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Su Yu had reinforced the defenses around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to the best of his ability.
While he couldn't say he could do anything to Da Ming and Er Ming, at the very least, the two of them would not be able to enter the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well unscathed.
Moreover, they would also have to contend with the deadly poison of the Biphosphors Nine-Death Flower.
Given the current state of the Douluo Continent, the Sea God might not even have the ability to heal the two of them.
Even if he could heal them, it would undoubtedly give the God of Destruction an excuse to take Da Ming and Er Ming away.
Of course, this wasn't the most important thing.
For Su Yu, the greatest significance of his arrangements was to make a public declaration: the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well now belonged to him and to Sun-Moon Hall.
Da Ming and Er Ming might dare to forcefully break into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, but with two Soul Engineer regiments stationed there and Su Yu's many defensive methods in place, if they insisted on trespassing and stealing the immortal herbs, then one day, Su Yu would have just cause to break into the Clear Sky School—or even Shrek—and take whatever he wanted.
That's why declaring ownership still held strategic importance.
As long as Da Ming and Er Ming weren't insane enough to disregard the Clear Sky School's legacy entirely.
Even though they had no direct ties to the Clear Sky School, Tang San certainly did, and both Wang Dong and Tang Zhen were members as well.
They were likely retrieving the immortal herbs for those two, but if their actions led to the fall of the Clear Sky School, then the pair would, in a way, become traitors to the very sect they intended to aid.
"Shrek City."
Three days later.
Su Yu arrived at Shrek City. As he gazed upon the massive, majestic city, he felt no emotional stir within.
He had been to Shrek City once before.
One could say that Shrek City was even more awe-inspiring than Sun-Moon.
It wasn't that Shrek City was larger or more technologically advanced than Sun-Moon, but because it was located at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, serving as the first line of defense against beast tides, and it had indeed withstood many such assaults.
Under the relentless sieges of beast tides, the walls of Shrek City seemed to have absorbed a faint, yet palpable, aura of ferocity.
Of course, perhaps that was just the psychological impression.
Su Yu didn't dwell on it. He entered Shrek City and made his way to the Wanhu Tower.
"Old Qian."
"Yo, Brother Su, what brings you to Shrek City?"
When Qian Tong saw Su Yu, he immediately glanced around nervously, then furtively led him into a secret chamber as if they were about to commit a crime.
"Brother, why are you here in Shrek City?" he asked in a hushed voice, as though afraid of being overheard.
Su Yu was speechless.
Was this really necessary?
Alright, logically speaking, his arrival in Shrek City could indeed attract unwanted attention from Shrek Academy.
However, this time wasn't a normal situation.
Su Yu didn't bother explaining much to Qian Tong and got straight to business.
"So, has Qian Duoduo shown any signs of softening?"
Back then, Qian Duoduo had been able to break through and become a Rank 9 Soul Engineer thanks to Qian Tong, who had provided him with Rank 9 soul tool technology from Sun-Moon Hall, allowing him to achieve the breakthrough in one stroke.
After the Soul Dueling Tournament, Qian Duoduo hadn't been taken in by Sun-Moon Hall but had instead, along with Xuanzi and the others, accidentally entered the Qian Kun Love-Seeking Valley.
By all rights, the Qian Kun Love-Seeking Valley didn't accept old men, nor did it welcome eternal bachelors, yet among those who fell into the valley this time, hardly any fit the usual criteria.
The Sea God needed to exert his influence once again, doing everything he could to arm them, and naturally, this meant including everyone in the trials.
Even single men without partners became eligible, providing a convenient reason for them to pass each trial—essentially handing out benefits in broad daylight.
Within the Love-Seeking Valley, Qian Duoduo received a comprehensive inheritance of soul tool technology.
However, this inheritance only reflected the level of Sun-Moon Hall from five years ago—before Su Yu's rune system was introduced.
Even so, this reward was still significant enough to disrupt the balance.
This was also a major reason why, after agreeing with Su Yu, the God of Destruction moved swiftly to strip the Sea God of his control over the Divine Realm's central authority.
There was no choice—the God of Destruction was truly enraged, and the Sea God's actions gave him sufficient justification to forcibly seize control of the Divine Realm's central authority.
However, the God of Destruction did not retain that control for himself. Instead, the two sides entered a power balance, with neither retaining authority over the central core.
"He inherited a vast amount of soul tool knowledge?"
Hearing Qian Tong's explanation, Su Yu could only sigh helplessly.
He had figured out where Qian Duoduo's inheritance had come from.
It was precisely because of this that Su Yu felt so powerless.
This was the impact of the gods on the Douluo Continent.
Once gods could arbitrarily impose their influence on the lower realms, the development of those realms would become completely stagnant.
The Sun Moon Empire had spent countless years developing soul tool technology and enforcing a tightly sealed technological blockade—yet it still could not match the effect of a single divine trial.
Simply put, this reward was excessive.
Fortunately, what was obtained was only five-year-old technology—and only the technical knowledge.
Given Shrek's current circumstances, they were in no position to fully digest and utilize that technology.
Therefore, the Sun Moon Empire didn't need to worry too much for now in that regard.
Overall, this reward seemed more like a form of protection for Shrek, ensuring it wouldn't be left behind in future developments.
It felt as though the Sea God had already accepted the reality of the Sun Moon Empire's unification, along with the collapse of all his previous plans. Now, his only concern was preserving his greatest proxy force on the Douluo Continent.
"Even the Martial God Douluo couldn't change Qian Duoduo's stance?" Su Yu asked.
Qian Tong replied, "It had some effect. After all, my uncle still has feelings for the Martial God Douluo."
Su Yu's expression turned a bit odd.
Still, he didn't interrupt Qian Tong.
Qian Duoduo still has feelings for the Martial God Douluo…
Hearing that, Su Yu couldn't help but feel curious—how did Qian Duoduo manage to pass through the Qian Kun Love-Seeking Valley?
"My uncle is probably still conflicted right now, but he recently went into seclusion. It seems his research on soul tools has reached a breakthrough. With years of emotional baggage finally lifted, he's found an opportunity to advance to Super Douluo."
Qian Tong certainly knew a lot.
Qian Duoduo is about to break through to Super Douluo!
"Once he reaches Super Douluo, given the current importance of the Soul Tool Department, it's not impossible for him to gain more influence within the Sea God's Pavilion."
And with greater influence, Qian Duoduo's attitude would become critically important.
It wasn't about getting Shrek to submit to the Sun Moon Empire, nor about having them betray the Three Kingdoms of Douluo. But if it was simply a matter of ceasing resistance, that might still be possible.
At the very least, there was a chance that Qian Duoduo could be persuaded to propose such an idea.
"Hmm, the main goal now is to shift Qian Duoduo's stance to neutrality."
After all, Shrek still had several Super Douluo, and their development in soul tools was on the rise. Although they couldn't advance their mecha armor technology, and even if they managed to decipher the Rank 9 fixed-mount soul cannon technology, they wouldn't be able to manufacture it due to the scarcity of rare metals. Still, it would inevitably hinder the Sun Moon Empire's progress.