Since Hu Yanzhen already suspected Hu Yanlie was dead, then as for Tuoba Lan, who had gone with him, the conclusion was obvious.
The Sacred Dragon Clan must have reached the same judgment.
"The Sacred Dragon Clan's base is near Spirit City. They mainly rely on the Great Spirit Arena to gather information. There's been no unusual movement.
My guess is they're afraid of being tied to the Elephant Armor Sect. After all, even now, the Elephant Armor Sect hasn't openly shown any intention of siding with Spirit Hall," Old Scorpion analyzed.
Dugu Feng frowned.
But in the future Soul Master Tournament, the Elephant Armor Sect would be infamous for throwing itself into Spirit Hall's arms. Why not reveal it now?
The only explanation was - covert allegiance. A hidden blade, waiting to be used when it mattered most.
Could it be for the shares of the Great Spirit Arena?
The Clear Sky Sect's share, where abandoned when they were forced into seclusion. Less than a year remained until the six-party resolution.
Does Spirit Hall want to claim that empty seat?
Very likely.
After all, they had driven Clear Sky Sect into retreat. It would only be logical for them to devour the spoils.
And among the seven powers managing the Great Spirit Arena, the Sacred Dragon Clan was already a puppet of Spirit Hall. If Spirit Hall also seized the vacant share and the Elephant Armor Sect's allegiance, then nearly half of the Arena would fall under their control.
That… was surely Bibi Dong's ambition.
The Arena represented more than wealth.
It was the laws of the Soul Master world itself!
Control it, and you controlled the very system.
Dugu Feng shivered.
In the future, there had been no mention of the Dugu Clan. Only Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan remained.
If Bibi Dong was bold enough, she might use the Elephant Armor Sect as a dagger to suddenly betray the alliance and destroy one of the powers outright.
The thought made Dugu Feng uneasy.
The Sacred Dragon Clan had lost so many elites, yet remained silent.
Their silence reeked of a bigger plan.
Dugu Feng shared his suspicions, then concluded solemnly:
"Bibi Dong has already been Pope of Spirit Hall for six years. Once she consolidates internally, she'll inevitably expand outward. The Elephant Armor Sect is just one of her tools. The clan must be careful."
Cruel, ruthless, and insane. Bibi Dong was capable of anything.
Old Scorpion was stunned.
From mere silence on the Sacred Dragon Clan's part, the young master had deduced Spirit Hall's ploy with the Elephant Armor Sect.
The young lord truly is a monster!
His mind was sharp, his reasoning impeccable.
"I'll report this to the Patriarch," Old Scorpion said quickly. Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he grinned. "Ah, right...Little Lord, I brought you some snacks. Try them."
Before Dugu Feng could respond, a plate appeared in front of him.
He froze.
Snakes, he'd already been eating for two years.
Now… scorpions?
Would spiders, toads, and centipedes be next?
Of course they would.
Because before enrollment, his father Dugu Shuo had already told him of the Five Venoms Configuration—the clan's most tyrannical poison cultivation path.
The first five spirit rings were to be snake, scorpion, spider, centipede, and toad. Together, they formed the Tyrant Poison, the ultimate poison blend honed by generations of bloody experiments.
His second spirit ring had already been determined. It must come from a poisonous scorpion.
Seeing Dugu Feng's disgusted face, Old Scorpion snorted.
"Little Lord, do you know how hard it was to capture these scorpion soul beasts? After catching them, we starved them for a month, then drowned them in salt water, and finally deep-fried them in oil.
Look at these crispy golden shells, they are light and crunchy. There are plenty of people who'd kill for the chance to eat one!"
Dugu Feng was speechless.
Of course he knew fried scorpion was a delicacy...even on his past life's Blue Star. Plenty of people ate it.
Still, snake meat had at least come in chunks.
Scorpions… were whole. Legs, pincers, tail...all of it.
It was a mental barrier.
But fine...if it was for cultivation, he'd swallow it.
He grabbed a small one and tossed it in.
Crunch.
Crispy, aromatic. Not bad.
Once the first went down, the rest followed. Soon, the plate was empty.
"How does it feel?" Old Scorpion asked eagerly. "Frying weakens the venom, but just enough for you to get used to the mixture of snake and scorpion toxins. It's to prepare you for your second spirit ring."
Dugu Feng closed his eyes, sensing carefully.
Indeed, there was a faint thread of gray toxin seeping into him.
It merged with his soul power, some sinking into his flesh, some absorbed by the Pearl.
"…Nothing much," he admitted.
Old Scorpion's eyes gleamed. No reaction meant strong tolerance.
Rubbing his hands, he produced a bulging leather sack, taller than a man.
"Here, it's all yours. Keep eating whenever you've time. Every kind of fried scorpion you can think of is in here.
Oh, and Little Lord, start considering which kind of scorpion soul beast you want for your second ring. I'll take you to hunt it. I know them all across the continent!"
Dugu Feng opened the sack.
It was full to the brim with fried scorpions.
This old scorpion… how many soul beasts did you massacre for this?
Still… they were tasty.
He swept his hands, storing the entire sack into his spatial belt.
You claim to know every scorpion soul beast? Then what about the Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor, Ice Empress herself?
He sneered inwardly. Blowing smoke as usual. Still… that might actually be a good choice for my second ring.
Moments later, Old Scorpion left.
Dugu Feng sat cross-legged again.
The whale gel energy had already settled in his body. With the added scorpion venom, his reserves brimmed with strange power.
It was time for the Pearl to work.
Absorbing the energy, refining it, and releasing that unique warm current to temper his body.
He sank deeper into meditation.
"…Thirty-eight. The Pearl's energy is now thirty-eight. Still sixty-two left before it's full. The whale rubber boosted it by one point."
His eyes shone with joy.
Good. At this pace, he could churn out Pearl after Pearl.
A hundred and eighty pearls. In battle, unleash ten at once...let's see who survives that explosion.
With smug thoughts swirling, Dugu Feng buried himself in training.
His Academy life had officially begun.
But unlike his classmates' expectations, he lived in complete low profile.
He often skipped classes, only attending those he deemed useful.
All other time...he spent either in his dorm or the simulation grounds.
Training. Always training.