The Heaven Dou Empire flourished

After chatting for a while, the carriage arrived outside the palace.

Chen Feng led Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing off the carriage and saw Xue Qinghe waiting in front of the palace gate.

Upon seeing Chen Feng, Xue Qinghe's eyes lit up, and she quickly stepped forward.

"Mr. Chen Feng, was your journey smooth?"

"It went very smoothly, but Brother Xue, why are you being so formal with that?" Chen Feng asked with a smile.

"Now that we know your true identity, we can't act the same way as before," Xue Qinghe said gently.

"That's not right. No matter who I am, I'm still just a person. Brother Xue, you can't treat me like an outsider."

"Haha, that was my fault, Xiao Feng. Let's have a good talk later."

"Alright, that's exactly what I was waiting for, Brother Xue."

A hint of joy flashed in Xue Qinghe's eyes. He began to greet the others one by one to avoid them feeling neglected, and then walked into the palace with them.

The banquet was held in the Heavenly Star Hall, which was said to be a place the emperor used specifically to entertain Nobles and ministers, so it was of a very high standard.

"Wow, this place is magnificent! This is the first time I've ever been to a palace like this." Xiao Wu began to look around.

"If you want to come, you can come often in the future. I'll let the palace guards know," Xue Qinghe said with a smile upon hearing this.

"Thank you, Your His Highness the Crown Prince." Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue shyly.

Tang San patted her head, his expression somewhat helpless.

"By the way, why aren't your Academy and staff here?" Xue Qinghe asked with some curiosity.

"The Grandmaster don't like these kinds of occasions," Chen Feng said.

In fact, Flender wanted to come, but since the Grandmaster and Liu Erlong were too lazy to come, he simply decided not to.

"Our teachers are of a simple and unassuming nature, and they are role models for us to learn from," Xue Qinghe said with a light but appropriate compliment.

"Indifferent..." Ma Hongjun's expression was somewhat strange. He never imagined that his teacher, Flender, would one day be associated with the word "indifferent."

Chen Feng remained calm. He believed that such polite words were nothing more than blatant lies and should not be taken seriously.

The group soon arrived at the Heavenly Star Hall, where some people were already gathered. They were dressed in luxurious clothes and looked very presentable. They were chatting in twos and threes, and there were also many servants busy going back and forth.

"They are all Nobles of the empire and guests invited to this banquet." After giving a brief introduction, Xue Qinghe led Chen Feng and his group to a quiet spot inside the hall.

Then he summoned the servants and carefully instructed them to take good care of Chen Feng and the others.

The arrival of Chen Feng and his group attracted the attention of the Nobles in the hall. Many of them recognized this genius Scholar who had recently, or rather, whose fame had already spread far and wide.

It's just that the true identity of this genius Scholar has only recently become known to the public.

After recognizing Chen Feng, some people remained calm, some showed disdain, and many others tried to get close to him.

Seeing this, Chen Feng whispered to Xue Qinghe, "Brother Xue, I'm not used to this kind of situation. Could you help me out?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe's lips curled slightly, and he said, "Alright, but Xiao Feng, as a newly promoted Nobles of the empire, you'll inevitably encounter similar situations sooner or later."

After saying that, without waiting for Chen Feng's reaction, he stepped forward to deal with the people who came over.

Newly Nobles? Chen Feng watched Xue Qinghe's retreating figure and gradually began to guess the purpose of this banquet.

During the Spirit Master Tournament, Xue Ye promised that if any team won the championship, all members of the team would receive a title and land as a reward.

However, there is a problem: not all Soul Master are willing to accept the Empire's offer of recruitment and become Nobles of the Empire.

So, is tonight's dinner a way for Xue Ye to test the waters? Chen Feng thinks this guess is quite plausible.

He looked at his companions and noticed that many of them had thoughtful expressions, clearly realizing the same problem.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"I'm afraid it's a bit inconvenient for me," Dai Mubai said.

As a prince of the Star Luo Empire, it was clearly inappropriate for him to accept a title from the Heaven Dou Empire.

Ma Hongjun chuckled and said, "I don't find it inconvenient at all. After accepting the title and land as a reward, I can use the land to build a new campus for Bro Feng."

"Oh right, the new campus needs a piece of land. How big is 'ten thousand hectares'? Is that enough?" Xiao Wu wasn't very familiar with how humans calculate area.

"Building an ordinary advanced Soul Master Academy is definitely more than enough, but what Bro Feng wants is definitely not an ordinary Academy... By the way, can we ask to put the land we were rewarded with together?" Oscar stroked his chin and said.

Meng Yiran was taken aback, "You mean...?"

"The area we need is on the border of the empire, and it's not a prosperous region. I think the emperor might agree to this request. That way, if we have a few more people accepting the reward, the land needed for the new campus will be completely solved," Oscar explained his idea.

Chen Feng nodded. "That's what I was thinking too, but don't let this influence you. Just do what you think is right."

"I don't care, it depends on your needs," Gu Yue Ling said calmly.

"Me too, why not take the land if it's free?" Xiao Wu chimed in.

Not to mention that the land is near the Star Dou Great Forest, making it much more convenient to go home in the future.

After some discussion, most people said they could accept the empire's reward, provided that their lands could actually be bound together.

Zhu Zhuqing also wanted to accept the reward, but Chen Feng stopped her. It was obvious that it would cause trouble for the Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire to accept a title from the Heaven Dou Empire.

"What are we going to do with all that extra land? It must be over 100,000 hectares in total. We can't possibly use it all to build Academy, can we?" Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled.

"It can be used to build a new city," Chen Feng said. "A standalone Academy would be somewhat inconvenient, but expanding it into a city would be much better."

Everyone nodded in agreement. It might be difficult for a Academy to be self-sufficient, but it's a different story for a city.

At this moment Dai Mubai suddenly spoke up, "So, it doesn't necessarily have to be the land of the Heaven Dou Empire, right?"

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Dai Mubai smiled and said, "Just as Xiao Ao said, that place is located on the border. The land of the Heaven Dou Empire can be divided up, and the land of the Star Luo Empire can also be divided up."

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up. "Big Brother Dai is right. This is a good thing for the Star Luo Empire as well."

Although she and Dai Mubai have stated that they have given up the struggle for the throne, there is no guarantee that some despicable people will not try to drag them into it. Therefore, taking the initiative to offer to be enfeoffed in the outer regions is a good option.

In this way, she can not only help Chen Feng's career, but also stabilize the political situation of the Star Luo Empire, which can be said to be killing two birds with one stone.

Chen Feng nodded silently. This was an aspect he hadn't considered. Although they had the promise from the Heaven Dou Emperor, they weren't limited to accepting rewards from the Heaven Dou Empire. It was perfectly acceptable to have their cake and eat it too.

This can also create a demolition effect.

People's nature is always inclined to compromise and moderation. If you were to ask Xue Ye to agree to divide everyone's land together, Xue Ye might have some excuses, or even be extremely unwilling.

But if you say that Chen Feng and the others are going to Run to the Star Luo Empire, then Xue Ye will come to mediate and be willing to seal the land together.

"Looks like I'll have to make time to go back," Dai Mubai said.

After everyone had discussed the matter of the Fief, a few more people came in from outside.

Chen Feng looked out of the hall and found that apart from a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes, he recognized almost everyone else. They were Emperor Xue Ye of Heaven Dou Emperor, his master Chen Xin, sect leader Ning Fengzhi, and the Shui Family sisters.

After entering the hall, Xue Ye did not stay with the others. Instead, she spoke a few words with them and then, accompanied by a servant, walked towards the front of the hall.

Chen Xin, Ning Fengzhi, and the middle-aged man walked towards Chen Feng, with the Shui Family sisters following closely behind.

"Uncle Ning, Master." Chen Feng greeted them as he went up to them, and his companions also bowed in return.

"Teacher." Xue Qinghe also walked over at this moment.

As for the guests he had just dealt with, they all dispersed. Although they hadn't managed to get close to Chen Feng, they had a pleasant conversation with the Crown Prince of the Empire, so their trip was not in vain.

"Your His Highness the Crown Prince." Ning Fengzhi and the middle-aged man greeted Xue Qinghe Xue Qinghe, who returned the greeting.

"Teacher, Sword Douluo, Shui Family, welcome."

The head of the Shui Family? Chen Feng sized up the middle-aged man and roughly guessed his identity.

If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the father of the Shui Family sisters, Shui Wuyue, who collaborated with Dugu Bo to plot the immortal Immortal Herb.

Shui Wuyue noticed Chen Feng's gaze and smiled, "This must be the renowned Mr. Chen Feng, right? Your contributions to the Soul Master World are truly admirable."

"You flatter me, Shui Family. It was just an occasional gain," Chen Feng said politely.

As the group exchanged pleasantries, Xue Ye in front of the main hall, began to speak. However, his remarks were not particularly insightful; they consisted mainly of reviewing the empire's glorious past, looking forward to its bright future, and expressing the hope that everyone would work together to build the empire.

After a string of empty platitudes, Xue Ye left the scene. At that moment, a waiter approached and respectfully said, "Mr. Chen, His Majesty requests your presence."

Am I the only one?

"Yes."

Ning Fengzhi patted Chen Feng on the shoulder, "Go, have a good talk with His Majesty."

Chen Feng understood and followed the attendant outside the Heavenly Star Hall, where he saw Xue Ye gazing at the moonlight, lost in thought.

"Your His Majesty, Mr. Chen has arrived," the attendant said, bowing.

"Okay, you can go now."

"Yes, Your His Majesty."

The waiter left, Xue Ye quietly observed Chen Feng for a while before smiling and saying, "Truly a young talent."

His Majesty flatters me.

"Come for a walk with me."

"Good."

Xue Ye walked down the steps, and Chen Feng followed. Some guards tried to come and protect him, but he waved them away.

The two strolled leisurely through the palace. After a while, Xue Ye took the initiative to start a conversation. "Xiao Feng, may I call you that?"

"His Majesty is an elder, of course he can."

"Hmm, Xiao Feng, what's your opinion of the Heaven Dou Empire?"

Chen Feng did not answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment, pondering the intention behind Xue Ye's question.

"Don't overthink it, we're just having a casual chat. Tell me your true thoughts," Xue Ye said gently, noticing Chen Feng's hesitation.

After considering for a moment, Chen Feng said, "This junior feels that the empire is thriving, possessing a vibrant and flourishing spirit, where all things compete and thrive."

"Hehe." Xue Ye chuckled inexplicably. "Xiao Feng, you're not being honest."

"Your His Majesty, please forgive me."

"Well, I do know that the Empire is in a bad situation right now. It has the Spirit Hall eyeing it covetously from the outside, and various forces are deeply entrenched internally. It's no exaggeration to say that it's beset by internal and external troubles. If things don't change, the future of the Empire is uncertain."

Chen Feng listened in silence, without saying a word.

Xue Ye didn't mind and continued, "But I don't have the energy to change anything. Just stabilizing the current situation has already taken up most of my energy, and ordinary changes only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. But you're different, Xiao Feng, you're different."

The Xue Ye stopped in its tracks, and so did Chen Feng.

Xue Ye turned around, looking at the seemingly meek and unassuming young man before her, and said, "You've brought something different, such as the Foundation Building Method, the new Spirit Master Classification System, and that Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring. And I think you won't stop there. You have grand ideals, that's beyond doubt."

Your His Majesty is wise.

"I wouldn't call it insightful; anyone with a bit of knowledge can see it. I just have an idea: your grand ideals need a place to be realized, so why not use the Heaven Dou Empire as a canvas? You can paint your ideas on it, but I have one condition."

"Your His Majesty, please speak."

"I want the Heaven Dou Empire to become strong and prosperous, and I am willing to pay a heavy price for it, even making you a king would not be out of the question."

Chen Feng looked up at Xue Ye. This was the first time he had seriously examined the emperor. He saw solemnity and a deep loneliness on the emperor's face.

At this moment, Chen Feng felt a strange pity for the old emperor, because he knew the situation the emperor was in and his ultimate fate.

In the Original Work, no matter how ambitious Xue Ye was, he could not escape the fate of most of his children being killed and himself being severely weakened by poison, leaving him with no choice but to entrust his orphans to others in an emergency.

The person he passed the throne to, even with divine backing, was unable to eradicate the empire's deep-seated problems, leading to the empire's eventual split in two, and the Heaven Dou Empire became history.

Thinking of this, Chen Feng looked at the old emperor before him and said earnestly, "Your His Majesty, bestowing titles upon me is not my intention, but I do have the idea of making the empire strong. However, how much sacrifice are you willing to make for this?"

"Anything I can offer is acceptable, even the throne," Xue Ye said in a deep voice. "My royal family has several princesses of suitable age; as long as the one who ascends the throne has Xue Family bloodline, that's fine."

"Cough cough cough..." Upon hearing Xue Ye's almost explicit words, Chen Feng coughed violently, momentarily speechless.