When Jing Hongchen came out of the Imperial Palace, it seemed like he was still dreaming.
"Lu Ren ah----"
Lu Ren looked back at Jing Hongchen: "Huh?
"Spirit Pagoda This project is just like this? Your Majesty is willing to devote all the efforts of the country to support you?"
Jing Hongchen's footsteps were fluttering, as if he were stepping on clouds.
He was still holding the imperial edict Xu Tianran had just signed in his hand. The silk and satin were warm to the touch, and the Imperial Jade Seal mark on it was dazzling red, but it made him feel extremely unreal.
Jing Hongchen has participated in countless Soul Tool projects that could change the destiny of the empire, but none of them can compare with today.
That is a revolution that overturns Soul Master World's ten thousand-year foundation, and it is an eternal foundation that can make Sun Moon Empire truly Unification of the Continent.
And all of this was actually finalized in the hall by the fifteen-year-old boy in front of him in less than half a day.
"Otherwise?" Lu Ren's face was calm, without any ecstasy of success, only his usual indifference, "Xu Tianran is a smart man, he knows the value of Soul Spirit System better than anyone else."
"Give him a Unification of the Continent chance. Not to mention devoting all the efforts of the whole country, he is willing to pay a heavier price even if it is done."
"Think about it, before there was Soul Spirit Contract, what did Sun Moon Empire have to face if he wanted to conquer the mainland?"
"Shrek's top Soul Master, Three Great Empires's coalition forces, and Star Dou Great Forest's Soul Beast threats, each are uncontrollable variables."
"Now, as long as Spirit Pagoda is established, Sun Moon Empire's Soul Engineer Legion's combat power can be doubled in a short period of time, and there is no need to even provoke Soul Beast."
"For Xu Tianran, this is not a multiple-choice question, this is completely a points question. If you don't choose us, you would be really stupid.
"But----but----" Jing Hongchen was still a little unable to recover, and his skinny fingers subconsciously rubbed the corners of the imperial edict.
"I originally thought that His Majesty would create difficulties in every possible way, ask for Soul Spirit Contract's core technology, and would put a large number of the Imperial Family people in to control Spirit Pagoda. After all, this is his style, and he is naturally wary of any force that is not under the Imperial Family's full control."
"In the end, he didn't ask for anything. He only proposed two very loose conditions and gave you such great autonomy, including tax exemption, independent management, and legal immunity. This is almost a small kingdom independent of the empire."
"He didn't dare to ask for it." Lu Ren said calmly, with a calm but confident tone, "The core technology is in my hands. At this stage, only Nana and I can perfectly use Soul Spirit Contract."
"If he dares to rob me, I can turn around and take my technology to other countries. Although other countries don't deal with us and don't know me, they are not stupid enough to push Soul Spirit Contract out. Then it will be him Xu Tianran who will cry."
"And he knows in his heart that I have no interest in his Imperial Throne or his empire."
"What I want has never been power in the world, but a platform that allows Soul Spirit System to implement smoothly. Sun Moon Empire gives me this platform, so Xu Tianran gives me a free ride to make it more convenient for the Unification of the Continent. Of course I won't mind, that's all."
"He deliberately didn't mention the core technology today, just to express his position to me. He is not here to steal things, he is here to cooperate."
Jing Hongchen suddenly stopped and looked at Lu Ren's side face blankly.
The midday sun shines on the young man's body, outlining his tall and straight silhouette.
His eyes looked calmly into the distance, as if the prosperity of Mingdu, the power of the empire, and the overwhelming wealth could not enter his eyes.
Jing Hongchen always has the illusion that Lu Ren and they are not from the same world at all.
What they fight for is the gain and loss of a city and a place, the power and position under one person, the glory of the family and the rise and fall of the empire.
And Lu Ren stands at a height that none of them can reach, overlooking the fate of the entire Douluo Continent.
"I understand." Jing Hongchen took a deep breath, suppressed all the shock and emotion in his heart, and his expression became extremely solemn.
"Next, I will send people back to mobilize Illustrious Virtue Hall's top construction Soul Tool and engineering teams to station at the construction site early tomorrow morning."
"Building a thousand acres of land is no small project, but within half a year, I promise to build you the most magnificent Spirit Pagoda Headquarters in the continent!"
"Then it's all thanks to Hall Master Mirror." Lu Ren nodded slightly, then changed the subject, "By the way, your grandchildren are still in the academy, right?"
"That's true, but why did the topic suddenly turn to Laughter and Dreams?" Jing Hongchen was confused and didn't quite understand why Lu Ren mentioned Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen at this time.
Lu Ren said bluntly, "Isn't Spirit Pagoda very short of people now? You can let your family and Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen settle in Spirit Pagoda in the future."
Jing Hongchen was frozen on the spot, the imperial edict in his hand almost fell to the ground, Brain was completely blank.
Just now he was lamenting that Lu Ren has a grand structure and does not aspire to power, but then he turned around and received such a huge pie, which made him dizzy.
Let Hongchen Family settle in Spirit Pagoda?
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen also join?
There is no need for help here. This is obviously the wealth and wealth that pours from the sky. It was personally delivered to his Hongchen Family hands.
"Lu Ren, you----are you telling the truth?"
Jing Hongchen's voice was trembling, and he stared at Lu Ren, for fear that he had heard wrongly.
He had never seen any strong winds or waves in his life, but at this moment, his hands were shaking uncontrollably.
No matter how strong Illustrious Virtue Hall is, he is still a vassal of the Imperial Family, an organization of the empire, and has no ownership relationship with him, the leader of the hall.
Therefore, no matter how important he is, Jing Hongchen is just a minister. Whether Hongchen Family can continue to be glorious a hundred years later depends on the face of the next emperor, or whether Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen can grow up smoothly and gain the respect of the Sun Moon Empire's senior officials.
But Spirit Pagoda is different. This is a behemoth destined to surpass all forces and influence Douluo Continent for thousands of years.
If you join now, you will be the founding father and the original shareholder of Spirit Pagoda.
As long as Lu Ren does not fall, as long as Spirit Pagoda is still there, and Hongchen Family does not do anything stupid, then Hongchen Family will be able to prosper from generation to generation and live the same life as Spirit Pagoda.
Lu Ren smiled faintly, "Spirit Pagoda will need a large number of reliable manpower to promote it throughout the continent in the future."
"Master, your family is full of talents and has rich management experience. This is exactly what I need most."
"As for Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, they are two top-notch talents and are the leaders of the younger generation."
"Spirit Pagoda will set up Soul Tool and Soul Spirit Combined Research Institute in the future to study how Soul Spirit can cooperate with Soul Tool. You also saw it in the hall today. The potential of Soul Spirit wearing Soul Tool is far from being tapped."
"Let Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen be the leaders of this project, and they will surely become one of the leaders of Spirit Pagoda in the future.
"Moreover, their future achievements are limitless. If Soul Spirit System can support them, they can become Titled Douluo in less than ten years. Even becoming the future Level 10 Soul Engineer is not a dream.
"Titled Douluo----Level 10 Soul Engineer!"
Jing Hongchen murmured to himself, his eyes bursting with unprecedented light.
What he worries most about are his two grandchildren. Although they are highly talented, they are too young. Whether they can grow up smoothly in the future and not die young before becoming Level 9 Soul Engineer has always been Jing Hongchen's biggest worry.
And now, Lu Ren gives them a broader road than Illustrious Virtue Hall.
"Lu Ren, thank you for your kindness!"
Jing Hongchen suddenly bowed deeply to Lu Ren, bending his waist almost ninety degrees, and his tone was extremely solemn.
Among experts of his level, there are no more than three people in the Sun Moon Empire who can allow him to give this gift, and only Kong Deming, the father of Soul Tool, counts.
But at this moment, he willingly bent down to a fifteen-year-old boy.
"From now on, I, Hongchen Family, will only follow your lead!"
"Spirit Pagoda's business is my Hongchen Family's business! Anyone who dares to go against Spirit Pagoda is going to go against me, Jing Hongchen!"
This worship completely laid the foundation of Spirit Pagoda.
With the full support of the Hongchen Family, it is equivalent to gaining the support of the entire Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Illustrious Virtue Hall is Sun Moon Empire's largest Soul Tool R&D and production organization. It controls the most advanced Soul Tool Technology, the largest industrial system and the most mature management team in the continent.
Spirit Pagoda has had these from the beginning, and no one can stop its rise.
Lu Ren stretched out his hand to help Jing Hongchen, and said with a smile, "The hall master is serious, we are a win-win cooperation, I will give Hongchen Family a future, Hongchen Family will help me carry forward Spirit Pagoda, so we are mutually beneficial, no need to thank me."
Jing Hongchen has always treated him well, and Lu Ren has always kept this sincerity in his heart.
Of course, he also needs to leave some space in Spirit Pagoda.
For example, Zhang Peng.
If Zhang Peng wants to come in the future, Lu Ren has already prepared his exclusive place.
Coupled with the Sect Master of the Body Sect Du Busi, it is natural that Spirit Pagoda also has to reserve a good position, even if he is just a guest elder in name.
He has not forgotten these people who helped Lu Ren.
"Okay! Okay! Okay!"
Jing Hongchen said three good words in a row, and I was so excited that I burst into tears.
Lu Ren is not asking Hongchen Family to help. This is clearly putting half of Spirit Pagoda's future in his hands Hongchen Family.
Pagoda Master is Nana, representing the absolute authority of Lu Ren.
The projects responsible for the research of Soul Tool and Soul Spirit are Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, mastering the core technology.
Coupled with the fact that he, Hall Master of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, was supporting him from behind, Spirit Pagoda was firmly controlled by them from the inside out.
What else is he dissatisfied with with this arrangement?
"Don't worry, I will talk to Xiao and Meng specifically about this matter when I get back and listen to their own thoughts."
"If they are willing to join, that is their blessing; if they are unwilling to join, then forget it, I will never force it."
"But if they are willing to join, even if they are my grandchildren, I will never favor them. If they have no ability, they will leave. I will only stay based on my ability."
"The capable will be promoted and the mediocre will be demoted. We will never let anyone break Spirit Pagoda's rules." Jing Hongchen promised, patting his chest and speaking in an extremely firm tone.
At this moment, he has completely regarded himself as a member of Spirit Pagoda, and everything else feels less important than Spirit Pagoda.
Anyone who dares to hinder the development of Spirit Pagoda will be his Jing Hongchen's mortal enemy.
"It's a bit too exaggerated." Lu Ren laughed and said nothing more.
Perhaps Jing Hongchen is now more interested in Spirit Pagoda than himself.
At this moment, Lu Ren seemed to sense something.
His Spirit Domain Realm Spiritual Power captured an extremely obscure energy fluctuation.
The fluctuation was extremely weak and was deliberately suppressed to the point of almost non-existence, but Lu Ren still noticed it.
He turned his head and looked in the direction of a dark corner. The shadows there should have been normal under the setting sun, but at this moment they seemed a bit too thick.
"Zhongli Wu, since you came here in person, why bother hiding?"
The sound of Lu Ren is not loud, but it is extremely clear.
His eyes fell calmly on the seemingly empty shadow.
Jing Hongchen stiffened when he heard this, and almost instinctively activated all the ninth-level Defensive Soul Tool in his body.
A light blue energy shield instantly unfolded around him, and several attack-type Soul Tool appeared beside him at the same time, with the muzzle of the gun aimed at the shadow.
He was completely unaware that anyone was following him, which meant that the other party's hiding ability was far beyond his range of perception.
The one who can completely hide his aura in front of him, Level 9 Soul Engineer, is at least Super Douluo level.
There was silence for a moment in the shadow, and then a deep laughter slowly sounded.
The laughter was cold and hoarse, like a night owl croaking in a silent cemetery, making the hairs on Jing Hongchen's back stand up.
The shadows parted to both sides like living creatures, and Zhongli Wu slowly walked out of it.
He stood about three feet away from Lu Ren, with his hands behind his back, his posture was calm, and he was not at all embarrassed about having his whereabouts revealed.
Those deep purple eyes looked at Lu Ren with a hint of scrutiny and playfulness.
"Lu Ren, you really have some skills."
Zhongli Wu's voice was cold and hoarse, like a poisonous snake spitting a message.
"I have restrained all my aura, and even Jing Hongchen couldn't notice it, but you discovered it.
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"Your Spiritual Power is sharper than I thought. It seems that the so-called Soul Spirit Contract is just the tip of the iceberg among your many trump cards."
His gaze paused for a few breaths on Lu Ren, then tilted his head slightly and glanced at Jing Hongchen, who was facing a formidable enemy. "Master of the Hall of Mirrors, don't be nervous. I am not here to do anything. I just want to chat with little friend Lu Ren alone. Some things are not convenient to say in the hall, so now is a good time."
"I have nothing to talk about with you." Lu Ren refused decisively, not even bothering to be polite, "I made it very clear in the palace, Soul Spirit System and Holy Spirit Cult have different paths of good and evil, and they will never be compatible."
"You want me to be your Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Son. That's impossible. I have no interest in joining an organization that relies on living people for cultivation."
Zhongli Wu was not annoyed, but looked at Lu Ren with great interest.
A sarcastic smile flashed across those deep purple eyes, as if they had heard a big joke.
"I know that you are biased against Holy Spirit Cult, but have you ever thought that your power system is essentially no different from ours, Holy Spirit Cult?"
He slowly raised his right hand, and a surging black energy appeared in his palm. The energy was cold and violent, and it was Soul Power unique to Evil Soul Master.
"We have the same ability, especially when I found out that you have a lot of Evil aura, which is stronger than many of our Holy Spirit Cult elders, I immediately understood, Lu Ren, if you can practice to this level, it means you have killed many people."
"Even the Soul Spirit in your so-called Soul Spirit Contract is similar to the Vengeful Spirits Refinement Method in our Holy Spirit Cult."
"Lu Ren, you keep saying there are separate paths between good and evil, but what's the difference between the power you use and the way you kill people with us?"
"Your power is inherently dark and negative, and it grows by devouring death. Do you think you can whiten yourself by wearing a coat of Soul Spirit Contract?"
"What a joke. Are you saying that all my strength is obtained by killing people?"
Lu Ren almost laughed at Zhongli Wu's ignorance.
He had traveled to the Douluo Continent for two years and had not killed many people. Apart from the Shrek expedition team and Evil Soul Master of Holy Spirit Cult, he had almost no conflicts with other forces.
As for Shrek, it was a battle on Arena. There was nothing to say about his inferior skills, not to mention that they were the ones who killed them first, and Lu Ren only killed them back.
And Xuan Zi is aggressive, repeatedly bringing people here to kidnap him back, using deceitful means to try to exploit loopholes in the agreement, and completely using irregular means to force Lu Ren to join. Only then did Shrek Academy and Lu Ren wipe out almost all of Shrek's expedition team and send away the annoying fly Shrek.
As for the Holy Spirit Cult people, he did kill a lot of them.
At least more than a hundred Evil Soul Master died at his hands, ranging from Soul Grandmaster to Titled Douluo.
Of course, if Evil Soul Master, who was murderous and bloodthirsty and took innocent lives for his own cultivation, could be considered human beings, then he had indeed killed quite a lot, over a hundred of them.
But each of these people's hands are stained with the blood of innocents, and there is no psychological burden to kill them Lu Ren.
Lu Ren has never used the lives of innocent people to provide for his own cultivation. He only absorbs the negative emotions in the hearts of the public. He has a clear conscience.
"Zhongli Wu, you are so confident in your raking skills. I can only say that you are too old to be thick-skinned?"
Jing Hongchen Hearing these words, cold sweat broke out in his palms.
Of course he knows that the power system of Lu Ren is somewhat similar to Evil Soul Master, which also exudes a negative aura. Even those Soul Spirit are no different from Vengeful Spirits in the eyes of ordinary people.
But Jing Hongchen is completely aware that Lu Ren does not devour the souls of living people or kill the lives of living people to enhance their cultivation.
From the time Lu Ren entered school until now, he has watched this young man grow up step by step and has never done anything harmful to nature.
But he couldn't explain this kind of thing to Lu Ren, because he himself didn't know much about it.
He could only stare at Zhongli Wu, his fingers already on the trigger device of Level 9 Soul Tool.
"Okay, Zhongli Wu, you come here to talk nonsense with me. It's just that you can't do anything to me directly. Do you want to achieve your goal by talking?"
Lu Ren shrugged and told Zhongli Wu with regret.
"Unfortunately, I look down on you and have no intention of joining Holy Spirit Cult."
"Of course, there are no absolutes in everything. If you Holy Spirit Cult are willing to change the status quo, no longer be Evil Soul Master, and are willing to change your own cultivation methods - I might consider it."
His tone was sincere when he said this, but the sarcasm in his eyes was undisguised.
Because Lu Ren knows better than anyone that the current Holy Spirit Cult is impossible to change.
Their entire cultivation system, and even the evolutionary direction of Martial Soul, are based on devouring souls and robbing lives.
Asking them to give up Evil Soul Master's practice method is tantamount to asking them to abandon their martial arts skills.