"She's from the magic system... no, compared to the use of various spirit abilities, her incantation chanting doesn't have that sense of effortless mastery."
Huo Yuhao listened intently to the tone and rhythm of Rong Tianling's chanting several times, his brow gradually furrowing.
He himself was skilled in magic, so he could tell the difference.
Although the syllables of Rong Tianling's incantations were accurate and rapid, each use carried an indescribable sense of disconnect—like a person accustomed to using their right hand suddenly switching to their left. The movements were all correct, but they lacked that fluid, natural quality.
"This isn't the performance of someone who grew up immersed in the magic system."
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "It's more like a soul master native to the Douluo Continent who later learned magical incantations and integrated them into their combat system as a tool to enhance their spirit abilities."
Emperor Tian, upon hearing this, let his gaze linger on Rong Tianling a moment longer. "You mean she's an expert who grew up on the Douluo Continent? A descendant of Rong Nianbing on Douluo, or someone with related inheritance?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Yes. Her use of her martial soul is far better and more familiar than her use of the magic system. Her fundamental cultivation system is clearly still the martial soul system, which suggests she most likely grew up locally on the Douluo Continent."
"As for whether she's a bloodline descendant of Rong Nianbing's offspring left on the Douluo Continent, or some other situation, that's hard to judge for now. The only thing certain is that she does have some connection to Rong Nianbing, but she's not his direct child."
Rong Tianling wasn't a deity now. Her cultivation was indeed only at the early quasi-divine level, with no concealment. The group couldn't possibly be mistaken about that.
Moreover, in Huo Yuhao's eyes, Rong Tianling bore traces of a Spirit Soul contract. Combined with her performance with magical incantations, it was basically certain that her primary cultivation system wasn't the magic system, but the soul master system.
Then the possibility of her being Rong Nianbing's direct child could basically be ruled out.
If Rong Nianbing's own child knew the martial soul system better than the magic system, that would truly be forgetting their roots.
Hearing Huo Yuhao's somewhat vague words, Emperor Tian smiled. "It's rare to see you not knowing something."
Huo Yuhao spread his hands. "I'm not omniscient."
Old Rong had quite a few wives, and naturally quite a few children. But the original story barely mentioned these juniors. How could he possibly know?
Truth be told, Tang Wutong clearly knew more.
But if confused she did know, she would have said so already. Since Tang Wutong had also looked earlier, it meant Rong Tianling's existence wasn't in her memories.
"It seems we'll have to make contact with her to find out the specifics," Emperor Tian said.
Gu Ruiqiu blinked. "Not necessarily? Isn't there that thing about Divine Persona Backlash? If we insult her ancestor right in front of her, that should tell us."
Divine Persona Backlash referred to the phenomenon where insulting a deity's ancestor in front of their descendant would trigger a backlash due to the divine bloodline within the descendant. This had no effect on ordinary people, only on Limit Douluo pursuing the true divine realm.
Gu Yuena tapped her forehead, making Gu Ruiqiu yelp in pain. "Do you want Snow Empress and the others to get hurt for no reason?"
"And besides, Divine Persona Backlash only works on descendants within three generations of a deity. Once the bloodline is diluted, even if the person is a deity's descendant, it won't trigger. Yuhao and the others have already determined that Rong Tianling isn't a direct child. What would your plan even tell us in the end?"
"I was just saying it casually," Gu Ruiqiu pouted.
While they were conversing, the battle on stage was gradually reaching its climax.
On the arena, Rong Tianling's figure flickered in and out of the flames. Her hands rose as if grasping something, and the fire shadow behind her suddenly split into three. The three flame figures charged at Qianku Qingfeng from different directions simultaneously.
Qianku Qingfeng's expression didn't change. His Purgatory Halberd swept horizontally, and a purple-black crescent slash howled forth. This strike didn't just cut through the flames—it also carried a spiritual attack, enough to separate an ordinary person's soul from their body.
But the moment the flame figures were severed, Rong Tianling's incantation was already complete. The scattered flames recondensed in midair, transforming into countless sparks that poured down like a torrential rain.
Qianku Qingfeng was forced to change tactics and retreat, frowning at his opponent.
He was now seasoned semi-divine. With the enhancement of his Four-Word Battle Armor, his combat power was exceptional, allowing him to trade blows evenly with Rong Tianling, who had just entered the quasi-divine level.
However, as Rong Tianling continuously used various spirit incantations, he gradually sensed something wrong. It wasn't an absolute suppression in power, but a loss of control over the rhythm.
Every time he was about to exert force, her seemingly dissipating flame spirit abilities would change form at just the right moment. Every time he found an opening and prepared to charge in, her incantation would finish at the perfect time, boosting her flame power by a full thirty percent.
It felt like punching cotton—frustrating to no end.
Perhaps in the eyes of Huo Yuhao and Elder Electrolux, Rong Tianling's incantation mastery wasn't high, but that was only relative. Her incantation skill was above average and wouldn't show any openings.
Moreover, Rong Tianling had found the combat style that suited her best and was aware of her own shortcomings. She never used incantations to directly launch attacks.
She only used incantations to enhance her flame power, change flame attributes, and adjust her attack rhythm.
Explosive, penetrating, burning, entangling—each flame variation was perfectly timed. It neither exposed openings due to chanting nor gave Qianku Qingfeng any respite.
He couldn't let this continue.
Sensing that Rong Tianling had seized control of the battle's rhythm, Qianku Qingfeng's internal alarm bells rang. He stopped holding back and directly used his seventh spirit ability.
Martial Soul True Body, True Body Possession!
He gripped his Purgatory Halberd with his right hand and slammed the shaft into the ground. In an instant, purple-black light erupted from his body like a volcanic eruption, enveloping him entirely.
Then, he took a single step forward.
Just one step, and the entire arena trembled. An invisible pressure radiated from within him—not the oppression of spirit power, but a will like that of purgatory itself.
Eighth Spirit Ability—Purgatory Judgment!
Qianku Qingfeng's form turned into a streak of purple-black light, ignoring all interference along the way, and charged at Rong Tianling in an instant, leaving charred cracks in his path.
Rong Tianling had the illusion of being targeted by an ancient savage beast. Her mind trembled, and she instinctively activated her own Martial Soul True Body.
Her form gradually blurred within the flames, eventually transforming entirely into a ball of blazing fire, fully merging into the fire shadow.
Ninth Spirit Ability—Eternal Blazing Sun!
In an instant, that blazing ball of fire suddenly contracted, then violently expanded. The contraction and expansion happened in the blink of an eye, yet it felt like experiencing a complete cycle of life and death. The flame was no longer just flame—it was a true sun.
Two immense auras collided on the arena. On one side was the purple-black will of purgatory; on the other, the golden-red fire of origin. Neither yielded.
Just as they reached a stalemate, Rong Tianling's voice emerged from within the flames, each syllable drawing upon the fire-attribute energy of heaven and earth: "Blazing heavenly fire, radiant and glorious, by my fire shadow, I summon the eight directions..."
Somewhere on the Douluo Continent, a man watched the broadcast and silently recited a different incantation in his heart.
Heavenly fire that exists in the hottest places of the world, I borrow your purest energy, transforming into endless molten lava, condensing the divine power of the Flame God... manifest in the strongest form of life—Forbidden Curse, Flame God Dragon Transformation Technique!
After finishing, he couldn't help but laugh, sighing to himself, "If I hadn't converted all the magical incantations into spirit incantations that integrate with her spirit abilities, this girl wouldn't be able to use this kind of forbidden curse at all. Her magical aptitude is truly poor... but it should be enough."
On the screen, Rong Tianling's incantation reached its end. With the final syllable, the golden-red sun suddenly exploded.
The fragmented flames didn't scatter outward—instead, they coalesced inward, forming a five-zhang-long flame dragon.
A dragon's roar shook the heavens.
Qianku Qingfeng looked up at the massive dragon, his battle intent burning to its peak. He gripped his Purgatory Halberd with both hands, rapidly changing his stance, merging man and weapon into one, his essence, energy, and spirit united.
Purgatory Breaking the Limit!
Boom!
The black halberd shadow and the flame dragon crashed into each other.
Space distorted. The arena shattered. The two forces furiously eroded each other, purple-black and golden-red intertwining into a chaotic mass.
Cracks spread across the protective barrier. Personnel from Mingde Hall urgently intervened to maintain it.
The stalemate lasted three breaths.
"Break!"
Rong Tianling gritted her teeth, pouring all her spirit power into the attack. The dragon flame raised
its head and roared, its maw snapping shut—swallowing the black halberd shadow whole.
Light exploded.
The dust settled.
Rong Tianling's complexion was somewhat pale, but she was still standing.
Qianku Qingfeng knelt on one knee, his Purgatory Halberd planted before him, his hands still gripping it tightly.
In the final exchange, he had lost by half a measure.
Qianku Qingfeng looked up at Rong Tianling, his voice calm and straightforward. "I lost."
Strictly speaking, both still had the ability to continue fighting. Who would ultimately win was still uncertain. But this was only a stage match—it was enough to stop here. There was no need to fight to mutual destruction.
Dying in the virtual space would still affect the real world.
And for Qianku Qingfeng, the War Temple Temple Master position wasn't something he absolutely had to fight for. Compared to a position, he would rather go back into seclusion and digest the insights gained from battling a quasi-divine.
An opponent like Rong Tianling was a first for him.
Rong Tianling was silent for two breaths, then nodded. "You're too kind."
The audience was silent for a breath, then erupted.
Seeing the match decided, Huo Yuhao didn't linger in the stands. He cast one last glance at Rong Tianling, his eyes flickering, then left with the others.
Back in reality, Huo Yuhao first arranged accommodation for Tang Wutong's divine consciousness and assigned her an area in the Spirit Elevation Platform's isolation zone.
Tang Wutong's divine consciousness, like the earlier Tang San divine consciousness, was rootless. Previously, with the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley and two deities as backing, there was no worry about her power running out.
Now, naturally, she needed a place to recover. After all, Tang Wutong's knowledge of the Douluo Divine Realm far exceeded anyone else's. That alone made her valuable—they couldn't just watch her lose her memories.
And the "Pseudo-Immortal Energy" in the Spirit Elevation Platform was clearly an option.
Of course, he also arranged for people to keep an eye on her.
After doing all this, Huo Yuhao found time to search the Spirit Transmission Tower's database for Rong Tianling's information. Looking at an agreement, he raised an eyebrow.
Well, no need to meet Rong Tianling. He already understood her situation. The person he needed to see now was someone else.
With that thought, Huo Yuhao contacted a Federation councilor and, amid the man's flattery, obtained the information he wanted.
"Living near the West Coast? Not far. Worth a visit."
The area near the West Coast was the most desolate region of the Douluo Continent.
There were two reasons for this. First, the barrier of the Endless Mountains—one had to cross the Endless Mountains to reach the West Coast, making transportation extremely inconvenient.
Second, the Endless Mountains were exactly where the Abyss Passage was located!
The war six thousand years ago and the unresolved Abyss issue had led the Federation to relocate all nearby residents.
Later, apart from the Blood God Legion's long-term garrison, very few people lived here.
Huo Yuhao passed by the Endless Mountains, glanced at the Blood God Legion's garrison, and continued straight to the West Coast without stopping or entertaining the thought of entering to devour Abyss creatures.
Devouring a few Abyss creatures would be meaningless. Devouring too many would make the Abyss Saint Lord anxious and accelerate the final battle.
He'd deal with that later. He'd find a good opportunity to strike the Abyss hard.
When Huo Yuhao arrived at the West Coast and used his spiritual power to probe, a figure emerged from a wooden cabin by the sea.
"You're using spiritual power to probe—what are you looking for?" The newcomer was a middle-aged man with features bearing a three-tenths resemblance to Rong Nianbing. "Perhaps I can help."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao smiled. "You jest. I'm here to see you, of course."
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow. "To see me? It seems you've met Tianling. She really should have given me a heads-up before telling others about me."
"You misunderstand Lord Rong Tianling."
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "My finding you has nothing to do with her."
"Hm?"
The middle-aged man frowned. "Then how do you know about this place? And how do you know about me? I haven't traveled outside in recent years."
"..."
Huo Yuhao gave the middle-aged man a somewhat odd look. "First common sense: as a participant in the selection, Rong Tianling, among other things, must have a normal Federation identity certificate. It's perfectly normal for that certificate to include a place of residence, right?"
Even reclusive experts had to register basic information. This wasn't ten thousand years ago. Without an identity certificate, even getting a name on an advanced academy roster to participate in competitions would be impossible.
The Federation wasn't blind.
Middle-aged man: "..."
Why did he feel like he was being looked down upon?
"Moreover, Rong Tianling isn't someone who primarily cultivates the magic system. The modified magic she used at the end doesn't seem like something she could have modified herself. Of course, this only suggests someone behind her—it doesn't pinpoint this place."
"But... second common sense: when signing a sponsorship plan with the Spirit Transmission Tower to obtain a first Spirit Soul, if the soul master is young, a parent or guardian needs to accompany them to sign the agreement. Although I don't know why, a hundred years ago, the way you helped Rong Tianling obtain her first Spirit Soul was by having her participate in the Spirit Transmission Tower sponsorship plan. And the guardian field had your own name on it, didn't it? Lord Rong Lingji?"
Rong Lingji: "..."
Who said he was scheming?
This kid was the real schemer!
Talking in circles to imply he lacked common sense!
***
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