For the commoners of the Douluo Continent, becoming a soul master is almost the only chance to change their fate.
The Sun Moon Empire may also have institutions for free martial soul awakening, but those are only for native citizens of the Sun Moon Empire, not for the former three kingdoms of Douluo.
Haiyuan City is different. As long as one comes to Haiyuan City—regardless of birthplace or faction—the city will provide a free martial soul awakening, and upon registration, they can receive corresponding subsidies.
Although this policy consumes an enormous amount of money and resources and shows no obvious returns in the short term, Lu Jingming has never thought of stopping.
He values a far longer future.
Invest a bit more now in money and resources, and the returns in the future will be immeasurable.
In time, as long as Haiyuan City can control more than half of the continent's soul master resources, then no matter what new power rises, none will be able to shake the foundations of Haiyuan City.
What's more, his Haiyuan City is by no means comparable to the Spirit Hall.
Haiyuan City's presence has already permeated the very fabric of the Douluo Continent like a fine spiderweb.
The Stigmata System reshapes the path of soul master growth; the Simulated Universe expands the boundaries of cognition; soul tool technology revolutionizes the landscape of productivity; top-tier combat power breaks the old balance of forces—Haiyuan City, this stone cast into the lake of Douluo, has already stirred layer upon layer of ripples, rewriting the continent's trajectory in subtle ways.
Its influence reaches deep like roots spreading underground. Only a handful standing at the top of the pyramid can glimpse, beneath the shifting winds and clouds, a hint of something that shakes the era's foundations.
…
An invitation from the Sun Moon Empire lay quietly on the desk, the embossed gilt seal gleaming coldly under the lamp.
Lu Jingming tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, let his gaze sweep over the myriad lights of Haiyuan City outside the window, then rose and summoned all current Masters and Servants of Haiyuan City.
A grand event destined to shake the continent was about to begin. They were ready to head to the stage called Mingdu.
Wang Qiuer stood shoulder to shoulder with Durandal, golden hair and silver armor shining in harmony.
Ye Guiyi inclined her head to whisper to Lemuen, a soft radiance flowing around them both; Zhang Lexuan's expression was calm, while Cerydra stood by her with imposing dignity.
Gu Yue's eyes were deep; Istaroth still wore that lazy, bored look, crouched on the floor yet unsullied by dust.
Lu Jingming stood at the center; Raiden Mei's violet hair cascaded like a waterfall, a katana at her waist.
Not far off, Xu Jiujiu walked in alongside Hysilens; they would join the Haiyuan City group for the journey.
Six pairings thus took shape.
Judging by the Servant lineup alone, they were anything but weak.
Durandal, Cerydra, Hysilens, and Istaroth were each comparable to demigods.
Even Raiden Mei and Lemuen—called slightly weaker—were such only in relative terms; in the past of Douluo, they were still top-tier combatants.
Because of this, the Holy Grail War to be staged in Mingdu had already surpassed mundane imagination—this would be a true battle of gods.
If ordinary Titled Douluo were to rush in, they would be nothing but cannon fodder, turned to dust in a flick.
One misstep, and the entire imperial capital of the Sun Moon Empire could be flipped or flattened by the clash of these apex forces.
This also indirectly confirmed Xu Tiantian's near-manic confidence—daring to set the battlefield in Mingdu meant he believed he could control the situation: defeat all Masters and Servants while protecting the imperial heart.
"A Lord Ravager…"
Lu Jingming's lips curved slightly as he thought, "If there isn't an opponent of equal standing to pin him down, he might actually pull that off."
Such is the terror of a Lord Ravager. For the Douluo Continent, it is undoubtedly a dimensionality-reduction strike.
Even if it's merely a memory-body of a Lord Ravager and not the true body, it's the same.
Clearly, the power of Antimatter Legion had completely inflated Xu Tiantian's ambition.
Lu Jingming's gaze swept across those present and landed on the seemingly uninterested Istaroth lounging to the side. He then glanced at Durandal, who was stretching, her golden hair tied into a neat single ponytail.
These two were anything but simple.
Even if they couldn't compare to the Lord Ravager, making them submit quietly would be no easy task.
Moreover, Lu Jingming also knew that Skirk was similarly formidable and by no means easy to handle.
He had a faint premonition that this Holy Grail War would be full of surges and surprises.
He even began to imagine what kind of expression would be on Xu Tiantian's confident face when his grand plan fell apart.
Taking a step back, even if things exceeded expectations and Xu Tiantian truly held a trump card, Lu Jingming wasn't without his own.
His gaze turned to the figure who always wore an eye mask—Jingliu.
An indescribable sense of reassurance filled his chest in an instant. With the Sword Master of the Luofu present, even if the opponent was Aeon, could a mere memory-body possibly stop that blade which could shatter the stars?
Not only that—above their heads, in the Cosmic Juggernaut Inverted Horizons, Herta was sitting in command.
Relying on the spatial authority of Key of Infinity, Herta could provide support at any time, and could even transfer Haiyuan City's army to Mingdu in an instant. This trump card was enough to make any opponent wary.
Beyond Herta and Jingliu, Lu Jingming had specially summoned Mobius, the Snow Empress, and the Ice Empress, instructing them to act covertly in the name of World Serpent.
Their presence was to ensure the Holy Grail War's course always remained under his control and did not deviate from the preset track.
Alongside Wang Qiuer and the other Masters and their Servants, Lu Jingming also brought Firefly and Castorice.
As for March 7th and Elysia, they were left in Haiyuan City.
Robin did not come either; after all, she was pregnant and truly unfit to travel to the volatile Sun Moon Empire.
March 7th wanted to join the fun, but she was closest with Robin, and ultimately chose to stay and take care of her friend.
Elysia acted true to her nature: she disliked war and wished not to take part.
With all preparations complete, Lu Jingming led Wang Qiuer, Gu Yue, and the others aboard the long-waiting behemoth—the Hyperion.
This personal flagship of Lu Jingming perfectly replicated the appearance in his memories: a streamlined hull brimming with speed; a silver-white and deep-blue primary palette, accented with delicate strokes of gold or red. Every line was knife-sharp, exuding a cold technological feel along with a spine-chilling aura of battle.
Hundreds of meters long, it cast a massive shadow on the ground like a dormant steel behemoth.
The many top-tier soul tools mounted aboard proclaimed its terrifying combat capability.
Most eye-catching was the giant main cannon at the bow: a genuine level-10 soul tool. At full power, a single beam could level a prosperous city; its destructive force was in no way inferior to a demigod's full strike.
The bridge, set on the upper front of the hull, used a panoramic viewport design. In the center of the command room floated an advanced holographic tactical panel with data and maps clearly displayed.
On both sides of the hull were stellar system thrusters, granting the warship unparalleled high-speed mobility.
Its outer armor was covered with a high-resilience alloy developed by Herta, a memory metal with both ultra-high strength and self-repair capabilities, making its defenses as solid as a fortress.
The Honkai-energy engine at the stern allowed the Hyperion to break free from planetary gravity and reach outer space.
Inside, it had everything: a command room, living quarters, training rooms, recreation rooms, laboratories, armories… as complete as a mobile miniature city.
Energy shields, stealth mode, missile arrays, space warp… it lacked neither defense, offense, nor support functions.
Lu Jingming had meticulously crafted this imitation of the Hyperion from the Honkai world. Although its internal core used the Douluo world's soul tool technology and even integrated a Honkai-energy furnace—and its materials and weapon systems differed from the original—that identical exterior was enough to evoke his deepest nostalgia.
After all, he was once the deck cleaner on that warship and had a special feeling for it that others could not understand.
Now that he had the chance to recreate it in reality, he naturally wouldn't miss it.
One can only say, Lady Herta is peerless; Lady Herta is drop-dead gorgeous; Lady Herta can do anything!
Lu Jingming sighed once more.
He remembered the first time he saw this Hyperion: he was so excited he picked Herta up and spun several times on the spot. Although he was then thrashed by an indignant Herta, he felt it was worth the ticket price.
Of course, he would never tell anyone that Herta's body was actually soft and light, very easy to carry.
"This is… the Hyperion?"
When the blue-and-white giant slowly descended from the clouds and disengaged its stealth, Raiden Mei and Durandal's faces showed unmistakable surprise.
However, after boarding and taking a closer feel, they discovered this was not the Hyperion of their memories.
Though the exterior was identical, the internal soul tool technology was completely different from the Hyperion they knew. Even with a Honkai-energy furnace, the materials and weapons installed were quite different.
Even so, seeing something so familiar in another world still filled them with warmth and delight.
"Hyperion, set out! Target: Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu!"
Standing at the center of the command room, Lu Jingming waved. The ready AI immediately responded, piloting the floating battleship into a gentle ascent.
A detailed map of the Douluo Continent had long been uploaded to the AI's database. Without manual operation, it could precisely deliver everyone to the destination.
With a slight tremor, the Hyperion climbed to several thousand meters. The stern flared with dazzling blue-violet particles, a streak of light that tore across the sky, quickly disappearing from Robin and March 7th's sight.
On the ground in Haiyuan City, watching the ship depart, March 7th did not show much envy.
After all, the Astral Express is much higher-end than a floating battleship.
And Robin had already seen countless cosmic warships; this did not strike her as unusual.
"Let's go back, Sister Robin."
March 7th turned, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Robin.
"I found an amazing clothing store before. The designer there is top-notch. Let's go make some beautiful clothes for the baby!"
Her gaze fell on Robin's belly, which showed no clear bump yet, but the fresh current of new life could already be sensed. Even without life-type abilities, March 7th could feel that vigorous vitality clearly.
"Yes, she's a cute little girl. We must dress her up beautifully."
Elysia smiled and chimed in, her tone full of tenderness.
As for how they could be sure the child was a girl, credit went to Mobius and Herta.
One was a top authority in biology; the other, a genius scientist on a cosmic level. Determining the sex of an unborn baby was as easy as lifting a finger for them.
"Hey, has Xiao Ming thought of a name for the child?"
March 7th hopped up to Robin, asking expectantly.
"If the name doesn't sound good, I'll be the first to object!"
Robin gently stroked her belly, her face glowing with happiness. It was an incomparable maternal radiance that made her seem especially soft and gentle.
"Mm. Xiao Ming said, since it's a girl, she'll be called Lu Mingyin."
"Ah! A girl about to be a mother is indeed the most beautiful!"
Seeing Robin at that moment, Elysia praised sincerely.
Robin now was different from her usual intellectual gentleness. When maternal light bloomed on her, that beauty, soul-stirring and radiant, shone no less brilliantly.
"Lu Mingyin…"
March 7th muttered it a few times, then grinned.
"Xiao Ming really phoned it in with this one—but it sounds pretty good!"
The "Ming" character came from Lu Jingming, and "Yin" (sound) came from Robin—the renowned songstress known for her music.
"Little Mingyin, you have to grow up quickly!"
March 7th spoke to Robin's belly in a cheerful tone.
"Sister March 7th has prepared lots and lots of fun toys for you, and lots and lots of pretty dresses!"
"Yes, yes, Sister Elysia has prepared a one-of-a-kind gift for you too!"
Elysia added with a smile, eyes full of expectation.
Looking at these two sisters more excited than herself, Robin shook her head helplessly, but her heart was warm.
With so many people genuinely looking forward to the child's birth, little Mingyin would surely be happy in the future.
It's just… she looked at March 7th and Elysia and couldn't help muttering internally. These two were calling themselves sister now, but…
Given what she knew of Lu Jingming, there was no way March 7th and Elysia could be sisters to little Mingyin—they could only be mothers.