Barely Becoming a Titled Douluo, and the Counterattack System Arrives

Bibi Dong's gaze sharpened. Although her plan was still in its early stages, Lin Fan already saw through her intentions.

Indeed, Bibi Dong had always planned to transform Spirit Hall into a vast empire—the Spirit Empire.

But in the eyes of commoners, soul masters were already ranked above nobles. If an empire were ruled by soul masters, the oppression they inflicted upon commoners could easily surpass even that of nobles.

Seeing her fall silent, Lin Fan continued calmly,

"The tides of the world ebb and flow—what unites must divide, and what divides must unite again. The future is shaped by the choices we make today."

"Whatever you choose now will decide the future that awaits you."

Then Lin Fan stood up, clasping his hands behind his back with a calm expression,

"You should head back. That's all the advice I can offer you. Even if I returned to Spirit City with you now, I wouldn't be of much help."

"The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament isn't far off. I believe we'll meet again at Spirit City by then."

"Perhaps at that time, I'll tell you more about your future."

Lin Fan knew that currently, he could not protect himself against true powerhouses. Forget Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu—just the martial soul fusion technique of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, paired with any other Title Douluo or the elders from the Sacred Temple, would be enough to overpower him.

For now, Lin Fan's priority was to maintain the current balance.

In this world where strength ruled, only with enough power to protect himself could he have the right to choose.

Bibi Dong stood and gave him a deep, meaningful look.

"It seems I won't get anything more out of you today."

She turned to leave and said coldly,

"Very well, I'll give you some time to think. By the time of the Elite Tournament, I want the answers I seek. Otherwise… you won't be as lucky as you were today."

With that, she departed, taking Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo with her.

Lin Fan watched her leave and sighed in relief.

"Finally managed to bluff my way through… There are still about two years until the Elite Tournament. I must find a way to raise my soul power to Rank 96 before then."

Returning to his living room, Lin Fan sat down, pondering ways to achieve that within two years.

He considered two possibilities:

Complete system missions—they often rewarded him with increased soul ring age, effectively boosting his strength, or even awarding him soul bones.

Enhance his Slaughter Sword martial soul by attaching a 90,000-year soul ring, but Lin Fan had his ambitions. He wanted all the soul rings on his Slaughter Sword to be 100,000 years old.

Unless necessary, he wasn't willing to attach any ring below that level.

Lin Fan grumbled internally,

"System, hey, System! Where are you? Get out of here! Where's my next mission? It's been days now. How can a system be this lazy?!"

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? How could you treat your host like this?"

"If you don't show up soon, I swear I'll die right here!"

He knew the system could hear him, so he ranted even harder.

Suddenly—

[New Mission Issued: Due to your spiritual refinement and growth during your time at Moon Pavilion, proceed to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to learn the 'Split-Heart Control Technique.' Mastering this technique allows you to simultaneously wield two martial souls or use multiple soul skills at once. Successfully cultivating the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart completes the mission.]

[This mission cannot be declined.]

[Mission Rewards: A versatile soul ring capable of growing up to 100,000 years, and a fragment of the mysterious secret realm map.]

"…Huh?"

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

"So this system is voice-activated after all."

"A soul ring that can grow up to 100,000 years? Isn't that equivalent to a divine-bestowed soul ring?"

"That means… if I complete this mission, I can finally attach a ring to my Slaughter Sword martial soul!"

Although the task listed two rewards, in Lin Fan's view, it was essentially three.

After all, the Split-Heart Control Technique itself would be invaluable once he mastered it—it would allow him to use two martial souls simultaneously or unleash multiple soul skills at once.

This was precisely the ability he needed right now.

Just imagine: while others could only use one soul skill at a time, he'd be able to unleash several simultaneously. The gap in strength would be obvious.

Moreover, according to his knowledge, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Split-Heart Control Technique also significantly reduced soul power consumption.

Though his system's previous rewards had often been lackluster, this time the mission was quite generous and perfectly suited to his needs.

However, the Split-Heart Control Technique was a closely guarded secret of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—it wouldn't be easy to learn.

"Looks like I'll need to pay a visit to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan in a few days… and I'll need to bring gifts."

Lin Fan leaned back lazily on the sofa, planning.

The Next Morning

At dawn, Qian Renxue groggily opened her eyes, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. She immediately sat up, fully alert.

"Where am I? This isn't my room…"

Looking around the unfamiliar room, her expression darkened.

Lifting the covers, she quickly examined herself—fortunately, everything was untouched.

She knew full well how many tragic stories there were in Heaven Dou City about women who drank too much and met unfortunate fates.

Relieved, she got out of bed and walked to the window, realizing she was in the Eastern Courtyard residence.

"This is Lin Fan's house… So he must've brought me here last night."

Recalling their drinking session, Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed red.

"I… I didn't say anything crazy last night, did I?" she muttered, uncertain.

Yet, as she gazed out the window, her mood inexplicably lightened.

After tidying herself up, Qian Renxue composed her expression and walked downstairs.

Lin Fan, seeing her step out into the courtyard, chuckled,

"The drunkard finally woke up. You know, this is my newly bought house, and that bed you slept in was brand new. Yet its first owner wasn't even me."

Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed again, but she forced herself to stay calm.

"Who told you to bring me back here? I should be asking you—why am I here? Where are my guards?"

Lin Fan replied casually,

"With the state you were in last night, do you think your guards dared bring you back to the Crown Prince's Mansion?"

Qian Renxue understood immediately. As the Crown Prince's residence was full of spies and informants, especially among those princes who opposed her, returning in that state would've been disastrous.

"W-What was I like last night…? I didn't say anything embarrassing, did I?" she asked softly.

Lin Fan smiled faintly.

"Nothing much. You just ranted a little about Bibi Dong in your sleep."

"…Oh." Qian Renxue let out a breath of relief.

Then Lin Fan added calmly,

"Though… she did visit me last night. She heard every word of your little drunken rant."

"…Doesn't matter," Qian Renxue said stubbornly after a pause. "Anyway, thank you. I lost control last night."

She quickly regained her composure, resumed her "Xue Qinghe" disguise, and left Lin Fan's house.

After cleaning up his bedroom and airing out the lingering smell of alcohol, Lin Fan headed to Moon Pavilion to update Tang Yuehua about his housing situation.

Meanwhile, Bibi Dong and her two guards had already departed Heaven Dou City by dawn.

Chrysanthemum Douluo still looked puzzled,

"Your Holiness, we're not taking Lin Fan back with us?"

Bibi Dong replied flatly,

"No need for now. From what he said… Spirit Hall's future won't change much."

She had thought it over thoroughly the night before.

She knew—she could tell—Lin Fan didn't think highly of Spirit Hall's future ambitions.