Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the departed Du Buxi had already returned to the Bright Capital.
According to the plan previously agreed upon with Xu Tianhao, Kong Deming, and the others,
Du Buxi did not return with great fanfare, but instead chose the most secretive method to slip into the Bright Capital.
The Body Sect's position was inherently unique; compared to reaching an open cooperation with the Sun Moon Empire,
covert contact and private dealings were the most stable choices.
In this way, they could avoid the prying eyes of various forces on the continent and prevent groundless suspicion and obstruction from the other three great Empires.
It would also allow the Body Sect to hold more initiative in the upcoming power struggle, giving them the freedom to advance or retreat as they pleased.
Now, because of Xu Tianhao, Shrek Academy had also begun to take the initiative to send people to the Body Sect's headquarters for exploratory contact.
This situation was precisely what Xu Tianhao wanted to see most.
Shrek's proactive contact would not only fail to damage the cooperation between the Body Sect and the Sun Moon Empire,
but would instead allow the Body Sect to use the opportunity of dealing with Shrek to continuously gather core intelligence regarding Shrek Academy and even the mainstream forces of the entire Douluo Continent.
Finally, they would secretly pass this highly valuable information to the Sun Moon Empire, providing crucial references for the Empire's subsequent strategic layout.
Between the Body Sect and Shrek Academy, there was already an irreconcilable blood feud.
This grudge had spanned over a hundred years and was long since deeply ingrained in the Body Sect's bloodline.
If one were to list the enemies the Body Sect must remember in this life, Shrek Academy would definitely be at the top, even deserving the title of number one archenemy.
The root cause was that the elder brother of the current Sect Master Du Buxi, the former Sect Master of the Body Sect, Du Bixi, had fallen years ago during a peak duel with Shrek Academy's Mu En.
His brother's death was a pain Du Buxi could never erase in his life, and even more so, a hatred carved into the marrow of every member of the Body Sect.
This generational feud was deep enough for the two major forces to fight until death.
But even if the hatred was as deep as the sea, the people of the Body Sect always upheld the bottom line and righteousness of being a Spirit Master.
In the original story, when a super beast tide erupted in the Star Dou Great Forest and the Beast God Di Tian led several Great Savage Beasts to sweep across the continent, aiming directly at Shrek City to raze it to the ground,
despite the blood feud with Shrek, the Body Sect still set aside their personal grievances and unhesitatingly threw the entire sect's strength into reinforcing Shrek.
That battle could be called a world-shaking conflict rarely seen in a hundred years on the continent.
Beast God Di Tian's strength was enough to sweep away all Limit Douluo in the world; ordinary Titled Douluo were like ants before him.
At the critical moment, Du Buxi led the Body Sect to step forward, using their origin power to trigger secret techniques and directly clash with Di Tian's terrifying attacks.
To block Di Tian, he did not hesitate to consume decades of his own cultivation origin, enduring unimaginable pain and cost.
Even to the point that his cultivation level dropped in the end... (In the original work, Du Buxi's cultivation level fluctuated repeatedly; here, it will definitely be slightly modified).
This action by the Body Sect was not because they had forgotten their hatred, nor was it bowing their heads to Shrek.
Rather, in the face of the righteousness of the continent's survival and the suffering of all living beings, they resolutely chose to set aside personal grudges to protect the safety of all life on the continent.
They hated Shrek, but they understood even more the meaning of national righteousness and the responsibility of a Spirit Master.
It was precisely because of the Body Sect's code of conduct—distinguishing clearly between gratitude and grudges, keeping promises, and holding righteousness in their hearts—
that after Xu Tianhao officially became Du Buxi's disciple, he, along with Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, and Emperor Xu Jilong, would trust Du Buxi unreservedly.
The people of the Body Sect either made no promises, or once they agreed to cooperate, they would never abandon it midway.
Even less would they commit the foul deeds of stabbing someone in the back or betraying trust.
This rare reputation and character were incomparable to countless other forces.
It was also the core reason why the Sun Moon Empire wanted to deeply bond with the Body Sect.
Because of this, when the news of Du Buxi's secret arrival in the Bright Capital spread, everyone in the Sun Moon Empire accorded him the highest standard of hospitality.
The Sun Moon Empire's Emperor Xu Jilong and the current Crown Prince Xu Tianran directly set aside all their government affairs to personally welcome Du Buxi's arrival.
With the dignity of an Emperor and a Crown Prince, they held a welcoming feast for this Sect Master of the Body Sect.
To be personally welcomed by a nation's Emperor and the current Crown Prince—this honor and treatment was something few outsiders in the entire Sun Moon Empire had ever enjoyed.
Even Du Buxi, who was accustomed to great storms and possessed unfathomable cultivation, couldn't help but feel waves of warmth in his heart, deeply moved.
He was naturally a straightforward person, and what he valued most was this sincerity and respect.
The actions of Xu Jilong and Xu Tianran made him completely let go of the last trace of concern in his heart.
He became increasingly firm about the cooperation with the Sun Moon Empire and felt more at ease tying the future of the Body Sect to the Sun Moon Empire.
In the crowd welcoming Du Buxi, Xu Tianhao discovered a situation that surprised him slightly.
This time, Du Buxi had not come alone; behind him followed a red-haired youth with a tall, straight posture and arrogant eyes.
The youth was only about ten years old, with short, fiery red hair that stood up like burning flames, exuding a sharp, unyielding aura.
Regarding this youth, Xu Tianhao already had a guess in his heart.
That evening, Xu Jilong held a grand welcoming banquet in the imperial palace.
Delicacies from the mountains and seas and fine wines were in abundance, and those accompanying them were all core high-level officials and top experts of the Sun Moon Empire:
Crown Prince Xu Tianran, Imperial Preceptor Kong Deming, Mingde Hall Master Jing Hongchen, as well as Xu Tianhao and others were all present, making the scene extremely grand.
At the banquet, after three rounds of wine and five courses of food, Du Buxi finally smiled and raised his hand, pulling the red-haired youth beside him to the front, and solemnly introduced him to everyone at the table:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Brother Kong, Hall Master Hongchen, and Tianhao, let me introduce everyone. This is my personal eldest disciple, Long Aotian."
Speaking of his eldest disciple, Du Buxi's face was full of unconcealable pride and satisfaction.
He patted Long Aotian's shoulder and continued, "Aotian has been by my side since childhood, receiving my careful guidance. His cultivation talent and comprehension are both top-tier levels, one in ten thousand."
"Although there is still a significant gap compared to a heaven-defying little fellow like Tianhao, he is definitely one of the top geniuses among the younger generation on the entire continent."
"I brought him to the Bright Capital this time, firstly to keep him by my side to cultivate so his progress doesn't fall behind."
"Secondly, I also want him to follow Tianhao and learn more from Tianhao's vision and methods. The two can progress together and support each other, becoming a help to one another in the future."
Hearing Du Buxi's introduction, the smile in Xu Jilong's eyes, who was sitting in the main seat, grew even deeper, and his heart was overjoyed.
In his view, Long Aotian wasn't brought by Du Buxi for cultivation; he was clearly a capable subordinate being proactively delivered to the Sixth Highness, Xu Tianhao!
To be so highly valued by Du Buxi, taken as his eldest disciple, and specifically brought along for focused training,
Long Aotian's talent and character were naturally beyond doubt; he was definitely a top expert capable of standing on his own in the future.
Xu Tianhao was currently building his core team and was exactly in need of talent; Long Aotian's arrival was undoubtedly perfect timing.
Xu Jilong even secretly hoped in his heart that it would be great if Du Buxi could bring a few more such talented youths over.
On the side, Xu Tianran didn't have the slightest objection either; instead, he looked delighted.
He and Xu Tianhao shared a deep brotherly bond and were of one mind; in his heart, there had never been any thoughts of a struggle for the succession or brotherly strife.
Never mind that this was just adding a capable assistant to Xu Tianhao; even if Xu Tianhao wanted his position as Crown Prince right now,
Xu Tianran would hand it over without hesitation, without a hint of attachment or reluctance.
Of course, Xu Tianran knew in his heart that even if he were willing to give up the position of heir, Xu Tianhao would definitely not accept it.
Xu Tianhao had always had a carefree personality and disliked restraint, only wanting to focus on cultivation and improving his strength, with no interest in imperial power or the throne.
In Xu Tianhao's view, it was enough to have his elder brother Xu Tianran working hard in the court and managing state affairs.
He only needed to be a free and easy Prince, concentrating on cultivation and protecting the people he cared about, and he would be satisfied.
The two brothers were transparent in their thoughts and trusted each other, never harboring suspicion.
Therefore, not only would Xu Tianran not be jealous of the abundance of talent around Xu Tianhao or his growing team,
but he was actually happy for his brother from the bottom of his heart, only hoping that Xu Tianhao could become stronger and stronger, with more and more help around him.
The thoughts of Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen were exactly the same as Xu Jilong's.
As Xu Tianhao's teacher, Kong Deming only hoped his beloved disciple could grow his wings and become an expert at the peak of the continent.
As the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen considered everything for the Sun Moon Empire and Mingde Hall.
A genius like Long Aotian joining Xu Tianhao's camp would undoubtedly take the strength of the Sun Moon Empire's younger generation to the next level.
The two naturally agreed with both hands, wishing Du Buxi would bring a few more such talented youths to the Bright Capital.
Everyone at the table showed joy, and Xu Jilong even laughed loudly, taking the lead to speak:
"Good, good, good! Sect Master Du has actually brought his own personal eldest disciple to the Bright Capital; this shows the depth of your trust in my Sun Moon Empire!"
"I promise here, Sect Master Du can rest assured, my Sun Moon will certainly not fail your sincerity and trust. We will definitely do our utmost to cultivate young friend Aotian and let him grow together with Tianhao!"
The others also spoke up in agreement, their words full of welcome and goodwill.
Such a warm atmosphere allowed Du Buxi to completely set aside all his worries, and his heart was full of confidence in this cooperation.
Once the atmosphere of the banquet had eased slightly, Long Aotian very sensibly bowed to each of the elders at the table according to seniority.
Although he had an arrogant personality, he respected his teacher and the way, and his manners were impeccable. This round of greetings won him even more favor from everyone.
After the greetings were finished, only Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian, the two youths of the same generation, remained at the table. They stood facing each other, and the air held a bit of mutual appreciation between peers.
Long Aotian had a straightforward personality without any hypocrisy or convolution. He solemnly performed a salute to Xu Tianhao and said in a loud voice:
"Long Aotian greets the Sixth Highness."
Seeing this, Xu Tianhao quickly took a step forward and returned the salute, his tone sincere and friendly:
"Senior Brother, there's no need for such formality. You are Master's first disciple, and I am the second. In terms of seniority, you are the Senior Brother, and I am the Junior Brother."
As he spoke, Xu Tianhao revealed a smile: "In the future, Senior Brother can just call me Tianhao; there's no need to be so polite."
Long Aotian was naturally a direct person, and hearing Xu Tianhao say this, he didn't decline further, immediately nodding in response:
"Alright, Junior Brother! Then I'll just call you Tianhao from now on!"