"Your Excellency Purgatory, it has been a long time."
"I am already old and frail; Director Feng's elegance is even greater than before."
"Your Excellency overpraises me—"
In the reception room, Feng Zaixing lifted his robe and sat down, smiling at this demigod who looked seventy to eighty percent like Qiangu Dongfeng but had a completely different personality.
Qiangu Qingfeng was also observing the young man before him. Feng Zaixing's face was as handsome as carved jade, his figure tall and slender. His cold eyes were bright and spirited, and his demeanor was calm and indifferent, yet he possessed a transcendent Aura; his prestige was already established.
"With such a handsome appearance, it's truly hard to imagine that your temperament would be so forceful."
Qiangu Qingfeng spoke to himself in his heart and smiled at his wife beside him, the Cold Rhythm Douluo, Xia Zhengling.
Xia Zhengling understood and took out two gold-stamped gift boxes. The Spirit Pagoda members behind them carried in several refined iron chests, lining them up in front of Feng Zaixing.
The chests were opened one by one, revealing rare treasures: life spiritual items over ten thousand years old, rare metals like Deep Sea Sunken Silver and Extreme Yang Blood Gold, and Spirit Bones over a thousand years old.
Yu Xin looked at them one by one. These things were considerable wealth for a Limit Douluo, but for them, they were better than nothing.
The Spirit Pagoda controlled countless resources, and the Federation was no slouch either, not to mention they sustained themselves through war.
Feng Zaixing glanced at them and lost interest, looking with a smile at the gift boxes in Xia Zhengling's hands. He raised his hand and asked, "I wonder what these are?"
Qiangu Qingfeng solemnly took them from his wife and opened them; inside lay two tokens engraved with the seal characters for 'Spirit Transfer.'
The Purgatory Douluo said clearly, "I have come on behalf of the Qiangu Family to apologize for the previous misunderstanding and to thank Director Feng for showing mercy to Zhang Ting."
"These two tokens are treasures my Qiangu Family exchanged for with contributions. With these, one can specifically exchange for Vicious Beast spirit souls kept by our Spirit Pagoda."
He added, "Furthermore, there is no limit on the age."
Hearing this, a flash of joy crossed Feng Zaixing's eyes. He cupped his hands and took the two tokens.
"Good. In that case, I shall accept them respectfully."
Seeing Feng Zaixing accept the gifts, Qiangu Qingfeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then continued, "Dongfeng's collusion with the Holy Spirit Cult is an unpardonable sin. Father has already stripped him of his position as Tower Master, imposed heavy punishment, and imprisoned him at the top of the Spirit Pagoda. Until Father passes away, he will not see the light of day again."
Xia Zhengling spoke gracefully and said seriously, "Qiangu Dongfeng was punished by the Old Tower Master. Many in the Spirit Pagoda witnessed this; it is by no means a perfunctory gesture on our part. He is still recovering in bed."
When Qiangu Dieting was angry, he gave Qiangu Dongfeng three solid strikes. Even without using the Coiling Dragon Rod, Qiangu Dongfeng could not withstand it.
If the Coiling Dragon Rod technique had been used, whether Qiangu Dongfeng could even breathe right now would be a question.
Feng Zaixing waved his hand, indicating he didn't care, and said casually, "As long as he publicly declares that he colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult for personal gain and is permanently dismissed, I don't care if he still tries any small tricks."
Pausing, his eyes burned brightly, and his tone gradually rose: "I know you two have noble temperaments and have never meddled in the affairs of the Spirit Pagoda; thus, I have a measure of respect for you. I hope the Qiangu Family will not produce such scum in the future."
"Otherwise, things will not be settled as easily as they were today."
Qiangu Qingfeng broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Understood, understood. I will certainly relay these words to my father."
For some reason, while talking to the person before him, he actually had the illusion of speaking with a Quasi-God. The other party's mental force was far above his own; he truly didn't know what Realm his cultivation had reached.
Feng Zaixing nodded slightly and said, "I have no interest in keeping Qiangu Zhangting imprisoned; you can take him away at any time. Those students of the Spirit Pagoda Academy are innocent and can also leave whenever they wish."
"But there's no need to discuss the others from the Star Luo Empire branch. Some died on the night of the attack, and the rest are now under Vice Tower Master Leng's control."
The Qiangu Qingfeng couple was stunned for a moment. Xia Zhengling asked, "What about the Witch Douluo, Li Mengjie? She—"
Yu Xin spoke from the side, her tone indifferent. "She already fell in that battle."
In that night raid, Li Mengjie was the second-strongest among the attackers, second only to Dark Bell. She drew a great deal of hatred, her Divine Artifact was coveted by Luan Hongchen, and she was a die-hard loyalist of the Qiangu Family.
Therefore, Li Mengjie was dead. Although she was killed after the fact, she was still considered to have fallen that night.
In fact, the die-hard subordinates of the Qiangu Family had all fallen that night; only some ordinary experts who were just doing a job survived. The experts of the Star Luo Continent's Spirit Pagoda who were loyal to Zhang Geyang had been chopped into mincemeat one after another during this period by the experts Feng Zaixing brought.
After all, if he ate the meat, others had to have some soup. Since Feng Zaixing had taken out Zhang Geyang, Zhang Geyang's resources naturally belonged to the many older experts; it was something of a bonus for them.
Xia Zhengling and Qiangu Qingfeng felt regretful upon hearing this but didn't dare say much. They sighed and went to find the already-crippled Qiangu Zhangting.
When one's strength is inferior, their voice is not loud. Feng Zaixing was not a useless person who would remain submissive after winning. Being able to take back Qiangu Zhangting was already very good.
After seeing off the Qiangu Qingfeng couple, Feng Zaixing gave Yu Xin a gentle smile. Taking her jade-like hand, he took a step forward, using spatial power to teleport to the Star Luo Grand Stadium.
"Who is fighting whom in today's semifinals?" Feng Zaixing asked with a smile.
Yu Xin said leisurely, "One match is Naer versus Long Chen, and the other is Ye Hui versus Long Yue. In the former, Long Chen is certain to lose; only the latter match is worth watching."
Feng Zaixing was slightly surprised and asked, "What about Zhengyu? Did he encounter Ye Hui or Naer earlier?"
Yu Xin shook her head slightly and said, "He encountered Long Yue. His Seraphim and Long Yue's Mountain Dragon are both Divine Rank Spirits, but there's a significant gap in cultivation, and his control is far inferior to yours. He was defeated."
"I see—"
Feng Zaixing's gaze turned deep upon hearing this. He glanced sideways, his eyes falling on Le Zhengyu, then he smiled helplessly and said, "He still hasn't fully refined that drop of essence blood I released back then. I hope this kid won't be a second Qian Renxue, possessing an incredibly strong Spirit but unable to produce results—Uh, what are you doing?"
He saw Yu Xin's eyebrows arched in anger. Her slender jade hand broke free from Feng Zaixing's grasp and landed on his waist, where she used three fingers to give him a fierce twist.
Although Feng Zaixing's physique was extremely strong, he naturally wouldn't use the Innate Secret Method for protection against his own people, so the pinch was slightly painful.
"Back then, you burned eighty years of your Lifespan, and I didn't know beforehand. You intentionally sent me away; I haven't settled that score with you yet."
Yu Xin gritted her teeth, a deep sense of resentment appearing in her eyes, quite different from her usual heroic air.
Seeing this, Feng Zaixing was speechless. He said, "How long has it been since then? Why are you bringing up old scores now?"
Yu Xin rolled her eyes, half-annoyed and half-pleased. "When your injuries weren't healed, I obviously couldn't bully you. Now, it doesn't matter."
Feng Zaixing shook his head and sighed. "Back then, I was at the six-ring stage and you were at the seven-ring stage, so you could still fight me. Now I'm at the eight-ring stage while you're still at the seven-ring stage; it's going to be hard to bully me."
As he spoke, he gently manipulated his muscles, his body bouncing off Yu Xin's pinch. He added, "Don't just pinch my waist at every turn. Who did you learn this habit from?"
Yu Xin didn't answer and changed the subject. "You don't need to worry about that. Just pay attention to the battle between Ye Hui and Long Yue."
Feng Zaixing looked at the arena and quickly relaxed, smiling. "Ye Hui is my Personal Disciple, after all. Her chances of winning this match are at least seventy percent."
At this moment, Yuanen Yehui and Long Yue had both entered the stage. They cupped their fists in salute, showing a very classical style.
"Long Yue, Spirit: Mountain Dragon, Rank 69 Defense System Battle Spirit Emperor."
Facing Yuanen Yehui, Long Yue showed no carelessness. He took the initiative to announce his Spirit and Rank. His eyes beneath his bald head were solemn, and his body was slightly tense.
"Yuanen Yehui, Spirit: Titan Giant Ape, Rank 64 attack system Battle Spirit Emperor."
Yuanen Yehui spoke clearly. Reaching this stage at the age of seventeen, while not comparable to her father or teacher, was still extremely stunning.
Today, the expert from the Federation sitting in the highest spectator seats accompanying En Ci and Dai Tianling was none other than Yuan En Zhentian. He said with a smile, "Saint Dragon Douluo, I bet my granddaughter can beat your disciple today."
En Ci rolled his eyes secretly and said, "We shall see."
Long Yue's Mountain Dragon Spirit Bloodline was powerful, far exceeding his own Light Holy Dragon. After intensive training by the Tang Sect during this period, his cultivation and spirit ring had improved significantly. Coupled with his Two-Word Battle Armor, he had the strength to shake an ordinary Titled Douluo.
But with a Quasi-God saying this, En Ci and Dai Tianling couldn't help but wipe away cold sweat. The Federation's geniuses were too dominant; Naer and Yuanen Yehui were top-tier, and while Gu Yue and Yu Xin hadn't entered the competition, there was still the highest mountain standing behind them.
"Boom!"
Two bright yellow, aggressive halos erupted on the competition stage. The fluctuations of the earth element were unprecedentedly intense. The phantom of the Mountain Dragon King appearing behind Long Yue was like a city built upon the continent, while Yuanen Yehui's Titan Giant Ape phantom stood tall between heaven and earth, beating its chest like the king of all beasts, its roar powerful and vigorous.
From the clash of Auras alone, the two sides were evenly matched, with the restless earth element splitting in two and rushing toward them. However, those with powerful strength clearly noticed that more earth element was flowing toward Yuanen Yehui; her mental force was superior to Long Yue's.
"What's going on? Her mental force is close to the Spirit Abyss Realm?" En Ci marveled inwardly, feeling that things were looking bad.
Long Yue had six black rings, while Yuanen Yehui had five black and one orange, showing no concealment. There was also a huge gap between the two in terms of spirit rings. "Mountains and Rivers!"
Knowing that Yuanen Yehui was difficult to deal with, Long Yue stomped his massive foot on the ground. The floor of the competition stage cracked, and small mountains shaped like sword tips surged out frantically, instantly covering the entire arena and crashing toward Yuanen Yehui's body.
"I have no retreat in this battle. If I can't even beat you, I don't know how much the people's confidence will collapse."
Long Yue stared at Yuanen Yehui through the mountains, his fleshy face wearing an extremely solemn expression. The opponent was merely Feng Zaixing's Personal Disciple and far inferior to her master; she was only ranked in the top five among the geniuses under twenty in this generation of the Sun Moon Federation.
If he, the number one Genius of Star Luo, were to lose this battle, the people's confidence would surely experience an avalanche. He simply could not afford to lose.
"You have no retreat, but do I?"
Yuanen Yehui manipulated the air. The Titan Giant Ape behind her used spirit power to condense two massive hands that propped up the sky, shattering the mountains one by one with peerless strength.
With a leap, two massive, thousand-pound hammers appeared in her hands at some point. She swung them down at Long Yue's head, the sonic booms rumbling like thunder.
"Winning against you is my graduation exam. If I can't even beat you, I'll be strictly disciplined when I go back."