A large, rough hand came sweeping toward him, and although the source of the hand was obscured by the blinding light, Shu Yan could still roughly judge from the hand and arm alone that its owner was a burly, muscular man.
Shu Yan tilted his head slightly, causing the massive hand to grasp empty air. As the hand clenched into a fist, it let out a dull thud proof of the sheer strength behind it.
Perhaps surprised that the first strike had missed, the man hesitated slightly, but in the next moment, another punch came barreling in, now laced with a fierce and aggressive aura. Shu Yan chuckled silently. From the movements, he could tell the attack was a test. Not one to stand down, he casually threw a punch in response.
The two fists collided in midair, sending a shockwave rippling out. Shu Yan remained immovable as a mountain, not shifting an inch, while the attacker was unable to withstand the force and was sent flying backward, crashing into a nearby glass-covered display with a series of crisp shattering sounds.
As the glaring light gradually dimmed and returned to normal levels, Shu Yan raised an eyebrow and calmly stepped into the hall as if nothing had happened, his gaze sweeping across the young men and women present. The two women behind him followed close behind.
Shu Yan walked straight toward the center of the hall, his steps unhurried. His eyes swept over the group of nearly twenty people. Under so many stares, he appeared entirely unaffected. With a gentle smile and a calm, composed aura, he spoke slowly:
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Shu Yan. The two ladies behind me are Princess Jiujiu and the Empire's consecrated Douluo, the Ice God Douluo. I come here in the name of the Empire to welcome all of you, who have traveled from afar."
Though his voice wasn't loud, it carried clear authority. Several burly men in the back glared at Shu Yan with visible fury, but after hearing his words, it was as if their rage suddenly deflated. Judging by their appearance, they were likely comrades of the man who had attacked earlier.
Not far away, two others helped that very man to his feet. The burly attacker shook his dizzy head, the rage in his eyes now completely unrestrained. With a roar, he shook off the hands supporting him, and four soul rings rose at his feet—two yellow, two purple—the standard optimal configuration.
With his Martial Soul possessed, the already muscular man grew even more massive, reaching nearly two meters in height. Black demonic markings crawled across his chest and face, and his hands transformed into black tiger claws that gleamed with a deadly sheen. In the next moment, he charged forward like a wild beast hunting its prey.
Shu Yan chuckled lightly. From the visible demonic markings and the phantom shadow of his Martial Soul behind him, he immediately recognized what Martial Soul the man possessed.
The Black Tiger—one of the lower-tier top-grade beast spirits, slightly inferior to the White Tiger inherited by the White Tiger Clan. It boasted immense strength and offensive power, along with far superior speed compared to other assault-type beast spirits. This Martial Soul had a lineage within the Star Luo Empire, its ancestral origin tracing back to the Black Tiger Sect, a mainland sect that submitted to the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago.
Ever since the divine war ten millennia ago, the owners of this spirit had all but vanished from the public eye. Many believed them long extinct, but clearly, in the hidden corners of the world, they had survived and continued to grow.
Faced with the burly man's vicious assault, Shu Yan didn't even spare him a second glance. He snapped his fingers casually, and in the next instant, frost spread rapidly across the floor. The attacker's expression froze, his body locking up inch by inch as it was encased in a layer of hard ice, his airborne figure solidifying into a statue and crashing heavily to the floor.
The hall immediately erupted into a murmur of unrest. Those close to the downed man all wore stormy expressions, and the rest of the group didn't look any happier.
Unbothered, Shu Yan calmly scanned the crowd once more, then gracefully sat down on a soft sofa and continued:
"He's fine. I just made him quiet down for a moment. We mean no harm—we're only here to discuss an important matter. I believe you'll find it of interest…"
Everyone exchanged glances, and the people who had initially blocked the way now stepped aside of their own accord. Behind them, leaning quietly against a sofa, was a stunningly beautiful young woman.
She appeared to be around Shu Yan's age, with long, silky deep blue hair and exquisitely defined features. There was a trace of cold detachment between her brows. Most striking of all was the sky-blue fringe that fell across her forehead—a strange style that, rather than diminishing her beauty, lent her an air of mystique that sparked curiosity.
Overall, her looks were breathtaking—easily on par with Princess Jiujiu. But where Jiujiu radiated regal elegance, this girl exuded cool aloofness and enigmatic charm.
Her gaze drifted calmly over Shu Yan and the two women behind him. For a brief moment, a flicker of astonishment appeared in her eyes, but she quickly returned to her frosty demeanor and asked in an even tone:
"The royal family of Star Luo and our people have maintained a covert alliance for millennia. Are you here today to shatter that alliance and wipe us out? Or… do you believe we've outlived our usefulness?"
Shu Yan smiled softly and replied:
"You're overthinking it. The royal family still considers you friends. I don't know when this centuries-old alliance might break, but I can promise it won't happen during our generation."
The girl stared directly into his eyes, then let out a faint snort and said:
"Good. Otherwise, it would be a disaster for both sides."
Shu Yan waved his hand nonchalantly, his posture relaxed and graceful. Looking into her smoky-blue eyes, he chuckled and said:
"What's this? No introduction? My understanding of you all only goes as far as this first meeting."
The girl straightened up slightly, swept her gaze over those behind her, and said coolly:
"Luo Qinghan. Control-type Soul Sect, rank forty-nine. Behind me are the younger members of the other families within the Southern Alliance. I won't introduce them one by one."
Shu Yan's brows twitched slightly at the mention of Southern Alliance. That particular term hadn't appeared in any of the intel Princess Jiujiu had provided him.
Luo Qinghan seemed to notice the subtle change in his expression and explained in the same calm tone:
"The Southern Alliance is a new force formed by those of us who've been shunned by the world or carry legacies of hatred and shame. Only we refer to ourselves this way. To the outside world, we are nothing more than remnants of Spirit Hall and the so-called sinners."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix