The day after the finals ended, the noise of Heaven Dou City was still there.
The main Soul Fighting Arena of Great Soul Arena in the south of the city was rearranged overnight.
The bluestone floor was scrubbed spotless, and the red spar on the dome was replaced with golden warm light.
The seats in the stands are rearranged according to grade,
Sitting in the front row were members of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, deans of various colleges, and invited nobles and celebrities.
This is the custom of Heaven Dou Spirit Master Exchange Tournament. The crowning ceremony will be held the day after the finals.
Not only for the champions, but also for those individuals and teams who have shown extraordinary strength on the field.
Imperial Fighting Team Everyone stood in the center of Soul Fighting Arena, their blue uniforms straight.
Chen Jieqi stood at the front, her long silver-white hair tied behind her head with a plain hairband.
Naaru Brand is looming between the eyebrows.
At the highest point of the stands, Xue Qinghe is sitting on a carved chair.
He wears a crown prince's crown, with a black background, embroidered with gold dragon patterns, a high-waisted hair crown, and a jade belt around his waist.
His eyes swept across the Huangdou crowd, paused on Chen Jieqi for a moment, and then moved away.
The master of ceremonies' voice echoed under the dome,
"Heaven Dou Spirit Master Exchange Tournament, champion team, Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Imperial Fighting Team!"
Thunderous applause.
Xue Qinghe stood up and walked slowly down from the highest point of the stands.
He stopped in front of Chen Jieqi, the distance was exactly the standard distance for awarding medals.
The attendant came forward with a brocade tray on which were placed a gold medal and a sealed brocade bag.
"Captain Chen Jieqi, if you are in command, you are worthy of the title."
Chen Jieqi bowed slightly and took the medal with both hands.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Xue Qinghe awarded medals to team members Huangdou in turn.
Finally, he picked up the tips bag and handed it to Chen Jieqi.
"This is an additional reward for the winning team of this competition,"
His voice was steady,
"This is an industry under the name of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, a mine located in East Foothills of Tiantou City.
Now the mines have been exhausted and have been abandoned for many years.
I think, rather than leaving it idle, it is better to hand it over to someone who can be useful."
Chen Jieqi took the tip bag but did not open it on the spot.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Xue Qinghe glanced at him and stopped on his face for a moment.
Then he turned to face the stands and began to deliver his speech.
Chen Jieqi stood on the stage, holding the tips bag in his hand.
His face remained calm, but in his heart he was calculating, East Foothills of Tiantou City,
Surrounded by mountains on three sides, there is only one way in, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
There are underground rivers, sufficient water resources, and flat terrain, suitable for building large-scale building complexes.
It's not far or close to Heaven Dou City. It's neither disturbed by the forces in the city nor too remote.
He has been eyeing this land for a long time.
It's not used to build a "training base". It's used to build a headquarters.
He wants to build a force that is not dependent on anyone, but a force with "light" as its core.
Some scattered pharmacists, architects, and Ye Family's Nine-Heart Begonia, he wants them all.
It's not for annexation, it's for them to be connected together and form a network.
And the center of this web is faith.
He wants to spread the "light".
It's not Spirit Hall's kind of "belief in gods" belief.
It is purer and makes people believe that light itself can illuminate the way forward.
This idea has been lingering in his mind for a long time.
From the day Martial Soul Awakening, from the day he discovered that holy light can purify, detoxify, and make people feel at ease,
He knew that Heart of the Naaru was not just for fighting.
But he won't say this to anyone now.
Dugu Yan can't say it, Xue Qinghe can't say it even more.
It's not that I don't believe them, it's just that the time has not come yet.
The harder the bone, the more slowly you need to chew it.
Xue Qinghe's speech continued, Chen Jieqi's eyes fell on her,
I am already arranging the future chess game in my mind.
As for Xue Qinghe...
He glanced at her.
She was talking about "Looking forward to Continental Soul Master Tournament in two years" with a steady voice and a decent expression.
She will be his biggest variable and his biggest trump card.
But that's for later.
After the awards were given, Imperial Fighting Team was left to attend the luncheon.
The luncheon was held in the banquet hall on the east side of Spirit Fighting Arena. The long table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth.
The silverware glowed softly in the candlelight.
Xue Qinghe is sitting in the main seat, and Chen Jieqi is sitting on her right. This is a courtesy, not a personal relationship.
The topic during the dinner revolved around the competition. Dugu Yan sat opposite Chen Jieqi and picked up a piece of osmanthus cake with chopsticks.
She glanced at him but said nothing.
Yu Tianheng was dragged by Yu Feng to drink a few glasses of wine, and his face was already starting to turn red.
Osler ate quietly, while the two brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo buried their heads in the roasted leg of lamb in front of them.
His mouth was full of oil after eating. Ye Lingling sat at the end of the long table, as quiet as a shadow.
The other two substitutes are relatively reserved.
Xue Qinghe asked several questions about tactical selection, and Chen Jieqi answered them one by one.
When the luncheon came to an end, Xue Qinghe put down his wine glass and glanced at Chen Jieqi.
"Captain Chen, come with me."
Chen Jieqi stood up and followed him out of the banquet room.
The side hall is much smaller than the banquet hall, with only a square table and two chairs.
There is a pot of tea and two cups on the table.
Xue Qinghe sat down at the main seat and raised his hand to signal Chen Jieqi to sit opposite.
The attendant exited and the door closed.
The room became quiet.
Xue Qinghe picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, and pushed one cup in front of Chen Jieqi.
"That mine,"
When she spoke, her tone was much more casual than in public.
"How are you going to use it?"
"I haven't thought about it yet." Chen Jieqi picked up the tea cup and took a sip.
Xue Qinghe glanced at him. "You asked me for land without thinking about it?"
"Because if that land is not used now, it will be too late later."
He didn't lie.
That piece of land is indeed "too late in the future",
It's not that it will be taken away by others, it's what he needs to do on that piece of land and he has his own time plan.
Xue Qinghe didn't ask further questions.
She picked up the tea cup, lowered her head and blew on the foam.
"The land deed has been processed. You go back and wait for the news."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Chen Jieqi stood up, handed over his hands, and turned to leave.
"Chen Jieqi."
He stopped.
Xue Qinghe didn't look at him, his eyes fell on the sunshine outside the window.
"You asked me for land, not to build some kind of 'training base', right?"
Chen Jieqi was silent for a moment.
"Your Highness thinks so, that is."
Xue Qinghe didn't ask again.
Chen Jieqi Push the door and go out.
After closing the door, Xue Qinghe did not get up immediately.
She picked up the tea cup and looked at the water stains on the rim of the cup. She was stunned for a long time.
She remembered the first time she saw him, in the Education Committee lobby of the Royal Academy, when he was only eleven and a half years old.
His silver hair, golden eyes, and holy seal are different from everyone around him.
It's not just the throbbing of Martial Soul resonance, it's something indescribable...
Like light!
She put down her tea cup and closed her eyes. It wasn't the right time yet.
That evening, Chen Jieqi returned to the dormitory and opened the bag of tips.
Inside is a land deed, stamped with the seal Heaven Dou Imperial Family.
The boundaries, area, and location of the plot are clearly written.
It is the abandoned mine of East Foothills of Tiantou City.
He folded the title deed and put it into Soul Tool.
Then he sat cross-legged on the bed and began his daily meditation and prayer.
The Naaru Brand between the eyebrows lit up.
This time, he noticed that the lines of the branding were clearer than usual.
Originally it was just a pale golden crystal mark,
At this moment, it seems like there is liquid flowing in the lines, flickering on and off.
He closed his eyes and let his spiritual power sink into his body.
Heart of the Naaru is suspended in front of the head,
At its core, there is a very faint golden light that is different from the holy light.
It's flowing slowly.
The texture of that light is different from that of holy light.
The Holy Light is blazing, radiating outward, with a sense of power that purifies everything.
And this ray of light is warm and inward, like some ancient will that has been dormant for a long time.
It does not belong to the Holy Light, it does not belong to Heart of the Naaru, or in other words, it is older than them all.
Chen Jieqi stared at that ray of light for a long time.
He didn't know where it came from, but he knew it was always there.
He took back his mental power and opened his eyes.
The flicker of the brand has subsided, but the warmth still remains in the palm.
He looked down at his hands.
Then he remembered his plans during the day - the scattered pharmacist, architect, Ye Family, faith, headquarters,
Every step is a success.
But this game of chess was not played by him alone.
That ray of light may be his real trump card.
It's just that now, it's not time to show it.
Chen Jieqi took out the dagger from Soul Tool, placed it beside the pillow, and lay down.