Faced with Dugu Bo's belittlement, the three family heads smiled bitterly and all turned their gazes toward Wu Qi.
"Family Heads, I'll make a fool of myself, then."
Wu Qi spoke calmly, "If your three families unite and consolidate into a single major force, with three Spirit Douluo-level experts overseeing it, ordinary people wouldn't dare stir trouble on your heads."
Although the three families were closely connected, it was only to a certain extent. When it came to their own concrete interests, each still had their own calculations.
That was perfectly normal, even brothers settled accounts clearly.
Feng Changlin shook his head. "It's useless. Our three families have joined forces against the Elephant Armor Sect before, but Hu Yanzhen is a peak Spirit Douluo. We are no match for him."
Wu Qi added, "I'm not finished yet."
"Your three families forming a united force is only a prerequisite. The most important thing is, you lack a backer."
Wu Qi didn't know exactly how the three families had developed over the past century, but from Xue Qinghe, he learned that they were not favored by the royal family.
For nobles, their backing was the royal family. Being disliked by the royals was equivalent to having no support, leaving them with nothing but an empty noble title.
At a time like this, if they didn't find a strong backer, wouldn't they become fish on a chopping board?
Elemental City was one-tenth the size of Heaven Dou City. With such a large piece of land, it was no surprise the Elephant Armor Sect coveted it.
Others might not know, but Wu Qi was well aware, the Elephant Armor Sect had Bibi Dong as its backing, which explained their bold actions.
It was even possible that Bibi Dong herself had set her sights on this land.
The mention of a backer immediately awakened the three family heads.
Their gazes unconsciously shifted toward Dugu Bo.
If Dugu Bo were willing to stand up for their three families, petty troublemakers would never dare show themselves.
Moreover, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had also shown interest in recruiting Dugu Bo. With him present, they wouldn't dare harbor ulterior motives.
Wu Qi's intentions truly seemed to be for their benefit.
At this moment, only Wu Qi could decide whether Dugu Bo would protect them.
Realizing this, Huo Lie smiled and said, "Young friend Wu, what do you think?"
Wu Qi did not reveal his true intention.
At this moment, the three family heads were too deeply involved to see clearly. If he took the opportunity to directly absorb them now, once they realized it later, it would inevitably create resentment.
The best approach was to make them request to join him voluntarily.
Today, Wu Qi's goal had been to recruit Feng Xiaotian and the others, and that objective had already been achieved, there was no need to rush.
After all, taking too big a step could backfire badly.
Besides, Xue Qinghe stood on the same side as him and wouldn't try to snatch the Feng, Shui, and Huo families away.
"Family Heads, I've said everything I needed to say. I won't stay any longer. Farewell."
Huo Lie wanted to stop him, but seeing Dugu Bo's unfriendly expression, he could only shut his mouth resentfully.
After the two left, the three family heads remained unsettled for a long time.
Shui Ningbing sighed. "Young friend Wu is right. In times of chaos, one must choose a side. Remaining neutral will only make us a target for both sides."
After careful thought, Feng Changlin said, "I have a feeling that the Elephant Armor Sect's actions aren't accidental. We've already been targeted. And in the future, the continent will surely face a storm of bloodshed."
But that raised another question, who should they rely on?
Spirit Hall was out of the question. They were already disliked by the royal family; if they joined Spirit Hall, their ancestral lands would likely be reclaimed by the Empire.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was declining. Their recent handling of rumors was enough to reveal their weakening state.
As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect…
A support-type sect lacking strong battle Spirit Masters, how could they spare the strength to protect others?
Unless they were willing to completely abandon their family lands and fully merge into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
After considering all options, Dugu Bo seemed to be their only viable choice.
All were free Spirit Masters, forming a joint sect together was not impossible.
However, from what they had just seen, Dugu Bo clearly held Wu Qi in high regard. Their only way forward was through Wu Qi.
Huo Wushuang and the others still needed to pack, so Wu Qi didn't stay long and returned to the academy first.
On the way, Dugu Bo praised his actions. "Kid, you did well."
"If you had pushed forward just now, you could've taken them in. But the result would be that they'd treat you like a sucker, and in the future, they'd only obey you on the surface while opposing you behind your back."
He knew Wu Qi had taken his advice.
Building one's own force did not conflict with his identity.
Just like a crown prince, if he didn't cultivate his own faction, once he ascended the throne, how could he distinguish loyal ministers from traitors without trusted aides?
If Wu Qi were to lose in the power struggles within Spirit Hall in the future, he could at least become the master of a sect.
With power in his hands, he could protect himself. Otherwise, he would end up like Sword and Bone Douluo, merely following orders from those above.
Ning Fengzhi treated the two Titled Douluo like family, but in Spirit Hall, where experts were everywhere, once one lost influence, even being valued became a luxury.
"Old man, I can't hold them down on my own. Are you really willing to build a sect with me?"
Dugu Bo joked, "Seventy-eight is the perfect age to venture out. I'll fight alongside you for a few years. Later, Yan Yan and the younger generation of the Dugu family, I'll leave them in your care."
Wu Qi chuckled. "Old man, work hard. I'll take care of you in your old age."
Dugu Bo snorted. "Get lost. I'm not that old yet."
Inside a private room at the Silves Grand Spirit Arena.
Yu Tianheng had his legs propped up on the tea table, the arrogance on his face completely undisguised. "Why is it that the farther we get from Heaven Dou City, the weaker the opponents become? Fighting these trash teams is just a waste of time. I really don't know what Teacher Qin was thinking."
Qin Ming's original plan had been for them to train in Heaven Dou City for one or two months, temper their arrogance, and then head out for Spirit Arena battles.
But things hadn't gone as planned. Although the rumors in Heaven Dou City had faded, the Imperial Team appearing so openly still inevitably drew gossip.
To "avoid trouble," he had no choice but to bring the team out earlier than planned.
But the result was that Yu Tianheng and the others had only grown more arrogant, even to the point of looking down on everyone.
Outside the lounge, Qin Ming observed their behavior.
Their arrogance was excessive, he even considered taking them to Spirit City to properly crush their pride.
However, his immediate priority was to gather information about Shrek Academy.
The final destination of this trip was Soto City, where Shrek Academy was located.
It had been over a decade since he graduated, he had long wanted to return to his alma mater. Leading the team for Spirit Arena battles was merely a convenient excuse.
As he came to understand the Empire's education system more deeply, he knew very well that with Shrek Academy's conditions, it simply did not qualify to participate in the Spirit Master Tournament, it wouldn't even pass the Ministry of Education's approval.
The regret he carried from back then, he didn't want it to repeat for his juniors.
If Shrek Academy had recruited enough students to form a team, he would do everything he could to help.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy had two team slots. Gradually, he began setting his sights on the second Imperial Team.
As for Wu Qi, in his eyes, it was nothing more than children playing house, something that could never amount to anything!
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