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Lan Minghua paid no attention to the actions of Gu Rong and the others, acting as if he hadn't even noticed them.
He squinted, watching his disciples fight on the arena. A satisfied smile appeared on his face when he discovered the secret hidden within Dugu Yan.
"Oh? Interesting. I didn't expect her to be hiding something I hadn't noticed."
Lan Minghua's tone was normal, but both Feng Xiaotian and Shui Bing'er heard him clearly.
"Master, our Fifth Senior Sister has a secret you haven't discovered?" Feng Xiaotian asked in confusion.
Shui Bing'er also tilted her head, eager to learn more about her senior brother and sisters from him.
Lan Minghua glanced at Feng Xiaotian, rubbed his stomach, and said with a lazy, casual air, "An external spirit bone."
"An external… spirit bone?!" Feng Xiaotian and Shui Bing'er exclaimed in unison.
As the top talents of the Elemental Academy's younger generation, their knowledge was naturally extensive.
They exchanged a glance, seeing the mutual astonishment in each other's eyes.
Due to their outburst, the nearby spectators also clearly heard the words "external spirit bone."
"An external spirit bone? Where, where is it?!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement, everyone craning their necks to search for the fabled item.
Their excitement was understandable. On the "Soul Master's Dream List," the external spirit bone ranked second, surpassed only by the number one item: a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring.
Lan Minghua glanced at the excited crowd and transmitted his voice to Dugu Yan and Meng Yiran on the arena.
"You've wasted enough time. End the fight. Yanzi, stop holding back—use your external spirit bone. Yiran, I permit you to use your offensive-type Soul Tool. Finish the battle quickly."
After sending the message, he cast a glance toward the area outside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
Come on, then. Let's see just how capable this grand assassination plot you've prepared really is.
Lan Minghua's lips moved again, transmitting his voice to Wu Song and Dugu Bo, who were far away at Shrek Academy.
He continued sending instructions to the members of the Tianlong Gang—Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, Xuanwu—and even that man received the transmission.
After all, this was the Tianlong Gang's first true public appearance; Lan Minghua was hardly going to be discreet.
"Qiandao Liu, you'd better come too. Otherwise, if the person you value dies, you won't even have a place to cry."
With that thought, his gaze flicked toward the crown prince of the Tian Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.
As if sensing it, Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue—looked up, her eyes meeting Lan Minghua's.
He's looking at me?!
Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat.
Could I have been exposed?
No… that's impossible! I've hidden myself so well that not even the Great Snow Night Emperor has noticed. How could someone seeing me for the first time possibly penetrate my disguise?
Years of undercover work had honed Qian Renxue's ability to adapt to any situation.
She silently averted her gaze, continuing to watch the arena match as if nothing had happened.
A trace of amusement flickered in Lan Minghua's eyes as he mused to himself, "Oh? Quite the convincing act. No wonder your performance could even fool an old fox like Ning Fengzhi."
Her disguise was indeed formidable—but for Lan Minghua, who possessed a god's-eye view of the world, her disguise and acting skills were nothing more than decoration.
He paid Qian Renxue no more mind; with him present, it wouldn't be a simple matter for her to leave.
On the arena, Dugu Yan and Meng Yiran trembled slightly after receiving the message.
Dugu Yan turned toward Lan Minghua, stuck out her tongue, and transmitted back, "I thought I could give you a surprise, Master. I didn't expect you to know all along!"
Lan Minghua rolled his eyes in response. "You, a wet-behind-the-ears little brat, thought you could fool me? Hurry up and finish the match—more interesting things are about to happen."
Hearing his words, Dugu Yan and Meng Yiran held back no longer.
Xie Yue's eyes turned cold, killing intent surging within them. "You dare get distracted while fighting me? Then die!"
He felt that with Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo there to protect him, he would face no consequences for killing Dugu Yan.
His soul rings flared, and in an instant, a blood-red crescent blade carved a bizarre arc as it slashed toward Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan stood her ground, her eyes erupting with two beams of green light.
In the next moment, a phantom of an emerald-green Ice Jade Scorpion appeared behind her.
Its pincers solidified instantly and, with a loud clang, clamped down on the incoming crescent blade.
The blade's power was immense, kicking up a cloud of dust the moment it was caught.
"What!" Xie Yue was stunned. His full-power attack had been blocked by someone with weaker soul power than him.
As the dust settled, the audience finally got a clear view of the arena.
An emerald-green scorpion tail and two enormous pincers protruded from Dugu Yan's back.
The pincers held Xie Yue's crescent blade in a death grip, rendering it completely immobile.
Xie Yue's pupils shrank in shock as he cried out, "That's… an external spirit bone?!"
So the external spirit bone the crowd had been buzzing about belonged to Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan snorted. "It's over!"
Before the words left her lips, she vanished from her spot, her speed astonishing.
She would show no mercy to Xie Yue, a member of Spirit Hall.
After all, in the Icy Forest, she and her friends had been hunted by Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo.
Without a shred of hesitation, she appeared at Xie Yue's side, and the poisonous stinger on her scorpion tail instantly pierced his body.
In a flash, Xie Yue's face turned a deep, visible purple. The poison had taken hold.
From the spectator stands, Chrysanthemum Douluo shot forward, intending to save Xie Yue.
Lan Minghua's eyes narrowed, a sneer gracing his lips. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's referee interfered once. Chrysanthemum Gate, do you really think anyone can interfere a second time in front of me?"
With that, his figure flickered, becoming somewhat ethereal.
Chrysanthemum Douluo, still flying forward, suddenly felt a bone-deep chill shoot straight to the crown of his head.
His pupils snapped wide—somehow, Lan Minghua had appeared directly in his path.
Damn it! How could I forget this god of death was here?!
It was too late to stop now. Throwing caution to the wind, he prepared for a life-or-death struggle.
"Ninth Soul Skill—Chrysanthemums Wither, Wounds Scatter!"
Lan Minghua chuckled softly. His figure flashed again, appearing directly in front of Chrysanthemum Douluo.
He casually lifted his hand and—SMACK!—a single palm struck the Titled Douluo across the face.
Though it seemed like a light slap, it was a blow from an absolute master.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's face rippled like the surface of water as blood and teeth sprayed from his mouth.
His body lost its balance, and he began to spin like a top.
Carried by his forward momentum, he shot toward the audience at the edge of the arena like a bullet from a gun, causing the spectators there to scatter in panic.
BOOM!
He slammed into the ground, creating a massive crater. His head was buried deep in the dirt, with only his rear end sticking comically up in the air.
"Chrysanthemum Gate!"
Ghost Douluo's eyes blazed with fury, but sensing that his partner was still breathing, he didn't act rashly. He had no desire to become the second Chrysanthemum Gate.
Meanwhile, on the arena, the window to save Xie Yue had closed.
Under the combined effects of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison and the Ice Jade Scorpion venom, he had dissolved into a foul-smelling pool of blood.
Ghost Douluo's heart bled. That was a genius from Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.
A thought struck him, and he quickly shouted to Hu Liena, "Surrender now! Don't draw it out!"
Hu Liena was stunned, shocked that Ghost Douluo would order her to forfeit.
She was about to refuse, but in the next moment, she sensed the unmistakable aura of death from the Soul Tool Meng Yiran had just retrieved from her storage pouch.
Without a moment's hesitation, she sprinted toward the edge of the arena.
Meng Yiran was left dumbfounded. I haven't even made a move yet, and you're already running?!
Lan Minghua did not intervene. He just said calmly, "Referee, announce the results."
The referee swallowed nervously and shakily announced that Oscar and the other three had advanced.
In the next moment, the sound of a system task completion chimed in Lan Minghua's mind.
And just then, every night-luminescent pearl within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect dimmed.
In an instant, the entire sect was plunged into darkness.
"Move out!"
(End of Chapter)