Why are you wasting words with him? (Bonus Chapter 3)

"This humble one is a cripple. I only relied on my brute strength and a death-defying spirit when hunting soul beasts to survive until today."

In the next second, Qian Xunji burst into loud laughter. He leaped down from the reviewing stand, walked straight up to Lei Meng, and hauled the two-meter-tall giant to his feet.

"A cripple? Who dares to call you a cripple?"

Qian Xunji stared intensely at Lei Meng's fists, his voice booming across the entire training ground:

"All of you, prick up your ears and listen well! It is not that you lack a martial soul; your martial soul has already completely fused with your flesh and organs!

This is called a Body Martial Soul!"

The two hundred people on the field raised their heads in unison, their eyes filled with disbelief and fanaticism.

Body Martial Soul?

They weren't trash?!

"Lei Meng, to have developed a Body Martial Soul to the Soul Saint level entirely on your own without any guidance—you are a true genius!" Qian Xunji patted Lei Meng's sturdy shoulder.

"From today on, all two hundred of you are to be incorporated into the Divine Body Battalion, directly under the Pope Hall."

Qian Xunji glanced at the others, whose highest cultivation was barely at the Soul King level, and waved his hand:

"Martial Soul Hall will provide you with resources and the most ruthless sparring partners. This Seat will personally compile secret cultivation techniques specifically for Body Martial Souls. In the future, you will be the sharpest blades of Martial Soul Hall, tearing through all our enemies! Tell This Seat, are you willing?"

"We are willing to die for the Pope! We are willing to die for Martial Soul Hall!"

The two hundred former "trash" had bloodshot eyes, their roars shaking the very heavens.

A warrior dies for one who understands him. With these few words, Qian Xunji had firmly bound this embryonic form of the future Body Sect to his own war chariot.

After inspecting the Divine Body Battalion, Qian Xunji returned to the Pope Hall in high spirits.

Just as he picked up a cup of tea to moisten his throat, a sweat-drenched red-robed bishop scrambled into the study, holding a letter sealed with multicolored top-secret wax high above his head.

"Your Holiness, a major crisis!"

The bishop fell to his knees, his voice trembling:

"This... this is a joint letter signed by the royal families of the two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo, as well as the Upper Three Sects and over a dozen other large and small sects. It was just delivered via urgent dispatch from the Heaven Dou Empire!"

"Oh? A joint petition from so many?"

Qian Xunji raised an eyebrow. Far from showing any panic, he set down his teacup with interest and reached out to take the heavy letter.

Breaking the wax seal, Qian Xunji scanned the contents of the parchment at a glance, the sneer on his lips deepening.

The wording in the letter was extremely aggressive, even carrying a hint of desperate, frantic threats.

The core argument was simple: the General Theory of Martial Souls published by Martial Soul Hall was severely disrupting the "traditional order" of the soul master world on the Douluo Continent.

This act of selling martial soul knowledge cheaply to commoners had dealt a devastating blow to the recruitment of basic talent for the two empires and the major sects.

Those commoner geniuses who previously had to sell themselves to nobles just to acquire knowledge were now all flocking to sign up with Martial Soul Hall!

At the end of the letter, the five major powers arrogantly issued a joint ultimatum:

They demanded that Martial Soul Hall immediately, at once, stop the printing of the General Theory of Martial Souls!

Furthermore, they demanded the public destruction of all sold copies across the entire continent. Otherwise, the two empires and the Upper Three Sects would treat Martial Soul Hall as a public enemy and initiate joint sanctions at any cost.

"Bang!"

Qian Xunji tossed the letter—which would have made any other power tremble—onto the table and couldn't help but let out a brazen laugh.

"Hahahaha... Sanctions against This Seat? Destroying books? These exploiters of the old era must feel like I've dug up their ancestral graves; they're jumping with rage."

Qian Xunji stood up, a dangerous, murderous intent flashing in his deep, dark purple eyes.

The monopoly on knowledge was the foundation upon which these noble sects ruled the Douluo Continent. Now that he had smashed that foundation to pieces, how could they not be anxious?

That Ning Zhen, who had paid a sky-high price to buy Bibi Dong, and the previously mentioned Yu Yuanzhen, had likely signed under the coercion of the others. After all, this shockwave had even affected the recruitment pool of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

"Your Holiness, this... these are all the top powers on the continent besides us! If they truly unite to attack, how shall we respond?" The kneeling bishop was pale with fright.

"Respond?"

Qian Xunji sneered.

"Go, issue a decree from This Seat to all Martial Soul branch halls across the continent."

Qian Xunji looked down at the joint letter, his eyes filled with an extreme arrogance that looked down upon the world:

"Not only will we not stop, but we will increase production! Tell the printing house to print more copies of the General Theory of Martial Souls for This Seat immediately. Starting tomorrow, buy a book and get an egg free!"

"If these idiots think a few scraps of paper can scare Martial Soul Hall, they are sorely mistaken. Since they want to play the game of joint pressure..."

"Then This Seat shall play along with them, and while I'm at it, I'll loosen the soil on the map of this Douluo Continent!"

Looking at the letter of joint pressure on the table, Qian Xunji felt no fear of being cornered; instead, he spread out a gold-rimmed scroll of parchment.

"Since these remnants of the old era are so eager to jump, This Seat will build them a stage so they can put on a good show."

Qian Xunji dipped his brush in ink, his strokes bold and fluid as he wrote a reply that was incredibly arrogant, yet left no room for criticism.

The content of the letter was simple: This Pope has seen the demands of the esteemed lords.

The matter of the General Theory of Martial Souls concerns the future of all soul masters on the continent; arguing back and forth in letters is truly beneath our dignity.

Next Monday, Jialing Pass.

This Seat shall play host and set up a tea ceremony; we shall lay our cards on the table and establish the rules face-to-face.

Do not be late, or bear the consequences yourself.

"Someone, send this by eight-hundred-li express and return the letter the way it came. While you're at it, send a mass copy to those second-rate sects on our list; let them join in the fun."

After tossing the letter to the bishop, Qian Xunji strolled out of the Pope Hall and headed straight for the Worship Hall.

For a grand showdown where the top powers of the entire continent were challenging one another, relying solely on himself—a level 95 Pope—to hold the line might be enough to fight, but it clearly lacked the necessary prestige.

As soon as he entered the Worship Hall, the Great Worship Qian Daoliu was playing chess with the Second Worship Golden Crocodile Douluo. Ever since these two old men had consumed the immortal herbs and seen their strength skyrocket, they were radiant every day, looking at everyone else as if they were nothing more than heads waiting to be lopped off.

"Father." Qian Xunji stepped forward and recounted the matter of the Upper Three Sects and the two great empires joining forces to exert pressure.

"Bang!"

Before the black piece in Qian Daoliu's hand could fall, Golden Crocodile Douluo had already crushed a fine white jade chess piece into powder with a single slap.

"They've truly rebelled!" Golden Crocodile Douluo huffed, his beard bristling.

"These ungrateful wretches—the Pope shows mercy by spreading knowledge to the commoners, and they dare to join forces to pressure us? Big Brother, say no more. Give me the Judgment Order, and this old man will go stretch his bones right now."

Qian Daoliu let out a cold laugh as well. "Second Brother is right. Ji'er, why waste words on these parasites who only know how to exploit the commoners?

Just strike them down directly. I shall lead the team myself and hang every one of those so-called sect masters and emperors from the walls of Martial Soul City to dry in the wind."