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The atmosphere within the headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult was extremely tense, with elders and disciples hurrying about with anxious expressions.
The reason was simple: following the sect leader Zhongli Wu's declaration of his stance towards the Shui family, the entire sect had entered a state of preparation for war.
"Reporting to the sect leader, one hundred and eight emissaries have returned to headquarters. There are forty-six titled Douluo and seven super Douluo among them…"
Inside the main hall of the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters, the chief elder was reporting on the current strength of the sect to Zhongli Wu.
Upon hearing this, Zhongli Wu was very satisfied. Even without Death Douluo Ye Xishui and Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao, the Holy Spirit Cult remained a terrifying force on the continent.
However, just as Zhongli Wu was about to issue the next set of orders, a strange spatial fluctuation suddenly emerged in the middle of the hall.
The expressions of Zhongli Wu and the elders changed drastically as they sensed the unusual spatial fluctuation, assuming it was an enemy attack.
Moments later, a dense aura of death appeared out of thin air, condensing into a spiritual entity.
When everyone felt this spiritual entity, their tense expressions finally relaxed.
"Mother?"
Zhongli Wu's face showed a look of surprise as he exclaimed. The source of the spiritual entity was none other than Death Douluo Ye Xishui.
"Wu'er, I am aware of the recent actions of the Holy Spirit Cult. Although I did not intend to interfere with worldly matters, the strength of the Shui family is far greater than what you see on the surface."
At this moment, the spiritual entity spoke.
"Today, in my capacity as the Holy Spirit Cult's supreme elder, I forbid the sect from antagonizing the Shui family. Anyone who disobeys will face the wrath of the Five Thunders!"
Ye Xishui continued, her words carrying a strong warning.
Upon hearing this, the people in the hall were all stunned. No one expected the supreme elder's reappearance to be for the purpose of preventing the Holy Spirit Cult from opposing the Shui family.
"Mother, why is this?"
Zhongli Wu rose from his throne, his eyes filled with unwillingness. He could not understand why his mother feared the Shui family so deeply.
"There is no why. You will understand in due time."
As Ye Xishui's voice faded, a terrifying pressure of the extreme Douluo instantly descended upon the hall.
All the elders of the Holy Spirit Cult were forced to kneel on the spot under the sudden pressure.
"We obey… the supreme elder's command."
In the end, Zhongli Wu sighed. Despite his inner reluctance, he had no choice but to comply with his mother's order.
"The Shui family has stated that any force that submits to them can send disciples to train with them. Our sect can also send disciples. Make sure this is done properly."
Ye Xishui's voice echoed once more before the spiritual entity vanished from the hall, leaving the Holy Spirit Cult's powerhouses in silent contemplation.
After a moment, Zhongli Wu seemed to fully accept Ye Xishui's order. He lifted his head and looked to the right side of the hall.
"Immediately dispatch our Blue Silver Saintess and Fire Phoenix Saintess to train with the Shui family!"
Soon after, with a cold tone, Zhongli Wu issued the command.
…
In a blink of an eye, three days passed. The one-month period set by Shui Wuya had arrived.
However, to the surprise of everyone, Shrek Academy, along with several other forces including the Sun Moon Empire, remained silent. They neither pledged allegiance to the Shui family nor openly opposed them.
Nevertheless, this did not dampen the excitement surrounding the Shui family. On this day, young geniuses from all over the continent had begun to arrive at the Shui family's domain.
"Bei Weiling, I didn't expect to see you here."
Just arriving at the extreme north, Xu Sanshi spotted Dai Yueheng at the entrance of the Shui family's secret realm. The two had been students at Shrek Academy and were well acquainted.
"Sanshi, you're here too. My Dai clan made an agreement with the Shui family ten thousand years ago. I'm here to honor that ancient pact."
Inside the secret realm, as Xu Sanshi approached, Dai Yueheng greeted him with a smile. It was indeed comforting to meet an old friend in a foreign place.
"My Xu clan submitted to the Shui family six thousand seven hundred years ago. I, Xu Sanshi, am also a member of the Shui family."
Xu Sanshi chuckled, and the two engaged in friendly conversation.
"Have you heard? Three days ago, the Holy Spirit Cult submitted to the Shui family! They even sent their two saintesses."
Dai Yueheng leaned in, whispering mysteriously to Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi was taken aback. He had traveled straight from Shrek Academy and had not heard about the Holy Spirit Sect's recent actions.
At that moment, Xu Sanshi noticed two figures wearing black veils and long black dresses among the crowd of young people gathered there.
"Could those two be the saintesses of the Holy Spirit Cult?"
Xu Sanshi wondered to himself. Just as he was about to approach them, a burly middle-aged man carrying a long spear emerged at the Shui family's entrance.
"Silence!"
The man's deep voice quickly quieted the crowd.
"I am Shui Jiangnan, captain of the Shui family's guard. Today, I am here on behalf of the patriarch to welcome soul masters from outside."
The burly man introduced himself, and behind him appeared dozens of Shui family members, divided into two groups.
"The ones in black are from the Shui family's Law Enforcement Hall, and those in white are from the guard."
Xu Sanshi, familiar with the Shui family, explained to Dai Yueheng.
Dai Yueheng nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"Those whose names I call, please follow the guard for your talent assessment."
Shui Jiangnan's voice sounded again.
"Xu Sanshi, Dai Yueheng, Li Zongfang, Jiang Hailiu..."
In just a few minutes, Shui Jiangnan read out hundreds of names.
However, those whose names were called looked puzzled.
"Senior, we all come from forces that submitted to the Shui family. We were granted entry to train here. Why do we still need to undergo an assessment?"
Unable to contain his confusion, Dai Yueheng stepped forward and asked Shui Jiangnan.
(End of the chapter)