Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

Yan spoke with feigned concern, but in reality, he rambled on and on about a bunch of nonsense. The beautiful dean in front of him was clearly testing him, and didn't actually want to hear any of this.

However, Dean Tianshui was also very experienced, and he didn't show much surprise at Yan's answer. He just sipped his tea and smiled at him.

Yan also felt that this back-and-forth probing was pointless, so he spoke again: "Dean, what do you want to ask?"

"Your Highness, what benefits would we gain from your Spirit Hall's desire for Tianshui Academy to support you?"

Tianshui Academy put down their teacups and spoke directly: "Although the Spirit Hall's influence in the Soul Master world is indeed far greater than that of the two great empires, in the academy world, especially for academies like ours that are close to Heaven Dou City, we still have to take into account the influence of the royal family."

After all, the imperial city is not far from Tianshui Academy, and we are not the Elephant Armor Sect; we can't withstand accountability from the royal family.

When Dean Tianshui got to this point, she couldn't help but sigh. In her opinion, it was best for Tianshui College not to get involved in these power struggles.

Because the academy is too small, even with the sect behind it, it is far from being able to compete with either the royal family or the Spirit Hall. They cannot afford to offend either of them.

As one of the few academies in the academic world that is not directly influenced by nobles, Tianshui Academy does have a slightly more favorable impression of the Spirit Hall, but it is only a slight inclination.

Comparatively speaking, the influence of the Heaven Dou Royal Family, which was located just a stone's throw away, was greater than that of the Spirit Hall, which was far on the border. After all, the Heavenly Water Academy was not far from Heaven Dou City, only a day's journey from the city center.

Originally, before the Spirit Hall began its resurgence, the Heaven Dou royal family did not feel the pressure, unlike now when they are so sensitive.

However, now that the influence of the Spirit Hall is gradually recovering and even surpassing its previous peak, the royal families of the two great empires are feeling the pressure more and more.

Therefore, they began to put pressure on the wavering forces in the Soul Master world, especially the Five Elements Academy near Heaven Dou City, and used some different methods.

In this situation, the five academies each made their own choices. Thunder Academy was originally neutral, but because the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan behind it was unwilling to submit to the Spirit Hall, it is now more inclined to get closer to the royal family. However, their strength is enough, so they maintain a cooperative relationship with the royal family.

The Elephant Armor Sect is ambitious and wants to go further, so it chose to get close to the Spirit Hall, aiming to break into the top three.

As for the remaining three academies, they have not yet shown a clear stance. However, with the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall personally stepping in, the situation has gradually become clear, and the various spirit master forces within the Heaven Dou territory have each made their own choices.

When the Water Academy was willing to accept Yan to come and observe classes, they already had a preference. However, what truly made them decide was Yan's performance over the past few days.

Since enrolling, Yan quickly became friends with many students in the academy, and he was quite popular among them. Furthermore, although the young man was close to some female students, he didn't cause any trouble, which pleased many of the higher-ups at Tianshui Academy.

Moreover, Yan's successful condensation of the Frost Flame has made the academy's higher-ups completely determined that although the influence of the Heavenly Dou Royal Family is great, this young man clearly has a much brighter future.

In the world of Soul Masters, strength is paramount. The reason why the Clear Sky Sect was able to rise all the way up and even overpower the Spirit Hall was because they produced a peerless expert of their time.

Although Yan has not yet reached that level of power, he clearly possesses the potential. Moreover, he has cultivated a flame specifically designed to counter ice and water attributes, breaking conventions and defying the impossible. This has given the high-ranking experts of Tianshui Academy hope for a different path.

"The Dean wants to know what the Spirit Hall can offer. That's a very good question."

Across from Dean Tianshui, Yan didn't remain silent for long. Instead, he took out boxes from his storage soul tool. "Please take a look, but let me make it clear first, you can only choose one item. If you want more, that's up to your ability."

Yan gave the beautiful dean in front of her a meaningful look, her expression full of implications. The latter pretended not to understand her meaning and opened the boxes one by one.

The first box was the largest. Inside were bottles of unknown substances, possibly fine wine or medicine. A thin booklet contained key information about the contents, all of which were secret medicines that could aid in cultivation.

The second and third boxes contained books and scrolls, which recorded methods for cultivating soul power and various advanced soul skills. After flipping through them for a while, the beautiful dean couldn't stop. She discovered that these seemed to be translated versions, and there seemed to be a more complete original version.

"Holy one, Holy Son, these treasures can truly be bestowed upon my Tianshui Academy."

The beautiful dean of Tianshui College suddenly became anxious, as if she wanted to make a promise with Yan right now.

"Of course, as long as Tianshui Academy supports the Spirit Hall, you can choose what you need most, and the rest depends on your future performance."

Yan looked at the mature beauty in front of him and smiled brightly, "But you must remember, once you've taken something from the Spirit Hall, you must not waver or back down, otherwise, no one can save you."

"Let me think about it."

Dean Tianshui nodded, her gaze sweeping over the three boxes. She wasn't struggling with whether to choose the Spirit Hall, but rather with which choice she should make. Finally, she made her decision, reaching for one of the boxes.

Chapter 243 Hanhai City

Hanhai City is the most crucial of the western coastal cities of the Tiandou Empire. It is the largest city in the western border of the empire and the largest coastal and port city on the Douluo Continent.

The city walls of Hanhai City were built along the sea, or rather, on the mountains by the sea. No matter how the tides rise and fall, they cannot shake them in the slightest. The thick city walls are of the main city level. Both inside and outside the city, there is a faint salty smell, which is the smell of the ocean.

On the official road leading to Hanhai City, countless caravans travel to and from the city every day. These include wealthy merchants carrying vast amounts of seafood to inland areas, as well as numerous traveling merchants heading to this West Hammer City to seek their fortune.

At dawn, as the city gates of Hanhai City opened, countless carriages and horses moved slowly along with the crowd. At the city gates, the soldiers of the Tiandou Empire were conducting routine inspections and collecting taxes, and everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.

"Stop the carriage, and have the people in it get out for inspection."

As usual, the guards at the city gate stopped a carriage. This carriage, apart from being newer, did not look particularly outstanding and was probably not the carriage of any important person. Therefore, the guards at the city gate acted rather roughly.

"This is tax money."

However, to the surprise of the armored soldiers who were about to show off their power, the coachman simply tossed a few copper soul coins into the money basket next to him and then waved for them to pass.

"Hey! Are you deaf? I'll tell the people in your carriage to get down and check!"

"My lord, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! We'll let you through right away, we'll let you through..."

However, before the armored soldier could draw his longsword to warn him, the captain, who had been leisurely drinking tea, seemed to have seen something. He quickly stepped forward and kicked the clueless subordinate to the ground, then bowed and scraped to the coachman with a big smile on his face.

"Let them through, hurry up and let them through..."

The squad leader of the city gate guards quickly instructed his men to carry out their tasks, and the guards hurriedly opened the barricades to allow the carriage to enter the city smoothly.

"Boss, do you think these Spirit Hall cultivators are crazy? They're supposed to be noble Spirit Masters, but they all act so poor and ordinary. How many times has this happened this month? I think it's happened several times already."

"It was the same last time; we didn't even notice the Soul Master insignia on them. Fortunately, these Soul Masters who came from ascetic backgrounds weren't arrogant and didn't mind our offense."

"You wouldn't know this, would you? Most of these ascetics are believers who have a devout faith in the God of Light after the Light Ritual. These kinds of people are generally not evil."

"How lucky are these people to become noble Soul Masters? They are Soul Masters! For people like us, becoming a Soul Master is the only possibility. But if you haven't awakened your Soul Power by the age of six, it's basically impossible."

"I've inquired around, and to become a Soul Master with divinely bestowed soul power like an Ascetic, one must have an unwavering faith in the gods. We've been around for so many years, I'm afraid most of us won't make it."

"However, with so many more Soul Masters, the security within the Empire has improved a lot. I haven't heard the merchants discussing bandits in recent days."

"Let's not talk about this. The higher-ups are having a real headache. They've lost a lot of tributes, and those big shots up there aren't happy about it."

"But what does this have to do with us? It won't happen to us, but if we're unlucky, we can't escape it. I'd rather it be gone."

"I'm telling you, you're all getting bolder and bolder, daring to talk nonsense like this. Alright, alright, watch your eyes from now on, don't always have to make me bail you out. Consider this a lesson learned."

……

After the carriage left, a group of city guards discussed the matter in small groups. From their conversation, it was clear that ascetics had a significant influence on the Heavenly Dou Empire. Moreover, similar incidents had occurred quite frequently in recent years, and they seemed to have become somewhat accustomed to them.

"This is what the sea breeze smells like. I'm really looking forward to it."

On the bustling main street of Hanhai City, a brand-new carriage slowly made its way toward the Martial Soul Main Hall in the city center. As it passed through the western part of the city, the curtain of the carriage was slightly pulled open, and the person gazing at the sea on the horizon couldn't help but sigh with a sense of pride.

The sea breeze is stronger in Hanhai City, and the people of Hanhai City are somewhat different from those inland. Perhaps due to the greater amount of sunshine, the people here are generally shorter and have darker skin than those inland.

The ascetic driving the carriage must have been a coachman by trade, as he was extremely skilled. Under his command, the horse smoothly avoided densely populated areas and, following the gaps in the crowd, circled the city at top speed before arriving at the Martial Spirit Hall in the city center.

"Your Highness, we have arrived at the Martial Soul Main Hall of Hanhai City."

After the ascetic driving the carriage jumped down, he came to the curtain and bowed slightly to greet him. Soon after, the curtain was rolled up, and a tall figure leaped down from the carriage.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment while I go and report."

After calming the horse down a bit, the coachman quickly stepped forward to pay his respects. He then took out his own token and walked quickly to the entrance of the Martial Soul Main Hall. There was a row of imposing guards in armor in front of the main hall. Upon seeing the token in his hand, they bowed and paid their respects. Then someone entered the main hall to report.

The tall, slender figure who stepped down from the carriage did not wait below. Instead, he slowly ascended the steps and led the coachman into the Martial Soul Main Hall. Armored guards escorted them along the way, making it seem as if a great figure had arrived.

The tall, slender figure, escorted by armored guards, made his way to the depths of the Martial Soul Main Hall. At that moment, the many important figures in the main hall had just received the news and were quite uneasy and flustered as they prepared to leave the main hall's chapel to greet him outside.

"Hanhai City Martial Soul Main Hall...Greetings, Your Highness, Holy Son."

Just then, the main hall doors opened again, and that figure appeared before them. All the high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall, including the Red-Clothed Grand Master of the Spirit Hall in Hanhai City, immediately bowed to show their respect.

It is extremely rare for a large number of high-ranking members of the Martial Soul Main Hall of Hanhai City to pay their respects at the same time in this important coastal city.

"Bishop Seth, has everything been arranged in Haicheng?"

The figure that arrived at the Martial Soul Main Hall in Hanhai City was none other than the Holy Son Yan of the Martial Soul Hall, who had set off for the western part of the continent to set sail. Now that he had arrived at the Martial Soul Main Hall, he naturally took the most important seat and began to issue orders.

"Your Holiness, after receiving the strict orders from the Papal Palace, we began numerous preparations."

Cardinal Seth's current position is undoubtedly due to his abilities. After quickly reviewing the information in his mind, he bowed and reported, "The ships you ordered to set sail are ready, and the crew are all elites from the temple."

In addition, in the past few days, the experts of my Spirit Hall have repeatedly tested the spirit masters and spirit beasts inside and outside the city, and the spirit masters are still within a controllable range.

However, those few overlord soul beasts are all at least 50,000 years old, and they are even more terrifying than heaven and earth in the sea. They are known as the three overlords of the near sea.

There were also reports about the situation in the coastal waters, the main pirate gathering places, and information about Poseidon Island. These arrangements have been made by my subordinates, hoping to provide some assistance to the Holy Son.

After the Cardinal of the Martial Soul Hall of Hanhai City finished reporting the news to Yan, a rather complicated situation could be discerned from the brief conversation he revealed.

Yan must have started planning for the situation in the West Sea a long time ago. He had already made arrangements for the selection of people to go to sea, the route, pirates, Poseidon Island, and some of the more important information about the ocean recently, which shows his caution in doing things.

This is also Yan's consistent personality. He is not like that third person who acts without thinking, doing whatever he wants without considering the consequences. He was like this when dealing with the Spirit Hall, and he was like this when going to Seagod Island.

Don't think that going to Poseidon Island is easy. Although the location of Poseidon Island has been exposed in the original work and is widely known in the near sea, very few people are actually able to reach it.

The key reason for this is that sea voyages are difficult and dangerous. There are too many dangers on the high seas, and spending a long time alone on a ship can easily lead to psychological problems.

In such circumstances, some sailors themselves are a potential threat. Not to mention the even more dangerous storms and pirates.

There are many pirates around Poseidon Island, all of whom were expelled for failing the Poseidon Island test. Although most of them are just ordinary people, there are also Soul Masters among them, powerful Sea Soul Masters, which is quite troublesome.

Therefore, a good crew can ensure your safe voyage. However, mediocre crews, especially on ships with a bad reputation, can easily lead to problems for the entire ship. In the original story, a certain third character who travels to Poseidon Island a few years later encounters such a situation.

This incident can only be attributed to the fact that the three men had something wrong with their brains. After selecting a ship for sale, they didn't verify its authenticity and simply kept all the people as crew members. They should have at least found some new people.

Moreover, none of the seven people had studied the sea routes before rashly setting sail, and they didn't even know the direction their ships were heading. They plunged headlong into the core area of ​​the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's territory. Such a direct act of provocation meant that they were lucky to have survived on the spot.

Having learned from past mistakes, Yan was unwilling to encounter such dangers. Therefore, he issued an order through the Pope's Hall of Wuhun City to the Wuhun Main Hall of Hanhai City, instructing them to find and arrange suitable candidates in advance, and also sending many ascetic cultivators to try to learn.

Whether the ascetic's studies are sufficient to shoulder the great responsibility remains to be seen, but at least Yan's two-pronged preparations under Bishop Seth have been handled quite well, which makes Yan rather satisfied.

Cardinal Seth of the Martial Soul Main Hall of Hanhai City hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I have prepared a banquet to welcome you and hope that you will give me this opportunity."

Yan was quite satisfied with this sensible cardinal. There were also interpersonal relationships within the Spirit Hall, so he gave him face and nodded, saying, "You've been thoughtful with the banquet. By the way, give the arrangements. I plan to go to the Great Spirit Arena after the banquet."

"Yes. I will arrange it immediately."

Bishop Seth bowed immediately and arranged for preparations to be made. Then he extended his hand to Yan, "Your Highness, please follow me..."

Chapter 244 Going to Sea

In the Great Soul Arena of Hanhai City, inside a private box on the top floor, Yan sat in the main seat, accompanied by the rarely seen Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo. There was another person who seemed to be sitting on pins and needles, but it was none other than the red-robed Archbishop Seth of the Hanhai City Martial Soul Main Hall.

As the host and the person with the highest status in the Spirit Hall in Hanhai City, Seth did indeed need to accompany them. However, in front of the two elders and the Holy Son, his status was somewhat awkward, and he was really uneasy.

"This is the fighting style of Sea Soul Masters, it's quite peculiar." From his VIP room, which was close to the Great Soul Arena, Yan looked down at the chaotic battle between several Soul Masters on the arena.

Because of its unique building structure and decoration, the private room offers a clear view of every move on the arena below.