Bibi Dong's Request, Publicly Funded Exchange Student?

"Silence!" At this moment, Bibi Dong struck the floor with the base of her scepter, her stern voice echoing throughout the Pope's Palace. The elders, who had been whispering amongst themselves, immediately ceased their chatter and turned to look at her in submissive silence, waiting for her decision.

They held a deep-seated wariness toward Bibi Dong's authority. After the previous Pope's unexpected death, she had stepped forward as the Holy Maiden and, with the assistance of the Grand Elder, ascended to the throne. Since then, she had not only used an iron fist to suppress restless subordinates and stabilize the situation within the Martial Soul Hall, but she had also led the organization toward rapid development.

In a mere six years, Bibi Dong had made the Martial Soul Hall more powerful and unfathomable than ever before. It could be said that the organization's current scale was, in no small part, a contribution from Her Holiness the Pope.

Xu Mochen naturally understood that this was not an easy decision to make, but he intended to use this opportunity to add a significant bargaining chip to the Martial Soul Hall's acceptance: "Your Holiness, if your esteemed organization is willing to agree to our request, we will not only refrain from establishing any concessions within your cities."

"Furthermore, we are willing to provide your organization with more advanced Soul Guidance Weapons. This will include 3,300 'Silver Star 333' semi-automatic rifles, 800,000 rounds of standard rifle ammunition, 80,000 rounds of armor-piercing ammunition, 3,000 'T132' attack grenades, 3,000 'T232' defensive grenades, and 200 'T333' high-explosive grenades."

"In addition, there will be 300 'T133' attack grenades, 300 'T233' defensive grenades, and 40 'T334' high-explosive grenades! Furthermore, should we possess standard-issue Soul Guidance Weapons for soul masters in the future, we will prioritize supply to your organization!"

These words were like another soul-guided bomb detonating within the Pope's Palace, causing the elders to gasp in shock once more. Constrained by Bibi Dong's presence, they dared not whisper, but the look of astonishment in their eyes could not be concealed. These terms were simply too favorable for the Martial Soul Hall!

There was no need to establish those humiliating concessions, and the quantity and quality of the gifted armaments had doubled! Moreover, the promise of priority supply for future weaponry was a windfall from the heavens!

The Martial Soul Hall's soul quality was superior to that of the Sun Moon Empire only among high-level soul masters; at the grassroots level, the quality of their martial souls was not significantly better. If the Martial Soul Hall could acquire so many Soul Guidance Weapons, it would inevitably lead to a massive surge in their overall strength. While this might threaten their own noble status, if they did not equip these weapons, other nations and factions certainly would!

If the Martial Soul Hall's interests were compromised, their own interests would inevitably be shaken as well. More importantly, these weapons were not enough to completely overturn the status of a Titled Douluo; as long as they did not foolishly face these weapons head-on, a Titled Douluo would still possess formidable deterrent power under normal circumstances.

Meanwhile, Bibi Dong, seated at the head of the hall, was still quietly weighing the gains and losses. On the surface, this deal seemed highly profitable; even if Xu Mochen studied alongside the young geniuses of the Martial Soul Hall, an individual's capacity to absorb knowledge was limited.

Moreover, it was impossible for the Martial Soul Hall to immediately expose these young geniuses to high-level cultivation methods and various forms of knowledge. Even if Xu Mochen were allowed to learn freely, how much could he actually acquire? Compared to the vast ocean of knowledge accumulated by the Martial Soul Hall, it would be but a drop in the bucket!

Yet, the benefits the Martial Soul Hall could obtain were tangible! If they could purchase a large quantity of Soul Guidance Weapons specifically designed for soul masters from the Sun Moon Empire, the combat effectiveness of the Martial Soul Hall would undoubtedly see a qualitative leap!

But was everything truly as beautiful as it appeared? Once the grassroots soul masters of the Martial Soul Hall became accustomed to fighting with Soul Guidance Weapons, their ability to fight using their own martial souls would inevitably be delayed or even decline. Over-reliance on the Sun Moon Empire's weaponry would be like an addiction—one that could never be shaken off once the formidable power of these tools was tasted!

Over time, the grassroots soul masters of the Martial Soul Hall might even reach a point where they wouldn't know how to fight without these weapons! However, the source of supply for these weapons was firmly in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire! Do not be fooled by their surface-level guarantee of priority supply; such a promise, without the backing of other interest chains, was meaningless! If the Sun Moon Empire so desired, they could find countless reasons to cut off the supply of Soul Guidance Weapons to the Martial Soul Hall!

The most tragic part was that one could not simply refuse to buy! If the Martial Soul Hall didn't buy them, other factions would! The Martial Soul Hall could not stop them, or they would be making enemies of both the Sun Moon Empire and other factions. Everyone else understood this logic just as well as the Martial Soul Hall did, yet they were helpless against this open conspiracy that exploited the psychology of all parties! Thus, they could only pin their hopes on being able to replicate these weapons!

But since the Sun Moon Empire dared to sell these weapons, had they not considered this? Clearly, they had. There could only be one possibility: the Sun Moon Empire must have other means to prevent the manufacturing methods of their weapons from leaking! Bibi Dong did not know what these methods were, but she certainly wouldn't pin her hopes on cracking the mysteries of their construction.

The reality was exactly as Bibi Dong suspected. While the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Weapons did not use complex anti-tamper devices like those found in Tang San's Godly Zhuge Crossbow.

The Godly Zhuge Crossbow required such devices because, despite its seemingly complex structure, any skilled craftsman on the Douluo Continent could easily replicate it once they understood the framework! The materials used were expensive, but not complex! Even the precision parts used alloys, but they were the most basic kind! After all, in the era of the Tang Sect, there was no technology or equipment to manufacture high-level alloys!

The Soul Guidance Weapons provided by Xu Mochen might appear to have simple components, and their development had only taken place in the last few years! But one must not forget that behind this seemingly short development time lay the wisdom of countless generations from the Blue Star, combined with the tens of thousands of years of research and experience accumulated by the Sun Moon Empire itself!

The initial prototypes of those guns and cannons were developed by the top Soul Guidance weapon manufacturers of the Sun Moon Empire, who condensed the wisdom of the sages from two worlds and applied decades of their own manufacturing expertise!

The subsequent mass production was made possible only through the coordination of various soul-guided mechanical devices, precision blueprints, and the collective efforts of countless experienced and well-educated craftsmen and soul engineers! The components of those soul tools and the high-level alloy processing technologies involved were simply beyond the comprehension of the current, pitiful level of soul-guided technology on the Douluo Continent.

Although Bibi Dong did not know the specific intricacies, she understood that she had to find a way to change this status quo! This visit from the Sun Moon Empire was perhaps both a test and an opportunity for the Martial Soul Hall; how she grasped it would depend on her next decision.

After long deliberation, Bibi Dong finally made up her mind! She slowly rose from the papal throne, walked gently toward Xu Mochen, and looked at him with a gaze that revealed a firm resolve!

What the hell? What does this woman want? At such close range, if she isn't looking for a fight, then she must be... ahem. Xu Mochen's face twitched slightly, and he was secretly startled. He didn't think his charm was so great that he could make Her Holiness the Pope fall for him in just a few sentences!

However, this action made even the usually calm and composed Xu Mochen feel a bit nervous. Just as nervous was Mo Wuying, who stood behind him! Although he knew that the Martial Soul Hall likely wouldn't attack them while knowing the strength of the Sun Moon Empire, if the Pope and these twelve elders were to suddenly lose their minds and strike, even if he risked his life, he wouldn't be able to stop them!

But if it truly came to that, he not only carried several high-level defensive and speed-type Soul Guidance weapons to ensure the Crown Prince could hold out for a time, but he also carried a special Soul Magnetic Communication Orb. Once crushed, the nearby Yan Yang Fleet would immediately receive a distress signal!

To ensure the Crown Prince's safety this time, the entire upper echelon of the Sun Moon Empire had armed the Yan Yang Fleet to the teeth! They carried forty-eight Level 8 soul-guided shells alone! There were also two hundred and eighty-six Level 7 soul-guided shells! The remaining Level 5 and 6 fixed-shell soul-guided projectiles numbered in the thousands!

There were also various other soul-guided energy cannons capable of firing energy beams and projectiles! These weapons were enough to completely carpet-bomb the entire inner city of Martial Soul City! However, unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to reach that point.

But Bibi Dong's next performance completely shocked everyone present!

Bibi Dong actually bowed slightly to Xu Mochen and said in an extremely sincere, almost pleading tone: "Your Highness, that you would personally condescend to come to the Martial Soul Hall to study truly brings great honor to our organization. Although the Martial Soul Hall is the holy land for soul masters on the Douluo Continent, it does not mean we would refuse soul masters who come from afar to seek knowledge."

"The Martial Soul Hall welcomes Your Highness to study here and guarantees to provide you with the highest quality educational resources and cultivation knowledge. However, I have one personal request: could we establish an exchange program between the Martial Soul Academy and your country's academy? This way, both sides can learn from each other's strengths, study together, and gain a deeper understanding of each other's culture, knowledge, and society. I wonder what Your Highness thinks of this?"

The surrounding soul masters of the Martial Soul Hall were nearly in an uproar! Heavens! Who was Bibi Dong? She was the Pope of the Martial Soul Hall! The spokesperson for the Angelic God! The leader of countless believers on the Douluo Continent! Even the emperors of the two great empires had to show her respect!

And now, she had lowered her noble status before a prince from a foreign land! Not only did she personally promise the most generous treatment, but she even bowed slightly to this prince! All for the sake of obtaining the qualification to send exchange students to study at the Sun Moon Empire's academy!

In the past, soul master students from all over the Douluo Continent would break their heads trying to study at the Martial Soul Academy. When had the Martial Soul Hall ever been reduced to begging to send exchange students? At this moment, the members of the Martial Soul Hall felt as if their entire worldview had shattered.

Mo Wuying and Gu Yuntong, who were in the entourage, felt a massive headache coming on! Deep down, they didn't hold this technologically backward continent in high regard. They lacked any sense of reverence for this so-called holy land of the Douluo Continent and its religious nature.

After all, the prevailing value of the Sun Moon Empire was that human rights outweighed divine power! If the two sides truly began an exchange program, not to mention the issue of technology leaks, a conflict of values alone would likely erupt!