The palace square—
Fell into absolute silence.
Only the lingering tremors of the ground remained—
Mixed with the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's pained roars,
Echoing across the open square.
Chen Xin, Dugu Bo, and the others stared in shock at the white-robed youth before them.
To suppress a Titled-level Dark Demon Evil God Tiger in a single move—
Such strength
was no longer something "astonishing" could describe.
Several of them quietly released their spiritual power to probe, but the moment their consciousness touched the youth's aura, it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea—completely annihilated.
"Zhexian greets the seniors."
Li Zhexian turned, smiling slightly as he cupped his hands.
"Zhexian, your Spirit Power now…"
Dugu Bo's heterochromatic eyes contracted as he couldn't help speaking.
Li Zhexian paused briefly.
Suddenly, his white robe fluttered without wind as a vast surge of Spirit Power rippled outward.
In terms of Spirit Power volume—
It was not as deep as that of these veteran Titled Douluo.
But the annihilating extremity hidden within it, along with the frigid, biting cold, made their expressions change dramatically.
They hurriedly circulated their Spirit Power to defend, yet were still forced back several steps.
Each step they took made the air tremble.
"Level 87?!"
Dugu Bo and Feng Bailong drew in sharp breaths.
Even the ever-calm Chen Xin showed disbelief.
As Dugu Bo had said earlier—
When Li Zhexian departed for the Extreme North, his Spirit Power had only been Level 76.
Yet in less than half a month—
He had broken through eleven levels.
Even if they had not witnessed it personally—
Such an absurd tale would draw jeers from any storyteller's audience.
"Seniors, let us continue this conversation on the ground."
They descended.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger struggled and climbed out of the crater.
Its glossy black fur had split with numerous bloody gashes, one hind leg was outright broken, and it staggered as it walked.
Yet even in such a miserable state—
There was no trace of ferocity left in its blood-colored eyes.
Instead, limping heavily, it dragged itself before Li Zhexian, trembling on all four limbs, lowering its head with a subdued growl.
Chen Xin and the others were shocked by Li Zhexian's explosive increase in level—
but even that was not as profound as the feeling of the tiger that had faced him directly.
Just now, when he had grabbed its scorpion tail with one hand—
The time power coiled around the needle had melted away like snow.
This was beyond its comprehension.
Back when Li Zhexian had first formed his time sword intent, the tiger had still been able to take one strike head-on.
Though defeated—
The gap had been only a sliver.
But now, the difference was like heaven and abyss—leaving only horror.
"Evil Tiger, if you truly want to return to Star Dou, just nod. I won't stop you."
The line sounded familiar.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger lifted its hideous head.
Sure enough—it spotted the youth's hand resting on the hilt of the sword.
Its tiger face instantly became solemn—almost human-like.
It shook its head without hesitation.
Li Zhexian nodded in satisfaction and said:
"Don't be anxious. With the great war approaching, you'll probably have more than you can swallow."
After speaking, he turned around.
Not far away, Emperor Xue Ye, who had been waiting silently, pushed aside his guards' supporting arms and walked over quickly.
"Lord Sword Wine!"
Although his cultivation was not high, he had seen clearly—
A single move to defeat the Evil Tiger, and enough pressure to force back five Titled Douluo.
Heaven Dou's number one today—
was already beyond question.
At this moment—
Emperor Xue Ye couldn't care about imperial dignity.
He hurried forward and gestured respectfully:
"Lord Sword Wine, honored Douluo—please enter the hall so we may speak in detail!"
...
During their discussion—
Li Zhexian learned that the Spirit Hall Empire had already gathered its troops at the border, and the flames of war across the continent were about to ignite again.
Chen Xin, Dugu Bo, Feng Bailong and the others spoke with careful wording, all attempting to persuade him to remain in Heaven Dou City and not personally go to the frontline.
How could Li Zhexian fail to understand their intentions?
Nothing more than fearing the danger of this war—
that with the disparity among peak combatants, they hoped he would avoid the sharpest edge.
But…
If he intended to hide—
Why return from the Extreme North at all?
"Seniors, there's no need to persuade me."
"Heaven Dou… is my root on this continent. The sword in my hand must protect Heaven Dou."
"If I avoid battle and let my sword heart be tainted, what meaning is there in living a thousand years?"
Li Zhexian smiled, yet his gaze shone sharp as a blade.
Chen Xin and the others exchanged glances—uncertain whether they felt comforted or sorrowful.
Ning Fengzhi slowly nodded:
"In that case…"
"Tomorrow at dawn, we gather at the gates of Heaven Dou City and march for the front."
Emperor Xue Ye rose and offered a solemn bow:
"I shall await the triumphant return of all honored Douluo."
...
Leaving the palace—
Li Zhexian walked straight back toward his small courtyard.
Before he even approached—
He heard waves of laughter coming from within.
He pushed the door open…
Inside were Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling.
Feng Buyu, Huo Wushuang, Feng Xiaotian, Yu Tianheng, Oscar, and the others were gathered as well.
The girls were folding dumplings around a table, while Huo Wu was on tiptoe sniffing at the newly blossomed plum blossoms.
On the other side—
Feng Buyu and the others were cleaning cookware and tending to the stoves.
The little courtyard was packed full with twenty-odd people.
Seeing Li Zhexian return—
Everyone called out with laughter:
"Lord Sword Wine finally came back!"
"Xiaotian and I bet whether you'd make it back today—and here you are!"
"Perfect timing—Zhexian, these two stoves are yours to scrub!"
"I, Feng Buyu, actually have Lord Sword Wine doing chores. I'm so damn impressive!"
Li Zhexian smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped forward to scrub while asking:
"Weren't you academy people supposed to head straight to the front? Why are you all here?"
Huo Wushuang laughed:
"We arrived over the past few days. We all wanted to gather once before the expedition—and somehow, we just drifted to the same place."
Feng Buyu flicked water droplets off his hand, sighing dramatically:
"Isn't that why we're brothers?!"
Looking at all these young, vivid faces—
Li Zhexian felt even more grateful he had returned from the Extreme North.
"Hey!"
Suddenly his brows jumped as he shouted toward Huo Wu:
"Those are early spring plum blossoms—don't eat them!"
"Huo Wu, step away!"
...
That meal—
Everyone deliberately avoided alcohol.
Wishing only to stay sober, cherishing this final half-day of gathering before the war.
Afterward—
They strolled leisurely along the long streets of Heaven Dou City.
Passersby turned to them with eyes full of reverence.
The scene—
Was vaguely like years ago—
A group of spirited youths laughing and wandering through the marketplace.
Now, the people were the same, the spirit the same.
They walked and paused, eventually arriving at a tea shed.
The listeners inside hurried to give up their seats, but Li Zhexian and the others declined, sitting instead at the noodle stall across the street.
The storyteller was narrating the battle at the Pope's Palace from years before.
Coincidentally, everyone present today had lived through it—so they listened with unusual intensity.
"—Who would've thought Lord Sword Wine was a twin Martial Soul? With his fourth Spirit Ability unleashed, a single sword nailed the Pope upon the Divine Mountain…"
Feng Buyu slurped a mouthful of broth and sighed:
"In a blink… it's been nearly eight years."
Yu Tianheng laughed at him:
"What are you sighing for? You weren't even at that battle."
Feng Buyu glared.
But Huo Wu, rarely gentle, softly added:
"Time truly passes quickly…
The five-year promise was already three years ago."
She lifted her eyes to the group, a bright gleam flickering in her gaze:
"Since the five-year promise has passed…
why don't we make a new one?"
Everyone readily agreed.
"Great idea! Another five years?"
"Five years is too long…"
Shui Bing'er suddenly suggested quietly:
"How about one year?"
"One year from now, when the war has ended—
let us gather here again."