Boom!
In the darkness, a thunderous explosion drew the entire city's attention. Tianlin burst from the rooftop, hovering in midair.
"It's Young Master Tianlin!" Many recognized him at a glance. Even after two and a half years away, no one could forget the vice sect master who had led their sect to become number one.
"Xiao Tian, you're finally out!" Ning Fengzhi was overjoyed. His son-in-law's timing was perfect; the wedding was probably at its climax. Causing a scene now would be ideal.
Tianlin smiled as he looked down at the crowd. His soul power erupted—one yellow, two purple, two black, three red, and one dark gold ring appeared, their power threatening to engulf the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Nine...nine soul rings! Young Master Tianlin, the vice sect master has reached Titled Douluo!" The disciples below were both thrilled and ecstatic. Tianlin had been able to fight Titled Douluo as a Soul Saint; now that he was one himself, wasn't he invincible?
"That little monster even has a ninth ring?" Dugu Bo exclaimed in shock.
"That must be a God-bestowed ring. No wonder he didn't come out after breaking through—he was refining his soul ring. And that ring is the same grade as his Saint Spirit Bead's first ring—dark gold, so gorgeous and profound," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile.
Dugu Bo and Yin Yang exchanged glances. The same level as the Iceworm's soul ring—that meant a million-year level. A Titled Douluo with just a hundred-thousand-year ring was already much stronger than most, so with two million-year rings, even those like Dugu Bo, Yin Yang, or Spirit Hall elders wouldn't stand a chance.
Jun Tianhai and Mo Lan, Tianlin's parents, were also drawn outside by the commotion. Seeing their son in the sky, surrounded by nine soul rings and exuding overwhelming power, they covered their mouths in disbelief.
They knew their son was exceptionally gifted and might one day become a Titled Douluo, but they hadn't thought it would be this soon. After all, Tianlin was only twenty!
Pride filled their hearts.
Tianlin opened the Asura Judgment Eye and immediately saw everyone's names in the sect. Most glowed white, with a few in yellow and cyan.
The colors of judgment ranged across nine: red, black, purple, yellow, white, cyan, green, blue, gold.
White was the neutral color, representing someone who had done neither great good nor ill—just an ordinary person living a simple life. Most people were this color.
Below white were the colors of evil: Yellow for minor faults like petty theft—these just needed a little correction. Purple meant the person had killed, not for self-defense or out of desperation, but for personal gain at the cost of innocents. Black was for truly evil people, who had harmed many and deserved death. Red was for world-destroying demons, the most terrifying evil.
Above white were the colors of good: Cyan for small acts of kindness—helpful, good-hearted, but limited by ability. Green was for righteous heroes who punished evil. Blue was for those who benefited many and saved countless lives. The highest, gold, matched red—while red was for world-destroyers, gold was for world-saviors.
Tianlin smiled with satisfaction. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's atmosphere was decent—at worst, some yellow. As for purple, that was Dugu Bo, who before joining the sect had been headstrong and certainly killed people. But now, his color had faded to yellowish purple, likely thanks to years of self-restraint and brewing life-saving medicines.
Ning Fengzhi was cyan. Given the number of people he'd saved, he could have been green, but no force in the world is without a dark side. Undoubtedly, Ning Fengzhi had done some ruthless things that offset his good deeds. Still, he was a net positive—a hero.
Before coming out, Tianlin looked in the mirror and saw he was green. That made sense given his years roaming with Chen Xin. But it still annoyed him—why green? He decided he'd either lower it or upgrade to gold, but he refused to stay "green".
At this point, Ning Fengzhi called up to him, "Enough showing off, Xiao Tian. Come down, your father-in-law has something to tell you."
"Heh, didn't you say I should make my exit as grand as possible when I came out?" Tianlin landed and smiled.
"A little show is enough. Now everyone in the city knows you've become a Titled Douluo. That's plenty."
Tianlin nodded, "Alright, father-in-law. What did you want to tell me? I just came out—has anything major happened on the continent?"
"Plenty has happened, but I'll tell you slowly later. Right now, you need to head to the Heaven Dou imperial palace..." Ning Fengzhi spent several minutes explaining the situation with Xue Beng and Shui Bing'er, as well as how Yang Wudi and Shui Bing'er had become close friends, and that Yang Wudi was likely causing trouble at the palace right now.
After hearing the story, Tianlin understood the situation. Xue Beng reminded him of himself—they both recruited prodigies to strengthen their factions.
Xue Beng wanted to use marriage to gain Shui Bing'er's aid, and through her, completely win over the Elemental Academy—just as Tianlin had allied with Tang San and the Clear Sky Sect.
However, the Elemental Academy was nowhere near as powerful, so Xue Beng acted more aggressively and ruthlessly.
"Heh, looks like Xue Beng and I are quite similar. He's busy consolidating power; I'm busy planning coups. We're quite the pair. I wonder how he's doing after all these years—does he miss me? I'll go see him now!" Tianlin laughed.
"Vice sect master, let me take you. Old Goat is probably already fighting them." Bai He was anxious. Although Gu Rong was secretly protecting Yang Wudi, he still worried about his old friend.
With his speed, he could reach the palace fastest.
"No need, Senior Bai He. Don't worry, I guarantee nothing will happen to Senior Yang." Tianlin replied confidently.
He swung his Demon Sword and shot off into the sky, vanishing from sight.
"How fast! Faster even than when I use my spirit's true form. This is the power of a Titled Douluo?" Bai He exclaimed.
"Haha, that's not just Titled Douluo power—that's Xiao Tian's power!" Ning Fengzhi laughed. Just this speed showed how terrifying Tianlin's strength was.
"Sigh, he left so quickly I didn't even get to ask what title he'd choose as a Titled Douluo. Guess we'll have to wait for him to come back."
"Let's guess for him—how about Demon Sword Douluo or Spirit Pearl Douluo?" Dugu Bo suggested.
Yin Yang shook his head. "No, he has twin spirits, so both should be included. Maybe Pearl-Sword Douluo, Spirit-Sword Douluo, or Holy Demon Douluo would be better."
They continued their debate on the way back to the main hall. In the end, of course, the decision would be Tianlin's alone.