A Red-Hot Rising Star!

What a surprise!

An unprecedented upset!

I wonder how many people who heard about this later were so angry that they slapped their thighs in frustration, regretting that they hadn't taken the day off to watch the competition where 230 people were narrowed down to 128.

Anyway, those who were lucky enough to witness this match were truly fortunate.

They made a fortune.

At the very least, it can serve as a topic of conversation after dinner.

It may be something to boast about to one's descendants a decade or even several decades from now.

But no matter what.

Whether you make a profit or a loss, it doesn't matter.

Huo Yuhao became famous after this battle.

Although the rumor that God Trial Taker could not be defeated by ordinary people has been debunked for a long time, Zhu Lu, the God Trial Taker of the God of Speed, has been permanently nailed to the pillar of historical shame, Huo Yuhao is not an ordinary person either. He is a disciple of a Deity who claims to be a demigod. This battle, which seemed to end anticlimactically, was not ended by him, nor by Dai Yueheng. Rather, it was ended by the God of God of War Dai Mubai and the Deity behind Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao and Dai Yueheng were at most pawns in the battle between the two Deity. But as the saying goes, those who are chosen by the strong, whether noble or despicable, must have extraordinary abilities.

No one would believe that Huo Yuhao was chosen by the Deity because of his good luck.

Everyone believes that Huo Yuhao was chosen by the Deity because the Deity discovered some special talents in him; however, these special talents can only be seen by the Deity and cannot be seen by ordinary people.

Just as Soul Douluo and Title Douluo have the ability to see through the transformed form of 100,000 Year Soul Beast, while Soul Saint and below cannot.

There's nothing strange about it.

But this battle created another achievement.

That's right.

The Deity have been defeated!

Even though it was another Deity who defeated the Deity, it shattered the illusion of harmony between the Deity and laid a cruel truth before everyone: Deity also have the same contradictions as humans!

So...

"Should we offer the faith of an entire nation to a god...? If the god doesn't need it, can we offer something else?"

Inside the private room of the Heavenly Soul Empire.

The emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire and the sect leader of the Body Sect, the Nation Protecting Sect, Du Busi, sat facing each other, gazing at each other across an exquisite little tea table.

The private room effectively isolated the room from outside noise.

This also prevents outsiders from hearing any sounds from inside the private room.

Apart from Du Busi and the Heavenly Soul Empire Emperor who was speaking, only Princess Vina of the Heavenly Soul Empire and Long Aotian, the Young Sect Master of the Body Sect, stood respectfully behind their elders.

The breathing was very soft.

But in a sufficiently quiet environment.

Even such a soft breathing sound was still extremely jarring.

It was in this oppressive atmosphere that...

Du Busi spoke up.

He hinted with a rather philosophical tone. "As for Your Majesty's question, this old man is too ignorant to answer. In fact, I have another doubt, and I wonder if Your Majesty could enlighten me... If a group of ants offered Your Majesty their treasured sugar cubes, would Your Majesty be delighted or disgusted by their filth?"

Princess Vina and Long Aotian, who were standing to the side, trembled.

It's obvious.

The two of them had already understood what it meant.

This ant is not that ant, but the Heavenly Soul Empire.

This "Your Majesty" is not the same as the previous "Your Majesty," but rather refers to a deity

To put it bluntly: which Deity is less than your meager fortune?

If a group of ants were holding a piece of sugar still covered in dirt, and you put yourself in their shoes—if you were the emperor in this metaphor— Princess Vina and Long Aotian couldn't guarantee they wouldn't be disgusted, much less reward the ants, or even stop to listen to their pleas.

Compared to Deity whose lifespan is almost eternal.

Humans or Soul Beast alike.

They are all too fragile.

"It's not the candy that matters, it's the attitude, that's what I believe."

"Of course, the above are just my humble opinions."

"I wonder if you agree... or do you have any other thoughts?"

Despite the fact that this emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire was unambitious.

But he's not truly beyond redemption.

He could only continue to enjoy wealth and luxury as long as the Heavenly Soul Empire existed.

He was very clear about this.

Therefore, it's not that he changed his nature.

Rather, he means he doesn't want to lose everything he has.

I certainly don't want to be on the guillotine someday.

Therefore, he had no choice but to strive for self-improvement.

In fact, the situation of the Dou Ling Empire was similar. From the perspective of the monarch, the Dou Ling Empire was indeed fortunate to have a wise ruler who was diligent and hardworking, and had a strong hand. He went to great lengths to make the country stronger, even marrying off his own sister to win over the Xuanming Sect to counterbalance the Body Sect. The main point was that just as the Heavenly Soul Empire had the Body Sect Nation Protecting Sect, the Dou Ling Empire also had the Xuanming Sect as its Nation Protecting Sect. It could be said that the Douling Empire was far superior to the emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire. However, the problem was that the Dou Ling Empire was not very lucky. It offended Ye Qingcang, and Mu En did not mind doing Ye Qingcang a small favor. Therefore, the Dou Ling Empire, under the general trend, ended up with huge material expenditures and lost two titled Douluo.

Compared to these.

Royal dignity is actually the least valuable thing.

The Heavenly Soul Empire did nothing.

They haven't awakened yet.

The country remains as rotten as ever.

The nobles ran rampant, oppressing the common people and indulging in extravagance.

However, the Dou Ling Empire, both a neighbor and rival, made them look good in comparison!

Therefore, out of concern for their own safety.

The Heavenly Soul Empire Emperor asked this question.

Strange, but not entirely strange.

Du Busi didn't show any curiosity or surprise at all.

He stroked his white beard.

After pausing for four or five seconds, he finally spoke, "Attitude is certainly important, but I still believe that a stable relationship needs sufficient mutual benefit. Furthermore, although I really don't want to say this, there are some things I disdain to lie about or deliberately avoid discussing... I must admit that Shrek Academy's connections in the Divine Realm are far superior to those of the Body Sect. After the recent turmoil, the relationships within the Divine Realm have begun to unfold before our eyes. The relationships between the Gods are intricate and complex; sometimes, taking sides is worse than not taking any, especially... there are currently three star systems!"

"And this Huo Yuhao..."

The emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire immediately understood what Du Busi meant.

To put it bluntly, the waters are too deep right now, so let's wait and see, let other empires pave the way for us, and then go in when we're confident.

In this way...

If the Dou Ling Empire can't sit still, and the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire can't sit still either and get involved, then even if these God Trial Taker God Trial Taker don't cause trouble, the Deity behind them will definitely cause trouble. The first wave of chaos will inevitably break out among these empires that have already chosen sides. Regardless of who wins or loses, it will deplete the empire's vitality.

The best strategy for the Heavenly Soul Empire is to remain inactive.

If the Dou Ling Empire can remain inactive, and the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire can also remain inactive, then even if these God Trial Taker cause trouble, it will only be on a small scale. No one will suffer any damage to their vitality or make any progress, which is equivalent to no one regressing.

The Heavenly Soul Empire is waiting for the right opportunity; this is a moderately good strategy.

Anyway, as long as you don't step out of this framework and keep choosing between these two options, even if you choose blindfolded, you can't possibly choose the worst option.

However, things like befriending and recruiting geniuses.

Especially for a genius like Huo Yuhao who has no one to rely on.

"Leave it to me..." Du Busi straightened his appearance, intending to take charge personally. "That child's Martial Soul is the rare Spirit Eyes, which is extremely rare even among the myriad strange Body Martial Soul. When it comes to the research and use of Body Martial Soul, the Body Sect dares to claim to be second in the world, and no one dares to claim to be first. Even Shrek Academy is slightly inferior to the Body Sect in this regard... In addition, I will only go on behalf of the sect. Since His Majesty has decided to wait and see, let's not alert the enemy."

"Then we'll have to rely on you, senior."

Seeing that the Du Busi him and he was about to leave, the emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire quickly stood up and bowed.

Princess Vina, who was standing to the side, also bowed.

Long Aotian followed behind Du Busi.

Upon seeing this, he quickly returned the greeting.

He was much more carefree Du Busi. He waved his hand, pushed open the door without looking back, and walked out, even though he was facing the emperor of a country.

The emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire was not angered by this.

His expression didn't even waver.

This doesn't mean he has no feelings.

Rather, it means that such things are already commonplace in the Heavenly Soul Empire.

The relationship between the Heavenly Soul Empire Emperors and the Body Sect throughout history has always been quite good.

The quality of this relationship can even affect the succession to the throne of the Heavenly Soul Empire, determining who the next emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire will be.

Take Princess Vina as an example.

It's precisely because Princess Vina is Long Aotian's fiancée.

Long Aotian is also the Young Sect Master of the Body Sect.

Therefore, Princess Vina was designated as the crown princess.

If, one day in the future, Princess Vina's brothers and sisters forcibly ascend the throne and gain the support of civil and military officials, as well as nobles and commoners, Princess Vina will easily overturn the situation by using the power of the Body Sect, because when a person dies, everything becomes meaningless.

The Body Sect needs a trustworthy emperor.

This not only ensures the status of the Body Sect.

To avoid being discarded by later rulers after they have served their purpose.

It also saves energy, preventing precious cultivation time from being wasted on trivial matters such as governing the people and adjusting the economy.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Soul Empire was not established legitimately.

Therefore, the Heavenly Soul Empire also needs the Body Sect.

That's how the two got together.

This forms a peculiar logical chain: the Body Sect controls all the military power of the Heavenly Soul Empire, and most of its disciples hold important positions in the Heavenly Soul Empire's military departments. Successive sect leaders have been Grand Marshals of the Three Armies, only relinquishing command of the Imperial Guard to the successive emperors of the Heavenly Soul Empire Heavenly Soul Empire. These emperors, in turn, possess supreme governing power over the empire's internal affairs. Even if they incite widespread resentment within the empire, it's irrelevant as long as it doesn't affect the Body Sect's interests. The Body Sect doesn't trust anyone outside the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family because its Body Sect leaders are well aware that even if the Heavenly Soul Empire's founding was illegitimate, having split from the original Heaven Dou Empire, and the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family was originally a dukedom of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Body Sect could not arbitrarily depose or install members of the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family. If that's the case, no matter who the next royal family to be supported is, they will all have concerns about the Body Sect, worrying that the Body Sect will again depose and install new emperors. Then, what follows will inevitably be repeated disloyalty and disloyalty. No matter how many times or how many new royal families are supported, the result will be the same. The Heavenly Soul Imperial Family not only knows this, but also knows that the Heavenly Soul Empire nobles are also dreaming similar dreams. The so-called "you can do it, so can I." Since the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family came from the defection of the former Heaven Dou Empire's dukes, who said that we cannot replace them or betray the country to establish a new empire? In this way, the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family cannot do without the Body Sect, which holds military power. As a violent sect representing military force, the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family is the one that must be won over.

That's why the Heavenly Soul Empire is said to be complicated.

This complexity even touches upon the very foundations of the nation.

In contrast, the Dou Ling Empire.

No matter how weak the Dou Ling Empire was, military and political power always remained in the hands of the emperor.

All I can say is that this world is a huge and ridiculous makeshift operation.

Even in its dilapidated state, it doesn't diminish the extravagant lifestyle.

So, let's not even talk about how long Title Douluo live. Someone like Du Busi can live to be three hundred years old. He's the same generation as the current Heavenly Soul Empire Emperor's great-grandfather. It's estimated that he'll only die of old age after Princess Vina ascends the throne and becomes Empress. That's equivalent to seeing off five generations. For the current Heavenly Soul Empire Emperor, it's no different from seeing off a nephew. Even if they are the same age and of the same generation, they are still equals.

What if the Du Busi and they get really angry?

Although the royal family cannot be changed.

But it would be fine to replace him with a prince.

Or perhaps another member of the royal family could be chosen.

This operation is very common.

It will not affect the tacit understanding between the sect and the royal family.

But there are always some unexpected things that Du Busi.

For example, Huo Yuhao.

Before leaving the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family's private room, Du Busi envisioned a bright future. He planned to recruit Huo Yuhao into the sect and groom him as the next sect leader of the Body Sect. As for Long Aotian, if he could gain the favor of the Deity, he would still have a chance to compete. However, if Long Aotian remained the same after Huo Yuhao became Soul Saint, then he would be Huo Yuhao's senior brother and would be trained as his right-hand man after Huo Yuhao became the Young Sect Master, which is commonly known as the sect's Great Elder or Discipline Elder.

But who can tell him why so many people are suddenly trying to take his man away?

"Yang Haohan, the leader of the Temple Alliance..."

"Lin Chen, the Vice Hall Master of the Magic Temple..."

"Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo from the Spirit Hall..."

"The Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School..."

"Princess Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire..."

"And there's Shrek Academy, the Saint Demon Federation, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family..."

Although he had seen many grand Long Aotian, he had never seen anything like this. Looking at the Title Douluo from various forces, or the Young Sect Master of various sects, such as Ning Tian, Young Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School on the Dou Two side, and Xu Jiujiu, the Young Sect Master of the Star Crown Sect and princess of the Star Luo Empire, his brain was almost overwhelmed. He subconsciously revealed the identities of the people he knew, among whom were some powerful figures he did not recognize.

Just because Long Aotian doesn't recognize it doesn't mean that Du Busi doesn't recognize it either.

She raised her eyebrows slightly.

He murmured in surprise, "The commanders and deputy commanders of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Evil Monarch Soul Tool Master Group and the Sun Moon Empire Royal Imperial Dragon Soul Tool Master Legion are both here, and... wait, isn't that Little Tiger Dai Hao? Why is he here too... Could he be a cunning and ruthless tyrant?"