Must Win Him Over!

On the other side, after returning to the palace, Xue Qinghe immediately informed the current emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Ye, of Jiang He's existence.

After all, his current identity was that of the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince.

The emergence of a monster like Jiang He naturally had to be reported to his imperial father at once.

After hearing Xue Qinghe's account, Xue Ye's face also revealed shock.

"You're saying that Dugu Bo took in a disciple with Innate Soul Power at level twenty? And both his First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring are Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings?!"

"Yes, Father." Xue Qinghe nodded and said solemnly, "This is a matter of great importance, so I returned to the palace immediately."

"You did well."

Xue Ye offered a token compliment, then furrowed his brow in thought.

After a while, he looked at Xue Qinghe and asked gravely, "Qinghe, how do you think we should treat this Jiang He?"

Hearing this, Xue Qinghe pretended to ponder before answering, "Father, I believe we should do everything in our power to win Jiang He over. We should even be willing to form a marriage alliance if necessary, as long as we bring him into the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Oh?" Appreciation flickered in Xue Ye's eyes, but he still asked, "Why do you think so?"

Xue Qinghe lifted his chin slightly and said, "Father, Innate Soul Power at level twenty—such talent is unheard of across the entire continent. Coupled with his two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings, his future achievement of becoming a Title Douluo is practically guaranteed.

Moreover, Jiang He's teacher is Dugu Bo, a Title Douluo. With his support, Jiang He's growth will surely be smooth sailing.

So long as no earth-shattering accident occurs, Jiang He is a future Title Douluo in the making.

For someone like him, the right choice is to win him over before he receives his title.

Besides, although the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire are known as the two great empires,

the Star Luo Empire values martial prowess, and its overall Soul Master strength far surpasses that of the Heaven Dou Empire. It even has Title Douluos stationed within it. This has always been the Heaven Dou Empire's weakness.

But if Jiang He joins us, then in time, we will no longer need to fear the Star Luo Empire in terms of top-tier Soul Master combat strength.

Furthermore, with Jiang He's addition, along with two of the Upper Three Sects within Heaven Dou—the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—the Heaven Dou Empire's martial culture can also be nurtured in the future.

When that happens, Heaven Dou's final weakness will be remedied, and sooner or later, the Star Luo Empire will be crushed beneath the Heaven Dou Empire!"

As he listened to Xue Qinghe's analysis, the admiration in Xue Ye's eyes deepened.

But he did not immediately agree. Instead, he continued, "But if what you say is true, then with the Star Luo Empire's martial culture, how could they possibly let a talent like Jiang He go?

What if they win him over first? Wouldn't the gap between Heaven Dou and their Soul Masters grow even wider?

And besides our two great empires, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan of the Upper Three Sects, as well as Spirit Hall, will surely be interested in such talent.

If you ask me, we might as well..."

Xue Ye gave Xue Qinghe a threatening look. Its meaning was obvious.

"Absolutely not!"

Xue Qinghe said with a grave expression, "Father, Jiang He may indeed pose a great threat, but he is still the disciple of a Title Douluo. If we make a move against him, the consequences of Dugu Bo's fury will be beyond our ability to bear.

Especially since Dugu Bo bears the title of Poison. The devastation he can inflict upon ordinary Soul Masters is simply not something other Title Douluos can match.

Compared to the Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou's military strength is already weaker. If Dugu Bo aids them as well, I fear that even Spirit Hall would struggle to restrain the Star Luo Empire's ambitions."

Although the continent spoke of two great empires,

only people involved in such matters knew that the Heaven Dou Empire's military power was far inferior to that of the Star Luo Empire.

If Spirit Hall, positioned along the border between the two empires, had not been secretly exerting pressure all these years, Heaven Dou would have long since been slowly devoured by Star Luo.

If they became enemies with a Title Douluo like Dugu Bo at a time like this, they would have no path left but to await death.

At this moment, Xue Ye deliberately frowned and said, "Then according to you, we have no choice but to win him over? But if another faction gets there first, we will still be left in a passive position."

"Father need not worry about that."

A confident smile appeared on Xue Qinghe's face. "Compared with the other sects and factions, the Heaven Dou Empire possesses an advantage beyond words."

"Oh? Tell me."

The smile on Xue Qinghe's face remained unchanged as he analyzed the matter point by point. "First, Jiang He is a citizen of the Heaven Dou Empire and grew up in Heaven Dou City.

Compared to other sects and factions, his sense of belonging toward the Heaven Dou Empire will certainly be stronger.

Second, whether it is the Star Luo Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, their rulers inherit their positions through bloodlines.

As an outsider, no matter how much Jiang He is courted, he can never become their ruler in the future. The same will be true for his descendants.

But Heaven Dou is different!"

A sharp glint appeared in Xue Qinghe's eyes. Staring directly into Xue Ye's eyes, he said each word clearly, "The Heaven Dou Imperial Family's inherited Martial Soul has always been much weaker than the Martial Souls of other sects and factions. If we can seize this opportunity to replace our inherited Martial Soul with a more powerful Beast Martial Soul, it will be immensely beneficial to Heaven Dou's future development!"

"Qinghe! Do you know what you are saying?!"

Xue Ye glared at Xue Qinghe in fury and rebuked him, "Changing our inherited Martial Soul—how is that any different from handing the realm over to another family?!"

"Please calm your anger, Father."

Xue Qinghe knelt on the ground, but his words did not stop. "Jiang He's parents died early, and he is alone in the world. If he forms a marriage alliance with Heaven Dou, his future children will inevitably enter the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

With the imperial bloodlines joined together, within three generations, his descendants' bloodline will be no different from that of the imperial family, while they can still retain their powerful Martial Souls!

Furthermore, Jiang He is an orphan. No matter how authority is passed down in the future, it will always remain within our imperial bloodline. No other faction can interfere. This realm will still belong to our royal family!"

Looking at Xue Qinghe kneeling on the ground, Xue Ye's expression shifted repeatedly.

The weakness of their inherited Martial Soul had always been a source of pain for the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The powerful inherited Martial Souls that had appeared in the past all possessed their own family factions. Accepting them would be like seeking the skin of a tiger; within three generations, the Heaven Dou Empire's realm would bear another surname.

The occasional powerful mutated Martial Soul had also almost always been discovered and recruited first by other sects.

Now, this Jiang He could be said to be the closest they had ever come to strengthening their Martial Soul.

This was not only Xue Qinghe's idea; it was also Xue Ye's.

But he could not say such a thing himself.

It had to be spoken by someone else.

And Xue Qinghe understood Xue Ye's thoughts, so he laid the matter bare.

Because only by making it explicit could he use it as a pretext to openly and frequently interact with Jiang He...