230: Chapter 230 The Four Palace Masters

A spatial rift opened silently above the central plaza of Shitian City. Hun Feng stepped out first, followed closely by Yao Yao, Mu Chen, and Luo Li. Hun Qian, Soul Mie Sheng, Hun Jing, and Hun You filed out one after another, then stopped in unison.

Hun Qian had lived for hundreds of years; he had seen the majesty of the Soul Realm, the prosperity of the Central Plains, and the vastness of the Ancient Emperor Cave. But standing now on the central plaza of Shitian City, looking up at the colossal city forged from volcanic obsidian, watching the volcanic ranges stretching for tens of thousands of miles erupting with magma under the crimson clouds, and seeing the walls, hundreds of feet high, spanning the horizon like the spine of a giant dragon, he stood with his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

Every building lining the streets was carved with intricate formation patterns. The spiritual energy in the air was as dense as solidified amber, and with every breath, one could feel that majestic energy drilling along the meridians into the Dantian.

Soul Mie Sheng stood beside him, maintaining his usual cold and mountain-like demeanor, but his right hand was slightly clenched within his sleeve. He was the Hall Master of the Soul Hall, ruling over countless experts in the Central Plains, but the scale of the city before him far exceeded his understanding of the word "power."

Hun Jing and Hun You stood side-by-side a short distance away. Both were stepping onto the land of the Great Thousand World for the first time, yet their reactions were completely different. Hun Jing looked up slightly at the erupting volcano in the distance, his eyes beneath the hood as calm as water, though the imperceptible ripple deep within his pupils betrayed his inner shock.

Hun You remained his usual icy self, with long hair tied into a high ponytail, a cold and stern face, and an aura of sharp hostility that kept others at bay. However, his gaze lingered for a long time on the endless stream of experts in the city—all of them possessing cultivation levels above the Sovereign realm. He couldn't help but think that if the Soul Hall had possessed such strength back then, Xiao Yan would have been crushed in the Jia Ma Empire long ago.

"This is Shitian City." Hun Feng stood before the four with his hands behind his back, his tone as casual as if he were introducing his own backyard. "From now on, it will be the headquarters of the Spirit Hall, and also your new home."

Hun Qian's Adam's apple bobbed several times before he asked in a hoarse voice how many times denser the spiritual energy here was compared to the Soul Realm. Hun Feng thought for a moment and said, "Dozens of times." Hun Qian fell silent. When he cultivated in the Soul Realm, he had felt that the spiritual energy there was not thin, but standing in this city now, he realized he had been a frog in a well for most of his life.

Soul Mie Sheng shifted his gaze from the erupting volcano in the distance to the flow of people on the city streets. He remained silent for a long time, then a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He wasn't laughing at anything else, but at himself—having stayed in the Fighting Qi Continent for so many years, thinking he had reached the pinnacle, he only now realized that the true world was far vaster than he had imagined.

"Let's go. I'll take you to the main hall first." Hun Feng led the way toward the main hall. Hun Qian looked around as he walked, his old eyes filled with irrepressible excitement and pride. Soul Mie Sheng remained taciturn, but he stepped firmly with every stride, as if measuring the depth of this land. Hun Jing walked quietly at the back, his calm eyes observing every defensive formation and patrol configuration in the city without a sound. Hun You kept his face cold, but when he passed by a pill shop, his pace slowed significantly, and his gaze lingered for a moment on a shelf labeled "Ninth Grade Pill."

The dome of the Spirit Hall's main hall was dozens of feet high, and the walls were carved with the totems of the Hun Clan, the Gu Clan, and the Void Ancient Dragon clan. Hun Feng sat in the main seat, his six wives sat on the right, and Hun Tiandi, Gu Yuan, and Zi Yan sat on the left. He explained in detail from beginning to end the structure of the four branch halls of the Spirit Hall, the division of authority between the Supreme Elders and the Deputy Hall Masters, the appointments of the four Hall Masters, and the specific duties of the four, including Hun Qian. After listening, the four of them knelt on one knee in unison. Hun Qian's voice was hoarse but extremely solemn: "Subordinate Hun Qian will certainly not fail the Hall Master's trust." Soul Mie Sheng said in a deep voice that he would take charge of the Azure Dragon Hall. Hun Jing said softly that the Vermilion Bird Hall would not fail the Hall Master's trust. Hun You said coldly that the White Tiger Hall would not let the Hall Master down.

Hun Feng told them to rise, then looked at Hun Qian's wrinkled old face, his tone softening slightly: "The Fighting Qi in your bodies has not yet been converted. The cultivation system of the Great Thousand World is different from that of the Fighting Qi Continent; without converting to spiritual energy, your cultivation cannot advance an inch. Starting from today, the four of you will enter the cultivation tower to go into seclusion and complete the conversion to spiritual energy first. Once you emerge, you will immediately attempt to break through to the Heavenly Supreme—which is the Dou Di." He paused, then looked at Hun Qian again, "You have been the chief steward in the Soul Realm for most of your life; how many years have you been stuck at the bottleneck?"

Hun Qian smiled bitterly and said it had been nearly two hundred years.

"The spiritual energy density of the Great Thousand World is dozens of times that of the Soul Realm. Attempting to break through to the Heavenly Supreme here will take months at the fastest, and years at the slowest. You won't need two hundred years." A spark suddenly ignited in Hun Qian's old eyes. He had never imagined in his life that he would one day be able to attempt to break through to Dou Di, and now the Hall Master had told him personally—months at the fastest. A rare smile appeared at the corner of Soul Mie Sheng's mouth, saying he would like to see what the taste of a Heavenly Supreme really was. Hun Jing said softly that he would not keep the Hall Master waiting too long. Hun You remained the most laconic, only saying, "Understood."

After arranging the official business, Hun Feng walked down from the main seat. He first patted Hun Qian on the shoulder, nodded to Soul Mie Sheng, and then stopped in front of Hun You and Hun Jing. These two were colder than each other—Hun You was the kind of cold that made people afraid to approach, with sharp brows and eyes, standing there like an unsheathed short blade; Hun Jing was the kind of cold that kept people at a distance, quiet and still, but the aura around him made people consciously keep their distance. They had stayed in the Soul Hall for so many years and had never made a mistake in killing or handling affairs, but for their faces, they had never smiled.

Hun Feng subconsciously reached out, pinched the cheeks of Hun You and Hun Jing with both hands at the same time, and pulled them outward gently.

Hun You froze in place as if under an immobilization spell. He had lived for hundreds of years, killed more people than an entire army, and the Assassination Department of the Soul Hall had become the most feared organization in the entire Central Plains under his hands. No one had ever dared to pinch his face. He stared at Hun Feng with wide eyes, his lips quivering several times, and finally, he squeezed a few words from his throat: "Young Master... you..."

Hun Jing didn't react as strongly as him, just slightly turned his head, and a faint red flush quietly appeared on his earlobes. His face was rounder than Hun You's, and it felt better to pinch, but he didn't struggle, just stood quietly in place, a flash of helpless indulgence flickering in his calm, water-like eyes. He knew the Hall Master had no ill intentions; it was just that this person's way of expressing goodwill was always different from others.

"You two! You clearly look very good! Yet you pull long faces every day, as if the Spirit Hall owes you money." Hun Feng let go of his hands, looked at the two faint red marks he had pinched on their faces, and nodded with satisfaction. "Smile more. It looks much better when you smile. Especially you, Hun You—you will be the Hall Master of the White Tiger Hall, representing the face of the Spirit Hall; you can't look like you're going to kill someone every time you see people. Newcomers will have to take a detour when they see you, and sooner or later, you will scare everyone away."

Hun You's mouth twitched; he wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. It wasn't that he didn't want to smile; it was that having lived for so many years, he had long forgotten how to smile. Hun Feng saw through his embarrassment and didn't urge him, turning instead to Hun Jing. This lad was actually a bit better than Hun You; at least he would blush after having his face pinched.

"Young Master, I... will try." Hun Jing said softly. He paused, seemingly seriously considering how to solve this problem, then raised his hands, pressed his index fingers against the corners of his mouth, and gently pushed them upward. A standard smile appeared on his usually calm face, but the problem was that the smile was too standard, so standard that it looked like it had been measured with a ruler.

"That's not a smile; that's facial stretching." Hun Feng commented mercilessly.

Hun Jing lowered his fingers, and the slight red on his cheeks deepened. He turned his head and glanced at Hun You, finding that Hun You was looking at him with a subtle expression—it was schadenfreude, but not entirely, more like the mutual sympathy of seeing a fellow sufferer. Then, Hun You couldn't escape either. Hun Feng turned to him, not saying a word, just staring at him, a patient smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, as if waiting for him to speak himself.

Everyone in the hall looked over. Yao Yao leaned against the back of her chair, her peach-blossom eyes filled with the excitement of watching a good show; Cao Ying was already lying on the table, her shoulders shaking with laughter; Mu Chen and Luo Li sat at the end of the table, also with smiles on their faces. Hun You felt uncomfortable being stared at by these gazes and finally gave up the struggle. He raised his hands, learned from Hun Jing, pressed his index fingers against the corners of his mouth, and pushed them up into an arc. That smile was uglier than crying, with one corner of his mouth higher than the other, and paired with his cold and stern face, it was as eerie as could be.

"Good, I'll barely count it as a pass." Hun Feng reached out and patted him on the shoulder, then turned to Hun Jing. "You too. From today on, smile at the mirror ten times a day; this is the Hall Master's order. When you can smile without using your fingers, that's when you pass."

Hun Jing nodded earnestly, as if he had received an extremely important mission. Hun You kept his face cold, but his mouth moved ever so slightly when no one was paying attention—the arc was too small, so small it was almost imperceptible. But Yao Yao had sharp eyes; she narrowed her peach-blossom eyes, pointed at Hun You, and told Hun Feng to look, saying he had smiled. Hun You quickly flattened his mouth and returned to his cold, stern appearance, leaving only the back of his head to everyone. Cao Ying couldn't straighten her back from laughing beside Hun Jing, and even Medusa slightly curled the corners of her mouth.