Douluo Continent: I Have a Nameless Law

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Ning Fengzhi felt a pang of unease. This was a blatant warning to them, an attempt to establish their authority. But was the Martial Soul Empire's move too domineering?

Gu Han took in everyone's reactions but didn't offer any explanation. Instead, he turned his gaze to Ju and Gui, who were sitting to his left.

During the meeting between Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo rose from his seat, unfurled a huge blueprint, and hung it on the wall behind him.

The table above is arranged from bottom to top. Anyone with a discerning eye can see at a glance that this is an indispensable hierarchical division of power.

"Brother Gu, what is this?"

Ning Fengzhi could certainly see that this was a hierarchy chart of power, but that wasn't what he asked. Instead, he asked what Gu Han wanted to do.

"Gentlemen, in order to facilitate the future management of the Soul Master world by the Spirit Empire, I have created a civilian organization affiliated with the Empire called the World Pavilion. Once you enter here, you can discuss and resolve conflicts in the Soul Master world."

"And this Tianxia Pavilion has seven elders, all of whom are outstanding figures in the folk soul master world."

"And above this Tianxia Pavilion are the Imperial Hall of Worship and the Hall of Elders. You can raise any needs you may have with the Hall of Worship and the Hall of Elders, and then the Imperial Council of Elders will decide whether to approve your needs."

The crowd relaxed. Although the Tianxia Pavilion was subject to the Empire, it still gave them some freedom and didn't control them too much.

Ning Fengzhi's eyes flashed with interest. The elders of the Tianxia Pavilion held extraordinary positions, and the leaders could even have direct contact with the elders and retainers of the empire. Their status in the folk soul master world was absolutely extraordinary.

However, there are also drawbacks. The Martial Soul Empire is bringing its past hidden conflicts into the open, making everyone argue in the Heavenly Pavilion. To win the argument, the Empire's help is indispensable. As a result, everyone will be subject to the Empire's control, forming a strange chain that binds all the major forces together.

"Ahem, Your Majesty, is it possible to choose not to join?" a middle-aged man asked.

“Of course.” Gu Han smiled, and before the other party could breathe a sigh of relief, he continued, “However, in this way, your sect’s safety will no longer be protected by the empire, and all risks will be borne by your sect itself.”

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Ning Fengzhi, felt a chill run down their spines.

"Haha, I'm just asking. My Thunder Serpent Sect is definitely 100% willing to cooperate with the Martial Soul Empire."

The person who initially asked the question quickly stated their position, fearing that if they hesitated any longer, their Thunder Serpent Sect might be inexplicably wiped out by a "mysterious force."

Ning Fengzhi glanced at the man and cursed inwardly, "Where did this shill come from?"

But then I thought, even if this person didn't ask, what's meant to be will still be there. Putting things out in the open now isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Seven Grand Secretaries."

Tang Yuehua muttered to herself, "Does this mean the seven major sects are going to have to re-elect?"

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Of the former three great sects, one has perished and another has gone into hiding. Only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect remains. With two of the seven great sects missing, the four lower sects all want to compete for the position of the three great sects.

Now that the empire needs to govern the Soul Master world, the empire's power alone is not enough, which will lead to a confrontation between the empire and other major forces.

However, if the major sects are to supervise and restrain each other, then the empire is needed. As long as the checks and balances are properly maintained, it will be difficult for the major forces in the Soul Master world to unite.

Tang Yuehua felt that the positions of the three upper sects would be easily reclaimed once the Haotian Sect emerged. However, she had something more pressing to understand, so she asked, "Your Majesty, what should be done with the hidden sects and families?"

Tang Yuehua did not directly mention Haotian Sect. Although some people here knew her true identity, there were many more who did not. In order to make it easier to hide her identity in the future, she could not directly ask Haotian Sect what to do.

Gu Han naturally understood what Tang Yuehua meant and replied, "Hidden families and sects are not subject to the empire's jurisdiction as long as they stay at home. However, if they do leave home, they must act in accordance with the Soul Master laws established by the empire."

The meaning is simple: if you stay home, no one can control you; but if you go out, you're out of the world and have contact with the outside world, so you have to follow the rules.

"Thank you for your clarification, Your Majesty." Tang Yuehua nodded slightly, indicating that she understood.

"Alright, let's leave the matter of Tianxia Pavilion here for now. We can ask you about more details when it's established."

"Now let's talk about the second thing."

Seeing that no one had any objections, Gu Han brought up the second matter.

"The second matter concerns the mining and operation of resources such as minerals, grains, and land. The mining of minerals and the pricing of grains and land must be carried out under the supervision of the empire."

"Especially for necessities for ordinary people's daily lives, the pricing of these must be controlled by the Empire. Does anyone have any objections?"

"I have no objections to anything else, but I have a question that I need to clarify."

"Sect Leader Ning, please speak."

Ning Fengzhi pondered for a moment and asked, "Does the fact that mineral mining also needs state control mean that mineral resources belong to the Empire?"

"That's natural. All land under heaven belongs to the emperor. Salt mines, iron mines, and various minerals such as gold, silver, copper, and iron naturally belong to the empire. You may mine them, but you must obtain the empire's approval. At the same time, you must pay 20% of the profits to the empire as tax."

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's face twitched slightly. If one were to ask what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School relied on to make money, then minerals would be one of its biggest sources of profit. The Martial Soul Empire's move was undoubtedly cutting into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's flesh. Twenty percent of taxes might not seem like much for a small business, but when placed on top of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's operating income, it would be an astronomical figure.

"Isn't this a bit too high?"

Ning Fengzhi felt a pang of regret. Although he usually donated a lot of money to the Spirit Hall, it was all with hope and a return, and it was given voluntarily.

However, this 20% tax is something that comes with no hope or return, and is given passively; it's a completely different matter.

"Not much left. The Empire provides the mines; you go and mine them, then sell them. The only cost is labor. It's incredibly profitable. The Empire only takes two-tenths of your profits. Is that too much?"

"Or does Sect Master Ning intend to abandon the mining industry?"

Ning Fengzhi's eyelids twitched violently, and he said with a forced smile, "Your Majesty is joking. Twenty percent is not much, just right."

"Why is this kid going back on his word?" Bone Douluo secretly transmitted his voice to Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi, clearly dissatisfied with Gu Han's attitude towards the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

"Uncle Bone, this is a matter of the Empire, and it is not something that one person can control. Please do not act rashly."

Ning Fengzhi quickly sent a telepathic message to reassure himself, also to comfort himself. If Uncle Gu really went up and asked, then the conflict would be brought to the forefront, and their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would not be able to withstand the iron fist of the Martial Soul Empire.

As for running off to the Star Luo Empire?

Ning Fengzhi had no such idea. Putting aside whether he could even get there, given the current ambitions of the Martial Soul Empire, would it let the Star Luo Empire go?

At that point, they won't even be able to protect their current interests.

Chapter 340 Wearing a Tightening Band, Ye Renxin Joins the Team

"Then comes the third thing."

Seeing that Ning Fengzhi had no objections, the other sects naturally had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept the situation.

Then Gu Han brought up the third thing.

Everyone, including Ning Fengzhi, held their breath and focused intently, like obedient students in class. No one dared to relax, for fear of missing anything.

"Hehe, everyone, don't be so nervous."

Gu Han smiled and waved his hand, then said, "What I'm about to say is the future power system of the empire."

"In the future, the empire will no longer be ruled by a single emperor, but will be governed by elections held every five years. The position of the Pope will still be retained, with a status equal to that of the emperor."

"To participate in the election, one must join the Elders' Hall or the Hall of Worship. In other words, you all have the same opportunity."

"The righteous cause of the Martial Soul Empire."

Everyone's eyes lit up with excitement. This...this...this...there's actually such a good thing.

Isn't this blatantly telling them that the emperor's throne rotates, and next year it's my turn?

However, the papacy remains, and is on par with the emperor, likely as a safeguard to prevent any one family from abusing their power for personal gain, thus providing a check and balance.

As everyone dreamed of becoming emperors in the future, Gu Han's voice rang out again, instantly calming them down.

"but."

Oh no, they're not coming.

Almost simultaneously, the same thought flashed through everyone's minds.

"However, if you want to join the Elder Hall or the Hall of Worship, you must first swear an oath with your Martial Soul that you will never do anything to harm the interests of the Empire. Otherwise, even a level 99 Limit Douluo is not qualified to enter."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured on everyone.

Gu Han then talked about some other things, such as completely banning the buying and selling of people, underground battles in the Great Soul Arena, and prohibiting Soul Masters from attacking non-Soul Masters.

Meanwhile, free individual Soul Masters from ordinary citizens are managed by the Empire.

"What should be done if civilians provoke us?"

Someone asked a question.

"The Empire will naturally handle the matter through law enforcement personnel after verification."

Gu Han glanced at the man; a commoner provoking a Soul Master?

While it's not impossible that this is absolutely true, it's something that absolutely cannot be allowed to happen.

Otherwise, if a Soul Master kills someone and simply says, "This person provoked me, and with no way to prove it since they're dead," and everyone tries to imitate this, the Empire will face even more trouble.

The strong must be restrained, otherwise it becomes a purgatory for the weak. Therefore, in certain matters, there must be absolutely no exceptions.

As for whether there will be any collusion between Soul Masters and local officials to frame or slander others, that is inevitable, but that involves another matter.

In short, under no circumstances should the door be opened to legalizing murder.

After speaking, Gu Han stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to everyone.

"Gentlemen, the empire is newly established and everything needs to be rebuilt. Talents are needed in all walks of life. The future development of the empire will depend on you all."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled and stood up, clasping their hands in greeting: "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will naturally contribute our meager strength to the development of the empire."

Throughout the entire conference, Gu Han spoke on behalf of the Empire, highlighting the benefits that everyone could see while also placing a constraint on these individuals to prevent them from becoming too powerful and uncontrollable.

Moreover, from beginning to end, there was never a hint of negotiation; it was more like issuing a notification, letting them know that things had changed, and it was no longer the era when they could defy the imperial authority like they had in the past.

The rules were established and had to be followed. Everyone began to miss the era of the Heavenly Dou Empire, which was truly a golden age for sects and nobles.

But no matter how much they miss it, no one dares to express it at this time; that would be tantamount to courting death.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Everyone, please sign your names in the entry book of Tianxia Pavilion."

Gu Han flipped his hand, and a red and gold booklet appeared in his hand. On the cover of the booklet were three large golden characters: Tianxia Pavilion.

Gu Han took the booklet to Ning Fengzhi first, opened it to the first page, and thoughtfully gave Ning Fengzhi a fountain pen and an inkpad.

Ning Fengzhi smiled and took the booklet, glancing at it. It read, "( ) voluntarily joins the World Pavilion and actively cooperates with the Spirit Empire's constraints on the Spirit World."

With the pressure and notification from Gu Han beforehand, Ning Fengzhi did not show any reluctance this time. He took the pen, wrote the name of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and his own name on it, and then pressed his fingerprint.

Tang Yuehua cannot represent the Haotian Sect, and the Haotian Sect has already gone into seclusion, which is a special case. Gu Han only asked her to fill in Yuexuan's name.

The booklets were passed around, and the sect leaders and family heads filled in their respective faction names and personal names.

After the last person finished writing, Gu Han checked it and said with a smile, "Thank you all for your cooperation. If you have any further questions, you can come to the Papal Palace to find me."

"Uncle Ju, Uncle Gui, please arrange accommodations for our distinguished guests. Of course, if you have your own place to stay, you are welcome to go there on your own."

After saying this, Gu Han got up and left.

Ning Fengzhi's eyes flashed, and he left first with Sword and Bone Douluo.