"The Prince, the Princess, and the Phoenix."

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As soon as Xu Tianzhen saw her brother, she turned around and grabbed his hand, acting all sweet and pleading."Big bro, I'm sorry! I won't do it again, okay? Please don't tell Father…"

"There's gonna be a next time?"Xu Tiannan raised an eyebrow, half smiling.

"N-no! No more! This was the last time, really!"Xu Tianzhen laughed nervously.

Xu Tiannan just shook his head. His little sister had always been a bit of a mischievous troublemaker. How many times had she promised it was the "last time"? Just the times he had heard it were already more than ten—who knew how many times she'd said it in front of their father?

Xu Tianzhen was the youngest of Xu Tiannan's siblings and had been spoiled rotten. Their father, their uncle—the current Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire—and even Xu Tiannan himself doted on her. Every time she got into trouble, someone would clean up the mess for her.

The only one who might be more pampered than her was probably the Emperor's son—Xu He, the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire.

Xu He was two years older than Xu Tianzhen and had seven older sisters but no older brothers, so even at just eight years old, he'd already been named Crown Prince. As long as he lived to adulthood, the throne was basically his.

At age six, Xu He had awakened one of the Sun Moon Royal Family's top three martial souls—the Sun Martial Soul. Born with full soul power, he had both the status and the talent to match. Add to that the fact that he was a late-born son of the Emperor, and it was no surprise how much he was adored. Even the youngest royal princess, Xu Tianzhen, couldn't compare.

You could say that Xu He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth—he started life at the very top of the Douluo Continent.

After all, the Sun Moon Empire alone was strong enough to stand against the combined might of the original three Douluo nations. As a country, it sat at the peak of the continent—and its future Emperor, naturally, would too.

"Apologies, Your Excellencies Fire Phoenix and Ice Phoenix," Xu Tiannan said sincerely. "My little sister's been spoiled since birth."

Xu Tiannan turned to Fire Phoenix Douluo and Luan Yu with a warm and humble smile, looking every bit the perfect gentleman. You'd never guess he was the eldest son of a powerful prince with real influence.

Fire Phoenix Douluo had wanted to keep her distance from the heir to avoid any political entanglements, but she couldn't help but be drawn in by Xu Tiannan's calm, kind demeanor. Compared to the usual arrogant, entitled royal offspring, he was easily the most pleasant one she'd met.

Besides, this was just kids forming friendships—it wasn't going to affect her. Her position as head of the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion wasn't so easy to shake.

"You're too kind, Your Highness," Fire Phoenix Douluo said with a polite smile. "Her Highness the Princess is lively and sincere—it's hard not to like her. These two little ones are lucky to be her friends."

Though Fire Phoenix Douluo served in the military, she'd been steeped in politics long enough to know how to play the game. You don't become the commander of a top-tier soul engineer legion without knowing how to navigate power. After all, there were other capable Level 9 Soul Engineers out there besides her.

She couldn't afford to get too close to Xu Tiannan, but Xu Tianzhen was different. She was just a young princess—only six years old. Besides, making friends with high-ranking noble children was practically expected of the royal offspring in the Sun Moon Empire.

The future would belong to the young, after all.

"Xu Tianzhen!" a voice called from inside the Awakening Hall. It was one of the awakeners, holding a sheet of paper and calling her name.

"It's my turn!" Xu Tianzhen's eyes lit up, and she jumped to her feet with excitement.

Xu Tiannan straightened as well. The main reason they were here today was to witness Xu Tianzhen awaken her martial soul. Running into Fire Phoenix Douluo had just been a happy coincidence. Strengthening ties with her had been more of an instinctive move.

"Your Excellencies Fire Phoenix, Ice Phoenix—if you'll excuse us."Xu Tiannan gently took Xu Tianzhen's hand and nodded to the two Douluos. Before leaving, he even gave Meteor and Firefly a cheerful wave.

The guy really was the son of a powerful prince. With his approachable and modest personality, even Meteor and Firefly couldn't help but warm up to him.

"Please, go ahead, Your Highnesses."Fire Phoenix Douluo and Luan Yu watched them walk into the Awakening Hall, guided by the awakener. After they were gone, Luan Yu let out a quiet sigh.

"That young lord... he's something else."

Fire Phoenix Douluo nodded."Yeah. Among the royal family, it's rare to see someone so down-to-earth and respectful of others. A shame, really."

Luan Yu frowned."What's there to be 'a shame' about? Sis, you'd better not get involved. And you two kids—keep your distance from Xu Tiannan. Xu Tianzhen's fine to hang out with, though. Getting to know a royal isn't a bad thing for your future in the Sun Moon Empire."

As her younger sister, Luan Yu understood Fire Phoenix Douluo just as well as Fire Phoenix Douluo understood her. As a soldier, Fire Phoenix Douluo didn't fully agree with the current Emperor's policies—she just hid it well. Luan Yu was the only one who had picked up on her dissatisfaction.

And she wasn't the only one. Among the Five National Protector Hands, four of the royal soul engineer legions—the Dragon Emperor, Claw Terror, Evil Monarch, and Fire Phoenix Legions—were all quietly unhappy with the Emperor's stance of favoring civilian industry over military power. Only the Royal Soul Engineer Legion was completely loyal to the crown.

As commanders, they wanted their soldiers to have stronger and more advanced soul tools. They wanted to make a name for themselves on the battlefield. But because the Emperor had been suppressing the pro-war faction, their legions hadn't received any new equipment in years.

Fire Phoenix Douluo wasn't exactly pro-war, but she did believe in strengthening military defenses. Being strong was the best way to guarantee safety. But after the Holy War, the Emperor had signed treaties and started slashing military budgets to show the continent the Sun Moon Empire had no aggressive intent. All the research focus had shifted to civilian-use soul tools.

Despite her high rank, Fire Phoenix Douluo knew better than to speak out. This was a red line for the Emperor. If she got labeled a war hawk, she'd be in real trouble. So, she kept her true thoughts buried deep.

She gave Luan Yu a serious look."Just worry about yourself. I know what I'm doing."

Of course she knew what Luan Yu was thinking. But Fire Phoenix Douluo had her own responsibilities—especially to those women who served under her, warriors as brave as any man. As their leader, she had to look out for them.

What she hadn't told Luan Yu was that Xu Tiannan's father—the powerful prince who seemed to get along so well with the Emperor—had once contacted her in secret. He wasn't openly part of the pro-war faction, but he was one of its key supporters behind the scenes.

In her eyes, that prince might not be aiming to start a war with the old Douluo nations, but he definitely wasn't happy with the Emperor's current policies.

"....."