter-sender, but his meticulous disguises made it impossible for them to find him. With Spirit Hall now aware of the Clear Sky Clan's true strength, he doubted they'd pass up the chance to include the clan in their hunt-and-destroy operations. And as for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, they'd be too preoccupied with protecting themselves to meddle in his affairs.

The months passed swiftly. Yang Potian turned nineteen, and although the Heaven Dou City region seemed calm on the surface, tension ran high just beneath it. The most significant recent event was a massive battle that erupted in the domain of the Strength Clan.

Reports described it as an intense clash: a black-clad man wielding a hammer against two spirit masters with staffs. The battlefield was decimated, with the Strength Clan's stronghold left in ruins. Massive craters and shattered ground marked the area, and numerous clan members perished, with even their leader, Titan, suffering severe injuries. After a fierce fight, the hammer-wielding spirit master managed to escape, but he was relentlessly pursued, and his final whereabouts remained unknown.

Yang Potian surmised that Spirit Hall had learned of Tang Hao's presence in the Strength Clan and had dispatched Douluo Kilotonne and Douluo Exorcist to eliminate him. Tang Hao narrowly escaped, but the Strength Clan and Tang Sect suffered devastating losses. With White Crane's aid, the surviving members of the Strength Clan and the Speed Clan were relocated to Heaven Dou City for safety.

The Heaven Dou Empire officially condemned Spirit Hall, denouncing their actions as a brutal disregard for peace and calling on the world to unite against such tyranny. However, Spirit Hall responded that the Strength Clan had harbored Tang Hao, the murderer of the former Pope, and warned the empire against sheltering enemies lest they incur Spirit Hall's wrath.

After a prolonged standoff, both sides backed down, unwilling to ignite a full-scale war. In the end, it was the Strength Clan who bore the brunt of the suffering.

Meanwhile, Tang Hao returned to his waterfall sanctuary only to discover that his spirit bone had been stolen. Signs at the scene pointed to Spirit Hall as the culprit. Enraged, Tang Hao retaliated by destroying several Spirit Hall branches, although he managed to evade their forces with his formidable skills. His whereabouts, however, remained unknown.

Rumors ran rampant, some suggesting that the Clear Sky Clan, once hailed as the world's most powerful clan, intended to re-enter the spirit master world and join forces with the other two Great Clans to overthrow Spirit Hall. But these speculations faded as neither the Clear Sky Clan nor the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan issued any official statements or showed any sign of activity.

All was soon overshadowed by the most highly anticipated event in the continent: the upcoming Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.

Yang Potian's team, after rigorous training, saw significant progress. Yang Potian himself had reached sixty-seven ranks of spirit power, a respectable four-rank increase over the year. Among his teammates, the highest level was now held by Yang Ping'an, who had finally broken into the Spirit King rank at fifty-one.

Individually, Dugu Yan had reached the peak of rank forty-nine and was close to breaking through to the Spirit King level, though still struggling with the final hurdle. Ye Lingling had advanced to rank forty-eight, and Niu Mang had climbed to rank forty-five. The standout improvement was by Yang Tianyue, who had impressively leapt five ranks in a single year, now at rank thirty-eight. The substitutes, Niu Kui and Yang Yuxuan, had reached rank thirty-eight as well.

The team composition of the second squad now stood as follows: one Spirit Emperor, one Spirit King, three Spirit Elders, and three Spirit Masters, with Dugu Yan expected to reach Spirit King status before the finals. The result was a unique yet formidable lineup, with the strongest and weakest members separated by a staggering twenty-nine ranks.

Unexpectedly, while Spirit Hall pursued Tang Hao, they made no other moves against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, nor did they clash with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan or the Clear Sky Clan. They even left the Heaven Dou Empire's Team One untouched.

Both Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe seemed notably preoccupied in recent months, with neither paying much attention to Yang Potian. Meanwhile, Heaven Dou's Team One unexpectedly gave up its automatic qualification slot for the tournament, instead choosing to join the local selection round.

Initially, twenty-eight teams were slated to compete for five slots in the Heaven Dou region. With the added place, the teams would now vie for six positions.

Heaven Dou Team One surprised everyone by achieving an all-Spirit Elder lineup, with Tang San's prowess particularly impressive at rank forty-five.

Yang Potian was particularly curious about Tang San's rapid advancement. Even in the original storyline, after consuming the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Blazing Delicate Apricot and training at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for an extended period, Tang San had barely managed to break through to around rank forty-one or forty-two. Yet here he was, four whole levels higher. Could Tang San have had some unexpected encounter?

To advance spirit power so quickly, Tang San would have had to start absorbing spirit rings for his Clear Sky Hammer, but such a hasty approach would never be approved by either Tang Hao or Yu Xiaogang. However, the other members' spirit power levels seemed ordinary, with only modest progress. If anything, they lagged slightly behind expectations.

Potian observed Tang San closely and noticed a unique vitality about him; his complexion was even slightly flushed, suggesting he'd consumed some powerful tonic. A sudden realization struck Potian: Could Tang San have taken the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng that White Crane had kept in reserve? If so, that would certainly explain his significant increase in strength.

The first team boasted an all-Spirit Elder lineup, including Tang San, Dai Mubai, Yu Tianheng, Ning Heng, Tai Long, Bai Xiaofei, and Xiao Wu. Surprisingly, Xiao Wu was the last Spirit Elder on the team. Something seemed to have motivated her, as she had reached Spirit Elder rank three months earlier than in the original story. Potian couldn't even detect any spirit beast aura on her—something seemed to be masking it entirely, to the point that even Sword Douluo and his grandfather had failed to notice it.

Potian had his suspicions; Xiao Wu shouldn't have been able to conceal her spirit beast aura, nor should she have progressed so quickly. As for the Yearning Heartbroken Red herb that he had at home, Potian had long since retrieved it from his father.

When Potian first asked his father for the Yearning Heartbroken Red, he had anticipated resistance, but instead, his father had looked pleasantly surprised. Without hesitation, he handed over the herb with a curious expression, leaving Potian somewhat puzzled.

A month before the Spirit Master Tournament, Potian ordered his team to ease up, giving everyone a chance to rest. They all returned to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Sometimes, Potian would cross paths with Yu Xiaogang, who was often seen with Qin Ming, Liu Erlong, and occasionally even Flender.

Recently, Yu Xiaogang seemed particularly triumphant, a barely concealed smile on his face as if he already held the championship in his grasp.

Potian couldn't help but shake his head. They hadn't even reached the finals yet. Although the first team had an impressive lineup, there was still Spirit Hall's team and Heaven Dou Royal Academy's second team. With their current composition, the first team still had a long way to go, and they might not even make it past the Star Luo Royal Academy team. After all, Zhu Zhuqing was still only a Spirit Master, and Dai Mubai was several levels below where he'd been in the original storyline. How could they hope to face Star Luo's powerful team led by Davis and Zhu Zhuyun with their Netherworld White Tiger fusion?

A dual-Spirit Elder-level Netherworld White Tiger would far surpass a Spirit Master plus Spirit Elder fusion, with a combat power comparable to that of a high-level Spirit King—or perhaps even higher.

(End of Chapter)

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 15 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1