Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

"Everyone, things here are almost settled. It's time to set the rules for the selection of the seven major sects."

Yan didn't put too much pressure on him. After achieving his warning purpose, he changed the subject, "There is another important matter concerning the Soul Master world that I need to discuss with you all. Let's go to the Dragon Rising City Lord's Mansion to discuss it."

As he spoke, he led the way toward Dragon Rising City. The other experts from the Spirit Hall followed, and the remaining people exchanged glances for a moment before taking action and following as well.

……

In the expanded council hall square of the Longxing City Lord's Mansion, many powerful figures from the Soul Master world, along with the members of the Spirit Hall, entered and encountered another group of people who had been waiting for a long time.

"His Majesty."

Ning Fengzhi looked at the woman in palace dress who was greeting him beside the main seat, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had not expected that the newly enthroned empress would also come to Longxing City.

But then I thought about it and it was normal. Today's overall strategy was clearly aimed at the Star Luo Empire's all-out attack, so it would be strange if the Heaven Dou Royal Family didn't cooperate.

"Holy Son".

Empress Xue Ke greeted Yan as he sat down in the main seat of the council hall, while she stood by his side like a maid, a posture that left many people secretly speechless.

"Please, everyone, have a seat."

After Yan sat down, he invited the others to sit down as well. Of course, not everyone had a seat. Only the leaders of various forces in the Soul Master world, who were basically all Soul Douluo level or higher, were qualified to sit. The rest had to stand.

"Marshal Goron and Prince Xuexing should have already seen the materials I prepared, so I'd appreciate it if you could help me distribute them."

Yan casually gave an order, and two aged figures stepped out, surprising many people. These two were none other than Marshal Ge Long, a pillar of the Tian Dou Empire's military and a man of great prestige, and Prince Xue Xing of the royal family.

These two were both trusted confidants of Emperor Xueye and were previously considered key targets of the Spirit Hall. After the Heaven Dou Palace Coup, they were imprisoned separately, and it was thought that their lives were mostly over, but they were unexpectedly released so quickly.

"Please take a look, everyone. This is some data compiled by my Spirit Hall, which is related to the future of the Spirit Master world."

Numerous written materials were distributed, and many Soul Masters were quite curious about what was recorded on them. After reading them, they couldn't help but frown and feel confused, not quite understanding why the Spirit Hall had taken out these materials.

"Everyone should have seen this material. I think your sects should have also done statistics. Compared to more than a hundred years ago, the number and density of soul beasts in our era have decreased significantly, especially high-level soul beasts."

Yan reached out and turned to a page, then said some concluding remarks, but the people below didn't seem to care much.

They also knew these things on paper. The data trend was not something that had only started in the last hundred years, but rather a long time ago, when the number of high-level soul beasts on the Douluo Continent became scarce.

Take the Star Dou Great Forest, the largest gathering place of soul beasts on the continent, for example. Thousands of years ago, its diameter was hundreds of miles larger than it is now, its area was much larger, and the number and quality of soul beasts were also higher.

But at some point, too many soul beasts in Douluo Continent were hunted down, eventually leading to the current situation.

The current situation is so deeply entrenched that it cannot be resolved by just one or two Soul Master factions. It's not that no one has noticed these issues, but rather that these factions are simply incapable of solving them.

The number of Soul Master factions facing the Soul Ring issue is not limited to one or two, and the exact number of Soul Masters involved is unclear.

To solve this problem, it would mostly require methods like controlling the killing of Soul Masters, but such methods have limited binding force, and it's even more difficult to control everyone's thoughts.

Therefore, it's not that those predecessors who were Soul Masters lacked foresight, but rather that the environment they faced at the time simply couldn't solve this problem.

However, with the development of the times, the problems they could not solve now have a chance to be solved, which is why the Spirit Hall has made this big move.

To solve this problem once and for all, at the very least, a high degree of unity must be achieved among all the high-ranking members of the Soul Master world. This is why the Spirit Hall must achieve this unity as a prerequisite.

With this premise, coupled with the unprecedented soul spirit created by Yan, it played a crucial role in the prosperity of the Spirit Hall.

"Holy Son, I wonder how you intend to solve these problems?"

In the council hall, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School spent some time reading through the key points of all the distributed materials before cautiously asking a question.

He hadn't seen this information about the Spirit Hall before today, and he was completely clueless about Yan's next plan, so he took the initiative to ask, which was also a way of supporting Yan.

Yan's eyes calmly swept across the entire room, and then he made some concluding remarks, "After reading these materials, everyone should have gained some insights."

If we continue to develop in our current way, at most in a few thousand or tens of thousands of years, most of the soul beasts in the rest of the continent will become extinct, and the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest will also suffer a devastating blow. In the future, even ten-thousand-year soul beasts will be very difficult to hunt.

If spirit beasts become extinct, it will not benefit us human spirit masters. We will lose the possibility of possessing spirit rings, and if there are no more spirit masters in the future, then the profession of spirit master will become a thing of the past forever.

Everyone knows how terrifying human greed can be, and we must face these problems squarely. To solve these problems, the Spirit Hall has devised many methods, leading to the numerous measures we have taken today, including the unification of the continent.

Greed and ambition are the driving forces behind human progress. All living beings possess their own degree of greed, and I believe no one would willingly relinquish the opportunity to become powerful. Therefore, preventing humanity from obtaining spirit rings is impossible. Issues of self-interest can only be resolved through self-interest.

All that we've done is to facilitate the smooth promotion of the Soul Spirit System. The Soul Spirit System represents the future of this new era, distinct from the previous era of new Soul Masters.

"Using interests to solve problems? Good point. But what is a soul?"

"That's right, what is this spirit? I've never heard of it before."

"Could it be a product that replaces spirit rings? Is the technology mature enough?"

Yan's words left the people present somewhat bewildered. They had never learned anything about souls before, so of course they didn't know much about them.

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. Next, I will introduce the situation of souls to you."

Seeing that he had aroused everyone's interest, Yan did not intend to delay them. He stood up and clapped his hands a few times in the hall.

"Roar~~~"

A heart-stirring dragon roar resounded throughout the heavens and earth. An enormous fiery dragon swiftly swept across the sky, hovering for a moment before slowly appearing above the hall.

A dragon-shaped shadow with an astonishing wingspan shrouded the earth, and countless soul masters below felt an almost suffocating aura, experiencing immense fear.

This is a legendary true dragon, an incomparably powerful being. This deadly feeling is probably something even a titled Douluo wouldn't be able to handle.

"Everyone should be able to feel the pressure emanating from Jialin. She is very powerful, one of the strongest true dragons in the world."

Yan introduced Jia Lin's situation to everyone without saying too much. As he spoke, he reached out to Jia Lin, and the huge dragon obediently lowered its head and leaned in front of Yan, begging him to touch it.

Yan gently stroked the nose of the enormous dragon head, a gesture that made many of the surrounding Soul Masters very nervous.

Many titled Douluo, including Ning Fengzhi and Tang Xiao, didn't dare to utter a sound. The pressure from Jia Lin was too intense, and even Tang Xiao and Chen Xin, both level 97 Super Douluo, felt completely overwhelmed.

"Isn't everyone curious about what the Soul Spirit system is? This is the Soul Spirit system. Soul Beasts and humans interact to complete a soul contract, exchanging their essence. Soul Masters can obtain Soul Rings or even Soul Bones, while Soul Beasts can also acquire the talents of Soul Masters and discover their potential more quickly."

While speaking, Yan ordered someone to distribute another set of materials, which mainly introduced the Contract Soul Spirit system. After reading it, everyone could understand the function and effect of the soul spirits, but no one understood the specific principles.

"Souls? So this is what souls are. No wonder they dare to claim they'll end an era."

"The old era will eventually come to an end, but unfortunately I am too old and frail to have the chance."

"A titled Douluo at the ninth ring level has no chance of advancing further, but I am an eight-ring Soul Douluo. If I could contract a powerful ten-thousand-year-old Soul Beast, wouldn't that be..."

"The Soul Era is truly a new era. We definitely need to cling to the Spirit Hall from now on."

After reading the information, the many powerful Soul Masters had different thoughts. On the surface, they appeared calm, but in reality, they were all very excited and could hardly maintain their composure.

Chapter 458 Stabilizing the Situation

In the council hall of Longxing City, as Yan explained the relevant knowledge about soul spirits, many soul masters began to discuss it.

For thousands of years, there have been intelligent people in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent who have noticed the problem of the decline in Soul Beasts, but no good solution has ever been found.

However, Yan's words have made everyone realize that a new era has arrived, and the Spirit Hall has laid a solid foundation for stabilizing and unifying the continent.

The Douluo Continent has never been unified, entirely because the Spirit Hall has not intervened. Although the two great empires have influenced many spirit masters, the Spirit Hall still holds sway over the high-level combat power of the spirit master world on the entire Douluo Continent. This can be seen by simply calculating the number of Title Douluo.

Now that the Spirit Hall is personally involved, supporting the Heaven Dou Empire in annihilating the Star Luo, and with the Spirit Hall suppressing and consolidating the Soul Master world, it is foreseeable that a new era is about to begin.

"Everyone, is there any further question regarding the promotion of the Soul Spirit System?" Yan spoke again, and this time everyone present respectfully fell silent, no one saying anything more, which was considered an admission of Yan's words.

"Alright, since everyone agrees, let's discuss the specifics of the promotion." Seeing that everyone seemed to be on the same page, Yan nodded and continued, "The situation in the Star Luo Empire needs to be stabilized as soon as possible. We need the help of Duke Lingmao and the Star Crown Sect in this regard. Is that alright?"

"Don't worry, Holy Son." Duke Lingmao and Sect Master Xingguan nodded quickly to indicate that there was no problem. They understood Yan's meaning. He had specifically chosen their two forces to confirm that they would be in charge of the official and sect affairs of the Star Luo Empire.

"The Heavenly Dou and Star Luo have been separated for many years, but they are ultimately from the same country. With the continent unified, it will be renamed the Douluo Empire. Your Majesty will need to work a little harder." Yan slightly tilted his head, took Xue Ke's small hand, and walked to the front of the stage. The leaders of many forces understood Yan's meaning and expressed their willingness to cooperate with the Empire's work.

Seeing that everyone was sensible, Yan continued, "It's a good thing that everyone is willing to cooperate. So, next, we need to discuss with everyone our future attitude towards soul beasts."

"What does the Holy Son mean?" Yan's mention of his attitude towards soul beasts made everyone somewhat puzzled. Soul masters had previously killed soul beasts indiscriminately without any sense of protection. The number of soul beasts killed by a single soul master in their lifetime was no less than double digits.

"In the future, as we promote the Soul Spirit system, the killing of Soul Beasts will inevitably become much more difficult. If you want to form a contract with a Soul Beast, you must let them feel human kindness. Random killing is never a good thing." Yan glanced at some people whose eyes were shifting, then pointed towards the Star Dou Great Forest in the north.

"Furthermore, matters concerning the Soul Spirit system are difficult to proceed without the cooperation of powerful Soul Beast experts. Negotiations will be necessary for a long time to come. And when it comes to negotiations, we must demonstrate sincerity. Therefore, in the next few years, the Spirit Hall will implement a policy of tightening Soul Hunting, minimizing the killing of Soul Beasts. At most, we will completely eliminate the indiscriminate killing of Soul Beasts within a century." After hearing Yan's words, the many Soul Master leaders exchanged glances. Some felt it was making a mountain out of a molehill, while others thought it was nothing, but none of them objected, given the Spirit Hall's current power.

"The largest gathering place of soul beasts on the Douluo Continent is none other than the Star Dou Great Forest. According to the records of my Spirit Hall, there exists a legendary ferocious beast in the Lake of Life at the deepest part of the Star Dou Great Forest. It is a being even more powerful than a 100,000-year-old soul beast..." Yan continued, revealing information that shocked all the soul masters. After his explanation, most people understood what Yan's previous so-called cooperation was all about, and could accept Yan's policy of tightening up soul hunting.

"Three months from now, the Spirit Hall will lead the peace talks with the Star Dou Great Forest. If any of you are interested, you may go..." After saying this, Yan gave a few more instructions to the Spirit Hall's representative in charge here, and then left the council hall with Xue Ke.

He had already resolved most of the issues, so he no longer needed to worry about the specific follow-up matters, such as stabilizing the situation in Xingluo with the seven major sects and settling accounts with the Duke Kingdom.

Although these matters are significant, Yan no longer needs to worry about them too much. His next task is to discuss the future structure of the empire and the initial promotion of the Soul Spirits with Xue Ke. After completing these tasks, he can head to Xing Dou.

...In the capital city of Tiandou, at the Martial Soul Temple. When Yan emerged from his study, the sky was clear and the spring scenery was beautiful. Upon arriving outside the church, a carriage was already waiting for him.

"Brother Yan, are we going to the palace?" As soon as Yan got into the carriage and sat down, two girls came up to him, wrapping their arms around his left and right arms, letting him enjoy the softness of the girls' warm jade.

"Xue Ke should have just finished the court meeting, right? Has there been any news from the palace?" Yan lay down in a comfortable position, and the several beautiful girls on either side immediately began to serve him skillfully.

Yan looked left and right, quite satisfied with his current life.

"Sister Xueke just sent word that she left the palace today." Ning Rongrong, sitting next to Yan, held a notebook in her hand, which recorded the proceedings of the palace council that day.

Yan is currently handling important matters in Tiandou City, so of course he needs to find some helpers. And since he has always been a chivalrous person, it's quite normal for him to find some jobs for the girls he likes.

Ning Rongrong, Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, and Bai Chenxiang happened to be free, so they became his personal secretaries, helping him handle some daily affairs. They spent every day together, and these girls were very willing to do so.

If Yan's life these days were written as a diary, the plot would be rather dull. February 2nd, nothing to do today, listening to music in a brothel.

2月3日，插花。2月4日，弄玉。2月5日，插花弄玉。2月6日，蛇舞。

February 7th, swallows chirping. February 8th, assassinating the emperor. February 9th, assassinating the emperor arranging flowers. February 10th, nothing to do today, listening to music in a brothel.

...That's pretty much the tedious and boring process of him training people. As for the flowers and jade he trained, they were just ordinary. The flower was a nine-hearted begonia, and the seven-treasure glazed tile could also be considered a kind of jade. The others were also very simple and unadorned, except that the empress's identity was a bit unusual.

However, Yan felt that he still had principles, and he never stayed overnight in the palace after each 'assassination', so it shouldn't have any impact on Her Majesty the Empress.

"Xue Ke has left the palace. Did she come to the Holy Temple?" Yan was a little surprised to hear that Xue Ke had left the palace. Since the Empress ascended the throne, she has always been diligent in her duties. This is mainly because someone usually enters the palace in the morning to discuss important matters with the Empress and then helps to give some decision-making advice.

As for why Her Majesty the Empress sits on his lap to work, the Holy Son said it was to get closer to Her Majesty and make it easier for her to give reasonable suggestions.

"No, I heard that the Moon Pavilion of the Haotian Sect has reopened. His Majesty and Lady Moon of the Moon Pavilion have a very good relationship. It seems he received some news this morning and went there." Ning Rongrong took out an invitation from the pile of documents in her hand.

"Yuexuan also sent you an invitation, Brother Yan, but it seems the deadline has passed." Yan glanced at the invitation and casually tossed it aside. Haotian Sect was no threat at all now, and he didn't think that a small Yuexuan could cause any trouble. Let it reopen, it's a small matter anyway.

"If Xue Ke is at Yue Xuan, let's go take a look. We don't have anything else to do anyway." After thinking for a moment, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. During this time, he had to help Xue Ke with her affairs while also busy improving the soul power of several girls. Sometimes, if two girls were together, he would have to work an extra hour at night. He felt like he had lost weight. It was truly a happy kind of trouble.

Yan was lost in thought when he quickly drifted off to sleep. Under the driver's direction, the carriage sped off and soon arrived at the most bustling area of ​​the capital.

"Your Highness." As soon as the carriage came to a stop, royal attendants came to greet them. Still a little sleepy, Yan led several girls into the Moon Pavilion and met Xue Ke and Madam Yue, who were talking.

Without anyone giving any instructions, after Yan, Ning Rongrong, and the others took their seats, Yuexuan's maids came forward to serve them, and tea and snacks were served quickly.

"You are... Sweetie, right?" The girl serving Yan was a little girl with a ponytail. She looked a bit familiar. Yan thought for a moment and realized that she was the ponytail girl from Longxing City. Her name should be Tang Sweetie.

"Yes, my name is Tiantian. Thank you for what happened last time, Brother Shengzi." The little girl was unusually unafraid of Yan, which was quite rare. Yan chatted with her casually for a few minutes and felt that the little girl was quite agreeable to him.