Chapter 7: – The Descent of the Sovereign
The Spirit Hunting Forest groaned. As Lakan drew the 1,200-year-old soul ring toward his chest, the air began to ripple. The sheer density of the purple energy was fighting his body, trying to tear his meridians apart.
Lakan didn't panic. He sat in the center of the clearing, his Batok tattoos glowing with a steady, rhythmic pulse. He used the Seven-Tone Chaos breathing to harmonize the ring's violent "note" into a melody his silver-stone bones could absorb.
Suddenly, the temperature in the clearing dropped. The shadows of the trees began to stretch and twist unnaturally, and the sweet scent of crushed chrysanthemums filled the air.
The Guests Arrive
Two figures appeared as if they had stepped out of the air itself.
One is draped in golden, flowery silks, his face beautiful yet chillingly sharp—the Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan. Beside him stood a silent, flickering silhouette that seemed more ghost than man—the Ghost Douluo, Gui Mei.
The Iron-Armored Guards collapsed to their knees instantly, paralyzed by the sheer pressure of two Titled Douluos.
Yue Guan ignored the guards. His eyes were fixed on the six-year-old boy sitting in the middle of a swirling purple vortex. "Ghost... tell me I'm hallucinating. Is that a child? Absorbing a purple ring as his first?"
"It is," the Ghost Douluo rasped, his voice sounding like dry leaves. "And his soul power... it's stable. He isn't being consumed. He is dominating the ring."
Lakan's eyes remained closed for a few more seconds until the last of the purple light vanished into his chest. A powerful resonance shook the ground, and a majestic, prismatic silhouette of the Ibong Adarna flickered behind him before settling into a single, vibrant purple ring circling his feet.
Lakan took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and exhaled a faint silver mist. He looked up at the two newcomers. He didn't know them "personally," but he could feel the terrifying depth of their soul power—it felt like standing at the base of two mountains.
"You two don't look like the local patrol," Lakan said, standing up and dusting off his trousers. He gave a polite, respectful nod, his face showing a mix of genuine curiosity and the easy confidence of a boy who knew he had just done something impossible. "The pressure you're putting off is quite heavy. Are you here for the bird, or was it the light show that brought you?"
Yue Guan laughed, a high, melodic sound. "The bird? Child, we've seen Titled Douluos with less composure than you. Who taught you how to breath like that? And those markings on your skin... they are quite exquisite."
Lakan looked at his tattoos and then back at Yue Guan. "Oh, these? Just some old traditions from a place my parents found. I'm Lakan. And you are?"
The two Douluos exchanged a glance. The boy wasn't groveling. He wasn't terrified. He was treating two of the deadliest men in the world like interesting strangers he'd met on a stroll.
"We are from the Supreme Pontiff Hall," Yue Guan said, his eyes gleaming with fascination. "And it seems, Lakan, that you are exactly who we were sent to find."
Lakan tilted his head, a small, humorous smile playing on his lips. "The Supreme Pontiff? That's quite a long way to travel for an orphan. I hope you didn't miss lunch on my account."