For the Golden Body Douluo, this was his first time visiting the Sun Moon Empire. The soul tool technology he witnessed along the way left him shaken beyond words!
He had never imagined that soul tools could be used in such ways!
The sprawling highways and the soul-guided trains racing across them not only granted ordinary people travel speeds on par with high-level soul masters, but also vastly enhanced the Sun Moon Empire's ability to maintain control over its entire territory.
With such a transportation network, the Sun Moon Empire could mobilize and dispatch an entire army to any point within its borders in just two days!
Mingdu, the only capital city on the continent without defensive walls, sprawled across the vast plains. Its towering skyscrapers rose one after another—at a distance, it resembled a forest of steel thrusting skyward!
Smooth, gleaming roads crisscrossed the city, with soul-guided automobiles weaving back and forth amidst bustling crowds. The prosperity of this metropolis far surpassed even Shrek City, long acclaimed as the continent's foremost city!
As Golden Body Douluo gazed upon this grand urban landscape, he once again fell silent. Only now did he truly acknowledge the wisdom of Du Busi decision.
Jing Hongchen himself, accompanied by several of the less-occupied ninth-rank soul engineers of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, had been waiting for Du Busi and Golden Body Douluo's arrival. Their movements, of course, had long been under surveillance through various means.
"How is it? Compared to the Heavenly Soul Empire, would you not say that the Sun Moon Empire's splendor surpasses it in every way?" Jing Hongchen asked with a smile, watching the Golden Body Douluo who was seeing the Sun Moon Empire for the first time.
Golden Body Douluo had no intention of praising the Sun Moon Empire, but he could not bring himself to speak falsehoods either. After a long pause, he finally gave a heavy nod and said:
"Indeed."
Jing Hongchen chuckled, then said:
"Teacher is already waiting for the two of you. Please, come with me. Also, Qingtong, later my teacher and I have matters to discuss with you and Shengyu. For now, go find your elder brother."
"Oh." Jiang Qingtong replied lightly, though she had no idea what they wanted to speak with her about.
Her elder brother, Jiang Shengyu, was still tinkering with new soul tool technology alongside Huo Yuhao. As Jiang Qingtong pushed open the door to the laboratory, a component from an exploding soul tool flew straight toward her. She dodged it effortlessly.
"Cousin, your reflexes are way too sharp!" Huo Yuhao gave her a thumbs-up after seeing how easily she avoided the flying debris.
Jiang Qingtong tugged at the corner of her mouth and smiled faintly at him.
If you could already see the soul tool blowing apart before you even opened the door, you'd dodge just as easily too.
Jiang Shengyu came over, picked up the shattered fragment, and sighed:
"It seems the stability still isn't enough. To achieve powerful compression of soul power, the requirements on the stability of the soul tool's core array and the strength of the materials are simply too high!"
"Right now, the compression level is already enough to strongly condense the soul power of about a thirty-fifth-rank soul master, which can sustain a third-grade soul tool for an extended time. I believe that as long as we continue researching, we'll definitely be able to greatly enhance the usefulness of storage-type soul tools!" Huo Yuhao encouraged him.
"Materials! It all comes down to materials!"
Jiang Shengyu lamented, saying:
"The proper materials are far too rare! And at the moment, the Academy can hardly spare manpower for composite material research…"
"Composite materials?" Huo Yuhao repeated, puzzled at the unfamiliar term.
Jiang Shengyu explained:
"They're newly created materials formed by mixing multiple single-element substances together in certain ratios. Depending on the mixture and the properties of the components, they can possess qualities that no single material alone could ever have."
After hearing the explanation, Huo Yuhao nodded and said:
"Sounds really difficult."
Just then, Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming entered the laboratory, seeking out the two of them.
"Teacher, are you done speaking with the Body Sect's Douluo already?" Jiang Shengyu asked in surprise.
Kong Deming nodded slightly:
"There was little worth discussing. The Emperor is gravely ill and had no interest in meeting them, leaving everything to us to handle. We simply made some arrangements concerning the Body Sect's new headquarters and a few cooperative matters."
The two young people immediately understood.
"I have something to discuss with the two of you. Since Yuhao is here, he may as well listen too," Kong Deming added.
"Yes."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then followed Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong over to a nearby rest area.
Kong Deming looked at the three and said:
"The Emperor is gravely ill, even the Heavenly Sound Douluo has no way of treating him! In my judgment, the Emperor has at most two years left to live. When he dies, who do you think would be most suitable to ascend as the next Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire?"
To openly discuss the Emperor's lifespan—this would be considered the gravest of taboos in any feudal empire! But Kong Deming held absolute authority; within the Sun Moon Empire, his Worship Hall ranked even above the imperial family itself!
Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong exchanged a glance, then said almost in unison:
"When the Emperor dies, won't Crown Prince Xu Tiannan naturally inherit the throne?"
"He is unfit." Kong Deming shook his head, flatly denying Xu Tiannan's candidacy.
Seeing his attitude, Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong understood what he meant. Jiang Qingtong asked:
"If Xu Tiannan is unfit, then has Teacher already chosen another member of the imperial clan?"
Kong Deming exchanged a glance with Jing Hongchen, who sighed and said:
"After ascending the throne, the Emperor carried out a brutal purge of the royal family, even altering the hereditary martial soul of the imperial bloodline. Added to that, Xu Tiannan's years of collusion with the Holy Spirit Sect's assassinations… among the direct imperial line, scarcely any remain. The only royal member who still qualifies might be that He Caitou from Shrek Academy."
"You can't be serious about making him Emperor, can you?" Jiang Shengyu frowned.
"What do you take us for, fools?" Jing Hongchen rolled his eyes at him.
"Let Teacher explain."
Kong Deming's expression grew solemn as he fixed his gaze on Jiang Shengyu. Word by word, he declared:
"Shengyu, listen carefully. Your senior brother and I have decided—to push you onto this supreme throne!"
"What?!"
Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong cried out in unison, their synchronization so uncanny that even Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen were taken aback.
Jiang Shengyu steadied his emotions, then looked at Kong Deming and asked:
"Teacher, you're joking… right?"
"When have I ever made such jokes with you?" Kong Deming countered.
Jiang Shengyu frowned deeply.
"But I am not of the imperial bloodline…"
"I am!"
Kong Deming's voice grew heavy as he said:
"With my support, whether or not you are royal does not matter! Once you take the throne, you need only marry a princess of the blood to continue the imperial lineage."
To Kong Deming, the question of who would rule the Sun Moon Empire was clear. Better his own disciple than Xu Tiannan, who had aligned himself with the Holy Spirit Sect!
At the very least, Jiang Shengyu possessed extraordinary talent—and Kong Deming had watched him grow since childhood.
An Emperor who was also an Ultimate Douluo—such a sovereign would surely lead the Sun Moon Empire to its peak!
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