"I heard that the Spirit Hall Academy, under the Spirit Hall, won the championship in the previous two Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. This time, it might be them again."
"Therefore, Your Highness, it's best not to jump to conclusions too soon, lest we lose face if we lead the team to victory," Yu Tianheng said.
Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe smiled faintly, "The reason we failed in the previous two Soul Master Tournament was ultimately because the participants we sent weren't strong enough. But this time, with you taking the field, and having heard that your Soul Power Level is already 51, such strength is almost unmatched among the younger generation. I've had people inquire, and even the most outstanding Golden Generation within the Spirit Hall isn't as strong as you. Three years from now, they will be no match for you either. With that in mind, winning the Soul Master Tournament will be a piece of cake."
Then, Xue Qinghe leaned closer to Yu Tianheng and whispered, "I heard my father mention that if a team under the Heaven Dou Empire wins the Soul Master Tournament and brings fame to the empire, the team captain will be granted the title of Earl and a fiefdom of ten thousand acres."
"They have the right to allocate human and material resources within their fiefdoms, and can openly and legitimately develop their own territories, establish private armies, or engage in other activities beneficial to their own and their territories' development."
Aren't you tempted?
Upon hearing this, Yu Tianheng's gaze sharpened. He knew that Xue Qinghe's words were not a joke, but a fact. In the original storyline, the Shrek Seven Devils performed exceptionally well in the Soul Master Tournament, winning honor for the Heaven Dou Empire.
After the tournament, the Shrek Seven Monsters went their separate ways. Ma Hongjun returned to the Heaven Dou Empire, where his exceptional talent earned him the attention of the Heaven Dou Empire. He quickly received a letter of appointment Earl and became Earl in the Heaven Dou Empire.
However, during his five years as Earl, Ma Hongjun spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, resulting in slow progress in his Soul Power. Later, when the Shrek Seven Devils reunited, he relinquished his Earl status and returned to the Shrek Academy, after which he gradually grew stronger.
Yu Tianheng was not Ma Hongjun, a good-for-nothing who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun and couldn't even grasp power. If he obtained this title and had a fief, he would be of great use. Money and such were just external things and didn't matter much, but the idea of building a private army really tempted Yu Tianheng.
Given enough time, he could quickly build a formidable army by relying on his Martial Dao, the abundant resources at his disposal, and the support of Xue Qinghe.
At that time, one can either retreat to protect oneself or advance to contend for the world; the benefits are indeed immeasurable.
Seeing Yu Tianheng deep in thought, Xue Qinghe knew that Yu Tianheng was tempted, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
He wasn't afraid of Yu Tianheng's ambition, but rather of Yu Tianheng's lack of desire and ambition; such people are the hardest to control.
As long as Yu Tianheng has ambition, whether it's money, power, status, women, or anything else, he can satisfy it. Only then can Yu Tianheng submit to him and serve him.
It has to be said that Yu Tianheng is indeed the most talented Martial Soul cultivation genius I have ever seen. He reached the Five-Ring Soul King before he was even twenty years old. His cultivation speed is in no way inferior to mine. You have to know that I have only recently reached the sixth ring. You can imagine that Yu Tianheng will definitely be a Thunder Douluo in a few decades, or even stronger. Therefore, such a talent must be firmly controlled in my hands.
After a moment of silence, Yu Tianheng spoke, "If that's the case, then I will work hard. I am determined to win the Soul Master Tournament."
"Although there are still three years left, we must seize every second. So, Your Highness, I shall take my leave and return to my cultivation."
After speaking, Yu Tianheng stood up and bowed.
Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe did not try to stop him any longer and indicated that Yu Tianheng could leave on his own.
After leaving the palace where Xue Qinghe lived, Yu Tianheng went to the martial arts training ground near the palace to visit his disciple Mu Qing.
Dust swirled in the training ground. Mu Qing stood sideways, holding a long black iron staff, his gaze sweeping over the Heaven Dou soldiers standing in formation.
These prince's personal guards, who were originally only slightly stronger than ordinary soldiers, now had bulging muscles and veins on their foreheads rising and falling with their breath. At this moment, they were strong and vigorous, with the skin on their necks gleaming with a bronze luster, which was a sign of the great success of the Skin Refining Realm.
Among these three thousand Crown Prince's personal guards, quite a few have even reached the Flesh Refining Realm. The fact that they could achieve this in just one year shows that these soldiers have put in a lot of hard work in their Martial Dao training.
Upon seeing Yu Tianheng arrive, Mu Qing immediately stopped, had his subordinates stand in his place, and then quickly walked up to Yu Tianheng, bowing respectfully.
"Master."
Yu Tianheng reached out and helped Mu Qing up, saying, "Although training soldiers for His Highness the Crown Prince cannot be taken lightly, one's own cultivation cannot be neglected either. What realm are you at now?"
Mu Qing said, "This disciple is now at the second level of the Organ Refining Realm. I was able to achieve this thanks to the cultivation resources provided by Master. Otherwise, this disciple would probably still be lingering in the Bone Refining Realm, unable to break through."
"Unfortunately, our cultivation resources are now exhausted, and we'll have to rely on ourselves for the rest of our cultivation, which will inevitably slow down our cultivation speed."
Yu Tianheng nodded, indicating his understanding.
Although there is no threshold for Martial Dao cultivation and anyone can practice it, in order to reach a high level, in addition to one's own talent, resources are also very important, such as cultivation techniques, pills, and various rare medicinal materials that can help improve Martial Dao.
With these, cultivation speed can be increased, achieving twice the result with half the effort.
Upon learning that the cultivation resources he had given Mu Qing had run out, Yu Tianheng immediately took out a wooden box and a gourd and handed them to Mu Qing, instructing him, "This wooden box contains top-grade cultivation pills, made from the immortal Immortal Herb, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Consuming them will circulate your Qi throughout your limbs and open your blood vessels, allowing you to cultivate an indestructible body. After you receive them, find a safe place to consume them and circulate your cultivation techniques to absorb their medicinal power."
"If nothing unexpected happens, it will allow you to immediately break through a major bottleneck and directly enter the Innate Realm. After that, your cultivation path will progress by leaps and bounds."
"This gourd contains a spiritual spring for cultivation. Drinking it can also improve one's cultivation level, although it doesn't have the same effect as elixirs. You can decide how to use it."
Mu Qing nodded, then reached out and took the things Yu Tianheng gave him, and kept them safe.
He then bowed to Yu Tianheng again. "Thank you, Master!"
"By the way, you've been training soldiers in the palace for over a year now. How has Crown Prince Xue Qinghe treated you?" Yu Tianheng suddenly asked.
Mu Qing said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is very kind and courteous to me. There's nothing wrong with him. Overall, he's a very good person."
Upon hearing this, Yu Tianheng nodded, then asked, "Did he intend to win you over, for example, by having you join him and offering you high-ranking positions, wealth, and riches?"