Chapter 230: Registration
The group walked into Mingdu, chatting and laughing. Well, the chatting and laughing were mainly between Du Qianjue, Nan Shuishui, and her daughter Nan Qiuqiu. Long Aotian and his group, along with the young members of the Earth Dragon Sect, didn't have much to talk about, clearly dividing into two separate groups.
Nan Shuishui, always observant, felt a bit helpless about this division. Over the years, her Earth Dragon Sect had developed a significant rapport with the Ontology Sect, and naturally, she hoped her disciples could forge good relations with them. Her group was composed of the elite youth of the Earth Dragon Sect, but the members from the Ontology Sect were no less formidable.
That man with a larger head, obviously an elder from the Ontology Sect, was undoubtedly a Titled Douluo. The competitors from the Ontology Sect made even Nan Shuishui nervous. Du Qianjue's presence needed no explanation; as the young sect master of the Ontology Sect, he was recognized as the strongest of his generation on the Douluo Continent.
It was the young man who stood out quietly among the Ontology Sect group that particularly drew Nan Shuishui's attention. As a Soul Douluo, she couldn't sense any soul power fluctuations from him; he seemed as if he was one with nature, his every breath in harmony with the surroundings. This was a state not even the old dragon from the Heaven Dragon Sect had achieved, a level that he dreamed of reaching: Unity with Heaven and Earth!
Nan Shuishui, a powerful eight-ring Soul Douluo herself, understood the significance of reaching Unity with Heaven and Earth—a milestone for Super Douluo. It was hard for her to believe that she was seeing signs of this state in a young man, and she had her suspicions about Long Aotian's cultivation level.
This group, including Du Qianjue, represented the future pillars of the Ontology Sect, each with the potential to become a Titled Douluo. For Nan Shuishui, achieving the title of Titled Douluo was a lifelong goal.
Yet these naive youngsters didn't even think to make friends with these true geniuses. Nan Shuishui felt disheartened. Nan Qiuqiu, however, didn't have her mother's complex thoughts and was happily chatting around Du Qianjue. "So, are you participating in this edition of the Soul Fighting Contest? With your cultivation level, I feel like the rest of us might as well just go home."
"You even know that, huh? Competing at my level would just be bullying, so this time I'm only attending as the team coach," Du Qianjue finally decided not to enter the contest, leaving the stage to Long Aotian and the others.
"Phew—that's a relief. Otherwise, anyone who drew your sect in the contest would be seriously out of luck!" Nan Qiuqiu patted her chest, laughing cheerily.
"How can you speak like that!" Nan Shuishui glared at her. She wondered if she had been too indulgent with Nan Qiuqiu, allowing her to develop such an unrestrained personality, speaking about the Ontology Sect's team as if they were a bad omen.
Nan Qiuqiu, belatedly realizing her slip, stuck out her tongue, attempting to pass off the comment with cuteness. Du Qianjue didn't mind, though. If he had participated, Nan Qiuqiu's comment would indeed hold true; anyone drawing their sect would be unlucky. Long Aotian alone could handle most adversaries, and for tougher ones, Du Qianjue stepping in would ensure a straightforward victory. Competing with the power of a Limit Douluo, Du Qianjue had no interest in such an unfair fight.
As they approached the registration area, Du Qianjue occasionally responded to Nan Qiuqiu's incessant questions, deftly sidestepping the more awkward ones. They reached the Ming Yue Hotel, the accommodation assigned for the competitors, which also hosted the registration area on the first floor.
This hotel... Well, it left something to be desired. Du Qianjue surveyed the forty-meter tall structure with a somewhat indescribable expression. The technology tree of the Douluo Continent was bizarre; the Ming Yue Hotel was constructed entirely of reinforced concrete, which could easily support buildings hundreds of meters tall.
Forty meters? Even if each floor was three meters high, that meant the hotel had only about twelve floors—a relatively short structure by Earth standards, but it was among the tallest in the Sun Moon Empire. Was it the materials or the architects who were lacking?
The hotel was bustling, sealed off because it was not only housing the competing teams but also hosting the registration for academies and sects in its lobby. This year's contest saw many more teams participating than the last; if Du Qianjue remembered correctly, the previous contest had around 160 teams, but this year there were about 320. The first elimination round would cut half of them.
Casualties weren't uncommon in these contests. Sect disciples, unlike academy students who were more like delicate flowers rarely allowed to fight seriously, were used to handling dangerous missions and did not hold back in combat. The first elimination round put extra pressure on these disciples, representing their sects and knowing a loss meant going home.
Navigating through the chaotic lobby, Du Qianjue frowned slightly. He disliked such noisy environments—it reminded him of a market. With a slight motion of his eyes, he created an invisible barrier of spiritual energy around them, blocking out the noise.
"Lesser Sect Master, you could have just told me, and I would have handled it. There was no need for you to bother," Lang Ya said with a resigned smile.
Du Qianjue shook his head, smiling, "It doesn't matter. It's no trouble for me either way."
With the noise blocked out, they queued up for registration. Not encountering any acquaintances was unsurprising; few sects on the continent could match the Ontology Sect's level and naturally didn't mix well. Royal academies of the three great empires had likely already registered and were probably strategizing in their hotel rooms by now.
Arriving somewhat later than most due to Du Qianjue's laid-back approach, they quickly reached the front of the line when it was their turn. "Are you a sect or an academy?" asked the staff member, pen and notebook in hand.
"Sect, the Ontology Sect."
(End of Chapter)