Chapter 208: Emperor Xue Ye's Recruitment
On the main road leading to Heaven Dou City, a procession of carriages rolled forward slowly.
Inside one of the carriages, Luo Ling was chuckling to himself, prompting the disguised Qian Renxue—appearing as Xue Qinghe—to glance at him strangely.
"What are you laughing about?" she asked.
Luo Ling turned his head, blinking mischievously before replying after a pause, "I just remembered something amusing."
"What's so amusing?"
"Yu Xiaogang is a eunuch."
"..."
Qian Renxue stared at him speechlessly. Somehow, she didn't believe that was the real reason.
Luo Ling merely smiled and said no more. His laughter wasn't because of Yu Xiaogang—but because of Tang San.
He already knew all about Tang Hao's Blood Demon sacrifice and how father and son had gone to seek out the Blue Silver King, only to be driven away in humiliation.
Once someone participated in the Blood Demon Ritual, they were bound to the Primordial God, granting Luo Ling insight into their situations whenever he wished.
It was utterly unfair—but convenient.
Turning away from Qian Renxue, Luo Ling looked out the window toward the distant direction of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Apart from sensing Tang Hao's sacrifice, he also felt that new believers had arisen.
It seemed Yu Xiaogang and the others were working diligently. At this rate, completing his divine trial of one hundred thousand followers for the Primordial God would not be far off.
…
Ten days later, the convoy returned to Heaven Dou City.
The members of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy were summoned for an audience with Emperor Xue Ye.
Inside the grand hall, Emperor Xue Ye looked down at the seven students with satisfaction.
He already knew the outcome of the tournament. Though Heaven Dou Imperial Academy hadn't won the championship, they had secured second place—a remarkable feat.
Especially compared to Star Luo Empire's Royal Academy, which had been eliminated in the second round—defeated by Luo Ling, no less.
The tournament had greatly boosted the prestige of Heaven Dou Empire.
"My children, I am proud of you!" Emperor Xue Ye declared solemnly. "Though you did not take the crown, you upheld the dignity of Heaven Dou Empire!"
He paused, his voice ringing with authority. "In recognition of your achievement, I will confer titles of nobility upon you. Luo Ling shall be made a Marquis of the Empire, Dugu Yan shall be made a Countess, and the others shall each be granted the title of Viscount!"
Gasps spread among the courtiers as they turned shocked eyes upon Luo Ling.
A marquis!
That rank was second only to dukes and princes—among the highest honors in the Heaven Dou Empire.
There was only one prince, Prince Xue Xing, and only a handful of dukes.
In other words, Luo Ling's title placed him among the Empire's top five nobles.
"Your Majesty, isn't granting a marquis title too much? Luo Ling is only fifteen!" a minister protested, unable to remain silent.
"Do you object, Minister Liu?" Emperor Xue Ye's gaze sharpened. "Marquis Luo Ling is a fifteen-year-old Spirit Emperor who led our Empire to second place in the Continental Tournament. Had he not suffered injury, first place was well within reach. Is such a contribution not worthy of a marquisate?"
The court fell silent.
Luo Ling's talent was, indeed, terrifying—beyond any logic or precedent.
A fifteen-year-old Spirit Emperor with a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring—it sounded like a legend. When Emperor Xue Ye had first heard it, he'd thought it a mistake.
Such a prodigy was someone he wanted bound forever to Heaven Dou. He had even considered marrying off his own daughter to Luo Ling.
But ultimately, he gave up the idea. Luo Ling was affiliated with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the sect's young princess, Ning Rongrong, was clearly close to him. Ning Fengzhi seemed subtly supportive of their relationship.
If Emperor Xue Ye meddled in that, he might provoke Ning Fengzhi's displeasure—and that wasn't worth the risk.
Still, even if he couldn't formally grant marriage, he planned to have his daughter "befriend" Luo Ling privately. If something blossomed between them, even Ning Fengzhi would have no grounds to object—it would simply be friendly competition between young women.
The protesting minister wilted under the emperor's penetrating stare, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Looking around, he realized miserably that he was the only one who had spoken up.
"Your Majesty is right! It was foolish of this old servant to worry," he said quickly, forcing a bitter smile.
Luo Ling ignored the political drama. Rank and titles meant little to him.
In his eyes, the empire would soon belong to Qian Renxue anyway, so what did a marquisate matter?
Still, he accepted the honor graciously rather than refusing it outright.
…
Leaving the palace, Luo Ling went straight to the Crown Prince's residence, where Qian Renxue was already waiting.
"Well, well, Marquis Luo Ling," Qian Renxue teased lightly. "A fifteen-year-old noble of the Empire—quite impressive."
Luo Ling chuckled. "A humble marquis hardly compares to the future emperor of Heaven Dou."
Then his smile turned cunning. "The tournament's over, and Xue Beng's been crippled. So when are you going to replace Emperor Xue Ye?"
"Not yet," Qian Renxue said after a moment's thought. "With the tournament just concluded, I'll proceed slowly. I plan to have Poison Douluo gradually poison Emperor Xue Ye's health until he dies."
That was the same strategy as in the original events. But unlike before, Dugu Bo now served Spirit Hall.
"Why bother dragging it out?" Luo Ling asked dismissively. "Just find an opportunity and kill Emperor Xue Ye outright."
Qian Renxue stared at him in disbelief. "Do you even realize what you're saying? Emperor Xue Ye rules an entire nation. If he suddenly dies, chaos will follow. Prince Xue Xing is still alive and ambitious—many nobles support him!"
"Then remove them all," Luo Ling said with a dangerous smile.
Qian Renxue's breath caught. Prince Xue Xing had a large faction of noble supporters—massacring them all would shake the entire empire.
Currently, Qian Renxue's faction had about one-third of the nobles backing her, another third followed Prince Xue Xing, and the rest remained neutral.
"You mustn't act rashly!" she warned, her tone anxious.
Luo Ling smirked. "Don't worry. Even if I remove them, I'll make sure there's a perfectly reasonable justification. Assassination is for amateurs."
"How do you plan to do that?" she asked cautiously, curiosity mingling with apprehension.
Luo Ling leaned back lazily. "Tell me, how was Xue Beng discredited?"
Qian Renxue blinked, thinking for a moment—then realization struck. "You mean… the same way we got rid of Xue Beng?"
"Exactly," Luo Ling said, his grin widening. "Xue Beng was supported by Prince Xue Xing. If Xue Beng could be accused of ties to a heretical cult, why not Prince Xue Xing himself?"
"And, of course, his allied ministers too."
He paused, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement.
"Who knows," he added quietly, "maybe even Emperor Xue Ye was a follower of the cult."
(END CHAPTER)
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