Chapter 480 - 478: The Great Imperial War

The Empire War!

This continent was home to many empires. Every thirty years, they would hold a massive war, gathering all the most outstanding geniuses from each empire to participate. After the war concluded, the empires would be ranked based on the results to see which one would come out on top.

The higher an empire’s rank, the stronger it was proven to be. The effect this had was astonishing—it would attract even more geniuses. This was similar to the Pattern Master competition; the goal was to determine which family was the strongest, as the stronger ones could recruit more talent.

Without a reputation, who would want to join? Thus, the Empire War was something every empire had to prepare for, and it was of the utmost importance.

Of course, each empire had a limited number of spots. They couldn’t just send anyone; they had to select their very best. There were also strict age restrictions. Participants had to be under thirty years old, as the war was meant for the new generation, not for those old fossils. Some of those old-timers had already reached the Core Formation Stage, so they couldn’t represent the empire’s future potential.

The Empire War was a testament to an empire’s ability to "produce new blood." Without this ability, an empire was doomed to decline.

There were two main conditions for participating in the Empire War: being under thirty years old, and having a cultivation at the Spirit Pill Stage or higher.

These conditions were harsh, but they had to be. They wanted elites, not trash! The Super Races were called "Super" for a reason; they pursued excellence and valued quality over quantity.

In the Soaring Dragon Empire, reaching the Spirit Pill Stage before the age of forty was already considered the mark of a genius. Now, the minimum requirement was the Spirit Pill Stage. This was a terrifyingly high cultivation level.

A normal Spirit Pill Stage cultivator could found their own family. Yet for the Super Race’s disciple selection, this was just a prerequisite! The gap was horrifying. No wonder one needed at least a Core Formation Stage cultivation to even think about revenge; without it, you wouldn’t even be worth a second glance in those circles.

Lin Xuan hadn’t known about this before; he was only just learning of it now. Besides, what if he had known? It wouldn’t have meant anything to him. With his previous low cultivation, he wouldn’t have even had a chance to participate.

But now, he finally had the opportunity. So, learning about it now was fine. He still had time to prepare.

"What’s the situation here?" Patrol Envoy Bu Cheng asked coldly, his gaze sweeping over the scene.

"Lord Patrol Envoy, this is basically what happened..." Qing Deyun explained the entire sequence of events, slightly exaggerating some parts. The gist of it was that the Royal Family had to be destroyed, or Qingcheng Mansion would be.

"I can’t believe something like this happened right when we’re preparing for the Empire War. It seems I arrived too late..." Bu Cheng’s expression was grim. "Doesn’t this mean there are very few outstanding disciples left?"

This Patrol Envoy, Bu Cheng, was responsible for selecting disciples from the empires in this region. If the area he managed produced outstanding disciples, he would receive considerable benefits. Now that this had happened, he was naturally displeased. He was quite dissatisfied with Xu Qianlong for killing so many people, leaving corpses strewn everywhere.

The Empire War’s selection process wasn’t run by a single Super Race. There were several involved, and the Bu Family was one of them. The continent was divided into territories, and the empires here fell under their jurisdiction. Normally, these empires didn’t need to offer any tribute; they just had to provide exceptionally talented disciples.

How could Bu Cheng be happy now that this mess had occurred?

"Yes... As of now, we in Qingcheng Mansion have only one who meets the criteria... I don’t know how many the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has. If they don’t have any, then that’s really it."

Qing Deyun felt quite embarrassed as he said this. They had done their best to cultivate disciples, but it was just too rare for someone to reach the Spirit Pill Stage Level before the age of thirty. Originally, Tong Yulong was one, and Lin Xue was another. But with what had happened, all hope for those two was lost.

Now, there was only Lin Xuan. The entire empire could only send one person. It was truly awkward. He hoped the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion could provide a few more, but candidates like that were just too few and far between.

"Only one!?" Bu Cheng nearly coughed up blood. He said angrily, "In previous years, there were at least three or four. Now there’s only one! Forget it, forget it. I hope you can submit a few more. If you really only send one, and we’re not satisfied with the result, then don’t blame the Bu Family for revoking your protection!"

As soon as he said this, Qing Deyun’s expression changed. The reason empires could coexist peacefully for so many years was largely due to the decrees of these Super Races. Otherwise, some of the more powerful empires would have already invaded. Especially now, with their strength so depleted, how could they possibly resist?

If Lin Xuan was the only participant and his ranking was unsatisfactory, they would truly lose their protection. At that point, the empire would be doomed.

Broadly speaking, if Lin Xuan participated in the Empire War, he would be representing the Bu Family. If anyone held a grudge against the Bu Family, he would need to be careful during the war. As for not choosing the Bu Family, the consequences were obvious... This was a case of having to bow your head when you’re under someone else’s roof.

Of course, Lin Xuan didn’t mind. In fact, it was perfect. The Bu Family had no quarrel with the Lin Family; it was that simple. It was precisely because the Bu Family had no feud with the Lin Family that the Lin Family’s enemies couldn’t search for him so unscrupulously. Causing trouble in territory under another’s protection... one could only imagine how the Bu Family would react.

As for the Empire War, Xu Qianlong couldn’t be bothered to think about such things. He only thought of himself! As long as he was strong and alive, nothing else mattered to him.

"Lord Patrol Envoy, we will do our best. But the disciple we are sending is absolutely outstanding! He will definitely achieve a good ranking in this Empire War!" Qing Deyun said, pointing at Lin Xuan.

"Him?" Bu Cheng sized Lin Xuan up for a moment, then snorted coldly. "Only the Third Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage. His level is decent, but the quantity is still too low! I hope you can give us a pleasant surprise in the Empire War a month from now."

After speaking, he snorted again, turned, and left in clear dissatisfaction. He paid them no more mind, no longer in the mood to inspect anything.

’At best, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion might provide two people. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is good, but that doesn’t mean they can churn out countless super geniuses. Even if the final number settles at three, that’s still too few for my liking.’

’Quality is important, sure, but the Empire War is dangerous. With more people, they can band together and are less likely to run into trouble.’

After Bu Cheng left, they all breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally seen off that plague god. But there was nothing to be done; this was a reality they had to face.

"Only one month left? I wonder what the situation is over at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion..." Qing Deyun shook his head with a bitter smile. What was the most important matter for an empire? It was preparing for the Empire War with all its might.

But they had just fought a major battle and lost many of their elites. How were they supposed to participate now?

Lin Xuan’s eyes, however, glittered. ’The Super Races have more resources. They can help me grow stronger, allowing me to raise my cultivation rapidly. At the same time, I can learn more about the families that are my enemies, and more about the Lin Family!’