The Lineups of the Various Factions (I)

If it were just a matter of two championship titles, and it didn't involve any interests, or only a small amount of interests, then any power in the Dou One Star System, Dou Two Star System, or Dou Three Star System could tolerate it.

Take the Soul Master Competition as an example.

From Dou One to Dou Two.

Over this span of ten thousand years.

The Soul Master Competition has been held over a thousand times.

From the time when the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire were locked in a power struggle, all the way until the Sun Moon Continent merged, and then the Heaven Dou Empire split into the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire, the Soul Master Competition continued as before.

Why has there been no change after such a long time?

Did it even lead to cultural erosion in the Sun Moon Empire?

Ultimately, it doesn't involve interests, only reputation.

To put it bluntly, Soul Master don't have a high social status.

Back in the era when the Spirit Hall still existed.

Soul Master hold a very high status.

They could be called nobles.

The claim that one can be granted a noble title at level 40 or above is not just a figure of speech. Although level 40 only grants the lowest rank of nobility, the hierarchy is: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron. Level 40 corresponds to Baron, level 50 to Viscount, level 60 to Earl, level 70 to Marquis, and Level 90 to Duke. At level 90, one can even stand on equal footing with an emperor. Take Dugu Bo, for example, who is considered the weakest among the titled Douluo. He only nodded and bowed to Xue Ye, and if he was unhappy, he would trample on the face of Prince Xue Xing without hesitation.

But in the Dou Two Star System.

Including the Dou Three Star System.

Soul Master have been suppressed and enslaved by various forces without their knowledge.

This explains why Xu Tianran commented on the Soul Master Competition in the original novel as if he were watching a play, and even referred to many of the contestants in the Soul Master Competition as chess pieces.

If he is in Dou One.

Even if he is the Crown Prince of a country.

If he said those words, he was doomed to die.

To put it mildly, this is called frivolous and lacking in dignity.

To put it more bluntly, it's called disrespecting the talented people of the world.

Even if he were an emperor, saying such a thing would alienate the people, because an emperor who disregards talent is destined to fail.

In short, in the Dou Two Star System, the status of Soul Master has declined drastically, and they have become mere tools of ambitious individuals, equivalent to high-ranking soldiers.

Just like the later part of the original work.

Huo Gua his identity and joined the army.

They discovered that many Soul Master were acting as soldiers within the army.

Place it in the Dou One Star System.

This is simply unimaginable.

Do you know what Soul Master is in the army of the Dou One Star System?

A Soul Master at the first ring.

Once you get in, you can become Squad Leader.

He manages ten people.

The Soul Master of the Second Ring have entered, starting as centurions.

Even if you offered them Thousand-Man Commander, they wouldn't accept Soul Master with three rings.

Because as long as they reach level 40.

Obtain Soul Ring.

They would immediately receive a title.

Even the lowest-ranking baron.

Even a commander of Thousand-Man Commander men must bow before a baron, unless the Thousand-Man Commander holds a title. Otherwise, there is still a gap between nobles and commoners. Even if you have more than a thousand men under your command, you still have to kneel before nobles who control various social resources and high-level Soul Master who control power.

How could I possibly become a raw recruit?

That's right.

I'm talking about you.

Dai Loli.

Even though times have changed, normally things should be moving in a positive direction.

Look at the Sun Moon Empire, what a powerful existence it is!

Is it safe to be neighbors with such a powerful entity?

Why aren't you building up your army yet? What are you waiting for?

Are we just waiting to die?

Improving the treatment of Soul Master Soul Master and allowing them to lead troops to fight against the opposing Soul Master Soul Tool Master, making full use of the terrain—while it's true that Soul Master Soul Tool Master to win in positional warfare, they are inherently less adept at it. While a group of Soul Tool Master is indeed invincible in positional battles, a group of Soul Master is equally invincible in infiltration and guerrilla warfare. To dismiss the Soul Master system and even advocate for the Soul Tool Master system due to tactical errors, intending to dedicate significant effort to its research in the hope of defeating the Sun Moon Empire on the main battlefield—this proposal is utterly a product of utter folly!

If we use our strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, our chances of victory will be somewhat higher.

If we attack the enemy's strengths while exploiting our weaknesses, the chances of defeat are quite high.

Therefore, given the loss of the Spirit Hall, it is understandable that the status of Soul Master would decline during a period of peace on the continent. Some far-sighted people could even foresee this, just as weapons are stored away during a prosperous era. However, in times of chaos and war, the status of Soul Master can only rise. It is absolutely impossible for it to continue to decline and depreciate.

Of course.

It's impossible, but only relatively so.

Sure enough, the various forces in the Dou Two Star System are acting as if their heads have been slammed in a door, maintaining the status quo and the so-called balance.

"To break this balance... ultimately, we must link the interests of Soul Master with those of the vast majority of people, that is, with the common people!"

"Only by making them realize a logic..."

"Only Soul Master can ensure their status and position."

"And the logic is... ordinary people want to live better and better, so they need Soul Master Soul Master to fight for it → Soul Masters want to live better, so they need to coerce the people to put pressure on the nobles → in order not to be killed by public anger, the nobles can only give up a part of their original interests to the Soul Master → Soul Master can bind themselves to a part of the people by dividing the interests → after the people benefit from this, they will live better and better... and will have the spare energy to cultivate new Soul Master."

"Even if the Spirit Hall is gone, the ordinary people who can survive will do what they can to awaken their children's Martial Soul."

"Because human desires are endless."

"When they entered a period of moderate prosperity."

"They will yearn for great wealth and status."

"And when they become extremely wealthy and powerful... they will yearn to be superior to others!"

"They would consider wielding power like Soul Master."

"Perhaps you have money and food."

"But I have a gun!"

"The element of violence is etched into everyone's genes."

"It can only be suppressed, not erased."

"So, how do we connect Soul Master with the interests of the vast majority of people?"

"The answer is naturally resources."

"Because 99 percent of the people in this world need to eat."

"Even big meals of fish and meat are fine."

"Simple meals are fine too."

"If you don't eat, you'll starve to death... except for a very few powerful Soul Master."

"Therefore, when resources are plundered, the common people are forced to align themselves with the Soul Master, because the Soul Master, who do not engage in production, possess the power they need... the power to help them protect these resources. For this, they can even give away a portion of their resources, like paying protection money, to these Soul Master, just like the Spirit Hall in the Dou One Star System... except that the Spirit Hall in the Dou One Star System transferred this conflict to the nobles and the empire. They appeared as balancers, using popular support and the power of all Soul Master to demand that the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire give the Spirit Hall a sum of money every year as the basic salary for all Soul Master in the world. On the other hand, they balanced the empires and tried to reduce the war between the two empires, so that fewer people would die. At the same time, they used the poor background of Soul Master to lure more people into gambling on the odds like drawing lots."

"I'm betting on... the probability of giving birth to a child with the potential to become a Soul Master."

"But directly seizing resources is definitely not an option."

"Because of the propaganda of these corrupt empires, including those corrupt forces, people will regard the person or force that plunders resources as an enemy. Although I never mind being infamous, I don't want to be labeled by others, especially when I have to pay an extra price without having to suffer any losses."

"So, what better excuse than a major tournament?"

"It's just that doing this... would have a rather large impact on the world!"

Inside the private room.

Ye Qingcang remarked this as he spoke with the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena.

Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena has just arrived.

I heard he came back.

During this time, he was not idle, nor was the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena.

It wasn't that the Silver Dragon King Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena Gu Yuena to see him to report on the progress of his work, nor that she wanted to discuss the follow-up plans. Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena simply wanted to check on his situation and ensure that her ally was correct.

She's had enough backstabbing in her life.

What if something goes wrong with our allies?

She can also take relevant measures in a timely manner.

In short, she was relieved to see that Ye Qingcang was alright. Although she had come in a hurry, there was no need to rush back if he was alright. So she sat down and chatted with Ye Qingcang Ye Qingcang, and asked him how he viewed the current situation.

Hearing Ye Qingcang's sigh.

He also said helplessly, "You really are someone who thrives on chaos... But I have to admit your impressive efforts. At least you are trying to correct this path that has gone astray for thousands of years with your own abilities, and you have actually achieved some results."

"But for now, the storm hasn't arrived yet."

I glanced at the scenery outside the window.

Ye Qingcang took a sip of the juice in his glass.

Alcoholic beverages naturally have their own unique appeal.

However, the pleasure that sweet fruit juice brings at certain times is something that alcohol cannot match; it's a kind of happiness that comes with sobriety.

Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena naturally understood the metaphor Ye Qingcang was using.

It does not deny the metaphor.

After a moment's thought, he asked, "You tell me, if this great war begins, how many forces will get involved... I mean the named ones, not to mention the minor sects and factions in your human world. Anyway, they'll all be completely reshuffled..."

"I can't say for sure about those things."

"I can only guess."

"At most, I'll share my guess."

"If you're willing to listen."

Ye Qingcang casually waved his hand, seeing that Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena didn't mind, so his precaution was wasted. He continued, "I think this battle will be divided into three stages: early, middle, and late. In the early stage, the Dou Two Star System will definitely be the most chaotic, because there are too many forces in the Dou Two Star System. Just talking about empires, there are four behemoths: the Star Luo Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Dou Ling Empire, and the Sun Moon Empire. Moreover, the Poseidon Tang San will definitely not give up this base. Even if it means a desperate gamble, he will only fight here... In the middle stage, the Dou One Star System will also be drawn in. At the same time, the Dou Three Star System will not be able to escape unscathed. In short, the Spirit Hall will not have to worry about not having enough Evil Spirit Master to wipe out. The Holy Spirit Church, which was resurrected through the Spirit Transfer Pagoda, is simply a sitting duck... In the late stage, it will be a battle of gods."

"A chaotic free-for-all among the God Trial Taker?"

Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena said with great interest.

But it was just something I said casually.

He glanced at the situation outside, narrowed his eyes, and pointedly reminded her, "The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows. You'd better be careful... Winning more championships does mean winning more resources, but if war really breaks out, naturally the richest will be the first to plunder... You can't expect a bunch of starving people to stay rational, can you?"

"Yes."

"It takes only a mouth to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of legwork to refute them."

"When public opinion was stirred up, whether I was guilty or not was no longer important."

"The important thing is that people all over the world need an excuse and a channel to vent their frustrations."

"But you've overlooked one point."

"That means... I'm from the Dou One Star System!"

"The more my enemies hate me, the more my own people love me."

"Besides, I didn't use any underhanded methods to win against all my opponents and claim the championship... My opponents were too weak, what does that have to do with me?"

"Furthermore, the emperors of these empires are only average; it's not that they can't read... And even if they can't read, these empires have survived to this day without collapsing, so there are still people who can understand the pros and cons of this document. As for the emperors, they may be a bit stupid in some ways, but when it comes to resource issues involving all the people of a country, they can still distinguish between the importance of face and substance... At the very least, they won't slack off."

"It's uncertain whether they will honor the agreement."

"To put it bluntly, the agreement that was written back then, while seemingly an agreement, was actually just a piece of paper that could be torn up at will... And another meaning of this seemingly easily torn-up piece of paper is that it could serve as a reason and evidence to start a war."

"And war has an unparalleled advantage in reshuffling the cards."

"We can't deny it."

"Isn't that right?"

Ye Qingcang smiled and asked in return.

This made even the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena, laugh in exasperation.

Responding to a rhetorical question with a rhetorical question, "So, you set a trap from the very beginning?"

"They jumped in on their own initiative."

"We'll see."

"Others may not have noticed, but Mu En certainly did."

Why don't you guess why he didn't say it?

Ye Qingcang revealed some information with a smile.

This made the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena sigh.

However, the sigh was short-lived.

After sighing, the things that must be faced still cannot be avoided. "Old fox and young fox... it can only be said that they each have their own thoughts... but you should still be careful, because even an old fox is still a fox, and you should not be the mantis that stalks the cicada unaware of the oriole behind."

Don't worry.

"Speaking of which, how are your preparations going?"

"Have you obtained all the resources you were supposed to?"

Ye Qingcang understood the concerns of Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena.

A homebody who can't keep up with the times.

I accidentally stumbled into a high-level game.

Having round eyes is normal.

"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is already in my hands."

"Little Fire and Little Water are back too."

"The Fire Dragon Clan and the Water Dragon Clan have begun to revive."

"It will take some time."

"But it wasn't a problem before the war started."

Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena gritted her teeth, her tone icy. "That Poseidon Tang San really thinks the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is his own. If I hadn't gone there, I'm afraid it would have been impossible to break the seal... You would never believe that he actually set up Deity- level barrier to seal off the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and claim it as his own!"