"So, is that why the Young Master chose to go to the Sun Moon Empire to study soul tools?" Shui Lingguang pondered aloud.
Su Yu responded casually, "That's part of the reason, I suppose. But mainly, I just don't want to fall behind the times."
"Our Ice God Palace might boast unparalleled power, but if we get too full of ourselves and refuse to change, we might end up following in the footsteps of the Tang Sect."
"Perhaps you're unaware, but over in the Sun Moon Empire, they're already researching weapons capable of threatening an Ultimate Douluo."
"If someone were to fall into their trap and face a concentrated barrage of Level 9 soul tool shells, even an Ultimate Douluo could perish," Su Yu explained, referencing the original method Xu Tianran and his team used to deal with Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui.
In an extremely confined space, the simultaneous explosion of dozens of Level 9 soul tool shells could claim the life of even an Ultimate Douluo.
This wasn't a joke—it was a fact. The destructive capabilities of such an attack were very real.
"Is the Young Master serious?" Shui Lingguang asked in shock. The Sun Moon Empire possessed the means to threaten an Ultimate Douluo?
An Ultimate Douluo represented the pinnacle of power on the continent. At that level, the qualitative gap between an Ultimate Douluo and other soul masters was immense. For a non-Ultimate Douluo to defeat an Ultimate Douluo was almost impossible.
Someone as strong as Mu Wu had been utterly defeated in his battle against Ye Xishui.
At the ninety-eighth level, no one was a match for Mu Wu. Neither Du Bushi, Zhongli Wu, nor even Tai Tan could compare. Each had their unique strengths, but Mu Wu's raw power surpassed them all.
Even with his mastery of three ultimate ice techniques, Mu Wu still suffered a crushing defeat against Ye Xishui.
An Ultimate Douluo was a force capable of safeguarding a nation alone. It was no exaggeration.
Shui Lingguang considered herself one of the top-ranked Super Douluo at the ninety-eighth level and capable of unleashing attacks at the ultimate level. Yet, if she were to face an Ultimate Douluo, she knew she had no chance of winning—not even with her ultimate martial soul and spirit domain-level mental strength.
Ultimate Douluos were far more formidable than one could imagine.
Now, hearing Su Yu claim that the Sun Moon Empire had a way of threatening Ultimate Douluos was something she could hardly believe.
"It's true," Su Yu confirmed. "But this method has significant limitations. As long as one is cautious and doesn't rush blindly into their trap, there's no real danger. Based on the current circumstances, Ultimate Douluos still dominate the world."
He chuckled lightly.
Hearing this, Shui Lingguang breathed a sigh of relief. If soul tools had already reached the point where they could easily deal with Ultimate Douluos, it would indeed be terrifying.
However, Su Yu's words left a lingering sense of unease in her heart, making her realize she could no longer underestimate soul tools.
At present, soul tools couldn't effectively counter Ultimate Douluos. But what about hundreds or thousands of years from now? Would there come a time when their development posed a serious threat to Ultimate Douluos?
The potential of soul tools was something that couldn't be ignored.
"Young Master, should we start promoting soul tools within the Ice God Palace?" Shui Lingguang asked a hint of urgency in her voice. Su Yu's words sparked a sense of crisis within her.
Currently, the Ice God Palace was undoubtedly the most powerful force in the world—stronger even than the Holy Spirit Cult. But complacency could lead to falling behind, something Shui Lingguang couldn't allow.
To her surprise, Su Yu shook his head.
"The Ice God Palace isn't suitable for promoting soul tools, and Snowy City, this utopia, shouldn't be polluted by soul tool technology either."
"You must understand, that researching soul tools causes significant damage to the surrounding environment. That old hag certainly wouldn't approve of it."
He pointed to the sky.
"The Ice God?" Shui Lingguang glanced upward, a hint of confusion in her gaze.
In the Divine Realm, a certain prideful deity grits her teeth, her delicate face puffed up in frustration.
"Calling this goddess 'old hag' again!" she muttered angrily, glaring down at the mortal world.
"Young Master, then what should we do?" Shui Lingguang asked, still puzzled.
Su Yu smiled faintly. "I have my plans. You'll find out in due time," he said cryptically before walking ahead.
Shui Lingguang furrowed her brows, deep in thought, but she couldn't figure out what Su Yu was planning. In the end, she decided it wasn't worth guessing. She would simply follow his lead—whatever he instructed, she would do.
Jogging to catch up, she followed him closely. The three of them entered the gatehouse.
As soon as they stepped into the outer courtyard, they were greeted by a withered corpse. The body was already decomposed, clearly dead for a long time.
"Ah!"
Lan Lan screamed in fright at the sight of the corpse and quickly clung to Su Yu's arm, hiding behind him.
Su Yu glanced at her in surprise. Afraid of a corpse? Was she a divine beast?
Thinking back to the ferocity of Di Mingli, Su Yu couldn't help but compare the timid Lan Lan before him to a little white rabbit—pure, innocent, and utterly naive, with a kind of unworldly charm.
"Young Master, it seems there was a massacre here," Shui Lingguang observed, surveying the surroundings.
Su Yu nodded and continued walking.
The farther they went, the more corpses they encountered. Without exception, all of them were withered, as if their life force had been drained before death.
The surroundings were stained with blood, which had dried into dark patches. Walls, gates—everywhere bore traces of blackened blood, a testament to the brutal battle that had taken place.
"It seems what was meant to happen has indeed happened," Su Yu murmured, a realization dawning in his mind. Someone had likely lost their way.
"What do you mean, Young Master?" Shui Lingguang asked curiously.
"It's nothing. Not someone important," Su Yu replied indifferently. He had no interest in meddling in the affairs of irrelevant people.
He had long abandoned the notion of helping everyone, choosing instead to respect the course of others' fates. He wasn't here to play the role of a babysitter.
"Alright, let's head back," he said casually, turning to leave.
He had come here on a whim. Now that he had learned what had transpired, there was no reason to linger.
Shui Lingguang had no objections to his decision.
Leaving the ruins of the Tang Sect, Su Yu and his companions wandered through a few more places before returning to their hotel.
To Su Yu's surprise, an unexpected figure was waiting for him at the hotel entrance.
"Ahem, ahem."
Wang Dong'er, dressed in a light moon-white outfit, deliberately coughed to catch Su Yu's attention. Her pink-and-blue eyes stared at him intently.
Although no one else was visible, Su Yu could sense a faint, obscure presence—a hidden protector watching over her.
"Wang Dong, what are you doing here?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow, his expression turning slightly strange.
This silly girl still dared to disguise herself as a boy in front of him. Why not just be honest?
"Hmph! I heard you were here, so I graciously decided to come and act as your guide!" Wang Dong'er declared, tilting her head proudly. "I know this Heaven Dou City like the back of my hand. There's no place I don't know."
Su Yu, however, didn't respond to her boast. Instead, he smiled faintly and asked, "How did you know I was here?"
"Are you investigating me?"
Wang Dong'er almost choked on her breath and quickly explained, "Who's investigating you? You just happened to show up in our Clear Sky Sect's surveillance network."
"Oh."
Su Yu nodded, clearly understanding. "So, it's my fault, huh?"
"Not at all!"
Wang Dong'er raised a smiling face and muttered softly.
Su Yu found it amusing, walked forward, and casually messed up Wang Dong'er's hair, making Wang Dong'er puff up her cheeks in her signature pufferfish expression.
Her cheeks were round and puffed out, looking adorably fierce.
Behind them, Shui Lingguang observed Wang Dong'er quietly, her gaze thoughtful.
"Hmph, hateful Su Yu, bullying me the moment we meet," Wang Dong'er snorted softly, pretending to be annoyed.
Su Yu chuckled and said, "As your boss, what's wrong with bullying my little follower a bit? Not allowed?"
"Hmph!"
Wang Dong'er snorted again, glancing at Lan Lan, who was holding Su Yu's hand. Her gaze shifted slightly.
"And who's this girl? She's pretty cute. Su Yu, you..."
"Don't overthink it. Lan Lan is my sister."
Su Yu waved his hand to cut Wang Dong'er off. Knowing Wang Dong'er well, he could already guess that whatever came next wouldn't be anything good.
Hearing Su Yu's words, the trace of hesitation in Wang Dong'er's eyes quietly disappeared, and her gaze softened considerably. She teased, "Sister? More like a love interest, huh?"
"Love interest, my foot! Lan Lan's still a kid. Don't joke about stuff like that."
Su Yu glared at Wang Dong'er as he spoke.
Wang Dong'er gave Su Yu a surprised look. She knew Su Yu very well, and for Su Yu to say that meant he genuinely only saw Lan Lan as a child.
But Lan Lan didn't look that young. She seemed to be at least fifteen, right?
What Wang Dong'er didn't know was that Lan Lan's mental age was far from reaching fifteen.
Wang Dong'er nudged Su Yu's shoulder curiously and whispered, "What's up with you recently? Changed your style?"
"Not taking girlfriends anymore, just collecting sisters?"
Su Yu rolled his eyes. "I can't be bothered to explain it to you. You're not worthy of hearing it."
With that, Su Yu took Lan Lan's hand and walked inside.
Wang Dong'er was momentarily dumbfounded. What had she just heard?
Su Yu said she wasn't worthy of hearing.
Unbelievable!
By the time Wang Dong'er snapped out of it, Su Yu was already halfway down the corridor. She hurriedly jogged to catch up.
...
In the penthouse suite.
Su Yu sat with his legs crossed, holding a glass of red wine, gently swirling it.
Wang Dong'er had kicked off her shoes and was happily playing on the sofa with her pale, tender feet.
"Spit it out. What are you here for?" Su Yu sipped his wine, resting one arm lazily on the sofa.
"Can't I just come to see an old friend?"
"Su Yu, you jerk, are you saying you're not happy to see me?"
Wang Dong'er huffed indignantly.
"It's not that I'm unhappy to see you; it's that you're not being honest. Just say what you want to say. With that little scheming face of yours, do you think you can hide anything from me?"
Su Yu shot Wang Dong'er a glance, looking completely indifferent.
Wang Dong'er froze. "You can even see that?"
Su Yu laughed, "If I couldn't see through someone as simple as you, how could I survive on this continent?"