Douluo: The Ultimate Self

Yang Xiong watched the two elderly men bicker and couldn't help but interject. "Dragon Duke, I'm truly sorry about this incident. We had no idea you were pursuing that Man-Faced Demon Spider—it was all just a misunderstanding."

"Teacher Lin, we have more pressing matters to attend to. Let's put this aside for now and settle it face-to-face another time."

Dragon Duke glanced at Yang Xiong. "Is this brat your disciple? He doesn't seem particularly impressive. Your judgment must be as poor as ever."

Lin Gong retorted, "This boy may not excel in studies, but at least he can accurately identify the age of a Man-Faced Demon Spider—unlike you, who got it completely wrong."

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After exchanging a few more barbs, Lin Gong once again led Yang Xiong deeper into the Great Star Dou Forest, while Dragon Duke continued his search for spirit beasts for his granddaughter.

However, after pursuing for some distance, Yang Xiong began to feel uneasy.

Yang Xiong pondered aloud, "Teacher Lin, are we sure we're heading in the right direction? A creature as massive as the Titan Giant Ape shouldn't be so easy to lose track of, should it?"

After parting ways with Dragon Duke and Serpent Grandmother, they had been chasing for a full two hours. But even Lin Gong moved cautiously in the Great Star Dou Forest, his speed noticeably slower than that of the Titan Giant Ape.

At this moment, Lin Gong, who had appeared somewhat puzzled earlier, suddenly brightened with excitement. "Stay here. I think I've sensed the Titan Giant Ape. There's far too great a gap between you and it. I'll pursue alone. Whatever you do, don't move around carelessly. If you encounter danger, signal me immediately."

Before Yang Xiong could respond, Lin Gong darted off at high speed, leaving Yang Xiong speechless.

Judging by their current location, they were likely nearing the mixed zone of the Great Star Dou Forest. Even though the Titan Giant Ape's passage had scared away many spirit beasts, it was still no place for a mere Great Soul Master like Yang Xiong to handle on his own.

Yang Xiong inwardly grumbled: 'This Teacher Lin is so unreliable—he just left me behind to chase after a spirit beast. Then again, it's safer for him to go alone than to bring me along.'

However, less than ten minutes later, Lin Gong returned, his expression unusually grave.

Before Yang Xiong could ask anything, Lin Gong spoke directly. "Let's head back. This matter is beyond our reach."

Yang Xiong quickly asked, "What happened? Is the Titan Giant Ape too powerful?"

Lin Gong shook his head. "You guessed correctly. As I approached, I sensed an overwhelming killing intent. It must be the same Title Douluo who confronted Zhao Wuji before. Clearly, they don't want me interfering in this matter."

"This situation isn't simple—it feels strange all around. Now tell me honestly, what's going on with your classmate Xiao Wu?"

Yang Xiong sighed deeply. His original plan had been to use the pursuit of the Titan Giant Ape as cover to arrange for Xiao Wu's abduction. In the vastness of the Great Star Dou Forest, it would have gone unnoticed—a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone strategy.

On one hand, he could secure a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone. On the other, after the incident, whether it was Tang San or Tang Hao, they would only blame the Titan Giant Ape for her disappearance. After all, she had been taken by it.

In a forest as vast as the Great Star Dou Forest, losing someone wasn't uncommon. What Yang Xiong hadn't anticipated was that Tang Hao, despite disregarding his son's safety, had secretly followed Xiao Wu.

Yang Xiong suddenly realized something was amiss. 'No, there's a problem here. Teacher Lin is only a Soul Douluo. Only a Title Douluo could sense Xiao Wu's abnormality. Throughout this entire process, I haven't revealed any flaws. Tang Hao couldn't have overheard my conversation with Lin Gong, nor could he know my plan. Even if Tang Hao encountered us, he'd assume Lin Gong was acting under my request to rescue Xiao Wu.'

After all, in the original storyline, Xiao Wu had interacted with several Soul Douluos without anyone detecting her true identity as a hundred-thousand-year transformed spirit beast.

Yang Xiong remained silent for a long while before finally asking, "Teacher Lin, may I ask what your true strength is? How much of a gap exists between you and a Title Douluo?"

Yang Xiong suddenly recalled a crucial point: there was a qualitative difference between Title Douluos and Soul Douluos. While Lin Gong's Purple Emperor Bamboo was extraordinary, how could it block the detection of a Title Douluo?

Lin Gong chuckled. "Are you doubting my strength now? I'm an eighty-seventh-level Soul Douluo. Though my soul power is slightly lower than Meng Shu's, my spiritual power far surpasses his."

Yang Xiong was astonished. "How is that possible? You're a plant-type soul master, not a spirit-type soul master. How can your spiritual power rival that of a battle-type soul master at the same level?"

Lin Gong fell silent for a moment before replying, "Well, it's not much of a secret anymore. I might as well tell you. Although I'm a plant-type soul master, I possess an exceptional spirit-type head spirit bone. My spiritual power has long since reached the level of a Title Douluo."

Yang Xiong was shocked. Head spirit bones were among the rarest of spirit bones, especially spirit-type head spirit bones, which were considered the pinnacle of spirit bones. Their appearance was exceedingly rare.

Lin Gong continued. "There's no harm in telling you now. Back then, this caused quite a stir. I nearly lost my life for this head spirit bone. That's why I've stayed in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect all these years."

"You see, this is an exceptionally rare plant-type head spirit bone, which drew the covetous eyes of a certain formidable individual. The sect provided relative safety. Otherwise, I wouldn't have said those things to Meng Shu earlier."

Yang Xiong was stunned. Head spirit bones typically came from spirit beasts with higher intelligence, whereas plant-type spirit beasts generally had low intelligence. Throughout soul master history, there were hardly any records of plant-type head spirit bones appearing.

Now Yang Xiong finally understood. Tang Hao likely knew of Lin Gong's abilities—especially that his spiritual power had reached Title Douluo levels. Moreover, Lin Gong possessed extensive knowledge of spirit beasts. If he were to come into close contact with Xiao Wu, he might uncover her true identity as a hundred-thousand-year transformed spirit beast, disrupting Tang Hao's plans entirely.

Especially in the Great Star Dou Forest, where Lin Gong's plant-type spirit thrived, even Tang Hao couldn't guarantee silencing him permanently. And considering Lin Gong's backing from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, antagonizing him would be unwise. Instead, relying on overwhelming strength to drive people away was the better option.

Yang Xiong sighed deeply. It seemed his plan to abduct Xiao Wu had failed. Still, acquiring an external spirit bone wasn't a bad consolation prize.

After further discussion, Lin Gong and Yang Xiong prepared to head back.

However, after walking for a full two hours and reaching the outer regions of the Great Star Dou Forest, they encountered an unexpected sight.

Lin Gong glanced at Yang Xiong. "Boy, I think we should take a detour. I'm afraid that old man might go berserk when he sees us."

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