"I understand the situation. Jiujium, stay. The rest of you, return and focus on your cultivation. Don't overthink it. You are all among the Empire's finest talents. I look forward to the day you bring glory to our nation."
In the Star Luo Imperial Palace, Emperor Xu Jiawei stood with his back to them, his deep, steady voice filling the grand hall.
But Xu Jiujium, who stood just a step behind, clearly saw the fleeting anger flash across her brother's handsome features—his lips pressed into a tight line, vanishing just as quickly.
Familiar with her brother's habits, Xu Jiujium instantly understood: he was suppressing his fury.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Huang Xingyun and the other four bowed respectfully before turning to leave the audience hall.
In the vast hall, only Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujium remained. All palace attendants had been dismissed ahead of time, leaving behind a heavy and eerie silence.
"...Sigh."
Xu Jiawei finally broke the quiet, sighing deeply. "Jiujium… speak freely. What are your thoughts? It's just the two of us here—brother and sister. Say whatever's on your mind."
Xu Jiujium was silent for a long while, then slowly looked up and asked, seemingly out of nowhere, "Brother, how is the Grand Worshipper of the Hall of Consecration?"
"Not good."
Xu Jiawei didn't conceal anything. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "The Medicine God privately told me that the Grand Worshipper has at most three years left to live. He's already over 280 years old—his time is simply up."
Titled Douluo had long lifespans, often living well over a hundred years. Super Douluo and even Limit Douluo could live longer. But even a Limit Douluo would be old at nearly 300, especially when battle wounds from youth silently eroded one's vitality over the years.
Xu Jiujium said nothing in response.
Xu Jiawei sighed and continued, "According to intelligence reports, the Dragon God Douluo of Shrek may also be nearing the end of his life. But Shrek still has the Gluttonous Douluo at Rank 98 guarding the Academy for decades to come.
And when the Gluttonous Douluo is gone, they still have the Shadow Douluo Song Lao, a Rank 97, and the younger Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe, who has long since become a Super Douluo. He'll soon take up the mantle."
"When I first ascended the throne, I did consider reducing Shrek's influence within our borders. But after looking across the entire court, I realized—everyone is tied to Shrek in some way. There was no opening, no leverage…"
"Moreover, Jiujium, if we wish to resist the Sun Moon Empire, we can't do it without Shrek. As much as I hate to admit it, in the eyes of the Sun Moon Empire, Shrek is the biggest obstacle to unifying the continent…"
His voice, while recounting Shrek's hierarchy of power, carried deep helplessness.
To rely on an academy to defend the realm—it was an unbearable pressure for a ruler with ambition.
The Xu family had only secured the throne through compromises among powerful factions. Once the Grand Worshipper passed, any disruption of the balance could spiral out of control. Their reign—and their lives—would no longer be safe.
After all, from Shrek's perspective, without a Rank 98 guardian, the Xu family's "divine right" to rule could be questioned. Replacing them with a more obedient branch of the Dai family might even seem preferable.
"I understand," Xu Jiujium said softly. "That's why I wouldn't dare ask you to take any action against Shrek. I only have two requests—and one suggestion. Please consider them carefully."
She folded her hands and bowed with the formal etiquette of the palace.
"Speak. I will give them serious thought," Xu Jiawei replied.
"For the next two years, I want to relinquish all duties and enter seclusion to focus on breaking through to the Soul Emperor realm. Please allocate enough resources for me."
Xu Jiawei chuckled lightly. "Why so formal? You're a princess of the Star Luo Empire."
"I'll authorize it now. You may access any heavenly treasures in the royal treasury. Choose any three top-tier 10,000-year spirit bones. You are free to consult the other worshippers in the Hall of Consecration for guidance—except the Heavenly Fiend Douluo, of course. If the Grand Worshipper himself is willing to mentor you, all the better."
Realizing he had accidentally mentioned the notoriously antisocial Heavenly Fiend Douluo, he quickly added, "And of course, your elder brother is no slouch in cultivation either. If you ask me, I'll teach you everything I know."
"But what if I want a 100,000-year spirit bone?" Xu Jiujium asked suddenly.
Xu Jiawei's smile froze. His brows furrowed. "That's a tall order, Jiujium. You're putting me in a tough spot."
Though the empire had accumulated several 100,000-year spirit bones over its long history, they were national treasures—resources reserved for emperors, the most elite bloodline talents, or the highest-level worshippers. They were not given out lightly.
"I will lead the Star Luo team to the finals of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament two years from now!" Xu Jiujium declared firmly. "I swear I will reach the Titled Douluo level within twenty years. If I fail, I'll return the spirit bone—along with my limb!"
Xu Jiawei raised an eyebrow. "You want to succeed the Grand Worshipper one day?"
"I am willing to try—even if it kills me," she replied without hesitation.
Xu Jiawei studied her for a while, then sighed deeply. "Since you have such resolve, I'll support you. If you can earn second place in the next tournament, I'll persuade the elders. That honor should be enough to justify it."
"What is your other request? And what is your suggestion?"
"My second request is for the sake of my teammates. They endured humiliation with me. While not the greatest talents, they're loyal to our royal family. I ask that you award one 10,000-year spirit bone each to Huang Xingyun and Duguh Shanshan, the two with the strongest potential. It will serve as motivation."
"Easily done," Xu Jiawei nodded. "You pick the bones. If they can reach Soul Emperor in two years, all the better."
To him, 10,000-year spirit bones were nothing. Giving them away was like sowing favor with future worshippers.
"Thank you. Now, my suggestion is this: loosen restrictions on academic exchanges with the Sun Moon Empire, especially in the field of soul tool technology."
"Jiujium, what did you just say?" For the first time in their conversation, Xu Jiawei's expression changed. His imperial aura surged. "I didn't mishear that, did I?"
"I said exactly what I meant. This is for the sake of strength." Xu Jiujium remained calm under his gaze. "You know our soul tool technology lags behind the Sun Moon Empire by at least a few hundred years. We won't catch up by just burying our heads in the sand. The best way forward is to send students to study there."
"If we want to compete with Shrek, this may be our only option—because we have more resources to equip soul engineer legions."
"We're already weaker than Shrek in terms of soul masters. We're weaker than Sun Moon in soul engineers. We've been falling behind for too long. But at least, in raw soul power, we're still stronger than Sun Moon. I believe this path is viable."
"We've heard the Sun Moon Empire is researching light-condensing soul tools. If we can learn from that, maybe we can solve the issue that limits our Star Crown Martial Soul to only training at night—massively increasing our efficiency."
"I saw it with my own eyes—Aunt Zhu's cultivation wasn't weaker than those two Soul Saints, but combined with fixed soul ammunition, they crushed her in under a minute."
"Besides, we know the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy already extended an exchange invitation to Shrek—but Shrek's Martial Soul Department declined."
Xu Jiawei pressed his fingers to his brow and paced for a while. Finally, he turned and gave her a bitter smile.
"Even if you're right… would the Sun Moon Empire even look our way?"
"That's why I'll prove our strength in the tournament two years from now," Xu Jiujium replied with resolve, her eyes as deep and calm as a mountain spring. "Respect must be earned through strength."
"If the Imperial Academy refuses, then we'll approach another one—like Mingdu Soul Engineering Academy. As long as it's mutual."
"...I have to admit, Jiujium, your logic is persuasive. Very well—make your preparations."
—
Half a month later – Nightfall – Outer perimeter of Mingdou Forest
Xu Tianxi sat by a fire, eyes closed in meditation. Then he slowly opened them, rising to his feet. A pleased gleam flashed through his eyes—his soul power had stabilized, his killing intent suppressed.
"Young Master, you've broken through?" Elder Yue, on night watch, noticed the shift immediately and asked with hopeful curiosity.
"Barely," Xu Tianxi replied with a faint smile, though his eyes betrayed a touch of solemn reflection.
The battle with the Abomination Envoy had been his first true life-or-death fight since arriving in this world—and the enemy had exceeded expectations.
The Abomination Martial Soul was disgusting, but its defense was terrifyingly solid. That wall of greasy fat had even slowed down his spiritual attacks. It had taken both bombardment and brute force to bring the monster down—it was nearly mutual destruction.
"Evil Soul Masters really do live up to their name… I'll need to be more cautious in the future."
Clearing his thoughts, Xu Tianxi turned to Elder Yue. "Elder Yue, what happened with the prisoner Zhisen captured? And what's the situation at the White Tiger Duke's residence?"
"The prisoner surrendered immediately. As for the White Tiger Duke's house—the one you're interested in, the third son Dai Yueheng—his current situation isn't good. His mother is dying."
Elder Yue answered clearly. Having seen Xu Xiaoyun show interest in this bloodline more than once, he found it unsurprising that Xu Tianxi was now observing Dai Yueheng as well. But he gently reminded:
"Young Master, his innate soul power is quite low. He likely can't walk the same path Lady Bingfeng and the Young Miss once did."
"That's fine," Xu Tianxi replied casually. "I never planned to recruit him into Xuanming Sect. We couldn't afford to protect him even if we wanted to."
He smiled and added, "Let's rest tonight. In the morning, we'll change our appearance and head to the Star Luo capital. I'll also teach that prisoner how to speak properly."