Chapter 5: Emperor Xingluo
When Dai Yao placed his hand on the crystal ball, he immediately felt a powerful suction. The energy from his dantian seemed to have found an outlet, rushing wildly into the crystal ball.
The crystal ball emitted a brilliant light, illuminating the entire Awakening Hall, making every detail visible.
The light was dazzling, causing many of the children to involuntarily close their eyes. However, Elder Wu did not blink, and a look of fervent excitement appeared on his face.
"As expected, innate full soul power. A weapon spirit this powerful can only be awakened with innate full soul power!"
Innate full soul power was extremely rare, even in the White Tiger lineage, and even among the three princes, none had it.
"Truly a prodigy," Elder Wu thought, but then he quickly felt a sense of regret.
"Dai Yao, Dai Yao... With your talent, you would be trained as the heir in any family, yet you were born into the Dai family."
"Your talent means you will inevitably compete for the throne, but right now, you are too weak, not even a Soul Master."
"Currently, the First Prince, Dai Weis, is already 15 years old and has reached Soul Sovereign level. Even the youngest Third Prince, Dai Muwei, is already nine years old. The age difference is enough to eliminate any gap in talent, and besides, all three princes have great innate talents; they are top-tier prodigies."
"You will never be able to compete with the princes. In the end, you'll only meet death."
"Regardless of how powerful the talent is, family rules cannot be ignored. The family rules are the foundation of the White Tiger family's strength. How many prodigies have died over the past tens of thousands of years due to those cruel rules?" Elder Wu's lips trembled as he thought helplessly.
After all, such talent was too rare. But the family rules had remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. The family had survived and thrived thanks to these cruel rules.
"I can only give you a relatively fair environment and minimize the influence of the forces behind the princes on you."
"If you are a true prodigy, then show it to me!"
Under the shocked gazes of the others, Dai Yao entered his weapon spirit possession state, his body once again turning into the ragged, skinny figure he once was.
However, no one looked down on him now. No one would dare offend someone destined to become a powerful Soul Master, especially since he was about to become the Fourth Prince of the Xingluo Empire.
They didn't bother flattering him either, as his fate was already sealed. Once he became a prince, his destiny was to lose in the competition for the throne and die.
But Dai Muwei felt differently. He detested Dai Yao. Once Dai Yao became a prince, according to family rules, he would be married off to someone from the Zhu family. Right now, the only suitable candidate for marriage was Zhu Zhuqing, which meant that his engagement might be in jeopardy.
"Your weapon spirit talent is extraordinary. It has never appeared in our family's history. Name your weapon spirit," Elder Wu put aside his sympathy and spoke kindly to Dai Yao.
"Let it be called the Sacred White Tiger," Dai Yao said, feeling a sense of relief. With such a powerful weapon spirit, he was finally free from the fate of an ordinary person.
Revenge was now a real possibility.
At this time, everyone had completed their weapon spirit awakening. Some were disappointed, while others were happy, and they began leaving with friends and acquaintances.
Zhu Zhuqing felt an unusual sense of closeness toward Dai Yao, and as he got closer, the feeling intensified. But her cold nature prevented her from taking any action.
Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing's gaze was fixed on that bastard, Dai Muwei's anger flared up. He had been waiting for the right marriage partner for three whole years. He had already considered Zhu Zhuqing to be his reserved consort, yet her attention was now on this bastard!
He walked up to Dai Yao, who was a head shorter than him. Looking down, he said, "Smelly brat, don't think that just because you awakened a good weapon spirit, you're something special. When you get your first soul ring, I'll teach you a good lesson!"
Dai Yao lowered his head and said nothing, as if acknowledging Dai Muwei's words.
Whether in this life or the last, he knew a deep truth: in the face of those stronger than you, you must always show respect, no matter whether they are good or bad, kind or cruel.
Now, Dai Muwei was undoubtedly far stronger than him. He had never seen the power of a Soul Master, and he wasn't sure whether his Eight Extremes Break could even inflict effective harm on a Soul Master. Without absolute confidence, he didn't want to provoke Dai Muwei.
Besides, Dai Muwei had the Empress behind him. For now, he had to endure.
...
Night.
Xingluo Imperial Palace.
It was already past midnight, and the world was shrouded in darkness. Yet, the White Tiger Hall, responsible for managing state affairs, was brightly lit, as if it were day.
The Xingluo Emperor, who had just finished dealing with government affairs, rubbed his tired eyes and stood up to relieve his fatigued body. With the court session about to begin at dawn, he had returned to the palace only in the dead of night. Even a Soul Douluo like him couldn't endure such exhausting work day and night.
He gazed at the imperial map behind him, lost in thought. After a long while, he turned to his eunuch and asked:
"How is the progress of the White Tiger Legion in the Santos Duchy?"
"Your Majesty, since the Haotian Sect announced their withdrawal from the world, without their support, the White Tiger Legion has made no progress in the Santos Duchy. Moreover, with the help of the Spirit Hall, the rebels from Tiandou have reclaimed the territory we previously occupied," the chief eunuch replied, looking at the fatigued emperor with concern. He had witnessed firsthand how much the emperor had sacrificed for the Xingluo Empire.
Even a Soul Douluo couldn't endure such relentless work. People only saw the emperor's majestic reign, but no one realized the toll it took on him. For the sake of unifying the continent, he had sacrificed his emotions, given up cultivation, and yet everything had been destroyed by a single individual.
"Sigh..." The Xingluo Emperor let out a deep sigh.
"Why is Haotian Douluo so foolish! For a woman, he ruined everything! No! Not just a woman—she's a damned soul beast!"
As he thought of this, a wave of anger surged within him. The Xingluo Empire had been on the brink of unifying Douluo, but Haotian Douluo had caused a rift over a soul beast, and the Haotian Sect had withdrawn from the world, causing the Xingluo Empire to pull back all its forces.
Even after six years, the emperor could not let go of his resentment. All his decades of hard work, all the prideful warriors and generals—gone in that war.
When the Haotian Sect declared their withdrawal, the Xingluo Empire had spent astronomical resources, yet gained nothing.
"Your Majesty, don't dwell on these frustrations. There is some good news to share," the eunuch quickly changed the subject.
"Oh? What is it?"
"Today, another person in the clan awakened the White Tiger weapon spirit. The Xingluo Empire will soon have its fourth prince."
"Which branch does he belong to?" The emperor's face lit up with joy. He thought of the royal children, but couldn't recall which one could have awakened the White Tiger weapon spirit.
"Whose child is it?" The eunuch observed the emperor's expression and spoke softly.
"Whose child?" The emperor was puzzled but then seemed to remember something. His tea cup slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor with a sharp sound. His face immediately darkened.
"It... it's her child..." His face contorted, his throat seemed to choke, and he slowly uttered the words.
"Just follow the normal procedures for the prince's title and give him the appropriate treatment," the emperor said coldly, his face like ice. His tone was distant, as if devoid of any human emotion, as though he were an infallible machine.
The chief eunuch felt a deep sadness in his heart. Having served the emperor for many years, he knew the deep regret within the emperor. After a while, seeing the emperor's mood lighten a little, he seized the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, two people are waiting outside."
"Oh? Who are they?"
"The Empress and Elder Wu."
"Let them in."
"Announce, the Empress and Elder Wu enter the hall!"
The palace doors swung open, and the first to enter was a stunningly beautiful woman, with skin as smooth as jade and lips as red as cinnabar. Yet, the cold glint in her eyes made anyone who looked at her feel a chill.
Behind her was a figure in bright red, standing out sharply against the dark night.
It was Elder Wu.
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