Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

A knock sounded at the door. Hong Zhen calmed himself down, stood up, and opened the door.

"General, the Crown Prince has arrived."

His confidants reported to him.

"Okay, I understand. You may leave now."

The trusted confidant dared not look into the office and immediately turned and left.

Grasping the doorknob, Hong Zhen opened the door and looked at his men, who were never easy to manage, his tone calm and without the slightest ripple.

"Come with me to welcome the Crown Prince. Put away your petty thoughts and force a smile. If you keep that long face, don't blame me for coming back to settle scores."

"Yes, General."

Many subordinates quickly put on bright smiles and sincerely echoed his sentiments.

Although they didn't know who had caused such a disaster, they were all very clear that their general was currently at the height of his rage, and if they couldn't resist provoking him, their fate would be absolutely miserable.

……

The carriage slowed down, and Tang Shan got off first, lifting the curtain. Then Xue Qinghe, dressed in luxurious clothes and with a gentle smile on her face, got off the carriage.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Before the two men could even move, General Hong Zhen led a group of people out of the gate to greet them, his face beaming with a hearty and cheerful smile.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Hong Zhen strode up to Xue Qinghe and bowed without hesitation.

After the other party finished bowing, Xue Qinghe stepped forward and lifted Hong Zhen up.

"General, your status in Ironwall City is unparalleled. I am but a mere prince. How can I accept such a grand gesture?"

Hong Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat instantly poured down his forehead.

What does it mean to have a unique status in Ironwall City? Such words cannot be used casually. Hong Zhen felt that Xue Qinghe's attitude had obviously changed. He had a bitter pill to swallow. "Your Highness, those are all rumors. Our Ironwall City really has not taken sides."

Although he was frustrated, he could not neglect his outward manners. If he made a mistake and was accused of disrespecting the royal family, he would be doomed.

"Your Highness requests your presence."

Hong Zhen led the way, with Xue Qinghe following behind him, while Tang Shan lagged half a step behind Xue Qinghe. Behind him were the various military generals that Hong Zhen had brought out.

Tang Shan could clearly sense that among the people behind him, many were staring intently at him and Xue Qinghe. Some of them obviously suspected that the recent turmoil in Iron Wall City was caused by the First Prince.

What's the use of your suspicions? No one knows better than you how many people the First Prince brought. On the surface, the First Prince doesn't have the power to do this.

Xue Qinghe and Tang Shan exchanged a glance, and both of them smiled brightly. Everything was going according to their plan.

Upon reaching the heart of the military camp, Hong Zhen led the two into the largest reception room. He had his subordinates bring over a few chairs, while he himself brewed tea.

He clearly hadn't done this kind of thing many times, and his movements were somewhat clumsy, leaving Hong Zhen feeling rather helpless.

Normally, he only drinks plain water in the army and hardly ever drinks tea. I never expected that one day he would personally brew tea for someone else. Only His Majesty has ever received such treatment. After all, his core mission is to be an indestructible barrier in front of the Heavenly Dou Empire. As long as he does this well, his position is extremely secure and there is no need to worry about any accidents. After all, most nobles and emperors are not fools. As a barrier, you don't have to be good at interpersonal relationships. As long as you are good at defense, that's enough.

Today was ultimately a last resort. He didn't know which of his brainless subordinates had made such a huge mess. If Xue Qinghe really went back and reported the truth, the army he had painstakingly built might fall apart.

Therefore, having no other choice, Hong Zhen could only try his best to please Xue Qinghe.

Hong Zhen handed a cup of hot tea to Xue Qinghe, and was about to hand another cup to Tang Shan, who was sitting next to him.

Although he didn't know what the relationship was between Tang Shan and Xue Qinghe, the fact that Xue Qinghe had invited him to sit down showed how much he valued Tang Shan.

"General, you're too kind."

Tang Shan did not let the old man in front of him offer him tea, but quickly took it with both hands.

He was not the eldest prince after all, so there was no need for him to accept such treatment.

He looked at the character in front of him with some curiosity. The other party's army had some resemblance to the army of his country in his previous life. Every move he made exuded a strong military aura, which was very rare in Douluo Continent. You have to know how soldiers in his previous life cultivated such a temperament. It required absolute self-discipline, a complete system, abundant resources, and a certain level of social and civilized consciousness.

Although the aura of the enemy's army was less than one percent of that in his previous life, it was still evident that this person was extraordinary.

“Your Highness, there has been some trouble in Ironwall City recently. Some spies from the Star Luo Empire have come to Ironwall City to spread rumors. The lack of timely action has caused unrest among the people. This is my oversight.”

Hong Zhen saw Xue Qinghe with a smile on his face, but he didn't say a word. Helpless, he had to speak first, since his own army had made the mistake first.

"General, how is the spy being dealt with?"

Xue Qinghe's answer was nonchalant, and his casual attitude undoubtedly indicated that if you say it, I will just listen to it, and we both know the truth.

She fumbled around in the teacup, as if something inside was extremely attractive to her.

Seeing that beating around the bush wouldn't work, Hong Zhen decided to just tell the truth, since he wasn't good at scheming.

"Your Highness, the Ironwall City's bulwark army has no other intentions. We are also investigating the source of the information, trying to find the culprit behind the spread of rumors. We will always be the bulwark of the empire and will always serve Your Majesty."

Tang Shan looked at the old man in front of him and sighed inwardly. The other party still hadn't grasped the situation.

If the other party had stopped the rumors as soon as they started to spread, there would have been no need to be so humble. But by allowing the rumors to spread freely, they have put themselves at a disadvantage.

Now, wanting to handle the situation but harboring ulterior motives, wanting to remain neutral, is making an even bigger mistake.

To Emperor Xueye, such words as "I only serve His Majesty" might seem more like a forced act of loyalty after his ulterior motives have been discovered.

The best course of action for them would be to proactively get closer to Xue Qinghe. This would appear to favor one side, but in reality, it would restore balance to the situation, which is exactly what an emperor desires.

A hint of pity flashed in Tang Shan's eyes. "Since you haven't handled this well, then we won't be polite. After all, simply maintaining a balance in the situation is not what Xue Qinghe and I want."

"General Hong, rest assured, I am aware of the situation here, and the fault does not lie with you."

Before Hong Zhen could even breathe a sigh of relief, Xue Qinghe's next words made his heart leap into his throat again.

"I will report to Father Emperor everything I have seen, heard, and felt these past few days without any bias."

That voice, which used to sound gentle, now sounded like a demon, radiating intense malice. What do you mean by reporting what you see, hear, and feel without bias? You've already reported your feelings, how can you not be biased?

"Your Highness, this..."

Hong Zhen was sweating profusely, feeling unsure of what to do next.

"Actually, the report to the Emperor can be slightly adjusted, but General Hong Zhen may need to do a small favor."

Seeing the other party's helpless look, Xue Qinghe, feeling the thrill of intellectually crushing them, quickly offered a way out, but there were some small traps hidden beneath this way out.

"I wonder if there's anything I, Hong Zhen, can do to help. I will certainly do my best without hesitation."

Knowing there was a pitfall, Hong Zhen still had no choice but to step into it, and he seemed to have aged several years.

"This is Tangshan, the Soul Master genius I've been training. He's already reached level nineteen and has extraordinary talent. I want him to spar with Soul Masters and Great Soul Masters in the military to hone his skills. As long as he can defeat him, everything is fine. After all, there's no misunderstanding between us."

As the head of an army, Hong Zhen was no fool. He easily understood Xue Qinghe's unspoken meaning: "Your attitude towards me wasn't very good the other day. Today, I've brought a Soul Master genius to cause trouble. He's very strong, but he's only at the first ring. Let him fight all your second-ring Soul Masters. If he wins, everything will be fine. I can ignore your neglect from the other day, and I can pretend that the Iron Wall City incident never happened. If you can't win, I'll slap your face, and other things are hard to say."

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Chapter 72 Challenge Requirements, Generous Rewards for Victory

Hong Zhen frowned slightly. Xue Qinghe's request wasn't too difficult; on the contrary, it was unusually simple.

Letting a one-ring Soul Master challenge all the Soul Masters and Great Soul Masters in the army, not to mention whether his Soul Power can withstand continuous battles, he is already confident of victory just by facing Great Soul Masters.

No matter how talented someone is, they only have one spirit ring. Among the spirit masters and great spirit masters under his command, although most of them have one white and one yellow spirit ring configuration, it is not difficult to find a few spirit masters with two hundred-year spirit rings.

Fighting two rings with one ring is not a chance of winning, not to mention the difference of more than ten levels of soul power between the two sides. Simply relying on attrition is enough to wear down the opponent.

"Your Highness is really not joking?" Hong Zhen straightened up, his gaze sharp, staring directly at Xue Qinghe who was sitting opposite him, while his peripheral vision secretly observed Tang Shan.

He really couldn't figure out what was so special about this so-called genius soul master that made the eldest prince value him so much.

"Of course it's true, but between each battle, we must wait for Tang Shan's soul power to fully recover before we can start the next one."

"That's natural."

Hong Zhen agreed without hesitation, not caring much about the small request. So what if his soul power was fully restored? It didn't mean he was still at his peak. The mental energy consumed during intense battle wasn't so easy to recover.

Even if you are a genius from one of the three upper sects, and your soul skills are strong, you can't withstand the mental strain of a war of attrition. Sooner or later, you will reveal a weakness and be taken down by the brothers in the army.

"Then it's a deal." Xue Qinghe turned to Tang Shan beside him, her tone questioning, "Tang Shan, are you confident?"

Tang Shan nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation for the upcoming battle. This wasn't his first time fighting against a Soul Master, but his previous opponents had been Su Yuntao, Su Haichao, evil Soul Masters, and two Title Douluo.

They were either opponents I couldn't beat, or familiar foes I'd fought before. This was my first time facing enemies at the Soul Master and Great Soul Master levels, encountering all sorts of different Martial Souls, and actually fighting against them.

……

On the spacious training ground, the soldiers formed a large circle, leaving a large open space in the middle. The low murmurs of discussion rose and fell without stopping.

"Have you heard? The Soul Master who is with His Highness is going to challenge all the Soul Masters in our army. He even said he would take on all the first and second-ring Soul Masters."

"I've heard about it before, but isn't this Soul Master a bit strange? Why only choose those with one or two rings? Are they afraid of losing face if they lose? Those who can follow the First Prince should at least be Soul Masters, right?"

"Not a Soul Master, I heard he's a Soul Master genius with level nineteen Soul Power."

"Level 19? I can understand taking on the first ring, but taking on the second ring is just asking for trouble. Who gave him the guts?"

"Who knows? Maybe the title of 'genius' is just hype. I think I've seen him before. He looked almost fifteen years old. At only level nineteen, that's not that amazing."

"Anyway, he's so arrogant, he definitely can't win. They'll fight here later, we can just wait and watch the show."

……

Emerging from the camp, Hong Zhen's face returned to its usual calm, revealing no trace of emotional fluctuation. Xue Qinghe and Tang Shan followed behind him, curiously observing the layout of the entire military camp.

Upon arriving at the training ground, Hong Zhen saw that a considerable number of people had already gathered. His brows furrowed involuntarily, and his deep, angry roar, imbued with soul power, echoed throughout the empty space: "What are you all doing? First and second ring soul masters, stay here. The rest of you, go train!"

The soldiers instinctively turned around, and when they saw that it was their superior's superior, they were so frightened that they quickly turned around and ran away, afraid that if they were even half a step too slow, they would be scolded.

"Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness. I will definitely train these brats properly later." Hong Zhen turned to Xue Qinghe beside him, his tone tinged with embarrassment. Before the competition even began, they had already shown the enemy the lax discipline of their troops, putting them at a disadvantage from the start.

"General Hong, it's alright. Why don't we stop the soldiers from training for now and let them stay and watch this competition?" Xue Qinghe said, a strange light flashing in his eyes as he watched the soldiers quickly disperse.

"After all, the vast majority of soldiers are ordinary people, and training them too harshly is not good. A balance between intensity and relaxation is the best way to achieve results. Besides, it's a good opportunity for them to see how Soul Masters fight each other, so that they won't be at a loss if they encounter such situations in the future."

Xue Qinghe had no intention of letting go of this good opportunity to promote himself. He gathered the soldiers together to watch Tang Shan defeat their superior in public. Tang Shan was a talent he had discovered. This was a direct blow to the Second Prince's prestige in the army.

So what if we eat, live, and train together? Whether it's Tangshan's past or the present Douluo Continent, the military has always believed that whoever has the strongest fist is right, and the strong are respected.

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate? What if..." Hong Zhen stopped mid-sentence, but the troubled look in his eyes as he looked at Tang Shan clearly revealed his concerns. If Tang Shan were to lose in public, and Xue Qinghe were to renege on his promise, then things would be in serious trouble.

"Rest assured, since I have promised, as the Crown Prince of the Empire, I will never go back on my word. Even if we are defeated, it will be because Tangshan is weak, and I will naturally fulfill my promise then." Xue Qinghe's expression was calm, and the confidence and arrogance in his words were obvious to everyone.

Hong Zhen had no choice but to order the soldiers to be recalled to the training ground. Fortunately, the training ground was spacious enough, otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to accommodate so many people. Of course, he didn't bring the entire army.

As the bulwark of Tiandou City, some soldiers must remain on the city walls to guard the empire's last line of defense; this is their duty.

After all, it was the military, and they could mobilize at an extremely fast pace. Before long, a dense crowd filled most of the training ground, and all eyes were focused on the designated stands. The pressure of those gazes almost materialized and fell on people.