"Elder Song?"
Zhu Ziyang called out, but received no response. Elder Song was sitting with her head lowered, her eyes clouded with deep and complex emotions, lost in thought.
After a moment, she raised her head and looked at Zhu Ziyang.
"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"
Zhu Ziyang paused, then tentatively said, "Is it because of the Sun-Moon Empire?"
"Hehe! Sharp kid. Not bad, not bad," Elder Song chuckled, clearly pleased. "You're right. It's exactly because of the Sun-Moon Empire!"
Her smile quickly faded as she continued.
"Do you know how many soul masters there are in the Sun-Moon Empire? Half the total number of soul masters across all three Douluo empires."
Zhu Ziyang's eyes widened in shock. As far as he knew, when the Sun-Moon Empire had first collided with the Douluo Continent, their number of soul masters was only about one-tenth that of the three Douluo empires combined. For them to now make up half the total in just four thousand years… that kind of growth was terrifying!
"It seems unbelievable, doesn't it?" Elder Song sneered. "But here's something even more shocking. The Sun-Moon Empire was able to achieve this explosive growth by learning from a system that used to exist right here on the Douluo Continent!"
"You mean… the Spirit Hall?!" Zhu Ziyang's throat felt dry. In that moment, he genuinely wished the royal families of the Douluo empires would just drop dead.
"That's right!" Elder Song's face showed bitter resentment. "The Spirit Hall! After their defeat in the first war, the Sun-Moon Empire realized their greatest weakness was the lack of soul masters. So, their royal family initiated sweeping reforms. They studied the ancient Spirit Hall system that had collapsed six thousand years ago on the Douluo Continent and used it to unify soul awakening throughout the empire. The state now offers free martial soul awakenings to everyone! The results were dramatic. The number of soul masters skyrocketed, and the cultivation level of high-ranked soul masters keeps rising."
Zhu Ziyang remained silent. He had heard about some of these things, but not in this level of detail. He hadn't realized it was this dire.
"In contrast, the three Douluo empires not only failed to recognize their own weaknesses, but also stagnated in their soul tool development. And on top of that, they spend vast sums buying soul tools from the Sun-Moon Empire. Isn't that basically funding your enemy?" Elder Song said with disdain. "Even our number of soul masters is shrinking year after year. It's pathetic!"
"If not for the Academy, the entire continent would've already fallen to that foreign empire! But those despicable nobles and royals refuse to see the crisis. A thousand years ago, when Cloudsky Douluo tried to implement reforms, those short-sighted nobles not only refused to support him—they ganged up to suppress him. His plan failed, and he died with regret!"
Zhu Ziyang understood now—Elder Song was talking about the origin of Shrek's exclusive region. Cloudsky Douluo had been the headmaster of Shrek Academy back then.
"If only they'd let him proceed with the reforms, we wouldn't have to be so wary of the Sun-Moon Empire now. This is what they get for their own stupidity!" Elder Song's tone grew even more agitated. "Ziyang, do you know that in terms of soul tool research, Shrek Academy isn't far behind the Sun-Moon Empire's Royal Soul Engineer Academy? The gap is only about fifty years. Except for a few core techniques, our knowledge and theoretical strength are basically the same.
"But in terms of practical strength, we've fallen at least two hundred years behind. Our top soul engineers are only rank 8. They have several rank 9s, not to mention many rank 8s. Without high-level soul engineers, even if we have blueprints, we can't produce the equipment. It's like holding a treasure with no way to use it—how frustrating is that?"
Zhu Ziyang could only listen quietly.
Even though the Dimensional Library contained many soul tool blueprints, the latest one was over a hundred years old and widely distributed already. Besides, even if he took them out, it wouldn't matter. Like Elder Song said, Shrek's weakness wasn't in technology—it was in people.
And Zhu Ziyang had no plans to become a soul engineer himself. As someone with twin ultimate martial souls, he already had more on his plate than he could handle. Besides, the first requirement to become a soul engineer was being a soul master—and the higher the soul tool's level, the more soul power it demanded to wield.
"If the three empires of the east would just adopt the Sun-Moon Empire's model for unified martial soul awakenings—or at least delegate the awakening process to the Academy—then all of our civilian children would have the chance to awaken their martial souls. I don't believe that with such a huge population, we wouldn't find a few soul engineering geniuses!" Elder Song said, her voice seething with fury.
Zhu Ziyang showed a wry smile.
He could see it now—this woman, who was at least over a hundred years old, was an idealist at heart. A frustrated radical.
"So, Elder Song, what exactly are you trying to say to me?" Zhu Ziyang finally couldn't hold back.
"Hehe! Finally couldn't wait, huh?" Elder Song gave a mischievous smile, then turned serious again. "Let me finish."
Zhu Ziyang watched her face shift like flipping pages in a book and couldn't help but want to complain—she really knew how to change expressions.
"I'm telling you all this because among all the geniuses I've seen in my life, you're the only one who might actually have the power to change everything!" Elder Song said.
Zhu Ziyang understood what she meant.
"You already know who the first person was who had that chance—Elder Mu. Back when he was in his prime, he could've unified the continent through force alone. But now, Elder Mu is old and can no longer bear the burden of leadership. But you, Ziyang… you are different. You're young. Your talent surpasses even Elder Mu's. You possess ultimate attributes. Your potential is limitless. Once you fully mature, no one on this continent will be able to stand in your way!"
Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but feel a rush of pride.
"So, I hope…" Elder Song's tone turned solemn, and there was even a hint of plea in her voice. "When that day comes—when you become the strongest man on this continent—please use your strength to unite the three Douluo empires. Standardize martial soul awakening across the land. Let everyone have the chance to awaken their martial soul. Even if that means turning the Academy into a second Spirit Hall… as long as it prevents our continent from being conquered by outsiders, it will be worth it!"
Her words struck deep in Zhu Ziyang's heart.
She had voiced a part of what he had always wanted to do. He looked at her, and she met his gaze. In those aged eyes, he saw hope.
Zhu Ziyang took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
"Elder Song, all I can say is—where there's a will, there's a way."
"Good! Good! Good!" Elder Song clapped three times, clearly overjoyed. "I knew I wasn't wrong about you! In the future, if you ever need help, come find me. I'll do everything I can."
"Thank you, Elder Song." Zhu Ziyang was genuinely moved.
"There's no need to thank me. You've earned it," she smiled.
Zhu Ziyang stayed silent for a moment.
"One more thing," Elder Song said seriously. "Everything we've discussed today—don't tell anyone except Elder Mu. Not unless you're strong enough to protect yourself against a Titled Douluo."
"I understand," Zhu Ziyang nodded.
He was well aware of how dangerous their conversation was. The noble families of the three empires still held immense power. Each imperial family had several Titled Douluo. What he wanted to do was essentially digging the graves of these empires—and no ruler would let that slide.
After the conversation ended, another five or six hours passed.
The cocoon that had enveloped Jiang Nannan finally stirred.
Zhu Ziyang's eyes lit up with anticipation.
(End of Chapter)
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