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"Zhongli, martial soul—Rock Dragon, 98th-ranked Power Attack-Type Titled Douluo, Title: God of War."
As soon as Zhongli finished speaking, Paimon's lips twitched slightly.
Nearly half of that sentence was a lie!
Rock Dragon martial soul?
Since when did Zhongli have a martial soul? That was just for show!
And a 98th-ranked Power Attack-Type Titled Douluo?
That was even more ridiculous!
Hearing this, everyone was stunned before collectively sucking in a cold breath.
98th rank?!
Good heavens, 98th rank?!
"Sss—"
If the polar regions were warming up, these people definitely had a hand in it.
"H-He's actually at the 98th rank..."
Tang Hao and Gu Rong were dumbfounded. In their estimations, Zhongli should have only been at the 97th rank.
Never did they expect him to possess the terrifying strength of a 98th-ranked powerhouse!
One must understand—the gap between each rank for Titled Douluo was immense.
Especially after the 95th rank, the difference was nothing short of monstrous!
Tang Hao felt a chill run down his spine. Thank goodness he had chosen to back down at Heaven Dou City's gates back then.
Otherwise, if he had made an enemy of this man, even with his Great Sumeru Hammer, he wouldn't have been confident of victory!
Dugu Bo, who knew the "truth," twitched at the corner of his mouth. He refused to believe Zhongli was only at the 98th rank!
A 98th-ranked expert might be capable of destroying the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, but moving it? That was practically impossible!
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan's eyes widened so much their jaws nearly hit the ground.
The God of War they had been chatting so casually with was actually a 98th-ranked monster?!
God of War—Titled Douluo Martial God!
And he had the nerve to say he was "just somewhat skilled in martial arts"?!
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Red.
Nine fake soul rings slowly rose from beneath Zhongli's feet. With each one that appeared, Yue Guan couldn't help but shudder.
And then there was Zhongli's current appearance—dragon horns atop his head, eyes blazing like the sun, radiating an aura that screamed "Do not provoke!"
Yue Guan's heart trembled, his body trembled—everything trembled.
Judging by the pressure Zhongli emitted, Yue Guan even doubted whether the Second Elder of the Spirit Hall could stand against him.
The Second Elder's soul rings matched Zhongli's in color, but in terms of sheer presence? Zhongli was clearly superior.
"Your Majesty… You've truly thrown me into the fire this time!"
Yue Guan thought in despair.
Testing a 98th-ranked super Douluo with a 100,000-year soul ring?
How was this any different from sending him to his death?!
There was no difference at all!
"Elder Ju, I seek your guidance."
Zhongli extended his right hand, covered in intricate "runes," and spoke without a change in expression.
This was the etiquette of a formal spar—announcing oneself and requesting guidance was a sign of respect for one's opponent.
But in Yue Guan's eyes, was this really a request for guidance?
This was a request for him to get beaten up!
But the arrow was already nocked—he had no choice but to release it.
Gritting his teeth, Yue Guan forced his trembling body to steady itself.
"God of War Douluo, guidance is too humble a word. I only hope you might impart some wisdom to this junior."
Upon learning Zhongli's title, Yue Guan's address shifted from "Elder Zhongli" to the formal title of respect.
His words were practically groveling.
But what choice did he have? Even if he teamed up with Ghost Douluo, they wouldn't last a single move against Zhongli!
They were both Titled Douluo, yes—but the gap between the 95th and 98th ranks was even greater than the gap between a Soul Sage and a 95th-ranked Douluo!
A 98th-ranked powerhouse could effortlessly take on four or five 95th-ranked Titled Douluo without breaking a sweat.
Yet, despite Yue Guan's pitiful display, not a single Titled Douluo or spy present dared to laugh at him.
Faced with such an existence, at least Yue Guan still had the courage to fight.
Could they say the same?
"As expected of the God of War Douluo—he's almost reached the pinnacle of the Douluo world!"
The realm of gods was something most knew nothing about.
But the concept of a 99th-ranked Titled Douluo—that much, they understood.
One could say that a 99th-ranked Titled Douluo was a god among mortals.
And Zhongli was on the verge of reaching that realm!
"Maybe… I should just forget about A'yin's soul bone?"
Tang Hao thought to himself.
Tang San was a twin-soul martial master.
Zhongli was also a twin-soul martial master.
But while Tang San was still growing—currently only at the Soul Elder level—
Zhongli had already reached his peak at the 98th rank!
By the time Tang San became a Titled Douluo, Zhongli would likely have already broken through to the 99th rank.
So… how exactly was he supposed to "reclaim" that 100,000-year soul bone?
"Brothers may hunt tigers together, and father and son may fight side by side—"
But even with the Great Sumeru Hammer, unless Tang San reached the 99th rank, they might still not be a match for Zhongli!
This was why Tang Hao was even considering giving up.
He had faced a 99th-ranked monster before.
"Snow Qinghe," on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all.
When Zhongli had saved her back then, she had already suspected he was far beyond the 97th rank!
After all, the Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python were 100,000-year soul beasts!
And among 100,000-year soul beasts, they were among the most terrifying.
Yet Zhongli had instantly killed them both!
Even her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, might not have been capable of such a feat.
"Snow Qinghe" speculated that even if Zhongli hadn't become a god, he had already walked far down that path.
Otherwise, how could he have suppressed so many deities with a single strike?
"I am merely somewhat skilled in martial arts. Guidance is too strong a word. Please, make your move."
Seeing how "eager" Zhongli was, Yue Guan's heart pounded in panic.
"Is he really in such a hurry to beat me up?!"
Gritting his teeth, he figured—he was going to get thrashed sooner or later anyway.
"Very well!"
"Then I shall attack!"
Yue Guan's expression turned serious as his fifth soul ring—a 10,000-year black ring—flared to life.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Gathering of Frostblooms!"
The Chrysanthemum of Odd Vigor, enhanced by the soul skill, scattered its petals around Yue Guan like razor-sharp daggers.
They radiated a chilling aura, their edges gleaming coldly—just the pressure alone was enough to terrify the spies watching.
An attack like this would utterly annihilate them without a trace.
They couldn't help but wonder—how would the God of War Douluo respond?
As Yue Guan controlled these "daggers," Zhongli remained expressionless.
His first "soul ring" flickered.
"First Soul Skill: Dominance of Earth!"
With both hands, he gathered a mass of amber energy before slamming it into the ground.
Two chain-like constructs sealed the space around him, followed by an energy barrier manifesting in his surroundings...
"He's only using his first soul skill—can the God of War Douluo really block Elder Ju's fifth soul skill?"
"Hard to say... The difference in soul power might compensate for the disparity in soul skill strength..."
"Do you even understand what a 98th rank means?!"
Though Zhongli had only used his first soul skill, Yue Guan didn't dare hold back.
Controlling his Fifth Soul Skill, he launched his attack at Zhongli.
The daggers, forged from golden chrysanthemum petals, carried an eerie beauty in their lethal dance.
But as these "daggers" approached...
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 135 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 20 power stones I will publish the next chapter.