"If it's just holding him off, then it's not a problem—we could at least stalemate him for a while. But if it's a fight to the death, we have no chance at all. Even escaping wouldn't be easy for us."
Though Chen Xin was stubborn, he could clearly see the gap between them.
"Golden Crocodile Douluo is a pure Power-attack system Spirit Master. His immense power is his core—his metal attribute is merely a means to enhance his close combat. A person like that, with two hundred years of accumulated Spirit Power and blood vitality at its peak—do you really think we can handle him?"
"Old bone, if you could maintain your current cultivation but were twenty years younger, how much would your strength increase?"
"Ten percent? Maybe fifteen?" Gu Rong glanced at his withered, skeletal-like body and thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not that old yet—I can still live another forty years or so without issue."
"Although there's been some decline, I'm still at my peak. But for beast-type Martial Soul Spirit Masters, physical prime usually means greater explosive power."
"Exactly. If I were twenty years younger with my current condition, I'd probably gain less than ten percent in strength at most—after all, most of my power lies in the Seven Kill Sword."
"But what is the greatest advantage of youth for us? It's the speed of accumulation. And our current physical state has already made further breakthroughs increasingly difficult."
"…That's true." Gu Rong fell silent for a moment before nodding. "A young body, the cultivation speed of youth, two hundred years of accumulation, plus a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone… I truly can't imagine who in this world could surpass Golden Crocodile Douluo."
"Sword Uncle, Uncle Bone … tell me—what path should our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect take now?" Ning Fengzhi had remained silent, listening to their conversation. A sense of frustration and helplessness welled up within him.
"Golden Crocodile Douluo is already two hundred years old—he should have died of old age long ago. Yet he's still alive, and even at his peak. Then what about the other Spirit Hall powerhouses from over a hundred years ago? Could they also still be in their prime, merely hiding themselves?"
"And just how much longer can Golden Crocodile Douluo live? I have a feeling that him living another fifty years wouldn't be a problem…"
As Ning Fengzhi thought about how he had, over the years, subtly probed the Spirit Hall and even attempted to unite the Upper Three Sects against it, a cold sweat began to form on his forehead.
"…"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong exchanged a glance. Seeing each other's aged appearances, both remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Golden Crocodile Douluo will probably live even longer than the two of us," Gu Rong said hoarsely. "Old Sword and I might last another thirty to forty years at most, but Golden Crocodile Douluo can live at least sixty more years. And if he makes another breakthrough…"
"How could he possibly break through again?" Ning Fengzhi tried to bury his head in the sand, but as a rational man, he couldn't pretend ignorance.
"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone—do you think we should reconsider our stance toward the Spirit Hall?"
"What we need to consider now is whether the Spirit Hall will reconsider its stance toward us—whether it will ignore us, or…" Chen Xin frowned, continuously running his fingers along his Seven Kill Sword.
Although Chen Xin disliked political matters, petty squabbles, and scheming, as a Guardian Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he had long considered himself a part of the sect. No matter how much he loathed such thoughts, he had to think deeply for the sake of the sect.
"Old Sword, you said your grandfather knew Golden Crocodile Douluo. Could you use that connection to sound him out?"
"That was over a hundred years ago. I barely even remember my grandfather. Trying to rely on that connection to approach Golden Crocodile Douluo… would that even work?" Chen Xin said helplessly. Unable to think of a better idea, he looked toward Ning Fengzhi.
Ning Fengzhi sighed as well, clearly at a loss.
"Fine, I will deliver a formal visit request tomorrow." Chen Xin made up his mind to give it a try. "Fengzhi, what are your thoughts?"
"Uncle Sword, you go pay a visit to Golden Crocodile Douluo. As for me, I am quite interested in that boy, Chen Ming."
"His inventions within the Heaven Dou Empire have already drawn a lot of attention. That hand crossbow alone is quite helpful for the lower-ranked disciples of our sect. And now he's come up with the Douluo Heart Method, a cultivation method that breaks conventional limits."
"Tell me—do you think my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could break past Spirit Saint and reach Spirit Douluo?"
As Ning Fengzhi spoke, he opened the Douluo Heart Method and began flipping through it. A trace of irritation and urgency appeared on his face.
"A new cultivation method is certainly a good thing—it raises the upper limit. But it also means our accumulated experience will begin to fail, unable to adapt to this new system."
"If we completely abandon the old experience, we lose too much. But if we reject the new method, we lose all initiative. This is only the most basic version, yet its cultivation efficiency already surpasses the limits of the original meditation method. As it continues to improve, the gap will only grow wider."
"Uncle Bone, Uncle Sword—what do you think of this method?"
"It's… remarkable." Chen Xin frowned slightly. "Many of my previous insights are confirmed by it, yet at the same time, much of my experience can no longer be applied. I'll need time to reorganize and adapt. But I can't guarantee how far I'll be able to develop this new method."
"I'm afraid it'll be even harder for me." Gu Rong's brows were tightly knit, his expression even more troubled than Chen Xin's. "Honestly, the fact that that kid released this means he must have something even better in his hands."
"It's a pity—he's now an Honorary Elder of the Spirit Hall and also Golden Crocodile Douluo's disciple. Even if he's not truly part of the Spirit Hall, making a move against him would be no different from confronting the Spirit Hall directly. Otherwise, we could've tried to recruit him… or simply—"
"Uncle Bone, don't—absolutely don't." Ning Fengzhi quickly waved his hands, a hint of alarm in his eyes. "You don't understand—technical matters can't be forced. Sometimes, if something can't be done, then it truly can't be done. No amount of coercion will change that."
"For someone with this kind of technical talent, even if we can't befriend him, we must never offend him. Otherwise, no one knows what hidden issues might lie within his creations. Back then, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect once forced a technical expert—and it nearly caused our financial chain to collapse."
"Although our sect was strong, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's treasure-seeking ability helped us recover, we still wasted decades dealing with problems that should never have existed."
"I'll go visit him myself later and see if I can obtain something better. In any case, our sect is wealthy enough—spending some money is nothing."
"Even if we can't recruit him, we must absolutely not offend him. From every perspective, the cost of offending someone like him is far too great."
"Right now, this new cultivation method has effectively pulled everyone back to the same starting line. Whoever can accelerate faster from that starting line will become the future victor."
"No matter the cost, I will seize this opportunity. If there's a way to push my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda even further, then even offering up most of the sect's wealth would be worth it."
Light flickered in Ning Fengzhi's eyes, clarifying his resolve to "out-compete" everyone else during this reshuffling phase.
And as it happened, Ning Fengzhi wasn't the only one who wanted to "out-compete" others during this period. While not everyone was a genius, humans possess a natural sense of crisis and a competitive drive.
In fact, to prevent those with slower wits from failing to compete, Chen Ming had even asked Golden Crocodile Douluo to prepare some rumors—rumors used to stimulate those who weren't competing to start doing so.
Fellow parent of a Spirit Master, you wouldn't want your child to lose at the starting line, would you?