"I'm not who you think I am!"
Xu Jiujiao's eyes widened, her ample chest heaving as she struggled to contain her displeasure. With furrowed brows and suppressed frustration, she began to explain.
Having grown up in the imperial palace, she had long internalized the art of composure. Yet now, with just one sentence from Jiang Jue, she had almost lost her cool.
Still, remembering the purpose of her visit, she forced a smile back onto her face.
"I am Xu Jiujiao of the Star Luo Empire's royal family. I apologize for disturbing you at night—it is indeed discourteous. But I hope you can spare me some time so we may talk properly."
As she spoke, Xu Jiujiao gave a graceful, complex, and thoroughly elegant bow, looking expectantly at Jiang Jue.
Jiang Jue's lips curled slightly. Before coming here, he had considered every possibility and already memorized the appearance of key figures from the Star Luo royal family. The moment he saw Xu Jiujiao, he recognized her.
However, what surprised him was that after he had displayed his martial soul and extreme ice attribute during the day, the first person to approach him wasn't from the Body Sect—but from the royal family of the Star Luo Empire.
A glint flashed in Jiang Jue's eyes as if something occurred to him.
"So you're from the royal family of the Star Luo Empire. Then please, come in."
"For a moment, I thought it was one of those wayward girls..."
Jiang Jue feigned sudden realization and gestured politely toward the room.
Upon hearing the last part of what Jiang Jue said, a vein bulged on Xu Jiujiao's forehead, her delicate fist clenched tightly. But since he was finally letting her in, she still politely thanked him.
They sat opposite each other at the guest table, eyes locked.
Looking at Jiang Jue's calm demeanor, Xu Jiujiao couldn't help but admire him. Even after learning she was of royal blood, he remained composed. Truly a promising youth—his mental fortitude alone was exceptional.
"Ahem... Jiang Jue, I'm here on behalf of the Star Luo Empire. We hope you will consider joining us."
She got straight to the point, seeing that Jiang Jue was no fool and wouldn't appreciate any unnecessary buildup.
"Oh? And why would I do that? What would I gain from joining the Star Luo Empire?"
Jiang Jue looked at her with great interest.
Xu Jiujiao's eyes flashed with amusement. His response meant he was willing to talk—there was hope.
"Jiang Jue, you're not a native of the Sun Moon Empire, are you?"
"Why do you say that?"
A confident smile appeared on Xu Jiujiao's face.
"From my investigation, aside from the body-type martial soul you revealed today, you seem to also possess a light-attribute martial soul. In all these years, the Sun Moon Empire has never produced a twin-martial-soul user. Furthermore, the quality of their martial souls is generally lower than those from our Three Great Empires. So I dare say, you aren't one of them."
"Am I right?"
She looked at Jiang Jue with shining eyes.
Jiang Jue smiled. He hadn't expected Xu Jiujiao to deduce he wasn't from the Sun Moon Empire based on his twin martial souls. Her reasoning was shaky, but her conclusion was correct.
After all, the Sun Moon Empire did have twin-soul users—like Kong Deming.
"So, you investigated me?"
Jiang Jue didn't answer her question but asked his own.
"I'm sorry, but it was necessary."
Xu Jiujiao responded frankly. She had to thoroughly vet him before recruiting him. What if he turned out to be a spy? That would be a disaster.
This also served to show the strength of her side.
According to records at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, Jiang Jue had no known affiliation. That meant if they gave him a good enough offer, he had no reason to refuse.
In this world, nationality meant little.
"So, what benefits do I get if I join the Star Luo Empire?"
Jiang Jue asked again.
Xu Jiujiao straightened up, her tone serious. She knew now was the time to lay her cards on the table. This would determine whether or not Jiang Jue would join them.
"The Star Luo Empire is willing to provide you with the most suitable soul rings. We guarantee that your primary martial soul will have at least one 100,000-year soul ring, and your secondary soul will have at least two 100,000-year soul rings. You'll also receive 100,000-year-level soul bones, along with various heavenly treasures and full resource support."
By the time she finished speaking, her face was slightly flushed. These were the highest privileges she could offer. Even she found the conditions startling.
A 100,000-year soul ring, or even a soul bone of that level—most Soul Masters never saw one in their entire lives. Even most Titled Douluos lacked such treasures.
But Xu Jiujiao believed it was worth it.
Because once an Ultimate Attribute Soul Master reached the level of Titled Douluo, they became invincible. Truly peerless.
In the past 10,000 years of history, there had only been three known Ultimate Attribute Soul Masters: Ultimate Wind, Ultimate Fire, and Ultimate Wood. Each led an era, standing at the peak of their time.
She didn't dare imagine how joyous it would be if the Star Luo Empire had such a being on their side.
But to her dismay, despite her passionate speech, Jiang Jue remained as calm as ever, as if her conditions were nothing special.
So, she raised the stakes again.
"We'll also provide you with a teacher at the Titled Douluo level. You should know that while the Sun Moon Empire may seem stronger overall, when it comes to top-tier power, they're far behind our original Three Great Empires. Their locals cannot even break through to Super Douluo."
"Your martial souls can only be fully developed in one of the Three Great Empires. And among them…"
"The Heaven Soul Empire is aimless, the Dou Spirit Empire is weak. Only we, the Star Luo Empire, are worthy of someone like you!"
Jiang Jue watched her impassioned performance and gently shook his head.
The fact that the Three Great Empires were crushed so badly by the Sun Moon Empire wasn't without reason. They were still using outdated rankings to judge power, ignoring the Sun Moon Empire's use of Class 9 soul tools, which could drastically offset gaps in cultivation. On top of that, their intelligence was way behind.
In another timeline, it wasn't until the second Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament that they even discovered the existence of the Holy Spirit Sect, and the many Titled Douluos it had.
Seeing him shake his head, Xu Jiujiao felt her heart sink. Even this isn't enough? What more does he want?
"Our royal family also raises a 50,000-year-old Star Origin Heavenly Dragon Horse, possessing both starlight and light attributes. It carries the noble blood of the Holy Light Dragon, and it would be perfect for your light-type martial soul…"
This time, she was starting to panic. Before coming, she had been full of confidence—who knew Jiang Jue would be so immune to her offers?
Moreover, with the Sun Moon Empire growing more ambitious each year, if someone like Jiang Jue grew strong, it would place the Three Great Empires in even greater danger.
Jiang Jue chuckled. Looks like his identity as a light-type martial soul user was now solidified. That meant he could now walk around with two separate identities.
"Kid, don't be so arrogant!"
A raspy voice rang out, filled with pressure.
(End of Chapter)