Invitation

"Please, speak your mind, Temple Master Xie. Even if it means climbing a mountain of blades or plunging into a sea of flames, I will certainly do it."

Yuanen Zhentian responded in a deep, resonant voice.

"Clan Leader Yuanen, I won't beat around the bush. I do indeed have an ulterior motive for this rescue mission."

"And there is no need for you to climb any mountains of blades or plunge into any seas of flames."

"It is quite simple: I wish for the Yuanen Clan to emerge from seclusion and join my War God Temple."

Upon hearing this, Yuanen Zhentian frowned. Although he had considered that Xie An might invite his clan to emerge, he had not expected such bluntness.

"This... this is difficult. My Yuanen Clan has long resided in the mountains. We are but simple country folk, accustomed to this quiet life. To emerge so abruptly, I fear..."

Yuanen Zhentian did not finish his sentence, but the implication was clear: his clan had no desire to leave their seclusion.

Xie An sighed inwardly. Although he had led the War God Temple forces to rescue the Yuanen Clan, convincing them to truly emerge remained a difficult task.

He knew that in the original history, even after Yun Ming's first rescue, the Yuanen Clan had not emerged, choosing instead to continue their reclusive life.

Xie An did not believe that Yun Ming had never considered recruiting this clan.

Then again, given Yun Ming's arrogant nature and his status as the strongest human, perhaps he truly had never entertained the thought of assimilation.

Xie An felt a headache coming on, but he did not lose heart. He continued, "Clan Leader Yuanen, there is no need to refuse in such a hurry. Please, hear out my conditions first."

"I am well aware that the Yuanen Clan is accustomed to a life of seclusion and does not wish to be bound by the system."

"How about this? I will not demand that the entire Yuanen Clan leave with me."

"However, for those who are willing to follow me, I guarantee on my honor as the War God Temple Master: any Title Douluo or above who serves in the War God Temple for five years will be granted a Three-Word Battle Armor."

"Furthermore, if they remain in the War God Temple and serve the Federation for twenty years, they may keep this set of Three-Word Battle Armor."

"Of course, if any Title Douluo is willing to head to the front lines of the Abyss Plane to fight for humanity, they will be provided with a high-compatibility, high-quality Three-Word Battle Armor immediately upon their return."

"And should anyone break through to the rank of Limit Douluo and be willing to serve the War God Temple, the Federation, and humanity, I guarantee on my honor as the War God Temple Master that I will provide them with a Four-Word Battle Armor within three years."

As he said this, the entire hall fell silent. The mere mention of Three-Word and Four-Word Battle Armor left the members of the Yuanen Clan present feeling dazed.

Since the time of Tang San, after twenty thousand years of development, the status of pure Spirit Masters had already begun to decline.

The emergence of Battle Armor Masters had made it possible for ordinary Spirit Masters to challenge those of higher ranks.

A seven-ring Spirit Saint or an eight-ring Spirit Douluo, if equipped with a set of Three-Word Battle Armor, could clash with or even defeat an ordinary Title Douluo who lacked such armor or possessed only a Two-Word set.

Meanwhile, the emergence of Mecha Masters had significantly diminished the status of low-level Spirit Masters.

First, even ordinary people without spirit power could, after training, pilot a White-Grade Mecha.

A standard White-Grade Mecha was equivalent to the strength of a weak three-ring Spirit Elder.

Furthermore, white mechas were typically deployed in groups; under collective firepower, they exceeded the capabilities of an equal number of low-level Spirit Masters.

As for Yellow-Grade Mechas, the difficulty of operation and the requirements for mental power were also quite low.

A two-ring or three-ring Spirit Master piloting a Yellow-Grade Mecha was equivalent to a four-ring Spirit Elder or even a five-ring Spirit King.

If a four-ring or five-ring Spirit Master were wealthy enough to customize a Purple-Grade Mecha, they could challenge a six-ring Spirit Emperor.

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

In short, in the current Douluo Continent, while the status of Spirit Masters had not exactly plummeted, it was no longer the glory of the past.

And the Yuanen Clan, as it happened, despite their formidable strength, still maintained the mindset of traditional Spirit Masters and was not wealthy at all.

On one hand, they refused to bow for five pecks of rice, unable to let go of the dignity of their inherited martial spirits.

Of course, it was understandable that they would not want to use such powerful inherited martial spirits for the benefit of others.

On the other hand, due to their long-term seclusion in the mountains, the clan lacked any lucrative industries.

While some did manage businesses, those ventures mostly served to provide employment for low-level clan members or those without spirit power.

As for why the Yuanen Clan did not cultivate their own blacksmiths, Battle Armor Masters, or Mecha Masters—don't make them laugh. If they spent the entire savings of the current Yuanen Clan, it would be a miracle if they could cultivate even one Saint Craftsman.

Even the Clan Leader of the Yuanen Clan, a dignified Limit Douluo, possessed a set of Battle Armor that had only just reached the Three-Word level.

Otherwise, when fighting the Great Devil, he would not have relied solely on his own power as a Limit Douluo rather than using his Battle Armor.

The silence in the banquet hall lasted for about ten seconds.

"Ahem, Temple Master of the War God Temple—oh, pardon me, respected Temple Master Xie, do you think I might qualify?"

From among the seats, a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion stood up.

Xie An looked toward him and sensed it slightly: a level 94 Title Douluo.

The old man raised a glass of wine and walked toward the spot where Xie An and Yuanen Zhentian were seated.

"Temple Master, come, let me toast you."

"Third Brother!" Yuanen Zhentian frowned slightly, but ultimately did not stop him.

Xie An smiled and stood up, and under his deliberate guidance, the two glasses clinked together at the same level.

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

The two of them finished the wine in their cups.

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

Ignoring his father's attempts to stop him with a look, Yuan'en Tiandang stood up directly.

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

"Tiandang, you?"

Yuanen Zhentian was somewhat stunned. As the father of Tiangang Dang and the patriarch of the Yuanen Clan, his word had always been law.

His son had always been obedient to everything he said, so why today?

"Father, I have already thought it through. Temple Master Xie saved my wife; he has shown me great kindness."

"Even without these generous conditions, as long as Temple Master Xie said he wanted us to join, I would be the first to respond."

"Furthermore, I spent three years at the War God Temple, and under Temple Master Xie's leadership, it can be said that it is flourishing."

"Father!"

Yuanen Zhentian's brows furrowed tightly. His son had developed this mindset, and the crucial point was that he could not stop him.

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

"Patriarch Yuanen, if I am not mistaken, your cultivation level has not improved for a long time, has it?"

Yuanen Zhentian was taken aback, and finally nodded with some helplessness: "Nothing can be hidden from the War God Temple Master, indeed."

Xie An smiled and said: "If my senses are correct, the reason your Yuanen Clan has been able to cultivate to this level is by relying on that inherited bloodline."

"Right now, your clan, such as you, Patriarch Yuanen, and this little brother Tiandang, can still reach the demigod level by relying on your bloodline."

"I even see that the talent of this little brother Tiangang makes it not impossible for him to reach the quasi-god level."

"However, Patriarch, you should be able to feel the dilution of your clan's bloodline power."

"Without a special opportunity, it is almost impossible for the bloodline power within you to reach the quasi-god level."

"The Yuanen Clan can still rely on bloodline power to reach Limit Douluo now."

"But what about the future? Five hundred, or even a thousand years from now?"

"By then, I fear it will be very difficult for the Yuanen Clan to produce a Limit Douluo."

"I hope Patriarch Yuanen will consider this carefully; sometimes, an opportunity only comes once."