Douluo Continent: The Legend of the Gods

Wang Xian'er led him through several corridors, deeper into the academy.

Yun Qinglin noticed that the further in he went, the more guards there were, and the architectural style gradually changed from the elegance of an academy to the solemnity of royalty.

So the Star Luo Royal Academy was actually located outside the palace? He was already mentally prepared.

Wang Xian'er stopped in front of a grand hall.

"His Majesty is inside." She glanced at Yun Qinglin. "Go in, don't be nervous."

Yun Qinglin nodded. This was the first time in both his lives that he had seen a living emperor. He thought to himself with a touch of dry humor.

The palace doors opened from the inside, and two attendants led them inside. The interior of the hall was even more spacious than it appeared from the outside, with the floor paved with solid pieces of warm jade, smooth and silent underfoot.

Eight main trunks of starwood stand on both sides, gleaming with starlight, and a long table sits in the center.

The long table was made of dark hardwood, covered with a dark gold tablecloth with tassels hanging from the edges, embroidered with the star emblem of the Star Luo Empire.

Several crystal chandeliers hung from the dome, casting a soft, non-glaring light that illuminated the entire hall.

At one end of the long table sat a man in his thirties, dressed in a dark blue casual suit. He wore no crown, only a gold-threaded belt around his waist with a jade pendant hanging from it.

His face was gentle, and there was something relaxing about him in his eyes—not something he deliberately cultivated, but a natural, innate affability. He was looking down at something when he heard footsteps, looked up, and smiled at Yun Qinglin.

"You're here? Have a seat, don't be shy."

Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiawei.

He didn't put on airs in front of Yun Qinglin, speaking to her as if he were talking to a junior he had known for a long time.

Yun Qinglin noticed that there were no piles of memorials in front of him, but only a cup of tea and a small incense burner on the table. An unknown incense was burning in the burner, and the smoke was very light, which made people feel calm.

"Qinglin greets Your Majesty." Yun Qinglin bowed respectfully, neither humble nor arrogant.

Xu Jiawei waved his hand: "No need for formalities. Elder Wang's disciple is one of us. Come, sit here."

He pointed to the seat next to him, and Yun Qinglin obediently sat down, with Wang Xian'er also sitting next to him.

On Xu Jiawei's other side, Xu Jiujiu was lying on the table, holding a piece of pastry in her hand, her cheeks bulging. When she saw Yun Qinglin come in, her eyes lit up and she waved to him.

Her movements were very light and silent, but the smile on her face was impossible to hide.

Yun Qinglin nodded slightly to her in return, and after a long while, she smiled even more happily, stuffing the remaining half of the pastry into her mouth and swinging her legs back and forth under the table.

Xu Jiawei glanced at his sister, shook his head helplessly, but said nothing.

The waiters began serving the dishes. As each dish was brought out, someone quietly introduced it to the customer.

The first dish was steamed silverfin fish.

Silverfin fish, a legendary creature from the deep sea. This fish lives year-round where cold and warm currents meet in the deep sea, resulting in firm flesh and evenly distributed fat.

Due to the extreme pressure in the deep sea, its muscle fibers are several times finer than those of ordinary fish, resulting in a smooth and tender texture that melts in your mouth after steaming. The fat layer under the skin contains abundant energy, which nourishes the meridians of Soul Masters, making it especially suitable for growing teenagers.

The fish is entirely silvery-white, and its scales become transparent after steaming, like a thin layer of ice crystals covering the flesh. The rising steam carries a delicate, sweet aroma, not overpowering, but long-lasting.

The second dish was braised rock crab claws. The waiter lifted the lid, revealing a rich, dark sauce with a thick broth, and each piece of claw meat was coated in a glistening sauce.

The reef crab is a very special kind of sea spirit beast. It inhabits nearshore reefs and has a shell as hard as iron, making it difficult to be damaged by ordinary swords and knives.

Its claw meat is the essence of its entire body; a thousand-year-old reef crab can only produce one plateful. Reef crabs feed on seabed minerals, accumulating a large amount of trace elements in their bodies, which have excellent effects on bone growth and soul power recovery.

Boiled red-clawed shrimp, deep-sea clam soup, steamed egg with blue shrimp roe...

Once all the dishes were served, Xu Jiawei picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of silverfin fish meat on Yun Qinglin's plate.

"Try it. These things are not easy to find in Star Luo City. The transportation cost of sea spirit beasts is too high. They are usually only available to the royal family and the Hall of Worship. You are currently in the period of rapid growth, and your soul power is also increasing rapidly. If you get enough nutrition, your cultivation will be twice as effective."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xu Jiawei waved his hand: "No need to thank me. You are Elder Wang's disciple, so you're one of us."

Elder Wang has done so much for Xingluo over the years, and I will naturally take care of her disciples. You don't need to stand on ceremony; you're the same age as Jiujiu, and perhaps Jiujiu will need your help in the future.

He paused, then took out a token and handed it to Yun Qinglin, saying, "Keep this Royal Offering Token safe. It will make things much easier for you in Xingluo City."

You are free to enter and leave the library, the Star Abyss Pool, and the Soul Guidance Department's laboratories. Use all the academy's resources as you see fit; don't hold back.

Yun Qinglin knew that this was Xu Jiawei's investment.

A six-year-old genius with twin martial souls—the Emerald Swan and a spirit-type main body martial soul—would be an investment opportunity for anyone.

But he wasn't averse to it. Xu Jiawei's attitude was very appropriate; there was no condescending handouts, no eagerness to win him over, he simply and naturally told you that there were resources here that you could use, and there was no pressure not to use them.

Xu Jiawei, as the emperor with the strongest presence in Douluo 2, planned a scheme in the original work to have the Body Sect attack Mingde Hall.

It must be said that this dealt a huge blow to the Sun Moon Empire. Unfortunately, it caused some of the pro-peace faction in the Mingde Hall to completely turn to the pro-war faction, which to some extent accelerated the Sun Moon Empire's invasion process.

However, this plan itself was actually a strategy of using one enemy to devour another, sending the Heavenly Soul Empire's national protector sect to attack Mingde Hall, which also allowed Xingluo to breathe a sigh of relief amidst the covetous gaze of the Sun and Moon.

This emperor is a rare wise ruler in Douluo Continent 2.

Yun Qinglin accepted the token and thanked him again with neither humility nor arrogance.

Xu Jiawei looked at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

A six-year-old child, facing a reward, remained calm and composed, a composure that surpassed that of many adults he had met.

"Eat something, stop talking." Xu Jiujiu interjected from the side, already holding a red-clawed shrimp on his chopsticks, dipping it in ginger and vinegar sauce, and stuffing it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out again.

She chewed a couple of times and mumbled, "Brother, you should eat too, don't just watch."

Xu Jiawei smiled helplessly and said to Yun Qinglin, "This girl has been spoiled rotten by me."

Xu Jiujiu glared at him defiantly, "I'm not spoiled! I practiced very diligently this morning, and even Grandpa Xu praised me!"

"Oh?" Xu Jiawei's interest was piqued. "Old Xu praised you? What did he say?"

After a long while, he put down his chopsticks, puffed out his chest, and said in a serious tone, "Grandpa Xu said that when I was cultivating in Xingyuantan this morning, the speed at which the star power entered my body was almost 10% faster than the previous two days, and the path of the star power circulating in my meridians was also smoother."

He added, "At this rate, I'll be able to break through level ten in a few days."

A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Jiawei's eyes.

He knew of Xu Jiujiu's talent; he was the most outstanding successor of the Star Crown Sect in nearly a hundred years, possessing innate soul power at level nine and an extremely high purity Star Crown Martial Soul. Even Xu Huai Ren said he was a once-in-a-century talent. But his cultivation speed was still beyond his expectations.

"Not bad." He nodded, his tone tinged with satisfaction. "But don't be arrogant. In cultivation, the more talented you are, the more cautious you need to be."

"I know," Xu Jiujiu replied, then turned to look at Yun Qinglin, "What were you doing this morning?"

"I learned healing from my teacher," Yun Qinglin answered truthfully, "and treated some injured soul beasts."

"Oh." Xu Jiujiu nodded without asking any further questions, and then popped another shrimp into his mouth.

Yun Qinglin ate slowly, but he ate each bite very carefully.

Every ingredient was perfectly suited to his current physical condition, showing that Xu Jiawei had indeed put his heart into preparing it. Wang Xian'er was also serving food to her disciple, worried that he might not be able to relax.

"If you need anything, just tell Elder Wang, or have someone send a message directly to the palace. Don't be shy," Xu Jiawei said gently, seeing that Yun Qinglin had used up almost all of his food.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xu Jiujiu chimed in from the side, "Brother, can you please ask people to speak in a less official tone? It's exhausting to listen to."

Xu Jiawei was taken aback by her retort, then shook his head helplessly: "You silly girl..."

After ignoring him for a long time, Chongyun Qinglin waved his hand: "Have you finished eating? If you have, I'll take you somewhere."

Yun Qinglin glanced at Wang Xian'er, and Wang Xian'er nodded slightly.

"I've finished eating." Yun Qinglin stood up, bowed to Xu Jiawei, and said, "Your Majesty, this junior will take his leave now."

Xu Jiawei waved his hand: "Go ahead. Come often in the future, no need to be so formal every time."

Yun Qinglin responded and followed Xu Jiujiu outside. As he stepped out of the palace gate, he looked back.

Xu Jiawei was holding a teacup, watching his back with a faint smile on his face.