After returning to the imperial city, I spent a few more days in my mansion. During this time, I refined the recipe for the decomposing 500-year-old Whale Rubber and used the last two 100-year-old Whale Rubbers to prepare supplements for Jiangqi.
Although Jiangqi isn't a prodigy, she stands out compared to many promising young talents. With the help of the formation I set up in my mansion, it won't take long for her to reach her fourth Soul Ring. Unfortunately, the 500-year-old Whale Rubber isn't potent enough to allow the absorption of a superior black Soul Ring. For that, I'd need Whale Rubber aged between 7,000 and 10,000 years. Still, the effects on Jiangqi's physique were remarkable, strengthening her body and slightly accelerating her cultivation speed.
On the other hand, the decomposing 500-year-old Whale Rubber is still insufficient for Zhuqing to absorb a 1,000-year-old Soul Ring when she reaches level 20. In this case, at least a 1,000-year-old Whale Rubber would be necessary. Additionally, Zhuqing is still too young to consume the 100-year-old ones, as it could negatively impact her development.
I left instructions at my property in Blue Ocean City to notify me if a Soul Beast whale brain aged 1,000 years or more appears.
"How would they notify me?" you might ask. It's simple. Recently, I developed a new talisman: the Communication Talisman. Since my mansions are under the care of trustworthy individuals, I distributed some of these talismans to each estate, allowing them to notify Jiangqi at any time.
Thanks to this talisman, Jiangqi is now much less worried about my travels.
The Star Luo Empire has a few medium-sized cities and many smaller ones. During this period, I traveled to all the medium-sized cities, setting up teleportation formations. As for the smaller cities, they're not as significant, as most are located near larger ones.
Upon turning seven, only one city remained for me to visit and complete my journey across the Star Luo Empire: Rising Dragon City.
The Star Luo Empire is known for its four most important cities:
Imperial City: Star Luo City.
Metal City: Gengxin City.
Sea City: Blue Ocean City.
Border City: Rising Dragon City.
The last city was Rising Dragon City, located on the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire. This city is home to two important clans: the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan.
Thinking about the clans, I couldn't help but reflect on the miserable state of the Star Luo Empire.
Although we are the empire with the greatest military strength, we still fall short of the Heaven Dou Empire. This reality, strange as it may seem, is undeniable.
The Star Luo Empire has only six significant clans and sects:
Wind Sword Sect.
Fire Leopard Clan.
Hornet Clan.
Black Tiger Sect.
Defense Clan.
Breaking Clan.
And, of course, the imperial family.
Among these, only three are part of the "Seven Sects," the group of the continent's seven strongest: the Wind Sword Sect, Fire Leopard Clan, and Hornet Clan. And even so, these three are the weakest of the list.
Meanwhile, the Heaven Dou Empire boasts a much larger number of clans and sects:
Spirit Hall.
Clear Sky Clan.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Elephant Armored Clan.
Speed Clan.
Strength Clan.
Steenbok Sect.
Sacred Dragon Clan.
And the imperial family of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Among them, the three superior clans stand out, known for having the strongest Tool, Auxiliary, and Beast Martial Souls. These are called the Three Superior Sects, while the others make up the Four Inferior Sects.
Even the Elephant Armored Clan, part of the four inferior sects, is significantly stronger than the three inferior sects of the Star Luo Empire.
And let's not even mention the Spirit Hall, the most powerful sect of all. It's said that even if all seven sects united, they still wouldn't be able to defeat the Spirit Hall.
This situation has left the Star Luo Empire stagnant for decades. Despite having the strongest army, we lack war ambitions. With limited territory, we can only watch enviously as the Heaven Dou Empire, nearly twice our size, thrives.
Pitiful.
Now, as I make my way to Rising Dragon City, my mission is twofold: to build the last teleportation formation and attempt to win the support of the two clans. After all, all the other major clans in the Star Luo Empire have been developed by the Spirit Hall, making it impossible to gain their loyalty.
"But why do I need their support?" you might ask. Well, there are things one person cannot achieve alone. For that, support is essential.
Rising Dragon City is flourishing thanks to its bustling trade. Visitors constantly come and go, and I am just one among many.
After purchasing a mansion and hiring some servants, I sat in one of the rooms. So far, I hadn't found a suitable way to approach the two clans.
Both the Defense Clan and the Breaking Clan, along with the Speed Clan and the Strength Clan, were once subsidiary clans of the Clear Sky Clan. However, four years ago, Tang Hao confronted the Spirit Hall over his wife, Ah Yin, a 100,000-year-old Soul Beast.
This confrontation not only led to Tang Hao's expulsion from the Clear Sky Clan but also resulted in the clan isolating itself from the outside world as compensation to the Spirit Hall.
During this conflict, the subsidiary clans suffered the most. Not only were they used as cannon fodder, but after the agreement between the Clear Sky Clan and the Spirit Hall, they became targets of the latter's frustration.
"Gaining the loyalty of the Speed Clan and the Strength Clan is nearly impossible. The Speed Clan has blood ties to the Clear Sky Clan, while the Strength Clan, despite all its losses, still retains some loyalty to the Clear Sky Clan. The situation, however, is a bit different with the Breaking Clan. They still harbor resentment over being abandoned. As for the Defense Clan, they seem more lost. They suffered the most during the conflict, but when the opportunity to return to the Clear Sky Clan arose, they accepted without hesitation." I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
"At the time, their situation was critical. They were under immense pressure from the Elephant Armored Clan to join forces, so their decision makes some sense. Now, more than four years later, the hatred still lingers in their minds, giving me a real chance to win the loyalty of these two clans. The problem is how. After all, I'm just a seven-year-old child, and they're unlikely to swear allegiance to someone so young." I clenched my jaw tightly, frustrated by the lack of a solution.
"Unless they have a compelling reason to join me... Something like, for instance, the Spirit Hall supporting Dai Weisi." My eyes sparkled as the idea began to take shape.