Chapter 118 - Alternative House Arrest

The Eighth Elder and Master Craftsman Lou Gao faced each other in the living room. Suddenly, a servant knocked on the door and entered to announce that an important person from the Xingguan Sect had arrived and was waiting in the front hall.

Hearing this, the Eighth Elder was overjoyed. According to what he had written in his letter, he had requested the sect to send someone with decision-making authority. The person who came this time was at least a Titled Douluo.

"Master Craftsman Lou Gao, please come in."

"I'm not afraid of you."

The Eighth Elder led Lou Gao to the front hall. Although he was mentally prepared, he was still stunned when he saw Xu Mingxi and Xu Mingguang sitting there. This lineup clearly looked down on Lou Gao and Geng Xincheng.

Both of them were prospective sect masters and grand elders of the Star Crown Sect, both super Douluo, while Lou Gao was merely a Soul Saint. If not for some respect toward his prestige, he would have been cut down.

Due to threats from Qian Daoliu, the Star Crown Sect could not openly participate in continental conflicts for the time being.

Lou Gao and Geng Xincheng were the largest arms manufacturers on the Douluo Continent. Killing them was easy, but if Spirit Hall found out, it would cause more trouble than it was worth.

Moreover, Geng Xincheng wasn't weak either. If the Eighth Elder killed Lou Gao here, he might not escape the ensuing siege.

"You two are from the Star Crown Sect..."

Lou Gao initially thought the two before him were just masked individuals who didn't seem very old. But the moment he felt the pressure of a Titled Douluo, he collapsed into the chair beside him and couldn't speak.

A Titled Douluo! Could it be the leader of the Star Crown Sect? No, the age didn't match, and that hair—this wasn't Dugu Bo. Who were they?

The pressure disappeared, and Lou Gao looked at Xu Mingxi and the others in horror. He sat blankly in his chair, body trembling slightly, and cold sweat pouring down.

"Master Lou Gao, can we have a proper conversation about the rare metal business now?"

Yes—why not? How dare I refuse? With his life in someone else's hands, Lou Gao temporarily set aside his obsession with rare metals and nodded to Xu Mingxi.

However, he still felt a bit curious. Were a few rare metals really worth the Star Crown Sect revealing a Titled Douluo who had remained hidden for so long?

"Master Lou Gao, aside from the rare metals you must use annually to craft and sell weapons to major forces in Gengxin City, you also have a significant private stock. Our Xingguan Sect will be taking all of it."

Impossible! Lou Gao was about to shout but suddenly realized that the two people in front of him were not the kind of disciples he could casually scold on a normal day.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Lou Gao finally regained his senses, but his curiosity got the better of him.

There was only one reason the Star Crown Sect would want to acquire such a large amount of rare metals—and it wasn't to forge weapons in Gengxin City. He'd never heard of the Star Crown Sect being good at forging.

"Your Excellency, I can try my best to gather rare metals from the members of the Blacksmith Association, but I'd like to know—what are you going to use them for?"

"Master Craftsman Lou Gao, do you really want to know?"

As the Titled Douluo slowly approached and spoke in a terrifying tone, Lou Gao couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling as though he had suddenly fallen into an unexpected whirlpool.

---

Two months later, Lou Gao, president of the Blacksmith Association, who had collected a large amount of rare metals and claimed to be forging unmatched equipment in seclusion, disappeared inside a refinement chamber with his beloved disciple, Silong—along with all the rare metals.

The news caused an uproar across the continent. The head of the largest weapons manufacturer had vanished without explanation. How could such a thing happen?

While soul masters gossiped about the event, the leaders of major factions turned their attention to Spirit Hall. It seemed only they had both the strength and the motive to extract Lou Gao from deep within Gengxin City.

At this time, Lou Gao—whose name was on everyone's lips—was on a carriage heading toward the Star Crown Sect with his disciple Silong. In his hands was the blueprint of a second-level soul guide that Xu Mingxi had shown him earlier, and his eyes were full of enthusiasm.

Initially, he had only taken a brief glance at the blueprint when Xu Mingxi presented it, but he was certain it would cause a revolution across the Douluo Continent. He immediately agreed to go to the Star Crown Sect, even though he knew he'd likely be under house arrest there.

However, he wasn't concerned about any of that now. What he wanted to know was how many soul guide blueprints the Star Crown Sect had acquired, and how many high-level designs they had reached.

The driver of the carriage was the Eighth Elder, who had been responsible for procuring the rare metals. Having successfully completed his mission, he was cautiously observing their surroundings—not only to guard against ambushes but also to prevent Lou Gao and Silong from escaping.

This, however, was no longer Xu Mingxi's concern. After meeting Lou Gao, he and Xu Mingguang returned once more to the Great Xingdou Forest, heading toward the location of the 150,000-year-old Kongming Demon Leopard discovered by the Star Crown Sect.

If one had never been to this place, they couldn't be considered a truly powerful soul master. Xu Mingxi and the others were already familiar with the terrain. They drove away reckless soul beasts and reached the area where the Kongming Demon Leopard had last appeared.

They had entered the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. Even Xu Mingxi didn't dare to act carelessly here. If he disturbed the beasts deep inside—especially those absorbing the energy of the Ice Silkworm Tianmeng—it would be disastrous.

"Brother Mingguang, the Kongming Demon Leopard is extremely fast. This one has lived over 100,000 years. It might have learned to use spatial energy. Be extra careful."

"Don't worry. My eighth soul ring is also from a 100,000-year-old beast. Even if I can't defeat it, I can still hold my own for a while."

They carefully searched the area for several days but found nothing. Just as Xu Mingxi began to suspect that the Kongming Demon Leopard had also joined the feast of the Ice Silkworm Tianmeng, a slight movement could be heard in the distance.

He immediately grabbed Xu Mingguang, who hadn't noticed the disturbance, and leapt onto a tree branch to hide, staring toward the source of the movement.

Trees in the forest toppled over, and bushes were trampled flat. A giant beast, walking on four legs with a spiral horn, silver body, and scales that shimmered under the sunlight, suddenly shoved aside a tree and strode out proudly.

"A Silver-Scaled Beast? Brother Mingguang, can you estimate its age?"

"Look at the spiral horn—at least ten inches long. This is a Silver-Scaled Beast that has lived for more than 100,000 years."

"Could this be your ninth soul ring? Isn't it a bit too old?"

Xu Mingguang thought for a moment and decided to hunt the Silver-Scaled Beast. Who knew when he'd find the Kongming Demon Leopard?

Moreover, if he remembered correctly, the Silver-Scaled Beast could use the scales on its body to reflect blinding light. If he could gain that soul skill, it would be a tremendous asset.