The Geo Archon, the Martial God, brought forth the "Contract," also known as the God of Contracts.
At the center of the Contract Temple, enshrined was none other than this God of Contracts!
At this moment, the God of Contracts was seated in the main hall of Zhongli's residence, fiddling with a tea set.
In a short while, three groups of people arrived simultaneously at the gates of Zhongli's residence. They exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with sharpness.
It seemed that everyone here was intelligent, with no fools among them. They had all arrived at the right time.
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman reaps the benefit."
"We should temporarily set aside any unnecessary thoughts."
"Agreed!"
Though the three representatives spoke in riddles, they understood each other perfectly.
These three were none other than the princesses of the Heaven Soul Empire, the Dou Ling Empire, and the Star Luo Empire!
The "fisherman" referred not to any one of them, but to an entity outside the original Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Empire!
The Sun Moon Empire had quietly established some rather close agreements with Liyue, especially in the field of soul tools, which had alerted the three original empires of Douluo to a looming crisis.
However, they all understood one thing: with the Martial God's power, if he so wished, he could sweep through the three empires of Douluo and even the Sun Moon Empire.
Thus, the three empires did not act rashly, nor did they make any unwise moves.
As long as Liyue did not use force against them, there was still a chance for things to change.
The Martial God, Zhongli, was not a bloodthirsty or mad deity, nor was he a strong ally of the Sun Moon Empire.
Otherwise, he would not have come to the eastern shores to establish Liyue but would have gone to the Sun Moon Empire instead.
At that moment, the gates of Zhongli's residence opened on their own, without any wind.
Seeing this, the three princesses' eyes flickered with joy.
After tidying up their appearances, though they had already done so many times before, they gracefully stepped forward, moving towards the open gates.
The three walked side by side, neither yielding nor competing, as if everything was perfectly natural.
As princesses of their respective empires, their beauty might not be the most outstanding in the world, but in terms of etiquette, they had reached the pinnacle.
This was not their first visit to Zhongli's residence, so they were somewhat familiar with it.
In less than a minute, they arrived at the main hall. Just as they had imagined, the Martial God, Zhongli, sat at the head of the table, brewing tea.
Exactly as it had been during their previous visits.
"Xu Jiujiu greets the Martial God!"
"Xue Ying greets the Martial God!"
"Wei Na greets the Martial God!"
The three princesses bowed to Zhongli almost simultaneously.
Hearing this, Zhongli waved his hand, signaling them to sit, and then said, "There's no need for such formalities, Princesses."
Though Zhongli seemed somewhat rigid and struggled with someone as lively as Hu Tao, normal conversation was still within his capabilities.
Princess Jiujiu was the first to speak, "Thank you, Martial God!"
Though Zhongli had said there was no need for formalities, how could they dare to be impolite?
As the saying goes, one can never be too polite.
This "politeness" included not only gifts but also manners and etiquette.
When out in the world, they represented not only themselves but also their respective empires, so they could not afford to act recklessly.
As for the saying, "Those who dare not cause trouble are mediocrities..."
The last one who said that had already turned to ruins.
They had no desire to follow such a path, nor did their empires.
Wei Na and Xue Ying exchanged glances, somewhat displeased with Xu Jiujiu.
Among the three original empires of Douluo, Heaven Soul and Dou Ling were once one. Even though they were now "divided," their greatest enemy had shifted from the Star Luo Empire to the Sun Moon Empire. However, the three original empires were still in competition!
Once the three princesses were seated, Zhongli casually waved his hand, and teacups filled to eight-tenths flew towards their tables.
This move did not surprise Xu Jiujiu, Wei Na, or Xue Ying.
They had seen far more miraculous things than this.
"Might I ask what brings the three princesses here today?" Zhongli asked, his expression unchanged, as he took a sip of tea.
He did not drink tea to refresh his mind, such ordinary tea could not achieve such an effect, but rather out of a long-standing habit.
Hearing this, Wei Na was the first to stand up. She bowed slightly to Zhongli and said, "Martial God, there is a tradition on the Douluo Continent that has been passed down for over ten thousand years."
"It is called the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition, held once every five years. It is considered a rare grand event on the Douluo Continent."
"Since the collision and fusion of the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent four thousand years ago, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition has evolved into a stage for each country to showcase their younger generation, serving as a deterrent to other nations..."
Wei Na's words were clear and straightforward, perhaps even too straightforward.
This was something all the nations were well aware of, but it was never openly discussed.
After all, such matters were best kept in the heart; bringing them to the surface was not conducive to "unity."
They were already divided, what unity was there to speak of?
Especially between the Heaven Soul and Dou Ling Empires, neither would yield, each believing themselves to be the true successor of the Heaven Dou Empire.
However, with the external threat of the Sun Moon Empire, the relationship between the three Douluo empires had managed to maintain a delicate balance.
Xu Jiujiu and Xue Ying exchanged glances, their expressions shifting as they looked at Wei Na.
As the saying goes, three women make a drama. With three princesses from three different empires gathered together, nothing good was bound to happen.
Whenever one princess performed exceptionally, the other two would inevitably roll their eyes.
This should have been her line!
Hearing this, Zhongli pondered thoughtfully.
In his eyes, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition was no different from children playing house.
But this was the Douluo Continent, where nothing could be judged by ordinary standards.
Exposing their own geniuses??
Showcasing their own geniuses??
Heh~
Those who had not yet grown into their strength were called geniuses. What they needed was protection, not exposure.
Of course, with absolute power, one could indeed do such things.
But given the current state of the Douluo Continent, they dared to expose their geniuses. One had to admit... they were quite bold!
In any other normal world, these geniuses would be hunted endlessly by enemy nations!
Only when a strong individual had fully grown could they be considered a true force, a true deterrent!
"I see," Zhongli murmured, then said, "Liyue has no formal academies. Learning about soul masters is merely a hobby for our residents."
"This grand event may be beyond Liyue's participation."
Indeed, Liyue had no traditional academies, only a free-flowing academy where people could come and go as they pleased.
This alone disqualified them from meeting the competition's requirements.
Zhongli was a man of rules, at least when order was maintained. If order were to break down, he would not hesitate to restore it.