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Ning Fengzhi asked, "Xiao Wen, how did the recruitment go?"
Ye Wen casually sat back in his seat and replied with ease, "Don't worry, Father-in-law. It's practically a done deal—nine out of ten times."
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi didn't inquire further, though he inwardly lamented the loss of an opportunity to add another Title Douluo to their ranks.
As for the other influential figures with ulterior motives, they exchanged glances. This was the first time they had directly witnessed just how formidable this young man truly was.
Though Emperor Xue Ye appeared calm on the surface, internally, he was seething with anger.
'Why? Why? Why? I am the sole emperor of this land! How can this boy from the backwoods be better at recruiting than me?'
'Are my resources not enticing enough? Or am I simply lacking in charisma? Argh! It infuriates me!'
Of course, Ye Wen remained blissfully unaware of all this. Even if he had known, he would have only rolled his eyes in disdain.
In this strength-centric fantasy world, the fact that the imperial family of Tian Dou had managed to maintain power for so long despite their lack of strength was already a stroke of luck for the Xue family. Now they wanted to recruit geniuses? They couldn't even protect their own son!
If Ye Wen were Emperor Xue Ye, his focus wouldn't be on recruiting talent but rather on strengthening his own foundation. After all, the nobility of the Tian Dou Empire had rotted to the core.
However, no matter how corrupt they were, these nobles still inherited the martial souls of their once-powerful ancestors. While there were some mutated martial souls among commoners, they were exceedingly rare.
As Yu Xiaogang's few useful theories pointed out, the quality of a martial soul was directly proportional to one's innate soul power.
Although Douluo never explicitly mentioned bloodline theory, it was undeniably a world governed by it. Compared to commoners, who might produce a top-tier martial soul through mutation at some unpredictable point, reorganizing the nobility and revitalizing noble families with powerful martial souls should have been Emperor Xue Ye's true priority.
However, though Ye Wen knew what needed to be done, he had no intention of enlightening Emperor Xue Ye.
After all, "If you're not in that position, don't meddle in its affairs."
Moreover, Ye Wen felt that the nobility of this world indeed needed a thorough cleansing. Some had degenerated so far as to become monstrous, and their strength only caused greater harm to ordinary people.
---
Soon, the day's matches concluded, and Ye Wen accompanied Dugu Bo to Element City, where the Five Elemental Academies were based.
At this moment, the leaders of the water, fire, and wind families were seated together.
As for why the representatives of the Thunder and Elephant Armor Academies weren't present, it was because their respective clans supported them from behind the scenes. Though they operated academies here, their primary goal was to recruit for their clans and they hadn't integrated into the core circle of Element City.
The leader of the Wind family was an elderly man with white hair named Feng You. He sighed, "Little Sister Shui, your family kept quite the secret. Didn't we agree to an alliance where we help each other?"
The leader of the Fire family was a muscular old man with fiery red hair named Huo Lie. Despite his outwardly fierce appearance, he remained calm, though his eyes were filled with questioning.
The leader of the Water family was Shui Bing'er's grandmother, Shui Rou'er. Though she was over 60 years old, she was well-preserved, her figure still graceful and elegant, embodying the timeless beauty untouched by age. However, at this moment, Shui Rou'er wore a bitter smile as she apologized to the two men.
"I'm sorry, Elder Brother Huo and Second Brother Feng. I've been hesitating about whether to tell you both, but I feared loose lips. I didn't even inform many of my own family members, yet it still ended up like this today. I truly apologize."
The two elders exchanged glances, but ultimately, they couldn't bring themselves to scold Shui Rou'er, whom they had always treated like a younger sister.
Huo Lie sighed, "Let bygones be bygones. What we need to do now is figure out how to handle the situation moving forward."
---
At this moment, the three of them gazed at each other silently.
The Water, Fire, and Wind families had long realized that constant disputes with other factions were not a sustainable strategy. Inspired by the eight hidden families of the Spirit Arena, they formed a family alliance to jointly manage their respective academies.
Though individually none of the three families could match the lower four sects of the Seven Great Sects, their combined strength allowed them to stand against any of the lower four sects without fear.
It was precisely this unity that enabled the three families to endure on the continent for so long. Thus, today's minor trust crisis couldn't shake the alliance. On the contrary, the incident prompted them to consider how to quickly remedy the situation.
A future Title Douluo would inevitably encroach upon the interests of the Upper Three Sects. They had to prepare in advance.
Gradually, the three elders sighed in unison.
As families that had endured for hundreds of years, the Water, Fire, and Wind families understood the vast gap between Soul Douluos and Title Douluos. Even if they combined all their Soul Douluos, they still wouldn't stand a chance against a single Title Douluo.
Even the weakest Title Douluo, Dugu Bo, was beyond their reach.
While both soul masters and Title Douluos used their spirit skills in gaseous form, the reason Title Douluos dominated lower-level soul masters wasn't their soul power—it was their spiritual power, which underwent a qualitative transformation.
This was why Dugu Bo had effortlessly suppressed three Soul Douluos during the Tian Dou Imperial Academy incident.
Finally, Shui Rou'er spoke, "Elder Brothers Huo and Feng, let's wait for Dugu Bo to arrive and hear what he has to say. If the terms are reasonable, we'll join. I can feel it—these lands won't remain peaceful for long. It's time to find a strong ally."
Huo Lie and Feng You exchanged glances. For now, there was no other choice.
---
True to his word, Ye Wen arrived promptly. He showed proper etiquette by presenting a formal invitation instead of barging in arrogantly despite having a Title Douluo at his back. This gesture alone earned him some favor from Shui Rou'er and the others.
After all, on the Douluo Continent, many powerful individuals became arrogant and reckless once they gained strength, treating others as beneath them.
For example, someone whose grandson was beaten sought revenge, then his father came to retaliate, and finally, his grandfather stormed in unreasonably…
Or the legendary hammer-wielding blacksmith who engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a teacher at night simply because the teacher had injured his son during an entrance exam…
Or a certain filial son who defended his father's wrongdoings.
When weak: My father was wrong.
When strong: My father wasn't wrong.
When invincible: My father wasn't wrong—you were!
Such examples were countless on the Douluo Continent. Thus, Ye Wen's reasonable and respectful demeanor had already won the subconscious approval of the Water, Fire, and Wind families before negotiations even began.
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