After cultivating for a long time, Hun Tiandi finally reached the Soul Rank 49 and was not just one step from reaching the Soul Rank 50 and becoming a Soul King. At the age of 17, it was a very high Rank, not to mention his Soul Ring Configuration was breaking all of the norms on the Douluo Continent.
All of his Soul Rings were far older than was the norm on the Douluo Continent, and even his first Soul Ring was more than 2,500 Years old, which was the usual age for either the 3rd Soul Ring or the 4th Soul Ring.
This was an average age when the Soul Masters who wanted to reach the Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor would go. His 4th Soul Ring was more than 80,000 years old. That was something that only the Soul Douluos who wanted to reach the Titled Douluo would choose as their 9th Soul Ring.
Hun Tiandi knew that this was mainly attributed to his terrifying Spiritual Power, which was compared to the peak Mortal Level or that of the God Officials, so his physical body and soul were able to withstand absorption of the much, much older Soul Rings that one was supposed to have according to the common sense of the Soul Masters of the Douluo Continent.
But Hun Tiandi believed common sense needed to be broken because it was too limiting to the development of Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent. Today, he was in the Star Dou Forest searching for the nest of the Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent, which would become his 5th Soul Ring for its innate ability, Worthless.
Today, he departed for the Star Dou Forest together with Golden Crocodile Douluo Jin Eyu as his protection detail because he wasn't really confident in handling the Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent alone in its natural habitat.
However, the two of them were not alone in the mission because there were two other people accompanying them on their trip to the Star Dou Forest.
One of the people who was present with them was the newest Cardinal of the Spirit Hall, Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan, who had just recently reached the Titled Douluo Realm and was now already at the Soul Rank 92.
Due to the increased standards for the Cardinal position within the Spirit Hall, nowadays, only the Titled Douluos with Soul Rank 92 and above were eligible for the position of the Cardinal.
Even within the Douluo Consecration Hall, there have been talks to allow one to enter it only after one has reached Soul Rank 98 due to the increased Soul Ranks of all current Worship Elders.
Among the existing eight Worship Elders, there were two Limit Douluos, namely Qian Daoliu and Jin Eyu. Of the remaining six, three were at the Soul Rank 98, namely Azure Luan Douluo, Glowing Feather Douluo, and Mighty Lion Douluo.
Jiang Brothers were at the Soul Rank 97, and Dugu Bo was at the Soul Rank 96, but it was only a matter of time until he reached the Soul Rank 98 due to his fast cultivation, which now consisted of assimilating various types of Poisons and Poisonous Herbs.
The Douluo Consecration Hall was a specific part of the Spirit Hall that served as a sanctuary and cultivation ground for the Spirit Hall's high-ranking Soul Masters, where they focused solely on their Soul Power Cultivation, Spiritual Power Cultivation, Martial Soul Development, and other methods to increase their strength.
In the end, the Worship Elders of the Douluo Consecration Hall were not really intervening in the daily matters of the Spirit Hall and acted only when it was necessary for them to act.
Nowadays, due to new cultivation methods and new inventions, the strength of the Titled Douluos of the Spirit Hall was steadily increasing at a good pace, so even the standards for the various positions within the organizational structure of the Spirit Hall needed to be reconsidered and raised.
Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan was a relatively young Titled Douluo, as she belonged to the younger generation of people who reached the Title Douluo Level. Even though she wasn't the youngest or so, her age was still her advantage because there were a lot of possibilities for her to advance even further.
It was the general rule of the cultivation that the younger one reached the higher ranks, the more chances for advancement. In regard to the Soul Power Cultivation, this was the ironclad rule, because one could reach Limit Douluo only when they were Called Douluo in their late thirties at the latest.
Together with her, there was her disciple, Ma Xiaotao, who was now 14 years old but was already near the Soul Ancestor Realm as she was at the Soul Rank 39 and needed to find a suitable Soul Beast to become her 4th Soul Ring.
Thus, when one of the Limit Douluos of the Spirit Hall was going to the Star Dou Forest to get the Soul Ring for the future Holy Son, Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan joined because Golden Crocodile was one of the strongest people in the entire Spirit Hall and also on the entire continent.
They were now on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, searching for the Soul Beast that would provide the next Soul Ring for Ma Xiaotao, as they were closer to it.
Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent was somewhere in the deeper parts of the Star Dou Forest, so they were going there at a later date, or perhaps after Ling Yuan took her disciple back to the Spirit Hall.
The inner areas of the Star Dou Forest could be very dangerous even for the Titled Douluos, so even the Spirit Hall was very cautious about entering the inner regions of the Star Dou Forest due to the presence of the powerful Soul Beasts.
Ma Xiaotao was dressed in red clothes with her face covered by a red veil, which did little to hide her exceptionally beautiful appearance. She has very long scarlet-red hair and a gorgeous pair of crimson eyes representing a ruby. She was also a buxom girl with a busty body.
She awakened a very rare type of Martial Soul called Evil Fire Phoenix, which was a mutated Beast-Type Martial Soul that had a very powerful fire capability, Evil Fire. This kind of flame was also exceptionally monstrous; not only is it extremely high-temperature, but it also has very powerful adhesion properties that are very difficult to extinguish.
It truly has the potential to become a True Phoenix.
But, this Martial Soul also had an immense defect; although this variation brought a large amount of Soul Power, simultaneously, it also created a certain effect in the body.
It also made the user regard male-female relations that respect capability become extremely vigorous, with appetite impulses that are tenfold those of an ordinary person. If it were not suppressed and not conducted, then, at any time, it's possible this Evil Fire Phoenix would explode and die.
The Evil Fire Phoenix's evil fire can be purified by pure Yang Immortal Herbs such as Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower or Infernal Delicate Apricot and evolve into a True Phoenix, a Fire Phoenix.
Aside from searching for a suitable Soul Beast for Ma Xiaotao, they were also searching for some of the Immortal Herbs that could be used to refine an elixir that would facilitate the evolution of her Martial Soul into that of the Fire Phoenix or perhaps even further.
It was generally accepted by the higher-ups of the Spirit Hall that Ma Xiaotao had strong potential to reach even the Limit Douluo once she evolved her Martial Souls a few times.
If her Martial Soul could evolve to the higher grade Martial Souls, then even reaching Godhood wasn't really out of the question because everyone knew that the Phoenixex were Divine Beasts of the highest order.
Hun Tiandi often pondered over the concept of Godhood and how to ascend to Godhood.
But it seemed the Douluo's Divine Realm had been lost, as the connection between the Divine Realm and the Douluo Continent had apparently been severed many, many years ago.
Yet, this was also playing into the Hun Tiandi's cards.
He knew that these Gods in the Divine Realm were very powerful, higher-dimensional beings, and they liked to intervene in mortal matters of all sorts. According to the Grand Worship, the Douluo Continent had a lot of Divine Sites that held the inheritances of the Gods.
Once someone obtains the inheritance, they will take the God Position from God and, well... become God.
However, what Hun Tiandi saw in this was just another form of slavery.
According to the ancient records he dug up in the Spirit Hall, the Gods who accepted the God Position, which was the only way to become God in this world, were severely restrained by their very own God Positions and the Laws of the Universe.
It was a really staggering shock how much of the lore the Spirit Hall possessed as the oldest and strongest faction in the Douluo Continent. Their legacy was deep, and they possessed a few world-shattering secrets that the Spirit Hall hid from all.
He was the Emperor.
Not a slave.
Not even to the will of the heavens themselves.
If that was the only way, then he would seal the heavens and replace them with his own.
***
Star Dou Forest, Some time later
"So, what Soul Beast are we hunting for, the birdbrain?"
Saying that Hun Tiandi's and Xiaotao's relationship was... bad wouldn't be really bad, but it wouldn't be really accurate as well. Both of them were extremely competitive, and Ma Xiatao had a rather explosive and aggressive temper.
Especially when it came to provocations, as she was the type that often used her fists first and then asked questions last.
It was her usual style, and she was easily provoked into exploding, and her temper was legendary among the core members of the Spirit Hall...
Her own master, Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan, often had headaches about Ma Xiaotao because the girl was a troublemaker of the highest order. Since she was little, she has been causing problems and mischief, and now, as she gets older, it seems she is continuing.
It was rather ironic that she had a fiery temper as well as a fiery Martial Soul.
"You red-eyed bastard!"
She already wanted to punch him as small flames were unconsciously formed around her, as this was a common occurrence that happened when she got angry. Because of the alignment of the Evil Fire Phoenix, she wasn't really that good when it came to handling her own emotions, and she often...
Well...
Exploded...
Sometimes literally.
"You have red eyes too, though..."
Hun Tiandi stated with mild amusement that Ma Xiaotao, too, had red eyes like him and also red hair. To bystanders, it would seem that two of them were siblings, in fact, even though their personalities were vastly different.
If one looked at them, they looked pretty similar, in fact, as both of them had red eyes and red hair. For Hun Tiandi, it was rather troublesome to get him angry, but if it happened, then it was one hell of a show to remember.
"You!"
Before she could do anything, one stern glance from Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan silenced her down as they continued through the Star Dou Forest. The last thing that was needed was to create a commotion in this place so that it would attract some of the ancient and powerful Soul Beasts.
Even though he and Ma Xiaotao bickered a lot, both of them were something akin to friends, he could say?
Among the Spirit Hall's younger generation, there were few who dared to speak to him as if he were their equal. Hun Tiandi seriously doubted that he was equal, and he considered only those at the peak of their own mortality his equals, if that could be called such.
Yet he found it refreshing for someone who wasn't really intimidated by his status and power.
"We need to find the Blue Flame Bird for your 4th Soul Ring. According to the information, it should be somewhere around these parts, and it is around 250,000 Years Old."
The 25,000-Years-Old Soul Ring was something that Soul Masters would choose for their 6th Soul Ring and not their 4th. Hun Tiandi himself had an 80,000-Years-Old Soul Ring because he could support it with the overwhelming power of his Soul and his refined physique.
Still, the fact that Ma Xiaotao was able to accept such an old Soul Ring right now and right here was a testament to her talent and dedication. Their group soon enough moved forward, not lingering in one place for too long, due to safety reasons.
Once they obtained the Soul Ring for Ma Xiaotao, Jin Eye and Hun Tiandi would depart to the deeper parts of the Star Dou Forest to search for the Abyssal Pit Sea Serpent, which would become his 5th Soul Ring.
Either that or the Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan and Ma Xiaotao would join them in their endeavor, though that wasn't decided yet for the time being. For the Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan, this was her first venture into the Star Dou Forest since she had reached the Titled Douluo.
Hun Tiandi previously proposed to the Qian Daoliu that the Worship Elders take a more active part in the overall development of the Spirit Hall, especially when it came to teaching the younger Soul Masters or helping the other Soul Masters to get their Soul Rings, especially when it concerned the Soul Douluos that were about to reach the Titled Douluo Realm.
This was a very crucial aspect.
This ensured that the Soul Masters at the Soul Douluo with Soul Rank 89 were able to get the best Soul Ring possible for the breakthrough to the Titled Douluo at Soul Rank 90.
Many breakthroughs for the Soul Douluos went without many problems, and the Spirit Hall not only welcomed new Titled Douluos, but the Titled Douluos who broke through got much better and more powerful Soul Rings than they would have originally gotten on their own.
***
Azure Flame Bird was a phoenix-like Soul Beast wreathed in ethereal blue fire. Unlike normal flames, its Azure Flame was cool to the touch, burning with Soul Power rather than heat, and it was also more versatile when compared to the flames of the other similarly aligned Soul Beasts.
The Azure Flame Bird had a wingspan that stretched over 10 meters, with shimmering feathers that glowed like sapphire embers. Its eyes burned with an otherworldly light capable of piercing through illusions and deception.
Its tail extended into a long, trailing plume of ghostly blue fire, leaving a radiant afterimage as it soared. When it flapped its wings, embers of cold flame scattered in the air, forming constellations that flicker briefly before fading.
The four Soul Masters of the Spirit Hall looked at the Azure Flame Bird that was sitting on its perch, which was placed in one of the high trees of the Star Dou Forest. It was relatively young compared to the other Azure Flame Birds, which was good and bad news at the same time.
The good news was that Ma Xiaotao was guaranteed to kill it and absorb its Soul Ring as its own. The bad news was that, because it was young, it meant that it had more powerful relatives that were for sure above one hundred thousand years in age.
"Be careful of the Shriek Ability of the Azure Flame Bird, which is able to disorient even Titled Douluos if they are not careful. Also, the Azure Flame Birds could unleash Skyfire Strom as one of their innate abilities through which they summon a tempest of Azure Flames that neither scorch nor destroy but instead drain Soul Power from foes."
Hun Tiandi said to the disciple of the Spirit Kite Douluo, as Ma Xiaotao scoffed, seeing him lecturing her because she didn't like this at all. One could say that when she saw that smug grin of his when he was saying something to others, she wanted to punch him very badly.
"I am not mentally retarded; I can understand it, you arrogant prick!"
She retorted as she looked toward the perch of the Azure Flame Bird, as Hun Tiandi snickered at her because he was sure that she hadn't read almost anything about the Soul Beast that was going to become her next Soul Ring.
"Well... at least it would be a good show..."
Hun Tiandi muttered silently as Jin Eyu opened the gourd with his Spirit Wine, and Ling Yuan frowned, knowing her disciple very well and hoping she had prepared for the fight as she had been told to do.
But...
Considering the fact that Ma Xiaotao considered reading books boring things for bookworms and often teased Hun Tiandi about his researching the old tomes, something was telling her that her disciple probably hadn't even opened the Soul Beast Compendium yet.
The Golden Crocodile Douluo started drinking merrily, even offering a cup of his wine to Hun Tiandi, who accepted, though he didn't really drink that often.
Yet, this one came straight from the personal stash of the Golden Crocodile Douluo, one of the Limit Douluos with the Soul Rank 99, so it was really the best stuff possible to obtain in the Douluo Continent.
Hun Tiandi preferred tea compared to a vine, but if the Golden Crocodile was offering, he saw no reason to decline.
Even the Spirit Kite Douluo Ling Yuan got a cup of Spirit Wine from Jin Eyu as all three of them observed Ma Xiaotao, who approached the Azure Flame Bird that was perched up high on the tree.
According to their predictions, Ma Xiaotao should be able to handle and kill the Azure Flame Bird on her own.
If not, then the Titled Douluos would intervene.