My dear readers, as I warned before, I will reduce it to 1 chapter per day. I will probably return to normal after 12/15/2024. Until then, I will have a very tight study schedule.
-x-X-x-
**Chapter 115: Qian Xunji Excited**
After learning that Yu Xiaogang had been expelled from his sect, Gu Ziyi guessed that he would soon choose to join the Martial Soul Hall.
In the original work, Yu Xiaogang met Bibi Dong shortly after joining the Martial Soul Hall. At just 17 years old, they established an intimate relationship when she turned 18 during the Lantern Festival in Yelin City. They even arranged to visit Yelin City together the following year to watch the lanterns.
However, the following year's Lantern Festival took a different turn. Bibi Dong was entangled by Qian Xunji and couldn't leave.
Yu Xiaogang waited for her in vain, thinking she had abandoned him. Heartbroken after waiting a long time, he left the Martial Soul Hall.
Currently, Bibi Dong is 17 years old, so Yu Xiaogang should be joining the Martial Soul Hall soon.
"In just a year after solidifying their relationship, he managed to collect all the information that the Martial Soul Hall held. He even learned about the complete set of inherited soul bones from the Angel Family within the Martial Soul Hall."
"I have every reason to believe that Yu Xiaogang approached Bibi Dong solely to gain access to the knowledge of Martial Souls held by the Hall—especially the kind of knowledge unavailable to ordinary people. Otherwise, if he was genuinely invested in their relationship, he would have spent more time nurturing it. Where would he have found the time to master all the Hall's secret knowledge?"
"But he managed to uncover all the Hall's secrets within a single year! Something doesn't add up."
Gu Ziyi couldn't help but think about the theories he had read in his previous life regarding Yu Xiaogang. Some of them made sense when analyzed carefully.
"In this regard, Bibi Dong truly is a passionate yet somewhat naive person!"
Then Gu Ziyi thought about what her elder sister was like in the original work. It could be said that she was actually a white-eyed wolf. (N/E: Guys, I did a lot of research and found three meanings, the first being that she would be cunning; the second being that she is simple, vulgar and treacherous; and the third being that she would be pure. I personally think it is the third or the second.)
Perhaps this was also due to her tendency to fall in love too easily!
But now that her romantic interest had shifted to him, Gu Ziyi could only find her endearing.
"Without Bibi Dong's help, it would have been impossible for Yu Xiaogang to access the Hall's comprehensive knowledge. Let's see what other tricks he'll come up with when the time comes!"
Gu Ziyi secretly chuckled to himself.
As for whether he needed to worry about his elder sister falling for Yu Xiaogang as she did in the canon?
Gu Ziyi wasn't worried at all. Bibi Dong had shared so much intimate time with him, creating countless connections. If she ended up liking someone else, he'd see her in an entirely different light and maintain a significant distance from her.
Besides, he would be by her side, leaving no room for Yu Xiaogang.
However, Gu Ziyi didn't have much time to dwell on Yu Xiaogang, as his teacher had another matter prepared for him.
"Xiaoyi, with your strength, you're ready to become a leader!"
"It's time for you to step out and gain some experience. I've prepared a few places for you to consider. Take a look and decide where you'd like to go!"
When Qian Xunji summoned Gu Ziyi, he explained the situation to him.
If Gu Ziyi wanted to have a stronger voice in the Martial Soul Hall, he couldn't remain in Spirit City forever.
This was commonly referred to as "going out to establish your credentials" or seeking opportunities to shine.
(N/E: Chatgpt changed it to the sentence above, but before it was like this: "It is also commonly known as showing off your qualifications and going out to strike gold." I thought it was better, what do you think?)
"Initially, I thought of waiting until you participated in the next Soul Master Competition. After all, you still qualify to compete given your age!"
"But I realized there's no need for you to waste time since you've already won this year's championship. It would be better for you to start training in the field sooner!"
"For the next Soul Master Competition, your elder sister will suffice!"
"Your elder sister will already be a Soul Emperor in three years and might even reach Soul Sage by then. She alone is enough to lead the team to victory."
Qian Xunji continued explaining to Gu Ziyi.
"Yes, teacher. I'll follow your guidance!"
After hearing Qian Xunji's reasoning, Gu Ziyi naturally agreed without hesitation.
As the disciple of the Pope and the Martial Hall's Saint, he understood the importance of gaining experience.
Thus, Gu Ziyi had no objections, knowing that Qian Xunji was acting in his best interest.
"Good. Come over here and see where you'd like to go!"
Qian Xunji smiled, pleased with Gu Ziyi's response, and gestured for him to approach.
Gu Ziyi walked closer and saw several locations marked on the map his teacher had laid out.
Three places were circled.
One of them is the Tiandou Temple.
The other is the Starluo Temple.
The last location is the Death Canyon, situated at the junction of the Tiandou Empire and the Starluo Empire.
The first two locations are relatively safe, but the last one could be a bit more dangerous. There are many Soul Beasts there, requiring him to engage in significant combat.
Gu Ziyi also knew of a place like the Death Canyon Hall, located at the entrance of Death Canyon, aimed at controlling the area.
The purpose is also obvious—you can see it just by looking at the map.
It is intended to completely isolate the two empires.
"Teacher, our Spirit Hall wants to completely separate the Tiandou Empire and the Starluo Empire, right?"
Gu Ziyi looked at Death Canyon on the map and asked Qian Xunji directly with a smile.
"That's right. I knew you would realize it as soon as you saw it!"
When Qian Xunji saw that his disciple had immediately discerned the Spirit Hall's intent, he didn't panic but openly admitted it.
It was time to share some of his ambitions, as well as the Spirit Hall's ambitions, with Gu Ziyi.
"Teacher, what is the purpose of our Spirit Hall?"
Gu Ziyi was also very good at picking up on things. When it was time to cooperate with Qian Xunji, who wanted to set the stage, as his disciple, he didn't play coy and asked directly.
"Xiaoyi, what do you think our Spirit Hall should do?"
Qian Xunji didn't answer his question directly but instead responded with a question.
He wanted to see if Gu Ziyi could truly grasp the bigger picture and what his thoughts were.
"Our Spirit Hall has always been responsible for protecting the continent."
"It has also taken on the responsibility of shielding the weak and maintaining peace for the people across the land."
"For this reason, the Spirit Hall allows all children aged six to awaken their Martial Souls for free, giving everyone at the bottom of society a chance to rise."
"At the same time, our Spirit Hall's law enforcement team has been fighting against evil Soul Masters to prevent those degenerates from harming the continent, which has greatly reduced the occurrence of malicious Soul Masters."
"It can be said that the Spirit Hall has performed exceptionally well over the years. This is precisely why we are becoming increasingly influential and supported by Soul Masters and ordinary people throughout the continent!"
"But it's clear that the existence of the two empires, as well as the sects and family clans of Soul Masters, has posed certain obstacles to our Spirit Hall's efforts!"
"For instance, these relatively large sects do not allow our Spirit Hall to freely enter their territories to awaken Martial Souls for their people."
"There are also the aristocrats of the two empires. If these Soul Masters commit any wrongdoing, the two empires will not allow our Spirit Hall's law enforcement team to punish them!"
"It would be one thing if they simply refused to let us intervene, but in many cases, they won't even punish the Soul Masters who commit evil acts just because they are noble and hold special privileges within the empire!"
"Moreover, I've discovered long ago that there are no aristocrats in our Spirit City!"
"So, our Spirit Hall aims to overthrow the two empires and the sects, as well as dismantle the existence of the aristocracy. Am I right, Teacher?"
After Gu Ziyi said the final sentence, his expression didn't change much. He simply looked at Qian Xunji calmly.
"Hahaha, good, very good!"
"Xiaoyi, you truly have not disappointed your teacher. You could infer so much from just a few clues!"
"Xiaoyi, do you think it is right or wrong for our Spirit Hall to take this approach? Is there any chance of success?"
When Qian Xunji heard his disciple's words, he began to laugh, looked at him, and praised his disciple's keen insight.
He wanted to know if Gu Ziyi approved of the Spirit Hall's approach.
At the same time, he also sought his opinion on the matter and the feasibility of success. After all, even for the Spirit Hall, achieving such ambitions would not be easy; it could even be considered extremely difficult.
Because they would be going against the entire world!
Except for the Spirit Hall's members, the two great empires, the sects, the family clans, and even the Soul Master Academies would not approve of such a radical plan by the Spirit Hall.
Even among the registered Soul Masters in the Spirit Hall, not many might support their actions.
Because while most Soul Masters seek to become stronger, their goal is often to be canonized by the nobility of either empire and promoted to the aristocratic class.
"Teacher, I fully agree with the Spirit Hall's approach and am certain it will succeed in the future!"
Gu Ziyi looked directly into Qian Xunji's eyes and answered seriously.
He truly believed this.
After spending years with them, Gu Ziyi recognized how valuable the Spirit Hall was. The fact that his teacher could even think of eliminating the feudal aristocratic class was already a bold and revolutionary idea.
In the original work, they nearly succeeded.
Bibi Dong deserves praise in this regard.
She is extremely ambitious and seeks to destroy the two empires to unify the continent.
She also truly wanted to eliminate the existence of aristocracy.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to gain the support of so many Soul Masters.
However, in the end, they lost to Tang San and his group, and thus, they failed to usher the Douluo Continent into a new era.
For Gu Ziyi, who received nine years of compulsory education, he naturally supports revolutionary actions like those the Martial Soul Hall aims to undertake.
The aristocratic class, or the elite class, cannot be entirely eliminated because people are born different. Intelligent individuals cannot be equated with foolish ones.
However, it is possible to abolish aristocracy and the special privileges enjoyed by the nobility.
"Really? Xiaoyi, do you truly believe we can succeed?"
Hearing his disciple's words, Qian Xunji suddenly became excited.
Gu Ziyi's recognition of the Martial Soul Hall's ambition greatly encouraged him, as did the confidence his disciple expressed.
He knew how intelligent his disciple was. If Gu Ziyi said it was possible, then success might indeed be achievable.
Although he had conceived this idea before, he had never been confident that he could effectively lead the Martial Soul Hall to realize such an ambition.
The Martial Soul Hall was strong, but it was not yet capable of opposing the entire world of Soul Masters.
The two Empires, along with the forces commanded by the sects, might not have as many Soul Masters as the Martial Soul Hall, but their numbers of elite Soul Masters greatly exceeded those of the Hall.
Additionally, the armies of the two Empires were massive, often numbering in the millions—something the Martial Soul Hall could not compete with.
Even though they were ordinary soldiers, their sheer numbers made them formidable.
Otherwise, how could the two Empires rule over such vast territories even without having a Titled Douluo in their ranks?
(Note: This was perhaps true for that time, as later the Star Luo Empire did have one.)
The Martial Soul Hall's strength lay in its vast number of mid- to low-level Soul Masters, along with a few high-level ones.
"Well, with the development we've achieved over the years, our Martial Soul Hall has become increasingly powerful. If we continue at this pace, there won't be a problem," Gu Ziyi said firmly.
Why did he say in the future? Because the current strength of the Martial Soul Hall was indeed insufficient to contend against the entire world.
The future power of the Martial Soul Hall was thanks to Bibi Dong.
She understood how to ally with some factions, suppress others, and strategically divide the sects.
Before the establishment of the Spirit Empire, Bibi Dong secretly attracted many sects to her side.
From Gu Ziyi's observations, Qian Xunji had not employed such tactics in the original story.
He seemed to consider all sects as enemies.
"Teacher, not all sects need to be eliminated. We can also try to recruit some…"
Gu Ziyi immediately began offering suggestions, sharing some of the strategies Bibi Dong had used in the future.
Her approach was successful in his view, though she ultimately fell victim to the protagonist's halo.
Eliminating the two principal sects instead of attempting to recruit them was a calculated move. Recruitment would have taken too long and delayed the Martial Soul Hall's plans. Decisively eradicating the two main sects could intimidate others.
It was precisely because the two main sects were destroyed that Bibi Dong could later recruit so many others.
Initially, not as many joined.
As Qian Xunji listened to Gu Ziyi's analysis, his eyes grew brighter. He truly hadn't considered such a possibility before.
"Is that really feasible?"
"How could these sects possibly accept the Martial Soul Hall's ideology?"
Qian Xunji initially felt excited by his disciple's words but soon grew doubtful.
"Teacher, we don't need to indoctrinate them with our ideology from the start. We only need to recruit them first!"
"Once we've unified the continent, won't we be the ones who ultimately have the final say?"
Gu Ziyi said with a smile.
"Haha, yes, Xiaoyi, you're right!"
"Your idea is spot on. I should have consulted you earlier."
Qian Xunji began envisioning the plan and realized how his disciple's proposal could work. His expression grew increasingly animated!
It was a mixture of excitement and the thrill of newfound hope.
He hadn't truly believed the Martial Soul Hall's ambitions could succeed through such means before.
"Teacher, didn't you ask me to choose a place?"
"Then I'll go to the Tiandou Temple!"
"At this moment, I might even try to secretly recruit one or two sects!"
Seeing his teacher's excitement, Gu Ziyi also shared his choice.
There were no sects worth recruiting in the Star Luo Empire, so he wouldn't go there.
As for the Death Canyon, the rest of the Martial Soul Hall could expand there. Gu Ziyi wouldn't be able to contribute much in that area, so he might as well head to the Tiandou Empire and attempt to secretly bring some factions to their side. He hoped to give Qian Xunji a chance with those two sects!
"Alright, I'll be waiting for your success!"
Hearing Gu Ziyi's decision, Qian Xunji agreed without hesitation.
He also wanted to see if Gu Ziyi could truly achieve this.
…
N/A: It's genuinely difficult to describe the power dynamics in Douluo. I always feel like the Martial Soul Hall's strength should be enough to push through.
N/E: Not sure if the author is correct. What do you all think?
(End of Chapter)
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