Since When Was Elephant Armor Academy an Elemental Academy? Undercurrents in the Divine Realm Empire

"The Elephant Armor Sect, huh? The strongest defensive sect. Its sect master, Huyan Zhen, is a Soul Douluo. Supposedly, he's about to break through to Titled Douluo."

Long Yue had heard about it from both Tang Yuehua and that patrol disciple.

Joander nodded.

"That's right. The Elephant Armor Sect's inherited martial soul is the diamond mammoth. In terms of defense, it's no weaker than the Defense Clan's plate-armored giant rhinoceros martial soul in Longxing City. But unlike that Single-Attribute Clan, they aren't lacking in strength or offense, either."

Long Yue asked, "So? Is that Soul Douluo Huyan Zhen planning to step into the ring himself to deal with me?"

Joander stared at Long Yue in surprise for quite a while before saying, "You're far too full of yourself. 'Heavenly Elephant' Huyan Zhen values his standing too much to attack you. But using you to put Elephant Armor Academy on equal footing with the Four Elements Academy? That, he can do."

"The Four Elements Academy? Equal footing?"

At first, Long Yue had thought Huyan Zhen of the Elephant Armor Sect was some sort of mastermind behind the scenes, planning to use this exchange tournament to give him a thorough beating. He hadn't considered that the man might have another aim.

"The diamond mammoth martial soul had actually already been lost in our era."

Joander explained,

"But right now, the Elephant Armor Sect is one of the Seven Great Sects, standing alongside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It's extremely powerful."

"Uh... go on."

Long Yue grumbled inwardly, Actually, of the so-called Seven Great Sects, only the Upper Three Sects count as powerful. They have Titled Douluos, after all. It's like the UN's five permanent members-only the top three really have a say.

But people from the Divine Realm Empire didn't understand that distinction very well. They thought all Seven Great Sects belonged to the same weight class.

"So the Elephant Armor Sect had the money and resources to establish an advanced soul master academy, intending to expand its influence among the Heaven Dou Empire's soul master academies."

"It's called Elephant Armor Academy," Joander said.

Long Yue immediately caught on. "I only said I wanted to challenge Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Four Elements Academy. But to make Elephant Armor Academy's name, Huyan Zhen pulled some strings to get it into the exchange tournament too?"

Huyan Zhen's thinking amounted to nothing more than this:

This time, Long Yue, a young genius from the Divine Realm Empire, was going to spar with elite students from the Heaven Dou Empire's advanced academies.

If his own academy could enter the exchange tournament, wouldn't that prove that the Elephant Armor Academy he had founded was also one of the Heaven Dou Empire's advanced academies? Wouldn't it also prove that his students were elites?

"Correct." Joander nodded. "The Elephant Armor Sect may not be deliberately targeting you, but it definitely wants to use you-and even step on you to spread its fame."

Long Yue flexed his hand, his joints giving a crisp series of cracks. "Heh. Then I'll see which is tougher-the diamond mammoth's thick hide or this humble warrior's fists!"

This humble warrior...

Joander ignored Long Yue's antics and said,

"Actually, before our diplomatic mission arrived, the Elephant Armor Sect was already drumming up publicity within the Heaven Dou Empire, declaring that Elephant Armor Academy, Godwind Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, Skywater Academy, and Thunder Academy were collectively known as the Five Elements Academy."

"The Five Elements Academy... wind, fire, water, and lightning make sense, but what element is a diamond mammoth?"

Long Yue couldn't help grumbling,

"I'm guessing they'll claim earth, but that's clearly just forcing their way onto the bandwagon!"

"Heh, indeed."

Joander gave a cold smile. "At least the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Thunder Academy has something to do with the lightning element. The Elephant Armor Sect has thrown shame to the winds. As for the person helping them... that's Salas."

Long Yue asked, "Who's he?"

"Salas, the Platinum Bishop of the Heaven Dou Martial Soul Temple."

Joander supplied the name. "Under Spirit Hall's Pope are the Four Platinum Bishops. Two are in Spirit City, and the other two are in Heaven Dou City and Star Luo City respectively."

Long Yue said, "This Platinum Bishop Huyan Zhen went to... Salas has that many connections?"

"The Platinum Bishop of the Heaven Dou Temple really does have that many connections. In a sense, you can think of him as His Eminence Ghostflame Douluo of the Spirit Pagoda."

Joander wore a knowing half-smile, his words carrying another meaning.

Meaning he can stand on equal footing with the emperor, then.

Long Yue caught the implication and smiled as well.

But now Long Yue began considering something else-not Elephant Armor Academy joining the tournament, but why Joander was telling him this.

Talking to someone like Joander could be exhausting sometimes, especially now.

On the surface, Joander was discussing Platinum Bishop Salas's standing, but there was another meaning hidden beneath it.

Of all the comparisons you could make, you had to pick Zhang Geyang, the Spirit Pagoda's Ghostflame Douluo. Saying something like that isn't exactly friendly toward the Spirit Pagoda.

Long Yue looked broad and burly. His first impression was that of a simple, honest hulk of a man, built like an iron tower.

But anyone who spent enough time with Long Yue would realize that his appearance was purely a smokescreen.

So... what is your Intelligence Department getting at? And what's the point of telling a twelve-year-old student like me? Does Dai Tianling, the Divine Realm emperor, have a problem with the Spirit Pagoda?

Long Yue smiled. "What do you want me to do?"

Long Yue felt neither dislike nor affection toward the Spirit Pagoda. But if he could feast on its corpse until his bowls overflowed and he was dripping with wealth... he wouldn't mind becoming a blade in the emperor's hand.

"The time hasn't come yet."

Having confirmed Long Yue's attitude, Joander offered a solemn salute, as though to a comrade-in-arms, and said,

"Then I'll take my leave, Sir Long Yue."

"Heh." Long Yue watched Joander leave, silently pondering, At first, I thought he was from the Intelligence Department. It seems he's actually also...

Emperor Dai Tianling had a secret intelligence-gathering force at his disposal. No one knew its members' identities, which departments they operated in, or which cities they had infiltrated...

To put it in Long Yue's terms, it was the sort of situation where someone told you a political joke about Emperor Dai Tianling, and you didn't laugh-but the Embroidered Uniform Guard or KGB agent under your bed did.

"Forget it."

Long Yue picked up his knife and fork again and went back to tackling his steak. He had powerful connections anyway; his backer was Imperial Preceptor En Ci.

Holy Dragon Douluo certainly wouldn't let Long Yue get involved in this sort of pointless infighting. For Long Yue right now, cultivating diligently mattered more than anything.

"Wait, that's not right."

At that thought, Long Yue put down his knife and fork. The steak in his mouth tasted like wax, his mind still caught on what Joander had said with that knowing half-smile.

If Emperor Dai Tianling was unhappy with the Spirit Pagoda's Ghostflame Douluo, or even wanted to take action against him, couldn't he simply tell En Ci? En Ci was both the Imperial Preceptor and the emperor's teacher. Did he really need to be circumspect about something like this?

Long Yue's eyes shifted as he thought, Could he want me to pass the message to En Ci? No, that doesn't make sense either. He might as well tell En Ci directly.

Unless... someone else is behind this.

Long Yue turned his head and watched Joander talking with noblewomen from the Heaven Dou Empire's upper ranks.

Joander joked with understated elegance, describing the Divine Realm Empire's scenery and customs to the women. They gently waved their painted fans, half concealing their smiles, while the diamond brooches on their chests swayed amid layer upon layer of trembling white waves.

The blade in the emperor's hand has actually slipped out of his control? However I look at it, getting involved would be a beheading offense.

A smile actually appeared on Long Yue's face-the smile of someone watching a spectacle without caring how big the trouble grew.

But...

This really is thrilling.