Chapter 89: The Strength of the Black Tortoise Turtle Clan
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.
Young man, this is clearly a battle!
How did it suddenly turn into a talent recruitment site?
No one present could understand Zhou Chen's astonishing train of thought.
The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo exchanged glances, staring at each other in bewilderment.
They had already prepared themselves to be brutally beaten by Zhou Chen, yet what they received instead was Zhou Chen's appreciation and invitation.
This left the two brothers completely caught off guard.
However, as the saying goes, if someone shows me respect of one foot, I repay them with ten feet.
Zhou Chen's appreciation and attempt to recruit them caused a considerable sense of goodwill toward him to arise in their hearts, along with a desire to form connections.
Moreover, no one from the Imperial Battle Team had died, so there was no deep-seated hatred between the two sides, leaving the Shi brothers without any psychological burden.
Thus, the elder brother, Shi Mo, cupped his fists toward Zhou Chen and asked, "May I know your honored name?"
"Zhou Chen, Chen as in stardust."
Zhou Chen smiled as he replied.
At this point, he was no longer particularly afraid of revealing his name.
After all, his strength was now comparable to that of a Titled Douluo, and he had recruited Dugu Bo as a subordinate. Together, even if Spirit Hall sent people to attack, if he could not defeat them, he could still escape.
Furthermore, if Zhou Chen's guess was correct, after the previous battle at Silves City, the clever individuals within Spirit Hall had already deduced his identity. Trying to conceal it now would only be too late.
What was bound to come would come sooner or later. Unless Spirit Hall suffered the loss of several Titled Douluo, they would never truly feel pain.
"A good name."
Hearing this, Shi Mo offered a compliment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Young Master Zhou, you have vented your anger, and Yu Tianheng has paid a sufficient price. Could we end this duel here?"
"Yes."
Zhou Chen nodded. Unless absolutely necessary, he had no desire to make enemies, as that was nothing more than foolish behavior.
Moreover, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was destined to be wiped out by Spirit Hall, so it would have little impact on the future situation of the continent.
There was no need for Zhou Chen to provoke the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan into a full-scale war over a moment of impulsiveness.
Would that not simply allow Spirit Hall to reap the benefits for free?
Seeing Zhou Chen agree so readily, the Shi brothers assumed he was sparing Yu Tianheng out of consideration for the two of them.
Their goodwill toward Zhou Chen immediately increased, and Shi Mo said somewhat embarrassedly, "Young Master Zhou, we are deeply moved by your invitation. However, this is, after all, a major matter…"
"There's no rush. You can return and consider it slowly. I genuinely admire the two of you."
Zhou Chen smiled warmly.
His desire to recruit the Shi brothers did indeed stem partly from his appreciation of their conduct.
More importantly, however, he wanted to use them as a bridge to connect with the Black Tortoise Turtle Clan's soul masters, recruit the Black Tortoise Clan, and expand the strength of the Ziwei Palace.
Over the past six years, Zhou Chen had not only been cultivating. Through the Tianji Guard and Tang Hao, he had gained a deep understanding of the major sects and soul master clans across the Douluo Continent.
The Black Tortoise Clan was one such example.
The Black Tortoise Turtle was a top-tier defensive beast martial soul. From the fact that it was named after the "Black Tortoise," one of the four divine beasts, one could see just how powerful this martial soul was.
However, due to the nature of their martial soul, Black Tortoise Turtle soul masters found it extremely difficult to reproduce, resulting in very small numbers. The entire clan had never exceeded thirty members.
For the same reason, over several hundred years, this clan had never produced a Titled Douluo. In addition, the clan was gentle and peace-loving by nature, disinclined toward conflict, and thus remained largely obscure.
Yet Tang Hao once told Zhou Chen an interesting anecdote. Black Tortoise Turtle soul masters lived exceptionally long lives. As long as they did not meet with misfortune, their lifespans all exceeded one hundred and fifty years.
According to Tang Hao's speculation, the Black Tortoise Clan might currently still have nearly ten centenarians alive. These old monsters were basically all Soul Douluo.
One must know that, according to Spirit Hall's registration records, across the entire Douluo Continent, there were only slightly more than two hundred Soul Douluo above level eighty.
Even if the two great empires and the major sects and clans kept some hidden, the total number of Soul Douluo would not exceed five hundred.
Yet the Black Tortoise Clan alone possessed nearly ten Soul Douluo.
It was no exaggeration to say that once the Black Tortoise Clan was brought under control, the strength of the Ziwei Palace would be greatly expanded.
Zhou Chen did not lack bargaining chips capable of attracting the Black Tortoise Clan. What he lacked was merely an opportunity to establish contact with them.
And now, that opportunity had arrived.
Thinking this far, a faint gleam flashed in Zhou Chen's left hand, and two purple tokens engraved with the Big Dipper Seven Stars appeared in his palm.
With a casual toss, the tokens landed in the hands of the elder brother, Shi Mo.
"These are the Big Dipper Tokens of my Ziwei Palace. Hold on to them for now. Also, I would like to speak with the person in charge of your clan. I possess a secret method that can increase a soul master's reproductive ability."
"Is that true?"
Shi Mo's eyes lit up as he asked urgently.
"It is true."
Zhou Chen replied with a smile.
"Then it's settled. Once this matter is concluded, we will immediately return and inform our elders."
Shi Mo said excitedly.
For Black Tortoise Turtle soul masters, their greatest flaw was reproductive ability. If this flaw could be remedied, then the Black Tortoise Clan would have ample opportunity in the future to once again shake the continent.
The people present, seeing that the two sides who had just been fighting fiercely were now chatting happily, were momentarily dumbfounded.
However, that was only the men's perspective.
Zhou Chen's female admirers began to grow noisy again, praising him for his kindness, generosity, and broad-mindedness, claiming he was the best future partner for girls.
"Make way, make way."
Just as the female students and teachers were arguing noisily, a gentle yet commanding voice suddenly sounded. A middle-aged man walked out from the crowd.
The man appeared to be around thirty years old, with ordinary features and simple clothing, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.
"Teacher Qin Ming?"
Seeing the man, Dugu Yan and the Shi brothers were simultaneously startled.
They had not expected that a duel would alarm such a prominent figure within the academy, second only to the three Education Committee members.
The surrounding onlookers also became excited upon seeing Qin Ming arrive.
After all, this Teacher Qin Ming was recorded by Spirit Hall as the second youngest Soul Emperor in history. At merely thirty-four years of age, he was already a level sixty-two Battle Soul Emperor.
Such a cultivation speed was second only to that of the Haotian Douluo, Tang Hao, in his youth.
Many experts had concluded that as long as Qin Ming did not meet with misfortune, he would certainly break through to Titled Douluo before the age of sixty.
Zhou Chen remembered that this Qin Ming had graduated from Shrek Academy in the original storyline.
After entering, Qin Ming first glanced at the unconscious Oslo and Yu Tianheng on the ground, then at Yufeng, who was still wailing in pain. After confirming that none of the three were in mortal danger, he finally turned his gaze directly toward Zhou Chen.
"Subduing three outstanding students personally trained by me with one hand, without using martial souls or soul skills—this is something even I, a Soul Emperor, cannot accomplish. I am very curious. How did you do it?"
End of the chapter.
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