Chapter 96: Divine Beast Vermilion Bird

"Elder Ying?" Xu Jiawei noticed the Heavenly Eagle Douluo's unusual expression and quickly whispered a reminder, his eyes also full of doubt.

Given Heavenly Eagle Douluo's age and experience, what could possibly cause him to lose his composure like this?

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Heavenly Eagle Mianxia." Lu Jingming stepped forward and bowed respectfully. This was both reverence for an elder and respect for a Titled Douluo.

Moreover, as an Earl of the Star Luo Empire, he was inherently a subject of Xu Jiawei, the Star Luo Emperor.

"You are Earl Haiyuan. You truly are a young hero. No wonder my imperial sister often mentions you to me." Although Xu Jiawei had already reviewed Lu Jingming's information, seeing Lu Jingming in person still made him admire the young man. He was indeed valiant and lived up to his expectations.

"Your Majesty flatters me," Lu Jingming humbly replied, secretly wondering, Why does Xu Jiawei's gaze feel somewhat similar to Nebula Douluo Man Yi's when he looks at me?

"Jiu Jiu has already told me your intentions. Come, sit down and talk. Off-Phoenix Excellency, please also take a seat." Xu Jiawei affectionately patted Lu Jingming's shoulder and personally pulled him to sit beside him.

At the same time, he also extended an invitation to Changli, and Xu Jiu Jiu naturally sat beside Lu Jingming, showing no intention of avoiding suspicion.

Lu Jingming smelled the faint fragrance emanating from Xu Jiu Jiu and glanced at Xu Jiawei's hand on his shoulder, sighing inwardly at how enthusiastic these siblings were.

Looking at Xu Jiawei, he had no trace of the dignified air of an emperor. He even personally brewed tea for everyone present.

This was the fundamental difference between a transcendent world and an ordinary one. For powerful individuals, even a high-ranking ruler of a nation had to maintain sufficient respect.

Lu Jingming's own strength might not be outstanding, but behind him stood powerhouses like Herta, Jing Liu, and Changli!

"Off-Phoenix Excellency, is your martial soul truly a Phoenix Martial Soul?" Just then, Heavenly Eagle Douluo Song Ying finally couldn't help but ask. This abrupt question left Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiu Jiu utterly bewildered.

Although one's martial soul was not a secret and did not need to be deliberately concealed, asking about it in such an occasion was truly inappropriate.

However, Xu Jiawei seemed to suddenly remember something. Connecting it with Heavenly Eagle Douluo's question, his face instantly showed delight, and he likewise looked eagerly at Changli.

Changli elegantly raised her teacup, took a light sip, and observing Heavenly Eagle Douluo's expectant gaze and Xu Jiawei's slightly delighted expression, she already understood.

"There's nothing to hide. My martial soul is the Vermilion Bird," Changli said straightforwardly, revealing her martial soul.

"The Divine Beast Vermilion Bird!" Upon hearing this, everyone present, except for Lu Jingming, had a drastic change in expression, filled with shock.

A martial soul being the Vermilion Bird, and not "a certain Vermilion Bird," meant it was pure-blooded—a divine beast martial soul even rarer and more precious than the True Phoenix Martial Soul.

"No wonder, it finally makes sense now!" Heavenly Eagle Douluo muttered to himself.

Ever since Changli appeared, he had felt his martial soul inexplicably affected, with an instinctive sense of subservience, almost affecting his very being.

Initially, he thought Changli possessed a True Phoenix Martial Soul with a denser phoenix bloodline, but he never imagined it would be the Vermilion Bird.

The phoenix was already the king of birds, and the Vermilion Bird was a type of pure-blooded phoenix, and as a Southern Divine Beast, it was an extremely powerful existence even among pure-blooded phoenixes.

Heavenly Eagle Douluo's martial soul was the Six-Winged Heavenly Eagle, also a bird-type, so it was no surprise that it would be suppressed.

Moreover, not only was his martial soul suppressed, but Changli's soul power rank was also above his. For Changli to deal with Heavenly Eagle Douluo would probably be easier than dealing with some ordinary Titled Douluo.

Despite encountering his bane, Heavenly Eagle Douluo showed no apprehension; instead, he was overjoyed.

He was almost a contemporary of Shrek Academy's Xuan Zi and Body Sect's Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

Yet now, he had been stuck at Rank 97 for over fifty years, while Xuan Zi and Dugu Bo had long broken through, with even further potential.

In contrast, his own potential was exhausted. To break through again in this lifetime would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Rank 97 seemed to be his limit.

The Star Luo Empire did not lack heavenly treasures, and he had used everything available over the years. Without a monumental stroke of luck, breakthrough seemed hopeless.

But Heavenly Eagle Douluo had never given up seeking a method for breakthrough. After decades of devoted research, he finally found a way to evolve his martial soul: acquiring the essence blood of a pure-blooded phoenix.

However, phoenixes had long vanished from the Douluo Continent, let alone pure-blooded phoenixes. In desperation, he could only settle for the next best thing, seeking soul masters with phoenix martial souls.

According to his investigations, the descendants of the Phoenix God Ma Hongjun ten thousand years ago were most likely to possess True Phoenix Martial Souls, with relatively dense phoenix bloodlines.

Unfortunately, Shrek Academy's Ma Xiaotao had impure bloodline, failing to meet his requirements. Even Bright Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe's Bright Phoenix couldn't satisfy him.

After years of arduous searching, Heavenly Eagle Douluo had almost given up in despair, but unexpectedly, Changli's appearance rekindled his hope.

Xu Jiawei was naturally well aware of Heavenly Eagle Douluo's situation, as Heavenly Eagle Douluo had utilized many Star Luo Empire resources in his search for phoenix essence blood.

Xu Jiawei also wanted to help Heavenly Eagle Douluo achieve a breakthrough.

In the current Douluo Continent, the strongest individuals on the surface were the Taotie Douluo of Shrek Academy and the Body Douluo Dugu Bo of the Body Sect. Both were revered Rank 98 Super Douluo.

Once Heavenly Eagle Douluo successfully broke through, even if his strength was slightly inferior to these two powerhouses, he would undoubtedly become a deterrent force not to be underestimated.

This way, the Star Luo Empire could gain more influence on the Douluo Continent.

Thinking of this, Xu Jiawei had already made his decision.

He originally intended to have an in-depth discussion with Lu Jingming, to see what bargaining chips the other party could offer in exchange for the opportunity to host the Soul Master Tournament in Abyss City.

He was highly optimistic about Lu Jingming and Abyss City's development prospects. Madam Herta, who created the Simulated Universe, and the unfathomably powerful Snow Moon Douluo, were worth attracting at all costs.

Coupled with the rather close relationship between Xu Jiu Jiu and Lu Jingming, he already planned to help Lu Jingming with this matter.

The importance of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament was self-evident, but the Star Luo Empire had hosted this tournament numerous times over the years.

The potential benefits to be gained had long been fully reaped. As for the gold soul coins earned from hosting the tournament and the noble factions entangled in the event, as long as Abyss City could offer sufficiently tempting benefits, persuading those factions to step back was not impossible.

In fact, with Abyss City's inherent value and the relationship between Lu Jingming and Xu Jiu Jiu, persuading Xu Jiawei was the simplest part.

Although the Star Crown Clan was the imperial family of the Star Luo Empire, its current situation was far from what it used to be, having already started a decline. Beneath its superficial splendor lay many hidden difficulties.

Take the Star Crown Martial Soul, for example: in this generation, only Xu Jiawei, Xu Jiu Jiu, and Xu Yun possessed this martial soul.

Such a scarce inheritance directly led to the Star Crown Sect's strength and influence rapidly waning.

In contrast, the White Tiger Duke's lineage had been flourishing in recent years, developing with great strength.

White Tiger Duke Dai Hao firmly controlled most of the Star Luo Empire's army, wielding significant power.

Furthermore, Dai Yueheng and Dai Huabin joined Shrek Academy, demonstrating the potential to challenge the Titled Douluo realm.

Adding to this, within the empire, there were several Titled Douluo and military factions supporting the White Tiger lineage. The current situation was such that with just the right opportunity, the Star Crown Sect might be forced to abdicate, returning the imperial throne to the White Tiger Duke.

Although Xu Jiawei had a good personal relationship with Dai Hao, even if he truly returned the throne, he could still secure the title of Star Crown Duke. But who would willingly step down as emperor to become a mere duke?

Xu Jiawei was naturally unwilling to easily abandon the imperial throne that his ancestors had painstakingly established and passed down.

Additionally, in recent years, the Sun-Moon Empire's ambitions had gradually become apparent. Its military strength continuously expanded, frequently creating friction along the border. Xu Jiawei keenly sensed that a great crisis was quietly approaching.

The Sun-Moon Empire's wolfish ambitions kept him awake at night. Whenever he thought of the threats the empire might face, he would be plagued by headaches.

In this precarious situation, seeking powerful allies became his top priority.

Before Abyss City emerged, Xu Jiawei had originally chosen Shrek Academy as his ally.

With Shrek Academy's power and influence, if he could establish cooperation with them and leverage the academy's strength, it would undoubtedly provide powerful assistance in confronting the Sun-Moon Empire.

At that time, he had already begun secretly preparing, attempting to establish contact with Shrek Academy through various channels, hoping that both sides could work together in the future.

However, the sudden rise of Abyss City completely changed Xu Jiawei's plans.

This nascent city rapidly rose under Lu Jingming's leadership. The presence of powerhouses like Herta and Jing Liu behind it further gave it formidable strength.

Xu Jiawei realized that there was no need to seek far and wide; Lu Jingming and his Abyss City were the ideal allies for the Star Crown Sect at this moment.

Xu Jiawei's idea was simple: Xu Jiu Jiu and Lu Jingming already had a good relationship. If he could facilitate their union and have them marry, then Abyss City and the Star Crown Sect could be closely linked, becoming a shared destiny.

This way, it would not only provide powerful assistance to the Star Luo Empire but also solidify the Star Crown Sect's position within the empire.

If this game of chess could be played well, whether it was dealing with the threat from the Sun-Moon Empire or contending with the White Tiger Duke's faction domestically, they would occupy a more advantageous position.

This was the fundamental reason for Xu Jiawei's particularly enthusiastic attitude towards Lu Jingming today. He not only wanted to gain the strength of Abyss City but also wanted to gain Lu Jingming himself, making him one of the Star Crown Sect's own.