High-Stakes Gamble

Within the Star Luo Imperial Palace, Xu Jiawei sat calmly upon the emperor's throne.

A figure suddenly appeared in the grand hall, strode forward, and spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, the Duchess has 'died of illness' as you wished. Shall we bring her body here? No one in the duke's residence is paying attention to this matter now."

Xu Jiawei's expression revealed neither pleasure nor anger. He merely took out a storage ring and handed it over, speaking calmly.

"Some things become counterproductive when taken too far. It is enough to spread the news that the Duchess died of illness. Also, remember to notify the Duke of White Tiger to mourn his loss."

"Send this fifty-thousand-year tiger-type soul bone to Dai Luoli as a token of the royal family's grief over the Duchess's passing."

"Yes." After receiving the storage ring, the figure vanished from the palace once more.

After settling matters concerning the Duke of White Tiger's residence, Xu Jiawei summoned Xu Jiujiu.

Upon entering the palace, Xu Jiujiu looked at Xu Jiawei in confusion. This was the first time he had summoned her so urgently.

"Brother, is there some important matter?" Xu Jiujiu asked.

For the first time, Xu Jiawei looked at his younger sister with a measure of solemnity.

"Jiujiu, as emperor, there are many things I must consider, and I must balance every side. I hope you can understand my difficulties."

Xu Jiujiu was slightly stunned. Then, recalling the recent events, she understood.

"Brother, do you mean you want me to find a way to establish contact with Huo Yuhao?"

Xu Jiawei nodded slightly, his tone heavy.

"Jiujiu, Elder Mu visited the palace once before. The divine battle that erupted in the Mingdou Mountain Range was caused by Huo Yuhao."

"After this Soul Master Tournament ends, Elder Mu will formally announce that Huo Yuhao is succeeding to the position of Master of the Sea God Pavilion."

"Huo Yuhao currently has no attachments. You should understand what that represents. This will be the greatest opportunity for our Star Luo Empire."

"If you can become Huo Yuhao's right-hand woman in the future, then should he truly become a god, the Xu family may prosper for ten thousand years like Shrek Academy."

Xu Jiujiu herself was not opposed to this, but she asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Brother, Huo Yuhao has already risen to prominence. Even if I approach him now, I may not be able to achieve the results you envision."

Xu Jiawei smiled faintly and lightly tapped the table.

"Jiujiu, do you know how our Xu family obtained the throne in the first place?"

"It was precisely because we saw the situation clearly and chose the right direction at a critical moment. Now, we have once again reached the time to make a choice."

After answering his own question, Xu Jiawei continued to explain.

"The Sun Moon Empire has already grown too powerful. To be honest, even with battle armor and Shrek Academy's protection, how long can we hold out?"

"Battle armor naturally surpasses ordinary Soul Guidance Devices by far, but it was developed by Huo Yuhao. It does not belong to the Star Luo Empire. Our own Soul Guidance Device development is far too slow."

"Without counting Shrek Academy, even if the Douluo Three Kingdoms joined forces, they might not be a match for the Sun Moon Empire."

"If I were the Sun Moon Empire, I would only need to find a way to improve relations with Shrek Academy and invest in a group from Shrek Academy's new generation."

"In less than a hundred years, Shrek might become truly neutral. At that point, nothing would stand in the way of the Sun Moon Empire unifying the continent."

"However, there is now an opportunity to change the situation. Dai Yueheng's final words are enough to mend the relationship between Huo Yuhao and the Star Luo Empire."

"So, Jiujiu, do you think we could become the next existence similar to Shrek Academy?"

Xu Jiujiu looked at Xu Jiawei in shock. He clearly intended to make a high-stakes gamble.

"Brother, you mean we should support Huo Yuhao with the strength of the entire nation, even if one day he wants the whole Star Luo Empire."

Seeing that Xu Jiujiu had understood his meaning, Xu Jiawei nodded in satisfaction.

"This throne is nothing more than an empty title. If the Sun Moon Empire invades someday, or if it is taken back by the Dai Clan, what use would it be?"

"The sect Huo Yuhao belongs to is the Tang Sect. Jiujiu, you should understand what that means. Only a force protected by a god-level powerhouse can truly flourish without decline."

"I have already learned that Huo Yuhao's teacher possesses a set of top-grade Two-Word Battle Armor. Combined with the fact that Huo Yuhao did not tarnish Dai Yueheng's name, that is already enough to place our bet."

Xu Jiujiu nodded, indicating her approval of Xu Jiawei's decision.

"Then, Brother, we shall support Huo Yuhao with all our strength. We will give him every resource he needs, even if it means exhausting the Xu family's foundation."

After handing Xu Jiujiu a token granting access to top-grade rare metals and cultivation resources, Xu Jiawei once more began considering the details of the many recent events.

The Sun Moon Empire's frequent border deployments, along with the various Soul Guidance blueprints sent by the Rank 9 soul engineer hidden within the Sun Moon Empire, placed immense pressure on Xu Jiawei.

For that very reason, there absolutely could not be any mistakes in his investment in Huo Yuhao.

With that in mind, he invited the Shattered Star Douluo over.

"Senior Shattered Star, please help watch over Jiujiu as well. Senior Manyi is strong, but her temperament is somewhat forceful. I hope you can advise her when possible."

The Shattered Star Douluo nodded. After finding Xu Jiujiu, he concealed himself in the shadows.

Having only recently arrived in Star Luo City, Huo Yuhao naturally had no idea that Xu Jiawei had prepared such a grand gift for him.

At that moment, he was looking curiously at Xu Jiujiu, who was knocking outside his door.

Although he had never met this princess before, he could detect the auras of the two Titled Douluo concealed nearby.

Coupled with the crown on Xu Jiujiu's head, Huo Yuhao had guessed her identity almost exactly.

Opening the door, Huo Yuhao invited Xu Jiujiu inside.

"Your Highness has come in person. May I ask what important matter brings you here? You two seniors may reveal yourselves as well and take a seat together."

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao used his powerful spiritual power to release a trace of pressure, creating brief fluctuations near the two Titled Douluo to indicate that he had already discovered them.

Huo Yuhao and Xu Jiujiu sat facing each other in the hotel's reception room, while Manyi and Shattered Star revealed themselves and took seats to the side.

"Young one, you are rather interesting. You actually discovered my whereabouts. Yet judging by your soul power fluctuations, you do not seem like an expert."

Before Xu Jiujiu could speak, Manyi gave her assessment of Huo Yuhao first.

The Shattered Star Douluo immediately gave the old woman a helpless look, then took over the conversation.

"Pavilion Master Huo, she is Jiujiu's guardian Douluo. She has withdrawn from worldly affairs for many years and does not know much about your identity. Please forgive her."

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. Such a trivial matter was not worth causing a conflict over, and he continued waiting for Xu Jiujiu to state her purpose.

"Pavilion Master Huo, I have come primarily for two matters."

"First, I am presenting these rare metals to you as a gift for your future succession as Master of the Sea God Pavilion."

"Second, the Star Luo Auction House recently acquired an Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone. I heard that your martial soul is the Ice Jade Scorpion, so I do not know whether this soul bone would be compatible with you."

As she spoke, Xu Jiujiu handed Huo Yuhao two storage rings, one containing the rare metals and the other the Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone.

Huo Yuhao did not say much. After accepting them, he opened them and took a look, only to be somewhat shocked by the quality and quantity of the rare metals.

Most of what was stored inside were high-grade rare metals required for Three-Word Battle Armor.