Xuan Ziwen's teacher, the Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming, had actually been communicating with Lu Jingming in secret through other means for some time.
Though the two had never met, they both understood Zhang Lexuan's situation implicitly.
The current intricate situation in the Sun Moon Empire, with the conflicts and power struggles among the Holy Spirit Church, the Military Department, and Xu Tianran, left Kong Deming deeply unsettled.
Kong Deming, confident in his own strength, had initially supported Xu Tianran and tacitly allowed the situation to develop.
However, the outbreak of the Holy Grail War and the appearance of the Servants completely shattered the original balance. Kong Deming was forced to take action and seek a way out for the Sun Moon Empire.
Despite having already broken through to become a Super Douluo and successfully created his own Tenth-Grade Soul Tool, he still felt powerless in the rapidly changing heart of Mingdu.
Lu Jingming deeply agreed with Kong Deming's worries. The sheer problematic nature of the Servant summoned by Ju Zi (Orange) was enough to destroy the entire Douluo Continent, not to mention the unknown means and Servant hidden by Xu Tianran.
Only a few months remained until the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition held in Mingdu.
Lu Jingming knew very well that the focus of this competition was not the competition itself. Xu Tianran's true purpose was to use the event as a pretext to gather all the Masters and Servants in Mingdu, thereby advancing the Holy Grail War.
The competition was merely a cover; the real main event was the Holy Grail War.
Therefore, Lu Jingming directly arranged for Wang Qiu'er, Ye Guyi, and others to form a team for the competition, while he, Robin, and others would not openly participate.
After all, with Lu Jingming's current Soul Douluo rank and Robin's and the others' Soul Sage rank with solidified Soul Cores, participating in such a competition would undoubtedly be bullying the young, like a children's game, and was entirely unnecessary.
Furthermore, the true combat power of Robin and the others was far from what their outward appearances suggested; the strength hidden beneath their Soul Sage exterior was enough to make many opponents despair.
So they decided not to participate, unwilling to bully the other contestants.
In any case, the focus of this event wasn't the Soul Master Competition. Lu Jingming even suspected that given Xu Tianran's style of operation, whether the competition would proceed smoothly was an unknown.
Xu Tianran was known for his deep scheming, and he was likely holding back some major moves.
"Boom!" A deafening sound, like a thunderclap, erupted as an axe blade wrapped in a gust of emerald wind slashed through the air.
The axe blade seemed to possess the power to tear space, instantly carving out a dazzling thousand-meter-long blade light that headed straight for a mountain peak not far from the Body Sect.
The mountain peak, struck by the blade light, was easily cleaved in half, as if it were fragile paper.
Accompanying the massive roar caused by the mountain's collapse, the entire mountain range seemed to tremble.
Rolling dust and smoke blotted out the sky, and the ground shook violently as if struck by an earthquake. The entire Body Sect vibrated under the powerful impact.
At this moment, Poison Douluo's (Du Busi's) forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his muscles twitched uncontrollably.
This was his body's intense stress response after having just experienced a threat of death.
Just as the Body Sect members were still reeling from the sudden shock, a figure appeared instantly before Poison Douluo like lightning.
The newcomer raised a long, powerful leg and mercilessly delivered a fierce kick. The foot, clad in a metallic high-heeled shoe, made intimate contact with Poison Douluo's body.
"Boom!" The force contained in this kick caused the air to shatter instantly, like a fragile spiderweb.
Amidst the massive sonic boom, everyone in the Body Sect was dumbfounded, their eyes filled with terror.
They watched as Body Douluo Poison Douluo, who had only recently broken through to Limit Douluo and was in high spirits, was sent flying like a cannonball, directly smashing the top of another mountain peak.
"Sect Master!"
"God-Grandpa!"
The Body Sect's Great Elders and Heavenly Soul Empire's Princess Wei Na cried out in shock and worry almost simultaneously.
Soon, the Body Sect's Great Elder, Golden Body Douluo Jin Peng, laboriously pulled Poison Douluo out of the mountain's ruins.
The current Poison Douluo bore none of the spirited demeanor he had when he broke through to Limit Douluo.
He was utterly dejected, his aura weak, and his body was covered in blood and terribly battered. Given his miserable state, it was highly likely that he had broken several bones.
It was important to remember that Poison Douluo was a Limit Douluo with a Body martial soul, possessing terrifying physical durability comparable to top-tier fierce beasts.
Yet now, a single kick had nearly cost him half his life.
"Not bad, quite resilient. Your so-called Body martial soul isn't completely useless!"
Amidst the respectful and bordering on fearful gazes of the Body Sect members, a clear yet somewhat bold voice slowly sounded.
A white-haired, fox-eared beauty, clad in an emerald battle robe, hovered in mid-air.
She carried a sharp battle-axe over her shoulder. The axe glistened with a cold light, seemingly proclaiming its extraordinary nature.
Emerald winds revolved cheerfully around her, like loyal guards, as if the entire world's wind element submitted to her and obeyed her command.
"Sister Feixiao, didn't we agree this was just a spar?" Wei Na couldn't help but step forward, looking helplessly at Feixiao.
Poison Douluo was her respected god-grandpa, and Feixiao was the Servant she had summoned.
Originally, when Poison Douluo learned that Wei Na had become a Master and successfully summoned a powerful being from another world, a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to challenge was ignited in his heart. He wanted to personally test the power of this so-called Servant.
But who would have thought that as soon as the battle began, he would be instantly defeated, left with no ability to fight back, and even started to doubt his life.
He barely lasted three moves and nearly perished, and this was with Feixiao intentionally holding back.
"Little Wei Na, you can't blame me. I tried my best to hold back." Feixiao also felt a bit awkward. After all, almost killing her Master's god-grandpa left her feeling helpless.
But it wasn't her fault that Wei Na had initially praised her god-grandpa to the heavens—talking about a Limit Douluo, a powerhouse at the continent's apex. Feixiao had been full of anticipation, expecting a vigorous duel between masters.
The result? She hadn't even exerted much force, and Poison Douluo was already on the verge of meeting the King of Hell.
She was thankful that she had initially debated whether to unleash her Divinity. Fortunately, she didn't; otherwise, Poison Douluo would have instantly died.
"Is Your Excellency a deity from another world? To possess such tremendous power!"
Poison Douluo managed to catch his breath, his eyes fixed on Feixiao with fanaticism.
He was deeply shocked. This was merely a Servant, not the original body, yet she possessed such terrifying power. The pressure she exerted on him was even stronger than that of the Snow Empress, who killed Dragon God Douluo Mu En.
If just a projection was this powerful, could her true form be a legendary, supreme Star God?
"A god? Some people on primitive planets have called me that, but I'm just a general who commands troops in battle." Feixiao said with an indifferent expression.
For planets that had not made contact with the cosmos and were in a relatively primitive state, powerhouses like her could indeed be revered as gods.
However, in the vast world she came from, such so-called "gods" were not uncommon.
In their understanding, the only beings truly worthy of being called gods were the supreme Star Gods.
"Just as I thought!" Poison Douluo's heart surged with ecstasy. Wei Na had truly drawn an ace card!
Given the power Feixiao displayed, even a true god would likely be no more formidable.
With this, they were practically guaranteed victory in the upcoming Holy Grail War.
"Hmph, Sun Moon Empire, whatever your schemes, they will be futile and ineffective in the face of absolute power."
Poison Douluo completely disregarded his injuries, his joy spilling over.
With the formidable power Feixiao demonstrated, he had no worries about the Soul Master Competition the Sun Moon Empire was about to hold.
In the current complex situation on the Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Empire's decision to proceed with the Soul Master Competition was clearly a veiled attempt to set a trap. Everyone knew this.
They all understood that the Sun Moon Empire was likely to set up numerous traps during the competition.
However, this was an overt strategy that they had no choice but to participate in.
After all, the Soul Master Competition was a traditional grand event that had lasted for ten thousand years. Given its influence in the Soul Master world, no empire could refuse to attend.
Refusal would inevitably lead to a severe blow to their prestige, and their status on the continent would be shaken.
So, despite everyone knowing that this competition was far from ordinary and that the Sun Moon Empire harbored malicious intentions, the major powers had no choice but to bite the bullet and send teams to compete. Moreover, they absolutely could not be perfunctory or careless.
The Soul Master Competition was a top-tier event watched by the entire continent, with far-reaching influence that garnered widespread attention.
Failure to achieve good results in the competition would inevitably invite scrutiny, which would be extremely detrimental to their reputation and status on the continent.
Just like when the Shrek Academy lost its long-held championship title years ago, it was subjected to much criticism, and its reputation took a considerable hit.
"Sister Feixiao, are you truly just a general?" Wei Na looked up at Feixiao, filled with curiosity.
Feixiao's heroic and gallant demeanor was certainly striking, but in Wei Na's mind, it was hard to believe that a being with such extraordinary strength was merely a general.
In her established perception, a general was just a tool controlled by the imperial family. Even the most outstanding general seemed insignificant before an absolute powerhouse.
Take their Heavenly Soul Empire, for example: the status of the overall military commander was roughly equivalent to a Title Douluo, a world of difference compared to someone like Poison Douluo, who stood among the continent's strongest.
Thus, she couldn't imagine what kind of force could command the service of a powerhouse like Feixiao.
"Hehe, Little Wei Na, different worlds have enormous differences. I now have some understanding of your world. Being summoned by you is a rare stroke of destiny. I think I'll help you train a Cloud Knight Army . After all, war is not far from you."
Feixiao chuckled, not elaborating on the conceptual difference between an Xianzhou (Immortality Boat) general and a Douluo Continent general.
As a Sky-Shatter General, Feixiao possessed keen insight into warfare and had a clear understanding of the current complex situation on the Douluo Continent.
She had instinctively sensed the imminent approach of war.
Therefore, she proactively offered to help Wei Na train an army, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
She was quite fond of Wei Na.
The princess not only had high emotional intelligence but was also completely devoid of the arrogance often found in royalty, being very approachable. This left Feixiao with an excellent impression of her.
Even a temporarily trained Cloud Knight Army, while lacking the equipment and power of the Xianzhou Yaoqing's Cloud Knight, should still be more than enough to handle a continent-scale war.
"Thank you, Sister Feixiao. Being able to summon you is perhaps the luckiest thing that has ever happened to Wei Na." Wei Na sincerely expressed her gratitude.
Although she wasn't sure of Feixiao's specific military training expertise, based on the terrifying strength Feixiao displayed and her self-confidence as a general, Wei Na chose to trust Feixiao without hesitation.
She secretly made up her mind to immediately return to the palace and do her best to persuade her father, the Emperor, to entrust the Heavenly Soul Empire's most elite Soul Master military corps entirely to Feixiao for training and command.
"That's right, my Body Sect also has a large number of talented disciples, but most of them are not proficient in large-scale combat. Would it be too much trouble for Your Excellency Feixiao to train them also into a fighting-capable army?"
Poison Douluo seized the opportunity from Feixiao's words, his hidden agenda clicking loudly in his mind.
He clearly understood that receiving training from a powerhouse like Feixiao would be a highly rewarding opportunity for anyone.
If he wasn't concerned about his dignity, he might have personally jumped in to participate.
"Hmm, these children are all good seeds. I accept!"
Feixiao's gaze swept over Long Aotian and the other Body Sect members. In her eyes, although these individuals were currently weak, each possessed considerable potential. With careful refinement, they could very well grow into excellent soldiers.
Feixiao herself was a powerhouse who had tempered her physical body to the extreme, and the Body Sect disciples' Body martial souls naturally specialized in augmenting physical strength, making them highly compatible with her training methods.
Though their physical attributes could ultimately not compare to the Xianzhou Celestials, there was great hope in training a low-spec version of the Cloud Knight Army.
If the other empires did not undergo significant changes, the Heavenly Soul Empire's version of the Cloud Knight Army, once fully trained, would instantly become the most powerful military corps on the Douluo Continent.
At that time, the Sun Moon Empire's once-proud Five Great Hands of the Nation—their Beast King-level Soul Master legions equipped with advanced Soul Tools—would likely struggle to resist the sharp offensive of this Cloud Knight Army.
This was the profound impact brought by the Holy Grail War and the appearance of the Servants.
Even without considering their own immense power, the sheer wisdom, knowledge, and power systems they possessed—which were completely different from the Douluo Continent's—were enough to trigger massive shock and change on the continent.
However, in Lu Jingming's view, this change was positive and beneficial for the development of the Douluo Continent.
Absorbing knowledge from other worlds could greatly assist the Douluo Continent in rapidly improving its strength and achieving better development.
After all, the Douluo Continent had no "taboo knowledge" constraints; the more knowledge from other worlds, the better.
After the persistent persuasion of Poison Douluo and Wei Na, the Emperor of the Heavenly Soul Empire was finally convinced to entrust the empire's most elite Soul Master military corps to Feixiao.
With the enthusiastic participation of numerous Body Sect disciples, it was clear that a powerful army capable of shaking the entire continent was about to be born under Feixiao's meticulous training.
Just as the Heavenly Soul Empire was taking intense action, the Star Luo Empire was not to be outdone and quickly made corresponding moves.
However, surprisingly, the Dou Ling Empire seemed completely detached, showing no reaction to the volatile situation, as if everything had nothing to do with them.
In reality, the Dou Ling Empire's inaction was because no Masters had emerged within their nation during this Holy Grail War.
In the original fate, the Dou Ling Empire's presence on the entire continent was already extremely weak. The only person likely to carry destiny was Xu Sanshi.
Of course, there might have been others carrying destiny, but they simply weren't chosen.
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