Lu Mingfei starts from Douluo.

Lu Mingfei's tone was passionate and rhythmic, fully demonstrating the initiative a pure-hearted warrior should have when dealing with Huang Mao.

Unfortunately, no sooner had he finished speaking than he was met with a sharp rebuke from the person in question, Dugu Yan.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to." Dugu Yan glared angrily, grabbed Yu Tianheng's arm, and gave Lu Mingfei a look. She already knew about today's plan on the way, and Lu Mingfei's words now were clearly an attempt to shift the blame; he was extremely malicious.

Yu Tianheng was also speechless. Did he look like a reckless man who could be provoked by just a few words?

"Yu Tianheng, you have utterly betrayed the organization's trust in you!" Lu Mingfei said righteously and sternly, then turned away to hide the guilt on his face.

These guys with external brains are hard to fool.

After a brief interlude, as dusk settled, the welcome reception for the Star Luo delegation officially began with the arrival of the main characters.

Tonight's banquet is being held in the Imperial Garden, not in the main court hall. It's a more private welcome party, not as solemn as the Crown Prince's coming-of-age ceremony, but all those who can attend are representatives of important court officials and nobles.

Although they also harbored hostility towards Xingluo, they understood that the interests between nations were far more complex than mere hatred.

The sudden visit of the Star Luo delegation may be a signal. Everyone's eyes are on the three envoys, wondering if this will be the beginning of another upheaval on the continent.

However, even though they hold high positions of power, tonight they are destined to be mere supporting characters.

The welcoming ceremony had just ended when the three members of the delegation, the royal family, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's Sect Master Ning and Sword Douluo sat down in the pavilion in the lakeside garden to discuss matters. No one else even had a chance to get close.

Lu Mingfei sat quietly to the side, lost in thought. Tonight, he was just a pathetic tool, unable to even try to find out any information about the main plot. So, he could only listlessly deal with the buffet in front of him.

Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, on the other hand, each held a glass of red wine, enjoying the flowers and the moon – truly a pair of lovesick lovers.

"Damn, why am I feeling inexplicably annoyed? Can't we just get started already and finish this quickly?!" Lu Mingfei felt very unbalanced. He wouldn't admit that he was just envious; that damn sour smell of romance.

At the prime of youth, to have a beautiful, rich, and successful woman pursuing you—who wouldn't be envious, jealous, and resentful?

He had once fantasized that if Chen Wenwen pursued him, he would first pretend to be reserved for about... half an hour, okay, half a minute, and then surrender and fall into the sweet and milky Aegean Sea—the high school rule against dating was utterly meaningless.

That's why people are most afraid of comparison. They see others in pairs, drinking and enjoying the moon, while they themselves are preparing for hard labor, ready to work themselves to death at any moment tonight. It's simply outrageous.

More importantly, he is clearly a treacherous villain who is ready to betray his country at any time, so why does he worry more than these so-called loyal ministers and generals?

"Lu Mingfei, you've eaten so much again. You really are a pig!" Miss Ning Rongrong, dressed in an exquisite white dress, suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Seeing the grease and meat bones on Lu Mingfei's hands, she gave him a look of utter disgust.

"You're telling me what to do with my food?" Lu Mingfei replied impatiently. This Ning Rongrong was a spoiled brat. If he didn't teach her a lesson, she would definitely take advantage of him in no time.

"Hmph, I already know what you're going to do later. The opponent is level 29. If you lose, don't cry!" Ning Rongrong put her hands on her hips and snorted coldly, looking like she wanted to watch a good show.

"Damn it, Miss, how dare you say such things?" Lu Mingfei quickly looked around. Fortunately, the spot Xue Qinghe had chosen for him was relatively secluded, and the two children didn't attract much attention.

Lu Mingfei glared at Ning Rongrong with an annoyed look. Wasn't this supposed to be about national affairs? Why does the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School talk about everything with a child?

"I'm not stupid, of course I know what I can say and what I can't say." Ning Rongrong pouted. She always felt that Lu Mingfei was treating her like an idiot.

She had just come to check on Lu Mingfei and remind him not to overeat, otherwise it would be difficult to make a move later. But Lu Mingfei kept irritating her. Otherwise, how could she, the eldest daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, speak like that?

"No need for you to trouble yourself." Lu Mingfei quickly waved his hand, in his eyes the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was nothing but trouble.

"Lu Mingfei, what do you mean?" Ning Rongrong glared angrily at Lu Mingfei. When had she ever been treated like this?

"It's nothing. I'm going on stage soon, so I need to take care of my personal matters first." Lu Mingfei said, stood up, and left. He wasn't here to play some role-playing game with the young lady. If the conversation wasn't going to work out, he would just leave and go to the bathroom.

"You're so vulgar! I'll see how you get beaten to tears later." Ning Rongrong stomped her feet twice in annoyance, then turned and left. She couldn't really follow her, could she?

After Lu Mingfei had finished resolving his personal matters and returned to his seat, the commotion at the lakeside pavilion had changed somewhat.

Unlike at the beginning when everyone was kind and friendly, the atmosphere had clearly become strange.

Lu Mingfei secretly wanted to applaud. After all this arguing, it was finally time to break down. If they really made sure everyone had a good time, wouldn't the main plot take a giant leap forward? Then where would he get his developmental period?

-

“The Spirit Hall’s wolfish ambitions are already obvious. With His Majesty Xue Ye and Sect Master Ning, are we just going to sit and wait for our doom?” Davis had already stood up. Although he was facing a peerless figure like Ning Fengzhi Sword Douluo, he remained neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your Excellency is mistaken. We have not found any clues as you claim. According to our intelligence, the current Pope has been behaving himself since taking office and has not made any unusual moves," Xue Qinghe said softly.

Ning Fengzhi nodded as well. Although everyone knew about the Spirit Hall's ambitions, they had all breathed a sigh of relief since the previous Pope's accident.

Since the previous pope had no children, and the current pope, Bibi Dong, is the only person in a thousand years who is not from the Qian family to sit on the papacy, she is simply unable to command the full power of the Spirit Hall. Under such circumstances, how could the Spirit Hall possibly launch a large-scale offensive?

Even the angelic bloodline of the Qian family of the Spirit Hall is very likely to be extinguished in this generation. From then on, the orthodox bloodline of the Spirit Hall will dissipate and will never be the same again. Therefore, what they should do is not to provoke others, but to lie low in the dark, accumulate strength, and wait for the opportunity to overthrow the Spirit Hall in one fell swoop.

"No wonder the Spirit Hall has become increasingly arrogant even though the previous Pope was killed by Haotian Douluo only seven years ago. It turns out that it was all due to the weakness of the Heaven Dou Empire that it allowed this."

Davis went all out, directly insulting both the Heaven Dou Royal Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Being mocked to his face by a mere child, Emperor Xueye immediately clenched his fists. Ning Fengzhi also didn't look pleased, but he was the most composed. Since the Heaven Dou royal family hadn't spoken first, he couldn't react. However, Sword Douluo snorted coldly, directly knocking Davis back into his chair.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhuyun immediately stepped forward and supported Davis's arm. Angry the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School here would not bring them any benefit. Fortunately, Sword Douluo was very measured and only caused Davis to experience a momentary disruption of his blood circulation.

Zhu Tianxiang, the foreign envoy, quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation: "His Highness Davis is just young and arrogant. If he has done anything inappropriate, please forgive him."

"It's alright, Prince Davis, he just lacks experience." Xue Qinghe spoke softly on the surface, but in reality he directly cursed the people from Xingluo. How dare a mere prince spout such nonsense here.

"This is the spirit of Xingluo, and only with this kind of courage can we cultivate true warriors with the will to advance." As an envoy, Zhu Tianxiang could not lose face for his country. Moreover, this was their prospective crown prince. What if he held a grudge in the future?

Since the purpose of the negotiations has probably been thwarted, they naturally no longer need to be so courteous to Tian Dou.

"Perhaps only in the Heavenly Dou Empire could a gentle and refined young man like Prince Qinghe be cultivated," Zhu Tianxiang said sarcastically, pointing out the weakness of the Heavenly Dou Empire's social atmosphere.

Although Davis dared not be arrogant anymore, he still made a sarcastic remark: "However, I think that for a country, it is better to have some spirited young people. What do you think, Prince Qinghe? Just like your country's royal academy has too many gentlemen, who are really not suitable for going to the battlefield to fight."

As two countries with deep-seated personal grudges, when they set aside appearances and stab each other in the back, their words are more cutting than anyone else's.

The Heaven Dou Empire is inferior to their Star Luo Empire. Although there has been no large-scale war for many years, the results of the last Soul Master Competition are enough to prove that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy is nothing but a mess. If even the core noble forces are like this, then the entire Heaven Dou Empire is even worse.

“What Ambassador Zhu and Prince Davis said makes sense. It is indeed better to have fewer people like Qinghe.” Xue Qinghe nodded without any hesitation.

This caught the two off guard; they were scolded and then confessed. Was the crown prince stupid?

Xue Qinghe smiled and continued, "However, I think the so-called talk of courage and gentlemanliness is utter nonsense. There must be quite a few geniuses like Prince Davis who possess both qualities in the Star Luo Empire."

"I wouldn't dare accept that." Davis also sensed something was amiss. It was obvious that they were deliberately trying to elevate him, but he wasn't so easily fooled.

Seeing that Davis didn't respond, Xue Qinghe continued with a smile: "I don't deny that Prince Davis said I lacked courage, but I really can't agree with the statement that our Royal Academy is weak and incompetent. There are also three students from the academy here today. They will be participating in the Soul Master Competition in seven years. If nothing unexpected happens, they will be in the same cohort as Prince Davis. Then we'll see how your statement is verified."

"Oh, could it be Yu Tianheng, one of the Thunder Twins of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?" Davis chuckled. "We met briefly when we entered the palace, but I heard he had just been defeated by a child who had just broken through to the Great Soul Master level."

They had received the news of such big news on the way. In his opinion, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was getting worse with each generation. The so-called Thunder Twins were not only slow in their cultivation but also extremely weak. It was ridiculous that they were defeated by a seven-year-old child who had just broken through to the next level.

As for Lu Mingfei, who defeated Yu Tianheng, he is indeed a genius, but he is too young. Even if he participates in the Soul Master Competition seven years later, what achievements can he make? He can probably only cultivate to the Soul Master level at most. Their Star Luo Sect still has the Martial Soul Fusion Technique. What can even the most talented Soul Master achieve?

Seeing that the other party had finally taken the bait, Xue Qinghe's smile widened: "Yu Tianheng did indeed suffer a narrow defeat at the hands of Lu Mingfei not long ago, but that was not because he was not strong enough, but simply because Lu Mingfei was too talented."

"Genius? How does that compare to Haotian Douluo back then?" Davis's tone was somewhat contemptuous. He thought to himself that Xue Qinghe was definitely planning to use the title of genius to pressure him and take the initiative, but he was not so easily fooled. Before a genius has grown up, he is not worth mentioning at all.

"Well," Xue Qinghe said with a thoughtful expression, then hesitated before speaking, "Perhaps even Haotian Douluo was not as good as him when he was young."

Upon hearing this, the three members of the Star Luo delegation couldn't help but shake their heads. Although Tang Hao had caused a great disaster and brought suffering to his sect, in the Star Luo Empire where the strong were respected, no one failed to give him a thumbs up.

On the Douluo Continent, besides the current Pope with twin martial souls, is there anyone who can question the genius of Tang Hao, the youngest titled Douluo in history? Even if the Heaven Dou Empire wants to make a spectacle of itself, there should be a limit, right?

"Oh, if I remember correctly, Haotian Douluo was also born with full soul power. Does Prince Qinghe mean that Lu Mingfei is even stronger than Haotian Douluo?" Davis suddenly laughed.

“Indeed, if I had to use one word to describe it, it would probably be ‘unrivaled among those of the same level,’” Xue Qinghe said without the slightest hesitation, “Unless something unexpected happens, Lu Mingfei will be the number one genius in the world.”

Upon hearing this, the entire arena fell silent. Zhu Tianxiang, Davis, and Zhu Zhuyun all glanced at everyone present. What surprised them most was that Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and Sword Douluo both remained silent, which was clearly an admission of their agreement.

Who exactly is this Lu Mingfei? How could he possibly elicit such a reaction from them?

"Since that's the case, why wait seven years? Why not come today and see for myself what the so-called number one genius in the world, invincible among his peers, is all about?"

Davis knew he had fallen into the other party's trap, but it was an open scheme. Saying that he was invincible at the same level was clearly a challenge to him. If he, a dignified level 29 Great Soul Master, was afraid of a mere level 22 kid just because the other party boasted a few times, then he would have no reason to stay on the continent!

When Lu Mingfei was summoned to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, he realized that he had been completely betrayed by Xue Qinghe.

The supposedly number one genius of the Heavenly Dou Empire suddenly became the number one genius in the world, and the difference between them made him want to die together with Xue Qinghe on the spot.

"Damn it! What good does it do you to screw me over like this?" Lu Mingfei cursed Xue Qinghe in his heart, vowing to teach Xue Qinghe a lesson in the power of loose tongues one day!

Chapter 59 The War Begins

"You're the genius that Prince Qinghe mentioned, the one who's hailed as the greatest genius in the world?"

In the pavilion in the middle of the lake, Lu Mingfei was prepared to be summoned, but he was still a little confused by Xue Qinghe's boasting.

Davis looked at Lu Mingfei, who was dressed in a sharp black suit and was only seven years old, with a contemptuous smile on his face.

Is this seemingly harmless and even somewhat cowardly child the Heavenly Dou Empire is preparing to use against him tonight?

"It's all just hearsay, everyone's just being kind." Lu Mingfei forced himself to remain calm in front of everyone, clearly he had gone too far today. He could imagine how many people would want to beat him up if this nickname got out tomorrow.

Upon hearing Lu Mingfei's answer, Davis's smile widened. So-called geniuses inevitably have an innate arrogance. Lu Mingfei's attitude was not one of humility, but rather one of unease. Such a person, even if truly gifted, can never compare to a real warrior on the battlefield.

"So, Lu Mingfei? As a fellow Great Soul Master, I can't pretend I haven't heard of the saying 'invincible among those of the same level.' So, where is the venue? I think Prince Qinghe should have already prepared it by now, right?" Davis's tone was as arrogant and confident as his image.

Although he knew it was a trap, he was confident in his own strength. The White Tiger Martial Soul of the Star Luo Dai family was not just a name. Even if Haotian Douluo had suppressed it by seven levels during the Great Soul Master stage, he still could not defeat the White Tiger Martial Soul.

Looking at the other person's spirited and youthful appearance, Lu Mingfei felt a slight pang of pity. The other person was still a middle school student, and what he was about to do seemed a bit cruel to him. He thought to himself, "Sorry, sorry, I really have a reason not to lose, so I can only let you, little kid, suffer a little setback. Anyway, you have a super hot fiancée who can comfort you later, so it's not a loss."

Zhu Tianxiang and Zhu Zhuyun, who were standing to the side, did not speak either. In the Star Luo Empire, the strong are respected, not to mention that this was a provocation from their mortal enemy, Tian Dou. Facing an enemy who was so much younger and whose soul power was seven levels lower, if Davis were to back down, he might not even have a chance at the throne.

"The royal training ground is located to the right of the Imperial Garden." Xue Qinghe stood up, clapped his hands lightly, and the royal guard captain beside him immediately nodded, ready to be on guard.

Only a very few qualified people will be able to enter the training ground later. This is to show that no matter what the result is, it is just a private sparring match and will not be widely publicized, so that the two sides have not fallen out.

"Then thank you very much, Prince Qinghe." Davis could naturally see through it. He was polite on the surface, but in his heart he thought that Tian Dou was being pretentious. What was the point of making such a small move? The winner takes all, so there was no point in covering up the news.

Soon, the Royal Guards entered the scene, and everyone in the Lakeside Pavilion left their seats and moved to the training ground that had been prepared in advance. As for the other guests, although they realized what was happening, they were ultimately unable to get close and could only stare blankly, wondering what had happened.

However, some clever people still guessed the clues. After all, Emperor Xueye had just summoned Lu Mingfei in, and that name had recently become quite well-known in Tiandou City.

-

The Royal Training Ground was specially built by the Heavenly Dou Emperor at the beginning of the dynasty to encourage the royal children to cultivate. It covers a vast area, so even if dozens of royal children are training together, it will not feel crowded. It has all kinds of simulated training grounds suitable for swan martial souls, as well as readily available weapons.

Unfortunately, having many offspring has always been a luxury for the royal family. This training ground has almost become a place with only symbolic meaning. If Xue Qinghe hadn't specially sent people to tidy it up in advance, it would probably be a wasteland now.

After everyone was seated, Lu Mingfei and Davis stood facing each other in the center of the training ground.

The moon hangs high in the sky, casting ethereal shadows, and even without a campfire, the night will not feel dark at all.

The three education committee members, along with Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Poison Douluo Xue Xing, sat on the left. Xue Qinghe, Emperor Xue Ye, and the trio from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School sat in the center, while Zhu Tianxiang and Zhu Zhuyun sat on the right.

"What does Mr. Dugu Bo think?" Prince Xuexing asked softly. He was probably the only one on the Tiandou side who wanted Lu Mingfei to lose.

Poison Douluo shook his head slightly. Even though he had never seen Lu Mingfei make a move, just from the attitudes of Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and Chen Xinxin of the Sword Dao, he knew that Prince Xuexing's expectations would definitely be disappointed.

He was actually quite curious about Lu Mingfei. His eyes were a martial soul, he could suppress his mind, and he could even mimic the might of a dragon. If the other party hadn't already been targeted by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he would have already kidnapped him and taken him back as a closed disciple.

Standing on the field, Lu Mingfei looked at the tall, imposing prince with an aristocratic air in front of him. Thinking about how his fiancée had whispered encouragement to him when the prince first came on stage, he felt a little envious.

How can the difference between people be greater than the difference between people and pigs?

"I've seen your file. If I remember correctly, you're a swordsman, right?" Davis said condescendingly. It was a bit absurd that a child who wasn't even as tall as his chest could become his opponent.

Lu Mingfei nodded and casually took out his iron awl. In fact, with his current wealth and status, the Heavenly Dou Royal Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would be happy to offer him a suitable divine weapon if he just asked. However, he still felt that this iron awl was more handy, at least for use when throwing a match. Otherwise, if he was killed instantly, there would be nothing to say.

"A mere firewood stick? Are the students of the Royal Academy really that poor?" As a prince, Davis naturally had a discerning eye. He could easily break this mere iron rod with a single claw later. "You may use any of the swords, spears, and halberds around you. Don't be shy."

"No need." Lu Mingfei shook his head. Although he initially felt a little sorry for bullying a child, Davis's arrogant attitude still made him slightly unhappy.

He thought to himself: "Your girlfriend is so hot, fine, but you still want to act tough and act like a big shot in front of me? No way!" He decided to take things a little more seriously and teach this young prince of Xingluo what the wickedness of society really meant.

Seeing that the preparations were almost complete, Xue Qinghe stepped forward to act as the referee for the evening: "Tonight is just a friendly sparring match, let's stop when we've reached our goal, and let's not hurt each other's feelings."

"I now declare the sparring session officially open."

As soon as Xue Qinghe finished speaking, he retreated to the edge of the arena. At the same time, the soul power on Lu Mingfei and Davis began to surge.

“I rarely say that.” Davis made claws with his hands, and the next moment, white hair phantoms covered his entire body. His neat white shirt was instantly torn apart by his bulging muscles, and two yellow spirit rings floated around him: “Davis, spirit white tiger, level 29 great spirit master, please enlighten me.”

Lu Mingfei didn't waste any words. Golden ripples appeared in his eyes, and an invisible pressure spread throughout the entire arena at the speed of light. Two yellow spirit rings floated above his head.

"Lu Mingfei, Martial Soul: Golden Eyes, Level 22 Great Soul Master, please enlighten me!"

The training ground, bathed in moonlight, was instantly enveloped in a golden glow as the golden eyes lit up.

Gasps rose from the field. Even though they had witnessed it once before, the mental pressure that made their martial spirits tremble still made them feel a momentary unease.

Zhu Tianxiang and Zhu Zhuyun, who were seated, changed their expressions. The astonishing pressure alone was enough to prove that this was a top-tier martial soul comparable to the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Clear Sky Hammer.

Davis, who was being stared at directly by Golden Eyes, could no longer maintain his calm and confident demeanor.

"This is a monster!" Davis thought, his heart pounding.

The moment that originally timid child unleashed his martial spirit, it felt as if a heavy weight had been placed on his heart.

Fortunately, the pride of the White Tiger Martial Soul allowed him to mobilize all his soul power to overcome this fear. He immediately abandoned his contemptuous attitude. Without a doubt, this was an enemy that he would have to use all his strength to deal with.

"Are you ready?" Lu Mingfei looked at the cold sweat beading on Davis's forehead. "I'm about to make my move."