Chapter 127 The excited Heavenly Soul Emperor: Reward me handsomely!
The night in Xingluo City should have been quiet, but tonight the lights are brighter than ever before.
In stark contrast to the desolation and loneliness when Xuanzi led his team away, the newly crowned champions, the Tianhun Royal Academy team, are currently at the pinnacle of glory.
Liu Yuan, Long Aotian, Vina, Chen Lu, and four others stood side by side on the highest podium covered with red carpet.
Under the illumination of countless soul-guided lights, they jointly raised the gold trophy that symbolized the highest honor on the entire continent.
The cheers from the stands grew louder and louder. Not only the supporters of the Heavenly Soul Empire, but also many local spectators from the Star Luo Empire stood up and gave the team that ended Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year reign the warmest applause.
"Liu Yuan! Long Aotian! Long live the Heavenly Soul!"
This pure praise and cheers lingered in the ears of every team member.
After the awards ceremony, the Star Luo Royal Family funded a grand celebration banquet for the Heavenly Soul Team at the city's most luxurious hotel.
At the banquet, the long table was piled high with delicacies, and representatives of the Star Luo Empire's royal family and prominent figures from various forces arrived one after another.
However, at Du Bu Si's suggestion, the members of the Tian Hun team did not participate excessively in those hypocritical social interactions.
They gathered together, enjoying the fruits of their victory.
Liu Yuan sat upright to one side, with several plates of exquisite soul beast meat in front of him.
After the "ultimate sublimation" state ended, although the life-giving metal continuously repaired his body, he still felt a deep sense of hunger.
"Everyone has worked hard, have some more." Vina picked up her glass full of juice, her pretty face flushed with excitement.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
It wasn't until late at night that the group, guided by their attendants, prepared to leave the banquet hall and return to their luxurious dormitories on the top floor to rest.
The hotel's corridors are spacious and bright, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows facing the east gate of Xingluo City.
Chen Lu was walking at the back of the group when he inadvertently turned his head to look out the window and saw several blurry figures frantically passing through the city gate checkpoint under the curfew lights.
"Isn't that Xuanzi and the others?" Chen Lu stopped and pointed out the window in surprise.
"So eager to leave! Judging by the way they look, they're probably leaving the city tonight. Looks like they're afraid of being recognized if they leave late and then being pointed at and gossiped about on the street, right?"
Wang Yanfeng also came over and snorted, saying, "Of course. This time, Xuanzi really made Shrek Academy lose face."
"Although everyone who came to watch the match today witnessed the kneeling, the Douluo Continent is vast, and the vast majority of people did not come to the scene."
"I think Xuanzi and the others are probably thinking of returning to Shrek Academy, that 'safe haven,' to hide before the news spreads completely."
Gu Tong also stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with a kind of "I love watching the drama unfold" light: "This has made me start to look forward to the news spreading throughout the entire Douluo Continent."
"It's unimaginable what the whole continent will say about them when those who didn't watch the match find out tomorrow or the day after that Shrek Academy not only lost the game, but even the Super Douluo leading the team kowtowed in public."
Chen Lu patted Gu Tong on the shoulder, looked away, and said with a sense of satisfaction, "Compared to mocking them, I am now more looking forward to the rewards from the sect leader and His Majesty the Emperor. This time we have truly brought great glory to the sect and the empire, and most importantly, we have completely trampled Shrek Academy under our feet."
He turned to look at Du Busi walking ahead and shouted with a smile, "Sect Master, you and His Majesty the Emperor won't treat us unfairly, will you? Our achievements are unprecedented in the history of the Body Sect."
Poison Undying was in a state of extreme excitement. Upon hearing Chen Lu's words, he stopped, turned around, and laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the corridor.
"You bunch of brats, just relax and wait!" Poison Undying waved his hand, appearing incredibly heroic.
"After you return, I will distribute sect resources according to your performance."
"As for the Emperor, if he dares to mistreat you, I'll be the first to object! Get ready to receive your reward!"
Vina covered her mouth and chuckled, "Based on my understanding of my father, he values honor above all else. Now that we've brought back the first champion in ten thousand years, he's probably overjoyed and will surely prepare an extremely generous reward for us."
Liu Yuan walked at the front, listening to his companions' discussions, and his originally calm state of mind was slightly disturbed.
"It's making me a little excited too," Liu Yuan said with a smile.
Everyone quickly returned to their respective dormitories and entered a deep sleep.
This was the most restful night they had ever slept in Xingluo City.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.
Heavenly Soul Empire Imperial Palace.
The Heavenly Soul Emperor was sitting alone in the main hall of his palace, with a huge communication soul guide screen floating in front of him.
The image was frozen on the moment Liu Yuan held up the trophy, and he had watched the recording and footage of Xuan Zi kneeling down more than ten times.
Just as Vina had predicted, the Heavenly Soul Emperor cheered and jumped for joy in the hall the moment he confirmed the final result, disregarding his image.
For the imperial family, who had long lived in the shadow of Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Empire, this sense of victory was nothing short of a spiritual baptism.
"God bless my Heavenly Soul! God bless my Royal Family!"
The emperor slammed his fist on the imperial desk and loudly ordered the imperial messenger beside him, "Begin drafting the decree for me immediately! There must be no mistakes!"
"Pass down the order: Wang Yanfeng, Chen Lu, Gu Tong, and other team members have brought glory to the nation and washed away millennia of humiliation. In addition to the basic Soul Coin reward, they will all be granted the title of Earl and be granted fiefdoms in the empire's most prosperous areas, allowing them to establish their own family fiefdoms!"
"Liu Yuan and Long Aotian have performed the most outstandingly; they are the backbone of the empire and the future of the Body Sect. Therefore, I hereby grant them the title of Marquis, with fiefdoms allocated according to the standards of dukes. Liu Yuan may choose any fiefdom within the entire country; whatever he desires, I will approve!"
The emperor paced back and forth in the palace, his expression one of extreme excitement.
"Furthermore, starting tomorrow, immediately proclaim this good news throughout the entire country! Send decrees to every province and every village! Tell my people that, thanks to the efforts of Liu Yuan and his team, the Heavenly Soul Empire has successfully defeated Shrek Academy, ending their myth, and we have won the championship of the entire continent!"
"Immediately order the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works to begin preparations, sparing no expense or cost, to prepare the most grand welcoming ceremony in the history of the Heavenly Soul Empire for our heroes!"
"I will personally go ten miles outside the city to welcome them back!"
As the Heavenly Soul Emperor issued a series of orders, the entire administrative machinery of the Heavenly Soul Empire began to operate frantically in the dead of night.
At this moment, the Heavenly Soul Empire, due to the early transmission of this news, had already begun to fall into the prelude to an unprecedented celebration.
Every official who received the news understood that from this day forward, the landscape of the mainland had changed.
On Shrek's return journey, Xuanzi and the others were walking in the wilderness when the cold wind blowing in their faces made them feel a bone-chilling cold.
This chill comes not only from the weather, but also from the future they are about to face, a future filled with scorn and blame.
(End of chapter)