Douluo Continent: Huo Yuhao obtains the Flame Emperor template

Chapter 156 Xu Jiawei: Is Xuanzi helping the Dai family rise to prominence?

While Riyue was staying at the Star Emperor Hotel.

Wang Yan, leading the Shrek team that had struggled through the Xuanzi instance, had no time for grief. After parting ways with Xuanzi at the White Tiger Duke's camp, they arrived at Xingluo City.

"Xiao Tao, you've already suffered serious internal injuries, so please stop being so stubborn."

"You and Luo Chen must take good care of your injuries during the first half of the competition."

Inside Xingluo City, on the way to the Xinghuang Hotel, Wang Yan tried his best to persuade Ma Xiaotao.

The atmosphere in the group felt a bit strange. I remember everything was fine when we first left the campus. We even happily took a group photo... Now, the three teammates are practically black and white photos, best left unmentioned.

Ling Luochen's thighs were wrapped in white gauze. She had previously used the Ice Cage to cover Chen Zifeng's Soul King-level corpse, which was about to explode. Fragments of her own shattered bones were scattered on her legs, leaving bloody gashes. As expected, she was now in a wheelchair.

The Shrek team was already extremely popular in Star City.

But people were puzzled by the sight of bandages and wheelchairs, and gave the Shrek members strange looks.

Wang Yan was immune to these stares and was even advising from the side, "Xiao Tao, it's not like we're not letting you play."

"In the first half of this Soul Master Competition, let the reserve team disciples take the lead and hold on until you and Luo Chen recover from your injuries. You will have your chance to shine later on."

Ma Xiaotao was annoyed by Wang Yan's nagging, so she offered to push Ling Luochen's wheelchair.

Ling Luochen felt the gazes of the crowd and, thinking of her current state of being in a wheelchair with bandages, couldn't help but feel a deep sense of embarrassment and awkwardness, causing her cheeks to flush slightly.

In fact, she could push her wheelchair herself using her soul power, but in this awkward situation, she did not refuse Ma Xiaotao.

She used the hem of Ma Xiaotao's dress to cover her face, creating a small patch of darkness in front of her, as if this would prevent others from seeing her. Ling Luochen felt slightly relieved.

Ma Xiaotao pushed her wheelchair slowly, looked at the reserve team members behind her, and gave a bitter smile.

"Xu Sanshi was seriously injured and sent back for treatment by Elder Xuan. He Caitou broke several ribs and will not be able to participate for a short time. The only Soul Masters who can participate are Bei Bei, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu."

"Teacher Wang, do you really think one Soul Master and two Soul Venerables can survive the first half of the Soul Master Competition?"

Wang Yan was silent for a moment: "Xiao Tao, you must trust your teammates, trust Shrek Academy, they will uphold the honor of Shrek Academy."

Ma Xiaotao's face held a hint of sarcasm: "That's right, we are Shrek Academy's perennial champions, what a glorious honor that is. It's worth the students risking their lives to protect, especially since three of us have already died in battle."

At that moment, a yellowish-brown light flashed in the space.

Xuanzi brought Dai Yueheng, who needed treatment from the Immortal Healer Douluo, over. Wang Yan subconsciously sized up Dai Yueheng.

Seeing that his left arm had been fitted with a metal prosthesis, which was within Wang Yan's expectations, and that there were no new injuries on the rest of his body, Wang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xuanzi arrived safely without any mishaps on the journey: "Xiao Wang, thank you for your hard work. What were you two talking about just now?"

Wang Yan sighed and briefly explained the issue he had just argued with Ma Xiaotao to Elder Xuan.

Xuanzi was rarely reliable, and he offered words of comfort.

"Xiao Tao, Wang Yan is doing this for your own good. He suggested that you rest and recuperate before the competition and then compete later. This is the safest approach for now."

"As for the shortage of participants, we can make up for it by selecting spectators from the sailing team."

Xuanzi took a swig of wine: "Wang Yan, I'll leave this to you for now. I'll go to the palace first and take Dai Yueheng to visit the Immortal Physician Douluo."

……

Star Luo Empire, Star Luo City, Imperial Palace.

In the hall, Xu Jiawei, dressed in a red and gold imperial robe inlaid with star beads, sat in a high position with a majestic expression. A few days ago, he received good news from Dai Hao, as well as the preliminary list of participants from Shrek Academy.

A minister in a red robe took out a folding tablet.

"Your Majesty, the White Tiger Duke reported on the border that the Death Hand bandit gang, which had been causing trouble and committing atrocities in the Mingdu Mountains, has been completely wiped out by the Shrek Surveillance Team..."

As for the later battle where three Shrek disciples were killed and several others were seriously injured by the Death Messenger, Xuanzi asked Dai Hao to keep the news confidential. He would go to the palace in person, so it was not reported to Xu Jiawei at this time.

Upon hearing the minister's report, Xu Jiawei waved for him to leave, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the initial Shrek Academy participant list in his hand and muttered to himself:

"The two sons of the Dai family have actually made it into Shrek Academy's competition roster, one in the main team and one in the reserve team. Doesn't this mean that the Dai family will produce two outstanding juniors who were once Shrek Seven Devils?"

"In that case, could it be that the next generation of the Dai family will rise to prominence, emerging from the chaos of the confrontation with the Sun Moon Empire...?"

Xu Jiawei's eyes showed a look of reminiscence. His Xu family was originally a reclusive family, the Star Crown Sect. They rose to power in a chaotic world where the Heavenly Dou Empire split into the Heavenly Soul and the Fighting Spirit, and the Sun Moon Empire was also eyeing them covetously.

They gradually gained a higher position in the Star Luo Empire and eventually replaced the Dai family as the new royal family.

Now, the two sons of the Dai family have basically secured their spots as members of the Shrek Seven Devils for the next two generations, which is not a good situation for the Xu family royal family.

The war between the two great empires and the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago was completely resolved by the original Shrek Seven Devils. These seven even ascended to the God Realm, so the name "Shrek Seven Devils" has always been of extraordinary significance.

"Jiujiu, how has the White Tiger Duke's mansion been these past few days?"

On one side of the main hall, a purple-haired girl wearing a long dress with gold star patterns walked gracefully and gave Xu Jiawei an elegant bow.

After thinking for a long time, she said, "Your Majesty, the Duchess is in a very good mood after learning that both of her sons have been selected for the competition. She has been strolling around the palace courtyard more often than other noble ladies, and she is currently holding a banquet to invite her noble friends..."

The Duchess, who had been ill for a long time and rarely left the White Tiger Duke's mansion, seemed to have improved her health after hearing the wonderful news that both of her sons had been selected for the Shrek Academy competition team.

The noble ladies visited her more frequently to maintain their relationship, and during their casual conversations, they would intentionally or unintentionally mention her two good sons, which greatly satisfied the duchess's vanity.

Xu Jiawei pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly: "Jiujiu, our Star Crown Royal Family and the White Tiger Duke's Mansion are on good terms. It is only natural and reasonable that the two sons of the Dai family were selected for the competition. We should send someone to congratulate them."

"Since the Duchess is hosting a banquet, I will trouble you to make a trip to the White Tiger Duke's residence. You should still show the proper etiquette."

Xu Jiujiu smiled slightly: "Understood, Your Majesty, I'll go right away."

She slightly lifted the hem of her long golden dress, turned around, and was about to walk out of the main hall.

"Your Majesty! There's... there's something going on. Shrek's..." The red-robed minister rushed in again, looking flustered and incoherent, as if he had something important to report.

Xu Jiawei was somewhat puzzled. Shrek Academy could be considered the most powerful force on the continent; what major event could it possibly be? He looked at the minister and asked calmly, "Don't be hasty. What is it?"

The minister, holding a list recently submitted by Shrek Academy, said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, the Duke of White Tiger has sent back the latest battle report from the border. You'll understand once you see this."

After a long pause, she blinked in confusion. Should she still go to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion?

Xu Jiawei noticed his sister's confusion and smiled gently, "Jiujiu, please wait in the hall for a while while I review this list."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xu Jiujiu responded gracefully, her hands clasped at her waist, a gentle smile on her face. She then took two steps back, discreetly avoiding looking at the list in Xu Jiawei's hand.

Xu Jiawei looked at the latest Shrek Academy contestant list, his expression suddenly becoming complicated, his eyes shifting uncertainly.

He certainly didn't want the Dai family to become too powerful, but the White Tiger Duke guarded the border for the empire, confronting the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master Legion across the mountains, which severely weakened the younger generation of the Dai family, something Xu Jiawei also didn't want to see.

The best-case scenario is that the Dai family's overall strength can be maintained in a range that neither threatens the Xu family's Star Crown Royal Family's offerings nor fails to resist the Sun and Moon Army.

Xu Jiawei sighed slowly. The Dai family's loyalty in defending the country was beyond doubt. Their weakening was not an increase in the Xu family's royal fortune...

Just as he was feeling sentimental, he saw the latest border defense situation written by Duke Baihu below the list, and Xu Jiawei's expression suddenly changed.

"Um?!"

"Dai Hao's eldest son lost his left arm and suffered severe injuries, yet that's not the worst part?"

Xu Jiawei stared wide-eyed in disbelief. He had assumed that Dai Hao's eldest son had been too brave in eliminating the evil spirit masters, venturing deep into the enemy's lair alone and unfortunately being ambushed by them, which was why he had suffered such a severe injury.

Unexpectedly, some Shrek members died in battle.

He had previously received information that Shrek Academy's participating team would accompany the monitoring group to eliminate evil spirit masters as part of their pre-competition training.

Xu Jiawei believes that experienced members of the monitoring team should be able to guide the group of novices in completing this task.

He murmured, "If the ones who died in battle were ordinary members of the monitoring team... as long as they weren't participating students and didn't affect the arrangements for this year's Soul Master Competition, then it wouldn't be a big problem."

Although the Shrek Inspection Team is there to rid the people of evil and uphold justice.

Realistically speaking, Xu Jiawei would be heartbroken if a few of Xingluo's elite soldiers died in battle, but he didn't care how many members of the inspection team died.

After reviewing Shrek Academy's latest list of participating students, Xu Jiawei's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and anger clearly surfaced on his face. He slammed the list onto the table.

He angrily said, "What the hell is the Shrek Academy's supervisory team doing! How come the latest list of participants, apart from a few Soul Kings, is all students with only three or four Soul Rings? Don't they want their eternal crown of honor anymore?!"

Xu Jiawei's eyes narrowed. With this lineup, how could they possibly make it to the finals!

He even deliberately controlled the matchups beforehand, preventing Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy from clashing early on, so that they could have a king-versus-king showdown in the finals, attracting people to buy tickets for the finals and ensuring that this Soul Master Tournament would generate the greatest benefit for the country.

It's one thing to have a few Soul Masters and Soul Venerables in the reserve team; perhaps it's to give the students experience in major competitions.

However, in the first half of Shrek Academy's competition, several Soul Masters and Soul Venerables from the reserve team will actually be replacing the regular players in the matches.

Xu Jiawei said indignantly, "Didn't Shrek Academy inform us beforehand that the main team participating in the Soul Master Competition would consist of two Soul Emperors and five Soul Kings? How come the other three Soul Kings disappeared from the list?!"

He knew that Dai Hao's eldest son, Dai Yueheng, was originally a Soul Emperor, but was now seriously injured and would definitely be unable to participate in the competition for the time being. It was also hard to say whether he would be able to participate in the later stages of the competition.

With the Shrek team weakened so much, how can they possibly compete against the Sun and Moon team in the finals?

If the Empire were to lose to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, it would cause public panic and a significant decrease in cohesion, the harm of which to the Empire would be self-evident.

Xu Jiawei frowned and asked, "Did you see the person who delivered this list?"

"Are you sure it was delivered by Shrek Academy, and not a malicious forgery by a hostile force?"

The minister who came to deliver the list knew that His Majesty would react this way, and sighed inwardly, thankfully he had prepared his explanation in advance.

The minister bowed and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the old man who came to deliver this latest list showed me his Sea God Pavilion token. He had a chicken leg in one hand and a gourd in the other, and he looked quite like a master."

"It should be a respected and authoritative elder from Shrek Sea God Pavilion."

The minister's face was extremely serious: "Therefore, Your Majesty, this news is highly reliable and there is absolutely no way it could be false."

Xu Jiawei knew that if it were fake news, it wouldn't have reached him so easily, but the information it conveyed was so bizarre that it was hard for him not to be suspicious.

The main team is the Shrek Seven Devils! In all previous Soul Master Competitions, nothing so bizarre has ever happened. They're about to participate in the competition, and three team members have disappeared.

Xu Jiawei's expression darkened at this thought: "Compared to the Sun Moon Team's one Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings, is Shrek Academy sending such a weak lineup to challenge my Star Luo Empire and treat this Soul Master Competition like a joke?"

The minister's expression shifted slightly as he recalled the appearance of the elder.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. I saw that the elder from Shrek Academy was quite drunk. He briefly explained to me the reasons for changing the list, which sounded somewhat absurd, but judging from his grief-stricken state, it shouldn't be just drunken nonsense."

The minister indicated that the Shrek team must have really encountered something serious this time, and the elder warned Dai Hao to keep his subordinates in check and Xu Jiawei to keep the minister in check, and that they must not spread the word.

This suggests there's a deeper story behind it, and if it gets out, the impact will be far worse than the Soul Master Competition.

Xu Jiawei sneered repeatedly upon hearing this: "Heh, I was once the most outstanding prodigy of my family, and I also studied at Shrek Academy for a period of time. Do you think I don't know how powerful the Sea God Pavilion is?"

"I've never heard of any force so arrogant and domineering in my entire life, daring to lay a deadly attack on the team led by the elders of the Sea God Pavilion!"

Xu Jiawei may not be aware of the existence of the Holy Spirit Cult, but he knows very well that even if a similar evil soul master organization exists, it would not dare to offend Shrek Academy like this.

His thinking was not unreasonable; even an organized cult of the Holy Spirit could not have performed the feat that the messenger of death was so proud of.

Xu Jiawei's tone carried a hint of sarcasm: "The Shrek Academy's starting lineup has suddenly lost three five-ring Soul Kings. Could it be that a Title Douluo-level evil Soul Master blew up the entire team?"

"The elders of the Sea God Pavilion risked their lives to save four members of the main team, while the other three perished on the spot?"

Upon hearing this, the minister suddenly raised his head to look at Xu Jiawei, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and nodded repeatedly.

He thought to himself, "As expected of His Majesty, he guesses so accurately even with just a casual guess."

"Your Majesty is wise! According to the information revealed by Duke Baihu, it was indeed bombed by evil soul masters, and it happened within the territory of our Star Luo Empire."

"As for the evil spirit master who committed the evil deeds, neither the elder nor Duke White Tiger mentioned his cultivation level."

The minister looked thoughtful.

"However, the fact that the elders of the Sea God Pavilion were forced to personally hunt him down suggests that the evil soul master's cultivation level must be quite high."

(End of this chapter)