Aside from that, there were also countless powers in the shadows that he had to deal with, and that wasn't even taking into account the stern opposition he would most likely face from the federal military.

That was why Zang Xin was so eager to encourage the Star Luo Empire and Dou Spirit Empire to join forces in order to at least delay, if not prevent this war from taking place altogether.

With that in mind, a harrowing scene appeared in Tang Wulin's mind. It was the scene during which he had faced the Holy Lord in the abyssal passageway.

He could still clearly recall the boundless killing intent that the Holy Lord had harbored toward him. The abyssal plane had since been forced back, and the seal had also been fortified, but was this really enough to ward off the next attack from the abyssal plane?

Tang Wulin didn't know, and no one knew the answer to that question. If the abyssal plane decided to attack without paying any heed to consequences, then the next abyssal tide could happen at any moment.

Hence, the abyssal plane was also one of the enemies that he would have to face. As the one who had been chosen by the plane, he was also going to be under the most pressure, and it could even be said that the abyssal plane could be his most powerful enemy in the future.

As such, it was imperative for him to become more powerful. During the past few weeks, Tang Wulin could clearly sense just how quickly he had been progressing.

During the three-month period where he had been in seclusion, he had collated all of the rewards he had reaped during his time at the Blood God Legion in the first month. In particular, he had integrated all of the experiences he had attained through his spiritual power during the battle against the Holy Lord into his abilities. After that, he had cultivated with all his might, and defeating Wu Zhangkong in that sparring match definitely hadn't been a case of pure dumb luck.

This was a manifestation of everything that he had accumulated and a display of his true power. With the enhancements he received from his Golden Dragon Spear and Golden Dragon King bloodline, his overall combat prowess was already comparable to the average Titled Douluo, even though he was only a Soul Sage.

Of course, this only applied when neither side was using their battle armor. In reality, Tang Wulin was completely unable to use his battle armor at the moment. The structure for his suit of three-word battle armor had already been completed, but the core circuits hadn't been carved yet.

He was currently at rank 73 in soul power, which meant that he had progressed two ranks during just three months.

As a Soul Sage, this rate of progression was downright inconceivable. Furthermore, Tang Wulin could clearly sense that the rate of his progression was still increasing, and under the current circumstances, he was confident that he would be able to progress to the Soul Douluo level after another year at most. As for the Titled Douluo level, that was one that he would reach in no more than three years. By then, he would only be 24 years old, and even in the history of Shrek Academy, such a young Titled Douluo would be extremely rare.

Tang Wulin had already made up his mind; once he reached the Soul Douluo level, he was going to break his 12th Golden Dragon King seal at the same time, which should give him his sixth golden soul ring. His fifth golden soul ring's Golden Dragon Vibrational Explosion had already drastically enhanced all his existing abilities, so the sixth golden ring would definitely only bestow upon him an even more fearsome soul skill.

With his physical constitution and tolerance, he would perhaps be able to consider constructing a suit of four-word battle armor for himself as soon as he became a Titled Douluo. Once he became a four-word battle armor master, Tang Wulin was confident that he would be able to face any powerful being in this world.

He had a very clear plan for his future cultivation, and ever since he became a Soul Sage, he could clearly sense that he had risen to a completely different level. From that moment forth, he had truly become a powerful being.

A faint smile appeared on his face, and just as he was about to begin cultivating, the soul communicator on his wrist suddenly began to ring.

Tang Wulin glanced down at his wrist, and an excited look immediately appeared in his eyes.

He accepted the incoming call, and a familiar voice rang out from the other end of the line.

"Where are you?... Alright, wait for me." After an extremely brief conversation, Tang Wulin quickly rose to his feet before rushing out of his room.

The Tang Sect headquarters encompassed virtually the entire underground world of Heaven Dou City, so it had a myriad of exits.

Several minutes later, Tang Wulin appeared on the streets of Heaven Dou City, and due to his excessive excitement, he hadn't even had a chance to disguise himself.

He had only put on a mask and a hat to conceal his own appearance as much as possible, and he narrowed his eyes slightly as he released his spiritual power almost in a reckless manner.

At his level of spiritual power, no one would be able to detect what he was up to unless they were also at the Spirit Domain realm. On top of that, he was so excited that he didn't want to think about these details. After all, it wasn't a significant issue. 

...... 

"Hmm?" A middle-aged man in a set of ordinary clothes suddenly faltered just as he was about to walk into the largest auction house in Heaven Dou City.

This middle-aged man was completely mundane in appearance, but he also wore a mask like Tang Wulin did.

There was another person accompanying him, and if Tang Wulin could see her right now, he would definitely be excited beyond belief.

She also wore a mask to conceal her exquisitely gorgeous features, but she had a head of luscious silver hair and a pair of captivating purple eyes, both of which were extremely distinctive features.

"That's some impressive spiritual power," the middle-aged man murmured, "Do you sense that, Na'er?"

Gu Yuena shook her head in silence as she walked along beside the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're close to the Spirit Domain realm now, right? Don't try to force it; you'll know once you break through that bottleneck."

"Chairman, from the sounds of it, are you saying that there's a powerful being nearby who's releasing their spiritual power?" Gu Yuena's voice was still as heavenly as ever, but it was completely emotionless.

"Indeed. They seem to be searching for something and harbor no animosity. Let's go in. Heaven Dou City really is rife with powerful beings; if I didn't have to purchase that auction item for you, I would definitely go and see which mighty figure is releasing their spiritual power so carelessly here." After that, he walked directly into the auction house.

However, Gu Yuena paused slightly before looking back with complex emotions in her eyes. She then clenched her fists tightly, and the impulsive urge in her eyes vanished in a flash. 

......

Found him! Tang Wulin's spiritual power scoured over the surrounding area before he quickly found that familiar figure.

In the instant that he caught sight of him, the smile on Tang Wulin's face widened even further, and he strode directly toward his target.

That man seemed to have also sensed Tang Wulin's presence, and he abruptly turned around to face him.

In contrast with Tang Wulin, this man wasn't wearing a mask. He had a set of ordinary facial features, but his back was remarkably straight, and his golden hair practically shimmered under the sun.

A sly smile appeared on his face as he made his way toward Tang Wulin, and just as they were about to reach one another, Tang Wulin abruptly lashed out first, thrusting a palm toward the other man's chest.

The golden-haired man retaliated in kind, and their two palms clashed with a crisp clap before gripping tightly onto one another.

Tang Wulin pulled back his right hand, and it was undoubtedly the case that he was a lot stronger than the golden-haired man, so his shoulder rammed straight into his chest. However, in the next instant, both of them burst out laughing in unison.

"Welcome back!" Tang Wulin firmly held the man's hand in his own.

"Aren't you being a little too passionate? It's a good thing Xiaoyan isn't around," the golden-haired man chuckled.