Yet none of the ministers standing below dared to speak up in agreement.
Because they were not blind.
That emperor digging holes in the mud was covered from head to toe in filth, but the force behind each swing of his hoe, along with the faint yet powerful Blood Vitality fluctuations emanating from him—
proved beyond doubt that he was a top-tier powerhouse whose strength was unfathomable!
An emperor with unparalleled martial might was actually willing to personally work the fields and test formations for the sake of crop yields.
Such practicality taken to the extreme was simply terrifying.
Within the Sky Screen.
Yankang Imperial Preceptor looked at the stunned Chen Xin and smiled as he patted his shoulder.
"Fellow Daoist, let's go. His Majesty usually enjoys tinkering with agricultural matters."
The Imperial Preceptor started walking, not minding the filthy mud beneath his feet as he headed straight over.
"Your Majesty, I have brought a friend to meet you."
The Imperial Preceptor's voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to the center of the paddy field.
Upon hearing him, Emperor Yanfeng immediately tossed aside his hoe.
He casually washed his hands in a nearby ditch, then strode over through the mud.
"Ah, National Preceptor, you finally came!"
Emperor Yanfeng complained loudly as he walked.
"These bookworms from the Ministry of Works draw formation diagrams by pulling them out of their heads. Come take a look at this..."
Halfway through his sentence, Emperor Yanfeng's gaze fell upon Chen Xin, who stood behind the Imperial Preceptor.
Emperor Yanfeng stopped. A sharp glint suddenly flashed through his seemingly easygoing eyes.
With that single glance, Chen Xin felt an overwhelming imperial pressure crash toward him like mountains and seas, even more domineering than the pressure he had felt from the Imperial Preceptor earlier.
This mud-caked emperor was definitely a ruthless man who killed without hesitation!
"This old gentleman is unfamiliar to me."
Emperor Yanfeng looked Chen Xin up and down, then sharply sensed the pure, murderous Sword Intent within him.
"What fierce sword aura! But the path of this cultivation technique is rather strange. National Preceptor, who is this?"
The Imperial Preceptor smiled faintly and stepped forward to introduce him.
"Your Majesty, this is Fellow Daoist Chen Xin. He comes from another world beyond the Great Ruins and is a pure sword cultivator."
"Just now at the Imperial Academy, I exchanged a move with him. His murderous Sword Intent is exceptionally pure, so I took it upon myself to recruit him into our Yankang Kingdom."
When he heard that Chen Xin was a sword cultivator from another world, Emperor Yanfeng's eyes immediately lit up.
He did not put on any imperial airs. Instead, he strode forward and grabbed Chen Xin by the arm.
"A swordsman from another world? Excellent!"
Emperor Yanfeng was brimming with excitement, utterly unconcerned that the mud on his hands had smeared Chen Xin's snowy white sleeve.
"Any Sword Intent that catches the National Preceptor's eye must be good stuff."
Emperor Yanfeng turned to the Imperial Preceptor.
"National Preceptor, our army fought those sectarian rebels at the border some time ago. The soldiers of the Divine Strategy Battalion have plenty of killing intent, but their swordsmanship still lacks sharpness."
"Since this Elder Chen's Sword Intent is so pure, how about we let him serve as an instructor in the Divine Strategy Battalion and teach our soldiers how to kill people?"
Chen Xin was completely dumbfounded as he listened from the side.
He was being given an official post just like that?
They had known each other for less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea. They had not even investigated his ancestry, yet they were directly sending him to become an army instructor?
That bearing of trusting a man once he was employed stirred a long-forgotten warmth within Chen Xin.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's favor!"
Chen Xin hurriedly stepped back and gave a deeply respectful bow.
"This old man will certainly teach everything he knows and hold nothing back!"
Emperor Yanfeng laughed heartily and pulled Chen Xin upright.
"Good! What Yankang Kingdom lacks most are straightforward, decisive people like you."
"Tonight, I will host a banquet in the palace. The three of us—ruler and subjects—will have a proper drink."
"I just dug up several plump Spirit Armor Crabs from the experimental fields. They are incredibly delicious!"
Night deepened.
The side hall of the imperial palace was brightly lit.
There was none of the extravagant spectacle one might have expected, with hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs waiting upon them.
At a broad Eight Immortals table sat only Emperor Yanfeng, Yankang Imperial Preceptor, and the still somewhat restrained Chen Xin.
Several exquisite dishes sat on the table, along with a large steaming basin of bright red Spirit Armor Crabs in the center.
Emperor Yanfeng did not even use chopsticks. He simply broke open a crab leg with his hands and crunched down on it.
"Elder Chen, don't just sit there. Eat."
"These Spirit Armor Crabs are excellent for replenishing Blood Vitality."
As he ate, Emperor Yanfeng lifted his wine bowl and offered a toast to Chen Xin.
Chen Xin hurriedly raised his own bowl and drained it in one gulp.
The strong liquor slid down his throat like a ball of fire exploding in his chest.
After several bowls of wine, Chen Xin relaxed considerably.
Looking at the emperor and Imperial Preceptor across from him, both utterly without airs, the decision in his heart became clearer and clearer.
He set down his wine bowl and drew a deep breath.
"Your Majesty, Lord National Preceptor."
Chen Xin rose to his feet, his expression becoming incomparably solemn.
"This old man has a request."
Emperor Yanfeng set down the crab shell in his hand and wiped his hands with a cloth.
"Speak freely, Elder."
Chen Xin glanced down at his feet.
With a thought, nine multicolored Soul Rings slowly emerged, flickering faintly within the dim side hall.
"Today, after hearing Lord National Preceptor's teachings, this old man has been enlightened."
"This system built from the remnant souls of beasts truly is a cage that locks away one's potential."
Chen Xin raised his head. In his aged eyes burned the resolve of a man willing to stake everything.
"This old man wishes to destroy these nine rings and abolish this body's Soul Power."
"I want to learn Yankang's orthodox methods. I want to open the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury!"
"I beg you two to grant my wish and teach me how to break this deadlock!"
The instant those words were spoken—
the side hall fell silent.
Outside the Sky Screen, the entire Douluo Continent also sank into deathly silence.
Within Shrek Academy.
Yu Xiaogang's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground again, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
"He's crazy. Chen Xin has truly gone crazy..."
"A level ninety-seven Peak Douluo! He's giving up power that makes him invincible beneath the heavens just to learn some Divine Treasury system?"
Upon hearing this, Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh.
He could not understand such behavior.
On Douluo Continent, Soul Power was everything, and Soul Rings were life itself.
Voluntarily destroying one's Soul Rings was a hundred times crueler than killing a Soul Master.
"If he doesn't abolish them, his limit will remain locked forever."
Dai Mubai swallowed, his voice extremely hoarse.
"For someone like Sword Douluo, being unable to see the road ahead is probably more painful than becoming useless."
Meanwhile, within the Sky Screen.
Emperor Yanfeng looked at Chen Xin, and deep admiration flashed through his eyes.
"Cutting off one's arm to survive. What spirit."
Emperor Yanfeng nodded and turned toward the Imperial Preceptor.
"National Preceptor, since you brought him back, handle this matter as you see fit."
Yankang Imperial Preceptor set down his wine bowl and rose to his feet.
He walked over to Chen Xin. The gentle expression on his face faded, replaced by the solemnity of a strict teacher.
"Fellow Daoist, have you thought this through?"
The Imperial Preceptor pointed at the nine Soul Rings, his tone extremely grave.
"These nine halos have already become entwined with your meridians, flesh, blood, and even your soul."
"To forcibly strip them away would be equivalent to shattering every inch of your meridians, tearing apart your soul, and stitching it back together."
"The pain involved would be no less than taking a trip through the eighteen levels of hell."
"One careless mistake, and both your body and soul will be utterly destroyed on the spot."
Chen Xin listened to these warnings without showing the slightest hesitation.
He suddenly slapped his chest and laughed loudly.
"Hahaha! Lord National Preceptor underestimates this old man!"
"This old man clawed his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood throughout his life."
"As long as I can witness the scenery of a greater Dao, what does a little pain of flesh and soul amount to?"
Chen Xin abruptly stepped back.
He sat down cross-legged directly on the hard bluestone floor of the side hall.
"Please act, Lord National Preceptor!"
The Imperial Preceptor looked at Chen Xin, whose eyes were closed and whose face was filled with determination, then drew a deep breath.
"Very well."
"Since Fellow Daoist possesses such a heart for the Dao, I will lend you my strength."
The Imperial Preceptor slowly raised his right hand.
An incomparably pure stream of azure primordial qi condensed in his palm into a tangible sword of light.
"The flaw in this system is that these foreign energies clog the meridians. It must be destroyed before it can be rebuilt."
The Imperial Preceptor's eyes narrowed, and the azure light sword in his hand stabbed without hesitation toward the first yellow Soul Ring beneath Chen Xin's feet.
Crack!
A crisp sound of shattering rang out.
That yellow Soul Ring, representing a hundred years of cultivation, instantly shattered under the Imperial Preceptor's exquisite sword qi.
"Ugh!"
Chen Xin's eyes flew open as he let out a muffled groan, suppressing it to the utmost limit.
His body shuddered violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with black impurities onto the bluestone floor.
That was the agony of having his soul torn apart.
Yet he clenched his teeth and endured it without crying out.
"Steady your mind."
The Imperial Preceptor's voice boomed beside Chen Xin's ears like a great bell.
The azure light sword in his hand swung again.
Crack! Crack!
The second yellow Soul Ring and the first purple Soul Ring shattered in succession.
Blood began seeping from Chen Xin's entire body.
His once-ruddy face turned pale as paper. The veins on his forehead bulged like writhing earthworms, making him look incomparably terrifying.
Outside the Sky Screen, Ning Fengzhi covered his eyes, no longer daring to watch.
"Uncle Sword..." Ning Fengzhi's voice carried a sob. This self-mutilating pain made even him, a mere observer, feel horrified.
Within Spirit City.
Bibi Dong watched the scene coldly, a mocking smile curling across her lips.
"Utterly foolish. Giving up the accumulation of an entire lifetime for some illusory new system."
"I would like to see whether you can open that so-called Divine Treasury after destroying your Soul Rings!"
Within the Sky Screen, the stripping process continued.
As the light sword in the Imperial Preceptor's hand continued to fall, purple and black Soul Rings turned into fragments one after another.
A thick, foul stench spread through the air of the hall.
It was the scent of beast remnant souls being forcibly extracted from Chen Xin's body and dissipating.
When it came time to strike the final and most powerful ninth Soul Ring—
the Imperial Preceptor's hand paused slightly.
"This is the most crucial shackle. Once it is broken, your Soul Power will be completely reduced to zero."
"Fellow Daoist, preserve the final thread of clarity in your spirit platform!"
The Imperial Preceptor shouted, and the azure light sword transformed into a blinding streak of light that viciously cleaved into the deep black Soul Ring.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted within the side hall.
The black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring shattered like glass.
Chen Xin threw back his head and let out an incomparably mournful roar.
Every pore on his body burst open in that instant, spraying a skyful of blood mist.
His aura plummeted at a cliff-like speed.
Level ninety... level eighty... level fifty... level ten...
Until it reached zero.
The former pinnacle of swordsmanship who had once shaken Douluo Continent collapsed into a pool of blood like a lump of mud.
Even his breathing had become almost imperceptible, like that of an ordinary dying old man who could stop breathing at any moment.
"He has become crippled."
Countless Soul Masters across Douluo Continent felt a wave of sorrow rise in their hearts at this sight.
This act of crippling himself was simply impossible to comprehend.
Yet neither the National Preceptor nor Emperor Yanfeng showed the slightest panic in the side hall.
The National Preceptor put away his vital energy light sword and looked at Chen Xin on the ground, his tone becoming more solemn than ever before.
"The shackles have shattered, and the old power has run dry."
"Fellow Daoist, now is the time!"
"Cast aside all distracting thoughts. Use your pure killing Sword Intent to sense that spark of spiritual light deep within your brow!"
"Sink your qi into your dantian and draw the energy of heaven and earth into your body."
"Open up a new world within your brow!"
The National Preceptor's words seemed to carry a certain magic, piercing straight through Chen Xin's hazy consciousness.
Chen Xin, sprawled in the pool of blood, twitched one finger slightly.
With great difficulty, he formed his hands into a strange seal.
Although not a trace of Soul Power remained in his body.
His sword heart, tempered through countless trials, and that unstoppable killing intent, pure to the utmost extreme, had not vanished along with the shattering of his Soul Rings.
On the contrary, after being stripped of the impurities left behind by those beast remnants, that Sword Intent became even clearer and sharper!
"I... still want... to practice swordsmanship..."
Chen Xin's shriveled lips moved faintly.
The rhythm of his breathing suddenly changed.
It was no longer hurried panting, but became long and deep, carrying a wondrous cadence.
This was precisely Yankang Kingdom's most basic breathing technique.
With each breath he took.
Outside the side hall, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth above the imperial palace suddenly seemed to be drawn by some fatal attraction, surging madly toward the side hall.
The spiritual energy turned into visible motes of white light, streaming endlessly into Chen Xin's body through the pores all over him.
Without the obstruction of Soul Rings, this spiritual energy flowed freely through his meridians, eventually gathering into a massive torrent that rushed straight toward his brow.
"Crack..."
A faint, crisp sound that only Chen Xin could hear rang out deep within his mind.
The Spirit Fetus Barrier that had trapped countless mortals, as unbreakable as copper walls and iron ramparts.
Under the impact of Chen Xin's utterly pure killing Sword Intent and the immense vital energy, it was instantly covered in cracks.
Open...!
Chen Xin let out a silent roar in his heart.
Boom!
The barrier shattered.
A dazzling silver-white radiance burst forth from Chen Xin's brow, illuminating the entire side hall.
Beyond the light screen, every sound vanished completely at that moment.
Everyone stared fixedly at the Sky Screen, not daring to blink.
Within that blinding silver light.
Deep within Chen Xin's brow, a tiny humanoid phantom formed from pure sword qi and vital energy slowly opened its eyes.
The phantom even held a miniature Seven Kill Sword in its hand.
This was the first step of Yankang's Divine Treasury system.
Spirit Fetus awakening!
At the instant the Spirit Fetus opened its eyes, Chen Xin's originally shriveled, aged body began madly absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy like dead wood receiving rain after a long drought.
The wounds on his body healed at a visible speed, and a hint of black luster returned to his gray-white hair.
An aura that was not as immense as level ninety-seven Soul Power, yet was more condensed and far sharper, rose once more from the old man's body.
He had succeeded.
Before you continue