NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 201: Entering Spirit City, Meeting Qian Daoliu
Chapter 201: Entering Spirit City, Meeting Qian Daoliu
The journey to Spirit City was smooth. Qin Xiao didn't encounter any ambushes from the Spirit Hall.
But that wasn't surprising. After all, there was no one in the group that the Spirit Hall wanted to target.
After several days of travel, a city gradually appeared in the distance in front of the grand procession.
As they got closer, the city became clearer to Qin Xiao.
Unlike Heaven Dou City, Spirit City was only one-tenth its size.
Yet it left a strong impression on Qin Xiao.
The towering 80-meter-high walls were grand and majestic, not at all inferior to those of Heaven Dou City.
On the city walls, there were six large reliefs, each representing a powerful martial soul.
"Spirit City is extraordinary. Just the cost of building these outer walls is immense. Even for our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it would be a significant expenditure."
"And the guards patrolling the walls of Spirit City are all soul masters."
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi came up to Qin Xiao and spoke in a low voice.
His eyes were filled with admiration.
There was no denying that the Spirit Hall had the means to rival the two great empires. Their financial and human resources were incredibly robust.
Even Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but feel envious.
Qin Xiao didn't say anything, his gaze fixed on Spirit City.
Besides the patrolling soldiers on the walls, Ning Fengzhi didn't notice anything unusual, but Qin Xiao did.
On the highest part of the city wall, he could vaguely see several figures watching their direction.
However, some of them were strong enough to use their soul power to block Qin Xiao's vision, making it impossible for him to identify them.
"What's the point in hiding?"
Qin Xiao muttered disdainfully, "If you don't want me to see, I don't want to see either." With that thought, he redirected his gaze to Spirit City.
At this moment, a group of over a hundred people emerged from the city.
Most were clad in silver armor, looking imposing and majestic.
The two leaders, however, were different, dressed in red robes.
"They are the Guardian Knights of the Spirit Hall. The two leaders are Red-robed Bishops of the Spirit Hall."
Ning Fengzhi explained.
Qin Xiao nodded slightly.
Even without Ning Fengzhi's explanation, he could guess their identities.
In Spirit City, only significant figures wore red robes.
"Everyone, welcome. You must be tired from your journey. We've prepared a resting area in Spirit City. Please follow me."
One of the Red-robed Bishops spoke as he approached.
His tone was neither humble nor arrogant, neither distant nor close, making it impossible to feel either fondness or malice.
The other Red-robed Bishop made a welcoming gesture.
The two bishops then led the way into Spirit City.
At the same time, the hundred Guardian Knights split into two groups, flanking the group and clearing a path.
"Let's go."
Qin Xiao called out to the others.
Their group was quite large.
Besides the nine competitors, there were also Zhao Wuji, Flender, and Liu Erlong.
Additionally, there were Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Poison Douluo.
After Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong finished hunting for soul rings, they were sent back to the team and didn't leave, choosing instead to travel with Qin Xiao and the others to Spirit City.
...
At that moment.
In the tallest tower of Spirit City, a woman with a nine-curved purple-gold crown, a black and gold robe, and holding a two-meter-long scepter embedded with countless gems, slowly withdrew her gaze.
As the soul power that blocked her vision dissipated, her nearly perfect face was revealed.
Her noble and sacred aura made people feel a desire to worship her.
Without a doubt, this woman was none other than the Pope of the Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong.
"Teacher, did you see the person you wanted to see?" Behind Bibi Dong, a pure-looking girl with shoulder-length hair asked curiously.
"Yes."
Bibi Dong replied calmly.
"Teacher, can you tell me who you were looking at?"
As Bibi Dong's disciple, Hu Liena shared a close bond with the Pope that others couldn't imagine.
Bibi Dong was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "I was looking at your opponent."
"My opponent?"
Hu Liena frowned in confusion.
"You'll find out in due time."
"Of course, if you don't work hard, you might never see this opponent."
Bibi Dong shook her head and said no more.
The list of participants from the Heaven Dou Empire was already known to them.
Shrek Academy, Qin Xiao.
When Bibi Dong saw this name, she thought she had made a mistake.
After a simple verification, she finally believed it.
So today, when the participants from the Heaven Dou Empire entered the city, she came.
She wanted to see what this shameless Titled Douluo looked like.
And she was not disappointed.
He was indeed good-looking.
Hu Liena, however, grew even more confused after hearing Bibi Dong's words, "Aside from the rising Shrek team of the Heaven Dou Empire, is there anyone else who qualifies as our opponent?"
Bibi Dong shook her head slightly and said only, "You'll understand later," before turning to leave.
Hu Liena was even more puzzled and felt like rushing down to ask each member of the Heaven Dou Empire team for clarification.
...
On the other side.
Qin Xiao and the others had already entered Spirit City.
He was somewhat surprised.
Spirit City felt empty. There weren't many pedestrians on the streets, and there were very few shops, with an even smaller variety of goods for sale.
Most of the items were things soul masters needed, often costing dozens or hundreds of gold soul coins, and even more expensive items existed… things that most common people could never afford.
"It seems pretty boring here."
Qin Xiao remarked.
"Haha, this place might indeed be boring for you, Brother Qin. But for soul masters, it's a holy land.
Here, they can obtain many items they need, like these spatial soul tools."
Ning Fengzhi pointed to a roadside stall, "These are items only soul masters can use. Outside of Spirit City, their prices are extremely high. The same quality spatial soul tool sold in Heaven Dou or Star Luo Empire would cost two to three times more, or even higher."
"And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Soul masters can get even more here for a very low cost.
If they choose to join the Spirit Hall, they can cultivate here with ample resources."
After listening to Ning Fengzhi's explanation, Qin Xiao nodded, "So, it's indeed very attractive to many soul masters."
Soul masters were still human.
Cultivation was just part of their lives; enjoying life was also their pursuit, albeit with higher standards.
The Spirit Hall could meet their needs well.
...
Soon, Qin Xiao and the others, along with the Heaven Dou Empire teams, settled in the area prepared by the Spirit Hall.
"Brother Qin, shall we go for a walk?"
Ning Fengzhi, seemingly bored, invited Qin Xiao to take a stroll.
"Sure, it's my first time in Spirit City. Please show me around, Sect Master Ning, and explain what's unique here."
Qin Xiao smiled and agreed.
"Of course." Ning Fengzhi chuckled.
The two went out, and Ning Fengzhi took him to a relatively high place.
From there, they could overlook most of Spirit City.
"Brother Qin, do you see that over there?" Ning Fengzhi pointed in a direction.
Qin Xiao followed his direction and saw a hill in the center of the city.
On the hill were two magnificent buildings, very conspicuous even from a distance.
Ning Fengzhi asked, "Do you see that building halfway up the hill? That's the Pope's Palace, where the highest ruler of the Spirit Hall, Pope Bibi Dong, resides.
And few people know that the Elder's Hall, one of the branches of the Spirit Hall, is also in the Pope's Palace.
Each elder is a Titled Douluo. To my knowledge, there are at least four or five of them. The exact number is probably known only to the top figures within the Spirit Hall."
Qin Xiao nodded slightly.
The building Ning Fengzhi pointed to had a columnar structure, made entirely of golden material.
It gleamed brightly in the sunlight.
"You don't need to hurry to get closer. The final venue for the Soul Master Tournament will be right in front of the Pope's Palace. You'll see it up close then."
"Haha, I'll be sure to take a good look."
Qin Xiao replied with a smile.
Ning Fengzhi knew Qin Xiao was joking and didn't take it seriously.
However, he didn't say much on this topic either.
Looking back into the distance, he pointed to the smaller building at the top of the hill compared to the Pope's Palace and said, "That's the Douluo Hall. It's said that only Titled Douluo-level powerhouses who have passed away can be enshrined there.
But as far as I know, the Douluo Hall has a deeper significance than the outside world understands.
There may be unimaginably strong individuals within the Douluo Hall, known as the enshrined. These people rarely appear in public."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes showed a peculiar light.
He had both vigilance and reverence for the mysterious Douluo Hall. It was complicated.
He knew of the powerful individual who had once defeated his father.
But even such a powerhouse was enough to make the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect feel suffocated.
In contrast, Qin Xiao remained very calm.
He knew more than Ning Fengzhi.
The Douluo Hall indeed housed powerful individuals.
And each one of them is at least a Level 96 Titled Douluo.
The strongest among them, Grand Worshiper Qian Daoliu, has a power level of 99, reaching the peak. If you include the divine power of the Angel God, Qian Daoliu's combat strength could definitely be considered semi-divine.
Apart from Qian Daoliu, Qin Xiao had already met the other two worshipers, Thousand Jun Douluo and Jiang Mo Douluo.
Suddenly, Qin Xiao's expression shifted. He cupped his fists towards Ning Fengzhi, "Thank you, Sect Master Ning, for your explanation. I just remembered I have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."
Ning Fengzhi smiled warmly, "Brother Qin, go ahead with your business. I'll stay here for a while longer."
Qin Xiao nodded slightly, his figure gradually disappearing from Ning Fengzhi's sight.
At that moment, Sword Douluo emerged from the side, his expression grave.
"Sect Master, I just faintly felt an extremely powerful aura. It is very likely that Qin Xiao has been summoned by that strong individual."
"Oh, a very powerful aura."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered, "It seems the person looking for Qin Xiao is even stronger than we imagined. But this is his matter and doesn't concern us."
After a long while.
Qin Xiao arrived at a private manor.
Surprisingly, there were hardly any people in the vast manor.
He wandered aimlessly until he finally saw someone by a small lake in the back garden.
It was a handsome middle-aged man sitting by the lakeside.
Ning Fengzhi was also handsome, but he had a refined demeanor.
The man in front of Qin Xiao had a rugged look.
The middle-aged man had long golden hair draped casually over his shoulders. When he looked at Qin Xiao, he showed a bright smile.
"You've come."
However, Qin Xiao felt a strange sensation.
To others, the middle-aged man's identity was mysterious, but to Qin Xiao, it was no secret.
He believed that apart from the supreme Grand Worshiper Qian Daoliu, no one else in Spirit City could have such a presence.
"I've come."
Qin Xiao nodded and sat down beside him, "So, what do you want to talk about?"
Qian Daoliu smiled, "You don't feel like a stranger at all."
"You prepared two seats, one for you and the other obviously for me. Since you prepared it for me, of course, I'll sit down. Otherwise, wouldn't that be disrespecting you?"
Qin Xiao replied calmly.
This act of sitting was significant.
It was a statement.
It was also a form of dialogue.
Through this action, Qin Xiao told Qian Daoliu that he sat here without needing anyone's permission. He had the courage and strength to sit as an equal.
There was no need to look at him with the eyes of a senior.
This wasn't arrogance.
He truly had the qualifications.
Even though this was Spirit City, Qian Daoliu's domain, Qin Xiao was confident he could stand toe-to-toe with him and leave unscathed.
If it were Qin Xiao's territory, who would win was still uncertain.
"Hahaha, excellent, truly excellent."
"No wonder you refused my invitations to join our Spirit Hall. I underestimated you back then."
"So young and already so outstanding."
Qian Daoliu laughed heartily.
But his words clearly showed his recognition of Qin Xiao.
His remarks indicated that he regarded Qin Xiao as an equal.
Such a scene, if witnessed by the many strong individuals of the Spirit Hall, would leave them astonished.
Their Grand Worshiper, who always appeared kind and gentle, seldom held others in high regard.
Not even the current Pope of the Spirit Hall.
Yet, he viewed this young man differently.
After hearing Qian Daoliu's words, Qin Xiao remained silent.
He quietly watched Qian Daoliu, waiting for him to reveal his purpose.
Seeing this, Qian Daoliu's smile faded, "You're right. I did seek you out for a reason..."
Finally, a smile appeared on Qin Xiao's face, "I'm all ears."
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