Lu Jingming had long since made covert contact with Xuan Ziwen's teacher, Silvermoon Douluo Kong Deming, through other channels.

Though the two had never met in person, they both tacitly understood Zhang Lexuan's situation.

With the Sun-Moon Empire's current situation growing ever more tangled—and the power struggles among the Holy Spirit Cult, the military, and Xu Tianran—Kong Deming felt increasingly ill at ease.

Once, confident in his own strength, Kong Deming had always supported Xu Tianran and let events run their course.

However, the outbreak of the Holy Grail War and the appearance of Servants shattered the old balance, forcing Kong Deming to act and seek a path of retreat for the Sun-Moon Empire.

Even though he had broken through to become a Super Douluo ahead of time and successfully forged his life-bound, rank-10 soul tool, he still felt powerless in Mingdu, that volatile center of storm and intrigue.

Lu Jingming shared Kong Deming's concerns. Just the level of trouble posed by the Servant Ju Zi had summoned was enough to flip the entire Douluo Continent, to say nothing of Xu Tianran's own concealed Servant and whatever methods he still had hidden.

There were only a few months left before the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Youth Elite Tournament to be held in Mingdu.

Lu Jingming knew perfectly well that the focus of this tournament was never the competition itself. Xu Tianran's true aim was to use the tournament as a pretext to gather all the Masters and Servants in Mingdu to propel the Holy Grail War forward.

The tournament was merely a smokescreen; the real main event was the Holy Grail War.

Thus, Lu Jingming directly arranged for Wang Qiu'er, Ye Guyi, and others to form a team to participate, while he himself and Robin and the rest would not enter into things on the surface.

After all, with Lu Jingming's current soul power at the Soul Douluo level, and with Robin and the others being Soul Sages who had already condensed soul cores, entering such a tournament would be blatant bullying—child's play—and hardly necessary.

Moreover, Robin and company's true combat power was far from what it appeared on the surface. Beneath the façade of Soul Sage, their real strength would leave many opponents in the dust.

So they decided not to take part in the tournament and couldn't be bothered to push other contestants around.

In any case, the tournament wasn't the point. Lu Jingming even doubted, given Xu Tianran's usual style, whether this Soul Master Tournament would proceed smoothly at all.

Xu Tianran was always a deep schemer—he might well be brewing a big move.

…

Heavenly Soul Empire — Body Sect.

Boom!

A thunderous report split the air as an axe blade wrapped in an azure gale cleaved down from on high.

The axe edge seemed to hold the power to rend the void, tracing a dazzling arc a thousand meters long as it slashed toward a mountain not far from the Body Sect.

At once, the mountain split down the middle like fragile paper under the force of the strike.

As the collapsing peak roared, it felt as though the entire range trembled.

Dust billowed skyward in a shroud, and the ground heaved as if in an earthquake. The Body Sect shook under the force of the impact.

At that moment, Du Busi's brow was beaded with cold sweat, his muscles shuddering uncontrollably.

It was a violent physiological reaction after a brush with death.

While the Body Sect members were still reeling from the sudden shock, a figure flashed in an instant to appear before Du Busi.

The newcomer raised a long, powerful leg and, without mercy, lashed out. A foot clad in a metal high heel met Du Busi's body squarely.

Boom!

The force in that kick made the air shatter like a brittle spiderweb.

Amid the resounding sonic boom, everyone from the Body Sect stared, aghast, eyes full of fear.

They watched as Du Busi—the Body Douluo who had only recently broken through to Ultimate Douluo and was in high spirits—was blasted away like a cannonball, smashing the crest off another mountain.

"Sect Master!"

"Grandfather!"

The Body Sect's elders and Princess Weina of the Heavenly Soul Empire cried out at once in shock and alarm.

Soon, the Body Sect's Grand Elder, Golden Body Douluo Jin Peng, pulled Du Busi with difficulty from the rubble.

Du Busi no longer had any of the luster he'd shown when breaking through to Ultimate Douluo.

He was utterly listless, breath weak, drenched in blood, and in a pitiful state. From the look of him, he had probably broken more than a few bones.

Bear in mind, Du Busi was a Ultimate Douluo with a Body Martial Soul; his physique was terrifying, comparable to a top-tier fierce beast.

Yet now, a single kick had nearly cost him half his life.

"Not bad—quite sturdy. You folks and your so-called Body Martial Souls can take a hit."

Amid the Body Sect's reverent, almost terrified gazes, a fresh, boldly spirited voice drifted down.

A white-haired, fox-eared beauty in an azure battle robe hovered in midair.

She rested a sharp battle-axe on her shoulder, its edge glinting with a biting chill, proclaiming its extraordinary nature.

Currents of cyan wind danced around her like loyal guards, as if the world's wind itself had bowed to her, willing to heed her command.

"Feixiao, didn't we agree this was just a spar?" Weina couldn't help stepping forward, looking at Feixiao with exasperation.

Du Busi was the god-grandfather she revered; Feixiao was the Servant she had summoned.

When Du Busi learned that Weina had become a Master and successfully summoned a powerful being from another world, his curiosity and desire to test himself burned bright. He wanted to see just what power a so-called Servant possessed.

Who could have expected that as soon as the bout began, he'd be crushed with no chance to fight back, even questioning his life choices?

After only three exchanges, he had almost died—and that was with Feixiao holding back.

"Little Weina, that's not on me. I was already going easy."

Feixiao felt a bit awkward herself. Nearly beating her Master's god-grandfather to death was… less than ideal.

But Weina had praised her god-grandfather to the skies at the start—Ultimate Douluo this, apex powerhouse that—so Feixiao had been looking forward to a hearty duel between experts.

Instead, before she even put in any real effort, Du Busi had nearly gone to meet the King of Hell.

Good thing she'd hesitated to unleash her numinous might; otherwise he might have perished then and there.

"Are you… a deity from another world? To possess such terrifying power!"

Catching his breath, Du Busi stared at Feixiao, eyes alight with fervor.

He was deeply shaken. This was merely a Servant, not the true body, yet the pressure she exerted surpassed even the Snow Empress who had slain Dragon God Douluo Mu En back then.

If just a projection could be this powerful, then could her true body be one of those legendary God-Kings?

"A god? People from more primitive planets have called me that, but I'm just a general who leads troops."

Feixiao spoke offhandedly.

On worlds that hadn't touched the wider cosmos and were still relatively primitive, someone like her could indeed be addressed as a god.

But in the vast world she came from, such gods were nothing rare.

In their understanding, only those lofty Star Gods truly deserved to be called gods.

"I knew it!" Du Busi could hardly contain his joy. Weina had drawn a trump card.

Judging by the power Feixiao had displayed, even true gods might be nothing more than this.

With her on their side, they were all but assured victory in the coming Holy Grail War.

"Hmph. Sun-Moon Empire—whatever schemes you have, before absolute power they're nothing but futile."

Du Busi, overjoyed, had no time to mind his own injuries.

With Feixiao's strength on display, he had no worries left about the upcoming Soul Master Tournament the Sun-Moon Empire was about to host.

Given today's complicated situation across the continent, the Sun-Moon Empire still insisting on holding the tournament was suspicious to everyone.

All knew the Sun-Moon Empire would likely set layers of traps within the tournament.

Even so, it was an open conspiracy no one could refuse.

After all, the Soul Master Tournament had been held for ten thousand years. With its influence among soul masters, no empire could decline to participate.

Refusal would deal a heavy blow to one's prestige and shake one's standing on the continent.

Thus, although everyone knew this tournament was anything but ordinary—that the Sun-Moon Empire harbored ill intent—each major power had no choice but to send a serious team, not a perfunctory one.

The tournament was a continent-wide spectacle of the highest order, watched closely by all sides.

Failing to perform would invite doubts from every quarter, damaging one's reputation and position.

Just like when Shrek Academy lost the championship it had long dominated, and weathered no small amount of criticism with a notable hit to its reputation.

"Feixiao, are you really just a general?" Weina looked up at Feixiao, curiosity brimming.

Feixiao's dashing, heroic bearing was striking, but in Weina's mind, it was hard to believe someone with such transcendent power was merely a general.

In her experience, generals were tools wielded by royal authority. No matter how outstanding, they were insignificant before absolute powerhouses.

In their Heavenly Soul Empire, the commander-in-chief of all three armies was roughly on par in status with a Titled Douluo; compared to a figure like Du Busi, who ranked among the continent's top experts, the difference was a chasm.

So she truly couldn't imagine what kind of force could command someone like Feixiao.

"Hehe, Little Weina, different worlds differ by a gulf. I've learned a fair bit about yours now. Being summoned by you is a rare bond. How about I help you train a Cloud Knights? War isn't far from your doorstep."

Feixiao chuckled, glossing over the conceptual gap between a Xianzhou general and a Douluo Continent general.

As the Arbiter-General, Feixiao had a keen eye for war. She had already seen the tangled situation on Douluo Continent with clarity.

Her instincts had long caught the scent of war on the wind.

So she took the initiative to help Weina train an army to strengthen the Heavenly Soul Empire as a whole.

She was fond of Weina. The princess had high emotional intelligence, none of the arrogance common among royals, and was quite approachable—leaving Feixiao with an excellent impression.

Even if a hastily trained Cloud Knights couldn't match the Cloud Knights of Xianzhou Alliance in equipment or strength, it would still be more than enough for a continent-spanning war.

"Thank you, Feixiao. Being able to summon you may be the luckiest thing in my life."

Weina expressed her gratitude with sincerity.

She didn't know Feixiao's exact skill in drilling troops, but given Feixiao's terrifying power and the confidence befitting a general, Weina chose to trust her without hesitation.

She secretly resolved to return to the palace at once and do her utmost to persuade her father to hand over the Heavenly Soul Empire's most elite soul master legions to Feixiao for training and command.

"Perfect timing. My Body Sect has many highly talented disciples, but most aren't skilled in large-scale combat. Might I trouble you, Lady Feixiao, to train them into seasoned soldiers as well?"

Hearing this, Du Busi quickly followed Feixiao's lead, calculations humming in his mind.

He knew that training under someone like Feixiao would be an immense opportunity for anyone.

If not for saving face, he would have joined the drills himself.

"Mm. These kids are excellent seedlings. I agree."

Feixiao's gaze swept over the likes of Long Aotian in the Body Sect. In her eyes, though they were still weak for now, each had considerable potential. With careful honing, they could become fine soldiers.

Feixiao herself was a powerhouse who had tempered her body to the extreme, and the Body Sect's Body Martial Souls naturally amplified physical strength—perfectly matching her training approach.

Though their physiques could never compare to the Xianzhou long-liver race, it was quite feasible to forge a low-spec Cloud Knights.

If the other empires made no dramatic reforms, then once the Heavenly Soul Empire's version of the Cloud Knights took shape, it would likely vault to become the strongest army on Douluo Continent.

By then, the Sun-Moon Empire's proud Five Nation-Guarding Hands and their Beast King–class soul engineer legions—equipped with advanced soul tools—might struggle to withstand the Cloud Knights' fierce assault.

Such was the massive impact the Holy Grail War and the arrival of Servants would have on this world.

Even aside from the raw power they possessed, the very knowledge, the entirely different systems of science and force they brought from beyond would be enough to trigger sweeping shock and change across the continent.

In Lu Jingming's view, this change was positive—beneficial to Douluo's development.

Absorbing knowledge from other worlds could greatly accelerate the continent's growth and strength.

After all, there were no forbidden knowledge taboos on Douluo. Knowledge from elsewhere was welcome, the more the better.

Under the joint persuasion of Du Busi and Weina, the Heavenly Soul Emperor was finally convinced to entrust the empire's most elite soul master legions to Feixiao.

Together with the many Body Sect disciples eager to join in, it was easy to foresee that, under Feixiao's meticulous training, a mighty army capable of shaking the entire continent would soon be born.

Even as the Heavenly Soul Empire moved in high gear, the Star Luo Empire refused to be outdone and quickly took corresponding action.

Curiously, however, the Dou Ling Empire seemed utterly aloof, unmoved by the shifting winds, as if none of it concerned them.

In truth, the reason was that no Master had emerged within the Dou Ling Empire for this Holy Grail War.

In the original, the Dou Ling Empire had always had a faint presence on the continent. The only one to truly carry its fortune was likely Xu Sanshi.

Of course, others might also bear some measure of destiny—they simply weren't chosen.