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**
Inside Heaven Dou City Prison.
In a section of the prison specifically designated for supervising Soul Masters.
Ma Hongjun was currently held in a solitary cell.
Outside the cell, Flender looked at the calm expression on Ma Hongjun's face, feeling a slight sense of comfort in his heart.
"Hongjun, don't you worry. Just focus on your cultivation while you're in here. I'm going to head out right now to try and secure a reduced sentence for you."
Flender's deeply concerned demeanor moved Ma Hongjun quite a bit.
In this world, Flender was truly the only one who genuinely cared about him.
"Don't worry, Master. I will definitely cultivate properly while I'm here. Tell Boss Dai and the others not to worry about me."
A smile immediately surfaced on Ma Hongjun's face, making him look as though he was genuinely remorseful for his actions. In reality, however, Ma Hongjun naturally did not believe that killing someone was wrong.
Soul Masters were fundamentally superior to others; the person who died was nothing more than an ordinary commoner.
What had actually landed him in prison was the fact that the massive fire had spread to other areas, destroying other people's property and disrupting the public order of Heaven Dou City. During his past few days of prison life, Ma Hongjun had not received any form of punishment at all.
On the contrary, he was actually quite happy to be far away from Yu Xiaogang and free from his training.
"Mhm, rest assured, Hongjun. With my soul power rank and your talent, I estimate you'll be released very soon. Besides, you will definitely become a noble in the future. Nobles don't have to compensate those commoners."
After offering a few final words of comfort to Ma Hongjun, Flender reluctantly departed from the prison. Next, he still needed to pull some strings and see if anyone could arrange for Ma Hongjun's early release.
However, during the days following Flender's departure...
Ma Hongjun's miserable days arrived.
Under normal circumstances, as a genius Soul Master, he wouldn't have faced much punishment. Emperor Xue Ye and Xue Qinghe wouldn't care about a trivial matter like Ma Hongjun's situation either.
But other people were a different story.
For example, Xue Beng and Prince Xue Xing.
Prince Xue Xing had always suspected Xue Qinghe, but he lacked evidence. Thus, in the face of Xue Qinghe's daily growing power and influence, he could only secretly accumulate strength.
Xue Beng was one of his chess pieces.
Xue Beng felt exactly the same way; he needed to gather power and sabotage Xue Qinghe's efforts to recruit talents. Ever since Xiao Lin and his group joined the Emperor Team last time, Xue Beng had deeply regretted it.
He regretted not stopping Xiao Lin and the others from becoming Xue Qinghe's people.
(In Xue Beng's eyes, the members of the Emperor Team had a great relationship with Ning Rongrong, which meant they had a great relationship with Ning Fengzhi, which ultimately meant they sided with Xue Qinghe).
But now, he learned that there were geniuses who were not any weaker than Xiao Lin's group.
They were the members of Shrek who had previously come to challenge the Imperial Fighting Team. These members were young; in the past, they would have absolutely been considered monsters.
Even now, knowing the soul power ranks of Xiao Lin and the others, Xue Beng still viewed the Shrek students as super geniuses. Therefore, upon learning that Ma Hongjun had been thrown into prison, Prince Xue Xing's mind began to spin with ideas.
Prince Xue Xing wanted Xue Beng to go and recruit Ma Hongjun and the others, and then take the opportunity to recruit the entire roster of Shrek teachers.
However, Xue Beng was no fool either.
He and Prince Xue Xing were merely using each other.
This time, he had personally come to the prison where Ma Hongjun was confined. He intended to recruit Ma Hongjun, as well as Ma Hongjun's classmates, teachers, and everyone else. Furthermore, he had no intention of handing this force over to Prince Xue Xing.
He would have Ma Hongjun act as a double agent, remaining hidden by Prince Xue Xing's side.
To achieve this, Xue Beng decided to place a massive wager to recruit Ma Hongjun and his group. Stepping into the prison, Xue Beng's eyes landed on Ma Hongjun, who was the youngest of the bunch.
Watching Ma Hongjun still training diligently even inside a prison cell, a faint smirk curled upon the corner of Xue Beng's mouth. Before long, led by a jailer, Xue Beng arrived in front of Ma Hongjun's cell.
"Ma Hongjun, a genius of Shrek Academy, and the direct disciple of Dean Flender..."
As Xue Beng rattled off Ma Hongjun's various identities, Ma Hongjun furrowed his brows and looked toward him.
Staring at the playboy-like Xue Beng standing before him, Ma Hongjun had no idea who this guy was, let alone what he wanted. However, as far as Ma Hongjun was concerned, Flender was the only person he truly cared about, so he glared at Xue Beng with irritation.
Ma Hongjun asked bluntly, "What do you want?"
"Nothing much. I just want to strike a massive deal with you, one that comes with plenty of benefits for you."
Xue Beng wore a wicked smile.
He didn't believe for a second that a country bumpkin like Ma Hongjun would reject his offer.
"Tch."
Ma Hongjun looked disdainful. He looked down on guys who didn't even have the decency to introduce themselves.
"My name is Xue Beng."
As if reading his mind, Xue Beng quickly introduced himself.
He then ordered the jailer to open the cell door before dismissing all of his accompanying guards. Walking up to Ma Hongjun's side, Xue Beng began to explain his situation in detail.
"So, you want me to help you deal with Crown Prince Xue Qinghe?"
Ma Hongjun wasn't entirely stupid.
Moreover, since his brother Dai Mubai was also locked in a struggle for a throne, he was able to piece things together very quickly.
"Correct. But to be more precise, I want you to infiltrate the side of my Uncle Xue Xing, and then help me deal with both Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Uncle Xue Xing."
"As a double agent, not only can you reap benefits from Uncle Xue Xing's side, but you will also receive the rewards I give you."
Xue Beng spoke in a low voice right next to Ma Hongjun, a slight smile playing on his lips, acting as if he wasn't worried at all that Ma Hongjun might betray him.
"What's in it for me?" Ma Hongjun asked directly.
"The benefit is that you and your good brothers will each be granted a massive piece of territory within the Heaven Dou Empire. You can establish your own duchies and become kings."
"Your teachers will also receive excellent treatment."
"That's it?"
Ma Hongjun's brows furrowed slightly, his face filled with disdain.
He didn't care about this kind of reward at all. Dai Mubai had already promised them that once he became the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, he would also grant them territories. He naturally chose to trust Boss Dai, whom he spent time with day and night.
"I know what you're thinking. Are you thinking about that Dai Mubai, the Prince of the Star Luo Empire?"
Xue Beng let out a chuckle, not minding Ma Hongjun's attitude at all.
"Do you really think he can win? Do you think he can actually become the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire?"
"He will win!"
Faced with Xue Beng's skepticism, Ma Hongjun appeared incredibly confident.
"You're overthinking it. Dai Mubai can never become the Emperor."
Xue Beng spoke with absolute certainty, his face brimming with confidence.
"Do you think the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire would allow a Dai Mubai, who cannot utilize a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, to become the Crown Prince and the future Emperor?"
"Think about it. The Dai clan has never produced a Titled Douluo powerhouse, so how exactly did they become the Emperors? How did they manage to hold onto a territory as vast as the Star Luo Empire?"
"Think carefully—can a Martial Soul Fusion Skill unleashed by two Soul Douluo powerhouses defeat an Average Titled Douluo?"
The moment Xue Beng uttered those words, Ma Hongjun's resolve began to waver.
It was true.
Even if Dai Mubai could become a Titled Douluo in the future, he still wouldn't be able to inherit the throne. Unless, of course, Dai Mubai possessed the solo strength of a Super Douluo.
The Dai clan and the Zhu clan of the Star Luo Empire were bound together by generations of marriage, which was the very foundation of their imperial rule.
Even if Dai Mubai had their help, it would be useless if the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire didn't trust them. Otherwise, why was it that no one had ever heard anything about Dai Mubai's second older brother?
Those who could not perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill were forever barred from the throne.
"What do I need to do? But these benefits are too few, you must also help me find an Ultimate Ice treasure..."
Very quickly, Ma Hongjun stated his demands.
A short while later.
Muffled screams of agony from Ma Hongjun began to echo out of the prison cell.
As for what exactly transpired inside, no one knew except for Xue Beng and Ma Hongjun.
**
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your support! If you enjoy my work, you can check out my Patreon—there are 100+ early access and exclusive content. I update 5 advanced chapter from Monday-Saturday
www.patreon.com/c/FanficTranslator
I truly appreciate it!