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Speaking of Ning Fengzhi, in terms of character design, he is actually more cunning than Master Yu Xiaogang. However, his actions can only be described as short-sighted.
Or rather, all three of the upper sects share a common flaw—they like to play both sides. They stir up trouble between the two empires, ensuring that neither side completely swallows the other.
They know that if the continent were unified, their survival space would be severely compressed.
After all, within their own sects, they are accustomed to having the final say. In a unified empire, their existence—capable of doing as they please—would inevitably lead to disaster. Once the timing was right, even the upper three sects or the thirteen sects combined would face annihilation.
This is why, when faced with the prospect of the Spirit Hall unifying the continent, they came together like never before.
By demonizing the Spirit Empire, they positioned themselves as the saviors of the Douluo Continent.
Without Tang San's interference, their combined strength wouldn't even be enough for Bibi Dong to cut down in one swing.
As the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, which originated from auxiliary soul masters, Ye Wen couldn't understand why they insisted on meddling in this unification business.
If only they had access to the history books from his past life, they would understand what it means to be a thousand-year-old family or a hundred-year dynasty.
In this world, if unification were possible, it should be called a ten-thousand-year family and a thousand-year dynasty.
As long as they posed no threat to the rulers, even if the Spirit Empire truly unified the continent, their luxurious lifestyles wouldn't change.
After all, the Spirit Empire's motto was "Soul Masters First."
But after being tied to the Tian Dou Empire through Qian Renxue's false prince identity, Ning Fengzhi was now irrevocably bound to the Tian Dou war chariot—one rises together, one falls together.
Others might not know the true strength of the Spirit Hall, but how could Sword Douluo Chen Xin not?
A single 99th-level Qian Daoliu could crush the backbone of all soul masters on the continent. And yet, they still thought about stubbornly opposing him. The only explanation was that Ning Fengzhi's education had led him to believe that even Title Douluos could be worn down by ordinary soul masters.
It could only be said that Ning Fengzhi was like a frog at the bottom of a well, unaware of the vastness of the sky.
If Qian Daoliu truly unleashed his full power, the amount of soul power he wasted would likely recover faster than it was spent.
"My younger sister has been talking about your life-saving grace from back then. She hasn't had the chance to personally visit the Tian Xing Academy to thank you—it's been quite rude of us."
Seeing Ning Fengzhi's apparent desire to converse, Ye Wen couldn't act aloof. After all, they were still trade partners.
But who was this "younger sister" he mentioned? Ye Wen honestly couldn't recall.
That didn't stop him from smoothly engaging in conversation, pretending to understand.
Over the years, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had sent some disciples to study at the Tian Xing Academy, but Ye Wen hadn't paid much attention. After all, these individuals would eventually return to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.
Aside from the annual profit-sharing meetings, the two parties weren't particularly close.
Beside them, Chen Xin also sized up Ye Wen. To his surprise, he couldn't discern Ye Wen's cultivation level. He inwardly gasped—no wonder he was under a 98th-level Super Douluo. His own father had been one, so he understood the weight of such a title.
"This young man is not to be underestimated."
He silently evaluated Ye Wen but didn't plan to engage in deeper conversation. The Chen family's Seven Killing Swords had their own legacy and required no outside input.
Suddenly, Ye Wen remembered that over the years, he had accumulated a large stockpile of spatial rings from his experiments with soul-guiding tools. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to offload this backlog.
Shifting the conversation to trade, even Yu Yuanzhen and Emperor Xue Ye became interested.
This was the first time they learned that Ye Wen could craft spatial rings.
These items were a staple luxury for soul masters and always in high demand.
In no time, everyone present was drawn into the discussion, hoping Ye Wen would sell them a batch of spatial rings.
Since it was just clearing out inventory, as long as the price covered costs and labor, Ye Wen didn't mind selling to anyone.
However, due to the sheer volume of goods, the price was slightly reduced.
In the end, the three parties collectively purchased all of Ye Wen's spatial rings for 20 million gold soul coins.
After pocketing the coins, Ye Wen suddenly realized that selling such a large quantity of spatial rings might affect the balance of power with the Star Luo Empire. He'd need to quickly produce another batch to sell to them once he returned.
Otherwise, an imbalance of power could lead to another large-scale war. A major conflict during this period of supposed peace would not only result in countless casualties but could also significantly disrupt the future storyline.
Fortunately, most of the sold items were low-level soul-guiding tools, ordinary storage devices with capacities ranging from one to ten cubic meters. Producing them wouldn't be difficult—it just meant working overtime.
"Damn, I really shouldn't act without thinking things through. I need to think ahead and consider the consequences. I dug this hole myself, so I'll fill it. All right, let's go!"
Ye Wen carried plenty of materials with him and immediately began crafting more storage rings. As for the upcoming matches, Ye Wen wasn't concerned—they were guaranteed wins anyway.
To prevent the Tian Dou Empire from taking preemptive action, Ye Wen sent Huo Quan to retrieve a batch of higher-level storage soul-guiding tools from the academy to sell to the Star Luo side.
In Tian Dou territory, many things couldn't be hidden. Emperor Xue Ye tacitly approved of Ye Wen's actions. Having just ascended the throne, Tian Dou was already in a weak position and didn't want war. However, this batch of storage rings did indeed disrupt the balance between the two empires.
Ironically, the pressure now shifted to the Spirit Hall.
As a massive force with over two thousand years of history, the Spirit Hall's accumulated resources were nothing to scoff at.
While the Spirit Hall wasn't lacking in top-tier combat power, the sheer number of troops—over a million—from the two empires made them hesitant to act rashly.
The influx of storage rings meant that the two empires' logistical reserves were now even stronger, making them more resilient in prolonged conflicts.
Qian Xunji also wanted to buy storage soul-guiding tools from Ye Wen, but the two empires, being shrewd as ever, directly signed a contract with Ye Wen. The tools couldn't flood the market—they could only be sold to the two empires and the upper three sects.
The Spirit Hall was isolated.
Though they had anticipated this outcome, Qian Xunji was still furious. How dare these ants blatantly restrict the Spirit Hall?
But Qian Xunji also knew that now wasn't the time to start a war. He could only suppress his anger and quietly develop in secret.
This year's grand finals were held in the Star Luo Empire.
As expected, both teams from the Tian Xing Academy advanced to the finals—the gap in strength was simply too vast.
Though the Spirit Hall had many talented individuals, not every tournament ended with them as champions. Overall, the Spirit Hall won the most, followed by Star Luo, and lastly Tian Dou.
The participants' overall levels hovered around Soul Elder, with Soul Kings appearing only occasionally.
And this year, all competitors were Soul Elders.
The final match—had begun!
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