After listening to Zhang Peng's introduction of Xu Zhengyang, Zhongli Wu seemed to be deep in thought, and then stood up after a moment.
"I'll go and meet the most dazzling genius of the Sun Moon Empire."
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang was still pondering what to do next when suddenly two figures entered the hall. In addition to Zhang Peng, there was a middle-aged man who, judging from his aura and status, seemed to be above Zhang Peng.
The middle-aged man sat directly in the center of the hall, while Zhang Peng stood beside him without sitting down.
Xu Zhengyang looked puzzled. "Senior Zhang Peng, who is this—"
The middle-aged man spoke first, "I am Zhongli Wu, the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult Sect. You are Xu Zhengyang, who performed outstandingly in this Soul Master Tournament?"
Xu Zhengyang's expression changed, and he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "This junior greets the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult."
Zhongli Wu nodded without saying a word, but stared intently at Xu Zhengyang. Xu Zhengyang felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being watched by some kind of ferocious Fierce Beast, and even his soul seemed to tremble.
Zhongli Wu suddenly smiled, "Interesting. A mere Soul Ancestor, yet his strength has reached this level. No wonder he's the number one genius of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
Xu Zhengyang quickly replied, "Master, you flatter me. I am merely slightly better in combat and a bit more diligent than the others. In terms of cultivation talent, I am far inferior to Xiao Hongchen and the others."
Zhongli Wu didn't waste any words. With a slight wave of his hand, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear in Xu Zhengyang's hand came into Zhongli Wu's hand.
Upon acquiring the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear, Zhongli Wu's expression changed slightly. He had clearly sensed the pure Yang heat emanating from Zhongli Wu Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear. However, just moments later, his expression grew increasingly grave, as he could clearly feel the malevolent aura of the curse emanating from the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear.
A faint black aura appeared on Zhongli Wu's hand, which quickly seeped into the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear. However, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear quickly changed, and a scorching aura burst out, colliding head-on with the black aura.
Immediately afterwards, the black patterns on the surface of the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear seemed to be activated instantly, rapidly absorbing the black aura, and the power of the curse seemed to gradually increase.
Zhongli Wu gripped the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear, his expression growing increasingly solemn, even revealing a hint of surprise.
"Interesting, very interesting. This is indeed the power of a curse. I never imagined that a curse could actually fuse with Martial Soul, and even devour the aura of my Death God Demon Puppet. This fusion of the ultimate yang and the ultimate darkness is simply ingenious."
"Moreover, this spear is no longer a simple Martial Soul; it seems to have been forged using the techniques of Soul Tool, and it also resembles a legendary Life-Bound Soul Tool. It is indeed extraordinary."
Xu Zhengyang swallowed hard. Zhongli Wu's strength was simply too great. He had no power to resist him at all, especially since Zhongli Wu seemed very interested in his Martial Soul.
At this moment, Zhongli Wu waved his hand, and the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear returned to Xu Zhengyang's hand.
" Xu Zhengyang, I heard you came to my Holy Spirit Cult to see Tang Ya. Tell me, with your qualifications and strength, I'm afraid Tang Ya alone wouldn't interest you."
Xu Zhengyang quickly said, "Sect Leader, I came to the Holy Spirit Cult this time to see Tang Ya. Tang Ya is, after all, the Sect Leader of the Tang Sect. Back then, the Tang Sect was renowned throughout the Douluo Continent, and its strength was even comparable to that of the Shrek Academy today. Its foundation was absolutely profound. In fact, the creator of the Tang Sect was Sea God Tang San from ten thousand years ago."
"Although the Tang Sect has declined, it definitely has its merits. Even their outdated Hidden Weapon still have advantages. If these Hidden Weapon could be applied to Soul Tool, it might be able to take Soul Tool technology to the next level."
Zhongli Wu scrutinized Xu Zhengyang carefully, as if he were looking at a work of art, and even the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"If I remember correctly, although you are now Soul Ancestor, you are only Level 3 Soul Engineer. Moreover, judging from your combat performance, you focus more on the practical combat ability of your Martial Soul Martial Soul and its application. You even went so far as to forge your Martial Soul into something similar to Soul Tool. I'm afraid you weren't looking for Tang Ya for any Hidden Weapon at all, but rather for the cultivation techniques from the Tang Sect back then."
Xu Zhengyang's expression changed in surprise, as if he had been exposed. "Master, I did have a similar purpose in seeking out Tang Ya. After all, the Tang Sect was created by the Sea God Tang San, and there must be some contingency plans left behind by Tang San within the Tang Sect."
"During the Soul Master Tournament, I saw several Tang Sect disciples from the Shrek Academy. They left a very deep impression on me. Whether it was Bei Bei's hidden Hidden Weapon or Huo Yuhao's fighting style, they all struck me as very strange. That's why I wanted to find Tang Ya."
Zhongli Wu nodded. "You do have some ideas, but then again, Tang Ya is now a member of my Holy Spirit Cult."
Saintess, what do you want to get from Tang Ya? Isn't it just that you want something from my Holy Spirit Cult?
"You should have heard of my Holy Spirit Cult. My Holy Spirit Cult only takes and never gives. Anyone who wants to obtain anything from our Holy Spirit Cult will probably have to pay a corresponding price. I wonder if you are prepared for that?"
Xu Zhengyang was also extremely puzzled. Why would the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult say such things to him? Logically speaking, he should be nothing more than an ant in the leader's eyes. He must have a purpose in saying these words.
"Master, what price would I need to pay if I wanted to obtain the Tang Sect's secrets from Tang Ya?"
Zhongli Wu shook his head. "This isn't about the cost, Xu Zhengyang. I'd like to ask you, what's your opinion of my Holy Spirit Cult?"
Xu Zhengyang quickly said, "Master, I have no prejudice against the Holy Spirit Cult, and I have long admired you, Master. I would never dare to have any prejudice against the Holy Spirit Cult."
Zhongli Wu's face showed a hint of mockery. "Oh, that's interesting. Since you've long admired my Holy Spirit Cult Holy Spirit Cult, I'll grant you permission to join. What do you say?"
Xu Zhengyang swallowed hard. "Master, although I have long admired the Holy Spirit Cult, I was born into the Xu Clan of the Sun Moon Empire and am also the captain of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. I'm afraid it's inconvenient for me to join the Holy Spirit Cult."
Zhongli Wu burst into wild laughter. "You hypocritical junior are quite interesting. I don't like being fooled. You know perfectly well what kind of reputation my Holy Spirit Cult has on the Sun Moon Continent. There's no need for a junior like you to cover it up."
"Besides, even if you have some status in the Sun Moon Empire, if I force you to join the Holy Spirit Cult, do you think the people behind you will clash with my Holy Spirit Cult for your sake?"
"Speak, how do you view my Holy Spirit Cult, and how do you view us so-called Evil Soul Master? After all, you are a member of the royal family and represent the image of the royal family."
Xu Zhengyang, who was initially frightened, gradually calmed down and became unusually serious.
"Master, I have never met any disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult, but I have heard about the reputation of the Holy Spirit Cult and the Evil Soul Master. Legend has it that the Holy Spirit Cult uses special methods to control its disciples, enabling them to rapidly increase their strength and turn them into mad and evil beings, making them demonic beings."
"As for the so-called Evil Soul Master, they also commit evil deeds everywhere, harming innocent people. They are a scourge in the Douluo World, to the point that everyone hates them. This shows how great the harm caused by Evil Soul Master is."
Upon hearing this, Zhongli Wu burst into laughter. "Hahaha, it's been a long time since anyone has spoken of the Holy Spirit Cult in such a way in front of me. But Xu Zhengyang, do you know that besides being the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult Sect, I am also the Grand Preceptor of the Sun Moon Empire? If you speak of my Holy Spirit Cult in this way, aren't you also belittling your royal family?"
Xu Zhengyang shook his head. "These are not my personal evaluations of the Holy Spirit Cult and the Evil Soul Master, but rather the world's evaluations of you. It could even be said that it is the reputation you have earned over the years. As for whether you are a national advisor or something similar, the royal family will make its own judgment. It is not up to a small Soul Ancestor like mine to comment."
"On the contrary, I think these evaluations are biased, or rather, too extreme, and too one-sided."
Zhongli Wu nodded. "Then tell me, what is your true opinion of our Holy Spirit Cult, and how do you evaluate the Evil Soul Master?"
Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "What is righteous? What is evil? Who are the upright people? And who are the evil forces? In fact, for many people, there is no definitive answer. Ultimately, it just comes down to who is stronger."
"Take Shrek Academy, for example. They always claim to be neutral and righteous, but what are they really like? Their inner court disciples have the highest mortality rate of all advanced Soul Master Academy in the entire Douluo Continent. Moreover, a Soul Master Academy that doesn't focus on teaching but instead constantly thinks about maintaining peace in the Douluo World —isn't that overstepping its bounds?"
"Whether it's an empire or a sect, there are rules, but Shrek Academy operates outside of those rules. Since they've gone beyond the rules, who can judge their own mistakes?"
"Moreover, in terms of talent, Shrek Academy can be said to encompass all the geniuses of the entire Douluo Continent. With so many geniuses gathered together, some masters are bound to emerge. On the contrary, the talents of the Holy Spirit Cult disciples are probably far inferior to those of the Shrek Academy, but in terms of overall strength, they are probably stronger than Shrek Academy. Otherwise, you, the Cult Leader, would not have been able to become the National Preceptor of the Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Zhengyang's attitude at this moment was completely different from before. If he was timid and fearful before, he had become exceptionally arrogant and confident. Otherwise, he would not have dared to say these words in front of Zhongli Wu.
Zhongli Wu listened to these words thoughtfully. Just as Xu Zhengyang said, this world ultimately respects strength, and Shrek Academy is currently the strongest, so naturally no one dares to oppose Shrek Academy, not even the three great empires.
Xu Zhengyang continued, "Take the Star Luo Empire's recent auction of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo, for example; it's clearly a..."
When the trap set for the Sun Moon Empire resulted in widespread anger towards the Star Luo Empire, Shrek Academy once again intervened to mediate. Ultimately, their aim was simply to protect the Star Luo Empire; it's just that their strength was sufficient, and all parties were willing to give them face.
" Shrek Academy dares to do this, and is able to do it, partly because its strength is indeed formidable, and partly because of the ideology and reputation it has cultivated over the years. It is precisely because it has consistently championed justice and done things to maintain peace that everyone feels that Shrek Academy is doing the right thing."
"To put it bluntly, if it were you, the leader, who were to mediate this time, people would only think that the Holy Spirit Cult had ulterior motives, or even that the Holy Spirit Cult was colluding with the Star Luo Empire. This is human prejudice, and it's also a kind of habitual thinking."