Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 425 The Calm Before the Storm

Ji Lin was very familiar with Xu Jiujiu's room in the palace. He carried Xu Jiujiu and skillfully evaded the guards and maids, quickly and quietly returning to Xu Jiujiu's room.

The princess's room is not a place that ordinary people dare to enter or leave at will, so Ji Lin can operate with complete peace of mind.

Time passed day by day, and things remained peaceful at Zizaimen.

Ji Lin is working hard to create humans, the members of the Zizai Sect are working hard to cultivate, the Soul Masters from the Sun Moon Empire are obsessed with new knowledge and have fallen into madness, and the Star Luo Empire is actively preparing for war.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The peace is not only felt at Zizai Gate, but also across the entire continent.

After so many changes in the Sun Moon Empire, the continent seemed to suddenly fall into peace. Every country appeared very calm. The three countries that originally belonged to the Douluo Continent no longer asked the Sun Moon Empire for people, and the Sun Moon Empire did not take any further action. Even the small frictions and conflicts that used to occur frequently on the border suddenly disappeared during this period, like the calm before the storm, eerily quiet.

The only event that was both expected and of great significance was that Xu Tianran, the crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire, officially ascended the throne and became the new emperor of the Sun Moon Empire. After taking the throne, the new emperor appeared to be very low-key, only issuing a few decrees to rebuild the damaged parts of Mingdu, without taking any major actions.

To the general public, such peace is certainly a good thing, but to those with discerning eyes, it is clearly the calm before the storm. Anyone who knows Xu Tianran even slightly knows that this Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire is a ruthless and ambitious man. How could he be so quiet? This is just a buffer before the outbreak.

The three kingdoms that originally belonged to the Douluo Continent were also making intensive preparations. War could come at any time, but for them, every extra day meant they could be better prepared.

Meanwhile, on the Star Luo Empire's side, although they were also preparing for war, Xu Jiawei quietly transferred all the pro-royal faction members to safe locations. He even took the initiative to delegate military power to Duke Baihu, allowing Duke Baihu to lead the war against the Sun Moon Empire, demonstrating his absolute trust in Duke Baihu.

The Star Luo royal family retreated to the background, taking charge of logistics, while only the White Tiger Duke's lineage stood in the forefront, carrying the banner against the Sun Moon Empire.

Many nobles who supported Duke Baihu couldn't understand what Xu Jiawei meant, but that didn't stop them from taking the opportunity to consolidate military power.

For Xu Jiawei, the military power in their Star Crown Sect was already limited, with most of it in the hands of the White Tiger Duke, the commander-in-chief of the three armies. Their royal family's prestige in the military was also inferior to that of the White Tiger Duke, so it was better to simply relinquish it.

Their Star Crown Sect only needs to preserve its strength during this turmoil stirred up by the Sun Moon Empire.

The gap in Soul Guidance Technology put the original Douluo Three Kingdoms in a completely passive position. If the original Douluo Three Kingdoms wanted to catch up with the Sun Moon Empire in terms of technology, what they needed most was time.

The same goes for Shrek Academy. Although it has cultivated a group of excellent Soul Masters and even managed to take advantage of the Sun Moon Empire, it will still take time to monetize its technology.

Against this backdrop, Zizaimen once again expanded its territory.

Originally located in Xingluo City, Zizaimen has now moved to the outskirts of Xingluo City, occupying a large area of ​​land in the western part of Xingluo City, more than ten times the size of its previous location.

Although the All-Continent Advanced Youth Soul Master Elite Tournament held by the Sun Moon Empire ultimately came to an end without a result, the reputation of the Zizai Sect still spread throughout the continent. Everyone knew that the Zizai Sect had made it to the finals and was guaranteed to win the championship. If it weren't for the sudden Mingdu Explosion, the Zizai Sect would be the first team to win the championship in a thousand years since Shrek Academy, making their achievement truly remarkable.

However, due to the Mingdu Explosion and the impending war, Zizaimen failed to obtain this honor. The good news is that its reputation has spread, and many students who have graduated from the academy have come to join Zizaimen.

The generous benefits, formidable strength, and undeniable backing of Zizaimen have attracted a large number of talented individuals to join, including many graduates from Shrek Academy's outer academy.

Unfortunately, there are too few disciples in Shrek Academy's inner court, and most of them choose to stay at Shrek. Otherwise, with Ji Lin and the others being graduates of Shrek Academy's inner court, they could really attract some geniuses from Shrek Academy's inner court to join.

However, with Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao at Shrek Academy, Ji Lin wasn't in a hurry; Shrek Academy would be his sooner or later.

The new generation of Shrek Academy members, such as Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan, all have good relationships with Ji Lin. In addition, Zhang Lexuan and others have begun to take over the power of the Sea God Pavilion. Once the older generation of the Sea God Pavilion retires, Shrek Academy will still be under Ji Lin's control.

During these two months, He Caitou and Huo Yuhao, who had joined the Tang Sect, also transformed the Tang Sect's hidden weapon, the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, into a soul tool, the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon. They collaborated with Shrek Academy to produce a large number of Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons.

Because of their research findings, the two redeemed themselves, and Shrek Academy exempted them from punishment. After all, the academy didn't really want to punish them, since the dead were not from the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, but from the Sun Moon Empire. Prejudice always exists, otherwise Shrek Academy would have had students from the Sun Moon Empire.

It's not that people from the Sun Moon Empire don't want to study at Shrek Academy, but rather that Shrek Academy won't accept them.

After all, it is the number one academy on the continent with a history spanning ten thousand years. If Shrek Academy were willing, many people from the Sun Moon Empire would go there to enroll.

With the help of Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect established cooperation with the three great empires. Large quantities of various common and rare metals were continuously purchased and brought into Shrek City, and then quietly transported out as soul tools.

In just two months, the Tang Clan has delivered three batches of soul-guided devices, mainly the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, to the three great empires.

After testing, the militaries of various countries were very satisfied, and the Tang Sect received more orders. Ji Lin had the foresight to invest in the Tang Sect early on, becoming one of the two major shareholders of the Tang Sect along with Shrek Academy. Therefore, Ji Lin's Zizai Sect also received a share of the profits, making it a win-win situation.

With the Zizai Sect and Shrek Academy behind them, the Tang Sect doesn't need to worry about the covetousness of other evil spirits and can quickly make a name for themselves. For Bei Bei, the current acting sect leader of the Tang Sect, profit is not important; what matters most is to make the Tang Sect rise again and help Tang Ya revitalize the Tang Sect.

Aside from the unexpected income from the Tang Sect, the main source of income for the Zizai Sect is the Holy Mark. Because of the appearance of the Holy Mark, the number of low-level Soul Masters in the original Douluo Three Kingdoms has skyrocketed, and the number of Soul Master troops formed by various countries has increased significantly. Equipped with Soul Guidance Devices and the Zhuge Divine Crossbow provided by the Tang Sect, their combat power has begun to catch up with that of ordinary Soul Master Corps of the Sun Moon Empire.

If given enough time, the original Douluo Three Kingdoms might actually develop the ability to protect themselves. Although it's wishful thinking to catch up with the Sun Moon Empire in terms of soul tools, they should be able to protect themselves.

After all, the number of Soul Masters in the Sun Moon Empire is limited, and the number of Soul Masters is far less than that of the original Douluo Three Kingdoms.

If the quality is lacking, quantity will make up for it. If you have ten Soul Master Corps, I will use thirty Soul Master Units to fight you. With Soul Guidance Devices and Zhuge Crossbows, they will be no less powerful than the Soul Master Corps.

Freedom Gate.

"boom--"

Amidst the deafening roar, Nan Qiuqiu and Wang Dong'er flew off to the sides at the same time, with Wang Qiu'er's figure gradually becoming visible amidst the dust and smoke.

Her expression was calm, her eyes sharp, and she held a golden dragon spear in her hand.

Nan Qiuqiu stood there, slightly out of breath, her eyes filled with lingering fear. She had almost been stabbed by the Golden Dragon Spear. Although it wasn't a fatal spot, it would have hurt a lot!

"Qiu'er, are you serious?"

Wang Dong'er looked excited. Without using her Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, she was completely suppressed by Wang Qiu'er. However, with Nan Qiuqiu fighting alongside her, she was finally able to fight Wang Qiu'er to a standstill. She enjoyed the battle very much.

During these two months, besides cultivating, they sparred with each other in the Zizai Sect's martial arts training area to improve their combat skills.

Wang Dong'er and Wang Qiu'er's cultivation levels are already close to Soul Saint. The effects of the immortal herb are still taking effect, and it shouldn't be long before the two of them break through to Soul Saint.

Wang Dong'er, Wang Qiu'er, Ye Guyi, and Xiao Xiao are all quite dedicated to their cultivation. Nan Qiuqiu, who originally wanted to slack off, had no choice but to work hard under this atmosphere. This made Nan Shuishui very gratified. She felt that the wisest decision she had ever made was selling Nan Qiuqiu to Ji Lin. Otherwise, there would be no Nan Qiuqiu now. With Nan Qiuqiu's talent and temperament, she would probably still only be a Soul King in the Earth Dragon Gate.

Over the course of two months, Nan Qiuqiu, Wang Dong'er, Xiaoxiao and others teamed up to fight Ye Guyi and Wang Qiu'er. Their teamwork became increasingly seamless, and they even created their own unique combined attack technique. Although it was not as good as the Martial Soul Fusion Technique, it was still quite good and far better than fighting alone.

If the two of them join forces, they can at least hold off Ye Guyi for a while. If they're not careful, Ye Guyi might even be taken advantage of by them.

Of course, this was just a friendly spar. Ye Guyi had no intention of killing, and she didn't dare to use many powerful soul skills casually. However, Wang Dong'er and the others were the same in this regard.

However, in these two months, the women have made remarkable progress, and their practical experience has become increasingly rich.

"Slap, slap, slap!"

A round of applause rang out, and the girls turned around to see Ji Lin standing lazily below the martial arts stage, watching them with a hidden smile.

Nan Qiuqiu pouted and said, "Isn't this our busy man, Sect Leader Ji? What brings you here to watch our battle today?"

Ji Lin's lips twitched, and he glared at Nan Qiuqiu.

"Not bad! You've all made great progress lately. Have you decided what kind of Stigmata you want? Have you chosen the age and the type of Soul Beast? We can already have the Liyue Merchant Guild prepare them in advance."

(End of this chapter)