Heaven Dou City, Imperial Palace
Emperor Xue Ye, dressed in his bright yellow imperial robe, held a message just handed to him by his attendant.
After the initial shock passed, like Ning Fengzhi, he felt a deep sense of unease—but ultimately chose to remain a passive observer.
The Heaven Dou Empire had always harbored apprehensions toward both Spirit Hall and the great sects.
Its wariness toward Spirit Hall stemmed from the fact that it controlled nearly 70% of all Spirit Masters across the continent.
The threat posed by Spirit Hall loomed constantly over the empire.
Yet, paradoxically, Spirit Hall's existence also served a purpose for the Heaven Dou Empire.
Heaven Dou and Star Luo were the only two major empires on the continent, and together they had essentially split the land in two.
With territorial ambitions on both sides, border skirmishes broke out regularly—ranging from small-scale clashes to full-blown conflicts, adding up to hundreds of battles each year.
Spirit Hall, which stood between the two empires, served as a check against both powers.
Because of that, neither dared to escalate their conflicts too far.
In a way, Spirit Hall's presence silently and indirectly benefited the Heaven Dou Empire.
Without Spirit Hall acting as a deterrent, the relatively weaker Heaven Dou Empire might have already been devoured by the Star Luo Empire.
Therefore, despite his apprehension, Xue Ye didn't wish to see Spirit Hall wiped out.
What concerned him more was the growing power of the independent sects—because these sects did not pledge loyalty to the Heaven Dou royal family.
Due to the weakness of the royal bloodline, which passed down the powerless Swan Spirit, the empire was infested with sects that held large swaths of land.
These sects not only occupied vast resources without paying tribute or taxes, but also acted completely independently of imperial authority.
Despite this, Xue Ye dared not oppose them directly. On the contrary, he had to curry favor—granting them noble titles in hopes of winning their allegiance.
When it came to Spirit Master forces, his policy was simple: avoid provoking them if possible.
He had no desire to one day lose his head to some inexplicable grudge.
Among all the major sects, only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect maintained cordial relations with the Heaven Dou royal family. The rest cared little for the emperor's authority.
Even the Hao Tian Sect, though situated within Heaven Dou territory, showed faint support for his greatest rival—the Star Luo royal house.
Xue Ye harbored deep resentment toward the Hao Tian Sect. In his heart, he wished they'd suffer devastating losses and be destroyed altogether.
Secretly, he leaned toward Spirit Hall. In his ideal scenario, Spirit Hall would be weakened—but the Hao Tian Sect would be annihilated.
Of course, he would never reveal these thoughts. For now, he chose to remain a bystander.
Star Luo City, Imperial Palace
In the Star Luo Palace, Emperor Dai Tianfeng—draped in a black imperial robe and wearing a crown adorned with starlight—also received the news.
His first reaction was the same as Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuanzhen, and Xue Ye—shock.
But his expression quickly turned to delight.
Not the schadenfreude-laden glee of Yu Yuanzhen.
He was genuinely pleased.
To Dai Tianfeng, the conflict between Spirit Hall and the Hao Tian Sect was ideal—especially since the battlefield lay outside the borders of the Star Luo Empire.
Fight all you want. It doesn't affect us in the slightest.
He was thrilled.
Unlike Xue Ye, Dai Tianfeng openly supported the Hao Tian Sect. After all, they quietly backed the Star Luo royal family.
As for Spirit Hall, their position between the two empires made them a thorn in Star Luo's side.
Because of Spirit Hall, Star Luo had been unable to conquer the Heaven Dou Empire and unify the continent.
The Star Luo Empire had long adopted a hardline stance against Spirit Hall. Their relations were anything but friendly.
Still, Dai Tianfeng remained deeply wary of Spirit Hall. No one knew just how deep their roots ran.
This battle between the Hao Tian Sect and Spirit Hall presented a golden opportunity—to test the true strength of Spirit Hall.
Thinking this far, Dai Tianfeng became increasingly eager. He could hardly contain his excitement.
He even entertained the thought of secretly fanning the flames, to make the fire burn even hotter.
But in the end, he restrained himself.
He wanted to—but he didn't dare.
One wrong move could bring disaster.
In the end, Dai Tianfeng chose the strategy of patience: remain still and watch the tigers fight from atop the mountain.
Some weep, others rejoice.
Some rejoice to the point of madness—
For instance…
A so-called "master"—a fraud and a useless man, still clinging to the remnants of his former glory.
Fasno Province, Nuoding City
Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy
In this small city lived a man—unkempt hair, stubbled chin, sunken cheeks, wearing coarse linen robes. His expression always sour, as if the whole world owed him millions of gold spirit coins.
This was none other than the self-proclaimed master of spirit theory:
Yu Xiaogang.
Today, like every other day—
Yu Xiaogang arrived at the Nuoding Academy cafeteria just in time for the meal hour, ready for his routine of mooching off free food yet again.
Soon, under the disdainful glare of the cafeteria staff and the whispered mockery of students and teachers, he received his portion—
A meal reserved for official academy instructors.
Yu Xiaogang had been invited as a "guest instructor" by the headmaster, an old friend.
Yet he had never taught a single class. He wore the title of teacher, but his only contribution was showing up daily to eat for free.
As a result, he was universally disliked by both staff and students. Even the kitchen staff treated him with thinly veiled contempt.
Head bowed low, Yu Xiaogang didn't dare look the cafeteria worker in the eye. With his tray in hand, he quickly scurried off to an inconspicuous corner.
Only once seated did he relax slightly, casting a dark look around.
Inside, a storm raged:
"Damn it... Even a cafeteria worker dares look down on me. You low-level trash... One day, I'll prove my theory and make you all eat your words! You'll see what it means to be out of your league! Hmph—!"
Gritting his teeth, Yu Xiaogang bit fiercely into his chicken leg, venting his frustration.
Just then, he overheard a conversation coming from a few tables over.
Several well-dressed noble students were whispering among themselves:
"Hey, did you hear? The Pope of Spirit Hall is dead!"
"No way. How did that happen?"
"They say he was killed."
"Who'd dare do that? Killing the Pope?"
"Rumor has it—it was Tang Hao, heir of the Hao Tian Sect, the number one sect in the world."
"Where'd you hear that?"
"My second uncle's a deacon at the Nuoding branch of Spirit Hall. The arrest warrants and war announcements are already out."
"I heard the same. My uncle works for the city lord. It's true."
Though their voices were hushed, Yu Xiaogang—useless as he may have become, and still only at Spirit Grandmaster rank (Level 29)—heard every word clearly.
He was in the middle of shoveling bread and chicken into his mouth when the conversation struck him like lightning.
He nearly choked.
The next second, his face went blank.
The bread and chicken leg slipped from his hands and fell to the floor—completely forgotten.
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