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Lin Tian was the Branch Master of the Sun Moon Pavilion in Ninghai City. In the strategic cold calculation where the Sun Moon Divine Cult had to choose between prioritizing Ninghai City or Westsea City, Ninghai had clearly been the one cast aside.
However, being sidelined didn't mean Lin Tian was unimportant, nor did it mean he was a disposable pawn. To be stationed as the head of a city branch, Lin Tian naturally possessed his own significant backing within the Cult.
Before Su Wen appeared, the Divine Cult had entertained the idea of sacrificing the Ninghai branch, but they had simultaneously formulated a secret plan to ensure Lin Tian's safe extraction. Lin Tian's backer—his mentor in both Soul Master cultivation and Soul Tool engineering—was a figure of immense standing: a Titled Douluo and a Class 9 Super Soul Tool Engineer.
With such a background, Lin Tian had maintained close contact with the Cult's headquarters during the period they were considered "abandoned." He had fought for his branch's survival and even inquired as to why Westsea City was deemed more vital than Ninghai. It was through these high-level channels that he, a mere Soul Emperor, had learned the secret of the "other continent."
According to the intelligence provided by his mentor, the critical maritime node between the Sun Moon Continent and the other landmass was Westsea City. Consequently, when Su Wen first appeared in Ninghai, Lin Tian hadn't immediately connected him to the legends of the distant East.
But after witnessing Su Wen's performance today, Lin Tian could no longer ignore the possibility. After all, if one sailed a full circle around the ocean, one could just as easily make landfall at Ninghai City!
Su Wen possessed zero knowledge of basic Soul Tool theory and had no prior reputation on this continent, yet his strength was monstrous—especially his mastery of spatial soul skills. This wasn't the power of a Soul Tool; it was the raw, cultivated ability of a Soul Master. On the Sun Moon Continent, no Soul Master had ever reached such a level by purely developing their innate abilities.
Others might simply view Su Wen as a freakish genius, but Lin Tian, who knew of the other continent and its unique cultivation characteristics, finally connected the dots.
An external power. Su Wen is an outsider.
Despite guessing that Su Wen hailed from the other continent, Lin Tian's attitude remained unchanged. From his mentor's descriptions, he sensed that the high-ranking members of the Cult didn't harbor a particularly hostile stance toward the other land. By extension, Lin Tian felt no enmity either.
Besides, Su Wen had just saved his life. More importantly, as an outsider, Su Wen represented a massive potential ally that Lin Tian could recruit for the Sun Moon Divine Cult.
Su Wen noticed the strange glint in Lin Tian's eyes. Under Manager Qian's direction, the Pavilion's Soul Masters led the captured Zhao Hai and his men away, leaving Su Wen and Lin Tian alone at the rear of the procession.
"Brother Lin, I assume you have some questions?"
Lin Tian looked at Su Wen, his gaze complex. What had been a mere suspicion now felt like a confirmed truth, especially given Su Wen's leading tone.
"Brother Su, tell me the truth... Are you from the other continent?"
Su Wen was surprised by the question, but in another sense, he found it expected. He was surprised that Lin Tian knew of the other continent's existence and could deduce his origin so quickly, but expected it because he had already sensed Lin Tian's scrutiny.
"Brother Lin, I won't hide it from you. I indeed come from across the sea. In my homeland, the heritage of Soul Tools has been severed. We focus entirely on the cultivation and research of the Soul Master. That place is called the Douluo Continent."
Su Wen didn't bother with deception. Since Lin Tian already knew about the other continent, he likely knew the basics. Furthermore, Su Wen wasn't afraid of what Lin Tian might try to do with this information. Behind every bold admission lay the unshakable foundation of superior strength.
"Hiss—!"
Lin Tian sucked in a sharp breath. Receiving a direct confirmation from Su Wen himself made him marvel at the man's ability to cross the boundless, treacherous ocean. His mentor had explicitly told him that even a Titled Douluo couldn't guarantee survival against the endless perils of the deep sea, even with an established maritime route. One moment of carelessness, and it was ship-wreckage and death. That was the cruelty of the ocean.
Yet Su Wen had crossed it alone, arriving in seemingly perfect condition.
"Tell me, Brother Su... did you come to the Sun Moon Continent alone?" Lin Tian asked, his voice tinged with anticipation.
If his mentor couldn't cross the sea, but Su Wen had made it, there was a high probability that a team of even stronger experts had led the way. If they could bring such powerhouses into the Cult's camp... Lin Tian's mind began to race with the possibilities.
However, Su Wen's answer promptly shattered his fantasy.
"I'm afraid I came alone," Su Wen said, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
Lin Tian felt a pang of disappointment, but he quickly adjusted his mindset. "Then why did you come to our Sun Moon Continent, Brother Su?"
"To learn about Soul Tools, of course."
"Oh?" Lin Tian's eyes lit up with pride. A Soul Master as powerful as Su Wen actually yearned for the knowledge of Soul Tools. Didn't that further prove the nobility and superiority of the Soul Tool Engineer profession?
"Soul Tools represent the possibility for a Soul Master to reach the next level," Su Wen added, explaining his philosophy. Whether for an ordinary Soul Master or a genius, equipping Soul Tools—provided the training and arrangement were logical—would lead to a significant boost in combat power.
To Su Wen, the ultimate path was the fusion of a genius Soul Master's power with the amplification of Soul Tools. He was currently very interested in the "Spirit-Tool Fusion" technique—the method Wang Lin used to merge his martial soul with his tools. If he could craft a book that resonated and fused with his own Heavenly Book, his strength would reach an entirely new dimension.
Ninghai City
In just one short month, Ninghai City was turned upside down.
City Lord Zhao Hai had vanished, along with several high-ranking experts of the city guard. The City Lord's Mansion was occupied by the Sun Moon Divine Cult, and the reins of power were seamlessly taken over by the local branch of the Pavilion. The transition was so smooth that it barely caused a ripple of unrest among the citizenry. Quietly, the sky over Ninghai changed from the color of Zhao Hai to the colors of the Divine Cult.
Across the continent, similar fires were being lit. In city after city, open warfare erupted between the Sun Moon Pavilion and the official forces represented by the local City Lords.
The peace that had lasted for over a century was finally shattered. The entire continent was being plunged into an all-encompassing war.
"Brother Su, your talent is truly..." Lin Tian trailed off in pure awe.
He was currently holding a mid-level Soul Tool that Su Wen had just crafted. Using his mental energy to scan the internal core array, he meticulously inspected every single stroke and etched line.
The verdict was always the same: Perfection.
It wasn't just perfect; the lines of the core array Su Wen had carved felt as if they were formed by nature itself, possessing a sense of divine sublimation. In practice, the Soul Tool's actual performance exceeded the theoretical limits of its formation by a significant margin!
(End of Chapter)