"Is there something the two of you need?"
"Your Majesty, do you still remember the Holy Spirit Cult?"
Hearing Wang Nan's question, Emperor Xu Jiawei straightened slightly, but his heart relaxed instead. As long as it was not some foolish official within the Empire who had offended Wang Nan, everything was manageable.
"I remember," Emperor Xu Jiawei nodded, deliberately not referring to himself as "We." "If I recall correctly, the Holy Spirit Cult was personally annihilated by Duke Heaven's Equal two years ago. Have they resurfaced?"
"No," Wang Nan shook his head. "I simply wish to ask Your Majesty how much the number of Evil Soul Masters within the Empire's borders has decreased since the Holy Spirit Cult's destruction."
At this, Emperor Xu Jiawei let out a soft sigh. "Although we have not heard of any particularly powerful Evil Soul Masters since the Holy Spirit Cult was wiped out, reports of Evil Soul Masters committing crimes still frequently reach the palace. The Purge Evil Alliance is operating at full capacity, yet Evil Soul Masters continue to appear without end."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly at the side. Over the past few years at the Academy, he knew that Shrek Academy's inspection teams still existed. However, as Soul Guidance Devices became more widespread, he rarely heard of Inner Courtyard disciples sacrificing their lives during such missions anymore.
"Has Your Majesty ever considered addressing the issue of Evil Soul Masters at its root?" Wang Nan asked.
Emperor Xu Jiawei looked at him attentively.
"Spirits themselves do not possess inherent good or evil. It is only because certain Spirits have particular characteristics that Soul Masters are tempted and ultimately fall onto evil paths."
"If the Empire were to unify the Spirit Awakening process for children of appropriate age, and then, upon discovering Spirits with similar traits, place them under focused supervision and guidance, would this not reduce the emergence of Evil Soul Masters?"
Wang Nan once had a classmate at Shrek Academy named Chen Zifeng. His Spirit, the Chasing Soul Sword, grew stronger by consuming blood, yet Chen Zifeng used his own blood and never became an Evil Soul Master.
The distinction between good and evil lay not in the Spirit, but in the heart.
"Furthermore," Wang Nan continued, "this could also serve as a complete registration system for Soul Masters and their Spirits. If a Soul Master later commits crimes, their Spirit could be matched against records, allowing their movements to be traced."
Emperor Xu Jiawei's expression shifted repeatedly as he listened.
It was not that Wang Nan's proposal was flawed. Rather, it sounded eerily familiar.
The Emperor's Spirit was the Star Crown, the same Star Crown that once appeared on the Supreme Pontiff's decree of Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago. That legacy had continued to this day.
The imperial family of the Star Luo Empire naturally possessed records of Spirit Hall. What Wang Nan described was precisely the system Spirit Hall had implemented in the past.
"These ideas…" Emperor Xu Jiawei hesitated. "May I ask where the Duke heard them?"
"If they benefit the Star Luo Empire, why should their origin matter?" Wang Nan did not answer directly, instead smiling calmly at the Emperor.
"This…" Emperor Xu Jiawei frowned. "Allow me some time to consider this."
As he pondered Wang Nan's words, certain realizations surfaced.
Spirits were not good or evil. Evil Soul Masters were created by actions, not by Spirits.
What Wang Nan said about Soul Masters applied equally to governance.
"Oh, Your Majesty," Wang Nan added, seeing that a decision would not be made immediately. "I also brought a Soul Guidance Device this time."
"Oh?" A trace of curiosity appeared in Emperor Xu Jiawei's eyes.
Gengxin City had indeed produced many intriguing Soul Guidance Devices. Although most were not combat-oriented, they had already caused tremendous changes in daily life. Even Spirit-powered carriages that required neither horses nor Spirit Beasts had begun appearing in Star Luo City.
"Yuhao, explain," Emperor Xu Jiawei said, turning his gaze.
"Your Majesty, what we have brought this time is a charging Soul Guidance Device," Huo Yuhao began.
Emperor Xu Jiawei's expression darkened slightly. The Star Luo Empire already possessed sealed energy storage Soul Guidance Devices. A simple charging device did not seem particularly impressive.
Huo Yuhao continued without pause. "What we commonly refer to as 'milk bottles' are, in fact, energy storage Soul Guidance Devices. Their function is merely to store spirit power."
At this point, Emperor Xu Jiawei had already formed a vague guess, and an astonishing idea began to take shape in his mind.
"A true charging Soul Guidance Device," Huo Yuhao said slowly, "is a Soul Guidance Device capable of converting other forms of power into spirit power."
Despite years on the throne, Emperor Xu Jiawei could not completely hide the shock on his face. As a Titled Douluo who had studied Soul Guidance Devices over the years, he immediately understood the implications.
If such a device were successfully produced, the entire Douluo Continent would be transformed. From Soul Masters to ordinary civilians, daily life would undergo a fundamental change.
The ability to convert other forms of energy into spirit power meant that even ordinary people with no innate spirit power could use Soul Guidance Devices. Combined with high-altitude detection devices or other advanced tools, their applications would expand drastically.
Seeing the Emperor's reaction, Huo Yuhao glanced at Wang Nan, admiration rising in his heart.
Soul Guidance Devices had existed for so long, yet no one had considered converting other forms of energy into spirit power. He could not help but wonder how Brother Wang had conceived such an idea.
Energy conversion was merely common sense to Wang Nan. Whether such principles applied in other worlds, he could not be certain, but on this continent, it was clearly feasible.
In his memory, Kong Deming of the Sun Moon Empire had once created a charging Soul Guidance Device capable of converting solar energy into spirit power.
Unfortunately, Ye Xiaosheng had been unable to realize Wang Nan's vision. It was only after Huo Yuhao broke through to Rank Nine and devoted two years of research that the charging Soul Guidance Device finally became a reality.
"Did the Duke come to the palace solely for this matter?" Emperor Xu Jiawei asked.
"Yes," Wang Nan replied calmly.
Hearing this, Emperor Xu Jiawei's gaze flickered.
The policy of unified Spirit Awakening and registration, along with the charging Soul Guidance Device, appeared unrelated on the surface. Yet in the Emperor's eyes, they were clearly part of the same plan, and Wang Nan's probing earlier had already confirmed it.
This charging Soul Guidance Device was clearly not something that could be obtained easily.
Confusion surfaced in Emperor Xu Jiawei's eyes. Since becoming a Duke, Wang Nan had never interfered in Star Luo's internal affairs. Why was he now pushing such sweeping changes, even presenting something as revolutionary as a charging Soul Guidance Device?
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Just as Emperor Xu Jiawei was deep in thought, a knock sounded from outside the study.
"What is it?"
"Imperial Brother," Princess Xu Jiujiu's voice came from beyond the door. "Imperial Uncle has emerged from seclusion."