When the Clear Sky Sect approached Qian Renxue for help, she agreed without hesitation.
However, Qian Renxue did not believe Tang San could obtain another External Soul Bone.
What happened once or twice was unlikely to happen again and again.
According to the records of the Spirit Hall, there had never been a case of someone obtaining External Soul Bones consecutively, let alone three times.
At the time, Qian Renxue thought the people of the Clear Sky Sect were stubbornly misguided.
But now, she felt she was the fool.
Her intuition aligned with Dugu Feng's—this felt like cheating, or perhaps the Clear Sky Sect possessed some secret technique unknown to her.
The thought made Qian Renxue's heart pound wildly.
Her grandfather had once told her that the Clear Sky Sect's Great Sumeru Hammer was a divine skill—even he could not withstand it at the same level.
That was why he lost to Tang Chen.
Combined with the Clear Sky Sect's lineage of powerful experts across generations, Qian Renxue felt she had underestimated them.
She needed to discuss the Clear Sky Sect's situation with her grandfather again. Tang San's Twin Soul Spirits and repeated acquisition of External Soul Bones were simply too fantastical.
And then there was that woman. Previously, she had insisted on receiving reports about the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School from Pufferfish Douluo every few days, as if ready to strike at any moment.
Lately, however, she had gone quiet, seemingly indifferent to both sects.
Had her injuries from the battle outside Slaughter City been that severe?
In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Qian Renxue's mind.
Yet, outwardly, she maintained a calm demeanor, expressing admiration: "This is a divine blessing upon our Heaven Dou Empire. With an External Soul Bone, Tang San is like a tiger with wings. Once he becomes a Titled Douluo, who could possibly stand against him? Even the Spirit Hall would hold no fear for me then.
But for now, our priority is to deal with the Star Luo Empire.
Brother Feng, I plan to mobilize our forces against the Star Luo Empire within six months after the Soul Master Competition. What do you think?"
Qian Renxue spoke with grandeur and conviction, as if leading an army of thousands.
Dugu Feng was startled by her swiftness. With two months still remaining until the Soul Master Competition, this meant she intended to launch the campaign in just eight months.
It hadn't even been a year since her ascension to the throne.
To initiate a war so quickly showed how impatient Qian Renxue was.
This was a conflict between two great empires.
The mobilized forces would undoubtedly exceed a million, and with supplies, cavalry, and auxiliary troops, at least three million people would need to be deployed.
Preparing provisions, logistics, and arranging troop movements were not matters to be taken lightly.
It seemed Qian Renxue was planning something monumental.
Naturally, Dugu Feng wanted to reassure her: "Brother Xue, I remember you once shared your ambition to unify the continent with me. Now, you are realizing it step by step. As your brother, I will naturally support you wholeheartedly.
When the time comes, I will march with you, Brother Xue."
"Haha!"
Qian Renxue laughed heartily, clapping Dugu Feng on the shoulder with bold enthusiasm. "I knew you would stand by me, Brother Feng. Soon, it will be our time to conquer the battlefield together."
She was pleased with Dugu Feng's attitude. It seemed her grand vision and charisma had thoroughly won over this genius of the Dugu Family.
Qian Renxue felt immensely proud.
The Heaven Dou Empire was a treasure trove. With careful management, its potential could surpass even that of the Spirit Hall.
After concluding their official business, the two chatted for a while about the upcoming Soul Master Competition.
Regarding the championship outcome, they both believed Shrek Academy was the only possible winner.
After all, even if Tang San didn't participate, there were several other Soul Kings and Soul Emperors. The Heaven Dou Empire was set to steal the spotlight once again.
The conversation was pleasant, and both host and guest were thoroughly satisfied.
Dugu Feng left the palace quite late, feeling very pleased.
After Dugu Feng's departure, Qian Renxue remained alone in the study, plotting her next moves.
Since becoming the emperor of Heaven Dou, she had experienced not only the exhilaration of holding supreme power but also the tediousness of handling political and military affairs.
Her complaints to Dugu Feng weren't entirely meant as boasts.
Once she decided to wage war, countless intricate matters demanded her attention.
How to conduct the war was her primary concern.
In terms of conventional military strength, the Heaven Dou Empire was no match for the Star Luo Empire.
As for the strength of their Soul Master Legions, according to the intelligence she had gathered, the Star Luo Empire also maintained a ten-thousand-strong Soul Master Legion, one that had been sustained for nearly a decade.
It was worth noting that the Dai Family exercised strict control over the Spirit Master World in Star Luo, and Soul Masters were obliged to follow the imperial family's orders.
Thus, the existence of such a legion was hardly surprising.
From these perspectives, in a conventional war, Heaven Dou might not necessarily be Star Luo's opponent.
Heaven Dou's advantage lay in its high-end combat power—numerous Soul Douluos and Titled Douluos.
For Qian Renxue, if she were to deploy the strength of the Hall of Worship, she could execute decapitation tactics at any time.
The key issue was that Bibi Dong would certainly not allow the Hall of Worship's experts to intervene.
Moreover, she couldn't risk exposing her connection to the Spirit Hall.
With these considerations, Qian Renxue calmed down.
The initial joy of becoming the Heaven Dou Emperor faded significantly, and she knew the real test was yet to come.
The room was quiet as Qian Renxue pondered alone.
The next day, Qian Renxue began by making a large number of official appointments and issuing numerous reform decrees.
One-third of the court officials and city lords across various territories were replaced at once.
Combined with the officials she had gradually infiltrated over more than a decade as crown prince,
nearly half of Heaven Dou's political officials were now absolutely loyal to Qian Renxue.
The remainder were those aligning themselves with the new emperor.
With the intelligence network of the Spirit Hall at her disposal, Qian Renxue had a clear understanding of every official's capabilities, morals, and corruption levels.
Once she took action, her swift and decisive moves were unstoppable.
The subsequent reform decrees primarily targeted commoners, slaves, and Soul Masters.
For commoners and slaves, Qian Renxue ordered the protection of land and business rights for commoners, controlled land annexation, encouraged the reclamation of wasteland, relaxed identity restrictions, and promoted population mobility.
She also made the number of commoners falling into slavery due to bankruptcy a criterion for evaluating officials, incentivizing local administrators to implement policies that would help more commoners become prosperous households with surplus grain.
In truth, both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire weren't even feudal states—they were purely slave societies.
Slaves had no human or property rights; even their lives belonged to their masters.
While some commoners owned property, they could easily fall into slavery in the face of natural or man-made disasters.
Having originated from the Spirit Hall, which did not discriminate against commoner Soul Masters, Qian Renxue held no prejudice against commoners either.
After all, these people were her subjects.
For the empire to grow and prosper, increasing tax revenue could only be achieved by expanding the commoner population—the number of slaves must not be allowed to rise any further.
However, abolishing slavery outright would instantly alienate all the nobles, even the Soul Master families.
Qian Renxue was no fool; she knew things had to be done step by step.
Having endured for twenty years, patience was what she had in abundance.
Simultaneously, targeting the slave population, Qian Renxue issued a decree banning private punishments, stipulating that slaves accused of crimes must be handed over to the authorities for handling, thereby curbing the power of the nobility.
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