"By the way, do you know how Spirit Hall came to be?" Seeing Leng Xiyue smile again, Wang Yan decided to strike while the iron was hot and try persuading her a little more.
Children all love stories. Why not start there?
Leng Xiyue had already been ready to go straight to Spirit City with him. Now that Wang Yan was about to tell a story, she hurriedly carried over a rock from nearby and sat beside him. "No. Tell me about it?"
In truth, although she remembered the main plot of the Douluo Continent and the fates of its major characters, there were many things she knew nothing about, such as the historical origins of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and Spirit Hall, as well as the local political landscapes that the original work had never mentioned or described in detail. If she wanted to side with Spirit Hall in the future, she had to understand these things.
She had originally planned to buy a few history books after arriving in Spirit City to learn about all this. Now that someone was willing to tell her, she was naturally more than happy to listen.
Wang Yan lifted his head and gazed at the clear night sky, his thoughts drifting into memories.
"To speak of Spirit Hall's origins, we must first discuss human history. The earliest surviving records of ancient civilizations date back ten thousand years. According to those records, the order of the Douluo Continent back then was dark beyond anything we can imagine today, and warfare almost never ceased."
"Spirit Hall's history books call it the 'Dark Age.' Back then, ordinary people's lives were worth less than livestock. Soul Masters possessed absolute power with which to rule ordinary people. Even the lives of slaves today would have been considered fairly good back then."
"That chaotic era gave rise to many advanced technologies beyond even our capabilities today. Some minor powers, which soon fell into the dust of history, developed Soul Tools that remain difficult to reproduce even now, and gradually grew stronger. But after several thousand years of being passed down, those traditions finally died out completely. Very few such tools survive today, and most are imitations."
"The Dark Age lasted roughly eight thousand years. During that time, countless mighty civilizations arose, only to vanish into the long river of history soon afterward. Even some of the greater civilizations left behind no more than a few scattered words, while certain powers chose to retreat behind the scenes. Finally, two thousand years ago, two vast empires emerged from among them, each capable of unifying either the north or the south."
"In the south of the continent, there was a barbarian tribe that took the Evil-Eyed White Tiger as its totem. It was unremarkable until a leader of extraordinary strength appeared. Seemingly blessed by a god, he possessed overwhelming power and swept away the other tribes in one stroke, unifying the entire south and establishing the Star Luo Empire."
"The Star Luo Empire's Soul Masters predominantly possessed beast martial souls, accounting for ninety percent of their total number. Compared with frail tool Soul Masters, those with beast martial souls had an absolute advantage in strength. Thus, without investigating further, once the Star Luo Emperor learned that the Soul Masters of the northern Heaven Dou Empire were mostly physically frail tool Soul Masters, he immediately assembled two armies to advance north around either side of the Star Dou Great Forest, intending to swiftly unite the continent."
"By then, the Heaven Dou Empire had already existed for several hundred years, and its political structure was firmly established. Kingdoms stood thick as trees, and sects flourished. Although the emperor held immense authority, these powers constrained him at every turn, leaving the administration inefficient."
"The Star Luo Empire rose faster than anyone had anticipated. By the time the Heaven Dou Emperor had decided on a response, the First Army, personally led by the Star Luo Emperor, had already reached Heaven Dou's border."
"The north was dominated by tool Soul Masters, whose individual strength fell far short of those in the Star Luo Empire. However, the Heaven Dou Empire had extremely advanced smelting and manufacturing industries. It could produce sturdy armor to complement weapons and warhorses that served as martial souls, making up for their defensive shortcomings. Even ordinary people could rely on heavy armor to fight low-level Soul Masters, and a royal knight order composed of high-ranking Soul Masters was also formed."
"Thus, faced with the threat of the First Legion personally led by the Star Luo Emperor, the Heaven Dou Emperor showed no fear. He immediately mobilized every elite knight in his territory and took the field himself. All the kings and sect leaders also knew full well how brutal the people of Star Luo were, so surrender was naturally out of the question. United as one, they assembled a vast legion and committed their entire main force to battle. The two sides met in what is now the demarcated buffer zone and fought a battle of staggering scale."
"As for their strongest combatants, although the Star Luo Emperor was immensely powerful, Heaven Dou had the full support of the experts from three top sects: the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. Their numerical advantage allowed them to overpower Star Luo's many experts. In the end, the battle concluded with an absolute victory for the Heaven Dou Empire. The Star Luo Emperor had no choice but to retreat with his army, while the Heaven Dou Emperor pursued with renewed vigor, advancing straight toward the Star Luo Imperial City."
"However, the Star Luo Emperor's seemingly arrogant decision played a decisive role at this point. Because the Heaven Dou Emperor had committed his entire army to the offensive, drawing away every capable fighter, the empire's garrison forces were extremely weak. Nor had they imagined that the Star Luo Empire had another vast legion taking a roundabout route. It only reached the border after Star Luo's First Legion had been routed, then carved a bloody path forward without meeting any meaningful resistance, fighting its way straight into Heaven Dou City."
"The people of Star Luo were brutal by nature, and just as they were about to massacre the city, they received the terrible news of the Star Luo Emperor's defeat. The Star Luo Imperial City was also on the verge of falling, so they dared not go too far. With each side's imperial capital passing into the other's hands, they had no choice but to negotiate peace."
"Star Luo's military strength had originally surpassed the Heaven Dou Empire's, but after this crushing defeat, it could barely hold its own. The remaining Second Legion was no match for Heaven Dou's elite forces. The Heaven Dou Emperor wanted to conquer all of Star Luo in one stroke, but after both armies withdrew, he could no longer assemble the great army he had commanded before. Reinforcements from the kingdoms and sects immediately withdrew, citing excessive losses. In reality, they feared that the Heaven Dou Emperor would unify the entire continent. With no foreign enemy left, he would naturally begin centralizing power, gravely damaging their interests."
"Only while the Star Luo Empire existed and posed a threat could their ruling positions remain secure."
"Without their support, the royal legion's fighting strength could barely match Star Luo's Second Army, not to mention that the First Army still retained plenty of elite troops. In the end, the Heaven Dou Emperor could only abandon his plans. After collecting hefty war reparations from Star Luo, the two sides demarcated their border and divided the entire continent between them. Taking one character from each empire's name, they named this land the Douluo Continent."
"Before that, no power had been able to decide this continent's name, nor had it ever been unified. Now the two great empires stood opposed in the north and south, and that division of territory has endured to this day."
It had to be said that Wang Yan had considerable potential as a storyteller. He spoke at a measured pace, and his stories were thoroughly captivating. At the very least, Leng Xiyue listened with relish.
The expectant look in Leng Xiyue's eyes was undoubtedly the greatest encouragement he could have received. Wang Yan cleared his throat and continued:
Given the confused accounts of the Douluo Continent's history, the similarly vague descriptions of Spirit Hall, the conflicting claims on Baidu, and the need for certain alternate-world elements, the account here serves as the definitive setting for this book.
Before you continue