Du Bushi turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao at his side. Over the past few months, his relationship with the boy had grown considerably better.
Under his stare, Huo Yuhao nodded and explained:
"It's true. After you came out, Cousin dragged me along to find you! But you were walking too fast earlier, so we couldn't catch up at first."
"What business do you have with this old man?" Du Bushi asked, looking at Jiang Qingtong and Huo Yuhao, both smiling at him.
Before either of them could reply, Du Bushi added:
"If you've come to act as lobbyists, then forget it."
Jiang Qingtong's little face immediately turned pitiful. She looked up at Du Bushi with aggrieved eyes and asked softly:
"Does Senior really dislike our Sun Moon Empire that much? But… what have we done wrong? The collision of the continents wasn't something we wanted either!"
Looking at her so wronged, her features nearly identical to Jiang Shengyu's yet somehow impossible to dislike, Du Bushi frowned, helpless.
"This old man… Ai, you little girl! Why put on such a pitiful look? It's not that I dislike you. Yuhao, persuade your cousin—if others saw this, they'd think I was bullying a little girl!"
Huo Yuhao gently patted Qingtong's back while asking:
"Then why, Senior, are you unwilling to stay in the Sun Moon Empire?"
Hearing this, Du Bushi sighed and answered the two of them:
"This old man has said it before—the martial spirit quality of Sun Moon Empire's people cannot compare with that of the original three kingdoms of the Douluo Continent. This is an objective fact! For the future of the Sect, even if I have some fondness for you, I cannot disregard the matter of martial spirit quality."
Hearing his words, Jiang Qingtong rubbed at the corner of her eye and softly asked:
"Then, if the Sun Moon Empire could provide the Body Sect with high-quality disciples, would Senior be willing to relocate the Sect here?"
"This…" Du Bushi hesitated, not answering immediately.
Seeing his pause, Jiang Qingtong pressed on:
"If Senior doesn't like us, you could just say it outright!"
"This little girl's tongue really is sharp—learned it from your brother, I suppose?" Du Bushi sighed.
Under the expectant gazes of Jiang Qingtong and Huo Yuhao, Du Bushi pondered for a long time before finally nodding.
"More or less. If the Sun Moon Empire can provide gifted soul masters with Body Martial Spirits, moving the Sect here wouldn't be out of the question."
He was certain that the martial spirits of the Sun Moon Empire's populace were inferior to those of the original three kingdoms—that was why he dared to say such a thing.
Yet after hearing his words, Jiang Qingtong suddenly broke into a smile. She stretched out her hand to him.
"Senior, let's seal it with a high-five! No going back on your word!"
"A high-five then." Du Bushi extended his hand, clapping hers. But when he saw the bright smile on her face afterward, a sudden sense of foreboding struck him. Could it be that this little lass really had some method to produce promising Body Martial Spirit talent within the Sun Moon Empire?
After their high-five, Jiang Qingtong gave Huo Yuhao a meaningful wink. Then, smiling brightly, she hooked her arm through Du Bushi's and started leading him in a certain direction.
"Come, Senior. Please follow me."
Not knowing what the two were plotting, Du Bushi followed them.
Leaving Mingde Hall, the three walked straight down the main street until they arrived before a grand building.
The emblem of the Sun and Mirror Lotus hung resplendent above its gates, shining brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
This was the headquarters of the Spirit Hall, though it bore no plaque. With a structure so large, concealing its existence was impossible. Thus, ever since Tang Ya rebuilt the Tang Sect, the Spirit Hall's headquarters publicly claimed to be the Tang Sect Headquarters, a guise to mislead outsiders.
"You've brought this old man to the Tang Sect? Hoping that girl Tang Ya will persuade me?" Du Bushi asked in confusion.
Jiang Qingtong shook her head with a mysterious smile.
"Of course not, Senior. You'll understand once you're inside."
Once they entered, Huo Yuhao immediately went off in another direction, while Jiang Qingtong led Du Bushi into the grand hall. Many young men and women in Tang Sect disciple attire bustled about within. Upon seeing Qingtong, they all bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Vice Hall Master!"
Their deference didn't surprise Du Bushi. Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong could be considered benefactors of the Tang Sect's revival. That disciples would treat them with respect was natural.
But Vice Hall Master?
Looking at Jiang Qingtong, Du Bushi asked:
"So, little girl, what medicine are you hiding in that gourd of yours?"
Still smiling, Jiang Qingtong replied calmly:
"No rush, Senior—you'll know very soon… Ah, they're here!"
Just as she spoke, Huo Yuhao returned, accompanied by Tang Ya and a group of Spirit Hall's Elders.
Among them was the Starlight Douluo, Elder Hong, and six others—seven in total. These seven Title Douluo comprised the highest combat strength of the Spirit Hall, each of them also a ninth-rank soul engineer. This was the greatest support the Sun Moon Empire and Mingde Hall could muster—there were no more spare Title Douluo to allocate.
Even so, most of them were only around rank ninety-one.
Frowning, Du Bushi studied them. Though their soul power levels were clearly weaker than his by a large margin, he could still feel a hint of threat from them. Against seven at once, he would not fear—so long as they did not use ninth-rank soul tools.
If they combined their ninth-rank soul tools, however, he knew he could not claim victory, though he would not lose either.
"You all… are Tang Sect Elders?" Du Bushi asked in doubt.
Could the Sun Moon Empire's support for the Tang Sect really be this great? To actually provide seven ninth-rank soul engineer-level Title Douluo?
"No, they are not."
Jiang Qingtong shook her head and walked to stand at Elder Hong's side. Turning back toward Du Bushi, her expression grew solemn.
"Senior, please allow me to formally introduce them. This is not the Tang Sect Headquarters—this is the Spirit Hall Headquarters. These seven are the Honored Elders of my Spirit Hall. The Tang Sect Master is but our guest elder. As for me—I am the Vice Hall Master of Spirit Hall. My codename—Xiao Xun'er!"
"Spirit Hall?!"
Du Bushi's pupils shrank sharply.
"This old man has heard rumors of an organization by that name—acting from the shadows, weaving intrigues, secretly recruiting commoners and civilian soul masters within the three kingdoms of the original Douluo Continent, giving their governments constant headaches. So… it was you behind it all?"
"Senior, don't make it sound so unpleasant!"
Jiang Qingtong shook her head gently, looking straight at him as she explained:
"Our Spirit Hall awakens martial spirits for free. Anyone registered with us can also receive subsidies. Is that not a good thing?"
She stepped forward, her eyes fixed firmly on him.
"Or does Senior also believe that ordinary civilians should not have the right to awaken their martial spirits and become soul masters?"
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