Over on the Douluo Continent, every Soul Master wore an ugly expression, especially those who were currently competing in the Soul Fighting Arena.
They had all been called fighting cocks. How could they not be angry? But on second thought, was he wrong?
Apparently not. They fought fiercely on the stage to amuse the spectators below. Weren't they just fighting cocks?
Those young people with backing, who came to the Soul Fighting Arena only to hone their practical combat experience, could simply quit Soul Fighting in a fit of anger.
But the commoner Soul Masters who made their living through Soul Fighting could only swallow their resentment and keep competing.
Some noble Soul Masters also scoffed at these words.
"What a load of crap about the sword of the commoner. That's just bullshit spouted by someone without strength trying to save face. If a sword can kill, it's a good sword."
"Exactly. Whoever said that is just a loser saying the grapes are sour because he can't reach them. Hahaha..."
It had to be said, the degenerate nobles of the Douluo Continent were remarkably adaptable.
At Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu murmured to himself, turning the words over and over in his mind.
"The sword of the commoner... No matter how powerful someone is, if they draw their sword for the thrill of fighting, it's still only the sword of the commoner. Then what other swords are there besides it?"
Bibi Dong also asked at that moment, "What other swords are there besides the sword of the commoner?"
"Besides the sword of the commoner, there are the sword of the feudal lords and the sword of the Son of Heaven.
"Make the wise and brave its point, the honest and upright its edge, the virtuous and worthy its spine, the loyal and sage its guard, and the heroic and outstanding its hilt. This is the sword of the feudal lords.
"When this sword is wielded, it strikes like thunder, and all within the four borders submit."
"Huh? Aren't those all people? Isn't it too cruel to forge a sword out of people?"
Tang Fan had talked until his mouth was dry. He had just taken a sip of water to moisten his throat when he heard Bibi Dong's thunderbolt of a remark and immediately choked.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Bibi Dong was startled too and hurriedly patted Tang Fan on the back.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine, cough, cough... cough, cough... How does your mind even work? How did you get the idea of forging a sword out of people?"
"Wasn't that what you said?"
"The sword of the feudal lords doesn't refer to an actual sword. It refers to a country.
"Within a country, people of every talent perform their own duties, forging the country into a sharp sword that cuts through thorns and brambles, shakes the world, and subdues its neighbors."
"Oh, so that's what it means."
Tang Fan could tell that Bibi Dong hadn't really understood. She was just going along with what he said.
Meanwhile, in the Douluo Continent's two great empires, the Star Luo Emperor and Xue Ye were both smiling bitterly.
As emperors, they too wanted to forge such a sword of the feudal lords, but though willing, they lacked the means!
Did the two great empires have wise and brave, honest and upright, virtuous and worthy, loyal and sage, and heroic and outstanding people? Of course they did. Sadly, within the framework of the noble system, those talents would never see the light of day.
What was more, the sects competed with the two empires for talent, and the empires couldn't beat them.
"Learn the arts of the pen and the sword, then sell them to the imperial house." That saying didn't hold true on the Douluo Continent. The people trained by the sects knew only their sects, not the empires.
Among the nobles of the two empires, there were also perceptive people who knew how alluring the sword of the feudal lords was to an emperor.
But to safeguard the interests of their noble class, they would surely band together to resist their emperors' attempts to forge it.
At the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Sword Douluo sighed again. He had already lost count of how many times he had sighed today.
"This man can actually use a sword as a metaphor for a country. I fear I could never have conceived of such an idea in my lifetime. I am far inferior to him..."
Tang Fan caught his breath, and Bibi Dong apologetically wiped the water from the corner of his mouth.
"All right, let's talk about the sword of the Son of Heaven now."
"Mm-hmm. Does the Son of Heaven mean the emperor?"
"Yes. A feudal lord shepherds one country, while the Son of Heaven shepherds all under heaven. As for the sword of the Son of Heaven: Yanxi and Stone City form its point, Qi and Mount Dai its edge, Jin and Wei its spine, Zhou and Song its guard, and Han and Wei its hilt.
"It is enclosed by the peoples of the four borders, wrapped in the four seasons, encircled by the Bohai Sea, and girded by Mount Chang; governed by the five elements, judged by punishment and virtue, opened by yin and yang, held by spring and summer, and wielded by autumn and winter.
"Thrust it forward, and nothing stands before it; raise it, and nothing stands above it; press it down, and nothing stands beneath it; swing it, and nothing stands beside it.
"Above, it cleaves the drifting clouds; below, it severs the bonds of the earth. When this sword is wielded, it sets the feudal lords right, and all under heaven submit.
"Here, Yanxi, Stone City, Qi and Mount Dai, Jin and Wei, Zhou and Song, and Han and Wei are all place names.
"This sword encompasses heaven and earth, the four seasons, the five elements, yin and yang, benevolence and virtue, punishment, and so on... It is a sword truly capable of setting all under heaven right.
"Unfortunately, looking back over all of history, this sword of the Son of Heaven has never been forged.
"Even now, the sword of the Son of Heaven that our country has forged still cannot make all under heaven submit. There are always some barbarians beyond the pale who like to bare their teeth at us and test our bottom line.
"One day, this sword of the Son of Heaven will knock out their dog teeth."
But Bibi Dong's mind kept drifting involuntarily toward the idea of a physical sword.
For instance, a picture was taking shape in her mind right now.
The map of the Douluo Continent had been reshaped into a sword.
Spirit City, Star Luo City, Heaven Dou City, the Star Dou Great Forest, the Far North, Sea God Island... and so on had all become parts of the sword.
A giant picked up the sword forged from the entire Douluo Continent and unleashed a terrifying strike...
At the thought, Bibi Dong felt both excited and a little afraid.
In fact, Bibi Dong wasn't alone. Many Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent had the same idea. Unable to grasp the essence of the sword of the Son of Heaven, they could only imagine it as a physical sword.
And then they frightened themselves. Even the gods of the Douluo Continent struggled to lift 108,000 jin, let alone a sword made from an entire continent.
To them, even imagining using an entire continent as a sword was already utterly insane.
Qian Daoliu also murmured to himself, "Is this really a sword an emperor could wield? Even a god couldn't wield a sword like that, could they?"
In fact, this sword of the crown prince didn't need anyone to wield it. Once it had been forged, there would be no need to worry about anything else.
Seeing Bibi Dong lost in thought, Tang Fan smiled. "Hey, what are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering what kind of person could lift that sword of the Son of Heaven you described. Even a god couldn't do it, right?"
"You... Never mind. I think I know what you're imagining. As it happens, there's a place here that can satisfy your imagination a little."
"Huh? What place?"
"Come with me and you'll find out."
Tang Fan led Bibi Dong out of the exhibition hall and into the square. He searched on his phone and soon found the spot.
"This is it. Come over here."
Bibi Dong glanced around, puzzled.
"What is it? There's nothing special around here."
"Stand where I am, look in that direction, and hold your hand like this."
Tang Fan reached over and helped Bibi Dong position her hand as though gripping a sword. Her face flushed slightly.
"Don't look at me. Look over there!"
Bibi Dong grew even more embarrassed, but when she looked in the direction Tang Fan pointed, the embarrassment on her face gave way to amazement.