Kong Deming patted his forehead, an awkward smile spreading across his face. His tone turned especially ingratiating. "Brother Qian, look at my memory! I nearly forgot what really matters!"
"His Majesty has decided that the Soul Master Tournament will resume in three days. Then, in front of all the Soul Masters on the continent, he will officially announce the establishment of your Spirit Hall!"
As soon as Kong Deming finished speaking, Ye Guyi cheered with tears of joy in her eyes.
"What! Teacher, is that true?"
"That's wonderful! Wonderful!"
As she spoke, Ye Guyi even went over and grabbed Qian Daoliu's arm, giving it an excited shake.
"Ancestor, did you hear that? His Majesty is going to rebuild our Spirit Hall!"
Kong Deming could see what was going on, so he said to Qian Daoliu, "Brother Qian, you haven't told Guyi that rebuilding Spirit Hall was a request you made to His Majesty!"
At this, Qian Daoliu gave a slight shake of his head. "I haven't had a chance to tell this girl yet."
"I was going to give her this as a present. I never expected that all my careful preparations for a surprise would be ruined by you, you old rascal!"
Qian Daoliu looked at Kong Deming, who was becoming more and more inconsiderate, and felt rather speechless.
"Uh! I'm terribly sorry!"
"I have things to do, so I'll be off! Guyi, I'm right next door. Come find me once you've recovered!"
Seeing that Qian Daoliu was about to blow up, Kong Deming promptly turned tail and ran.
Fortunately, Qian Daoliu had one last thing to say. He called after Kong Deming's retreating figure, "Brother Kong, remember to tell His Majesty that Spirit Hall will be temporarily renamed Soul Hall!"
"Sure!" The only reply was Kong Deming's rapidly disappearing silhouette.
Ye Guyi had calmed down by now.
With a solemn expression, Ye Guyi bent forward and dropped to both knees, her forehead lowered. Her voice was full of respect and gratitude. "Your junior, Ye Guyi, on behalf of the Angel Clan of Spirit Hall, bows to our ancestor and thanks you for rebuilding Spirit Hall!"
Then she slowly bowed her head, her posture utterly devout.
Looking at Ye Guyi kneeling before him, Qian Daoliu felt a thousand emotions well up inside him. He repeated his praise several times. "Good, good, good! My good girl, get up. With your ancestor here, Spirit Hall will surely regain its former glory!"
Three days later, on the day the Soul Master Tournament resumed.
Xu Tianran sat high on the dais with Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, Kong Deming, and Jing Hongchen.
Ye Guyi stood beside Qian Daoliu.
The moment Xu Tianran saw Ye Guyi's beautiful, sacred figure, he froze. If Kong Deming hadn't reminded him, he might have stood there dazed for quite some time.
Xu Tianran came to his senses and gave Ye Guyi what he thought was a handsome smile.
After that, he kept sneaking glances at Ye Guyi behind Qian Daoliu.
Among the academies taking part in the tournament, every team had arrived except Tang Sect, Shrek Academy, and Holy Spirit Gate.
Every other team had arrived.
The five-yearly Soul Master Tournament was officially underway once more.
Before the competition began, Xu Tianran used a Soul Tool to address the nearly one million spectators inside and outside the venue. "I have a few things to announce!"
"First, Shrek Academy, Tang Sect, and Body Sect colluded with Holy Spirit Cult! The Sun Moon Empire will distribute the relevant footage across the continent shortly!"
Then footage of Qian Daoliu fighting Xuan Zi, Du Busi, Long Xiaoyao, and Ye Xishui that day played throughout the venue.
The moment the footage was shown, the crowd erupted.
But no one could refute it. After all, footage of Shrek Academy's leading teacher, Xuan Zi, and the sect master of Body Sect helping Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui of Holy Spirit Cult fight Tiandou Douluo Qian Daoliu was still playing.
The Sun Moon Empire had recorded the battle with its Soul Tools. Even if anyone wanted to argue now, there was nothing they could say.
Xu Tianran seemed quite satisfied with the audience's reaction.
Xu Tianran continued at once. "Second, the Sun Moon Empire will devote the entire nation's resources to building a sanctuary for Soul Masters across the continent—the Soul Hall! Anyone can join, except Evil Soul Masters, and the Empire will provide every member with generous monthly benefits!"
"Soul Hall?"
"What's that supposed to be?"
"Probably just a place where Soul Masters gather!"
"Benefits! The Sun Moon Empire is rolling in money!"
"I've only heard of having to pay to join a Soul Master faction. Never heard of getting paid by one!"
"I'm definitely going to check it out!"
The crowd once again erupted into heated discussion. Some Soul Masters were already eager to learn everything they could about Soul Hall.
Even Qian Daoliu was quite surprised by Xu Tianran's sudden move to go all in. He had originally planned to establish Soul Hall firmly in the Sun Moon Empire first, then expand into the other three great empires.
But Xu Tianran had clearly gone much further, and the policy of providing benefits to Soul Masters suited Qian Daoliu perfectly.
So Qian Daoliu was looking forward to hearing what Xu Tianran would say next.
The nearly one million spectators, along with the members of the participating sects and academies, were all waiting for Xu Tianran to continue.
With everyone's attention fixed on him, Xu Tianran spoke again. "Soul Hall will also welcome two Limit Douluo!"
"What?"
"Limit Douluo!"
"Two of them?"
"When did the Sun Moon Empire gain such deep reserves of power?"
The nearly one million spectators were completely stirred up, and the continent's major sects and academies were all utterly shocked.
Xu Tianran paused after each sentence. "They are the Angel Douluo and the Sea God Douluo!"
As he spoke, images of Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi appeared on the giant screens inside and outside the venue.
Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi didn't object. They were glad to have Soul Hall's name spread far and wide in one fell swoop.
"My God, the Angel Douluo's companion is a Limit Douluo too!"
"The Angel Douluo is so handsome! I want to have his babies!"
"The Sea God Douluo is so beautiful! She's the goddess of legend!"
The nearly one million spectators recognized Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi as the Titled Douluo who had fought against the Evil Soul Masters that day.
The major sects and academies across the continent were likewise filled with emotion. "I can't believe the Sun Moon Empire has such hidden strength!"
The royal representatives of the three great empires were all frowning, their faces troubled. "The Sun Moon Empire now has two Limit Douluo! The Douluo Continent is in danger!"
Hearing the crowd grow ever more excited, Xu Tianran still wasn't satisfied.
He continued with another announcement. "And in addition to them, Silver Moon Douluo, the father of Soul Engineers in our Sun Moon Empire, will also join Soul Hall!"
"What..."
"My God, has the Sun Moon Empire gone mad?"
"But that's Kong Deming, the father of Soul Engineers!"
"He's the idol of so many Soul Engineers!"
"I want to join Soul Hall!"
The nearly one million spectators went completely wild, especially the Soul Engineers of the Sun Moon Empire.
Every one of them wanted to join Soul Hall and catch a glimpse of the father of Soul Engineers.
Only then did Qian Daoliu truly understand Kong Deming's influence in the Sun Moon Empire.
Qian Daoliu also understood why his descendant, Ye Guyi, admired Kong Deming so much.
As for the major sects and academies across the continent, their faces darkened. They knew that Soul Hall's rise could no longer be stopped.
In the end, Xu Tianran announced, "Soul Hall will begin recruiting Soul Masters and Soul Engineers today. It is located opposite the Sun Moon Imperial Academy!"
"All right, I've said everything I need to say. Now I declare that the Soul Master Tournament will continue!"
After the day's matches at the Soul Master Tournament were over, Kong Deming dragged Qian Daoliu off to Soul Hall, saying he had a surprise for him.
Qian Daoliu followed Kong Deming to the entrance of Soul Hall.
The first thing that caught his eye was a spacious plaza, with three lifelike statues standing in the middle.
They were statues of the sacred and radiant Angel Douluo Qian Daoliu, the gentle and oceanic Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi, and, most striking of all, Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming. Silver light swirled around Kong Deming's statue, lending it a sharp edge. His handsome face and upright bearing gave him a more dashing air than the other two.
Behind them stood the four palace complexes Qian Daoliu had requested: Soul Hall, Worship Hall, Douluo Hall, and, of course, the Soul Guidance Hall unique to the Sun Moon Empire.
Soul Hall and the Soul Guidance Hall were the largest, while Worship Hall and Douluo Hall were smaller.
Kong Deming suddenly looked at Qian Daoliu with smug pride. "Well, Brother Qian? Are you satisfied?"
Qian Daoliu's pupils contracted. He stood there for a long time, at a loss for how to describe Kong Deming's flashy stunt.
Still, he needed Kong Deming to lend Soul Hall some prestige.
Qian Daoliu suppressed his urge to beat Kong Deming black and blue. Smiling, he raised his hand and patted Kong Deming on the shoulder. "Brother Kong, you've gone to a lot of trouble!"
Only the cracked paving stones beneath Kong Deming's feet could tell how hard Qian Daoliu had hit him!
The turnout on Soul Hall's first day of registration far exceeded Qian Daoliu's expectations.
The registration desk had been set up on the Soul Hall plaza, at the foot of the three statues.
Registration was divided into two categories: Soul Masters and Soul Engineers.
Kong Deming was in charge of the Soul Engineer applications, while Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, and Ye Guyi handled Soul Master recruitment.
As befitted the birthplace of Soul Tools, most of the people joining Soul Hall in the Sun Moon Empire had come for Kong Deming.
So most of them also took the Soul Engineer examination.
Soul Masters made up less than one-tenth of the total.
This left Qian Daoliu feeling rather depressed. "Is the future of Soul Masters really this bleak? Why does nobody have faith in them?"
The applicants for the Soul Master examinations were also a mixed bag, and only a handful were good enough to be accepted into Soul Hall.
Just as Qian Daoliu was about to lose faith in the first day's recruitment,
a pair of twin brothers in their teens caught his attention.
"Qiangu Zhenyue, Soul Power level 55!"
"Qiangu Zhenxie, Soul Power level 55!"
Before you continue