Although Tang Yuehua was not a Spirit Master, she understood what this copy of the Spirit Master Management Rules represented. Spirit Hall intended to bring every Spirit Master sect into its management system.
For Spirit Master sects accustomed to freedom, this was absolutely unacceptable. At the very least, she was certain that the Clear Sky Sect would never accept it.
After reading it, Yu Luomian revealed a surprised expression and glanced at Ning Fengzhi. Ning Fengzhi, however, remained calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.
"Your Highness the Saint Son, I'm afraid the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan cannot accept this.
"There are countless Spirit Master sects across the continent, as well as many rogue Spirit Masters. Why must Spirit Hall go to such trouble and make itself the villain?
"Wouldn't it be better to maintain the status quo? We all know Spirit Hall's strength, and naturally, we would give Spirit Hall its due respect."
Yu Luomian had put it tactfully, but his stance was perfectly clear.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would not accept Spirit Hall's management.
"Though my Clear Sky Sect lives in seclusion, we will not agree to such a matter either. The Clear Sky Sect will never become Spirit Hall's vassal."
After hearing Yu Luomian and Tang Yuehua speak, Xiao Chenlong made no response. He merely smiled at Ning Fengzhi and took a sip of tea.
Yu Luomian and Tang Yuehua also looked toward Ning Fengzhi, waiting for him to state his position.
They thought that if the Upper Three Sects all voiced their opposition, even Spirit Hall would have to weigh the consequences.
"Sect Master Ning, have you made your decision? Will the Upper Three Sects stand united, or will you side against the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's interests?"
Ning Fengzhi felt immense pressure, as though he were being roasted over a fire.
Sword Douluo coughed lightly, helping Ning Fengzhi out of the predicament.
"Cough, cough. This matter is of great importance. The sect master needs more time to consider it."
Xiao Chenlong shook his head.
"There is nothing to consider. Let me be honest with you: I am not negotiating with you. Your attitudes do not matter in the slightest.
"Whether you agree or not, Spirit Hall's policy of absorbing and managing Spirit Masters across the entire continent will not change.
"Your stance on this matter will only affect how I deal with your Upper Three Sects."
Hearing Xiao Chenlong's words, Yu Luomian's expression darkened. He said fiercely, though inwardly weak, "Your Highness the Saint Son, are you not afraid that the Upper Three Sects will join forces and fight Spirit Hall to mutual destruction?"
Xiao Chenlong could not help laughing at those words, his laughter filled with undisguised mockery.
"Ha ha ha ha! Elder Yu Luomian, it is not that I look down on your Upper Three Sects. Count them yourselves—how many Titled Douluo do you even have?
"Tang Yuehua, those elders of the Clear Sky Sect have yet to break through at this stage, haven't they? Aside from the missing Tang Chen, the Clear Sky Sect only has Tang Xiao.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has only Yu Yuanzhen, while the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has only Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo.
"That makes four Titled Douluo in total. Elder Yu Luomian, what gives you the right to fight Spirit Hall to mutual destruction?"
Yu Luomian's face alternated between green and white. It was quite a spectacle.
Come to think of it, the Upper Three Sects seemed to possess a strange confidence, believing that the gap between themselves and Spirit Hall was only slight.
They had never seriously calculated the difference in strength between themselves and Spirit Hall.
It was not a small gap at all. They were as far apart as the clouds and the mud.
Xiao Chenlong sighed inwardly. Just how foolish must Bibi Dong, Qian Renxue, and Qian Daoliu have been in the Original Plot to ruin Spirit Hall's position so thoroughly?
At that moment, Ning Fengzhi spoke to smooth things over, hoping to break the tense atmosphere.
"Your Highness the Saint Son, since you invited us here to discuss this matter, you presumably do not wish for it to end in armed conflict.
"Everything can still be discussed. There is no need to make the atmosphere so tense."
"Heh heh, true enough. It would not be good to make things too tense. How about this? I have prepared some entertainment for you all. Follow me."
With that, Xiao Chenlong walked out of the reception hall, followed by Ning Fengzhi, Yu Luomian, Tang Yuehua, and the others.
Yu Luomian moved beside Ning Fengzhi and asked quietly, "Sect Master Ning, what exactly do you mean by this?"
Ning Fengzhi merely sighed, shook his head, and said nothing.
At a training ground within Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Salas had already brought people and made the preparations.
"Your Highness the Holy Son!"
"How is it?"
"Everything is ready."
"Mm. Then begin."
Ning Fengzhi, Yu Luomian, and Tang Yuehua all had no idea what Xiao Chenlong intended to do.
A squad of Spirit Hall's Sacred Hall Knights stepped forward and demonstrated the modified Hidden Weapons.
Hidden Weapons had to be small for the sake of concealment. But if concealment was no longer necessary, they could be enlarged to gain greater destructive power.
What the Sacred Hall Knights held now were enlarged Hidden Weapons, with the Godly Zhuge Crossbow as the main weapon.
An entire squad of Sacred Hall Knights fired their Godly Zhuge Crossbows at once. It was quite a spectacular sight.
Ning Fengzhi's expression changed the most. He had constantly wanted to equip the core members of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect with Hidden Weapons.
Yet Spirit Hall's Sacred Hall Knights had already beaten him to it.
Moreover, the Hidden Weapons' destructive power was even greater than expected. This squad of Sacred Hall Knights wielding Hidden Weapons could easily kill Spirit Kings and even threaten Spirit Emperors.
Spirit Hall's high-level combat power utterly overwhelmed the opposition, while lower-level Spirit Masters could not even get past the Hidden Weapons.
In terms of military force, Spirit Hall completely crushed every Spirit Master faction.
After all, Spirit Hall was different from other Spirit Master organizations. Although Sacred Hall Knights were not Spirit Masters, they were all elite soldiers.
If every Sacred Hall Knight were equipped with Hidden Weapons, even the armies of the Two Great Empires would likely have to keep their distance.
Ning Fengzhi finally understood why Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire had undergone such a drastic change in attitude toward Spirit Hall.
When Spirit Hall truly bared its fangs, it was impossible not to be afraid.
However, Ning Fengzhi had completely misunderstood this point. The current "Xue Ye" was not the Xue Ye he knew at all.
"Your Highness the Saint Son, these are Tang Sect Hidden Weapons. Could it be..."
"That's right. The Tang Sect has already been fully absorbed by Spirit Hall. These Hidden Weapons have also been improved, making them more suitable as weapons for frontal combat rather than Hidden Weapons for surprise ambushes.
"Sect Master Ning, Elder Yu Luomian, Miss Tang Yuehua, what do you think?"
Tang Yuehua's expression twitched. What kind of entertainment was this? It was plainly a naked threat.
"We have now seen Spirit Hall's strength. But justice resides in people's hearts. Spirit Hall's actions have won no support, and sooner or later, they will face backlash."
"People's hearts? Whose hearts? The countless commoners of the world? The many commoner Spirit Masters? Or the hearts of sect Spirit Masters like yourselves?
"Spirit Hall has always represented the interests of the overwhelming majority of Spirit Masters and fought against 'Evil' forces."
Before you continue