"Xue Ye wanted a pillar to safeguard the nation. I'll agree to it,
as long as we can bring that little girl with Twin Martial Souls into our fold tomorrow...
Just think: with her talent, combined with the resources we have at our disposal—the very resources the imperial family envies—
in thirty years, at most, she'll be a Titled Douluo standing at the peak of the continent!"
Ning Zhen turned around and stared hard at his son, speaking each word slowly and emphatically:
"By then, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will have a powerhouse with Twin Martial Souls at its helm,
and Gu Rong will have become a Titled Douluo as well, supporting you...
And what will the Heaven Dou Imperial Family have?
Apart from those useless swans, what else?"
"A contract? A Martial Soul Oath?" Ning Zhen sneered in disdain.
"By then, I'll have long since become a man people have stopped caring about. In this world, absolute strength is the only truth.
Once that girl with Twin Martial Souls has grown up, will Xue Ye dare come demanding our genius? He probably won't even be able to hold on to his throne."
Ning Zhen took a deep breath, his eyes filled with chilling ambition:
"If we can really bring this genius into our fold... perhaps one day, the Heaven Dou Empire will bear the Ning name.
Using Xue Ye's money to buy our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect an empire—that's a deal we can't lose."
After hearing his father's treasonous words, Ning Fengzhi's eyes widened in shock. But soon, an equally blazing fire ignited in the boy's eyes.
So that was it: building a plank road in the open while secretly crossing the river.
Besides, he found himself looking forward to meeting that genius. After all, she'd most likely be his future wife...
At that very moment, on the highest terrace of Pope Hall,
Qian Xunji was resting comfortably, half-reclined in a luxurious lounge chair.
[Detected: Emperor Xue Ye of the Heaven Dou Empire and Sect Master Ning Zhen of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect have reached a secret PY deal]
[System notification: The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is fantasizing about using the target, 'Bibi Dong,' to seize power and establish the Ning Empire]
"Ha ha ha... This is killing me! What a bunch of brilliant idiots!"
Qian Xunji laughed until tears nearly streamed from his eyes. Clutching his stomach, he rocked back and forth in his chair.
For the sake of a Rakshasa Goddess empress disguised as a six-year-old little white rabbit, these people were practically fighting until their brains spilled out.
Emperor Xue Ye thought he had everything figured out, getting something for nothing. Ning Zhen thought himself a brilliant strategist, hoping to steal another's home and make it his own.
But how could either of them guess that the genius with Twin Martial Souls they regarded as their sect's foundation and their rock of stability was actually an ultimate lunatic of a villain—a reborn woman carrying a lifetime's worth of hatred, who had nearly slaughtered the entire continent in her previous life?
Bring Bibi Dong back and cultivate her as the sect's foundation?
Then I'll trick Yu Xiaogang into going there too. I'd love to see what you choose, Ning Fengzhi...
Qian Xunji was already looking forward to the scene.
"Oh, my, place your bets, place your bets, everyone! There's no such thing as regret medicine in this world..."
Qian Xunji swirled his wineglass, looking down at the embassy district below, where everyone was harboring their own schemes. The smile on his lips was even more sinister than Bibi Dong's.
"Better prepare plenty of money, Sect Master Ning. I, the Pope, wish the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect... a long and prosperous reign.
Heh heh heh..."
The night wind swept by, tossing his white hair. A "black-hearted auction" that would shock the entire continent was about to officially begin with tomorrow's sunrise.
The next morning,
in the Council Hall of Pope Hall.
The hall, usually sacred, solemn, and dignified, was now so oppressive it felt like a powder keg about to explode.
The most powerful people on the continent stood in rows on either side. If their exchanged glances had been tangible, the dome would already have been riddled with holes.
Wearing a dark-gold Papal Robe, Qian Xunji lounged against the throne. His soft, pale hair draped over his shoulders, and paired with his half-smile, he looked every bit the ultimate villain wielding the power of life and death.
"Everyone's here."
Qian Xunji lightly tapped the armrest with his fingertip. The crisp, rhythmic knocks echoed through the hall, instantly drowning out the murmured conversations.
"Before we begin, I'll lay down a rule."
Qian Xunji's smile disappeared, and a dangerous glint flashed in his dark-purple eyes.
"No matter who ends up with this promising young girl with Twin Martial Souls, once you leave Pope Hall, the deal is final. Anyone who tries to pull some underhanded stunt along the way—robbery, ambush, assassination..."
Qian Xunji's gaze swept coldly over Yu Yuanzhen, Tang Zhen, and the others. His voice was icy:
"That's a slap in Spirit Hall's face!
If anyone tries it, the other factions must join forces with Spirit Hall to deal with those bastards who break the rules. No need for the buyer to even complain."
As soon as he spoke, the temperature in the hall plummeted.
The leaders of the major factions all felt a chill. Some of them had indeed considered the crooked idea of "if we can't buy her, we'll destroy her,"
but Qian Xunji's words had shut off every escape route. Whoever made a move would become the enemy of all the others.
It was already an unspoken rule among the factions not to assassinate one another's geniuses.
If you were going to make it in this world, you had to keep your word.
"His Holiness the Pope is right. Rules are rules. My Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the first to agree." Ning Zhen patted the Purple Gold Storage Ring tucked against his chest and voiced his support with confidence.
"Hmph. My Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan swears the same—we won't stab anyone in the back."
Yu Yuanzhen snorted. He had no interest in such underhanded tricks. Today, he would win her openly and honorably.
Seeing everyone swear by their Martial Souls to accept this "peaceful development" agreement, Qian Xunji nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. To keep things fair, we won't have some noisy street-market auction. We're all people of standing, so let's keep it dignified." Qian Xunji snapped his fingers.
Several red-robed cardinals immediately stepped forward with trays, handing each representative a sheet of specially made parchment and a quill.
"A blind auction."
The corner of Qian Xunji's mouth curled in a capitalist's sly grin. "One sheet per person. Write down what you're willing to offer.
No whispering to one another. No probing each other.
Hand it in when you're done. I'll take one look, and whoever offers what suits me best gets the girl. Once you've put pen to paper, there's no going back, everyone."
This move was undeniably vicious.
In an open auction, you could watch your opponents' limits and slowly raise your offer. A blind auction was a battlefield of the mind.
Offer too little, and someone else might snatch her away. Offer too much, and you might end up the fool who paid through the nose.
For a time, the only sound in the hall was the soft scratching of quills against parchment.
Yu Yuanzhen was sweating profusely as he gritted his teeth and wrote down three of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's finest lightning-attribute cultivation grounds, along with five million Gold Soul Coins and a fifty-thousand-year Spirit Bone.
After finishing, he even felt as if he'd sold off a third of his clan.
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