Xue Ye's Fury

The major sects and kingdoms all received gold-embossed invitations sent by the Balak Kingdom. For a time, discussions of the Balak Kingdom's rise spread through every street and alley.

At the heart of this upheaval stood, first and foremost, the Balak Kingdom's suzerain state—the Heaven Dou Empire.

Deep within Heaven Dou Palace, in the imperial study, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was nearly suffocating.

Xue Ye held the invitation from the Balak Kingdom, his knuckles whitening from the force of his grip, his face frighteningly livid.

He suddenly slammed the invitation onto the desk and said in a low voice:

"A vassal kingdom actually has a Titled Douluo now! This is utterly outrageous!"

The chief eunuch standing nearby did not even dare breathe loudly and could only lower his head as he stood in attendance.

Xue Ye's fury was not without reason—the Balak Kingdom, as a vassal state of the Heaven Dou Empire, had been dissatisfied with Heaven Dou for many years. Yet because of its lack of strength, it had no choice but to follow Heaven Dou's lead. But now, not only had a genius like Xue Tianxing with Innate Full Soul Power emerged, even Liu Tianfeng, one of its worshippers, had advanced to Titled Douluo.

At this rate, it would not be long before the Balak Kingdom slipped from the Heaven Dou Empire's control and perhaps even became a force capable of threatening Heaven Dou.

"In our Heaven Dou Empire, the only Titled Douluo we can truly rely on is Dugu Bo!"

Xue Ye rubbed his brow, his tone filled with helplessness.

But he knew better than anyone that Dugu Bo had remained in Heaven Dou only because he owed Prince Xue Xing a favor.

Once that debt of gratitude was repaid, there was no guarantee that Dugu Bo, with his unruly temperament, would remain in the Heaven Dou Empire.

Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed through Xue Ye's eyes, as though he had thought of a way to win Dugu Bo over.

He immediately called toward the door:

"Summon Education Committee Member Bai Baoshan for an audience!"

Before long, the white-haired Bai Baoshan hurried into the imperial study and bowed.

"This servant, Bai Baoshan, greets Your Majesty. May I ask why Your Majesty has summoned me?"

"Education Committee Member Bai, did Dugu Bo's granddaughter, Dugu Yan, not say some time ago that she wished to study at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy of Soul Masters?"

Xue Ye asked.

He intended to begin with Dugu Yan, offer her the most generous treatment possible, and use that to win over Dugu Bo, making him stay in Heaven Dou for good.

However, Bai Baoshan's answer struck him like a blow to the head.

"Your Majesty, I was just about to report this matter. Miss Dugu Yan never came to the Heaven Dou Royal Academy of Soul Masters. According to reliable intelligence, she has already gone to Barak Academy to study."

"What?!"

Xue Ye shot to his feet, his eyes full of disbelief, before continuing:

"She went to Barak Academy? Is Dugu Bo making it clear that he intends to grow close to the Balak Kingdom?"

Xue Ye felt a surge of rage rush straight to his head, yet he could not vent it—Dugu Bo was immensely powerful, and the Heaven Dou Empire still needed him to deter all sides. Xue Ye did not dare show his dissatisfaction openly and could only swallow it, allowing it to turn into powerless fury.

Xue Ye heavily sank back into his dragon throne and waved a weary hand.

"You may withdraw for now."

Seeing this, Bai Baoshan did not dare say more. He bowed and withdrew.

The imperial study fell silent once more. Xue Ye stared out at the sky beyond the window, anxiety filling his heart—the Balak Kingdom's rise had become inevitable, and Dugu Bo seemed to be leaning toward Balak as well. The Heaven Dou Empire's situation was growing increasingly difficult.

Only after a long while did Xue Ye recover himself and call toward the door:

"Summon the Second Prince, Xue Qinghe, to the hall!"

A moment later, Xue Qinghe, dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, entered the imperial study and bowed.

"This son greets Father Emperor."

Xue Ye pushed the invitation on the desk toward Xue Qinghe and said in a deep voice:

"The Balak Kingdom is holding a celebration banquet for Liu Tianfeng. Go in my stead. Remember, you must investigate the Balak Kingdom's true strength during this trip, especially Xue Tianxing's abilities and Liu Tianfeng's exact circumstances. Also, do your best to win over Dugu Bo. Even if you cannot make him fully loyal to us, you must not allow him to completely side with Balak!"

Xue Qinghe picked up the invitation and respectfully replied:

"This son obeys the imperial decree. I will not disappoint Father Emperor's trust."

Xue Qinghe's gaze was unfathomably deep. No one knew that he had long since made other plans—perhaps the Balak Kingdom's rise was not a bad thing for him.

Xue Ye nodded.

"Go. Prepare well. You must act with caution and not tarnish the prestige of our Heaven Dou Empire."

Xue Qinghe bowed and withdrew, leaving Xue Ye alone in the imperial study.

He looked at the invitation on the desk, his heart filled with mixed emotions—the rise of a vassal kingdom was quietly changing the balance of power across Douluo Continent, and the Heaven Dou Empire had to preserve its position amid this upheaval.

At the same time, the other powers on Douluo Continent also reacted to the news from the Balak Kingdom.

After receiving the invitation, Spirit Hall's Pope, Bibi Dong, merely gave it a casual glance and ordered her subordinates to monitor later developments. She then issued a decree for Spirit Hall's bishop in Heaven Dou City to make the trip on Spirit Hall's behalf.

The Star Luo Empire convened an emergency meeting to discuss how to deal with the Balak Kingdom's rise. After all, the Balak Kingdom bordered the Star Luo Empire.

The major sects also dispatched representatives one after another, preparing to travel to Barak City to see matters for themselves.

What seemed like an ordinary celebration banquet had become a stage for the various powers to clash in secret.

Meanwhile, at Skywater Academy in Skywater City, its dean, Shui Wuyue, stood by the window holding a gold-embossed invitation, lost in thought.

The four words "Balak Kingdom" on the invitation were especially eye-catching, and they reminded her of what Sun Rui and Shui Bing'er had told her after returning from the Land of the Extreme North a few days earlier—Xue Tianxing's appearance, his powerful Ice Phoenix Spirit, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill he had triggered with Shui Bing'er, and the intimidation of those two Titled Douluo elders.

Over the past few days, Shui Wuyue had keenly noticed that after returning to the academy, Shui Bing'er was constantly distracted. She often sat alone in her room in a daze, with a faint smile appearing at the corners of her lips from time to time.

As Shui Bing'er's mother, how could she fail to see what her daughter was thinking?

The girl had clearly fallen for that boy named Xue Tianxing, and she was also filled with longing for the Balak Kingdom. Shui Wuyue sighed softly, then turned and headed toward Shui Bing'er's room.

When she pushed open the door, she found Shui Bing'er sitting before her dressing table, resting her chin on her hand as she stared blankly ahead, so absorbed that she had not even noticed Shui Wuyue enter.

Only when Shui Wuyue came to her side and placed the invitation on the dressing table did Shui Bing'er suddenly snap back to her senses. The moment she saw that familiar gold-embossed cover, she sprang up in excitement.

"Mother! Has the invitation from the Balak Kingdom arrived?"

Seeing the light sparkling in her daughter's eyes, Shui Wuyue helplessly shook her head. She sat on the edge of the bed beside her and asked softly:

"Do you really want to go to the Balak Kingdom that badly?"