"Any member who joins the Blacksmith Association can learn the forging techniques once their skills are mature."
Su Can's single sentence made Jing Hongchen breathe a huge sigh of relief.
The technology could be disseminated.
This Body Sect was truly generous.
Jing Hongchen felt wary.
In his view, the Body Sect shouldn't be this charitable.
Then, he realized the Body Sect's goal.
The Blacksmith Association!
Correct.
From every piece of information Su Can provided, the Body Sect and the Blacksmith Association appeared almost simultaneously.
So, while the Body Sect seemed to be merely seeking a channel for Body Martial Soul masters within the Sun Moon Empire, they were actually expanding further.
Why was the Body Sect not prominent?
Because they had few members.
A powerful sect with scarce membership was destined to be a niche force, limited in development by this very fact.
But what if the sect established a subordinate organization beneath it?
The Blacksmith Association, where one could learn forging techniques.
Why could they learn?
Because these members were considered insiders by the Body Sect.
It was like some sects that, while appearing as sects, were actually a large family leading a group of followers.
The Clear Sky Clan, what a renowned name.
It's a sect, right?
Yes.
But what about its structure?
The Tang family formed the core direct lineage, then those intermarried with the Tang family, and finally the affiliated forces.
Because the Tang family was too small, they formed a sect with the Tang family at its core to expand their influence.
Jing Hongchen saw it now.
But he had no intention of stopping the Body Sect's expansion.
By the time the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament ended and the day came for various forces to discuss cooperation, the three Douluo nations would probably guess it too.
Why should he, Jing Hongchen, be the one to stop the Body Sect?
Let the Body Sect's plan proceed smoothly. Let everyone get their benefits first, then find a way to jointly put in effort to hinder the Body Sect's development later.
For now, forget it.
At this point, Jing Hongchen's thinking had already been molded into the shape Su Can wanted.
He had tacitly accepted the establishment of the Blacksmith Association and the cooperation with the Body Sect.
"Master."
Su Can spoke at the right time, pulling Jing Hongchen back from his thoughts.
"Your idea is to bring the Body Sect in, have them start the fight, and then my Mingde Hall will confront the Evil Spirit Masters, is that it?"
"The Body Sect is at odds with the Holy Spirit Cult, and with Little Ming's relationship, they will intervene in the middle, helping to exterminate the Holy Spirit Cult together," Su Can stated.
"They have no conflict with the Holy Spirit Cult."
Jing Hongchen stared at Su Can, though he already had the answer in his heart.
"This is also one of my conditions. I can act as a reference and push for this cooperation to happen, but the Body Sect must destroy one of the Holy Spirit Cult's strongholds."
Su Can's reply did not surprise Jing Hongchen.
"The Body Sect acts, and my Mingde Hall takes responsibility, is that it?"
"Correct."
Could they not take responsibility?
The moment this thought appeared in Jing Hongchen's mind, he dismissed it himself.
No, they couldn't avoid it.
The Body Sect could withdraw at any time, but Mingde Hall could not.
Provoked by the Body Sect, the Holy Spirit Cult would inevitably erupt. If Mingde Hall didn't act after the Body Sect left, then the ordinary civilians of the Sun Moon Empire would bear the brunt of the Evil Spirit Masters' wrath.
Furthermore, that would further inflate the Evil Spirit Masters' arrogance, worsening the situation within the Empire.
Jing Hongchen hesitated now.
He didn't want to cooperate anymore.
But reality gave him no room for hesitation.
"Master, they've started fighting." Su Can said softly.
What?
Jing Hongchen's vision went dark.
Su Can's visit this time also had a hint of forcing his hand.
Right, he was a Spirit Engineer of the Empire, considering the Empire's interests and offering strategies for the Empire. But he was also Su Ming's grandfather; he would never stab his own grandson in the back. So, Su Can also intended to help the Body Sect.
BOOM!
A loud explosion sounded from a small courtyard in the eastern part of the Sun Moon Imperial Capital.
As if divine thunder punishment had descended, the clear sky was instantly covered with dark clouds, and thunderous power poured down.
The entire small courtyard was enveloped in lightning.
"Evil Spirit Masters, die!"
Elder Lei Zhen formed his right hand into a fist and threw a punch mid-air. Immediately, endless thunder power surged forth, instantly annihilating all thirteen Evil Spirit Masters in the courtyard.
"Nana."
At Su Ming's reminder, Nana rushed into the underground hall to search for her parents' souls.
He looked towards the direction of Mingde Hall.
After about two minutes, Nana returned to Su Ming's side alone, her expression dazed, carrying two wraiths.
Seeing this, Su Ming released his Purifying Flame.
The wraiths were purified, finally taking the form of a man and a woman. The couple looked at Nana with reluctance. Their bodies gradually dissipated, casting a grateful glance towards Su Ming before they vanished.
"Nana, it's time to go."
Su Ming gently patted Nana's shoulder. Together with Elder Lei Zhen, who had descended, they supported her and quickly left.
The next moment, two spirit tool shells rose from Mingde Hall and landed on the small courtyard.
Elements of light and thunder instantly filled the entire courtyard, erasing all traces.
"Evil Spirit Masters, everyone has the right to punish them!"
Jing Hongchen's voice reverberated above Mingde Hall.
Some people in Mingde Hall were still confused, unaware of what had happened.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
One Spirit Engineer after another rose from Mingde Hall, following Jing Hongchen's order, heading towards the location where the two spirit tool shells had fallen, sealing off that Evil Spirit Master stronghold.
"Are you satisfied?" Jing Hongchen asked helplessly.
"Master, even His Highness the Crown Prince probably won't hold you accountable at this time."
Not only would he not hold him accountable, he would probably tacitly allow it.
Xu Tianran was no fool. Consorting with tigers, he must also worry about being devoured. At this time, Mingde Hall taking action to deplete the Holy Spirit Cult's strength was a good thing for Xu Tianran.
If Mingde Hall had the ability to eradicate the Holy Spirit Cult, Xu Tianran would absolutely applaud with joy.
Because his goal had long been achieved.
The other princes who could compete with him for the throne had long since died, and he had already grasped the power he needed. The reason he hadn't killed the goose that laid the golden eggs was that he wasn't in a position to do so yet.
Jing Hongchen also understood this point and showed a look of respect towards Su Can.
No matter what, Su Can was indeed working for the Sun Moon Empire, confronting the tumor of the Evil Spirit Masters in his own way.
"I have one question. Spirit Metal was the key to your breakthrough to the ninth rank. Aren't you afraid that once Spirit Metal is truly made public, your status as a ninth-rank Spirit Engineer will be threatened?"
Rarity determines value. If everyone becomes a ninth-rank Spirit Engineer, the prestige of the title vanishes.
Once Spirit Metal becomes public, eighth-ring Spirit Engineers in the future could try to follow Su Can's path, attempting to create ninth-level spirit tools beyond their rank. Would those Spirit Engineers who successfully create ninth-level spirit tools still be considered ninth-rank Spirit Engineers then?
Was Su Can really not worried?
Faced with Jing Hongchen's doubt, Su Can merely responded with a brilliant smile.
"It won't affect me."
His grandson had already helped him remedy his once disastrous foundation and provided him with a set of top-tier Spirit Alloy.
For him, breaking through to Titled Douluo was just around the corner.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 50+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(Chapter End)