Douluo: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel

Word Count: 3,070 Words

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Once the second greatest clan under heaven, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was known for one defining characteristic...

Wealth!

Inhuman levels of wealth!

The Illustrious Virtue Hall of the Sun Moon Imperial Academy and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Heaven's Treasury were reputed as the two places on the Douluo Continent whose wealth could rival nations!

Located within the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan rebuilt a city on the ruins of Seven Treasure City, which had been destroyed by the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago. They named it Nine Treasure City, and it stood adjacent to the capital of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Heaven Dou City.

The surroundings of Nine Treasure City resembled a glazed paradise. Exotic flowers and rare herbs sprawled everywhere, their petals refracting nine-colored rays under the bright morning sun. Tranquil and soothing fragrances suffused the air, leaving people intoxicated and reluctant to leave.

Gazing at Nine Treasure City from afar, one could see magnificent and exquisite white jade palaces scattered throughout the city. They exuded rosy glows and ethereal mists, resembling a celestial realm untouched by mortal strife.

The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Conference Hall.

The floor, paved with white jade, emitted a gentle luster. Jade walls on all sides depicted divine dragons ascending into the clouds and phoenixes spreading their wings to soar. In this grand hall that embodied both majesty and beauty, a graceful figure sat on the throne symbolizing the Clan Head's position. A cold, clear voice resounded through the hall.

"Very good, you have truly outdone yourselves this time! How many batches of rare metals have we lost this year? I repeatedly ordered you to assign guards with utmost strictness, and yet… Now, I want to hear an explanation!"

Everyone below shuddered involuntarily. Though high-ranking members of the clan, each at least a Spirit Saint in cultivation, they trembled before their Auxiliary System Spirit Master Clan Head.

A red-haired Spirit Douluo, his entire body exuding a scorching aura, mustered the courage to step forward. He bowed and said, "Clan… Clan Head, it is not that we were negligent in our duties. The bandits' strength was simply too formidable. This subordinate suspects they belong to the Body Sect!"

"The Body Sect again."

The woman's delicate eyebrows furrowed. Her jade-like hand tapped the armrest beside the throne, creating crisp sounds that echoed through the silent hall.

The Body Sect and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, both major factions within the Heavenly Soul Empire, had long been natural competitors. A hundred years ago, when the Two Brothers of the Body Sect wreaked havoc across the continent, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's Protector Douluo, Jianmu Douluo Zhou Jiren, stood up to face them. He fought fiercely against one of the brothers, the younger brother Du Busi, indirectly leading to Dragon God Douluo Mu En severely injuring and killing the then Body Sect Master, Du Bisi.

Since then, the Body Sect had completely fallen out with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. There had been numerous clashes between them, both overt and covert, with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan losing more often than winning.

After a long silence, the Clan Head spoke slowly:

"The Sun Moon Empire's ambitions are undeniable. Within twenty years, they will reignite continental war. Those rare metals were smuggled back by Fengyu and the clan's direct disciples, who risked traveling to the Sun Moon Empire, adventurously using the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's innate abilities to 'pan for gold in the sand,' lowballing prices to smuggle them back. They are crucial to our development in the coming years.

Wu Yan, I will have Xie Qin allocate half the Shadow Guards to you. Ensure the safety of every subsequent shipment!"

"This subordinate will not fail the Clan Head's trust!"

The red-haired Spirit Douluo, Wu Yan, accepted the order with cupped fists.

"Next matter." The Clan Head rubbed her throbbing temples. "The Heavenly Soul Empire's imperial family has recently canceled some of their longstanding collaborations with our clan and turned to contact the Body Sect instead..."

Creak—

The white jade doors were suddenly pushed open from the outside. The already irritated Clan Head instinctively snapped:

"I am discussing important clan matters with the elders. Who dares to be so ignorant of the rules..."

Her words cut off abruptly when she saw who had arrived. Her gaze fixed upon the man and two women slowly walking in.

On the left was a slender woman in a white dress, with platinum-blonde hair cascading to her waist and eyes as blue as a tranquil lake. Her features were exquisitely carved, like divine jade without a single flaw; she was perfectly gentle without a hint of seduction.

On the right was a red-haired, red-eyed woman wearing a tight red outfit that perfectly complemented her stunning looks and explosive figure. She exuded a unique temperament akin to a wild horse on the prairie, yet still maintained the softness inherent to women that made men's eyes practically glued to her.

As outstanding as the two women were, the man between them was even more extraordinary. Handsome and elegant, with a spirited expression, he appeared gentle and refined. Yet his every move naturally exuded a sense of ease, as if he held the world in the palm of his hand.

All three were dragons and phoenixes among people!

"Mother/Clan Head, we're back."

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the hall doors onto their clothes. Gazing at that noble and peerlessly beautiful figure, they spoke their first words upon returning home.

The Clan Head's rosy lips curved into a perfect arc as she revealed a rare smile in recent years. However, she immediately teased mercilessly:

"A three-day journey stretched into seven days. After enjoying yourselves outside, you finally deigned to come home?"

The three smiled without speaking, for they had indeed taken a scenic detour along the way. Looking at that incomparably beautiful face on the throne they had missed so much, the two women's eyes gradually reddened with emotion.

The Clan Head of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ning Fengya.

She was beautiful, beautiful to her very core.

Though Ning Tian and Wu Feng were already stunning beauties in Shrek Academy's Outer Courtyard who made male students drool, compared to Ning Fengya they clearly lacked a kind of elegance and grace that only comes with time. It was a temperament that women developed by combining beauty, experience, confidence, and a wealth of knowledge, carefully blended over time.

Time had not defeated this beauty. Ling Bai admitted that when he initially agreed to follow Ning Fengya back to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, apart from being young and wanting to find backing after his transmigration, another reason was that she was simply breathtaking.

The Clan's upper echelon exchanged glances upon seeing this. These old foxes instantly understood and quietly moved step by step toward the door, discreetly pulling along Wu Yan, who was staring at his daughter Wu Feng with tears streaming down his face, leaving the conference hall to Ning Fengya and the clan's three rising stars.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Finally!

The elders made it out the door!

Heh heh, the Clan Head didn't scold me today!

Happy!

After gazing at the three for a long while, Ning Fengya nodded lightly, speaking with both pride and tenderness, "Not bad, you have all grown up."

Ning Tian and Wu Feng both felt the urge to burst into tears upon hearing these words. As heaven's proud daughters who had been pampered since childhood, they left home and arrived at Shrek Academy, a place filled with geniuses. At first, they were confident and ready to showcase their talents, but gradually discovered how vast the world was and how many monsters there were. After experiencing the pain of failure and rising again, the two girls now showed traces of determination and steadiness on their pretty faces, no longer naïve young girls.

"Although Shrek Academy's teaching methods are old-fashioned and conservative, there is a reason why our clan has sent disciples there generation after generation—the abundance of geniuses," Ning Fengya said. "Pressure can give you motivation, wash away the arrogance of coming from a great clan, and help you seek improvement with your feet firmly on the ground.

The Shadow Guards reported that Xiao Bai skipped the Outer Courtyard studies and directly entered the Inner Courtyard, breaking the record for the youngest Inner Courtyard student in Shrek's history. Later, he was selected as one of the Shrek Seven Monsters through the Seven Monsters Challenge, representing the academy in the next Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament.

You have brought glory to the clan, and the clan will not treat you unfairly. Before the start of the school term, the Secret Technique Section of the Heaven's Treasury will be opened to you once more. At that time, you may freely choose a secret technique you like."

"Thank you, Clan Head."

"Call me Aunt Ya."

Ning Fengya was displeased and said with mock anger, "I have watched you grow up since you were little. You should even call me 'Mother.'"

"... Aunt Ya."

Ling Bai pretended not to hear the latter half of her words.

"Oh? Young Master Ling does not wish to call me 'Mother'?"

Such a small calculation could not escape the Clan Head of a generation. Ning Fengya cast a meaningful glance at Ning Tian and Ling Bai and let out a soft snort before saying with a knowing smile, "Well, it is only a matter of time anyway."

Ling Bai felt a drop of cold sweat run down his forehead. Despite her relatively young age, Ning Fengya's tactics and determination far surpassed those of the Martial Spirit Department's Dean, Yan Shaozhe. She knew how to maintain composure and employ various methods to display her advantages. Feigning weakness and stirring up a man's protective instincts came naturally to her.

He had once secretly mocked that even if the Clan Head married three times over, it would not be Du Weilun's turn. But it was not because he looked down on the man. With just a few casual words years ago, Ning Fengya had Du Weilun pining after her for twenty years, even extending special care to Ning Tian when she enrolled in the academy. The difference between them was truly several levels. If she were the Director of the Martial Spirit Department, someone like Zhou Yi would have been utterly defeated long ago and forced to pack up and beg on the streets.

Suddenly, Ling Bai felt the temperature spike dramatically beside him. Ning Fengya's hints had hit their mark perfectly, and even Wu Feng, that simple-minded paramecium, had caught on and was thoroughly triggered.

She glared at Ling Bai and communicated frantically with her eyes.

Feng: Don't you dare respond to that! This young lady will scratch you to death!

Bai: Only brave enough to act tough with me, huh? If you've got the guts, stop playing dead and confront the Clan Head directly.

Feng: No way, do you really think I'm that stupid?

Bai: Well…

Ling Bai and Wu Feng only stared at each other for three seconds, but it was as if they had cursed at each other with their eyes for half a century.

"You all..."

Ning Fengya had just begun to speak when there was a gentle knock on the white jade door. She then asked, "What is the matter?"

"Clan Head, the Body Sect's Chief Elder has come to visit with his disciple."

Outside came the voice of Wu Feng's father, the Red Dragon Douluo Wu Yan.

"The Body Sect's Chief Elder..."

The harmonious atmosphere instantly froze. Ning Fengya's face revealed no emotion, but everyone knew the Body Sect had not come with good intentions.

An opposing sect that had been causing trouble for many years had sent their Chief Elder, who was ranked just below the Sect Master and two Deputy Sect Masters, to pay a visit. What good could possibly come from this?

Ning Fengya did not believe it, Ling Bai and Ning Tian did not believe it, and Wu Feng... did not believe it either!

"Bring them to the Conference Hall."

The relationship between the two sects was still peaceful on the surface, far from the point of open war. Ning Fengya was obliged to receive them with due courtesy.

The high-ranking members of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, who had slipped out earlier, filed back in and stood on both sides, quietly awaiting the arrival of the Body Sect.

"Hahaha, Clan Head Ning, it has been a while!"

Before the person appeared, his laughter echoed first. This guffaw was imbued with surging spirit power. Ning Tian and Wu Feng could not help but reveal expressions of pain upon hearing it. Wu Yan's body shook slightly as he dispelled the hidden malicious intent within the laughter for them.

"This Clan Head is doing quite well. Tiger Arm Douluo, your cultivation seems to have progressed again."

"A minor achievement, nothing worth mentioning!"

An iron-tower-like figure strode into the hall. Tall and burly, his face was rugged and unattractive. His short hair stood up like steel needles. His arms were exceptionally thick, nearly half a circle thicker than his thighs, truly embodying the saying 'arms thick enough for a horse to gallop on.' Black and white demonic tiger tattoos roamed continuously on his arms, and his whole being exuded the ferocious aura of a primordial beast.

He was the Chief Elder of the Body Sect, Rank 96 Titled Douluo, Tiger Arm Douluo Chen Hu!

Three people followed behind Chen Hu. One was small in stature but had an unusually large head, looking just like a bobblehead doll. The second man's right arm was enormous; compared to it, his left arm seemed like a miniature version. He even walked with an unbalanced gait.

The third person was the most distinctive because he was the youngest, appearing to be around twenty years old. His appearance was relatively normal among the Body Sect members, except for his prominently protruding finger joints. He stood silently behind Tiger Arm Douluo, his chin held high, with pride evident in his brows and eyes.

Ling Bai sized up the group. Members of the Body Sect were actually quite easy to identify; they were the deformed ones among Spirit Masters, for their Martial Spirits could not be hidden. Tiger Arm Douluo's Martial Spirit was his arms; the two middle-aged men's Martial Spirits were the head and the right arm respectively; the young man's Martial Spirit was in his palms.

"People do not come to the Three Treasures Hall without reason. Tiger Arm Douluo, what brings you to our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?" Ning Fengya asked calmly.

"Clan Head Ning is straightforward; coincidentally, I also dislike beating around the bush."

Chen Hu's coarse, dark face twisted into an unsightly smile. Pointing to the young man behind him, he said, "This is my direct disciple, Chen Yu, nineteen years old and a Rank 61 Spirit Emperor. He has now completed the Second Awakening of his bronze-ranked Body Martial Spirit. I heard that Clan Head Ning has a daughter. On behalf of our Sect Master, I propose a marriage alliance between the Body Sect and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. From now on, we can turn hostility into friendship and become as close as family!"

"What!"

Ning Tian's face instantly turned as pale as paper. So the Body Sect had come for her this time.

"And this must be Young Miss Ning."

Chen Yu spotted Ning Tian, who bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Ning Fengya. He sized her up from head to toe as if examining merchandise, then nodded:

"A budding beauty, barely worthy of me."

Wu Feng, who had been silently reciting a calming mantra, finally erupted. With each breath, she exhaled two thick streams of white vapor. Crimson dragon scales climbed up the sides of her neck, and her eyes blazed with fury.

In her eyes, no one was worthy of Ning Tian. Ling Bai might have a tiny bit of merit, but who did this Chen Yu think he was!

"Damn it, this miss is gonna kill you... You two, let go of me!"

Wu Feng disregarded the chasm-like gap in cultivation and wanted to rush over to fight Chen Yu to the death. But she suddenly found her body as heavy as a thousand pounds. Two hands pressed down on her shoulders from the left and right, and her rising Red Dragon flames were instantly extinguished.

It was Ling Bai and Wu Yan.

"What do you mean by this?"

Wu Feng gnashed her teeth: "You always call me stupid. Can't you see that the Body Sect is blatantly insulting us now? Ning Tian is the dignified Young Clan Head of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, to be matched with a bronze-grade Body Martial Spirit—and an arrogant piece of trash at that!"

"Silence!"

Wu Yan sternly rebuked. If Wu Feng rashly charged forward, it would only disgrace the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. He swiftly sealed her spirit power and mouth.

The high-ranking members of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan began to stir, their spirit power surging momentarily. Yet Chen Hu remained utterly unperturbed, his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face. The Body Sect had always acted arrogantly; otherwise, they would not have dared to challenge all the sects on the Douluo Continent by themselves back then!

Ning Fengya's gaze darkened slightly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "My daughter is still young, and in matters of marriage I allow her to choose her own beloved. Tiger Arm Douluo, please take your leave."

"That won't do."

Chen Hu shook his head and looked at the peerless beauty on the throne with a leering chuckle:

"Our Sect Master has issued a strict order. Today, the Body Sect and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan must form a marriage alliance. If she is too young, then Clan Head Ning, surely you are not...

Clan Head Ning, you lost your husband in your prime but still retain your charm, while I have yet to take a wife. Why don't you marry me instead, with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan as dowry? From now on, our two factions can merge into one. How about it?"