Douluo 2: This Dragon God has too much martial virtue

Chapter 561 Feast
However, not all Soul Masters were oblivious to the issue of Soul Ring age limits. Those powerful sects and top-tier forces with deep foundations quickly discovered the drawbacks. According to the common sense of Soul Master cultivation, the age limit of each newly acquired Soul Ring should be higher than the previous one, but the Soul Rings provided by the Soul Spirit Orb completely locked this upward path.

Taking the most basic hundred-year spirit spirit as an example, although it can provide two spirit rings, what if the age of these two spirit rings is fixed at just over a hundred years? It's important to know that the absorption limit for an ordinary spirit master's first spirit ring is usually around four hundred years, and the second spirit ring can reach over seven hundred years. However, after using a spirit spirit ball, it means that the spirit master's first two spirit rings will be limited to the one-hundred-year level.

The impact of this age difference is fatal, because the age of a spirit ring directly determines the strength of the spirit power boost and the power of spirit skills. The spirit power boost provided by a 400-year-old first spirit ring far exceeds the sum of two 100-year spirit rings. Not to mention the difference in power between high-level spirit skills, which often becomes a matter of life and death in a duel.

The gradual increase in the age of spirit rings is the foundation for a spirit master's future achievements; this is the most basic consensus in the spirit master world. While the spirit orb has solved the security issue of acquiring spirit rings, it has inadvertently created an insurmountable bottleneck for a spirit master's growth.

This explains why those forces and sects truly pursuing the pinnacle of Soul Masters still intend to adhere to traditional Soul Hunting methods. However, the reality forces everyone to proceed with caution. The Northern Territory has just experienced a so-called "Beast Tide," and the Star Dou Great Forest recently launched an unprecedented beast tide, directly annexing nearly a quarter of the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory. Under these circumstances, neither major powers nor independent Soul Masters dare to easily venture into the habitats of Soul Beasts.

The Body Sect, on the other hand, seemed much more relaxed in this regard, as they possessed a unique secret technique for increasing the age of their Soul Rings. Not long ago, Sect Master Poison Undying personally led the sect's elite forces to support Dragon City, only to be informed that the Northern Beast Tide no longer required their intervention. To their even greater surprise, the beast tide warning was lifted a few days later, leaving Poison Undying with only a group of elders to search throughout Dragon City for suitable Soul Spirits for their disciples.

After the beast tide warning was lifted, Princess Vina of the Heavenly Soul Empire, escorted by powerful members of the royal family, arrived in Dragon City to reunite with Poison Undying. The princess was pale, her eyes bloodshot, clearly exhausted. The Heavenly Soul Empire had lost vast swathes of territory, including its most important "granary," and as a core member of the royal family, the pressure she faced was immense. Her purpose in coming was to visit the nominal city lord of Dragon City—Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao—in her dual capacity as both a princess of the Heavenly Soul Empire and a disciple of the Body Sect, in an attempt to ascertain the Dragon Pavilion's attitude towards the current situation.

Although the size of the Body Sect is still insufficient to face a behemoth like the Dragon Pavilion, having the level 98 Super Douluo, Poison Undying, by her side at least gives Vina some courage when negotiating with the Dragon Pavilion's experts.

The Dragon Pavilion's ties with the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family date back thousands of years, and this long-standing cooperative relationship allowed Long Xiaoyao to welcome Princess Vina with a ceremony second only to that for receiving an emperor. It must be said that the Dragon Pavilion truly excelled in its elaborate and ceremonial arrangements.

Stepping inside the Dragon Pavilion, the overwhelming sense of modernity contrasts sharply with the still-preserved ancient palace architecture of the Heavenly Soul Empire. Almost all traditional elements have been abandoned, replaced by modern decor with a metallic feel. Bright colors paired with minimalist design create an understated yet sophisticated atmosphere, free from extravagance.

To show his respect, Long Xiaoyao specially hosted a grand welcome banquet. However, the banquet hall, which could accommodate a thousand people, was far too empty for the Tianhun Empire delegation, which consisted of only a few dozen people. So, Long Xiaoyao simply changed the banquet to a buffet style and opened it to all members of the Dragon Pavilion at headquarters. This lively party style was a tradition that had been passed down since the time of the first Pavilion Master.

However, this arrangement completely disrupted Princess Vina's plans. Her original idea was a small banquet where she and Poison Immortal, along with several core elders, would hold a private meeting with Long Xiaoyao and other high-ranking members of the Dragon Pavilion. Now, faced with a bustling buffet, all her carefully prepared diplomatic rhetoric and negotiation strategies had to be temporarily shelved.

During his stay in Dragon City, Du Busi was determined to confront Long Xiaoyao. After all, back in Silves City, Huo Yuhao had clearly been capable of helping the Soul Masters struggling against the beast tide, yet he had taken the Golden Dragon Girl Hongfei Mingming right in front of them. If it weren't for the Soul Spirit Orb distracting him, and his fear of the many powerful figures in Dragon City and the incredibly powerful Soul Guidance Device array, his fiery temper would have already led him to their doorstep.

In fact, before this, Long Xiaoyao had been refusing to see him, citing his busy official duties. If Princess Vina had not come in person, this excuse would probably have continued for a long time.

However, although Long Xiaoyao's arrangement did not meet Princess Vina's expectations, it secretly relieved her. Even a super Douluo like Du Busi was turned away until she, the princess of the empire, personally arrived and was granted an audience, which at least proved that the Dragon Pavilion still maintained the proper courtesy towards the royal family of the Heavenly Soul Empire.

In these turbulent times, this outward display of respect is a rare reassurance for Princess Vina and the Heavenly Soul Royal Family she represents. Whether it will provide any real assistance remains to be seen, but at least the outward courtesy has been observed.

However, he was quite unhappy that the poison didn't kill him. As the sect leader of the Body Sect and a guest of honor of the Heavenly Soul Royal Family, when had he ever been treated so disrespectfully? The formal meeting between top powers had actually turned into a temporary team-building activity for the Dragon Pavilion, which made him feel like a nobody who had brought the sect elders to freeload a meal.

Inside the banquet hall, members of the Dragon Pavilion, dressed in various costumes, gathered in small groups to chat. When they saw the unfamiliar group from the Body Sect, they simply nodded in greeting and continued with their own conversations, their expressions revealing a calm and composed demeanor.

They didn't react in any particular way to the powerful figures present, neither flattering them nor paying them excessive attention, as if it were just an ordinary departmental social event that Dragon Pavilion usually holds.

"Long Xiaoyao..." Du Busi cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth. He still hadn't seen Long Xiaoyao. If it weren't for the rare ingredients from the far north on the table, and even a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast caught from the depths of the icy sea, he would almost think that the Dragon Pavilion was deliberately keeping them waiting. Each of these ingredients would be incredibly expensive outside, leaving him with a pent-up resentment but no suitable reason to vent his anger.

"Alright, what's done is done, let's eat first!" Poison Immortal waved his hand dismissively. Recently, they had been forced into retreat by the beast tide of the Star Dou Great Forest and even signed a humiliating treaty. But now, the table was laden with rare ingredients from the far north—crystal-clear cod fillets from the icy sea, a thousand-year-old snow lotus soup shimmering with a pale blue glow, and charcoal-grilled bear paws from the ten-thousand-year-old icy plain, all emitting an enticing aroma. The most visually appealing dish was undoubtedly the central plate of icy sea mermaid tail sashimi; the paper-thin slices of meat were a translucent pale blue, with tiny ice crystals clinging to the edges…

But Du Bu Si was more interested in the plates of red jade shrimp, as red as agate. These strange creatures, which live in the Blood Trench three thousand meters deep, contain blood essence that is very similar to that of humans. Each shrimp is crystal clear, and you can vaguely see the blood essence flowing inside.

The essence of blood and qi circulating within the Red Jade Shrimp is a great tonic for Soul Masters who cultivate their physical martial soul.

Since we're already here, we should at least eat our fill. We can't let our stomachs suffer. However, Du Bu Si was determined to confront that old fox, Long Xiao Yao, when they finally met. Good heavens, Long Xiao Yao probably never dreamed that he, the universally acknowledged honest man of the Dragon Pavilion, would one day be labeled a "cunning and treacherous old fox."

Without any hesitation, Du Busi picked up a red jade shrimp, removed its head and tail, and stuffed it into his mouth. These ingredients were not only precious, but more importantly, they contained residual soul energy fluctuations. He had always been skeptical of this so-called "beast tide," after all, they had lost several cities, while Dragon City was peaceful and quiet, with no trace of being affected by the beast tide except for a tense atmosphere within the city.

But these top-tier soul beast ingredients are the most compelling evidence. If they hadn't experienced a real beast tide, how could Dragon Pavilion have obtained so many high-level soul beast ingredients in such a short time? It seems they not only swept through the Ice Plains, but also ventured into the deep-sea forbidden zone that even ordinary Title Douluo dared not easily set foot in.

"Looks like we won. Well, they have more than one Limit Douluo." Du Busi muttered as he stuffed delicacies into his mouth. Why not eat them if they're free?

"Yes! Sect Master, if we also had Limit Douluo, we wouldn't be so passive in the face of the beast tide." The Vice Sect Master, Golden Body Douluo, deeply agreed.

Princess Vina gently shook her head: "The key is not whether or not there are Limit Douluos. Dragon City is equipped with a large number of level nine defensive soul guidance arrays and fixed soul guidance shells, and their Limit Douluos are very good at using various soul guidance devices. This is the reason why they can easily deal with the beast tide."

Vina's fiancé, Long Aotian, the disciple of Du Bu Si, still insisted on his opinion: "Master, soul tools are ultimately just external aids; the soul master's own strength is more important..."

Before he could finish speaking, Poisonous Immortal raised his hand and delivered a sharp slap to his forehead, the crisp sound jarring in the banquet hall. The Sect Master of the Body Sect, completely disregarding the occasion, reprimanded him sternly: "You worthless wretch! As the young sect master, do you know the immense price my Body Sect paid in fighting the beast tide during the Heavenly Soul Empire's war?"

Poison Undying's voice was sterner than ever before: "A full third of our elite troops have perished! The only reason our sect is still standing is because of my old bones. If I were to pass away one day, and you, our successor, were to remain so conservative and outdated, then the Body Sect would surely decline! If we cannot keep up with the times, only destruction awaits us!"

Long Aotian covered his forehead, staring in shock at his rarely enraged master. The members of the Dragon Pavilion in the banquet hall all looked over curiously; apart from those who were still unaware of the situation, the others were observing the master and disciple with a sense of morbid curiosity.

Princess Vina bit her lip, her gaze shifting between the master and disciple. She had never seen Poison Undying so openly express his worries about the sect's future, yet deep down she felt a sense of relief. As a member of the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family, she had been exposed to all sorts of soul tools since childhood and was already adept at using various soul tools.

Since joining the Body Sect, Vina had been secretly pushing for the sect to accept soul tools, but she had always struggled to persuade the stubborn elders and fellow disciples. Now, with Poison Undying publicly reprimanding Long Aotian, wasn't this the turning point she had been longing for?

She discreetly observed the reactions of the other elders of the Body Sect present, noticing thoughtful expressions on many faces. Clearly, Poison Undying's resounding rebuke had begun to shake some of the die-hards. Vina let out a soft breath, her fatigue from the past few days seemingly lessening. If she could seize this opportunity to push for sect reform, the Heavenly Soul Empire might have a better chance of winning in the future.

Poison Undying's gaze was piercing. "We Body Soul Masters possess unparalleled talent, but it is precisely this talent that has led me into the quagmire of blind arrogance, and has also caused the sect's development to deviate from the trajectory of the times. This beast tide has made me deeply realize that those who fail to keep up with the times will ultimately be abandoned by them! From now on, all members of my Body Sect must remember that the future belongs to Soul Guidance Technology, but in this new era, as long as we can perfectly combine our Body Martial Soul with Soul Guidance Devices, we can still stand tall among our peers and remain at the pinnacle of the Soul Master world!"

"Brother Poison is right!" A clear voice suddenly came from the entrance of the banquet hall. Everyone turned to look and saw Long Xiaoyao walking in with steady steps.

"I apologize for keeping you all waiting." Long Xiaoyao nodded slightly to the members of the Body Sect. "After the beast tide ended, there was so much to clean up. Just clearing the battlefield took quite a few days..."

Poisonous Undying let out a heavy, cold snort, a hint of desolation flashing in his eyes: "Your Dragon City is safe and sound, while we've lost so much territory. We both served the empire, so how can the difference be so vast?"

As he spoke, he suddenly erupted in rage, "It's all those bastards at Shrek Academy's fault! That beast Xuanzi deserved to die! He got away with it, but how many people were made to die with him?!"

Long Xiaoyao sighed softly, "This matter is indeed heartbreaking, but these are turbulent times. The Sun Moon Empire has launched a war against the Star Luo Empire, and the territory they have lost is no less than that of the Heavenly Soul Empire. All I can do is defend Dragon City and prevent the Sun Moon Empire from invading from the north."

Princess Vina's eyes reddened slightly upon hearing this, and the Golden Body Douluo and other elders of the Body Sect also had gloomy expressions, clearly recalling that fierce battle.

“Old Dragon, you’re right. Now is not the time to argue. So I won’t ask why your people appeared in Silves City and then abandoned us. But…” Poisonous Immortal turned to Long Xiaoyao, his gaze sharp as lightning, “Now that the beast tide in the North has ended, since your Dragon Pavilion has the resources to hold a banquet, you must also have the resources to reclaim the lost territories, right?”

"This..." Long Xiaoyao thought to himself, "This is bad. Why are these idiots from the Body Sect thinking of taking something for free?"
(End of this chapter)