After finishing his Spirit Arena match, Ye Yu walked out of the main battle arena, preparing to leave and meet up with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling.
However, when he arrived at the entrance of the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena, his brows furrowed slightly.
He had spotted a group of spirit masters dressed in the Spirit Hall uniform standing near the gates.
At the same time, the leader of the group, Sano, noticed Ye Yu and immediately led his subordinates over. With a stiff smile on his long, horse-like face, Sano gave a slight bow and began speaking:
"Young Master An Lan, I am Sano, Chief Steward of the Spirit Hall branch in Heaven Dou City.
We just watched your battle in the main arena.
For a Soul Elder to defeat a Soul Ancestor like Yue Shan… truly impressive!"
"With your talent, to have reached such a level through self-cultivation alone is extraordinary.
If nurtured by a proper master, your future would be even brighter!"
"Our Spirit Hall is the number one power on the continent…"
Sano went on, singing praises about the greatness of Spirit Hall.
And then—finally, he revealed his purpose.
"With your innate talent, if you were to join Spirit Hall, you'd be apprenticed under a true master.
Under our guidance, Young Master An Lan's future would be limitless.
Might you consider joining Spirit Hall?"
Ye Yu remained silent for a moment, then calmly shook his head.
"Apologies. For now, I have no plans to align with any faction."
Truthfully, Ye Yu held some appreciation for Spirit Hall.
After all, he had been born a commoner. If not for Spirit Hall, he might never have had the chance to awaken his martial soul.
Without awakening Blue Silver Grass, he wouldn't have even had the chance to stake his life on fate—let alone make it this far.
But appreciation was one thing. Joining was another.
Sano's smile froze. He had gone out of his way to put on a pleasant face—only to be refused. He was growing irritated.
"This brat doesn't know what's good for him!"
Sano's voice grew colder:
"Young Master An Lan, the Douluo Continent is a dangerous place. A genius like you, without the protection of a faction, could be targeted at any time."
"Join Spirit Hall, and not only will you receive elite training—we'll protect you too."
"Miss this opportunity, and you won't find another like it!"
It was a veiled threat.
Ye Yu's frown deepened. Still, he declined.
And without another word, he turned and left the Spirit Arena.
Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Sano led his men back to the VIP booth where Platinum Bishop Salas awaited.
"Sano, how did it go?" Salas asked, pausing as he idly twirled two jade walnuts in his hand.
"Did that An Lan agree to join us?"
Sano gave a bitter smile.
"He refused, Your Grace."
"He refused?" Salas' tone turned cold.
"Ungrateful whelp!"
"I was planning to personally escort him to Spirit City to be officially registered, seeing potential in him…"
"And he dares reject my kindness?!"
"Hmph! Give him a few more chances."
"If he keeps refusing—then he's no use to us."
"If he won't serve Spirit Hall… then he'll die!"
In the days of Qian Daoliu or Qian Xunji, Spirit Hall had been open and fair. They never forced anyone to join.
But under Bibi Dong's darkened rule, Spirit Hall had changed.
While the lower ranks remained relatively unaffected, those in upper leadership—like Salas—had fully embraced a new philosophy:
"Those who follow me shall prosper. Those who oppose me shall perish."
When Dugu Bo once traveled to Spirit City to register his Title Douluo status, Bibi Dong tried to recruit him. After his refusal, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan was dispatched to assassinate him.
Now, An Lan—Ye Yu—had rejected Salas' invitation.
Believing Ye Yu had no backing, Salas gave the same order: make another offer, then eliminate him.
Over the next few days, each time Ye Yu returned to the Spirit Arena, he found Sano waiting at the entrance, still trying to recruit him.
Naturally, he refused every time.
After being rejected three times, Salas lost all patience.
He gave Sano the order: Kill him.
Spirit Hall had long made its decision: those who won't serve us... are enemies. No mercy.
That evening, Ye Yu once again visited the Spirit Arena and completed a match.
But as he left, he immediately sensed it—he was being followed.
More than one person. Skilled, but not enough to escape his notice.
His expression hardened.
There was no way he could return to Dugu Mansion. Instead, he quietly left Heaven Dou City altogether.
Eventually, he reached a forest just outside the city.
And once he was certain no one else was around—
Dozens of masked, black-clad spirit masters emerged, surrounding him in all directions.
No words wasted.
Under Sano's lead, they all summoned their martial souls.
Some were weapons: blades, spears, swords, staves.
Others were beast spirits—Gale Demonic Wolf, Ghost Panther, Scarlet Flame Tiger, and more.
Spirit rings lit up—all of them Soul Kings and Soul Emperors.
Sano stepped forward, holding a gleaming platinum greatsword, his face hidden behind a mask but a cruel grin in his voice.
"Boy, you've offended someone you shouldn't have."
"We're under orders—to take your life."
Six spirit rings revolved around him—two yellow, two purple, two black.
Ye Yu sighed and shook his head beneath the helmet.
"So this is what Spirit Hall has become…"
He wasn't surprised—but he was disappointed.
Despite being born a commoner, Ye Yu had developed a fondness for Spirit Hall—largely due to Qian Renxue and his early awakening at the Notting City sub-branch.
He had known, from the original novels, that under Bibi Dong, Spirit Hall committed many atrocities.
But some part of him still didn't want to believe it.
Until now.
"Spirit Hall?" Sano tried to deny it, his voice low and distorted. "I don't know what you're talking about."
But Ye Yu wasn't buying it.
Sano's grip on his sword tightened.
"Someone bought your life, brat."
"You should've known better than to reject us."
With that, he charged.
From all sides, the Spirit Hall assassins attacked.
Ye Yu raised his Thunderclap Infernal Spear in his left hand.
Then flipped his right hand.
A flash of silver-blue light.
From the ground burst forth dozens of vine-like tendrils—each as thick as a grown man's wrist, glittering like blue crystal, veined with gold, and crackling with lightning, fire, and ice.
Four spirit rings rose beneath his feet:
Purple, Purple, Black, Black.
A Soul Ancestor's ring configuration. But not just any—thousand-year and ten-thousand-year rings.
He had dropped the disguise. There was no point.
In front of Spirit Hall's assassins, it was either kill or be killed.
"He has another martial soul?!"
Sano's face turned pale with shock.
"And four spirit rings?! Two purple, two black?! How is that possible?!"
"He's only supposed to be a Soul Elder—how hasn't he exploded from this kind of soul ring absorption?!"
Ye Yu ignored them.
He raised his right hand, unleashing his Blue Silver Spirit Jade Vine.
"First Soul Skill: Undying Root."
"Second Soul Skill: Starlight Absorption."
"Third Soul Skill: Tribulation Ascension."
"Fourth Soul Skill: Earthvein Connection."
In an instant, vines surged outward, writhing like snakes across the battlefield.
Some burrowed deep into the earth, siphoning nutrients, spirit power, and earthforce itself.
From the ground erupted a forest of crystal-blue vines, forming a fortress-like wall around Ye Yu.
"This… this isn't just plant control. It's a siege!"
The assassins were stunned.
Those who tried to cut the vines found that they regenerated almost instantly—those severed vines re-rooted themselves, growing anew.
Even Sano, a Soul Emperor, couldn't keep up—each slash of his sword severed a few, but more appeared in their place.
From the sky, clouds gathered, crackling with thunder and silver-blue lightning.
"Everyone! Break through one direction! Clear a path and get out!"
"Or we die here!"
Sano roared, activating his Sixth Soul Skill: Platinum Annihilation Slash, launching waves of sword energy to carve through the vines.
The other Spirit Hall assassins followed suit.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Flame Storm!"
"Sixth Soul Skill: Cyclone Slash!"
"Fifth Soul Skill: Explosive Meteor Shower!"
Together, they tore open a hole in the vine wall.
"Quick! Before the vines regrow!"
They charged through the breach.
At the center of it all, Ye Yu sat on a throne woven of Blue Silver Spirit Jade Vine, elevated high above the ground, surrounded by spiraling vines like a living fortress.
Under Starlight Absorption, the vines shimmered with a soft glow, dreamlike and ethereal.
Outside his wall, Sano and the others broke through—
But just as they reached the opening…
Ye Yu smirked.
With a single thought—
The earth shook.
Dozens—hundreds—of vines erupted, weaving instantly into a new wall of blue crystal.
You wanted to kill me?
Now see—who's really trapped who.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin