Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 315 Picking the Fruit

If it weren't for the extreme rarity of the 10,000-year-old Stigmata, the influence of the Liyue Merchant Guild would likely be even greater. However, the Liyue Merchant Guild's technology for creating Stigmata is becoming increasingly advanced, and a large number of theoretical Soul Masters have joined the Liyue Merchant Guild. After signing confidentiality agreements, they have gained the qualification to research Stigmata. It is believed that it won't be long before the 10,000-year-old Stigmata become widespread. As for the 100,000-year-old Stigmata, apart from Zhang Lexuan's experience, only the three great empires have spent a lot of resources to create a few, which are kept in their national treasuries as part of their national reserves.

Even Wang Yan was very interested in Stigmata. With Ji Lin's recommendation, he entered the Stigmata Research Institute under the Liyue Merchant Guild and became a researcher there. Ji Lin even had Xu Jiujiu transfer Qingya to the Liyue Merchant Guild to host an auction held by the guild, so that she and Wang Yan could get closer and meet at any time.

Of all Shrek's teachers, Ji Lin had the best impression of Wang Yan, so of course he would help with this small favor.

The Liyue Merchant Guild has gradually become a behemoth, earning countless amounts of Soul Coins each year. Most of the resources of the Free Gate come from the profits generated by the Liyue Merchant Guild from the sale of Stigmata.

Otherwise, Yu Mengdi and the others wouldn't have broken through to the Soul Saint level so quickly. After all, breaking through to the Soul Saint level and possessing a Martial Soul True Body is already considered high-end combat power in the Douluo Continent. Joining any major empire and being granted an earl title would be no problem at all.

At the same time, Ji Lin also provided them with suitable holy marks, all of which were made according to their soul beast genes. They could be said to be tailor-made. Given Ji Lin's current relationship with the ferocious beasts, as long as there are existing soul beasts, Di Tian and the others can provide you with soul beast genes.

With fewer and fewer low-level Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts, the survival rate of low-level Soul Beasts has greatly increased. The relationship between the ferocious beasts and humans has entered a honeymoon period, and the cooperation between the two sides is relatively pleasant. Humans have obtained rare Soul Beast genes provided by the ferocious beasts, while the ferocious beasts have also secured a living space for the Soul Beast race. Di Tian and his group saw hope in the Sacred Marks, and even valued it more than Ji Lin. Not only did they send Bi Ji to serve as one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, but they also sent Chi Wang as a bodyguard for the Liyue Merchant Guild, fearing that problems might arise in the Liyue Merchant Guild and affect the popularization and research of Sacred Marks.

Although it is inevitable that some Soul Masters will enter the territory of Soul Beasts to hunt them, Soul Beasts will also fight each other. As long as it does not affect the survival of the race and they do not specifically hunt 100,000-year-old Soul Beasts, Di Tian can pretend that he did not see it.

Furthermore, when there are enough ten-thousand-year-old or even one-hundred-thousand-year-old holy marks, the number of soul masters risking their lives to hunt soul beasts will decrease once again.

The only thing that made Ji Lin a little helpless was that the three empires tacitly restricted the development of the Holy Mark to the original Douluo Continent and prohibited the sale of the Holy Mark to the Sun Moon Empire. This was the same reason why the Sun Moon Empire prohibited its domestic soul masters from selling high-level soul tools and rare minerals to the original Douluo Three Kingdoms.

The three great empires feared that the Sun Moon Empire would study the method of creating the Sacred Marks. After all, the Sun Moon Empire's technology was renowned for its advancement. Although it was inevitable that some of these marks would flow into the Sun Moon Empire, the quantity would be too small to facilitate research. At the same time, they did not want the Sun Moon Empire to obtain the Sacred Marks too early, as that would increase the number of Soul Masters in the Sun Moon Empire. After all, a considerable number of Soul Masters died each year while hunting Soul Beasts. If they had Sacred Marks, these people would survive, indirectly increasing the Sun Moon Empire's national strength.

Ji Lin wasn't afraid that the Sun Moon Empire would develop the technology to create Sacred Marks. Without a lot of time to study and without original data, even the Sun Moon Empire couldn't possibly develop anything significant in a short period of time.

As for increasing the number of low-level Soul Masters in the Sun Moon Empire, Ji Lin didn't care. In the end, the Douluo Continent still depends on top-level combat power. No matter how many low-level Soul Masters there are, it's useless. One god can suppress the entire continent, so he didn't really care.

However, he also had to consider the opinions of the three great empires. Now, the three great empires were his partners, and the Sun Moon Empire was, strictly speaking, his enemy. Of course, he hoped that his enemy would be more cooperative. His goal was to unify the Douluo Continent before becoming a god. He was confident that he could persuade Xu Jiawei. After all, in the original story, Xu Jiawei had given up the throne to Duke White Tiger. Although there were reasons for this, it at least showed that the Star Crown Sect, which Xu Jiawei represented, was not so obsessed with the throne. For a sect, inheritance was the most important thing, and the throne could be given up.

Therefore, Ji Lin hoped that the Sun Moon Empire would eliminate the Douling Empire and the Tianhun Empire, and then he would reap the rewards. This would also prevent the people of the other two countries from focusing their hatred on Ji Lin, since the culprit was the Sun Moon Empire, and Ji Lin was their savior.

Ji Lin needs a scapegoat to draw the fire, and the Sun Moon Empire is the sacrifice he has chosen. They will attract the hatred of the original Douluo Three Kingdoms citizens. With their sacrifice, Ji Lin can achieve peace on the continent more quickly after unifying it.

Might makes right may bring temporary peace, but just like the Qin Dynasty that unified the six states in Ji Lin's previous life, it has too many hidden dangers. The people of the six states have never been obedient under Qin's rule.

Therefore, Ji Lin planned to be more subtle and let the Sun Moon Empire attract hatred while he reaped the benefits.

That way, the hatred won't be transferred to him.

Shrek City, Poseidon Island.

As night fell, the last rays of sunlight gradually disappeared below the horizon. The sky was clear and sparkling, dotted with stars like countless diamonds set against the black canvas. Moonlight, like water, gently spilled onto the sea, the shimmering waves reflecting the starlight, as if the whole world had been draped in a thin, silvery veil.

In this peaceful night, everything seemed so harmonious and beautiful. The stars in the night sky seemed even brighter.

Poseidon Island appears and disappears in the night, but in this quiet moment, a small wooden house on the west side of Poseidon Island is anything but peaceful.

Inside Ji Lin's small wooden house, a woman's high-pitched panting could be faintly heard.

Inside the wooden cabin bedroom, Meng Hongchen's white hair danced in the air. Uncharacteristically, she was in the dominant position, and the powerful sounds of her thrusts were incessant. With each of Meng Hongchen's movements, her firm breasts swayed before Ji Lin's eyes, full of allure.

As the storm subsided, Meng Hongchen collapsed against Ji Lin's chest, gasping for air and greedily savoring his scent. Her face still held the lingering afterglow of his presence.

Ji Lin held Meng Hongchen's delicate body in his arms, gently stroking her smooth back. Meng Hongchen's hair was already wet with sweat, indicating that the fierce battle had lasted for quite some time.

Ji Lin was well aware of Meng Hongchen's unusual behavior tonight. It had been more than two years since Meng Hongchen and his fellow exchange students from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy arrived at Shrek Academy, and there were less than ten days left before they returned to the Sun Moon Empire.

(End of this chapter)