The spirit devouring engraving knife was now in his hands; this unexpected windfall was undoubtedly Xu Tianhao's greatest gain from this trip.
Aside from that, Xu Tianhao had no other special gains for the time being.
However, because he had been watching the battles from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's rest area, The Four Little Ones had also been targeted by other forces.
After some investigation, the identities of The Four Little Ones naturally couldn't be hidden; after all, they hadn't intended to hide them anyway.
But this made Shrek, currently the number one academy on the continent, feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Because whether it was the siblings Xu Tianhao and Xu Tianzhen, or The Hongchen Siblings, their talents were no secret in the Sun Moon Empire.
The Three-Legged Golden Toad Spirit with its divine beast bloodline.
The king of the cracks in the Far North, the top-tier poison-attribute Vermilion Eye Ice Toad Spirit.
The Sun Martial Soul passed down through the Sun Moon Royal family.
As well as the top-tier mutated spiritual-type Body Martial Soul, the Sun Moon Divine Pupils!
Now, having one Xu Tianran was enough of a headache for Shrek and the people of the three original Empires of the Douluo Continent.
And now you're telling them that among the younger generation of the Sun Moon Empire, there are actually four such genius Spirit Masters?
Doesn't the Sun Moon Empire deal with spirit tools?
What do they need so many top Spirit Masters for?!
But with Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming presiding, even if there were patriotic individuals who weren't afraid of death and wanted to cut off the Sun Moon Empire's future, they wouldn't be able to do it.
Regarding the identities and talents of The Four Little Ones, aside from being used for deterrence against the three original Empires of the Douluo Continent,
there was also a plan laid out by the brothers Xu Tianran and Xu Tianhao.
That was, the exposure of Xu Tianhao's top-tier Body Martial Soul would certainly attract the attention of the Body Sect.
The Body Sect claims that all Body Martial Souls under heaven belong to one family.
Even if Xu Tianhao is the Sixth Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, such a top-tier Body Martial Soul would be the greatest attraction for the Body Sect.
You could even call it a blatant lure.
If they could use this opportunity to win the Body Sect over to the Sun Moon Empire...
Of course, this was just a hypothetical idea from the brothers' casual conversation.
It's just fishing; catching something is good, but coming home empty-handed isn't much of a loss.
Because although Xu Tianhao has Innate Full Spirit Power and a top-tier Body Martial Soul, it is still within the realm of acceptability.
With Kong Deming's protection, there was no fear of being assassinated.
In the original work, Roasted Fish showed such impressive talent and strength, yet no one assassinated him.
Otherwise, with how recklessly Roasted Fish acted, any Titled Douluo in the early stages would have been enough to kill him.
So, revealing this much talent can not only serve as a deterrent but can also be used for fishing; it's simply the best of both worlds.
The current Sun Moon Empire is very strong; if it weren't for the fact that Xu Tianhao's lineage had only recently come to power a few years ago, their ambitions might have already become uncontrollable.
Emperor Xu Jilong Xu Jilong might currently be thinking about continuing to develop the people's livelihood, but it won't be long before the iron-blooded Crown Prince Xu Tianran takes the throne; that will be when the Sun Moon Empire truly shows its fangs.
...
Shrek Academy, Sea Gods Pavilion.
The elderly Mu En sat on a recliner with his eyes closed, resting, flanked by several Elders of the Sea Gods Pavilion and the four Deans.
The voice of Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Spirit Department, was very excited: "Elder Mu, according to Elder Xuan's assessment, as long as those little ones from the Sun Moon Empire grow up, along with Xu Tianran, the Sun Moon Empire's strength will likely increase even further in less than thirty years."
"The Sun Moon Empire's wild ambitions must be guarded against; we must make preparations early."
Qian Duoduo, the Vice Dean of the Soul Tool Department, also said: "Xu Tianran's appearance has already exceeded all our expectations, and adding those four geniuses is indeed a headache."
"I have a proposal: why not take the opportunity of this competition to cripple Xu Tianran!"
"The competition is a matter of public record; even if we cripple the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, the Sun Moon Empire cannot use this incident as a pretext."
Elder Lin Huiqun glared at Qian Duoduo: "Duoduo, do you think Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming are mere decorations?"
"Do you think they haven't thought of what you've thought of? Do you think those guys from the Sun Moon Empire don't want to do the same things you want to do?"
Qian Duoduo looked reluctant: "Elder Lin, then what do you suggest we do?"
"With Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming there, even Elder Xuan would find it difficult to secretly make a move against those little ones."
"Do we have any other opportunities besides acting against the Sun Moon Empire's people during the competition?"
Yan Shaozhe, who was beside him, considered Qian Duoduo's proposal and couldn't help but agree: "Elder Lin, I actually think Old Qian's proposal is feasible."
"We can't just do nothing and watch the Sun Moon Empire show off in front of us, can we?"
After Yan Shaozhe finished speaking, Xian Liner, the Dean of the Soul Tool Department who held the title of Valkyrie, also chimed in:
"The fact that we could obtain this information so easily means they must have released it intentionally."
"Since they've given us an opportunity, if we don't find a way to act now, it will be difficult to find another chance once they return to the Sun Moon Empire."
Listening to everyone's discussion, Mu En, lying on the recliner, remained silent throughout.
After a long time, the group still hadn't come to a conclusion, and Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but look at Mu En: "Teacher, please say something."
Hearing this, Mu En glanced at Yan Shaozhe, then calmly looked at the others.
After a long silence, Mu En's aged voice rang out: "What you all said makes sense; it is best to nip a threat in the bud."
"But you also said that with Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming present, the chances are slim, whether openly or in the shadows."
"In that case, why bother with these underhanded methods that can't see the light of day?"
Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but ask: "Then what do you think we should do?"
Mu En's voice was very calm: "Geniuses have pride; some things are actually not as complicated as you think."
"As long as the youngsters of the academy can completely crush the pride of the Sun Moon Empire on the field, the effect will be far better than the methods you mentioned."
Cai Mei'er, the Vice Dean of the Spirit Department who had rarely spoken, couldn't help but speak up now: "Elder Mu, we all understand the logic."
"But we have read the information on the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy; that Xu Tianran is not only a Seventh Ring Soul Sage, but also a Class 7 Soul Engineer."
"Currently, he hasn't even used his Spirit, so we aren't even clear on his abilities yet."
"Even if Le Xuan is a once-in-a-century genius, facing Xu Tianran now, there's no guarantee she can win."
Mu En just smiled faintly: "That brings me to my second point."
"For ten thousand years, the academy has maintained a myth of invincibility. Now, you have become too comfortable, and the children have become too comfortable as well."
"If a single defeat can wake you up, then that defeat is worth it."
Elder Zhuang Yusen nodded in agreement: "Elder Mu is right, and you all are being too aggressive; some principles cannot be broken."
"If we can secretly target the Sun Moon Empire's geniuses, then they can also target ours."
"Once a precedent is set for such dirty tricks, things will spiral out of control. We can't assign a Titled Douluo to every genius, can we?"
Elder Song, who had not spoken, also said indifferently: "Indeed, our Shrek Academy has stood tall on the continent for ten thousand years; we are the benchmark of the Spirit Master's world!"
"Either crush the pride of the Sun Moon Empire head-on, or use defeat to wash away all these years of comfort."
Mu En finally made the final decision: "No matter what the final result is, you must all take this as a warning."
"With Xu Tianran appearing in the Sun Moon Empire, the Empire will certainly not remain peaceful in the future. Everyone, I will make the following deployments; please arrange them as soon as possible."