A week later.
In a grand hall of the Star Luo imperial palace, more than ten golden-haired middle-aged men and elders were gathered. The atmosphere inside was heavy and somber.
At the head, seated alone, was a burly, golden-haired elder with a dark expression. He asked the Grand Elder of the Royal Elders Council, Dai Feng, "What is the exact loss?"
"Old Patriarch, this disappearance incident is entirely tied to the royal family.
The statistics so far: within the royal clan, one Contra and twenty-three Soul Sages lost; among in-laws, three Contras, two Soul Sages, and thirteen Soul Emperors fell."
Dai Feng's report was grim. After pausing, he added, "Princess Dayue and her husband are also among the missing."
In truth, nine days earlier, while Chu Chengzhou was still committing his spree across Star Luo territory, his deeds nearly came to light.
The reason was unexpected, yet logical—a royal elder had brought his wife and grandson to a legion garrison to visit his son and daughter-in-law, both officers, and to celebrate his grandson's birthday.
But they had already been killed by Chu Chengzhou, so the elder found nothing.
After inquiries, he was told the couple and another White Tiger Soul Sage had received a secret order from the emperor to return to Star Luo City.
For the moment, the matter didn't break open.
But once the elder returned to Star Luo City and still found nothing, finally asking the emperor—who denied issuing such an order—the matter immediately surfaced.
Royal experts disappearing without a trace naturally drew attention. Missing meant death—no corpse needed.
An investigation began at once. And the deeper they dug, the worse it became—case after case of missing royals and relatives emerged.
By today, the full count was confirmed. The losses were disastrous.
"Pa—"
The sound of splintering rang out. The crowd turned to see the royal patriarch, the empire's former emperor, and the clan's last surviving Titled Douluo—White Tiger Douluo Dai Tao—crush the armrest of his chair in fury.
"Who?!"
Dai Tao roared, his twisted face and blazing eyes seeming to incinerate everything.
The royal clan had many members, but true experts were always few. Of the vast Dai family, Soul Sages numbered under a hundred, and now, in one blow, more than twenty were gone—fully a quarter.
Worse still, because of the Netherworld White Tiger fusion technique, more than half of those Soul Sages actually fought at Contra-level strength. And among them was none other than his own daughter, Princess Dai Tianyue.
"Old Patriarch, the murderer has not yet been identified, but he must excel at spiritual control. Even if his spirit power is not quite at Titled Douluo level, it is at least on par with a high-level Contra."
So spoke Sixth Elder Dai Sheng, his face dark.
He was the very elder who had first discovered the disappearances.
Chu Chengzhou, far away in Heaven Dou City, did not know that this same Dai Sheng had once spied on him in Star Dou Forest while plotting to silence him—and now, his son and daughter-in-law lay dead by Chu's hand. A fitting revenge.
"To slaughter so many royals—this blood feud cannot be left unavenged! Even if he is Qian Daoliu's son, he must die!
Yutian, if we cannot find the real culprit, then kill all suspects!"
Dai Tao shot to his feet and thundered at his eldest son, Dai Yutian.
Killing all suspects was not sheer madness.
The true killer had erased all traces—there were no clues. They likely would never find him.
But would the royal clan simply swallow this? Impossible!
If they did, the true culprit would only press harder, and other hostile powers might pile on, emboldened by the lack of retaliation.
No—the message had to be sent.
"Yes, Father Emperor!"
Dai Yutian bowed.
"Old Patriarch, Your Majesty—I have a prime suspect."
At this, Grand Elder Dai Feng spoke.
"Who?"
"Chu Chengzhou!"
Dai Feng's reply was sharp and certain.
"Who is that?"
The name was unfamiliar to Dai Tao, who frowned in confusion.
Since his abdication, he had secluded himself within the palace, rarely involved in affairs of state. Chu Chengzhou, a junior, had never reached his ears.
"Old Patriarch, this man hails from the Heaven Dou Empire, affiliated with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect…"
Dai Feng's eyes flashed coldly as he recounted Chu Chengzhou's dossier. Then he added, "Though still young, with soul power only at the fifth ring Soul King level (our intelligence outdated—he is in fact sixth ring), his strength is astonishing.
The empire twice attempted to assassinate him. First, Contras 'Tiger' and 'Wolf' led six Soul Sages against him, only for Chu Chengzhou to kill the six Sages with archery.
Later, the empire secretly hired six Contras, including 'Vulture.' The details are unknown, but all six perished.
He has the strength, he has the motive, and he displayed strong spiritual techniques at the Soul Master Tournament. The murderer is at least seventy to eighty percent likely to be him."
Even if Dai Feng couldn't be absolutely sure, he was convinced. And even if not, killing Chu Chengzhou would be no loss. He deserved to die.
Talentless enemies were not so dangerous. But a genius with limitless potential? That was a nightmare. What if he grew into another Tang Chen, "Unrivaled on Land"? Then disaster would strike the Dai clan.
"In that case, why wasn't he eliminated earlier?"
Dai Tao was enraged. He turned his wrath upon his son, Emperor Dai Yutian.
"Father Emperor, this one is cunning. He hides in Heaven Dou City and keeps close ties with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect…"
Yutian hurried to explain.
"So what if it's Heaven Dou? So what if it's the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect? He's just a brat! Do you mean to say our empire cannot kill a mere five-ring Soul King?"
That only infuriated Dai Tao further.
Heaven Dou's only asset was Dugu Bo. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had only Chen Xin and Gu Rong. Three Titled Douluo total—Dugu Bo at the lowest tier of strength.
Even if those three shielded Chu Chengzhou, the empire could still kill him.
Titled Douluo weren't so idle as to guard a junior constantly.
The Dai clan could easily dispatch two Titled-level elders and erase him outright.
"Old Patriarch, my son fell to Chu Chengzhou's hand. This blood hatred cannot coexist—I, Dai Sheng, beg to be sent!"
Sixth Elder Dai Sheng stepped forward to request the task.
"Very well. Once this brat leaves Heaven Dou City, kill him without fail!"
Dai Tao nodded, then, after some thought, looked to three middle-aged elders. "Seventh Elder, Eighth Elder, Ninth Elder—you three will accompany him, in case Heaven Dou or the Seven Treasures sect interferes."
Heaven Dou was, after all, the imperial capital. Even without hidden Titled Douluo, its many Contras could prove troublesome. If surrounded, even the Netherworld White Tiger might fall.
He wanted Chu Chengzhou dead, but he would not risk his elders needlessly. Outside the city, however, the risk would vanish.
Four elders together, equivalent to four early Titled Douluo—no matter who guarded Chu Chengzhou, he would be doomed.
Yes—sending four Douluo to kill a Soul King. Chu Chengzhou should consider it an honor.
Dai Tao: "All enemies of the empire—die!"
As for Star Luo's wrath, Chu Chengzhou paid it no mind.
As long as he stayed in Heaven Dou City, he was safe.
In the imperial capital, Soul Sages and Contras might stir trouble, but never a Titled Douluo. Any such move would instantly trigger the empire's intervention—and unless the invader could suppress Heaven Dou entirely, they would not leave alive.
Once, Salas of the Spirit Hall had dared send Cang Xiong and others to Blue Tyrant Academy only because he had prepared for their annihilation. Spirit Hall could afford to lose a Contra and two Sages.
But the lesson was clear: meddling with juniors risked everything.
But the Star Luo Empire's foundation was not as deep as the Spirit Hall's, and sending even an eight-ring Contra would be useless. To succeed in assassinating Chu Chengzhou, they would have to send a Titled Douluo-level expert.
Yet Titled Douluo were the cornerstone of national power—losing one would cause unbearable pain. Deploying a Titled Douluo to eliminate a threat was possible, but allowing one to be killed in the attempt was absolutely unacceptable.
Perhaps in the future, he might face Titled Douluo assassins, but within Heaven Dou City, such a thing was impossible.
Not just the Star Luo Empire—even the Spirit Hall, with its numerous Titled Douluo—would never be willing to pay such a steep price.
During cultivation breaks, when bored, Chu Chengzhou began experimenting with the soul core—a creation that would only emerge on the continent in later generations.
He was well aware of his greatest weakness: his spirit summons were too high in years, while his own soul power level was too low. With only the six-ring level of soul power within him, he could not sustain Xiong Da and Da Hei in long battles.
His soul power rank was limited—there was no shortcut, no way to leap instantly to higher levels. But as for his total soul power capacity, there was a solution: condensing a soul core.
The soul core was one of the greatest later inventions of the soul master world, and eventually became standard for all high-level experts.
The soul core did not directly increase a soul master's rank, but once formed, it refined internal soul power, improved its quality, greatly boosted recovery speed, and, being condensed from soul power itself, could store vast amounts of energy.
Higher quality soul power also meant a disguised increase in total power. The soul core could even serve as a second reservoir, solving the issue of insufficient soul power.
Moreover, this refinement could help greatly when breaking through bottlenecks. In fact, the very existence of the soul core system contributed enormously to the later era when Titled Douluo were everywhere.
Though Chu Chengzhou had never read Douluo Dalu II, III, IV—or perhaps even V, VI, VII if they existed—he knew enough about soul cores.
There was risk in condensing one, and many had died attempting it. But as long as spiritual power was strong enough, and soul power control precise enough, the risks were controllable.
A soul master could condense up to three cores—in the lower dantian of the abdomen, the middle dantian of the chest, and the upper dantian at the brow. There were two methods: resonance in the same direction, and yin-yang complementary circulation.
The difference lay not in the number of cores but in their rotational directions once formed.
As someone who considered himself a cheat with hang-ups, Chu Chengzhou naturally aimed to condense three yin-yang complementary soul cores.
Though later generations would typically wait until they reached Soul Sage level to attempt the first core, Chu Chengzhou's supreme True Spirit Banner martial soul and his golden-grade Nine Breaths Meditation Art meant that, even at six rings, his soul power quality and reserves were not much inferior to a normal Soul Sage.
Condensing the first soul core should not be an issue.
Moreover, there was no fixed rank requirement for soul cores. With a lower rank, the total energy requirement was also lower. He should not run into a situation where his reserves were drained halfway through.
Even if that happened, he could discard the half-formed core without danger. As long as he had enough control, no real risk existed before the core fused into his body.
With calm focus, Chu Chengzhou cast aside distractions and adjusted his state. Raising his right hand, strands of blue soul power gathered into a pool of liquid energy in his palm.
Thanks to his Absolute Control technique, his precision was extraordinary. The liquid soul power hovered perfectly, without any leakage.
Gradually, as more energy gathered, the liquid rose and began to spin clockwise above his palm.
Condensing a soul core required control, compression, and rotation.
With control far beyond his peers, Chu Chengzhou injected power boldly, increasing both rotation and compression.
As the speed rose, the liquid condensed further, thickening until suddenly a tiny blue crystal the size of a needlepoint appeared.
Soul power was shifting from liquid to solid.
The crystal grew, consuming the liquid until all was gone, leaving behind a sapphire-like orb the size of an egg.
At the instant of transformation, a vortex formed around it, spinning clockwise, drawing in surrounding energy.
"No—too much commotion. This is Heaven Dou City, I can't condense here!"
Sensing the surrounding energy surging uncontrollably toward him, Chu Chengzhou realized he could not risk doing this at home. Every soul master in the city would sense it.
At once, he cut off the core's connection to the outside world and, under his control, dissolved the solidified soul power back to liquid, then dispersed it into the air.
After some thought, he extended his spiritual sense, then left his courtyard and knocked on his "neighbor" Dugu Bo's door.
Heaven Dou City was too public. He needed a secluded place, guarded by a powerful ally.
His first thought was his father-in-law, but the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was full of spies. Better to trust Dugu Bo and use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
He owed Dugu Bo a great favor. Once he perfected the soul core method, he would naturally teach it to him.
Shifting toxins into soul bones was only a stopgap—it did not cure the root. But condensing a poison-attribute soul core would permanently solve Dugu Bo's hidden dangers.
Furthermore, the effects of the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum and Black Jade Divine Bamboo in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well should finally be revealed to him.
Before, Chu Chengzhou had kept silent for fear Dugu Bo might turn hostile—who wouldn't resent having their peerless treasures picked clean?
But things were different now. Against a peak Titled Douluo, Chu Chengzhou might still lose, but against Dugu Bo at 92 ranks, he no longer feared him.
Two hours later, Chu Chengzhou and Dugu Bo arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Chu boy, is this 'soul core' you spoke of really so miraculous?" Dugu Bo asked doubtfully.
"Senior, don't worry—once I condense it, you'll see for yourself." Chu Chengzhou smiled.
"Fine then. I'll keep watch."
Dugu Bo smacked his lips but nodded.
Chu Chengzhou sat cross-legged near the spring, preparing to condense once more.
Practice made smooth. Soon, another sapphire-like orb of solid soul power hovered before him.
The vortex spun, devouring external energy—and his own internal soul power as well.
Though his reserves were limited, Chu Chengzhou carefully balanced the draw, slowing his own energy output while letting the core feast on the vast external influx.
Meanwhile, his spiritual power maintained stability, preventing detonation.
Otherwise, the half-formed core could explode with force rivaling a missile warhead.
This time, he was determined to succeed.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle