Sima Jinchi had actually been at the eighty-ninth level of soul power for over ten years. With his talent, he should never have remained stuck there for so long without breaking through to Title Douluo.
However, after his soul power rose to level eighty-nine, he made no further progress. That's why Sima Jinchi trained desperately and fought relentlessly, hoping to find a breakthrough opportunity through battle!
Unfortunately, things didn't go as he wished. Despite all his efforts, he couldn't find the key to breaking through over the past decade.
Now, he had finally broken through.
But whether to condense his ninth spirit ring and fully become a Title Douluo — that gave him pause.
"Commander, the Corps Commander is looking for you." Just as Sima Jinchi exited the Star Dou Battle Network and stepped out of the pod, the soldier waiting outside spoke.
"Got it. I'll head over right away," Sima Jinchi replied with a trace of impatience.
He knew exactly why the Southern Legion Commander was summoning him, but right now, he really didn't have the mindset to deal with it.
But this was the military. The Corps Commander had personally sent a message — no matter how good his excuse, he couldn't ignore the order.
As he stepped out of the room, he noticed the strange looks people were giving him.
Why did Sima Jinchi look so much younger?
The soldiers of the Southern Legion knew best what kind of presence this "Mad Blade Demon" held within the army.
Even generals with higher rank would often avoid him when they saw him. He had no family — only his Dragon-Slaying Blade.
All he did, every single day, was cultivate. Every time the military hosted a grand competition, he was without a doubt the strongest trump card of the Southern Legion.
Wherever the Blade Demon went, he was unstoppable. Below the Title Douluo level, there were none who could rival him.
Even among Title Douluos, many had fallen at his hands.
In this cycle of the Star Dou Battle Network's Federation Challenge, he and A Ruheng were both aiming for the championship.
This time, his opponent Gu Yue was also an eight-ring Soul Master.
Though the latter part of the battle was obscured by Gu Yue's multicolored defensive shield…
Everyone could see that he had lost. Against Gu Yue, he had no power to resist.
Even though he technically won in the end, it didn't change the fact that he had lost to Gu Yue.
The age gap between them was nearly double! Yet he had still lost.
The soldiers of the Southern Legion found it hard to accept.
Sima Jinchi had no interest in paying attention to those people. He quickly made his way toward the Corps Commander's office.
The massive room was decorated lavishly in gold and jade, yet this grandeur somehow exuded an ancient and refined atmosphere — the taste of time, the mark of true nobility.
Such heritage couldn't be built overnight — it was the accumulation of countless years.
Behind a large desk sat an old man. Though his hair and beard were white, his back remained straight and upright. On his shoulders gleamed three dazzling general stars — a Federation Three-Star General!
On the wall behind him hung a massive painting. The painting depicted a golden-armored angel wielding a giant sword, with three pairs of white wings spread wide behind them. Every feather was drawn with exquisite detail, as if real.
Indeed, the man seated at the desk, busily handling affairs, was the leader of the Southern Legion — the Corps Commander — and the current patriarch of the Holy Angel Clan. He was a figure of great authority even within the entire Federation — the Angel Douluo, Yue Zheng'en.
Yue Zheng'en had led the Southern Legion for over forty years. The Southern Legion was united like an iron fortress. In a way, it could be considered a unique force within the Federation's military system.
The Southern Legion enjoyed the support of many powerful southern noble families, both in manpower and financial resources.
As a result, the Southern Legion was the least reliant on the Federation among all legions. The military headquarters had great difficulty inserting their own personnel into the Southern Legion because such moves would meet collective resistance from these influential southern clans.
The southern region of the Douluo Federation was the most tradition-bound area. These millennia-old families were the wealthiest of all.
In the Federal Parliament, over one-fifth of the seats were held by these southern families and political aristocracies.
These clans had long histories, and each family's inherited martial spirit was extremely powerful.
They held an unshakable status in the soul master world.
The Federation had already tried more than once to increase its control over the Southern Legion, but had never succeeded.
No one dared to openly antagonize the entire traditional southern class.
After all, they were a formidable political force within the Parliament. Even some military leaders depended on their support to secure their positions in the Federation.
Thus, the Southern Legion, under such a background, had developed such a deep foundation that even the military had no way to counter.
The Holy Angel Clan was the strongest among these traditional families. Nearly every generation had at least one Super Douluo-level member.
A Super Douluo with the Holy Angel martial soul was even stronger than regular Super Douluos. What's more, the Holy Angel Clan had frequently produced Limit Douluos and even quasi-gods.
Another key reason for their strength was their unwavering sense of justice and fairness — something inherently tied to the nature of the Holy Angel martial soul. Without those qualities, one simply could not cultivate the Holy Angel martial soul to its higher levels.
Since taking command of the Southern Legion forty years ago, Yue Zheng'en had diligently reformed and governed. He reduced troop numbers but significantly improved individual soldier capabilities.
The Southern Legion was incredibly formidable in combat, with excellent equipment — in many areas rivaling even the Central Legion.
The southern noble families were also disciplined. Because of the Southern Legion's presence, their children who enlisted only joined the Southern Legion and never sought power beyond.
This created a balance between the southern factions and the Federal Parliament.
However, after the Eight King's Domain and Douling Continent fell under the military rule of the Sun-Moon Federation, and after Shrek Academy and Tang Sect were destroyed, the Sea God Clan controlling the Sea God Legion was eliminated, the War God Temple was reorganized, and the Spirit Transferring Tower actively joined the Sun-Moon Federation — the Sun-Moon Federation's authority reached an all-time high.
Now, the Sun-Moon Federation's control over the entire Federation was growing stronger.
An independent force like the Southern Legion had already come under scrutiny.
The Sun-Moon Federation's military had repeatedly proposed placing its own advisors and political commissioners within the Southern Legion.
Although Yue Zheng'en had found various reasons to refuse each time…
It was clear the Sun-Moon Federation wasn't giving up.
Yue Zheng'en was troubled. Even though the Southern Legion was relatively self-sufficient and less dependent on the Federation, it couldn't truly separate itself from the Sun-Moon Federation.
In truth, Yue Zheng'en knew that change was inevitable for the Southern Legion.
If the Southern Legion insisted on remaining the same, the fate of the Sea God Legion would serve as a warning.
Given the chance, the Sun-Moon Federation would not hesitate to replace the entire Southern Legion leadership.
The only reason they hadn't yet made a move was because they still lacked a legitimate pretext.
The high-ranking members of the Southern Legion and the affiliated noble families were also aware of this, which was why they had all been especially cautious lately.
But continuing this way indefinitely wasn't a viable long-term solution.
Yet, after so many years of accumulation and development, letting it all go was something Yue Zheng'en truly couldn't bear.
And the generals of the Southern Legion were not likely to easily agree to relinquish their power to the Sun-Moon Federation.
How could all of this not give Yue Zheng'en a massive headache?