Invitation

"Hall Master, please speak freely. Even if I have to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire, I'll do it."

Yuanen Zhentian replied in a deep voice.

"Chief, let's speak frankly. I did have some ulterior motives in coming to your aid."

"And I'm not asking you to climb any mountains of blades or plunge into any seas of fire."

"It's simple. I hope the Yuanen Clan will come out of seclusion and join the War God Temple."

At this, Yuanen Zhentian frowned. He had considered that Xie An might invite the Yuanen Clan to come out of seclusion, but he hadn't expected him to be so direct.

"Th-this isn't ideal. My Yuanen Clan has lived in the mountains for generations. We're just a bunch of country folk, used to this quiet life. To leave seclusion so suddenly would probably..."

Although Yuanen Zhentian didn't finish, his meaning was clear: the Yuanen Clan didn't want to leave seclusion.

Xie An sighed inwardly. Though he had led the War Gods to rescue the Yuanen Clan, persuading them to truly come out of seclusion would still be difficult.

After all, in the original story, even when Yun Ming came to their aid for the first time, the Yuanen Clan hadn't come out of seclusion. They had chosen to remain hidden.

Xie An didn't believe Yun Ming had never considered bringing the clan into the fold.

No, given Yun Ming's pride and his status as the strongest person in the human race, perhaps he really hadn't considered it.

Xie An felt a headache coming on, but he didn't give up. "Chief, there's no need to refuse in a hurry. Please hear me out first."

"I know the Yuanen Clan is accustomed to living in a paradise, free from worldly concerns, and doesn't want to be bound by rules."

"How about this? I won't insist that the entire Yuanen Clan come with me."

"But for anyone willing to join me, I give my word as War God Temple Master: anyone with the cultivation of a Titled Douluo or above will be granted a Three-Word Battle Armor after serving in the War God Temple for five years."

"And if they remain in the War God Temple and serve the Federation for twenty years, they'll be allowed to take that Three-Word Battle Armor with them."

"Of course, if any Titled Douluo is willing to go to the Abyss Plane and fight on the front lines for the human race, then upon their return, I'll immediately have a high-quality Three-Word Battle Armor made for them, with an exceptionally high compatibility rating."

"If anyone breaks through to Limit Douluo and is willing to serve the War God Temple, the Federation, and the human race, I give my word as War God Temple Master that I'll provide them with a Four-Word Battle Armor within three years."

At this, the entire hall fell silent. The words Three-Word Battle Armor and Four-Word Battle Armor left everyone in the Yuanen Clan a little dazed.

From Tang San onward, after twenty thousand years of development on the Douluo Continent, the status of Soul Masters alone had declined somewhat.

The emergence of Battle Armor Masters had given ordinary Soul Masters the chance to fight above their rank.

A Seven-Ring Soul Sage or Eight-Ring Soul Douluo with a Three-Word Battle Armor could take on, and even defeat, an ordinary Titled Douluo who had no Three-Word Battle Armor or only a Two-Word Battle Armor.

The emergence of Mecha Masters, meanwhile, had greatly diminished the standing of low-ranking Soul Masters.

First of all, ordinary people without Soul Power could pilot White-Grade Mechas after training.

A standard-issue White-Grade Mecha was equivalent in strength to a weak Three-Ring Soul Elder.

Moreover, White-Grade Mechas usually went into battle in groups. With their combined firepower, they outmatched the same number of low-ranking Soul Masters.

Yellow-Grade Mechas were also easy to operate and placed little demand on one's spiritual power.

A Two- or Three-Ring Soul Master piloting a Yellow-Grade Mecha was equivalent in strength to a Four-Ring Soul Elder or even a Five-Ring Soul King.

A Four- or Five-Ring Soul Master with enough money could have a Purple-Grade Mecha custom-made and take on a Six-Ring Soul Emperor.

As for the higher-level black and red mechas, they were somewhat similar to high-level Battle Armor.

In short, although the status of Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent hadn't exactly plummeted, it had long since lost its former glory.

As for the Yuanen Family, though powerful, it had maintained the traditional Soul Master mindset and was, rather unfortunately, far from wealthy.

On the one hand, they refused to compromise for money, unwilling to set aside the dignity of their inherited Martial Soul.

Of course, it was understandable that a clan with such a powerful inherited Martial Soul wouldn't want to serve others.

On the other hand, they had lived in seclusion in the mountains for so long that the family had no lucrative businesses.

Some members did run businesses, but most of them merely provided jobs for the clan's low-ranking members and those without Soul Power.

As for why the Yuanen Clan didn't train its own blacksmiths, Battle Armor Masters, or Mecha Masters, well, don't make me laugh. Just look at the clan's assets. Even if they spent every last bit of the Yuanen Clan's savings, training a single Saint Craftsman would already be a miracle.

And the Yuanen Clan's leader, the Limit Douluo standing before them, wore a Battle Armor that had only just reached the Three-Word level.

Otherwise, when fighting the Great Devil, he wouldn't have fought without using Battle Armor, relying solely on the strength of a Limit Douluo.

The banquet remained silent for about ten seconds.

"Ahem. War God Temple Master—no, I mean, esteemed Temple Master Xie, do you think I could join?"

An elderly man of medium build, his face flushed with health, stood up among the guests.

Xie An looked at him and sensed that he was a level-ninety-four Titled Douluo.

The old man picked up a cup of wine and walked toward Xie An and Yuanen Zhentian.

"Temple Master, come, let me offer you a drink."

"Third Brother!" Yuanen Zhentian frowned slightly, but in the end, he didn't stop him.

Xie An stood with a smile. At his subtle prompting, their cups met at the same height.

"Of course. Then, on behalf of the War God Temple, I welcome you aboard."

The two of them drank the wine in their cups.

With one person taking the lead, a second soon followed.

Yuanen Tiandang ignored his father's warning look and stood up.

"Temple Master, I'm willing to follow you to the War God Temple."

"Tiandang, you...?"

Yuanen Zhentian was dumbfounded. As Tiangang Dang's father and the leader of the Yuanen Clan, he was used to having the final say.

His son had always been utterly obedient. Why was he acting this way today?

"Father, I've made up my mind. Temple Master Xie saved my wife, and I owe him a great deal."

"Even without these generous terms, if Temple Master Xie said he wanted us to join, I'd be the first to answer the call."

"Besides, I spent three years at the War God Temple. Under Temple Master Xie's leadership, it's thriving."

"Father!"

Yuanen Zhentian frowned deeply. The problem was, now that his son had made up his mind, there was nothing he could do to stop him.

Xie An saw Yuanen Zhentian's hesitation and decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Chief, if I'm not mistaken, your cultivation hasn't improved in a long time, has it?"

Yuanen Zhentian was taken aback. In the end, he nodded helplessly. "Nothing gets past the War God Temple Master."

Xie An smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, your Yuanen Clan has been able to reach its current heights thanks to your inherited bloodline."

"Right now, people like you, Chief, and this young man Tiandang can still rely on your bloodline to reach the Demigod level."

"I'd even say that this young man Tiangang has the talent to reach the Quasi-God level."

"But Chief, you should be able to feel your clan's bloodline growing weaker."

"Without some special opportunity, it'll be almost impossible for the bloodline in your body to help you reach the Quasi-God level."

"Right now, the Yuanen Clan can still rely on its bloodline to produce Limit Douluos."

"But what about the future? What about five hundred years from now—or even a thousand?"

"By then, it'll probably be very difficult for the Yuanen Clan to produce another Limit Douluo."

"I hope you'll give it serious thought, Chief. Sometimes, you only get one chance."