Thank you to our new Patrons: Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456, DeathClan1980, Leroy, Drake Blazer, Mridk and Jose! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 30: The Heart of the People, Beneficial for Thousands of Generations—Journey to the Tian Dou Empire on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Grand Priest gazed at Emperor Dai An of the Star Luo Empire, whose expression was a complex mix of anger, pride, and satisfaction, among other emotions. Her eyes were filled with confusion.
After all, it was just a letter of apology from the Fourth Prince—why was His Majesty displaying such a wide range of emotions?
Especially that overwhelming sense of pride, which he made no effort to conceal.
She even suspected that if this Star Luo Emperor had a tail, he'd be wagging it so hard with pride that he might just fly into the sky…
"What could possibly be written in this letter to make this normally composed emperor lose all control over his expressions?"
But before she could ask—
Dai An thrust the letter toward her.
"Look! Look at my son's heroic deeds, hahaha…"
Dai An laughed with excitement, his eyes brimming with the pride only a father could feel for his son's achievements. "This is the kind of fiery spirit a true son of the Star Luo Empire should have! This is the kind of courage our crown prince must possess!"
"If the rivers and mountains can endure, why should I spare my head!"
"When the great tide is about to crush us, those willing to turn the heavens upside down must sacrifice everything!"
"Let my blood water the soil of my homeland, so the rivers and mountains may remain as they are… What an incredible spirit and resolve!"
Dai An leaned back in his dragon throne, gazing up at the ceiling of the study, sighing in admiration. "If I were the same age as Chengfeng… I would be far inferior to him!"
While Dai An was ecstatic, the Grand Priest grew increasingly perplexed. Though she too was deeply moved by the blood-soaked phrases in the letter, she couldn't understand why this Star Luo Emperor was behaving this way.
Burning with curiosity, she eagerly lowered her head to read the letter in her hands.
And when she saw its contents, her pupils dilated instantly. "The Tian Dou Empire's army surrounded Wu'an City, and the Fourth Prince… turned the tides alone!"
By the time she finished reading the entire letter, the Grand Priest finally understood why this Star Luo Emperor was so thrilled.
After all, even if the deeds described in the letter had been performed by an ordinary general, she would still call him a pillar of the nation!
But…
It was Dai Chengfeng who had turned the tides!
The thought that the future emperor of the Star Luo Empire would be such a remarkable hero filled her with awe.
"Perhaps the five-hundred-year-old dream of unifying the continent under the Star Luo Empire can be realized through Prince Chengfeng?"
Zhu Hongye, the Grand Priest of the Zhu family, whose bloodline was intertwined with the Dai family, knelt on one knee before Dai An in excitement. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! With such a prodigious son, our Star Luo Empire will surely fulfill the long-standing wishes of our ancestors!"
"And how does the Grand Priest think Chengfeng compares to Weisi and Mubai?"
The Grand Priest didn't hesitate for a moment. "No need for comparison!"
"The Fourth Prince is the foremost of this realm and the supreme of the world!"
"The foremost of this realm, the supreme of the world?"
Dai An paused momentarily, then nodded with satisfaction. "Haha, what a fitting title—the foremost of this realm, the supreme of the world…"
"Since that's the case!"
"The crown prince of the Star Luo Empire requires no further consideration—it must be Chengfeng!"
After a long while,
Dai An gradually regained his composure. "Though this battle was personally led by Chengfeng, those thousand vanguard soldiers also deserve immense credit—they truly embody the spirit of the Star Luo Empire!"
With that, he turned toward the door. "Deliver my decree: grant three months' extra pay to all soldiers of Wu'an City; one year's extra pay to the vanguard soldiers; and three years' extra pay to the families of the fallen, halving it afterward."
"As for Chengfeng…"
"I will personally bestow his reward upon him."
"And tell him he may return—he has my forgiveness."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As a guard departed to carry out the order, Dai An spoke again.
This time, however, his eyes were cold and sharp. "Send word to the barracks and summon Dai Xuan to see me."
"Not a single drop of blood spilled by our soldiers of the Star Luo Empire shall be wasted!"
---
---
---
Ten days later
In the training grounds of the Wu'an City Lord's residence—
"Hoo~"
Dai Chengfeng exhaled a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel. "Finally, I've fully recovered!"
Although during the battle against the Tian Dou Empire, Dai Chengfeng not only learned how to absorb and refine killing intent for his own use but also advanced his soul power from level 13 to level 15, his external wounds still needed time to heal.
Thinking of this, Dai Chengfeng touched his chest, where a scar lay just centimeters from his heart.
"If only my soul power hadn't run out at the critical moment, I wouldn't have suffered such a severe injury…"
Dai Chengfeng clenched his fist slightly. "Soul power is the foundation of strength in this world!"
"Increasing soul power is the ultimate path!"
"Without sufficient soul power, having powerful soul skills or even the Killing God Domain is meaningless—if you face someone whose soul power completely overwhelms yours, you're nothing more than a lamb awaiting slaughter."
"But…"
"How can I quickly increase my soul power?"
After a brief moment of contemplation, a sly smile appeared on Dai Chengfeng's lips as he thought of a classic quest that every transmigrator to the Douluo world inevitably undertakes—the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Divine herbs—those are truly marvelous things!"
"They can not only significantly boost my soul power level but also potentially unlock further potential in my White Tiger martial soul…"
After all, in the original story, after consuming the divine herb Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Dai Mu Bai's White Tiger martial soul didn't evolve, but he developed an invincible body, greatly enhancing his physical resilience, defense, and resistance to abnormal states.
And that was after consuming just one divine herb.
What if he consumed multiple?
In the original story, Tang San consecutively consumed three divine herbs within just half a year: Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, and Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.
Clearly!
The upper limit for consuming divine herbs was definitely more than one.
"Moreover, if I could somehow bring Poison Douluo Dugu Bo over to the Star Luo Empire…"
The thought of Dugu Bo's invincible performance on the battlefield made Dai Chengfeng's eyes gleam with excitement.
"It may be difficult, but not trying isn't my style!"
Just as Dai Chengfeng was lost in thought—
At this moment, footsteps approached from afar.
Seeing the person, Dai Chengfeng smiled and greeted them. "Uncle, you've returned?"
"How did it go? Have the rewards been distributed?"
"And the commemorative stele I asked Zhu Yan to carve—when does he plan to start construction?"
Upon hearing Dai Chengfeng's questions, Zhu Fan's brows furrowed slightly. "Your Highness, the commemorative stele you requested has already begun construction."
"As for the rewards…"
"I followed your instructions and increased the original three months' extra pay for all soldiers to ten months; the vanguard soldiers will now receive three years' extra pay; and the families of the fallen will be supported by the empire for life…"
Dai Chengfeng nodded with satisfaction. "Isn't that wonderful?"
"But why do you look unhappy, Uncle?"
"Think about it—every year, our empire pays money to the Spirit Hall, who then distributes it to the soul masters… We spend the money, but they get all the good reputation."
"Since we're already paying this unjust amount of money…"
"Why should we hesitate to spend a little more rewarding our soldiers?"
Zhu Fan shook his head. "Chengfeng, it's not that I'm reluctant to spend this money. It's just that one of the families of a fallen vanguard soldier…"
"She said she doesn't want the money. She insists on seeing you in person to ask you a question."
"Otherwise, she won't rest in peace."
"So, what do you think?"
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow