Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

Attacking Shrek? The Heaven Dou imperial family would turn a blind eye and wouldn't interfere, even if this was happening in Heaven Dou City.

"But we cannot afford to ignore that person's influence! We must show respect!"

The one who spoke was the always-silent Ghost Douluo.

As he said these words, his eyes were filled with gratitude.

If it weren't for Zhongli's guidance, Ghost Douluo wouldn't have known that he could become this powerful!

Hearing this, Chrysanthemum Douluo had no objections.

Ghost and Chrysanthemum complement each other perfectly, not just in words, but in reality.

Besides, even if Ghost Douluo hadn't mentioned it, Chrysanthemum Douluo would have brought it up himself.

Tang San was bound to leave Heaven Dou City for the Star Luo Empire.

Waiting a few more days wouldn't make a difference.

Ghost Leopard and Demon Bear were slightly stunned but immediately nodded in agreement.

If they acted within Heaven Dou City and disturbed that person, it wouldn't be worth the risk.

It was well known that Chrysanthemum Douluo had a good relationship with Zhongli and Paimon.

As for why Ghost Douluo had proactively brought up this matter, the others didn't dare to speculate or question it.

Ghost Douluo was a low-profile person.

Even though he had broken through in soul power and his martial soul had undergone a second awakening, no one except Chrysanthemum Douluo and Bibi Dong knew about it.

This was one of the reasons why he remained in the Spirit Hall.

He rarely spoke, and by keeping silent, he wouldn't accidentally reveal any of Bibi Dong's secrets.

Tang San had no idea that he was being targeted, by more than just one or two people.

And this wasn't the usual cliché where enemies send soul masters just one rank above him to die and help him level up.

Ghost Leopard, Demon Bear, Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, four full-fledged Titled Douluos.

This was even more firepower than when they fought Tang Hao back in the day.

Of course, a Titled Douluo with the Seraphim martial soul wasn't someone an ordinary Titled Douluo could compare to.

---

"We'll stay with our teachers at the academy for a few days, then we'll set off."

"Alright!"

They weren't leaving for Star Luo Empire right away because they wanted to spend some time with Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, Flender, and the others.

After all, once they parted, who knew how many years it would be before they saw each other again?

Everyone was quite filial, spending time with their teachers was a way of showing respect and gratitude.

Flender had lost his legs in battle.

At first, Ma Hongjun had no intention of going to the Star Luo Empire, but after talking with Flender the entire night, he made up his mind.

He needed to grow stronger. He needed enough power so that one day, he could take revenge, and finally rest.

If he rested now, it would mean giving up on avenging Flender.

Flender had been like a father to him. Ma Hongjun couldn't ignore that debt.

---

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

At this moment, Heaven Dou Royal Academy was brightly decorated, in stark contrast to the cold and desolate Shrek Academy.

For the first time ever, since the founding of the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament, Heaven Dou Royal Academy, and by extension, the entire Heaven Dou Empire, had won the championship.

This victory was extraordinary.

They had broken a long-standing record.

No matter how many years passed, as long as Heaven Dou Royal Academy existed, their story would be passed down.

As the honorary dean of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Emperor Xue Ye was extremely pleased with the outcome of this tournament.

"The Spirit Hall has awarded three spirit bones as prizes, so I cannot remain empty-handed."

"I shall reward every member of the Team with 500,000 gold soul coins!"

Gold soul coins were of no concern to the royal family.

The only thing they lacked were spirit bones, but even then, it wasn't as though they couldn't procure them if necessary. They simply didn't see the need to at the moment.

The team members gladly accepted the rewards.

They had earned honor for Heaven Dou Empire, so receiving a corresponding reward was only fair.

After distributing the rewards, Xue Ye was troubled.

He was thinking about how to keep these people in the empire, even if they wouldn't directly serve the imperial family, at least having them remain at Heaven Dou Royal Academy would allow them to contribute indirectly.

Now that the tournament had ended, the Heaven Dou Team could officially graduate from the academy.

These young talents, each one of them, were absolutely terrifying.

That was why Xue Ye was so keen on retaining them.

After all, being part of a sect and being a teacher at an academy weren't mutually exclusive.

Even becoming an imperial noble didn't necessarily conflict with their current status.

Take Ning Fengzhi, for example.

He held a noble title within the Heaven Dou Empire and even served as the imperial advisor.

For those without the surname "Xue," the highest rank they could usually achieve was Earl or Marquis.

Xue Ye's family had a long-standing rule: no non-Xue could be granted the title of "King."

Even if the empire fell into civil war and split apart, as long as the ruling family remained "Xue," everything would remain intact.

Xue Ye put on a friendly face and asked, "Do you all have plans for the future?"

"Return to our sects and focus on cultivation," they replied in unison, without hesitation.

They meant what they said. They were truly devoted to their cultivation.

Hearing this, Xue Ye was stunned. The words he had prepared got stuck in his throat.

Return to their sects and focus on cultivation?

After thinking it over, Xue Ye realized that they weren't lying.

They were actually interested in getting stronger!

What frustrated Xue Ye was how none of them hesitated before rejecting him.

Was his glorious Heaven Dou Empire really that worthless?

Was there truly nothing that could attract them?

He could give them money. He could even consider giving them spirit bones.

But why didn't they even stop to think about it?

He wasn't asking them to risk their lives, just to stay!

These disciples from the Body Sect really did miss home.

Xue Ye pondered for a long time, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Ever since the Body Sect had risen in power, major factions had become increasingly accepting of Body Spirit martial souls.

Even within Heaven Dou Empire, there were young children who had just awakened Body Spirits.

The imperial family had started secretly training these individuals, hoping to replicate the success of the Body Sect.

Even if they couldn't match the true Body Sect in strength, once their Body Spirits underwent a second awakening, they would become an extremely formidable force.

Training Body Spirits had proven to yield immense returns, far more efficient than training traditional martial souls.

The strength displayed by Body Spirits in this year's tournament had shaken the world.

Many powerful factions had already begun redirecting resources to support Body Spirit cultivation.

The training methods of the Body Sect weren't a secret, nearly every major power knew about them.

The only thing they lacked was the sect's secret techniques.

"I will not give up!"

Xue Ye clenched his fists.

For the sake of strengthening the Heaven Dou Empire, he had worried himself to the bone.

There were many things that he couldn't let Xue Qinghe handle directly, doing so would make the royal family seem too petty.

If he personally stepped in, however, things would be much smoother.

Unfortunately, his attempts to recruit the Heaven Dou Royal Team had ended before they even started.

These people weren't even willing to entertain the idea, they didn't care about his grand vision or promises.