Chapter 54: The Dual-Earl
Thank you to our new Patrons: jostein kildal, Anaral, Benjamin Louri, Mürsel Kenan, Nanu, Volrith, Damokles72, Ryan and James31292! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 200: Plucking Di Tian on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With Ye Wen's successful and uneventful departure, the content of his conversation with Yu Yuanzhen gradually leaked out in Spirit City. Of course, this was intentional on Yu Yuanzhen's part—after all, it was embarrassing for a Title Douluo like him to have a "worthless" son.
Now, with the endorsement of the renowned Master Ye Wen, it was clear that his son wasn't truly useless—it was simply that an error during the awakening of his martial soul had temporarily damaged his foundation.
Moreover, as Ye Wen pointed out, the best light-attribute simulated training environment on the Douluo Continent was undoubtedly controlled by the Spirit Hall. After all, the Angel martial soul was a genuine divine-level dual-element flame and light martial soul.
In the end, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't resist the twisted, desperate pleas of his son, Yu Xiaogang, who was tormented by his own shortcomings.
After the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect paid a hefty price in resources, Yu Xiaogang finally entered the coveted light-attribute simulated training environment he had long dreamed of.
This decision caused quite a bit of resentment within the sect. According to Ye Wen's theory, Yu Xiaogang would at most reach the level of a Soul Emperor in his lifetime. With the resources spent, they could have cultivated ten such experts instead. It was hardly worth it.
But what could they do? Yu Xiaogang had a powerful father backing him.
Meanwhile, Yu Yuanzhen had already begun mobilizing his subordinates to search for a thousand-year-old light-attribute dragon-type spirit beast for Yu Xiaogang.
Ye Wen couldn't help but comment, "Truly befitting one of the upper three sects—they're rich and influential. Back when I was searching for a light-attribute spirit beast in the Star Dou Forest, it took me ages. But look at them—just one order, and an entire team is dispatched to handle it."
At this time, many factions began to realize the depth of Ye Wen's theories.
For instance, the phenomenon of martial soul mutations, which they had previously overlooked, turned out to involve so many intricate details.
Some even became intrigued—if failed mutations were indeed caused by insufficient nourishment, did that mean that providing ample nourishment could result in inherently powerful martial souls? After all, benignly mutated martial souls were rarely weak.
Later, even the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect approached Ye Wen to discuss the matter. After all, their martial soul could also be considered a failed mutation in some sense.
Every generation of their lineage hoped for their martial soul to evolve into the Nine-Treasure Glazed Pagoda. Historically, there had been a few fleeting instances of Eight-Treasure Glazed Pagodas, but the next generation always reverted back to seven treasures.
Thus, they were constantly seeking ways to achieve a successful transformation.
Based on the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's ability to sense precious energy ('bao qi'), Ye Wen offered a suggestion to the current elder patriarch of the sect, Ning Fengzhi's father. He advised that during pregnancy, the expectant mother should be constantly immersed in an environment rich in 'bao qi', or that they develop a cultivation technique capable of absorbing 'bao qi'.
{T/N: 'Bao qi' can be translated to 'Treasure Qi'}
If done correctly, the next generation might produce children with the Eight-Treasure Glazed Pagoda martial soul—or even the Nine-Treasure version.
The elder patriarch experienced an epiphany, exclaiming, "Brilliant!"
It turned out that the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's inherent ability to sense 'bao qi' had inadvertently caused them to overlook its importance when researching their martial soul's flaws. Ye Wen's insight made the elder patriarch realize that the foundation of their martial soul lay in 'bao qi'.
Given the innate advantages of their martial soul, it made sense that a lack of *bao qi* would lead to a downgrade. Even so, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda remained classified as a super martial soul, underscoring its intrinsic value.
In gratitude, the elder patriarch bestowed upon Ye Wen the honorary title of Elder of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect, assuring him that if he ever encountered trouble in the future, he could seek their assistance.
As a condition, the elder patriarch requested that Ye Wen guide their younger generation in cultivation. After all, in the world of Douluo, while strong individuals were common, true mentors were rare.
Since Ye Wen himself ran an academy, he naturally couldn't refuse such a request and accepted it graciously.
Though the public didn't know the specifics of Ye Wen's discussion with the elder patriarch, the harmonious scene they witnessed suggested that the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda Sect had gained immense benefits from Ye Wen. Otherwise, the honorary elder title—equivalent in prestige to a Title Douluo—wouldn't have been so easily granted.
In no time, Ye Wen's status on the continent rose even further.
Finally, after much anticipation, Ye Wen received notification from Qian Xunji regarding the territory for his academy. At the same time, he met with representatives from the two empires who had come to observe the tournament: Snow Night, the current crown prince of the Tian Dou Empire, and Duke Dai Lie, representing the Star Luo Empire.
Both representatives tried their utmost to recruit Ye Wen, but he skillfully declined their offers using tactful language.
Ordinarily, Ye Wen wouldn't have felt confident facing such high-ranking nobles due to the complex entanglements involved. However, with Pope Qian Xunji backing him, neither representative dared to push too far.
Furthermore, based on their investigations, they knew about the circumstances surrounding Ye Wen's father's death and thus refrained from pressing too hard. They understood Ye Wen's deep aversion to the war between the two empires—otherwise, he would have joined one side to gain noble status instead of requesting a neutral advanced academy from the Spirit Hall.
Still, this outcome was acceptable for both sides. At least Ye Wen, a top-tier talent, hadn't directly aligned himself with the Spirit Hall. Their covert rivalry with the Spirit Hall was no secret among the major factions.
To secure Ye Wen's allegiance and prevent him from joining the Spirit Hall's camp, they made one final effort.
They granted Ye Wen the title of Dual Honorary Earl, conferring noble status in both empires.
Such dual titles weren't uncommon; they had previously used this tactic to court the Spirit Hall. However, once they realized the Spirit Hall's ulterior motives, these honorary titles became meaningless and were no longer mentioned.
For Ye Wen, accepting such a title—where he reaped benefits without obligations—was a no-brainer.
Each year, the two empires would reward him with 100,000 gold soul coins, tax exemptions, and other preferential privileges.
Seizing this opportunity, Ye Wen directly requested construction teams from both empires to help build his advanced soul master academy at the selected site.
This minor request was naturally approved by both sides. Upon seeing Ye Wen's academy blueprints, they were even more satisfied.
The interior of the academy featured standard classroom designs, but the exterior walls had three distinct gates.
Facing the Star Luo Empire was a gate shaped like a roaring tiger's mouth, while the one facing the Tian Dou Empire was an elegant swan archway. The central gate was unremarkable, featuring a simple design of intertwining blue silver grass forming a cross pattern.
From this, it was evident that Ye Wen harbored no ill intentions toward either empire.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow