Perhaps Ye Wen's earlier struggle had hurt their feelings, or perhaps Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan were exceptionally clever individuals—either way, during their subsequent interactions with Ye Wen, they refrained from behaving as brazenly as before. Ye Wen, feeling relieved, breathed a sigh of relief.
Just thinking about having to "clean the pipes" five days a week was already enough to make him despair.
If he also had to endure constant domestic unrest, Ye Wen might have slapped himself twice and wondered why he ever thought it was a good idea to provoke Dugu Bo in the first place.
As the banquet proceeded, the group of influential figures indulged in food, drinks, and entertainment for a while. By the time the event reached its midpoint, Chen Gang had completely stepped off the stage, making way for Dugu Bo to step forward.
Looking at Dugu Bo's tall, green-clad figure, though he had tried his best to suppress his aura, his notorious reputation still caused most of the soul masters below to fall silent.
However, adhering to the philosophy that if he didn't feel awkward, then the awkwardness belonged to others, Dugu Bo swept his gaze across the crowd and slowly nodded before speaking:
"I'm sure all of you have already guessed what this is about, so I won't waste words. From today onward, I and Lion Emperor Douluo will jointly establish a new faction. Its name shall be… the Medical Alliance."
The moment these words left his mouth, the area below the stage fell into complete silence. The expressions of the guests varied widely.
Among them, the most troubled faces belonged to Emperor Xue Ye and Yu Yuanzhen.
Emperor Xue Ye's displeasure stemmed from the fact that although the Tian Dou Empire now had two additional Title Douluos, their decision to form a new faction rather than exist solely as individual nobles signaled an intention to distance themselves from the Tian Dou Empire.
Though they could still be courted, Emperor Xue Ye couldn't help but glance at his daughter, whose face had turned pale, and felt a deep sense of pity.
'Alas, I've fallen behind,' he lamented inwardly. 'I should have followed Ning Fengzhi's example and directly negotiated a marriage alliance instead of wasting time on these superficial gestures. Truly, I've grown old and lack the boldness of my youth.'
In the Tian Dou Imperial family, princesses could marry externally, and historically, some favored princesses even brought large tracts of land as dowries—many kingdoms and duchies originated this way.
However, after marrying out, their status absolutely could not be diminished.
Huo Yu'er, naturally, would hold the position of main wife without question.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling each had a Title Douluo backing them, giving them ample qualifications to sit on the seat of equal wives.
As for Ning Rongrong, her entire Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect stood firmly behind her.
Only Xiao Wu, who had yet to arrive in Tian Dou Imperial City, hadn't secured a ranking in Emperor Xue Ye's mind. But with her innate full-soul power talent, her future potential was undeniable—she would undoubtedly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ye Wen.
In such a gathering of exceptional talents, where would Princess Xue Ke fit in? She wouldn't even stand a chance in the competition for Ye Wen's affection.
For the profit-driven Tian Dou Imperial family, this was nothing short of a losing deal.
If Xue Ke had married before Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's alliances, she might have relied on the backing of the entire Tian Dou Empire to hold her ground. But now, marrying in would relegate her to sixth place—at best.
Not only would her status be negligible, but it might also tarnish the dignity of the Tian Dou Imperial family. For Emperor Xue Ye, who placed great importance on the honor of the royal family, this was absolutely unacceptable.
Thus, the tender bud of emotion that had just begun to sprout within the young princess was mercilessly crushed.
On the other hand, Yu Yuanzhen's troubled expression stemmed from the challenge posed to the top three sects' positions.
Although neither Dugu Bo nor Chen Gang were Super Douluos, their abilities were troublesome enough individually. Combined, they might even surpass a single Title Douluo like himself. Add to that Dugu Bo's terrifying area-of-effect attacks, which could instantly level the playing field in terms of lower-tier combat power.
Though he had anticipated this possibility, when faced with the reality before his eyes, Yu Yuanzhen's limited mental capacity left him unsure of how to proceed.
After all, fighting was out of the question—they couldn't win in direct confrontation either.
At this moment, Dugu Bo continued speaking:
"However, please rest assured, esteemed guests. The Medical Alliance founded by us old men isn't some warlike faction bent on conflict. Instead, it will focus deeply on the pharmaceutical trade established by my grandson-in-law, Ye Wen.
Our goal is to expand and strengthen the medicinal market, primarily by selling herbs and medications that treat illnesses, as well as other remedies. Additionally, we will research and promote healing methods beyond soul skills to help reduce suffering for the people of the Douluo Continent.
Of course, many of you may wonder why, as a faction, we chose the name 'Alliance' rather than 'Sect.'
This is because our faction isn't centered around martial soul inheritance as the primary force for soul masters.
As I mentioned earlier, the Medical Alliance focuses on medicine and healing. For this reason, we welcome any healing-oriented soul masters or individuals with unique talents to join. As long as one's abilities are sufficient, they can achieve a high status within the Medical Alliance. In the future, the position of alliance leader may even be open to outsiders.
However, there is one principle that the Medical Alliance will never abandon:
We will not actively involve ourselves in the conflicts of other factions. Absolute neutrality will be our guiding principle.
As for specific recruitment details, the Medical Alliance will soon issue announcements across the entire continent. All aspiring individuals are welcome to join."
With that, the area below the stage fell into a prolonged silence. Emperor Xue Ye's expression grew even more troubled.
Initially, the formation of a faction by Dugu Bo and Chen Gang hadn't concerned Emperor Xue Ye much. After all, within Tian Dou territory, there were already the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Adding another "local emperor" wasn't something he cared about.
If the Tian Dou Empire ever faced danger, Emperor Xue Ye was confident he could leverage resources to sway these top three sects into serving him.
But now, Dugu Bo's Medical Alliance had openly declared neutrality!
How was he, Emperor Xue Ye, supposed to command Dugu Bo and Chen Gang, two Title Douluos, in the future?
Through coercion?
Hmph.
Emperor Xue Ye forced a bitter smile. Though the Tian Dou Imperial family appeared noble, he was well aware that in the face of absolute power, all nobility was nothing but a paper tiger.
Push a Title Douluo too far, and though they might not defeat your army, a direct assassination attempt by a Title Douluo would leave you trembling in fear.
Moreover, though Dugu Bo was famously the weakest Title Douluo, his widespread poison attacks far surpassed the destructive potential of ordinary Title Douluos against armies.
Emperor Xue Ye sighed. If he had intervened earlier in the formation of this faction, there might have been room for maneuvering. But now, it was too late.
And…
Without drawing attention, Emperor Xue Ye glanced at Ning Fengzhi, inwardly remarking, 'No wonder I once hailed him as the wisest man in Tian Dou. He saw through Dugu Bo's plans early on and made his move ahead of time.'
Upon hearing this, Yu Yuanzhen visibly relaxed.
Since Dugu Bo himself declared neutrality, there would be no competing for the top three sects in the future.
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