Seven days later.
It was a bright, sunny day. The sun was high in the sky, and the temperature was pleasantly mild.
In the city's bustling marketplace, carts moved back and forth, people came and went—everything seemed peaceful and harmonious.
Since Nan Tianchen had ascended the throne, though he hadn't made any significant contributions in terms of military expansion or strengthening the nation's power, his policies of benevolence had ensured a decent living for the common folk.
No one noticed that, despite the clear skies and warm weather, frost had begun to form on the grass, trees, and potted plants decorating the inns along the streets.
Inside the Spirit Hall, belonging to the Gulei Kingdom, Seth—the hall master and a Soul Sage—suddenly felt a shiver. "Hmm? The temperature hasn't dropped, so why does my soul power feel so cold?"
He stepped out of the hall and looked towards the direction of the royal palace.
Similar actions were taken by Jia Chong, the leader of the Strength Sect. "This phenomenon must be caused by the soul power of an ice attribute soul master, and one with immense strength. No ordinary ice-type soul master could achieve this. The strongest ice soul master in this kingdom is none other than the queen. Could it be…?"
It seemed he had guessed the truth.
At that moment, a brilliant blue light shot into the sky, and snow began to fall from the clear, sunny heavens.
This spectacle drew the attention of the entire city. Despite the warm weather and the sun shining brightly, snowflakes drifted down, leaving everyone puzzled.
In the East Palace, Nan Feihuang, standing with Lu Lingqi and others, marveled at the scene. "Incredible! As expected of the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, its medicinal power is overwhelming. Mother's breakthrough is causing such a grand phenomenon. I doubt she's only just reached level ninety—it must be much more than that!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several figures arrived at the royal palace with impressive speed.
Among them were Zhang Lao, a food-type Soul Sage, Seth, the hall master of the Spirit Hall, and Jia Chong, leader of the Strength Sect.
At the palace gates, Nan Tianchen, who had been seated there for seven days, stood and smiled faintly. "Gentlemen, it's quite impolite to intrude upon my royal palace. But today, I'm in an excellent mood, so I won't make a fuss. Since you're already here, why not stay and witness this event? Today is the day my wife, Queen Lan Xue, attains the rank of Titled Douluo!"
"Titled... Douluo?" Seth's eyes widened in shock.
Another Titled Douluo had appeared in the world, and a female one at that.
Nan Feihuang arrived fashionably late, observing the stunned expressions of these high-ranking individuals. He smiled calmly, knowing their reaction was only natural.
At this point in time, the number of publicly acknowledged Titled Douluo was merely in the teens.
The Spirit Hall had three: the Pope and the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo. The Upper Three Sects boasted five: the Clear Sky Douluo, Roaring Sky Douluo, Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo, and Thunder Douluo. Outside these circles, there was the Poison Douluo, with another two or three in the Star Luo royal family.
Even the mighty Heaven Dou Empire had no Titled Douluo of its own.
Not many people knew of the Spirit Hall's Nine Elders, Seven Sacrifices, or the additional Titled Douluo that emerged from the Clear Sky Sect during its closure.
So for a kingdom like Gulei to suddenly produce a Titled Douluo, it was nothing short of a major event.
Creak!
Suddenly, the door behind Nan Tianchen opened, and an absolutely stunning woman stepped out. She was dressed in an elegant blue palace gown, her aura faint and elusive, making it difficult for anyone to gauge her true strength.
Though she hadn't yet obtained her ninth soul ring, reaching level ninety already made her a quasi-Titled Douluo. Her level was far beyond that of ordinary Soul Douluo or Soul Sages.
"Congratulations to Her Majesty the Queen on her breakthrough to Titled Douluo. Soon enough, we'll have to address you as 'Your Excellency.'" Zhang Lao cupped his hands respectfully as he spoke.
As a loyal subject of the Gulei Kingdom, he felt genuine joy. He had long believed that rescuing Lan Xue was the best decision Nan Tianchen had ever made.
Seth and Jia Chong quickly snapped out of their daze and followed suit, clasping their fists and saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on becoming a Titled Douluo!"
Jia Chong's congratulations were heartfelt. Although he wasn't directly involved in the Gulei Kingdom's court, he was a native of Gulei, and his sect was based within the capital.
Compared to the relationship between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire, Jia Chong's Strength Sect had even deeper ties to the Gulei Kingdom.
Their fates were intertwined—when the kingdom prospered, so did the sect, and when the kingdom suffered, so did the sect.
As for Seth, his thoughts were more complex. The Spirit Hall had long tasked him with monitoring the Gulei Kingdom.
Although the Spirit Hall didn't take the kingdom's military strength too seriously, its agricultural output was an important factor.
Now, with the sudden appearance of a Titled Douluo, many of their plans regarding the kingdom would need to be reassessed.
Seth quickly excused himself and hurried away. He needed to report this development to the Pope's Hall in Spirit City as soon as possible.
With those who needed to leave now gone, it was time for the celebration to begin. Nan Tianchen warmly invited Jia Chong and Zhang Lao to stay and witness the event, and soon after, all civil and military officials of the city were summoned to hear the joyful news.
Nan Tianchen saw no reason to keep this hidden. While there's a saying that "the tree that stands out in the forest is the first to be cut down," a Titled Douluo on the continent wasn't considered a towering tree just yet. It was enough to garner respect from other forces but not enough to provoke the strongest powers like the Spirit Hall, the two great empires, or the Upper Three Sects.
The military might of Gulei had always been the weakest among the four kingdoms.
Whenever he and the other kings went to pay homage to Emperor Xue Ye, Nan Tianchen had always been the most humble, for he couldn't compete with the military strength of the others.
But next year, he could finally hold his head high. He was already imagining the scene when he faced the other three kings. "Oh, so your Silvis Kingdom is an economic powerhouse? Well, so what? My wife's a Titled Douluo! What can you do about it?"
"You say the Balak Kingdom has a formidable army? A force of hundreds of thousands of men? So what? My wife's a Titled Douluo! What can you do about it?"
As for the Hagen Das Kingdom... well, since they were in-laws, there was no need to antagonize them.
Watching Nan Tianchen's wandering thoughts, Nan Feihuang knew his father was starting to get a bit carried away.
But it didn't matter. In this era, having a Titled Douluo in one's ranks gave a force the capital to act confidently, so long as they didn't provoke the strongest powers on the continent. Against everyone else, they could afford to be bold.
The Balak Kingdom was known for its military prowess, and Gulei was no match for them in a direct confrontation. But now, there was a decisive factor that could turn the tide of any conflict—a decapitation strategy, one of the most feared tactics in warfare.
If the two kingdoms went to war, Lan Xue could single-handedly tear through their leadership, leaving the enemy forces without direction.
An army without a leader is like soldiers without weapons, incapable of putting up any real resistance.
In the original final battle, if it hadn't been for Tang San holding off Bibi Dong, while the Shrek Seven Devils and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, along with the Clear Sky Sect, held back the elders and sacrifices of the Spirit Hall, the war between Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Empire would have ended in less than three days.
Bibi Dong might not have been able to slaughter Heaven Dou's million-man army in that time, but killing Xue Beng? That would've been easy.
With Xue Beng dead, the Heaven Dou Empire would have fallen into chaos.
That's the power a Titled Douluo wields against those without one—a force that can tip the scales of any battle.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Support the Translation! 🌐✨
20 Advanced Chapters are currently available in Patreon, make sure to visit and support our team.
patreon.com/Immortal_author
https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor
https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT