Douluo: Beginning with the Nine-Bend Vine Dragon

"About a year ago, Clan Head Bai He was so poor he could only use leaves as tea to entertain guests. Today, not only are we in fine clothes, but we're even serving top-grade Maojian tea for this banquet."

As Lin Rong spoke, the teacups on the table floated into the center of the group. Cyan Soul Power surged forth, heating the tea within the cups from a distance.

"You must have had a blast spending my million Gold Soul Coins!"

"And do you know that completed transactions are like spilled water, impossible to take back?"

"You don't even understand the principle that spilled water can't be gathered. You've truly lived all these years in vain!"

Ding!

The teacups suspended in the air shattered, and the tea within them splashed out, falling towards the ground.

Among the Tang Sect members, everyone else was shocked by Lin Rong's arrogant words. Only Tang San, maintaining the composure of an assassin, reacted the moment the teacups broke.

"Spilled water can't be gathered? I wouldn't say that!"

Tang San finished speaking at an extremely rapid pace, simultaneously circulating his Mysterious Heaven Skill to its limit.

Then, with an incredibly ghostly movement technique, Tang San created numerous afterimages along his forward path.

Next, Soul Power surged into his hands as he reached out to grab the falling tea.

This was precisely one of the Tang Sect's two supreme skills: Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and Crane Controlling Dragon Seizing.

Everything unfolded as Tang San had predicted. The falling tea, influenced by the palm force of Crane Controlling Dragon Seizing, changed its trajectory and flew towards his palm.

However, as the tea successfully reached his palm, Tang San's expression suddenly changed.

"Ah!"

The tea, enveloped by Soul Power in his palm, felt as heavy as a mountain to Tang San.

This sudden heaviness caused the unprepared Tang San to instantly drop to one knee.

"Despicable! You actually hid a trap in the tea!"

During this time, Tang San instinctively released his Martial Soul, the Blue Silver Grass, to help him reduce the pressure. Two yellow Spirit Rings appeared below his feet, pulsing with energy.

"Sect Master (Xiao San)!"

Five exclamations—four male and one female— rang out almost simultaneously.

Just as Tang Yuehua and the four Tang Sect elders were about to step forward, a stifling pressure instantly locked onto them.

At the same moment, a cold voice entered their ears:

"Anyone who takes a step forward among those present will die!"

Everyone present, except for Lin Rong and Tang San, turned their shocked (and fearful) gazes towards the old butler, Yu Yuan.

The old butler, who had been standing silently beside Lin Rong, had his gentle smile disappear without a trace. In its place was a cold expression, and his eyes held a chilling killing intent.

The pressure that made Titan, Niu Gao, and Bai He, three Soul Douluos, feel suffocated was emanating from the old butler, firmly locking onto them.

"No, impossible! This isn't the kind of pressure a Soul Douluo can release!"

Of the five, Bai He trembled all over, his face filled with disbelief. He stammered, "Unless you are, you are…"

"A Titled Douluo!" Beside him, Dugu Bo uttered the four words Bai He was unwilling to say.

As he spoke, Dugu Bo's face lost its previous nonchalance. His emerald green eyes were filled with apprehension, and he instinctively shielded his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, behind him.

However, among everyone present, the most shocked was undoubtedly Tang Yuehua.

For so many years, she had navigated the top echelons of Heaven Dou City's elite with exquisite skill.

Regarding this old butler of the Lin Clan, Tang Yuehua wouldn't say she knew him inside and out, but she had thoroughly researched his background through various means and channels.

It was precisely because she understood him so well that Tang Yuehua was so stunned by what was happening before her.

According to the information she had gathered, this old butler of the Lin Clan should only have a Soul Power level around eighty-five. How could he have suddenly transformed into a Titled Douluo?

Bai He's gaze flickered between Lin Rong and the old butler. Suddenly, as if struck by enlightenment, he realized the truth and gritted his teeth, thinking, "Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng! It must be the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng!"

Besides that, Bai He couldn't think of anything else that could have allowed Yu Yuan to break through to Titled Douluo in less than a year.

Believing he had figured out the reason, Bai He was filled with a mix of regret.

If he had known earlier that the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was a legendary peerless immortal herb, Bai He would never have traded it away, no matter how many Gold Soul Coins Lin Rong offered.

Among the five.

Tang Yuehua and Lou Gao, due to their strength, were completely unable to move after being locked by the old butler's pressure.

Although Bai He was a Soul Douluo, he had spent his life as a pure agility-type Spirit Master. His heart had long lost the fighting spirit of a battle-type Spirit Master, and he was unwilling to confront this pressure from the bottom of his heart.

Niu Gao, although a battle-type Soul Douluo, could break free from the pressure released by the old butler.

However, his loyalty to the Tang Sect was not absolute; it was more of a "sheltering under a big tree" mentality.

He knew he couldn't risk his life to save Tang San.

Moreover, the loyal Niu Gao also held back Titan, preventing his stubborn old friend from throwing his life away for this.

Titan, under Niu Gao's constant telepathic persuasion, managed to keep his reason in check.

At this point, Tang Yuehua and the four elders of the Tang Sect stood obediently in place, not one daring to step forward.

The old butler, Yu Yuan, was a Titled Douluo, and this situation immediately disrupted Dugu Bo's intended plan.

Dugu Bo's initial goal was merely to have his granddaughter seduce Tang San, so he could get some powerful hidden weapons for her self-defense without paying.

But now, in Dugu Bo's eyes, Tang San offending Lin Rong to stand up for Bai He was tantamount to indirectly offending Lin Rong's old butler.

Mere hidden weapons were not worth Dugu Bo risking offending someone of the same cultivation level to save Tang San.

Therefore, Dugu Bo grabbed his granddaughter Dugu Yan's hand and prepared to leave.

Unfortunately, fate did not go as he wished.

As Dugu Bo stood up, Lin Rong's calm voice reached his ears:

"Mr. Dugu, did I say you could leave?"

Hearing this, Dugu Bo abruptly turned around, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

However, as Dugu Bo turned, he also saw the old butler beside Lin Rong, which made him suppress the anger in his voice and say with a gloomy expression:

"Junior, don't think you can boss me around just because you have a Titled Douluo under you!"

Seated on his chair, Lin Rong leaned back comfortably against the backrest, continuously applying mental pressure on Tang San with his spiritual power while smiling and replying nonchalantly:

"Calling you 'Mr.' is merely a small show of respect for a Titled Douluo."

"What right do you have to be rude to this Duke, when you've been a Titled Douluo for so many years and your Soul Power is still stuck at level ninety-one, you trash!"

Hearing this, Dugu Bo froze for a moment.

The next second, an uncontrollable rage surged into his heart, causing Dugu Bo's eyes to bulge and him to roar:

"Junior, you're going too far!"

Beneath Dugu Bo's feet, nine Spirit Rings appeared in sequence:

Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black!

Immediately after, a green poisonous mist erupted from Dugu Bo's palm and spread rapidly towards Lin Rong's location.

But a strange thing happened: the old butler beside Lin Rong did not intercept the poisonous mist but chose to let it be.

Before Dugu Bo could comprehend what was happening, an unbelievable scene unfolded before his eyes:

The green poisonous mist he released, upon approaching within ten feet of Lin Rong, dissolved instantly without a trace, like snowflakes meeting the scorching sun.

At this moment, on Lin Rong's wrist, hidden by his sleeve, a string of Azure Dragon Vines had one of its dragon-patterned jade beads emitting a faint pink light invisible to outsiders.

This faint pink light was one of the many effects of the Immortal Grade Medicinal Herb—Aromatic Silk Beauty: it rendered everything within ten feet immune to all poisons.

The light shield formed by the faint pink light was invisible to outsiders, and coupled with Dugu Bo's ignorance of the Immortal Grade Medicinal Herb.

He, a dignified Titled Douluo, had his casual attack easily neutralized by a method he couldn't understand, and the blow to his heart was considerable.

The reason the old butler didn't intervene was partly due to the existence of the Aromatic Silk Beauty, but more directly, Lin Rong had secretly instructed the old butler not to act rashly.

"Dugu Bo, you will honestly stay here and be a spectator, otherwise... Hmph!"

Before Lin Rong's final cold snort had completely faded, the old butler had already locked his pressure onto both Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

"Ugh~" Dugu Yan was merely a Soul Elder, and under the old butler's deliberately amplified pressure, blood immediately trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"Yanyan!" Dugu Bo hastily released his Soul Power to protect his granddaughter, glaring venomously at Lin Rong.

But as soon as Dugu Bo intended to make a move, he immediately realized that if they truly fell out, in a battle between two Titled Douluo, he was confident he could kill Lin Rong, but his granddaughter would undoubtedly not survive.

Based on this, Dugu Bo dared not gamble with his granddaughter's life and actually obediently led Dugu Yan back to their seats, honestly becoming a spectator.

Seeing this, Lin Rong's gaze returned to Tang San.

Tang San, already kneeling on the ground, was currently doing his utmost to support the tea soup in his palm.

"Good, such strong spiritual power!"

A monstrous wave of shock surged within Tang San. He could never have imagined that someone of the same age could possess spiritual power that far surpassed his own, despite cultivating the Purple Demon Eye.

Throughout this exchange, Tang San realized that the telekinetic control the opponent displayed originated from spiritual power, and he instinctively wanted to counter Lin Rong with his own spiritual power.

In Tang San's plan, as long as he used his spiritual power to counteract the spiritual power Lin Rong applied to the tea soup, he could turn the tables and achieve victory with the Crane Seizing Dragon technique.

But the reality was a brutal blow.

Even with Tang San fully activating the Purple Demon Eye, he couldn't even budge a trace of the spiritual power Lin Rong had infused into the tea soup.

The sense of unyielding solidity transmitted from the spiritual level made Tang San understand that the opponent's spiritual power, in both quality and quantity, far surpassed his own.

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