Gathering from All Directions

The next day, at noon.

The three groups arrived at the three city gates outside ' Spirit City ' one after another. Under the guidance of the reception staff arranged by the Spirit Hall, they took up their respective places in four large courtyards inside the city.

"Oh? Xue Ye and the others have arrived?"

In a secluded courtyard in the east of the city, Ling Yi looked at Yao Qi, who had come to deliver the news, and asked with great interest.

"Hmm." Yao Qi nodded and said, "Xue Ye and Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect came together. The Grand Elder of the Clear Sky Sect, ' Sheng Heaven Douluo ' Tang Sheng, brought his brothers Tang Xiao and Tang Hao. On the other hand, the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, ' Thunder Douluo ' Yu Yuanzhen, came in person."

"Tsk~" Ling Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. This was quite a show of force. Seeing Yao Qi stop speaking, he continued, "What about the Star Luo Empire? Where are they?"

The Heaven Dou Empire and the Upper Three Sects have all arrived, so it's impossible for the Star Luo Empire not to come. Even if they haven't arrived yet, they shouldn't be too far off.

As Ling Yi expected, Yao Qi replied without hesitation, "According to the news from along the way, the troops from the Star Luo Empire should be resting in a small town more than sixty miles away."

Like the Heaven Dou Empire, they were leading a cavalry force of ten thousand men, and needed to carry some provisions and supplies, so their journey would be slower; they would probably arrive in the afternoon.

Upon hearing this, Ling Yi nodded slightly. Indeed, a large army's journey is certainly not as convenient as that of a small team of Soul Master. The provisions and supplies needed for the people and horses are simply not something that a small group of Storage Soul Tool and Food System Soul Master can fully afford.

Although the Blacksmith Association and the Green Wood Merchant Association have begun selling a small number of Storage Soul Tool, Storage Soul Tool on the Douluo Continent are no longer limited to excavating ancient ruins and have become equipment that can be produced sustainably, the shops mainly sell small Storage Soul Tool with a volume of one cubic meter. A few Storage Soul Tool with a volume of five or ten cubic meters are sent to auctions to maximize profits.

Storing military supplies using Storage Soul Tool requires too much quantity and is too costly. Even the two great empires struggle to sustain it. At most, they equip their generals with some for use in emergencies.

As for Food System Soul Master, they are rare. Those below the Three-Ring Soul Elder are limited in strength, which is like a drop in the ocean. Those above the Three-Ring Soul Elder are all precious talents, and they are generally not allowed to take action unless absolutely necessary.

Or rather, this trip wasn't for fighting. Neither Xue Ye nor Star Luo Dai Tianqi would casually deplete the Soul Power of the Food System Soul Master accompanying the army.

Good steel should be used on the blade!

Two more days passed quickly, and the date arrived at October 1st, 2623 of the Douluo Calendar.

In the past two days, in addition to the two great empires and the Upper Three Sects, many other forces have arrived in ' Spirit City ' one after another.

All Lower Four Sects were present: the Elephant Armor Sect, the White Armored Earth Dragon Sect, and so on.

All seven major families behind the Great Soul Fighting Arena Alliance have arrived, including the Menethil Clan and the Lancelot Family...

These are all top-tier forces that can be named throughout the Douluo Continent. They have multiple Soul Douluo -level experts, and some of them can even reach the combat power of Titled Douluo.

Further down the hierarchy are those second-rate forces whose influence is limited to a single city or region, whose strongest members are only Soul Saint, or who have only one member who has barely reached the Soul Douluo.

As dawn broke, the once quiet ' Spirit City ' had become unusually lively in recent days. Going back several decades, even centuries, only His Holiness the Pope Pope ever witnessed such a grand spectacle. Many elders of the ' Spirit Hall ' watched this scene with expressions of nostalgia and wistfulness in their eyes.

The large square in the Pope's Palace had changed from when Ling Yi arrived three days prior. A circular platform, over ten meters high and more than one hundred meters in diameter, had appeared out of nowhere. A ring of viewing platforms had been built around the platform for the spectators to take their seats.

After several gong sounds, Pope Qian Xunji, accompanied by a pair of twin brothers who looked alike, made his entrance first. He went straight to the gilded chair in the Pope's Palace and sat down, with the twin brothers standing behind Qian Xunji as guards.

Qian Xunji 'Clear Sky Sect appearance seemed to have turned on a switch. Immediately afterward, Tang Sheng, the Grand Elder of the Haotian Sect, appeared with his brothers Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, and sat on another gilded chair about ten meters to the left of Qian Xunji.

Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan entered the arena almost simultaneously with Tang Sheng, sitting on a gilded chair more than ten meters to the right of Qian Xunji, with his second brother Yu Luomian and the clan's seventh elder Yu Yunyang behind him.

Xue Ye the Heaven Dou Empire and Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect arrived together, their seats to the right of Yu Yuanzhen, about ten meters apart.

Compared to the previous three families who all tacitly agreed to bring only two people, Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi brought more people. After sitting down, each of them was surrounded by seven or eight people, mostly Seven-Ring Soul Sage, and one or two Soul Douluo- level experts.

After Xue Ye sat down, he did not immediately go to communicate with Ning Fengzhi on his right, but instead looked at the seat directly opposite him.

There stood two gilded chairs, identical in design to those he sat upon, and those beside him, held by Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuanzhen, Qian Xunji, and Tang Sheng. These were also the only two remaining gilded chairs in the square in the Pope's Palace.

In other words, there were only seven gilded chairs at today's investiture ceremony, and they occupied exactly this side of the Pope's Palace.

The seven chairs, centered on the spot where Qian Xunji was sitting, formed a curved line resembling the character "", directly facing the high platform in front of the Pope's Palace.

Of course, there were seats on the outer side, but they were a level below the gilded chairs where Qian Xunji and the others sat, clearly showing the distinction between ranks.

As Star Luo Dai Tianqi of Xingluo arrived with Empress Zhu Ziling, the two sat together on a gilded chair. Behind them were five civil and military officials of different appearances, some wearing armor and others wearing long robes. Below them, each seat was occupied by a person of power.

Everyone was in sync; the stronger ones moved to the front, closer to the big shots, while the weaker ones consciously moved to the back. Basically, no one would try to show off or do anything attention-grabbing at this time.

Time passed slowly, and when the hall was almost full, Dai Tianqi glanced at the Weiyi empty chair to his left, turned to Qian Xunji in the main seat, and asked indifferently, "Your His Holiness the Pope, isn't today's main character going to make an appearance? This is a bit too much of an act."

As soon as he spoke, the vast Pope's Palace fell into absolute silence, and everyone silently turned their gaze toward the high and mighty Pope Qian Xunji.

Upon hearing Dai Tianqi's words, Xue Ye's lips unconsciously curved into a smile that was difficult to detect.

However, before the smile could fully settle, a voice that surprised everyone rang out from the side.

"Is the White Tiger Emperor so busy with imperial affairs that he can't even wait this little bit of time?"

Upon hearing this, Dai Tianqi's tiger-like eyes sharpened, and he looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan looking at him with a faint smile.

"Yu Yuanzhen?!" Dai Tianqi narrowed his eyes, concealing the surprise in them.

Not only was Dai Tianqi surprised, but everyone who turned their gaze over was also shocked, their eyes darting back and forth between Yu Yuanzhen and Dai Tianqi.

"What's going on? I haven't heard of any conflict between the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Star Luo Empire!"

"Yes! The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has always maintained a neutral stance, coexisting with both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire in a way that avoids conflict, hasn't it?"

"So tell me, what's going on here?"

"Who knows! It can't be to protect Master Ling and [Lingyun City], can it?"

"Ha! You really dare to think that way. Given the Yu Family's temperament, it's already good enough if they don't look down on someone like Master Ling who comes from humble beginnings, let alone protect him?"

"Yeah! If it's really maintenance, I'll run naked outside ' Spirit City '!"

"Even if you include me, I still don't believe it. If it is, then I'll..."

Among the various forces, large and small, everyone was discussing the two sentences above, speculating about the true intentions of these two big shots.

Dai Tianqi was clearly targeting Ling Yi and Lingyun City. As for whether this would have any impact on Pope Qian Xunji and the Spirit Hall, only Dai Tianqi himself knew.

Whether Yu Yuanzhen's words were directed at the Star Luo Empire, or had some unknown relationship with the Spirit Hall, or were for Ling Yi and Lingyun City, was the focus of everyone's discussion.

"Your Eminence Thunder, you are mistaken."

Just then, someone else spoke up, someone who surprised everyone.

It's the Xue Ye!

He remained calm, first surveying the entire room before finally fixing his gaze on Tang Sheng, and then said in a clear voice:

"It is inevitable that His Majesty Tianqi is busy with domestic affairs, but he still took time out of his busy schedule to personally come to ' Spirit City ' to attend the title conferment ceremony, which shows how much he values this grand event."

"However, now that we, the spectators, are all here, some of the main figures are still nowhere to be seen. Isn't this a bit disrespectful?"

"Boom--!"

As Xue Ye spoke, the audience erupted in excitement, their eyes widening as if their understanding of the world had been overturned.

"Holy crap! What's going on?! Xue Ye is actually speaking up for White Tiger Emperor—?!"

"Exactly! If I remember correctly, around this time last year, the two sides fought dozens of battles on the border, resulting in at least tens of thousands of deaths!"

"Mommy! I feel dizzy all day. Am I still in the ' Mind-Bewildering Butterfly's nest in the ' Lost Track Grand Canyon '?"

"Smack—!"

"Ouch—! Holy crap! Why did you hit me?!"

"Brother Su, didn't you say that as long as you start to doubt reality, I could slap you? Are you awake now? Want a few more?"

"Uh... no... it's alright..."

No one paid attention to the farce offstage; everyone was focused on the three teams that had just spoken onstage, and they were also wondering if the other three teams would have any surprising performances.

As expected, everyone's expectations were not disappointed. The moment after Xue Ye Clear Sky Sect, Tang Sheng, the Grand Elder of the Haotian Sect, looked thoughtfully at Xue Ye, Yu Yuanzhen, and Dai Tianqi. Under the surprised gazes of the Tang brothers, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, he smiled and said:

"Your Majesties, please do not be impatient. Now that we are here, we surely can wait a little longer..."

Although these words sound like a peacemaker's attempt to mediate, it's easy for anyone with eyes to see that Tang Sheng is on Yu Yuanzhen's side and is also endorsing Ling Yi and [Lingyun City], who haven't even appeared yet.

"Smack—!"

"Huh? Brother Su, why are you hitting yourself?"

"Ouch—! It hurts! Is this not a hallucination? There's no reason for this! Didn't Master Ling have a conflict with Tang Hao four years ago? I saw it with my own eyes! What's going on now?!"

Compared to the independent Soul Master and Soul Master small teams who had managed to sneak in to watch the ceremony due to their decent strength, all the members of second-rate or higher Soul Master factions, both on and off the field, sensed something was amiss and remained silent, quietly becoming competent spectators. Occasionally, some younger members might be curious and want to say or ask something, but they were all silenced by their elders, and could only watch and listen quietly.

Pope's Palace, Qian Xunji watched coldly. Neither Dai Tianqi's initial question nor the subsequent remarks from Yu Yuanzhen, Xue Ye, and Tang Sheng moved him in the slightest. He simply let the four of them exchange words.

Now, almost everyone's attention was subtly drawn to Ning Fengzhi, who was about ten meters to the right of Xue Ye.

Realizing that he had unknowingly become the focus of everyone's attention, Ning Fengzhi appeared calm on the surface, but was actually a little uneasy inside, and cursed Ling Yi, who had not yet appeared, to death.

Forcing himself to stay focused, Ning Fengzhi didn't join in the conversation between Xue Ye and the other three. Instead, he turned his gaze to Qian Xunji, who was seated at the head of the table, and asked in a refined and gentle voice, "Your His Holiness the Pope, when do you think Master Ling and the two His Holinesses will arrive?"

"As Your Eminence Thunder and Your Eminence Sheng Heaven have said, since we are here to witness the investiture ceremony of the two Your Majesties, we can't wait a short while. But it wouldn't be right to keep everyone waiting like this, would it?"

If Dai Tianqi's words were an undisguised accusation, and Xue Ye were a lukewarm way of labeling Ling Yi and Lingyun City, then Ning Fengzhi's words were a veiled barb.

As Ning Fengzhi spoke, a faint smile finally appeared in Qian Xunji's eyes. But he quickly concealed the smile and returned to his usual indifferent expression.

Qian Xunji did not answer Ning Fengzhi's question, but instead turned his gaze to the other end of the platform below.

Everyone noticed Qian Xunji's actions and followed his gaze.

At that moment, a dazzling blue light suddenly appeared in everyone's sight.