Golden Crocodile Douluo was also deeply intrigued. Having been stuck at level ninety-eight for over thirty years, he constantly yearned to break through.
With a hundred-thousand-year ninth soul ring, he had all the necessary components, yet he lacked that crucial spark of insight.
The Golden Crocodile King possessed traces of Golden Dragon bloodline, making it an obscure sub-dragon spirit beast with diluted dragon characteristics.
If he could obtain the secret thod to stimulate dragon bloodlines—even if he couldn't fully transform into a dragon—purifying his bloodline slightly would still be a trendous enhancent for his dragon martial soul. It might even help him achieve a breakthrough.
"Big Brother?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo sought Qian Daoliu's opinion.
Qian Daoliu's expression remained unchanged, as though indifferent to everything.
"The paper's theory is sound. Publish it as soon as possible. When the ti cos, you can pressure the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect yourselves. With their current decline in strength, Yu Yuanzhen will surely compromise."
Now wasn't the right ti to move against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect—not only because the Spirit Hall hadn't prepared for war, but more importantly, Qian Daoliu needed to wait for Qian Renxue to grow stronger and fulfill her mission.
"Good. When the ti cos, we'll pay a visit together. I doubt Yu Yuanzhen would dare hide anything from us."
Qing Luan Douluo made the final decision. They were the strongest soul masters on the surface of the Douluo Continent. With Yu Yuanzhen's soul power at level ninety-five, he was no match for any of them individually, and even with thousands of mid-tier soul masters supporting him, he couldn't defy their will.
The brothers Jiang Mo and Qian Jun exchanged glances. Their Coiling Dragon Staff martial souls were artifact-type martial souls that housed dragon spirits, but they lacked actual dragon bloodlines.
Reflecting on this, they realized that the secrets of the Hao Tian Sect might be more useful to them. Both sects relied on raw power, and there were overlaps in technique.
In the past, they believed their self-created soul skills weren't inferior to the Hao Tian Sect's secrets. Now, they realized that such thousand-year-old traditions could offer insights even without direct study.
These thoughts planted seeds in their minds, which would eventually take root and sprout.
---
Seven days later, the latest issue of Spirit Hall Newspaper was published.
Oak had erged as a prominent figure, frequently publishing theories beneficial to soul master cultivation. His words were often insightful and profound, leading to a steady increase in the circulation of the Spirit Hall Newspaper. Major factions had developed the habit of reading the newspaper regularly.
---
At the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect
"Wolfish ambition! Utter nonsense!"
Yu Yuanzhen was furious, slamming his hand on the table. Thunder and lightning crackled around him like writhing snakes, reducing the newspaper to ashes that scattered across the floor.
Yu Luomian and several Soul Douluo elders were present in the castle. Under Yu Yuanzhen's wrath, no one dared make a sound, completely abandoning their usual "enthusiasm" for power struggles.
Yu Yuanzhen's tiger-like eyes glared at everyone in the Thunder Castle, his voice cold. "Has anyone tested the theories published in the Spirit Hall Newspaper?"
"Master, we've already instructed disciples to experint. According to the article, they selected the most suitable spirit beasts."
"The inner disciples' martial souls showed no significant changes, consistent with our sect's traditional techniques. However, three outer disciples experienced noticeable changes—one of them underwent martial soul evolution, doubling the concentration of their dragon bloodline."
The second elder, responsible for managing outer disciples, recounted the experintal data in detail.
Yu Yuanzhen's gaze was sharp as lightning. He spoke coldly, "The Spirit Hall's publication of these theories will inevitably stir dissatisfaction among our disciples, causing unrest. This is an attempt to uproot us!"
Yu Luomian was dismissive. "Big Brother, isn't that overstating things? Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect still centers on the inner disciples. It's not like we neglect the outer ones intentionally."
"But the scarcity of dragon-blood spirit beasts and lightning-attribute spirit beasts isn't our fault."
Yu Yuanzhen glared at Yu Luomian with frustration. "Do you think everyone is as foolish as you? We must consider leaving spirit beasts for future generations. Living in this era, who wants to fall behind?"
"If you had the opportunity to evolve your martial soul, would you willingly give it up just because soone told you to?"
At this, Yu Luomian and the other elders turned pale. Putting themselves in others' shoes, they couldn't imagine giving up the chance to evolve their martial souls. They fought fiercely over resources daily—how much more so for an opportunity like this?
The first elder, the highest-ranking mber of the sect after Yu Yuanzhen, was at level eighty-nine. Calm and experienced, he maintained his composure.
"Sect Master, the scarcity of top-tier spirit beasts is undeniable, and unrest among the disciples is inevitable. Why not seize this opportunity to send them out to capture spirit beasts? Calculate their contributions, and the executor disciples will work tirelessly for the sake of posterity."
Of course, once the spirit beasts were captured, the elders' descendants—the core disciples—would get first pick. Only after the core disciples chose would the inner and outer disciples have their turn.
Yu Yuanzhen's expression softened slightly. "For now, this is the best course of action. But this isn't the biggest issue. I called you here to discuss whether we should lift the restrictions on core disciples."
This ant accepting soul masters with other sub-dragon martial souls into the sect's inner circle.
"Absolutely not, Master!"
The second elder managed the outer disciples but didn't truly regard them as part of his inner circle. Only those with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul were considered family and worked together wholeheartedly.
The first elder lost his usual calm deanor. "Why does Sect Master have such an idea? Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has always centered on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon for ten thousand years. Our ancestors' laws cannot be changed!"
Other elders, including Yu Luomian, chid in with their opposition.
Allowing outsiders into the core layer would inevitably cut into their own interests. Beyond distrust of outsiders, the elders opposed the idea because they were unwilling to share their benefits.
Seeing unanimous opposition, Yu Yuanzhen didn't press further.
He recognized that the ergence of the martial soul evolution theory would gradually narrow the gap between lower-tier and top-tier martial souls in the soul master world.
But bearing the pressure of opposing everyone to enact change required both prestige and resolve—qualities Yu Yuanzhen lacked.
He also feared that a wrong decision might lead the sect to ruin.
"Since you all oppose it, then increase funding to the Thunder Academy. Send people every year to monitor the Spirit Hall's activities. Whenever a lightning-attribute martial soul awakens, recruit them aggressively, provided they have innate soul power. We cannot let the Spirit Hall monopolize everything!"
Yu Yuanzhen settled for a compromise. The elders no longer had grounds to object and praised him for his wisdom.
Yu Yuanzhen felt ntally exhausted. Even as a Title Douluo, managing such a large sect required imnse effort. Externally, he had to balance relationships with major factions; internally, he had to diate conflicts among the elders.
His sons were all disappointnts, incapable of reaching Title Douluo status in their lifetis. He could only pin his hopes on the younger generation.
Yu Yuanzhen turned to the third elder. For such sect etings, his sons, lacking sufficient cultivation or qualifications, weren't even allowed to attend.
"Tianheng has been attending the Tian Dou Royal Academy for a month now. How's his progress in pursuing the granddaughter of Poison Douluo?"
The third elder paused thoughtfully before replying cautiously, "The granddaughter of Poison Douluo is proud and elusive, like a venomous snake. But with Tianheng's talent and determination, I believe he will win her heart."
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