Besides the four girls, there were Shui Wuliang, Iggy, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao, meaning that, at this moment, everyone that Ignaz needed—both people and family—was gathered here.
Although Ignaz hadn't taken the main seat, the aura and talent he displayed were already enough to establish his authority.
"Some of you are my elders, others are my family. I've called you here today to discuss something important."
"I plan to take my little sisters to Sea God Island to undergo the God's trial. If we're fortunate enough to be chosen by the Sea God, we could one day ascend to divinity."
"What? Brother Ji, do gods really exist in this world?"
The four girls looked at Ignaz with intense curiosity. In their minds, the only beings that truly existed on the continent were the untouchable Level 99 Absolute Douluos. Gods were merely legends.
As for Iggy, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao, all Spirit Douluos themselves, they had heard of gods to some extent, but never did they imagine that Sea God Island actually worshipped a real god. The Sea God had been an invincible Absolute Douluo who ruled the oceans 20,000 years ago—now, he had truly ascended to godhood.
"Don't worry. Listen to me first."
Ignaz comforted the curious girls and continued,
"I was born by the sea and trained under the Sea Spear Douluo, so I know Sea God Island well. Any sea Spirit Master can go there to face the Sea God's trial. If lucky, within twenty years, a Spirit Elder could become a Spirit Douluo, or even a Titled Douluo."
"As for becoming a god, I've only heard fragments from my master. Ever since the Spirit Master Tournament ended, most of you have either become academy instructors or returned to your clans to manage family affairs. This drastically reduces both your training time and your drive to improve. Why not go to Sea God Island? Within thirty years, you'll break into the Titled Douluo rank."
Though the land Spirit Master's trials took less time than the sea trials, the rewards for each stage were substantial. With Shui Bing'er, Ye Lingling, and the others' talents, seven of the eight black-tier trials were well within reach, if not all eight.
No one doubted Ignaz's words.
"All right, we agree. You take them to Sea God Island."
"But what about your 100,000-year Spirit Ring at Level 60?"
When Iggy mentioned the 100,000-year ring, everyone was shocked and looked at Ignaz in surprise.
"A six-ring, 100,000-year Spirit Ring? Isn't that… insane?"
Shui Wuliang's worry was met with Yang Wudi's confidence.
"You guys don't understand, there's more to this kid than you think…"
The more they heard, the more unbelievable it seemed. Shui Bing'er, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan cast resentful glances at Ignaz. They never expected that the brother they had known for so long was such a secretive trickster. Some of his secrets were unknown even to them.
He was skilled at hiding, skilled at weaving lies.
Ignaz avoided their gazes, unable to meet them head-on. Fortunately, Iggy cleared his throat a couple of times, easing the tense atmosphere.
"All right, you three go prepare. The rest of us elders have some matters to discuss with Ignaz."
"All right, Grandpa. Bing'er, Ling, Zhuqing, let's go."
Dugu Yan and the others politely left. Yang Yong and Niu Gao's granddaughter, Niu Nan, also departed. They understood this was the clan leader's final arrangement before leaving—matters concerning the future of their three families.
Once the younger generation left, Iggy set up a soundproof formation. Only then did Ignaz speak with ease.
"Ye, Dugu, Shui, Breaking, Yu(t/n: i Dont Know)—these five families form the foundation of my clan. What I'm about to tell you concerns the clan's future and the greatest secret of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. The current Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, is not the original Xue Qinghe. In fact, the real Xue Qinghe is dead; this one is an imposter."
"What? An imposter? How can I not tell?"
Iggy, who served the royal family, was stunned. He couldn't believe the Crown Prince before him was a fake, while the real one was long dead.
"Grandpa, it's normal that you can't tell. At first, I couldn't either. Only recently did I notice clues. This Crown Prince Xue Qinghe is actually someone from the Spirit Hall and is highly valued by them."
Ignaz could not speak as bluntly as Qian Renxue. His current goal was to ensure that the families involved in his plans could safely navigate the turmoil of the next ten or twenty years. He once dreamed of uniting the continent under the Spirit Hall, ending the wars and giving ordinary people a peaceful life. But now, as a clan leader, he had to consider the longstanding enmity between the Po and Yu families.
A complete Spirit Hall unification was no longer compatible with Ignaz's current vision. Maintaining the balance between the two countries and the Spirit Hall was the only temporary solution. Future events would likely unfold similarly, and Qian Renxue's usurpation plan needed to be stopped. Reducing the Spirit Hall's hatred while protecting Xue Ye remained a formidable challenge.
Ignaz already had a careful solution in mind.
"Grandpa, while we're away, you can apply directly to Emperor Xue Ye to serve as his personal physician, preventing the fake Crown Prince from doing anything unspeakable to His Majesty."
"Second, I want the Shui family to migrate south and merge into the Po and Yu family lands in the Falling Star Mountains. This way, the three families can interact freely, and if danger arises, they can support each other. As for Aunt Ye Wuyi, she can either stay in Heaven Dou City or move to the Falling Star Mountains."
Ignaz had no concerns about the Ye or Dugu families. Unlike the Shui family, their families were small, with few relatives. Ye Wuyi herself was a Level 74 Nine-Star Haitang Spirit Sage. Even if the Spirit Hall invaded the Heaven Dou Empire, the Ye family would remain safe. After all, auxiliary healing Spirit Masters are scarce, and large-scale specialized healers like a Nine-Star Haitang were even rarer.
The world could do without saints, but it must have healers.
The elders had no objections, though Iggy remained skeptical.
"Kid, how did you figure out this Xue Qinghe isn't the original?"
"It's simple. In the past, the Heaven Dou Empire had four princes. The first and second princes were strong heirs, and no extreme struggle for the throne occurred between them. But less than ten years after the third prince, Xue Qinghe, took a maid, the first and second princes both died suddenly. Do you think that's a coincidence?"
"Absolutely not. After their deaths, who benefits the most? That person is the culprit. The key is, upon investigation, I found something odd: the maid serving Xue Qinghe mysteriously disappeared five years ago, and then poisonings started to happen."