Chapter 322: Praise the Sun!
Since the opponent was only a Soul Emperor, there was nothing to fear. Indeed, their spiritual power was strong so much so that they could defeat a Soul King with just a spiritual soul skill. However, Xu Tianzhen had a spiritual defense soul tool, which should be enough to withstand their attacks.
Of course, Xu Tianzhen's confidence didn't come solely from her soul tool but also from her martial soul and soul skills. She believed that among her peers, she was one of the strongest. After all, she too was a Soul Emperor.
Her martial soul was the Sun Martial Soul, one of the two inherited martial souls of the Sun Moon Imperial Family. Although it wasn't as powerful as Xu Tianran's Purple Radiance Annihilation Dragon Martial Soul, it was still one of the top tier fire attribute martial souls.
One of the advantages of inheriting a martial soul was that previous generations had already extensively studied it. Even the optimal soul skill configurations had been determined, sparing her from the trial and error process.
On the high platform, Xu Tianran wasn't in the best mood, but he still maintained a warm smile. After all, so many people were watching.
The upcoming match between Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy didn't interest him. Given the gap in their strength, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was bound to win.
What truly concerned him was the situation with Xuan Zi. Yesterday, Xian Lin'er had come to him, requesting the Sun Moon Empire to release Xuan Zi and offering some concessions in return.
Truthfully, if Mu Lao hadn't ordered Xuan Zi to be brought back, Xian Lin'er wouldn't have bothered. After all, Xuan Zi's suspected betrayal was a huge blow to Shrek Academy's reputation.
Just as Xu Tianran was about to negotiate for more benefits, he received word that Xuan Zi had already been released. His efforts were wasted. After further inquiry, he learned that Elder Kong had unilaterally released Xuan Zi, which immediately displeased him.
Although he wasn't directly involved in Xuan Zi's capture, as the future emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, he couldn't allow Kong Deming to make such decisions without consulting him. It was as if Elder Kong didn't even acknowledge his authority as the Regent.
No matter how powerful Elder Kong was, Xu Tianran was the heir, and Elder Kong was merely a subject. Xu Tianran showed him respect by calling him "Elder Kong" only because of his strength and royal bloodline, but ultimately, he was still a subordinate and should respect his future emperor.
With that thought, Xu Tianran's eyes flickered, his mind churning with ideas.
"It seems I need to accelerate the plan to make the Holy Spirit Cult the official state religion. Elder Kong becoming stronger is good he has likely become the first ever Rank 10 Soul Engineer. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to subdue Xuan Zi, who was burning the Fire of Life.
Lately, Elder Kong's prestige in the empire has been soaring. Now, he even dares to release Xuan Zi without consulting me. He's becoming arrogant.
In this situation, there must be someone to keep Elder Kong in check and prevent the Sun Moon Soul Engineers from growing too powerful. The best case scenario would be for the Holy Spirit Cult and the Sun Moon Soul Engineers, led by Elder Kong, to develop sharp conflicts within the imperial court.
As long as they're fighting each other so long as it doesn't go too far my throne will be more secure.
With Elder Kong as their backbone, the Sun Moon Soul Engineers will inevitably become a political faction. At that point, even if Elder Kong himself has no interest in the throne, others may start pushing him toward it."
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy – Waiting Area
Xiao Hongchen was eager as he looked at the competition stage. "Yuhao, today we're up against Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy. How about I go first and show them just how strong the Sun Moon Empire's second genius is? Don't worry, I'll completely overwhelm them."
Meng Hongchen glanced at him, somewhat exasperated. "Xiao, you should sit this one out. If you end up fighting Xu Tianzhen and fail to control your strength, injuring her, just wait until Grandpa scolds you when we get home."
Xiao Hongchen's expression stiffened. Everyone in the Sun Moon Empire's upper ranks knew how much favor Xu Tianzhen received. Most people avoided conflicts with her to prevent unnecessary trouble.
His brows furrowed slightly before he gritted his teeth and said, "Let Grandpa scold me if he wants I'm not going to throw the match. So what if she's the most favored princess? If she's participating in a competition, she should be prepared to get hurt."
With the Sun Moon referees overseeing the match, there was no way Xu Tianzhen would suffer serious injuries. After all, who would dare allow the most beloved princess to get gravely injured right in front of Regent Xu Tianran? However, they also wouldn't intervene just because she took a few light hits.
"No need. I'll fight and finish this quickly to save time," Huo Yuhao stepped forward. The sooner the match ended, the more time he'd have for cultivation especially his Sun Moon Profound Art.
Moreover, he remembered that Xu Tianzhen's martial soul and soul skills allowed her to absorb and transfer solar energy. In the original story, when Qiu'er fought Xu Tianzhen, not only did she recover her soul power, but she even slightly increased it and purified her bloodline.
For Qiu'er, Xu Tianzhen was like a walking elixir.
At its core, this was because the legendary Golden Dragon could absorb solar energy, converting it into a source of power. And the solar energy Xu Tianzhen released through her soul skills was essentially raw solar power.
Yes, praise the sun.
Most people couldn't withstand it, but Huo Yuhao was different. With his Sun Moon Profound Art, Xu Tianzhen's abilities were practically nourishment.
Huo Yuhao thought that if he could find more people with Sun Martial Souls and Moon Martial Souls to assist him, his cultivation efficiency would improve significantly.
The Sun Martial Soul was an inheritance of the Sun Moon Royal Family. As for the Moon Martial Soul, he recalled that Shrek Academy's senior disciple, Zhang Lexuan, possessed one.
Huo Yuhao activated his flight type soul tool and ascended to the competition stage. Xu Tianzhen's eyes brightened at the sight, and she immediately activated her own flight type soul tool, landing on the stage as well.
Staring at Huo Yuhao, Xu Tianzhen said, "Huo Yuhao, I will be your opponent. As captains of our respective teams and fellow citizens of the Sun Moon Empire, I will go easy on you and make sure you don't suffer serious injuries."
So confident? Huo Yuhao studied Xu Tianzhen before replying indifferently, "I will also go easy on you. Huo Yuhao of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
Seeing that Huo Yuhao remained as calm and composed as ever, Xu Tianzhen had nothing more to say. She simply responded, "Xu Tianzhen of Mingdu Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
The referee looked at both of them, raised his right hand, and then brought it down forcefully.
"Match, begin!"
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on January 2, 2026.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1