Watching Xu Jiuyou holding him close affectionately and Xu Jiawei smiling warmly, Ji Lin cast his gaze into the distance.
"She should be arriving soon... Ah, there she is."
He sensed the scarlet figure rapidly approaching from the horizon.
At that moment, the one with the highest cultivation on site, the level-96 Super Douluo Shattered Star Douluo, was the first to react.
"Who is it? Such speed... Hmm! Not good, they're heading straight for us!"
"Such boldness, to charge directly at the imperial palace. Do they take us for nothing?!" Mighty Strength Douluo Cheng Gang roared angrily.
As he spoke, he took a slight step forward with his left foot. Instantly, a dense black aura surged from his body. As the aura appeared, the earth itself seemed to tremble—like the ground was responding to his power.
Cheng Gang's body began to transform. For beast spirit masters, the higher the cultivation, the more their bodies morph to resemble their martial spirits when activated. Cheng Gang was no exception. His skin darkened, gleaming like it was covered in a layer of black armor. Most unusually, his eyebrows extended and curled upward, becoming two tentacle-like protrusions over 20 centimeters long.
Two yellow, three purple, and four black soul rings—nine in total—appeared around him. The oppressive aura of a Title Douluo surged outward, shaking the very earth.
With a low growl, Cheng Gang crouched slightly and then launched into the sky with a thunderous blast. The ground beneath him caved in slightly as he shot upward like a cannonball toward the incoming red figure.
"Wait, Cheng Gang, don't go!"
Medical Immortal Douluo Wang Xian'er sensed the approaching presence. The aura was at least Super Douluo level. Seeing Cheng Gang rush up recklessly, her expression changed drastically.
"This brute..." Heavenbane Douluo Huang Jinxu muttered with a strange look. Even he didn't dare act rashly, yet Cheng Gang, who was weaker, dared to charge straight in.
"ε=(ο｀*)))... This battle maniac. He must be itching for a fight. No one's sparred with him lately. He's probably stir-crazy. When will he ever learn to stop charging headfirst..." Wang Xian'er sighed helplessly.
"Hahaha, this brute is going to suffer. Serves him right. Maybe it'll teach him a lesson so he stops bothering me all the time." Giant Hammer Douluo laughed gleefully.
As another strength-type Title Douluo, Giant Hammer Douluo was Cheng Gang's usual sparring partner. Though also a battle fanatic, he was tired of fighting Cheng Gang, who was 94th rank while Cheng Gang was only 91st—and had not a single soul bone. Compared to other Title Douluo, he was a disgrace. Their fights were never satisfying, and since they were both imperial guardian Douluos, he couldn't go all out. It was exhausting.
Cheng Gang, however, always sought him out. So much so, that Giant Hammer Douluo had developed a reflex to avoid him at first sight.
Seeing Cheng Gang get trounced? Pure joy.
"There are only so many Title Douluos on the continent. Do you know who that is?" Xu Jiawei asked, frowning.
"Very unfamiliar aura—not someone we know," Shattered Star Douluo said, eyes narrowing as he watched the figures about to clash.
BOOM!A thunderous explosion ripped through the sky as the two auras collided, tearing the clouds apart.
In the air, the once-mighty Cheng Gang was now sent flying back at an even faster speed. He crashed into a distant side hall.
"BOOM—!"
A meteor-like streak fell from the sky, obliterating the palace structure and raising a cloud of dust.
"How dare they attack the palace!"A squad of armored guards rushed toward the collapsed hall.
"It's me."From the rubble, Cheng Gang stood up, clutching his chest, blood dripping from his lips.
"Ah! It's Lord Cheng Gang! Who dared to injure a guardian Douluo in the palace? Could this be an invasion from the Sun-Moon Empire?!"
The lead guard helped him up quickly.
"I'm fine. You're dismissed. Leave this to me." Cheng Gang waved them off, refusing to admit he'd been taken down in one hit. He staggered forward, still holding his chest.
"Damn... That really hurt."
Meanwhile, all eyes turned to the crimson figure hovering above the Awakening Hall. Even with Cheng Gang's strength, being blown away so easily meant they had underestimated this newcomer.
At last, everyone saw her clearly.
White hair, red eyes, cloaked in blazing fire, floating effortlessly above.
"My god, what a gorgeous big sis..." Xu Jiuyou gasped softly, covering her mouth.
"White hair... red eyes... fire-type... Are you the Chi Yuan Douluo?" Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes.
"That's me."The red-eyed, white-haired young woman replied calmly.
"I wonder what brings Chi Yuan Douluo to our palace. You injured one of our guardian Douluos... That's a serious matter."
As Xu Jiawei finished speaking, several Title Douluos surrounded Chi Yuan Douluo, their auras rising. The scene was tense and ready to explode.
"I mean no harm to the Star Luo Empire. I was just passing by and sensed an extreme fire aura, so I hurried over. That guardian Douluo charged me first. I had no choice but to defend myself. Who knew he was all bark and no bite—couldn't even take a single punch."
She blinked innocently, her red eyes gleaming.
"Pfft—"Xu Jiuyou leaned on Ji Lin, her head bowed, shoulders trembling from holding back laughter.
"This…"Xu Jiawei and the other elders looked at each other, helpless.
From the way Chi Yuan Douluo's attention remained fixed on Ji Lin, Xu Jiawei knew there was no hiding anything now.
"Since you've come for the extreme fire aura, I assume you've already guessed the truth."
Xu Jiawei motioned for Ji Lin to come forward.
Ji Lin stepped up beside him and bowed. "Greetings, Chi yuan Douluo."
They exchanged a brief glance—one that carried unspoken understanding—before looking away.
"This child is the one who awakened the extreme fire martial spirit. The aura you sensed came from his awakening."