"Level ninety-seven. No, it's already very close to level ninety-eight."
At this moment, all the powerful Titled Douluo and above in Wuhun City could clearly feel the tremendous soul pressure.
The Pope's Palace
"Your Holiness, that's..." One of the Pope's guards looked through the skylight towards the Elders' Hall with a horrified expression.
Another guard swallowed hard, "No mistake, that soul power fluctuation..."
"It seems one of the Elders has broken through, though I'm not sure who it was—Uncle Guangling, Uncle Jiang Jun, or Uncle Jian Long. My guess is Uncle Guangling. He was the first among the three to reach level ninety-six."
Qian Xunji, who possessed the Angel Set's head soul bone and was also a Titled Douluo, had extraordinary mental power, even among those of his rank. He quickly judged the strength of the soul power fluctuation.
It had definitely reached level ninety-seven.
Looking across the entire Spirit Hall and even the Douluo Continent, the only people with soul power above level ninety-seven were the long-missing Tang Chen from the Haotian Sect and the first four Elders, including Qian Xunji's father.
He hadn't been born when his father and the second priest broke through to level ninety-seven, but he could vividly remember the breakthrough of the third and fourth priests.
The scene unfolding was exactly like that—no, even more powerful.
Although the Elders held power that could challenge the Pope, they were loyal to the Spirit Hall and the Angel lineage.
The stronger the Elders became, the stronger the foundation of the Spirit Hall, and the more secure Qian Xunji's position as Pope.
"Haha, come on, both of you go and congratulate them."
Sensing the unique aura of a Level 97 Titled Douluo, Qian Xunji believed an Elder had made a breakthrough. He laughed and strode out of the Pope's Palace.
His two guards exchanged wry smiles and followed closely behind, their eyes filled with both envy and awe—not just for the Elders but for the Pope and the Spirit Hall itself.
With such a solid foundation, there was no fear for the Spirit Hall's prosperity or strength. Nor was there doubt that Pope Qian Xunji would one day rule the world.
They knew the "ambitions" of their Pope. He sought not just the Spirit Hall and the two empires but the entire continent.
In the Elder Hall, the Elders also believed that one of their own had reached level ninety-seven, but having received orders from the Great Priest, they refrained from offering their congratulations.
For those below the Titled Douluo level, the fluctuation of soul power was incomprehensible, making it impossible for them to judge its true strength.
In the Elder Hall
Yue Guan and Gui Mei were stunned, staring blankly at the tall man in red before them, not daring to breathe.
The six Elders, led by Qian Daoliu, observed the man in red with curiosity.
Third Elder Azure Luan Douluo smiled softly and murmured, "Not bad for a martial soul fusion skill. For a Soul King of just over fifty to fuse with Jiangmo Douluo and reach such a level, even I feel pressured. It seems I've struck gold."
"Indeed," agreed Second Elder Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Even I felt a little threatened. When Qin Xuan is promoted to Titled Douluo, this martial soul fusion skill could potentially reach the level of a Great Priest."
"Perhaps even beyond that," Qian Daoliu added meaningfully. He glanced at Jue and Gui and said in a deep voice, "I don't want a word of today's event leaving this room."
"Do you both understand?" Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes, his tone dangerous.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei swallowed hard. Yue Guan hesitated before asking, "Great Priest, if His Holiness the Pope inquires, should we remain silent?"
"I will handle the Pope," Qian Daoliu replied, after a pause, considering his son's dignity as Pope.
"Understood," they responded respectfully, standing aside with clothes soaked in sweat. They kept their heads bowed, not daring to move since the Great Priest had not dismissed them.
"Demon, how do you feel now?" Qian Daoliu softened his expression as he approached the man in red with the second to sixth Elders.
"Well, I feel like I could take down a 100,000-year-old soul beast with one punch. So, not bad."
The man in red, holding a spear in his left hand and clenching his right fist, responded with Qin Xuan's voice.
"Is that... Qin Xuan?" Qian Daoliu and the other Elders were shocked. They hadn't expected Qin Xuan to be in control of the martial soul fusion technique.
This meant that Jiang Mo, a Level 96 Super Douluo, had been bested by a mere Soul King in the battle for dominance within the fusion.
At that moment, the voice of the Guardian Knight outside the hall announced, "Great Priest, His Holiness the Pope and his two personal guards are here."
Qian Daoliu glanced towards the entrance but said nothing. He turned to Qin Xuan and instructed, "Xuan'er, cancel the martial soul fusion skill."
Qian Daoliu now affectionately referred to him as "Xuan'er," a term usually reserved only for his two closest teachers, making Qin Xuan feel awkward.
"Oh," Qin Xuan responded lightly. With a flash of white light, the man in red vanished, and Qin Xuan and Elder Jiang Long returned to their original forms.
The difference was clear.
Qin Xuan remained calm and composed.
But Elder Jiang Long blushed with shame. Despite being a Level 96 attack-type Titled Douluo with the powerful Panlong Stick, he had lost to his own disciple, a mere Soul King.
The embarrassment was overwhelming—he wished he could crawl into a hole.
As for the other Elders—Golden Crocodile, Azure Luan, Mighty Lion, Guang Ling, Jiang Jun—they watched Jiang Mo's predicament with amusement, barely containing their laughter.
Normally, they maintained their lofty demeanor, but it was clear that if Qin Xuan and the Pope hadn't been present, they might have burst out laughing.
However, their mirth wouldn't last much longer.
"Let them in," Qian Daoliu ordered, turning towards the gate of the Elder Hall.
Qin Xuan stood quietly beside Yue Guan and Gui Mei, while Jiang Jun , with a bitter expression, joined his brother Jiang Long, both tightly gripping their Dragon Staff.
This was why the two brothers could fight together, even rivaling peak Level 98 Douluos.