"Turning a Light-attribute martial soul directly into an Evil martial soul… no matter how I think about it, it just doesn't make sense."
Jin Peng frowned deeply, muttering under his breath as he looked at Du Bushi with suspicion.
"Sect Master, you're not joking with me, are you?"
"How could I joke about something like this? It's true—and most likely related to the soul beast that Jiang Jue absorbed."
Du Busi paused for a moment, then briefly recounted what had happened during his recent trip.
"The Scarlet-Eyed Blood Demon—yeah, that soul beast is a bit twisted, but not to the extent of causing a martial soul mutation."
Jin Peng stroked his long beard thoughtfully, a glint of contemplation flashing in his eyes.
"That's why I think it's the Scarlet King—or the Emperor Tian behind it—playing tricks. Next time I see that Scarlet King, I'll make sure it pays for it."
When he mentioned the Scarlet King, a wave of killing intent surged from Du Busi's body. His robe fluttered slightly as he spoke in a voice full of hatred.
It was the first time a soul beast had ever tricked him—worse yet, one that looked so dignified and honest on the surface.
"Are you sure it's the soul beasts behind this?"
Jin Peng narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking deeply. For some reason, he had this inexplicable feeling that everything seemed… orchestrated.His intuition had always been sharp—especially in times of great importance.
"Sect Master… is it possible that the problem lies with Jiang Jue himself?"
Jin Peng fixed his gaze on Du Busi, voicing the shocking thought.
"With Jiang kid himself?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"The Scarlet King captured the soul beast, the absorption process—I watched it the whole time. I even observed every second of the mutation!"
"That banner of his—it suddenly changed while absorbing the spirit ring. It didn't just turn black, it even started emitting black smoke."
"So, I'm telling you, there's no problem with Jiang kid at all."
Du Busi shook his head firmly, denying the suspicion with absolute certainty.
"Is that so? Then it really might have been the soul beast's doing."
A sharp light flashed in Jin Peng's eyes as he nodded slightly.
"Jiang Jue… ever since Lang Yayu Tao met you, brought you back, and up till now—everything about him just feels suspicious."
Jin Peng thought to himself, still feeling uneasy—something about this didn't sit right with him.
"Old Jin, only the two of us know about this. Until we find a good solution, don't tell anyone else."
Du Busi said gravely.
The reason he told Jin Peng at all was because Jin Peng's position in the Body Sect was second only to his own—and they had grown up together, sharing a deep bond.
Rather than letting Jin Peng discover it on his own later, it was better to tell him now and get his counsel.
"Sect Master, do you take me for that kind of man?"
Jin Peng shot him a glare.
"Does that little princess from the Heaven Soul Empire who went with you know about this?"
"She knows—but she pretended not to. Didn't show any reaction."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Du Busi's lips.
"Oh?"
"Could she possibly report this back to the Heaven Soul Empire? After all, she just joined our Body Sect. Her loyalty to the Empire surely outweighs any attachment to us. We can't rule out that possibility."
Jin Peng raised an eyebrow and spoke slowly.
Having known Du Busi for so many years, he could already tell that the Sect Master intended to groom Jiang Jue as his successor.
However, that also meant that this hidden danger had to be addressed early.
After all, everyone on the continent despised Evil Soul Masters. Even passing stray dogs would want to kick them when they saw one.
They were truly the type of existence everyone wanted to exterminate.
While the Body Sect didn't care about its reputation, if word of Jiang Jue's Evil Martial Soul ever leaked out, the sect itself might be branded as a nest of Evil Soul Masters.
That would make life on the continent far more troublesome.
"I think it'd be best to let that little princess undergo a 'Memory Erasure Technique'—make her forget everything that happened. Old Xu's the best at that."
A cold glint flashed in Jin Peng's eyes as he smiled—a smile that sent chills down one's spine.
"That won't be necessary. I'll handle it myself."
Du Busi shook his head slightly at Jin Peng's smile, stopping him.
He knew Jin Peng too well—whenever Jin Peng showed that smile, it meant someone was about to have a very bad day.
But since he was still hoping for Weina and Jiang Jue to get together and strengthen the Body Sect, he couldn't let Jin Peng do anything reckless.
"Oh, right, Old Jin—this time, I felt that barrier that's been holding me back loosen."
Du Busi suddenly changed the subject, diverting Jin Peng's attention.
"What?! Are you serious?!"
Jin Peng's expression changed drastically, his eyes widening with excitement.
Normally steady and composed, he had now lost his composure twice within a few short minutes.
It wasn't that his self-control was poor—the news he'd just heard was simply too shocking.
"You mean you're about to take that step?!"
Jin Peng stared hard at Du Busi, asking in a trembling voice.
"Yes."
Du Busi nodded heavily in response.
"That's wonderful! Heaven bless our Body Sect! An Ultimate Douluo—the pinnacle of the continent!"
Jin Peng muttered in awe, his breathing growing rapid.
He knew that once Du Busi stepped into that realm, the Body Sect would rise to an entirely new level.
At that point, there would be only a handful of powers on the entire continent that could rival them—And the Body Sect would truly stand at the peak.
"In that case, you should seize this opportunity. Enter seclusion for a while and aim for a full breakthrough. Leave sect matters to me."
Jin Peng said solemnly.
"What about the tunnel project?"
Du Busi hesitated briefly.
"No need to rush that. Leave it to Old Xu. Besides, it's time for Lang Yayu's generation to get out and see the world—to gain some experience. Having us old bones do everything isn't always a good thing."
Jin Peng shook his head and quickly laid out a plan.
"Alright. By the way, that previous matter—any issues?"
Du Busi's gaze flickered slightly as he asked.
"Well… there are indeed a few people within the sect getting restless. But I handled it discreetly last time."
A sharp glint flashed through Jin Peng's eyes as he tapped the table meaningfully.
He was referring to the mission Du Busi had given him after the last meeting—to secretly protect Jiang Jue.
"Hmph! Using the sect's resources to cause internal strife? They must have a death wish."
Du Busi snorted coldly, his expression icy.
"Well, it's human nature—once people gain power, their ambitions start growing…"
"But the problem is when they cross the line—and reach where they shouldn't."
Jin Peng sighed, clenching his fist.
"Then cut off the hand that crosses the line. Old Jin, you should understand this better than I do."
Du Busi said coldly.
Nothing enraged him more than internal conflict within the sect.
(End of Chapter)