For the past few days, Lin Yu had been relying on his Shangqing clone to handle appearances at Nuoding Academy, while his real body focused on intense training deep in the back mountains of the academy. The area was vast, with very few people venturing into its depths, allowing him ample solitude.
With his recent acquisition of the Supreme Bone, an external spirit bone, and the Mirage Dragon Pearl, he had no fear of being discovered. The Mirage Dragon's aura provided a flawless disguise.
However, while the clone could handle his daily activities, it could not take his place in the livestreams. As before, only the real Lin Yu would be pulled into the mysterious livestream space—not the clone.
The last time, his Taiji clone, left behind in Spirit City, was not summoned into the livestream, confirming this.
As the ninth livestream approached, Lin Yu sat quietly in the forested area of the Nuoding Academy mountains. An invisible ripple swept across the Douluo Continent when the clock struck ten. Everyone's vision darkened momentarily, and when it returned, they found themselves in a vast, cosmic-like space.
At the same time, a virtual screen appeared before everyone's eyes.
[Dai Tianfeng (confident): Haha! The seven-day wait is finally over. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan may have claimed the last two livestream rewards, but this time, the prize will belong to the Star Luo Empire!]
[Xue Ye (smirking): Dai Tianfeng, don't be so sure of yourself. If your Star Luo Empire fails to win this time, you'll be a laughingstock.]
[Xue Xing (agreeing): Exactly! This reward will belong to the Heaven Dou Empire. I don't believe anyone from Star Luo can outsmart Sect Master Ning!]
[Ning Fengzhi (smiling): Your praise is too generous, Your Highness. I can't even be certain I'll answer the questions correctly. Let's all rely on our skills and see who prevails.]
The previous two livestream challenges, spaced seven days apart, had not been too difficult. As a result, the participants from the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, and various spirit master factions were all determined to win the next reward.
On the virtual screen, messages from various figures rapidly flashed by.
[Chrysanthemum Douluo—Yue Guan (sneering): Hmph! What's there to fight over? On the Douluo Continent, who can compare to the depth and resources of the Spirit Hall? We may have been caught off guard before, but after all this preparation, the next reward will surely be ours.]
[Ghost Douluo—Gui Mei: Exactly! Yue Guan is right!]
[Platinum Bishop—Salas: Agreed, +1!]
The Spirit Hall's high-ranking members quickly rallied around Chrysanthemum Douluo's confidence.
[Chrysanthemum Douluo—Yue Guan (coldly): Oh, I almost forgot. @Tang Hao. Tang Hao, you managed to escape from us using the civilians of Nuoding City as hostages. It was a cowardly move. We underestimated both your strength and how low you'd go. But now, on behalf of the Spirit Hall, I'm officially declaring that we are issuing the highest bounty on you, your son, and Yu Xiaogang.]
[From now on, anyone who provides verified information on the whereabouts of Tang Hao, Tang San, or Yu Xiaogang will be handsomely rewarded. And for those who help us capture them, even greater rewards await!]
[Whether you want spirit bones, gold soul coins, a specific spirit beast, or even a place within the Spirit Hall—we can grant it all!]
Chrysanthemum Douluo's public bounty on Tang Hao and his son, as well as Yu Xiaogang, caused an uproar across the Douluo Continent.
The rewards from the Spirit Hall were simply too enticing. Gold, spirit rings, and spirit bones were irresistible temptations for civilians, nobles, and spirit masters alike.
"Damn Spirit Hall, they're sparing no expense!"
In a remote forest of the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang Hao's face darkened upon seeing the bounty posted on the livestream.
Back at the Clear Sky Clan, Tang Xiao, upon learning of his brother's bounty, was equally enraged. However, he knew he couldn't allow Tang Hao to return to the clan just yet. The Spirit Hall was well aware of the Clear Sky Clan's location, and while an old agreement between their grandfather Tang Chen and a former Spirit Hall Pope prevented the Hall from attacking their mountain, that protection was fragile at best.
With the recent revelations about Tang San's future role in destroying the Spirit Hall, Tang Xiao feared the Hall might abandon the agreement and launch a direct assault. It simply wasn't the right time yet.
He consoled himself with the thought that several of the clan's elders were on the verge of becoming Title Douluo. A few more years of preparation—or a stroke of fortune, like a special technique from the livestream—might be all they needed to challenge the Spirit Hall.
Meanwhile, at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen sighed deeply upon seeing that his son, Yu Xiaogang, had been added to the bounty list.
He couldn't help but think, Is proving yourself so important, Xiaogang?You've risked being hunted by the Spirit Hall, all for the sake of aligning yourself with that Haotian Douluo and his son…
Despite his concern for his son, Yu Yuanzhen's priority was still his clan. Had that not been the case, he wouldn't have stood by when Yu Xiaogang was humiliated in the clan, ultimately driving him to leave in anger.
[Liu Erlong (furious): @Bibi Dong, what is the meaning of this? Why did you issue a bounty on Xiaogang? Are you still angry because you know he loves me more than you?]
Upon reading Liu Erlong's outburst, many viewers in the livestream chat were left speechless.
What is it about this Yu Xiaogang? they wondered.
How could someone as talented as Liu Erlong, who once formed the Golden Iron Triangle with him, be so hopelessly infatuated with such a worthless man?
In Spirit City, Bibi Dong read Liu Erlong's angry message, recalling the disgusting scene of Yu Xiaogang using his gas-release soul skill during the previous battle in Nuoding City. The thought alone made her stomach churn with revulsion.
[Bibi Dong (coldly): @Liu Erlong, jealous? Please. I was blind in the past. That worthless, shameless, and disgusting man—if you want him, you can keep him!]
"You—!"
Liu Erlong was both shocked and enraged by Bibi Dong's scathing words. Just as she was about to retaliate, the brief buffer period of the livestream ended. The virtual screen before they flickered and disappeared, signaling the start of the ninth livestream.
The vast, cosmic-like space around them suddenly began to shift.