"Right now, the power in Soto City is still weak. We can only seize this place first and use it as a base for development."
Xue Xing murmured to himself.
Soto City, once the granary of the Heaven Dou Empire, was indeed the most suitable place to start building up again.
However, what troubled Xue Xing was that he didn't have many soldiers or powerful experts at his command.
To try and withstand an attack from the Douluo Federal Republic would be nothing more than a fantasy.
That was why he was still hesitating about whether to attack Soto City.
It would be easy to take it, but much harder to hold it.
"Prince Xue Xing, you are the last glory of the empire. We will follow your lead in all things!"
"We are willing to give everything. You have our absolute support."
Some of the surviving nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire were unwilling to give up their former glory and become ordinary citizens like the commoners. Some were contacted by Xue Xing, while others sought him out on their own.
They were willing to contribute manpower and resources, waiting for Xue Xing to restore the Heaven Dou Empire.
Even if he couldn't reclaim it all, to seize a few cities and split the Heaven Dou Empire would be enough.
Looking at these nobles, Xue Xing realized that there were now only a handful left—a tiny remnant. Nearly all had perished in that devastating war.
"I will consider it carefully. Go back and rally the remnants, secretly recruit more troops. I want to catch the Douluo Federal Republic off guard!"
Xue Xing spoke with confidence. At this moment, much of his former gloom had faded, and his original bearing returned.
He was, after all, the one who had dared rescue Dugu Bo right in front of two Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall.
How could he be just some 'treacherous schemer'?
Emperor Xue Ye was so imposing—how could his younger brother be worthless?
"Yes, sir!"
"Once we reclaim our lands, you all will be honored as heroes!"
A few timely promises would make these people even more motivated.
Sure enough, after hearing this, the nobles' eyes lit up, and most of them started to fantasize about their status once the territory was reclaimed.
There were so few nobles left; when the time came, their power would be unmatched!
Thinking of this, many couldn't help but smile.
Seeing this, Xue Xing turned away and gave a helpless, bitter smile. With people like these—obedient, with some ability, but not great talent—it would be hard to accomplish anything big.
He had summoned the nobles twice, and both times they had run off. Why did they want to restore the country?
Wasn't it just because they couldn't bear to lose their power?
If any trouble arose, these people would surely flee again.
Xue Xing understood this, but right now, he had no other choice.
'Ah, if only Xue Qinghe hadn't lost his mind, things wouldn't have come to this!'
Xue Xing didn't know what to say about Xue Qinghe.
In terms of methods, he had killed all the other princes.
He had taken back all the kingdoms and duchies, reunified the Heaven Dou Empire.
No one could deny his capability.
He even declared war on the Star Luo Empire—fulfilling the dream of every previous emperor—and he went further than any before him.
He staked the entire Heaven Dou Empire...
But in the end, he still underestimated the Star Luo Empire.
Both sides ended up ruined, allowing Spirit Hall to reap the rewards.
Even someone as shrewd as Xue Xing couldn't find fault in what Xue Qinghe had done; the only thing that felt wrong was that it almost seemed intentional.
"If he had started the war earlier, there would have been heavy losses, but it wouldn't have ended like this."
"In the end, he was still too young…"
Xue Xing shook his head. It was too late for regrets. Now, he was the last glory of the empire!
This attempt to restore the nation could only succeed—failure was not an option!
Unfortunately, Xue Xing still overestimated his teammates…
"What?"
"You're joking, right?"
"Isn't everything fine now? Why bother restoring the nation?"
When the nobles tried to recruit people, they ran into huge trouble. Neither the commoners nor the soul masters wanted to restore the old regime!
Even when they offered high pay, there were still no takers!
"???"
Both sides were full of question marks.
The current Douluo Federal Republic was thriving—taxes had dropped so much.
And it was managed in turns by the Saints of the Hall of Thunder, with schools and other facilities being built!
Why bother restoring the monarchy?
Return to the old days?
Before seeing the light, they could only survive in darkness. But once they'd experienced the light, who would want to go back?
Besides, could the nobles even win?
Some people who refused to join just chose to keep the peace; others secretly reported them to the authorities…
"Heh, these nobles still think it's the old days…"
The man at the head of the table let out a helpless laugh and spoke.
"Let me take some men and flatten them."
At this moment, Huyan Zhen, formerly the Sect Master of the Elephant Armored Sect—or rather, now Captain of the Guard—spoke up.
He was the most adaptable of all, having disbanded his sect on his own initiative and led the entire Huyan family to join the Douluo Federal Republic.
He repeatedly promised never to go back to the old ways…
Everyone would be treated equally.
"Then I'll trouble you with this. Keep things quiet—don't harm the civilians."
"Yes!"
After hearing this, Huyan Zhen was very excited. Since he'd changed allegiances, this would be his first time taking action!
Nowadays, all he could do was sit in the office or go out on patrols. Although this life was comfortable, the fighting spirit in a soul master's bones was hard to suppress.
Watching Huyan Zhen's departing figure, the man in the lead fell into deep thought.
He understood very well: if soul masters didn't fight, what were they cultivating for?
To become gods?
But how many people could truly become gods?
Suddenly, he glanced down at the letters on the table.
"Arena taxes submitted by the eight major clans?"
To his surprise, the Spirit Arena—a long-standing neutral force—had voluntarily paid a 20% tax.
"Arena, spirit duels…"
"My ancestor was once the champion of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament…"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he murmured, "That's it. Why not settle this with competitions?"
"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?"
"No, there shouldn't be only one kind of tournament!"
"Soul masters at every stage should have their own contests!"
"Five years is too long—every three or even two years."
"Maybe the prizes won't be so great, but give them plenty of honor!"
"Singles, doubles, teams…"
"As long as there are enough competitions, and they're grand enough, soul masters won't have time to cause trouble."
Because of this sudden flash of inspiration, in the future days of the Douluo Continent, it would always be tournament season, or everyone would be on the way to the next tournament. As the trend spread, it became even more intense!
There were neighborhood tournaments, county championships, and more…
Even if the prizes weren't great, the winners gained tremendous prestige.
Any problem that could be settled in the arena would never be handled in private.
Even those who reached the rank of Titled Douluo couldn't escape the competitions. In this world, there would always be a tournament that suited you… (End of chapter)
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