"You stuck? Don't know how to respond?" Qian Renxue teased, watching Li Chang'an frown in thought.
Truth be told, the Heaven Dou Empire played this move quite cleverly. At least on the surface, Spirit Hall had no grounds to intervene—otherwise, it would be blatant interference in another nation's internal affairs, which wouldn't hold up diplomatically.
That's why Qian Renxue was genuinely curious—how will he handle it?
To her surprise, Li Chang'an merely shot her a casual glance and replied with full confidence, "You think this would stump me? Honestly, even if it's a move played in the open, I've already got three strategies ready!"
"Three? Tell me." Qian Renxue was stunned. The only option she had come up with was undermining the Heaven Dou Empire from within—maybe poisoning Emperor Xue Ye or something like that. But Li Chang'an just claimed he had three openly viable strategies? How was that even possible?
Looking smug, Li Chang'an leaned back comfortably against the carriage wall and said, "Spirit Hall can also start subsidizing Spirit Masters with gold soul coins. Anyone under level 40 can apply—and we'll offer double the rate!"
"And if a Spirit Master agrees to serve Spirit Hall for a year, the subsidy will double again. Serve for two years, and it'll quadruple."
"In short, Spirit Hall won't force anyone to stay. Once their service period is over, they're free to go. Plus, we've got deep pockets—no shortage of applicants."
Qian Renxue scoffed, "That's your plan? It's clever, sure. But does Spirit Hall even have the budget for that?"
His idea was straightforward, but the biggest problem was clear—money.
At the rate Li Chang'an planned to burn funds, even the two great empires would struggle to keep up, let alone Spirit Hall.
Li Chang'an didn't explain further. Instead, he pulled a small soul tool lighting lamp from his storage device. After slowly infusing it with soul power, the lamp lit up.
"A soul tool lamp? What are you doing with that?" On the current Douluo Continent, all soul tools came from ancient ruins. Qian Renxue had seen one before—market prices were indeed high.
They were quite magical: just a small amount of soul power would keep them lit for a long time, making them a favorite among the nobility.
"If I told you Spirit Hall now has the capacity to independently produce soul tool lamps, would you still think we're short on money?" Li Chang'an dropped a bombshell.
To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing. The Spirit Hall Research Institute had been running for over six years, but progress had been limited. Even though Li Chang'an had pointed them in the right direction early on, many things had remained stalled.
Take the lamp for example—even though there was a template and Li Chang'an had already specified the best material for the filament, the researchers still had to disassemble nearly a hundred soul lamps before they finally learned how to inscribe even the most basic array patterns.
So yes, research really does burn money—there's no two ways about it. Just the cost of those hundred lamps was absurd.
Fortunately, three months ago, the Research Institute finally confirmed that soul tool lamps could be mass-produced. That was when Li Chang'an could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
With these things, Spirit Hall was practically destined to print money.
Think about it—just a bit of cheap glass, a filament, and a few simple inscriptions—and the gold soul coins would come pouring in.
"If that's true, then your plan is actually very viable," Qian Renxue admitted, looking at Li Chang'an with renewed curiosity.
---
Heaven Dou Royal Academy was located on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City and occupied an immense area. To put it simply—it owned a mountain, a forest, and a lake. All of that belonged to the Academy.
Even though Li Chang'an had been told beforehand that the Academy was extravagant, seeing it for the first time still left him stunned.
Holy hell, this place was fancy.
Not that Spirit Hall Academy was shabby, but it simply couldn't compare in luxury. Heaven Dou Royal Academy exuded wealth and aristocracy in every detail.
Spirit Hall Academy was the exact opposite—there, strength was everything. And many of its students were commoners. Luxury wasn't even in the picture.
Of course, in terms of training environment, teaching resources, and overall academic quality, Spirit Hall Academy still completely outclassed Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Still, one had to admit—the environment here was beautiful. Especially now, with the setting sun bathing everything in golden hues. The mountain, the lake at its base, the vibrant plant life—all of it gave the impression of a paradise removed from the world.
As soon as Li Chang'an stepped down from the carriage, he saw a group waiting in the distance to welcome them. At the head of the group were three elderly men.
Each of the elders wore a black robe adorned with gold embroidery in strange patterns. This robe wasn't just for show—it was a custom ceremonial robe issued by Spirit Hall to all Spirit Douluo-level Spirit Masters (those above Rank 80).
Typically, even Spirit Douluo and titled Douluo rarely wore such attire. It represented not just status, but solemnity. Only during duels against opponents of the same rank or on significant formal occasions would they don this specialized garb.
Since Prince Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue in disguise) was arriving in person, the three elders—who were the Academy's board members—came out to greet him. The academy director, Prince Xue Xing, was absent, so these three were the highest-ranking hosts available.
Li Chang'an stood behind Qian Renxue, and after the necessary greetings and pleasantries were exchanged, they followed the group into the Academy grounds.
Once they entered the mountain area, Li Chang'an finally grasped the true scale of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. The stairway up the mountain was carved from flawless white jade, and every step bore an intricate carving of a soul beast—each one unique, displaying exquisite craftsmanship.
The setting sun cast soft crimson shadows across the steps, adding an even more serene and picturesque quality to the scene.
The main campus consisted entirely of single-story buildings, giving it more the feel of a fortress than a school. The surrounding wall stood five meters high and was painted a striking bright yellow. Even the wall's tiled roof was covered with glazed tiles that gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.
The three elders accompanied Qian Renxue and her party into a lavish reception hall, where they finally took their seats. Immediately, staff began serving tea and refreshments.
It was no surprise the Academy treated Qian Renxue with such care. After all, technically speaking, the Royal Academy was operated by the royal family. And Xue Qinghe—being the crown prince—was naturally of the highest status.
"May I ask what brings Your Highness to the Academy today?" asked Meng Shenji, the leading elder among the three, after taking a sip of tea.
"You're too courteous, Elder Meng," Xue Qinghe replied with respectful modesty. "I come on imperial orders—simply to assess the overall strength of the Academy's students. It's something my royal father has always been concerned about."
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