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The world of Douluo is a fascinating place, or one might say, the ultimate patchwork creation.
Elements of Eastern and Western cultures, as well as traces of primordial magic, can all be found here.
However, Ye Wen had never encountered a purely elemental life form during his many years in the Douluo Continent.
'Hmm… plant-type soul beasts don't count. Even the Myriad Beast King's pinnacle wood attribute—can that really be considered an element?'
The uniqueness of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King lay in the fact that its entire body was almost entirely composed of blood. In the blood-soaked City of Slaughter, it thrived like a fish in water.
Ye Wen thought carefully for a moment. Why did this bat king remind him so much of the Blood River Old Ancestor from the primordial legends? As long as the City of Slaughter wasn't destroyed, the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King would never die.
'Forget it. It's better not to compare this little trash to such a powerful being.'
After thorough research and analysis, Ye Wen had completely unraveled the abilities and composition of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King.
Since breaking through to godhood, Ye Wen's physical body had undergone a transformation under the refinement of divine power, evolving into a godly body. He was no longer a mere flesh-and-blood life form but could now be considered a semi-elemental being.
Unless his divine core was destroyed, Ye Wen was practically immortal.
With the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King as a research sample, Ye Wen gained deeper insights into the direction of his future cultivation plans.
Stretching lazily, Ye Wen froze the state of the now-useless Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King and turned it into a specimen. Perhaps it might come in handy later.
Arriving at the Holy Spirit Imperial Palace, Ye Wen watched as Bibi Dong brought everything under control and nodded approvingly.
He then visited the Spirit Hall City. Thanks to the official establishment of the Holy Spirit Empire, the Spirit Hall's influence over this half of the Douluo Continent had reached its peak.
As for the Spirit Hall on the Star Luo side, it had long been destroyed by the White Tiger Emperor. However, neither Bibi Dong nor Ye Wen cared about those parasites. The White Tiger Emperor's actions actually saved them from the blame of becoming executioners.
Since the Holy Spirit Empire hadn't rushed to attack, the White Tiger Emperor grew increasingly anxious.
Mass conscription plunged the White Tiger Empire's populace into misery, and the emperor shamelessly refused to pay wages, causing widespread resentment among the commoners.
But the White Tiger Emperor, accustomed to his lofty position, paid no heed to these "lowly" civilians.
However, constant militarization was not a sustainable strategy. Seeing that the Holy Spirit Empire showed no signs of launching an attack, the White Tiger Emperor eventually sent some people back to tend to their fields. After all, both civilians and soul masters needed to eat.
Ye Wen sneered at the White Tiger Emperor's policies.
"The commoners may suffer a bit, but at least they've managed to keep their lives.
But White Tiger Emperor, oh White Tiger Emperor, are you trying to become the Chongzhen Emperor of another world?
{T/N: Chongzhen Emperor didn't rule well and faced numerous peasant rebellions, reigning from 5 February 1628 – 25 April 1644}
Not even issuing rations—Zhou Bapi {T/N: Literal translation: Zhou Skin Peeler. Famous fictional villain} couldn't hold a candle to your cruelty. Don't blame me when the time comes."
At this moment, Ye Wen remembered the protagonist group he had forgotten about—Dai Mubai.
In this era devoid of entertainment, Ye Wen, bored out of his mind, became curious about how Dai Mubai's future had changed in this altered world.
Glancing at the intelligence report handed to him by his subordinates, Ye Wen sneered.
"Trash is still trash, even without family support."
Due to the conflict between the two empires, Dai Mubai's financial lifeline had been severed.
However, the Holy Spirit Empire still provided subsidies to soul masters, albeit halved compared to before. But since it was free money, what more could they ask for?
Moreover, the news of the complete annihilation of the Spirit Hall on the White Tiger Empire's side had already reached the soul masters of the Holy Spirit Empire.
Half a subsidy was still better than none.
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit Empire's lack of forced conscription made the lower-ranking soul masters lean toward the better-reputed Holy Spirit Empire.
According to intelligence reports, many soul masters from the Star Luo Empire, unable to bear the oppressive policies there, had begun secretly defecting to this side.
But Dai Mubai, having already broken through to the Soul Elder level, was ineligible for these subsidies.
For years, Dai Mubai had supported the operation of Shrek Academy, so Flender hadn't been too harsh on him.
Eventually, under Flender's guidance, Dai Mubai became the leader of an adventure team. As a high-paying profession for soul masters, even hunting low-level soul beasts allowed him to live comfortably.
Ye Wen sneered and mocked Flender silently.
'Look at yourself—how dare you recommend your students to pursue such a career?
Do you really think the soul beasts in the soul beast forests are livestock waiting to be slaughtered?'
Though Dai Mubai possessed a top-tier martial soul and decent strength, he was ultimately hollow inside. Otherwise, he wouldn't have struggled to even earn a silver-ranked victory in the predominantly civilian-dominated spirit battles.
One could only say that Flender truly deserved his reputation as part of the "pitiful mentor squad" in the original story. Few could rival his failures in teaching and nurturing talent.
Upon reflection, Flender's most accomplished graduate, Qin Ming, also had mediocre spirit ring configurations.
When he debuted as a Soul Emperor, his spirit ring configuration was two yellow, three purple, and one black.
His supposedly best student couldn't even achieve the optimal basic spirit ring configuration—what a joke.
No wonder Shrek Academy, despite recruiting forty to fifty students, produced only a handful of graduates. They were truly wasting geniuses.
However, thanks to Ye Wen's intervention, Qin Ming in this world hadn't gone astray and had already reached the Soul Douluo level. Praiseworthy! Praiseworthy indeed!
Dai Mubai's chosen path was already a death sentence.
Aggressive-type soul masters weren't good at escaping, and his fate was practically sealed. Losing interest, Ye Wen moved on.
It was time to truly begin shaping this world.
Ye Wen had no interest in power, so he was content to act as a behind-the-scenes guide, allowing Bibi Dong to bask in the admiration of the masses of the Douluo Continent.
It certainly wasn't because he wanted to avoid dealing with paperwork and slacking off~
Thanks to Ye Wen's efforts, there were no longer any nobles within the Holy Spirit Empire.
However, governing a great nation was like cooking a small fish—one mustn't rush the process or disrupt the civilization's progress too drastically. A certain famous emperor who crossed over learned this lesson the hard way, meeting a tragic end.
But the slave trade and human trafficking had to be eradicated completely. These practices were inherently destructive.
With the fall of the nobility, vast amounts of land within the Holy Spirit Empire were now available for distribution to the commoners.
Of course, founding contributors deserved some perks. From the very beginning, Ye Wen had granted them permanent exclusive fiefs to honor their contributions.
Naturally, the laws would follow the Holy Spirit Empire's framework, prohibiting the existence of "states within a state."
Next came the cultivation of the next generation.
A nation's most important asset was never just money or weapons—it was the next generation. If the younger generation perished, no amount of wealth or advanced weaponry would matter.
Conversely, if the next generation was nurtured well, the nation would grow increasingly prosperous.
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