Chapter 41: A Pile of Titles — The Casual Chat of the Soul Douluo

When Chen Hong and Chen Xun returned to the main square, Ximen Rongcheng, and the others were also walking over.

"Uncle Hong, this battle is pretty much over…" Ximen Rongcheng said. He was of Chen Xun's generation, but over ten years older—already 62 this year—and highly likely to break through to Titled Douluo soon based on age alone.

Chen Hong shook his head. "Let's see if any rats slipped through the cracks."

Just then, a roaring sound like wind and thunder swept in from the base of the mountain, accompanied by immense soul power. Wherever it passed, rocks shattered, trees collapsed, and clouds of dust filled the sky.

"There are some," Chen Xun said in surprise.

"That's to be expected. When the nest falls, the birds scatter. My soul skill is powerful, but with the wide area involved, high-level soul masters are bound to find loopholes. Judging by the scale of that ruckus... Xiao Hongzi, who do you think it is?"

A group of people emerged from behind the mountain. Leading them was an elder with a head of silver hair and white beard, yet his face was ruddy and his spirit vibrant. One could describe his aura as "carefree like light ink, bold like dark strokes."

He wore a black-and-white family robe decorated with the pattern of the Zhen Tian Xuan Tablet, filled with ink-wash aesthetics, graceful and unique—an unspoken sign of high status.

It was Zhen Tian Douluo, Fang Yuan!

Fang Yuan was a renowned figure in the Douluo Continent, having inherited the family's titled name "Zhen Tian." Nearly 120 years old, he was the head of the Fang Clan.

In the Douluo Continent, some major forces and top-tier clans possessed legacy titles—inheritances passed down, often indicating an ancient lineage and top-grade martial spirits.

"Old Fang bastard, Uncle Changhao—must be Jonah Weiss. Of all the Soul Douluo in the Demon Goat Sect, he's the only one unaccounted for. But he can't escape. With Jingxue's arrows, no one can."

Chen Hong, though in his 90s, still felt a bit annoyed at being called "Xiao Hongzi."

Fang Yuan had always been a joker in his youth. He paired up with Gui Changhao in a dynamic contrast—one loud, one quiet. Even in old age, he remained unfiltered and shameless.

Chen Hong had never feared Fang Yuan and spoke bluntly to him now.

Gui Changhao stood behind Fang Yuan. The hair near his temples was thinning, his brows thick and black, and his eyes sharp. His teeth, white and neatly aligned, peeked through his calm expression.

He was nearly two meters tall—not unusually tall, but the word that came to mind was majestic.

He was Fang Yuan's long-time partner, a peak-level Rank 89 Soul Douluo.

Though as old as Fang Yuan, he looked younger—only about 50 or 60.

For soul masters of their family, this age equated to mid-life for others, as their lifespan was nearly double that of typical soul masters.

Gui Changhao radiated a steady aura, towering like a mountain. He carried a shriveled corpse in his hand—Bartosz Weiss, slain by him.

Earlier, while Fang Yuan maintained the sealing formation and refrained from action, Gui Changhao single-handedly killed the Demon Goat Sect's eldest.

People from both East and West soon gathered.

"Senior Fang, Senior Gui, Senior Chen…"

Xue Tianming and Zhong Kui were nearly 60, while Ma Zhibin and Long Wenkai were just past 50. None dared to act arrogant in front of these elders—neither in age, status, nor strength.

"Everyone's here," said Yang Jingxue, walking over with a severed head in hand. Her face was a bit pale, and a trace of blood still lingered on her lips.

A unique aura rose from her body—both real and illusory, as small as dust yet vast as the sky, as if it could be touched at will.

"Jingxue, you're injured? Are you alright?" Chen Hong asked with concern.

"Brother Hong, I'm fine. It's nothing serious. I'll just go into seclusion for a few days," she replied nonchalantly.

She had contributed greatly in this battle—especially her final one-on-one with Rank 88 Jonah Weiss. Though struck by the Demon Goat Divine Light after unleashing her Wind Spiral Thunder Blossom Arrow, her injuries weren't severe.

Despite some discomfort, Yang Jingxue was in excellent spirits.

The Divine Light's impact had shaken her soul, surfacing her ethereal spirit, and with her deep foundation, she gained enlightenment—specifically spatial intent, a rare and fitting insight for an archer.

"Congratulations! Looks like the Yang Clan will soon have another Titled Douluo!"

Everyone offered warm congratulations, barely hiding their envy.

Becoming a Titled Douluo brought not just power, but longer life, prestige, and enhanced status for one's family.

Even though everyone present had top-tier talent and martial spirit, there was no guarantee of advancing to Titled Douluo. Many had been stuck at the final bottleneck for decades—like Gui Changhao, for instance.

"This battle can be considered a complete success. Hopefully, the upcoming changes will favor us," Chen Hong nodded.

"Such events can't happen again in the short term…" Gui Changhao, usually quiet, suddenly spoke.

"In the short term, those restless forces will likely quiet down. Not every incident will be like the one 300 years ago. Even if things get rowdy, without support from the major factions, nothing will come of it," Fang Yuan added confidently.

"The cause and effect can't be hidden. The major factions have strong intelligence networks. And if not, they can just buy info from Tianzhi Tower—those guys have sharp noses," said Yang Jingxue plainly.

"We can't hide it anyway, so let's not try. Our low-profile approach has a shelf life," Ximen Rongcheng said, his metallic voice always a bit unsettling.

Xue Tianming sighed, "As long as we don't admit anything, it's fine. This kind of upheaval happens every century or two—the established powers are used to it."

"The Seven Great Sects aren't too much of a worry. Their drama has gone on for centuries," Zhong Kui said dismissively.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect doesn't count. As for the other six, they can't do much to us anyway. But the real problem is the Spirit Hall!" Chen Hong interrupted, glaring at Zhong Kui.

Zhong Kui shrank back, not daring to talk back to the elder.

Ma Zhibin shouted, "The Spirit Hall can't do anything to us now either!"

"What do you think, old bastard Fang?" Chen Hong asked Fang Yuan.

"Spirit Hall suffered huge losses in the last catastrophe—only six or seven Titled Douluo remain.

But their foundation is deep. With the largest soul master base and the best training resources on the continent, they recover far faster than we do.

At an average of one Titled Douluo every five years, they've probably regained fifteen or more by now.

And then there's Qian Chongling, that old bastard is probably still alive."

Qian Chongling, once the "Iron-Blooded Pope," was a legend in the soul master world, a figure impossible to ignore. A Rank 99 Peerless Douluo and the one who ended the last great calamity.

He was severely wounded then, but fifty years had passed—if he's alive, he's surely recovered.

Now over 200 years old, but for Peerless Douluo, that's nowhere near the end.

The group fell silent. Ma Zhibin cursed, "Old but not dead, what a scourge!"

Fang Yuan glanced at him, and Ma Zhibin quickly shut up. Besides Ximen Rongcheng, he feared Fang Yuan the most.

A young thug always folds before an old one—and Fang Yuan had that aura in spades.

Indeed, Ma Zhibin was one of the deputy commanders of the Douhun Legion. The legion had one main commander and six deputies—five of whom were here: Ximen Rongcheng, Ma Zhibin, Zhong Kui, Cheng Nanxing, and Qu Yixiang.

"Even though the Spirit Hall is big, they're stretched thin. Lots of missions and casualties every year. We just have our Douhun City and do some business. Laying low is enough. They can't be everywhere," Long Wenkai said in his accented voice.

"There's a pact anyway. It's not like we'll go to war. We've never been considered their true rival," Zhong Kui added.

Chen Hong followed up, "You don't understand. We can't compete with them in low- and mid-level soul master numbers. Our high-levels are fewer too, but still sufficient. What matters is the number of Titled Douluo. With Jingxue's breakthrough, that's a big win."

As the Yang Clan, an ironclad ally of the Chen Clan, now produced a Titled Douluo of this generation, Chen Hong was visibly delighted.

"Old pal, when will you break through?" Fang Yuan asked Gui Changhao. Their combined power would skyrocket if he did.

"No rush," Gui Changhao replied calmly.

He truly wasn't in a hurry. While the ideal breakthrough age was 80, his martial spirit gave him better odds. Rushing would only hinder him. His family was always known for patience.

His strength and defense even surpassed Fang Yuan and Chen Hong. He already had Titled-level combat power.

Like Chen Hong, he specialized in both offense and defense—classified as a strong-defensive soul master.

If you assigned numerical values to offense and defense, Chen Hong would be 60/40, and Gui Changhao 40/60.

"What about the neutral organizations and trade guilds?" Ma Zhibin asked, curious.

"I imagine they're cheering us on. They love to see trouble stir up," Xue Tianming smirked wickedly.

"Old Xue, give me that look again and I'll sock you," Ma Zhibin retorted. He couldn't stand that smug expression.

Fang Yuan ignored the banter and asked seriously, "How were our casualties?"

As one of the operation's leaders, he needed to give an account.

"Still tallying. Ignoring light injuries, we've got about 20 seriously injured. A few lost limbs, but most should recover. As for the dead—around a dozen," Cheng Nanxing reported.

He had been managing logistics and casualty counts. Known for being calm and reliable, he was essentially the executive deputy commander of the legion.

After all, the Demon Goat Sect was a top mid-tier sect. Even dying, they took some with them.

"No problems elsewhere, right, Yixiang?" Fang Yuan asked.

"Shouldn't be. We scouted the Demon Goat Sect's movements for a month. With two squads of the second battalion at Il City and Vanguard Town, plus the sealing formation from Old Fang's clan and Director Chen Menglin overseeing the operation, we've got it covered. The rest were handled by other teams," Qu Yixiang replied with confidence.

As the former captain of the second battalion, he had full trust in their capabilities.