Xu Tianran's Rewards
Leading the welcoming party was none other than Xu Tianran, the current crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire, who sat in a wheelchair at the very front of the crowd.
He wore a black dragon robe, had a fair complexion, and his eyes were slightly closed. Only when he occasionally opened them could one glimpse the depth and ruthlessness of this future emperor.
Don't think this is an exaggeration. Considering that the Sun Moon Empire has never won against Shrek in four thousand years and has been suppressed to the point of being known as the "perennial runner-up," winning this time is indeed more worthy of celebration than the New Year.
Moreover, this doesn't just represent the victory of a single match; it also involves a covert struggle between the Sun Moon and Douluo factions.
The Sun Moon Empire won this competition, and the best way to describe it is as a stock price surge. The people of the Sun Moon Empire were like crazy stock market investors. When they saw the stocks they invested in soaring, their first thought was to increase their bets.
Don't forget what era we're in now— Xu Tianran had already planned to launch a war against the Shrek Academy and the Douluo Three Kingdoms after ascending the throne. Before that, he had already won a great victory in the Soul Fighting Tournament. No amount of celebration or publicity would be excessive.
Bao Liang and his team naturally received preferential treatment beyond what was expected.
First and foremost are the noble titles of the Sun Moon Empire.
The noble titles in the Sun Moon Empire are not much different from those in the Douluo Three Kingdoms. Apart from the royal family, there are five titles: Prince, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.
In this awarding ceremony, the first reward each of Bao Liang and his companions received was a noble title, with the lowest being a baron. Xiao Hongchen, Ma Rulong, and Ji Juechen received viscounts, Bao Liang, who performed the best and made the greatest contribution, received the title of Earl.
Hmm... I think I could try a nickname like "The Explosive Earl," Bao Liang thought to himself.
It is worth mentioning that Jing Hongchen holds the title of Duke in the Sun Moon Empire, which is equal to that of Dai Hao.
As for princes... the Sun Moon Empire currently has no princes of different surnames.
Of course, titles are indeed a great honor and glory for ordinary people, but for the strong, especially those above the ninth ring, they are just a title that is dispensable.
Just like Jing Hongchen, he never refers to himself as Duke Hongchen in public. Others' impression of him is that he is the Master of the Mingde Hall and the Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the top level Level 9 Soul Engineer in the Sun Moon Empire. They would not regard the title of Duke of the Sun Moon Empire as his greatest honor.
Bao Liang didn't care much about titles; he was more curious about what Xu Tianran would offer as a reward.
What's the use of titles? You still need to produce something of real quality.
Just like Dai Hao next door, all he can boast about is the title of White Tiger Duke; he's utterly useless in every other way.
Before long, to Bao Liang's expectant gaze, the physical rewards finally began to be distributed; after all, this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
But the physical reward disappointed him.
It's not that it's not precious.
As the first Sun Moon Empire team to defeat Shrek Team, Xu Tianran would never offer them ordinary goods. Even those who were just there to make up the numbers, like Lin Xi, were given a top-tier level eight Soul Tool and a large amount of rare metals.
Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen received Level 9 Soul Tool as a reward, and their share of rare metals also increased significantly.
Bao Liang's reward was also quite good. Although it was also a Level 9 Soul Tool —a heavy soul tool battle axe called "Star Shatter"—the share of rare metals was about 30% more than that of Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen.
Is this reward valuable? Of course it is.
It's no exaggeration to say that the physical rewards Bao Liang received were enough to buy another Snow Empress Embryo.
But he couldn't use it!
None of these things could withstand his construction.
He could easily obtain Level 9 Soul Tool and rare metals from Jing Hongchen.
These things weren't that valuable to him at all, especially since he already had the Snow Empress Embryo and what he wanted, and didn't need money for the time being.
"Sigh... you're right. It was just an easy match, so we should be content with what we have."
Bao Liang couldn't help but sigh, then stuffed all the things into his pocket.
Of course, accepting gifts doesn't mean I have to open up to Xu Tianran.
It's impossible for me to have a heart-to-heart talk with Xu Tianran; I'll never be able to have one in this lifetime.
In the original story, this guy, after using Jing Hongchen to his heart's content, directly exiled Jing Hongchen and his entire family to Heaven Dou City to retire and live a peaceful life.
Although the repeated problems that arose after Jing Hongchen took control of the Mingde Hall were partly due to this, that's the nature of the imperial family. They didn't eliminate Jing Hongchen Jing Hongchen because of his strength and hard work.
Bao Liang had no desire to deal with such a wicked person. It was better to leave this to Jing Hongchen to deal with slowly, and let him have a good talk with Jing Hongchen later.
Better safe than sorry.
After the rewards were distributed, Bao Liang and the others could disperse and go home.
Once the competition is over, these young geniuses' mission is complete. Now they just need to enjoy the honor of being champions and continue their research and further studies in the field of Soul Guidance Technology.
They don't need to worry about other things.
After Bao Liang and the others left, Jing Hongchen pushed Xu Tianran, who was in a wheelchair, closer and whispered, "Your Highness, during the competition, we encountered someone and brought him back."
"Oh? Who did you bring back, my dear minister?" Xu Tianran didn't even lift his eyelids, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his wheelchair, the rhythm slow but powerful.
"Former Crown Prince of the Empire, Xu He."
Xu Tianran paused, his fingers tapping the armrest. After a long while, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, and his voice was as calm as if he were talking about the weather.
"Oh? My cousin who defected? Well done, my dear minister."
Where are they?
"He has been imprisoned in a specially made soul-guiding cell on the ninth basement level of the Mingde Hall, his Martial Soul and Soul Power sealed, awaiting His Majesty's decision at any time," Jing Hongchen said respectfully.
"The ninth floor..." Xu Tianran repeated, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashing in his eyes, "Alright."
"I accept this generous gift."
"Minister Jing, your Sun Moon Team has made a great contribution to this competition. I will personally celebrate your victory."
As for Xu He... I will interrogate him personally.
"You've worked hard, my dear minister. Please go back and rest."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Jing Hongchen bowed and withdrew, then turned and left with Ju Zi, pushing the wheelchair. As they passed Bao Liang, their eyes met, and they both saw a knowing smile in each other's eyes.
Bao Liang stood in the crowd, watching Xu Tianran's wheelchair disappear into the distance. A faint blue flame flickered in his right eye as he casually swept his spiritual power across the surroundings—the high-ranking officials of the Mingde Hall, members of the royal family, and military leaders, all wearing smiles but harboring their own calculations in their eyes.
The waters of Mingdu City are far deeper than those of Star Luo City.
"A-Liang, what are you daydreaming about?" Meng Hongchen took his arm, her silver hair fluttering in the wind. "We're home. Grandpa Jing said there's a celebratory banquet at the Mingde Hall tonight, and they'll have your favorite 'stir-fried crystal snails'."
"Let's go eat and drink." Bao Liang stretched, a signature lazy smile playing on his lips. "But Sister Meng, don't use that 'I surrender, meow' line from the ring next time, it's too embarrassing."
"I'm not ashamed! That was a tactical decoy, don't you understand?" Meng Hongchen said righteously, glaring at him. "Besides... didn't you secretly record it? Why did you store it in the Soul Guidance Communicator?"
"Keep this for your future children to see, 'Look how adorable your mother was back then.'" Bao Liang grinned mischievously, dodging Meng Hongchen's pinch on the waist, and strode forward.
Xiao Hongchen whistled from behind, "Hey, here comes the lovey-dovey! Single dogs like us can't escape this! Senior Ma, Senior Ji, let's all go for a drink, don't be third wheels!"
Ma Rulong and Ji Juechen exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Let's go!"
Amid cheers, firecrackers, and drums, a group of young champions stepped through a carpet of red ribbons and entered the heart of the Sun Moon Empire — Mingdu —and into the torrent of a new era.
On the ninth basement level of the Mingde Hall, in the eternal darkness, a thin figure huddled in a corner. Hearing footsteps, he suddenly raised his head. His eyes were empty and filled with despair, but the moment he saw the silhouette of the person approaching, a glint of light called "hatred" burst forth.
He Caitou —no, Xu He —stared intently at the man pushing the wheelchair, letting out a hoarse growl.
"Xu Tianran... you will die by my hand one day!"
The man in the wheelchair stopped, turned around, and his calm eyes held no emotion, only endless coldness.
"Xu He, now that you're back, enjoy the hospitality at the Mingde Hall."
"By the way, how is that 'Little Sister Lexuan ' doing at Shrek? I... am really looking forward to seeing her."
As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy iron gate slammed shut with a loud crash, shutting out all light, sound, hatred, and hope from the darkness.