Devouring Soul Emperor

"Canghai, Cangyi, what... what happened to you two?"

Seeing Liu Canghai and Liu Cangyi’s wretched state, their third uncle, Liu Taian, frowned.

Liu Taian, a Grand Commander in the Celestial Wind Army and an expert at the Earth Spirit Realm.

He was the greatest backer Liu Canghai and his cousin had.

"Third Uncle, Cangyi was beaten by that Chu Qingyun! Just look at the state he’s in! And I... I was just trying to get revenge for Cangyi, but I ended up being severely injured by Old Man Lin from the exchange office!"

"Third Uncle, Third Uncle, you have to avenge us..."

Liu Canghai and Liu Cangyi both pleaded pathetically.

Liu Taian’s brows knitted together. He said in a deep voice, "Canghai, you’re on thin ice right now; you really shouldn’t have acted so rashly. And now you’ve caught the attention of that group of old geezers from the exchange office. Even I don’t dare to offend them lightly."

Although that group of old geezers had retired from their positions as Grand Commanders, their influence and connections within the Six Armies of the Great Xia Dragon Guard were not to be underestimated.

For one thing.

Liu Taian knew for a fact that two of the younger Grand Commanders had been personally groomed and promoted by a pair of those old men. He certainly wouldn’t dare to offend those two.

"Third Uncle, I couldn’t just stand by and watch Cangyi get beaten. You know that Second Uncle died young..."

Liu Canghai lowered his head and rubbed his eyes, feigning sadness.

The two of them wouldn’t dare admit that they had conspired beforehand to deal with Chu Qingyun, only to fail and end up like this.

"My second brother... Sigh, forget it, forget it. Canghai, go find a few of my captains and teach that Chu Qingyun a lesson."

"Remember, just teach him a lesson and leave it at that. Don’t cause any real trouble. He is, after all, someone that fellow Chuyu values greatly. If you cause a huge incident, not even I will be able to protect you."

Liu Taian let out a long sigh. The mention of his second brother made him feel a pang of grief.

He was well aware of Liu Canghai and Liu Cangyi’s character, but no matter what, they were the sons of his two older brothers. He had to look out for them.

Their goal achieved, Liu Canghai and Liu Cangyi exchanged a glance and shared a secret smirk.

"Oh, right, Third Uncle, can we ask Huo Pengzhan to do it? With him on the job, not even a Gold Medal Captain would be a match for him!" Liu Canghai then asked.

"No. Pengzhan needs to focus all his energy on preparing for the Four Races Martial Arts Competition. He must make a stunning debut there and use the momentum to secure the last spot in the elite squad—the one for a Control-type Martial Soul."

This time, Liu Taian refused directly, without a hint of hesitation.

"The last spot? The other four are already decided?" Liu Canghai couldn’t help but ask.

Liu Taian nodded. "Two captains with Attack-type Martial Souls, one with a Defense-type Martial Soul, and one with a Supporting Martial Soul. Those four are set. We’re just missing a Control Type."

"Third Uncle, what is this all about? That elite squad is filled with only the most elite captains; even ordinary Gold Medal Captains can’t get in. And I’ve heard some rumors before..."

"Shut up!"

Liu Taian’s expression turned grim as he cut Liu Canghai off. "That matter has far-reaching implications. It’s none of your business, so don’t go spouting nonsense about it in the future! Alright, you can go now..."

「The next morning.」

Not long after Chu Qingyun got out of bed, he heard a commotion outside, and it sounded like someone was shouting his name.

Stepping outside, he saw a large crowd had gathered outside his residence.

As fellow captains under Grand Commander Chu Yu of the Celestial Wind Army, the residences of Chu Qingyun, Sun Daxiong, and Xia He weren’t far from each other.

The commotion had already attracted their attention.

Upon seeing Chu Qingyun, more than a dozen people stepped out from the crowd. Each one radiated a powerful aura; they were all Captain-level, Ninth-level Martial Artists.

"So you’re Chu Qingyun? I hear you were quite outstanding in the recent Great Xia Dragon Guard assessment. Do you dare accept a wagered battle with me, Zhan Jun? We won’t bet much—just five hundred Military Merits."

"I, Fang Xin Neng, also challenge you to a wagered battle! Seven hundred Military Merits. Do you dare to accept?"

"Count me in! I, Meng Chengde, will wager one thousand Military Merits! Chu Qingyun, have you got the guts to accept?"

"Count me in..."

"And me..."

One after another, eighteen people all issued challenges to Chu Qingyun for a wagered battle. The stakes ranged from a minimum of five hundred Military Merits to a shocking one thousand!

For those at the Captain Level, this was no small amount.

To put it in perspective, completing a mission rated for a Level One Martial Spirit only awarded one thousand Military Merits.

Moreover, after his one trip to the exchange office, Chu Qingyun fully understood how precious Military Merits were, and how quickly they could be spent.

Every member of the Great Xia Dragon Guard certainly valued their Military Merits immensely!

Because Military Merits represented their future strength, and in the world of Martial Artists, strength was the foundation of everything!

And this was Liu Canghai’s venomous scheme.

His objective was to have many people challenge Chu Qingyun to wagered battles, as he knew that Chu Qingyun had already spent all the Military Merits he earned from the assessment.

If he could make Chu Qingyun fall deep into debt with Military Merits, then for a long time, Chu Qingyun would be forced to run himself ragged on risky missions just to pay it back, with no way to improve his own strength.

Wasting several critical years of cultivation time without any progress—even the greatest genius would likely be ruined.

The dozen or so people all stared intently at Chu Qingyun, waiting for his reply.

Many of the surrounding Great Xia Dragon Guards were also watching with great interest. A dozen people challenging one person to a wagered battle all at once—such a situation was a rare sight.

Clearly, this person named Chu Qingyun must have offended some big shot.

In response, Chu Qingyun didn’t hurry to answer. Instead, he looked at Sun Daxiong and asked, "Sun, what’s the deal with these wagered battles?"

"Chu, there’s a lot I was planning to tell you gradually. With so many Martial Artists gathered in the Great Xia Dragon Guard, all sorts of conflicts and friction are inevitable."

"The Wagered Battle Arena is the place for resolving these conflicts. It’s a venue for fair, supervised duels where both sides can place wagers. Any stake is allowed as long as both parties agree, but most bets involve Military Merits."

Sun Daxiong replied with a frown.

Then, he continued to persuade him, "Chu, these people clearly have ill intentions. They’re all captains under Grand Commander Liu. I think you should just refuse. You’ve only just joined the Great Xia Dragon Guard; there’s no shame in refusing a wagered battle. Besides, several of them are Gold Medal Captains, and a Gold Medal Captain is someone who..."

"Shut your mouth, Sun Daxiong!"