Chapter 121: The Transaction
When it came to Ning Fengzhi, the head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, his character setup implied he was even more astute than Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang. Yet, his actions seemed shortsighted. The same flaw ran through all three major clans: they acted as fair weather allies, constantly playing both sides of the empire's conflict. They knew that if either empire united the continent, their freewheeling power would be stifled. Should the continent be unified, a large, centralized government would see them as a threat, potentially even wiping out the clans entirely. So, when Spirit Hall sought unification, they banded together, casting Spirit Hall as the villain, their own side as the continent's "saviors."
But, if it hadn't been for the intervention of Tang San's otherworldly talent, Spirit Hall's ruler, Bibi Dong, would have crushed them all. As a support oriented clan, it was baffling why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan cared about preventing unification in the first place. A glance through history would show that unified empires were good for long lived noble houses, which thrived for centuries under stable rule. Spirit Hall's core doctrine "soul masters above all" meant the nobility would still enjoy their privileges even if the continent were unified under a soul master regime.
However, with Ning Fengzhi's disciple link to the crown prince, Xue Qinghe (or rather, Qian Renxue in disguise), the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had locked itself onto Heaven Dou's side. Their futures were now inseparably linked.
While others might not grasp the extent of Spirit Hall's might, Sword Douluo Chen Xin certainly did. Just one 99th rank powerhouse, Qian Daoliu, could have crushed the backbone of the entire soul master community. Thinking he could challenge that power was a shortsighted underestimation on Ning Fengzhi's part.
"My younger sister has often spoken about how you saved her life years ago, Master Ye Wen," Ning Fengzhi said warmly. "She's been wanting to visit Tianxing Academy to express her thanks personally but hasn't had the chance."
Ye Wen kept his face neutral, listening without interrupting. It would have been rude to brush Ning Fengzhi off, given their trade relationship. Still, he couldn't recall who exactly this "younger sister" was but played along with a polite nod, as though he remembered perfectly. Over the years, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile had sent various disciples to study at Tianxing Academy, but Ye Wen hadn't paid them much attention. As students of another clan, they'd eventually return to Seven Treasure Glazed Tile, so the relationship between the two parties was limited mainly to annual profits.
Meanwhile, Sword Douluo Chen Xin scrutinized Ye Wen from the side, surprised to find that he couldn't gauge Ye Wen's level of strength. "Interesting," Chen Xin mused inwardly. "This young man is not to be underestimated."
Then, an idea crossed Ye Wen's mind. In recent years, he had accumulated a surplus of spatial rings from his experiments with soul tools, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to offload them. Steering the conversation toward business, he casually mentioned the items, catching the interest of both Yu Yuanzhen and Emperor Xue Ye.
They had no idea that Ye Wen could craft spatial rings. In the world of soul masters, spatial tools were a luxury item, highly coveted by the wealthy. Intrigued, the two men joined Ning Fengzhi in expressing interest. Since Ye Wen was essentially liquidating excess inventory, he was willing to negotiate a bulk discount, with the final price set at 20 million gold soul coins.
With the sale complete, a thought struck Ye Wen: offloading such a large batch of rings could potentially disrupt the balance with Star Luo Empire. He'd have to get back to work producing another batch for Star Luo; otherwise, this imbalance might lead to a large scale conflict. An all out war at this stage would only spell suffering for the continent and interfere with future plans.
Fortunately, the spatial rings he'd sold were only basic level soul tools with storage capacities between one and ten cubic meters, which would make restocking less time consuming. He grimaced at the thought of the long hours ahead. "I should've thought this through. Guess I'll be pulling some late nights to fill this hole I dug."
On the Heaven Dou side, news of the transaction was impossible to keep under wraps. Emperor Xue Ye, eager to avoid war, allowed the deal to proceed without interference. The influx of rings certainly tipped the balance in both empires' favor, putting Spirit Hall under significant pressure. Despite their formidable Titled Douluo and deep rooted influence, Spirit Hall was deterred by the two empires' sheer military strength, now further bolstered by enhanced logistics and storage.
Naturally, Qian Xunji, Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff, was furious. The fact that mere "insects," as he saw them, dared to limit Spirit Hall's access to spatial tools infuriated him. Yet, he knew this was no time to force a conflict. He could only stifle his anger and work toward Spirit Hall's continued expansion in secret.
As the tournament neared its final stages, the setting shifted to Star Luo Empire. Unsurprisingly, both of Tianxing Academy's teams advanced to the finals. The difference in power between them and the competition was simply too vast. While Spirit Hall consistently produced strong teams, the tournament's winners alternated between them and the empires. The students participating this year were generally around the Soul Elder level, with only the rare Soul King. This year, the final contenders were all Soul Elders.
And with that, the championship match began.
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