Sun-Moon Empire, within the palace...
Xu Tianran's presence was commanding without anger as he looked down at his ministers and said coldly, "Has everything been thoroughly investigated? Why did a Beast Tide suddenly arise in the Aquipeia Forest for no apparent reason?"
And the woman standing behind him turned out to be Juzi, having removed her armor and donned palace attire...
One of the armored men bowed deeply, respectfully reporting, "Your Majesty the Emperor, our spy at Shrek Academy has already clarified the matter. It seems that a Three-eyed Golden Lion, containing the fate of the Aquipeia Forest, was slain by a Soul Master, which enraged the ruler of the Aquipeia Forest, Di Tian!"
"As for why the Beast Tide has stopped, no one knows this point."
Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes, "Three-eyed Golden Lion? Fate, Juzi, what do you think?"
Standing behind him, Juzi smiled gently, "Your Majesty the Emperor, I have also never encountered this soul beast."
Xu Tianran pondered aloud, "Is that so... However, since the Beast Tide has stopped, it represents that the matter has already been resolved!"
"Our focus should now be on recruiting Soul Masters."
No sooner had Xu Tianran finished speaking than Wind Douluo took the lead and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor, how much longer must we endure in secret? It's clear that soul tools are now fully capable of equipping Soul Masters!"
He never understood why Xu Tianran, who already had the power to eliminate the other two nations, always chose to delay!
With him taking the lead, others who had long harbored dissatisfaction chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor, the other two nations are also sparing no effort to develop soul tools. If we delay any further, we will eventually lose our advantage."
"We earnestly request Your Majesty the Emperor to issue the order to eradicate the Xingluo Empire and the Sky Soul Empire! Fulfill Your Majesty's long-cherished wish at an early date!"
Xu Tianran pursed his lips, somewhat undecided on what to do...
Without a change in expression, he turned to Juzi and inquired, "Juzi, do you think we should now send our troops to attack the other two great empires?"
Faced with indecision, he decided to throw the question back to Juzi who stood behind him!
Juzi's beautiful eyes sparkled with a few traces of light as she spoke softly, "Your concubine believes that now is not the time to attack the Xingluo and Sky Soul empires. The downfall of the Holy Spirit Cult requires us to reconsider our strategy regarding high-end Soul Masters."
The obliteration of the Holy Spirit Cult meant that the Sun-Moon Empire had lost at least a dozen Hyper Douluo in terms of high-end combat power!
A war would only result in a great loss of troops!
Of course, the main factor was still the waiting for the newly constructed super-large Ninth-grade Soul Guidance Device at Mingde Hall...
Its power was far more formidable than any previously built Ninth-grade Soul Guidance Device!
With that, we could swiftly strike down the enemy's high-end combat power!
Xu Tianran nodded thoughtfully, praising her, "I didn't expect that your line of thinking, Juzi, would coincide so perfectly with mine! Do you all understand now?"
Hearing Xu Tianran say this, the rest as his subordinates dared not object, and they respectfully said, "Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Only Wind Douluo gazed at Juzi's eyes with a hint of coldness and muttered resentfully, "Dammit! Why does Xu Tianran always listen to that woman's words!!"
The next moment, he blatantly disregarded Xu Tianran and, with a decisive turn, left with a cold "hmpf"...
If you all will not launch a war, then I will do it!
The victory in war will surely belong to the Sun-Moon Empire!
...
At the main gate of Shrek Academy!
There, a man dressed in the royal robes was escorted by several carriages and arrived at the main gate of Shrek Academy.
Turning his head to his escorts, the man said, "All of you wait here. I will go in alone!"
Immediately, he swiftly made his way toward the gate of Shrek Academy...
The outer courtyard student guarding the gate cautiously asked, "Who are you? Do you have any business with Shrek Academy?"
The man showed no sign of impatience but calmly replied, "My name is Xu Wei, and I am here by the order of Xingluo Empire's Emperor, Xu Jiawei, to discuss matters regarding soul tools with your esteemed institution. Please inform them of my arrival."
One of the Shrek students said in surprise, "By the order of the Xingluo Empire's Emperor?"
The other student, more quick to react, spoke to him, "Please wait a moment, I will inform them..."
With that, he turned and went into Shrek Academy to pass on the message...
It wasn't long before the outer courtyard student who had stepped out opened the gate and gestured, "Please come inside..."
Xu Wei gave a slight smile and slowly walked into Shrek Academy...
...
Inside Sea God's Pavilion...
Xu Wei felt anxious as he looked at the Sea God Pavilion Elders emitting a terrifying aura around him...
He nervously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and carefully said, "Um... Elder Xuan, may we begin now?"
Inwardly, he thought, "Is this the might of the Elders of Sea God Pavilion? Just sitting here makes me feel like I'm on pins and needles!"
Elder Xuan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Two members of Sea God's Pavilion have yet to arrive."
To tell the truth, Shrek Academy is reluctant to get involved in the matters between empires, but the ambition revealed by the Sun-Moon Empire cannot be underestimated...
Even their likely goal of annexing the Sky Soul Empire and the Xingluo Empire cannot be ignored, for if such events were allowed to transpire, it would contravene the founding principles of Shrek Academy!
A "crack" was heard as Zhang Lexuan and Qian Yu entered together from outside...
Instinctively looking at Elder Xuan, they said, "Elder Xuan."
Elder Xuan nodded, "Hmm! Now that you're here, please take a seat."
Qian Yu glanced at Xu Wei, who was sitting in his own chair, and coldly said, "That's my seat."
Upon hearing this, Xu Wei's face showed a touch of anger, "You..."
When had he ever suffered such indignity? A twenty-something-year-old had the audacity to speak to him, a minister of the Xingluo Empire, in such a manner...
Just as he was about to get angry, Elder Xuan spoke with a relaxed tone, "It seems that the Xingluo Empire is somewhat dissatisfied with our Shrek Academy. In that case, please leave."
At these words, Xu Wei's expression changed suddenly from anger to a forced smile, and he obediently stood up from Qian Yu's chair.
Once Qian Yu had sat down, Elder Xuan said with a calm face, "Now, we can talk."
Seeing that all members of Sea God's Pavilion were seated while he was the only one standing, Xu Wei clenched his teeth and thought, "Damn Shrek Academy, how dare they insult me like this!"
If it weren't for the emperor's orders, he wouldn't bother with this Shrek Academy at all!
Even so, feeling the impatience brewing among the surrounding members of Sea God's Pavilion, he managed to keep up his smile and said, "This is the situation, your esteemed academy must already be aware of the actions taken by the Sun-Moon Empire in secret, mass-producing soul tools, arming all of their Soul Master troops."
"Their obvious goal is to initiate a war that will affect the peace of the Continent, and the number of Soul Masters and soul tools in our Xingluo Empire pales in comparison to theirs..."
"And since almost all of the strongest Soul Masters are gathered in the Sun-Moon Empire, we have no choice but to seek help from your academy!"
These words caused the expressions of everyone in Sea God's Pavilion to turn a few degrees colder...
...