Tianhao stepped forward, extended his slightly childish hand, and firmly grasped Poison Immortal's pair of broad, rough palms.
He tilted his head back, his smile sincere and bright, and said in a clear voice, "In that case, disciple Tianhao pays respects to the Sect Master."
As his voice fell, Tianhao gently released his hands, took half a step back, stood upright, and bowed respectfully to Poison Immortal.
This bow was neither humble nor arrogant.
It contained respect for the Body Sect Sect Master.
It also possessed the bearing of the Sun Moon Empire's Sixth Highness.
And even more, it held the solemnity of joining the Body Sect from this day forth.
Facing this sincere bow from Tianhao, Poison Immortal felt a mix of many emotions.
For a moment, he couldn't distinguish whether joy or melancholy weighed heavier.
What brought joy was that this once-in-a-millennium, flawless Body Sect seed successor would finally, from now on, rightfully belong to the Body Sect.
The Sect's hundreds of years of anticipation, the long-cherished wishes of countless predecessors, and his own obsession as Sect Master for half a lifetime had finally been fulfilled at this moment.
Yet what brought melancholy was that, from today on, the Body Sect could no longer remain neutral.
It must turn its heart toward the Sun Moon Empire, draw a line with the Heavenly Soul Empire, and from now on stand on the opposite side of the three great Empires of the original Douluo Continent.
Once this step was taken, there was no turning back, and the fate of the Sect would be completely tied to the Sun Moon Empire.
Poison Immortal took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions surging in his heart, and extended his large hand to steadily help Tianhao up.
A smile finally squeezed out from his wrinkled face, heartfelt and sincere, and his voice was deep and carried a hint of relief:
"Sixth Highness, from now on, we are one family."
"Naturally, naturally." Tianhao's smile remained gentle, his eyes bright.
Jing Hongchen, who had been standing quietly to the side for a long time, saw this and immediately stepped forward, cupping his hands in a salute to the two, his tone filled with sincere congratulations:
"Congratulations to the Sixth Highness, congratulations to Sect Master Du. May the Sun Moon Empire and the Body Sect form an everlasting alliance and forge a great cause together!"
Kong Deming also stepped forward, his gaze falling on Poison Immortal, his expression solemn and frank:
"The Sun Moon Empire welcomes the Body Sect's joining. From now on, you and I are comrades, sharing the same journey through wind and rain."
Hearing this, Poison Immortal couldn't help but shake his head helplessly, sighing lightly, his tone carrying a touch of self-mockery and a bit of resignation:
"Sigh, I have been thoroughly outmaneuvered by you all. From the moment I stepped into this Mingde Hall, I suppose there was never a chance to stay out of it, was there?"
Although he said this, there was no anger on his face; instead, there was a sense of resignation and relief.
He paused, his expression suddenly turning serious, and he looked at Tianhao and Kong Deming with a grave tone, speaking in a deep voice:
"However, let me say the ugly things first. By making this decision today, I have already violated the stance and rules left by my ancestors, abandoned the sentiment of my homeland for many years, and am bearing immense pressure."
As he spoke, Poison Immortal looked around: "In the future, you must not let me down!"
Tianhao laughed clearly upon hearing this, his voice crisp yet full of confidence: "That goes without saying!"
"I, Tianhao, always keep my word. Since the Sect Master has agreed to accept me into the Sect, the Body Sect and the Sun Moon Empire are truly a family with bones broken but connected by tendons."
"I will certainly not go back on the conditions I previously agreed upon with the Sect Master."
Matters having reached this point, Poison Immortal no longer dwelled on it excessively.
He knew in his heart that dwelling on the past was meaningless; now that the most precious successor was in hand, the foundation of the Sect's future was secured.
The remaining path could only be taken one step at a time, acting according to the circumstances.
Seeing Poison Immortal's mood gradually settle, Tianhao slowly straightened his body, looking at Poison Immortal with clear eyes, his smile carrying a bit more mystery and confidence:
"Since we are now family, I should let the Sect Master be completely at ease, with no further concerns."
Hearing this, Poison Immortal raised an eyebrow slightly, his face showing a bit of confusion and curiosity, and he looked at Tianhao in bewilderment.
He really couldn't understand; Tianhao was already a once-in-a-millennium Body Sect seed.
His innate talent was unparalleled throughout history; what else could make him feel more at ease?
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen exchanged a glance without changing their expressions, both of their eyes revealing a tacit, mysterious smile.
In that smile, there was unhidden pride.
Kong Deming walked slowly to Poison Immortal's side, raised his hand, and gently patted his broad shoulder, his tone carrying a touch of playfulness:
"Old Du, this time, you have really found a treasure, and a magnificent one at that."
Hearing these profound words from Kong Deming, Poison Immortal's confusion deepened.
He couldn't help but think to himself that a genius like Tianhao was already a supreme treasure of the world.
Being able to accept him into the Sect was already a tremendous stroke of luck; could there be an even bigger unexpected surprise besides this?
Having lived for two hundred years, Poison Immortal was naturally not a foolish man.
Seeing Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen acting so confident and mysterious, he already had a vague guess in his heart.
He already had a vague guess in his heart, but for the moment, he dared not be completely certain.
Just as his mind was wavering, the next moment, an incomparably violent and overbearing aura suddenly erupted from within Tianhao's body!
A deafening, high-pitched dragon roar that pierced the clouds suddenly resounded throughout the entire great hall.
The dragon roar carried a majestic dragon might and an overbearing aura that destroyed all laws, causing the entire space to tremble.
A giant dragon phantom, covered from head to tail in purple-gold scales, with towering dragon horns, eyes like stars, and a ferocious and domineering aura, suddenly appeared behind Tianhao, coiling and circling, its claws flying, its might overwhelming.
The giant dragon had purple-gold flames of destruction Binding around its body, and wherever it passed, the air seemed to distort because of it.
The tyrannical dragon might pressed down like a blanket, and even a powerhouse of Poison Immortal's Super Douluo level could not help but feel his heart tremble.
"This is... the Purple Bright Heaven Extinguishing Dragon!"
Poison Immortal's pupils suddenly contracted, a light of disbelief erupting in his eyes, and his voice trembled slightly due to extreme shock:
"twin spirits! To think it is twin spirits!!"
At this moment, even as knowledgeable and steady-minded as Poison Immortal, he felt his head spinning.
His whole person was somewhat dazed by this sudden, huge surprise.
In this current era, although innate full spirit power is still rare, it can occasionally appear in major Empires and top Sects, so it is not truly once-in-a-millennium.
But twin spirits are different; that is a top-tier talent that is truly rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, one in ten thousand, and in the entire Douluo Continent, one might not appear in a hundred or even several hundred years.
Every possessor of twin spirits has the supreme potential to challenge the Titled Douluo realm or even higher in the future.
In the Heavenly Soul Empire, for nearly a thousand years, they have only produced one, Vina.
Poison Immortal now understood clearly just how heaven-defying Tianhao's Sun Moon Divine Pupils talent was.
It was undoubtedly a top-tier Body Martial Soul, with unfathomable potential.
And the power of the Purple Bright Heaven Extinguishing Dragon had already been displayed vividly by the Sun Moon Crown Prince Xu Tianran during the previous All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.
It was a top-tier Beast Spirit that combined extreme assault and destruction attributes, with infinite power, intimidating the world.
Now, these two most top-tier, most overbearing, and rarest Spirits had actually appeared on Tianhao alone!
Such a heaven-defying twin spirits combination—let alone a thousand years, even in ten thousand years, one might not be able to find a single example!
It was no wonder Kong Deming said he had found a treasure.