"Tiandou Royal Academy, Tianshui Academy, Lei Ting Academy, Shenfeng Academy, and Shrek Academy—you are the top five teams that have risen above the competition. I hope you will shine again in the promotion match. The three academies with the best performances will be granted advanced spirit beasts by the empire. You may choose any spirit beast with a cultivation level of less than 30,000 years!"
If the previous rewards had little impact on the participants—given that they had already stepped into the ranks of soul masters—this reward was truly enticing. As soul masters, their most valued treasure was, without a doubt, advanced spirit rings.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Under this immense temptation, many participants couldn't help but bow solemnly to Emperor Xue Ye.
This scene made Saras furious, but he was powerless to intervene. He could only sit back in his seat, his expression grim.
After leaving the hall, Tang San walked up to Jun Tianlin and asked "Brother Jun, did you notice the tension between the Empire and the Spirit Hall?"
Because of the spirit bone that Jun Tianlin had gifted him, their relationship had somewhat eased on the surface. Although the spirit bone was later stolen by "Shi Nian" it had nothing to do with Jun Tianlin.
To Tang San, Jun Tianlin was both a future subordinate and a "fellow countryman" so they could still converse casually when they had nothing better to do.
Jun Tianlin nodded "The title is one thing, but granting us a guarantee of ten-thousand-year-old spirit beasts? That forces us to choose between the Empire and the Spirit Hall."
"Brother Jun, do you think His Majesty is merely posturing against the Spirit Hall, or has their conflict been brewing for a long time?" Tang San, aware of Jun Tianlin's connection to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan and his close ties to the royal family, sought to extract some insight.
Jun Tianlin smiled knowingly "I don't know. But it doesn't matter to me—I belong to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan. However, you, Brother Tang, should consider your position carefully."
With a pat on Tang San's shoulder, Jun Tianlin walked away.
In truth, he believed that even if Tang San didn't harbor deep hatred for the Spirit Hall, he would still choose to side with the Empire. Deep down, Tang San was aligned with the aristocracy, and following the Empire promised him greater benefits and a more prosperous Tang Sect.
Jun Tianlin wasn't overly concerned about such matters. His primary objective now was to prepare for the Spirit Hall's upcoming Soul Hunting Operation. Everything else could wait.
During the operation, most of the power would come from Bibi Dong's side. If he could severely weaken her, it would pave the way for Qian Renxue to take control in the future.
Jun Tianlin was determined to pursue the path of coexistence that Tian Meng had shown him—but his chosen partner could never be Bibi Dong.
Jun Tianlin was selfish, but he wasn't completely evil. As long as he could find a way to unify the continent peacefully without sacrificing the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, he would devote himself to that path.
Early the next morning, after a day's rest, all participating teams gathered at the new competition venue.
The promotion match wasn't held within heaven dou City but in a military camp outside its borders. Fifteen teams remained in the competition—five from the Tiandou Empire and ten from the various affiliated kingdoms and principalities.
They had all finally assembled in the heaven dou military camp.
The ten teams from the affiliated regions had arrived earlier to familiarize themselves with the environment. At the same time, they carried many promises from the kingdoms or principalities they represented. If they performed well, the rewards they would receive could surpass even those offered by Emperor Xue Ye.
After all, these smaller states were desperate for talent. Who wouldn't want powerful spirit masters under their command?
On the battlefields of the Douluo Continent, spirit masters had long since become the decisive factor.
The number of high-level spirit masters was the key measure of a faction's strength. This was precisely why the Spirit Hall held such a dominant position—even the two great empires dared not offend it lightly. Even though they knew that the Spirit Hall secretly supported various kingdoms and principalities, they remained silent.
Among these affiliated kingdoms, the Barak Kingdom stood out. As the most militarily powerful subordinate kingdom under the Tiandou Empire, its influence was immense.
Coincidentally, just as the Huang Dou team entered the military camp, they encountered the Barak team head-on. One of the Barak team members shot Jun Tianlin a resentful glare, his expression seething with hostility. As the two teams passed each other, he looked as if he wanted to tear Jun Tianlin apart.
Yu Tianheng leaned in and whispered "Xiaotian, that's Ao bai, the vice-captain of the Barak team and heir to the Ao family. I think he's been jealous of you for a long time because of what happened back then."
"I see" Jun Tianlin responded, his voice calm "But what interests me more is their captain. Everyone else showed some degree of hostility toward me—except him."
"Their captain? You mean Luo Fuqi?" As Huang Dou's captain, Yu Tianheng had already gathered intelligence on the major teams "He and Aolbai are the only two spirit masters in the Barak team. They come from the two most powerful families under the Barak royal family. The Ao family controls the kingdom's finances, while the Luo family oversees its military. Nearly all spirit master academies in Barak are under the Luo family's jurisdiction, giving them immense power. But the two families… aren't on good terms."
Disharmony—Yu Tianheng had touched on the key point. Jun Tianlin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
He was certain that the second attack on the Ao family had been orchestrated by Qian Renxue. Although she had framed him for it, Jun Tianlin didn't hate her for it. From her perspective, she had merely acted in her own best interest.
However, Jun Tianlin had no intention of being a passive target. He had a plan. If Qian Renxue was willing to coexist with him in the future, he wouldn't mind repaying evil with kindness and assisting her. But if she refused, they would inevitably become enemies—and he was more than ready to retaliate.
"Xiaotian, this Luo Fuqi isn't a good person. In some ways, he's worse than the people from the Ao family. Based on what I've learned, he bullied men and women alike and exploited the common folk while in the Barak Kingdom. But Barak is special—though it's a subordinate kingdom of the Empire, aside from mandatory tribute, it governs itself independently. Even the Empire has no real control over it." Yu Tianheng's voice carried a note of warning
"In that case, I can use him without hesitation." Jun Tianlin smiled slightly. If Luo Fuqi had been an upstanding man, he would have had to tread carefully. But given the circumstances, there was no need to hold back.