Chapter 173: 191. The Veins
This magnificent majestic peak was the territory of the Body Sect, where Huo Qiqiang, Ning Fengzhi, and the Sword Bone Douluo walked along the mountain ridge.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi had no mind to appreciate the surrounding scenery; he had a troubled expression.
After learning of Spirit Hall's reforms, he had been deeply worried and went to various forces, with the Body Sect as his first stop.
"Sect Leader Ning, what brings you to visit our Body Sect today?" Huo Qiqiang said.
Ning Fengzhi smiled bitterly: "The Spirit Hall reforms are known to the world. I came here to ask for Sect Leader Huo's opinion."
"You're asking for my opinion?" Huo Qiqiang looked up at the sunlight piercing through the dense forest.
He casually picked a leaf and handed it to Ning Fengzhi, saying: "Sect Leader Ning, hold this leaf up to the sun."
Ning Fengzhi took the leaf and aligned it with the sunlight.
"So, do you understand now?" Huo Qiqiang asked.
Ning Fengzhi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Sect Leader Huo, you truly have profound insight. I, Fengzhi, am not as perceptive as you."
After leaving the Body Sect, Gu Rong couldn't help asking: "Sect Leader, what riddle were you and that Body Sect fellow playing? It was incomprehensible."
Ning Fengzhi handed the leaf to Gu Rong and said: "Uncle Gu, hold this leaf up to the sunlight and take a look."
Gu Rong held the leaf up to the sunlight.
"What do you see?"
"I can clearly see the veins of the leaf." Gu Rong said: "But what's the point?"
"Spirit Hall is these veins." Ning Fengzhi said with utmost seriousness: "They have built Martial Soul Halls across the entire Douluo Continent, even reaching into rural fields and villages. Thus, every inch of land on the continent, every piece of intelligence, is under Spirit Hall's control. Spirit Hall can calculate the total population of the two great empires, measure the resource output of the two empires. In the past, they used these veins to absorb soul masters into their ranks; now, they have bared their fangs."
"Spirit Hall is establishing collection, storage, and transportation systems. They can sell the products of the Heaven Dou Empire to the Star Luo Empire to accumulate the world's wealth into their hands. They can stockpile grain from harvest areas and transport it to disaster-stricken regions, thereby attracting local people to submit to them. Every Martial Soul Hall disseminates the intelligence they want to spread across the Douluo Continent. They can decide what the vast majority of people on the Douluo Continent should know and can know!"
"If this continues, Spirit Hall will be more than an empire even if it isn't one, and the two great empires will slowly become puppets of Spirit Hall. Bibi Dong wouldn't even need to wage war against the two empires; Spirit Hall could directly seize the world." At the end, a drop of cold sweat slid down Ning Fengzhi's forehead.
"So terrifying." Gu Rong asked in shock: "What should we do, Sect Leader?"
Ning Fengzhi said: "This is obvious. If we can understand this reasoning, others can too. First, the ones truly threatened are not us, but the two empires. For them, it's either break out a war with Spirit Hall or slowly die."
"Spirit Hall's reforms are less a reform and more a declaration of war. The urgent matter now should be to unite all possible forces on the continent, form an anti-Spirit Hall alliance, sever their veins extending across the continent, curb their ambitions, and restore order to tradition."
Spirit Hall's reforms were indeed like a declaration of war handed to the various powers on the continent. If they succeeded in this transformation, for the two great empires, it would be tantamount to handing over their lifeblood, their people, and their nobles to Spirit Hall's control.
This was something the two great empires could never accept, so it was foreseeable that they would inevitably counterattack.
However, Spirit Hall possessed the largest soul master legion on the entire Douluo Continent, and a large portion of the continent's Titled Douluo were in Spirit Hall's hands. Without preparation, they wouldn't fight unprepared battles; ultimately, an open declaration of war was inevitable.
Spirit Hall's reforms intensified the conflicts between the continent's top powers. In a corner of the Heaven Dou Empire, an academy announced its establishment.
Starfire Academy, a school invested and built by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, maintained by a series of powerhouses such as the Evil Monarch, Snow Woman, Xiao Bai, and others.
Starfire Academy did not open general enrollment but adopted a mode of actively absorbing students.
The students they absorbed were mostly slaves, commoners, and soul masters emerging from commoners, without recruiting from nobility.
After the academy was established, the Evil Monarch used his Titled Douluo authority to obtain qualification for the Continental Soul Master Tournament and formed the Starfire Team.
Currently, the members of the Starfire Team were:
Luo Xingqi, martial soul: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Tower, level 26 auxiliary system soul master.
Mu Yuanfang, martial soul: Geng Gold Haotian Hammer, level 28 strong attack system battle soul master.
Lin Chen, martial soul: Blue Electric Overlord Dragon, Sacred Breath Spirit Grass, mainly cultivating Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Sect martial soul, level 24 strong attack system battle soul master.
Ye Qingmei, martial soul: Nether Civet, White Tiger, level 24 agility attack system battle soul master.
Su Qingqian, martial soul: Emerald Swan, level 22 auxiliary system soul master.
Zhao Hengning, martial soul: Bone Dragon, level 21 defense system soul master.
Lu Kai: Holy Light Guardian Angel, level 22 control system battle soul master.
In Huo Yuhao's plan, the Starfire team did not require synchronization in age with the Shrek Seven Devils, but their origins were limited to below nobility, and they had awakened waste martial souls yet possessed firm wills, bearing some kind of destiny. Some sought revenge, some wanted to subvert the traditional order.
They all had ambitions but were bound by their own strength.
And their martial souls were undoubtedly obtained through the technology and ruthless means controlled by Starfire Academy.
Principal Evil Monarch stood before the seven members of the Starfire Team and formally announced:
"Children, I formally announce the establishment of the Starfire Team. Do you know why this academy is called Starfire, and the team you form is called the Starfire Team?"
The seven pondered for a while, and among them, Zhao Hengning stepped forward: "Principal, do you hope we shine like the stars in the sky, illuminating this era?"
The Evil Monarch shook his head: "A hint for you: reverse Starfire."
"Sparks." Mu Yuanfang said: "I understand your meaning. The place I live is a dry region; every drought season, the mountains are parched. Just a small spark can ignite a whole mountainside fire."
The Evil Monarch smiled: "You're very smart. Yes, you are small sparks. In the future, you are destined to ignite a fire on this continent full of dry tinder and fierce flames, a blaze sufficient to incinerate all traditions!"
At this moment, with all factions on the continent focusing their gazes on Spirit Hall, no one could imagine that this newly registered academy would, decades later, become the continent's: Lin Dengwan training center.
(END CHAPTER)
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