Yang Wudi led them to the core of the Headquarters of the Breaking Clan, while Xuan Ziwen was left with the recruited kids and Xu Tianzhen, while Jin Eyu and Hun Tiandi went to talk with the Patriarch of the Breaking Clan.
Jin Eyu left all the speaking to Hun Tiandi because he wasn't really interested in handling this matter. In the end, this scheme was cooked up by Hun Tiandi with a bit of help from Bibi Dong, so it was understandable that Hun Tiandi would be handling the negotiations with Yang Wudi.
The Breaking Clan was in rather dire straits because the entire Clan had only two Soul Douluos, Yang Wudi and Yang Wushuang. If not for their top-tier Martial Souls, Soul Breaking Spear, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves from the constant harassment from the other factions.
"So, what can our small Breaking Clan do for Your Holiness?"
Yang Wudi asked slowly as he made them tea and looked at the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall.
If he could have that, he wanted to have nothing to do with the Spirit Hall, but at the same time, the Breaking Clan was already on the verge of falling apart. They were being pressured on all sides; nobody wanted to have anything to do with them, especially in the Heaven Dou Empire, where the influence of the Spirit Hall was enormous.
Other smaller nations across the world feared the Spirit Hall too much and wouldn't offend them just for the sake of a tiny faction with two Soul Douluos. This wasn't worth it even ten times over, and thus, the situation of the Breaking Clan was dire.
Yang Wudi considered moving the entire clan to the Star Luo Empire, but even that had its own problems and dangers.
At the same time, it was true that in the Star Luo Empire, the influence of Spirit Hall was lower, and the Imperial Family of the Star Luo Empire was far more powerful than that of the Heaven Dou Empire.
He knew that the nobles of the Star Luo Empire wouldn't be easy to deal with. Compared to the lazy and arrogant nobility of the Heaven Dou Empire, where Yang Wudi didn't need to fear them that much, the nobles of the Star Luo Empire were a different category altogether.
While they were even more arrogant and troublesome than their compatriots from the Heaven Dou Empire, their strength was no joke. It was rather common for the Noble Houses of the Star Luo to have baking of the Soul Douluos, and some of the Grand Ducal Houses had even Titled Douluos.
Even though all of them were maximally Average Titled Douluo, the event was far, far above the capabilities of the Breaking Clan. With only two Soul Douluos, they would also be in a pretty tough position as they were here.
Then there was the chance of migrating to one of the Duchies in the Anarchic Lands.
Anarchic Lands was an area that was located in the south of the Star Dou Forest and shared a very extensive border with the Star Dou Forest itself. The border was approximately 20,000 kilometers in length.
A small part of the Anarchnic Lands was also bordered by the Heaven Dou Empire, but unfortunately, the Rising Dragon City was located in an entirely different direction and was tens of thousands of kilometers away from it.
Yang Wudi, though, didn't think that the Breaking Clan would have the power and resources to withstand the migration of the entire clan to the Anarchic Lands. While he admitted that the chances for the clan to thrive there were relatively bigger than here, the journey was too long.
And anything could happen during such a long journey.
Thus, they settled in the Rising Dragon City. Even though this place was located in the Star Luo Empire, it was at the outskirts of the Empire, and there were barely any experts here.
"Actually, a lot of Patriarch Yang..."
Hun Tiandi said as he looked at the Patriarch of the Breaking Clan.
"As you can see, the world around is constantly changing and evolving. Old foes fade into obscurity, geniuses rise and fall, and new foes are constantly appearing. With the advent of the Alchemy on the Douluo Continent, it became clear that your Breaking Clan, which is the continent's foremost Medicine Master and Herablist, is invaluable and in a rather precarious position."
Hun Tiandi said as he sipped from his tea, while Yang Wudi was seriously listening to everything that the Holy Son was speaking. Obviously, every single movement that the Patriarch of the Breaking Clan made was being observed by the Golden Crocodile Douluo.
"The Spirit Hall has a proposal for the Breaking Clan, and it would be the sole and only proposal for the Breaking Clan from me that you will ever receive. If you agree, then even Clear Sky Clan would be nothing compared to your might; if you refuse, then you will become one with the annals of history."
Yang Wudi couldn't help but shudder, sensing the overhelming bloodthirsty aura around the Holy Son of Spirit Hall because it was genuinely scaring him. Even though the Holy Son was just a Spirit King, three whole realms below his own, that slaughter aura was really frightening even to him.
"The Spirit Hall would like to extend an invitation for the Breaking Clan to join the Spirit Hall. Here, this is a letter written personally by Her Holiness the Supreme Pontiff bearing the Supreme Pontiff Seal."
Hun Tiandi stated as he passed Yang Wudi the letter from Bibi Dong, but the elderly man was barely reacting as he was still processing the words that he had just heard. Yang Wudi trembled as he took the letter from the Supreme Pontiff, because he understood the implications of this.
One part of him wanted to refuse the offer outright, because the Spirit Hall was technically an enemy of the Breaking Clan, but the other part of him, which was thinking about the future of his clan, was looking at the entire matter much differently.
Yang Wudi, much to Hun Tiandi's surprise, didn't reject outright, but this was a good sign.
He let Yang Wudi read the letter as the Patriarch's expression changed several times over and over as he kept reading the letter from the Supreme Pontiff. Hun Tiandi could imagine that the man was torn between two choices, because if he refused, then it was almost certain that the Breaking Clan would perish sooner or later.
He was rather smart and knew that they were involved for their Medicinal, Alchemical, and Herbal knowledge.
If the Spirit Hall didn't obtain what they wanted through the peaceful methods, Yang Wudi didn't doubt that the Golden Crocodile Douluo, who was happily drinking the tea, would kill everyone in the Headquarters of the Breaking Clan.
On the other hand, if he agreed to it, then he didn't know how he would be able to look at his ancestors in the afterlife, because the Spirit Hall was the long-term rival of the Clear Sky Clan and a mortal enemy.
Joining them would be essentially an ultimate betrayal of their roots.
Then came the conundrum.
What was more important?
"Is there no other choice, Your Holiness?"
In the face of a threat like this, Yang Wudi was willing to exchange even the Medicinal Herb Compendium and other things. He didn't mind having neutral or even positive relationships with the Spirit Hall, but joining them was too hard.
"No. As Patriarch Yang has noticed, the ambitions of the Spirit Hall are grand, and this world is far more dangerous than you can imagine. For many millennia, the Spirit Hall has observed the world, rarely intervening in mortal matters. And what do you see? The common population is suffering under the constant wars between the Star Luo Empire and Heaven Dou Empire against each other or against some independent Kingdoms, Principalities, and Dukedoms. Nobles running rampart and commors reduced to nothing more than backround characters and servants of those of so-called noble birthright."
Hun Tiandi didn't really care about this revelation because, in the end, among the higher-ups of the Spirit Hall, this ambition wasn't secret, and if the Breaking Clan refused his goodwill, they would perish.
This was something that was conditioned by Bibi Dong personally.
She allowed him to try to recruit the Breaking Clan and Defense Clan, but if they refused, he was ordered to kill them on the spot and take what he wanted from them in the first place.
She herself wasn't really that thrilled about recruiting those two clans, but at the same time, she understood their value to the Spirit Hall and the fact that they could provide immense benefits for them.
Alchemy and Blacksmithing became focal points of interest for the Spirit Hall.
Now, with the Soul Tools introduction, the paradigm would shift, or rather, it would add Blacksmithing.
Hun Tiandi predicted that there were two possible outcomes for the Blacksmiths.
Either they would be replaced by the Soul Engineers, or they would develop more towards the Artifact Refiners of his old life. Hun Tiandi would have vastly preferred the second outcome so that the Spirit Hall could have all.
Alchemists, Soul Engineers, and Blacksmiths.
"Douluo Continent won't be that peaceful for so long in the end, and soon enough there would be time that we need to fight for out very own survival... who know what exactly is out there across the stars, and I think only the Spirit Hall has the power and wisdom to lead the civilization of the Douluo Continent towards it's golden age."
Despite hearing that, Yang Wudi wasn't surprised that the Spirit Hall wanted to unify the continent, because everyone who had some political acumen had already noticed that the Spirit Hall was behaving very strangely.
Especially the latest news that the Spirit Hall was planning to wage war on the several nations that were neighboring it, due to something. The reason wasn't even the important one, the fact was.
Spirit Hall was showing their ambitions.
Something that was leaving the Emperors of the Star Luo Empire and Heaven Dou Empire with a lot of sleepless nights. They were aware that they were severely outmatched against the might of Spirit Hall.
The Star Luo Empire had at least some chance to resist with their Titled Douluos, but the Heaven Dou Empire was really dependent on the goodwill of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, which was supporting the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and some minor factions that had the presence of Titled Douluos among them.
Compared to the Dai Imperial Clan of the Star Luo Empire, which alone had some Titled Douluos, the disparity in strength was too high. Though aside from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was slightly supporting the Heaven Dou Empire.
Before the decision to unify the continent, the Spirit Hall was doing exactly the same thing.
Nobody wanted to see one of the two Empires uniting the entire continent, because they would be concentrating all of the continent's resources in their hands.
Especially if the mentioned Empire would be the Star Luo Empire.
The Star Luo Empire was technically a more successful nation compared to the Heaven Dou Empire, because it was able to create Titled Douluos. Not many, but even those few Average Titled Douluos were more than enough.
The fact that some of those few Titled Douluos belonged to the Dai Clan was a testament to their power, while the Xue Imperial Clan of the Heaven Dou Empire was, at best, capped at the Soul Douluo.
"The Breaking Clan... agrees to the proposal of Your Holiness."
After some time of consideration, Yang Wudi stated, as the words barely came out of his mouth, but in the end, for the better future of the Breaking Clan, he was forced to agree to the invitation.
Refusal meant death.
Agreement meant survival.
As easy as that.
"Excellent. Once you sign the Soul Contract, you will be considered a member of the Spirit Hall. Take note, from now on, you are a person of the Spirit Hall, and your previous affiliation with any other faction is null. Especially with the Clear Sky Clan, if even a single wandering disciple appears or contacts you, you are to report it immediately."
Yang Wudi, as the Patriarch of the Breaking Clan, cringed for a moment before nodding his head as he understood everything.
"One part of your Clan that consists of the most proficient Alchemists and Physicians would need to move to the Spirit City to join the Alchemy Department under the Supreme Pontiff Palace. The rest of the Clan can select a place where they can settle down, or you can all settle down in the Spirit City's new areas that are under construction."
Hun Tiandi stated as he looked at the Patriarch Yang, who slowly nodded with half-closed eyes as he signed the Soul Contract. The conditions of the Soul Contract were harsh, but also fair, because the Spirit Hall was obligated to protect the Breaking Clan and also to cultivate one Titled Douluo in their clan, preferably one that reached either the peak of the Average Titled Douluo or outright Hyper Douluo.
This was also the major reason why Yang Wudi agreed to the contract, even though some of the conditions were exceptionally harsh; there was no other choice. Hun Tiandi valued the expertise of the Breakign Clan in the Medicine, Alchemy, and Herbs too much to let them slip by.
They were essential in the greater scheme of things.
In Hun Tiandi's vision, the Breaking Clan would be the essential component in the formation of the Pill Tower.
Once the level of the Alchemists grew to a sufficient level, he planned to merge the Alchemy Department of Spirit Hall with the local Alchemist and Medicine Clans that were affiliated with the Spirit Hall into the Pill Tower.
Just like the Pill Tower of the Dou Qi Continent, the Pill Tower of the Douluo Continent would be the holy land for the Alchemists, Physicians, and Poison Masters across the continent, where they would be perfecting their craft to greater heights.
Hun Tiandi wanted to copy the system of the governance of the Pill Tower, where it would be headed by three Councilors together. Dugu Bo and Yue Guan were already solid chances, because they were already Class 7 Alchemists.
The Professions on the Douluo Continent were divided into the Ten Class System.
Class 1 Professional corresponded to the Spirit Master with the Spirit Origin Realm Spiritual Realm. The Junior-ranked Professionals were those who had just started their craft and were elevated from the Apprentice Rank.
Class 2 Professional was already the domain of the Intermediate Professionals, starting at the Spirit Grandmaster Rank and Spirit Connection Realm of the Spiritual Realm.
Class 3 Professional was already the domain of the Intermediate Professionals, starting at the Spirit Elder Rank and Spirit Connection Realm of the Spiritual Realm.
Class 4 Professional was already the domain of the Intermediate Professionals, starting at the Spirit Ancestor Rank and Spirit Connection Realm of the Spiritual Realm.
Class 5 Professional was already the domain of the Intermediate Professionals, starting at the Spirit King Rank and Spirit Connection Realm of the Spiritual Realm. Across the Douluo Continent, achieving the Class 5 Professional was already considered a rather high achievement in fact.
Class 6 Professional was already the domain of the Intermediate Professionals, starting at the Spirit Emperor Rank and Spirit Sea Realm of the Spiritual Realm, and Class 7 Professional was already the domain of the Advanced Professionals, starting at the Spirit Sage Rank and Spirit Sea Realm of the Spiritual Realm.
Advanced Professionals were already considered the elites of any Profession and were very rare acorss the Douluo Continent, but it was only at Class 8 where the true powerhouses were starting.
Class 8 Professionals was the domain of the Master's in any Profession. Just the basic requirements to become a Class 8 Professional, one needed to reach the Soul Douluo Rank and the Spiritual Realm of the intermediate stage of the Spirit Sea Realm.
Class 9 Professionals were titled as Grandmasters, and all of them were titled Douluo because it was the most basic requirement. One also needed to reach the Spirit Abyss Realm in terms of the Spiritual Realm. Much to the Hun Tiandi's knowledge, there was only one Grandmaster Blacksmith in the entire Douluo Continent right now, Luo Gao, who was working for the Spirit Hall.
Class 10 Professionals were something that was unseen on the Douluo Continent for a very long time, but apparently, the Sun Moon Continent had one Class 10 Soul Engineer, the Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming.
Who was, coincidentally, the teacher of Xuan Ziwen.
Class 10 Professionals needed to be at least Hyper Douluos and attain the Spirit Domain Realm of the Spiritual Realm, which was no less than Hun Tiandi's own Spiritual Realm right now.
Hun Tiandi was currently a Class 5 Intermediate Alchemist, though due to his Spiritual Realm, which was on the peak of the Spirit Domain Realm, he didn't fall into the traditional division of the Professionals.
Even though he was a Class 5 Alchemist, he could easily refine Class 6 Pills and even Class 7 Pills with relative ease if he wanted to do so.
"We are now finished for the time being. In one day, a Cardinal would arrive and take care of everything regarding the Breaking Clan's joining of Spirit Hall."
One of the Cardinals from the Sacred College of Cardinals under the Supreme Pontiff Palace would arrive at the Breaking Clan and oversee the transition of the Breaking Clan to a full-fledged member of the Spirit Hall.
The Sacred College of Cardinals also underwent tremendous change, because many people were demoted, some were even executed for corruption, and nowadays, only Titled Douluos were allowed to join the College of Cardinals and serve as Cardinals of the Spirit Hall.
"As you command, Your Holiness."
Yang Wudi said as he was still unsure of the choice, but in the face of the extermination of the entire Clan, there wasn't much to do.