Chapter 26: The Seven Guards of the Northern Dipper
"Verification complete, passage granted."
The four Soul Masters exchanged glances and tossed the complete pass token into the sky. Instantly, that jade pass token actually emitted blinding silver light!
The silver light emitted by the token gradually spread, finally forming a silver light gate ten zhang high and twenty zhang wide.
"Giddyap."
Seeing this light gate, Xiao Chenyu waved his small leather whip and drove the carriage into the light gate.
Once inside the light gate, Xiao Chenyu heard the cauldron of human voices. On both sides of the road, there were rows upon rows of building complexes, as well as Soul Masters coming and going, wearing Ziwei Palace badges.
Inside the gate and outside the gate seemed to be two spaces, two worlds.
This... was a Formation!
To be precise, it was the Nine Palaces Illusion Formation that Zhou Chen had drawn from the [Cultivation Methods] column of the Level 3 System.
That is right, the current System, after Zhou Chen spent over one million Gold Coins, had already upgraded to Level 3. The lottery function was no longer limited to the [Pills] category but had added two categories: [Cultivation Methods] and [Bloodlines].
The Nine Palaces Illusion Formation could shield all light, sound, and energy within the range of the formation. Even ordinary Title Douluo could not see through it.
Therefore, the base of Ziwei Palace was built outside Nuoding City, equivalent to being right under the nose of Spirit Hall, yet no one could discover it.
"Palace Master, we have arrived."
Xiao Chenyu jumped off the carriage and said respectfully.
"Thank you for your hard work."
A clear voice rang out. Zhou Chen lifted the black carriage curtain and got off the carriage.
Appearing before his eyes was a magnificent purple hall.
This was Ziwei Hall, the most important Soul Master training center of Ziwei Palace. Because beneath this hall, there was a formation—the Starlight Spirit Gathering Formation.
This formation could condense the power of the stars, turning it into pure Soul Power and pouring it into Soul Masters, helping them accelerate their cultivation.
The reason those four Soul Masters guarding the gate outside Holy Soul Village just now could break through to above Level 20 at the age of fifteen or sixteen was not because of how good their talents were, but because of this Spirit Gathering Formation.
Zhou Chen and Xiao Chenyu had just walked to the entrance of Ziwei Hall when a young man with a burly physique, who looked to be similarly seventeen or eighteen years old, ran towards them.
Upon seeing Zhou Chen, the young man immediately knelt on one knee and said, "This subordinate greets the Palace Master."
"It is Wang Sheng. You have also broken through to Soul Ancestor. Rise," Zhou Chen smiled kindly and said.
This Wang Sheng was precisely the working student from Nuoding Academy who was in the same year as Tang San but five or six years older than Tang San, with the Martial Soul War Tiger.
In fact, the more than three hundred Soul Masters in Ziwei Palace were mostly students who had graduated from Nuoding Academy.
After all, the Academy Dean, Marcus, was Zhou Chen's man, so naturally, he would not let fertile water flow into outsiders' fields.
Moreover, guaranteed assignment upon graduation was not necessarily a bad thing for students.
Once inside Ziwei Hall, Zhou Chen sat in the main seat without declining, while Wang Sheng and Xiao Chenyu sat on the left and right sides respectively.
"Wang Sheng, Chenyu, I have not been here for more than a year. You should introduce the recent situation of Ziwei Palace."
As soon as he sat down, Zhou Chen asked immediately.
As a cautious wielder of power, having not touched the specific personnel matters within Ziwei Palace for more than a year, Zhou Chen was naturally somewhat worried.
The reason he came to inspect today also included the intention of reclaiming power.
Hearing these words, Xiao Chenyu instantly sprang up from his seat.
Born of noble descent, he understood the twists and turns of political maneuvering best. He immediately bowed with clasped fists and said respectfully, "Palace Master, currently within my Ziwei Palace, including you, there are three hundred and sixty-five registered Soul Masters."
"Among them, there are two hundred and seventy-eight Great Soul Masters above Level 20, eighty-one Soul Elders above Level 30, and three Soul Ancestors above Level 40, who are myself, Wang Sheng, and Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang."
"In addition, Dean Marcus broke through to Level 70 six days ago. However, the Dean is currently in seclusion consolidating his realm and has not organized manpower to hunt for a Soul Ring, so he is still one step away from the Soul Sage realm."
"As for His Excellency Clear Sky..."
Speaking of this, Xiao Chenyu looked troubled. "We simply do not know where his elderly self is."
"The matter of the Clear Sky Douluo has nothing to do with you."
Zhou Chen waved his hand, appearing calm and indifferent on the surface, but in reality, he also could not figure out where Tang Hao had run off to.
Let alone him, even Tang San, the son, did not know his father's whereabouts.
Six years ago, after Tang Hao consumed the Blood Limb Pill and recovered from his injuries, he indeed kept his promise and joined Ziwei Palace. He even helped Zhou Chen hammer to death a Soul Saint strong practitioner of the Star Luo Secret Guards.
But in the last year or two, Tang Hao often went missing, running off to unknown places.
Rubbing his temples, Zhou Chen stopped thinking about Tang Hao's matters and instead looked at Wang Sheng.
Two years ago, he had given Wang Sheng an important task, which was to establish the Northern Dipper Seven Guards.
In Huaxia's myths and legends, the Central Heaven North Pole Emperor Ziwei lived on the Ziwei Imperial Star, which is the North Star.
And surrounding the Ziwei Imperial Star, there were often seven great star palaces guarding it. These seven great star palaces were precisely the Northern Dipper Seven Stars: Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, and Yaoguang!
The reason Zhou Chen established the Northern Dipper Seven Guards was to emulate the Northern Dipper Seven Star Palaces under Emperor Ziwei.
He wondered how this former working student, now the Commander of the Tianshu Guard and head of the Northern Dipper Seven Guards, had completed this task.
Seeing Zhou Chen's scrutinizing gaze, Wang Sheng instantly felt immense pressure.
He immediately stood up and, imitating Xiao Chenyu, bowed with clasped fists to Zhou Chen and said, "Palace Master, currently, of the Northern Dipper Seven Guards, two guards have been established: the Tianshu Guard and the Tianji Guard. The other five guards are temporarily still in preparation."
"Among them, I serve as the Commander of the Tianshu Guard. There are fifty members, all of whom are Assault System and Defense System Soul Elders above Level 30, mainly responsible for external combat."
"I am not too clear about the specific situation of the Tianji Guard; it must be explained by Xiao Chenyu. After all, he is the Commander of the Tianji Guard."
After speaking, Wang Sheng looked at Xiao Chenyu, signaling that it was his turn to speak.
Xiao Chenyu nodded, immediately turned around, and said, "Palace Master, according to the intelligence organization training manual you gave me, our Tianji Guard is divided into three parts."
"One part is the core combat members. There are thirty people, mostly Agility Attack System Soul Masters, all Soul Elders above Level 30, mainly responsible for assassination operations."
"The second part is the core analysis members. There are two hundred people, all ordinary people, responsible for organizing and analyzing the collected intelligence, forming final opinions, and handing them to you."
"The third part is the peripheral members. There are all kinds of people, numbering over five thousand, and increasing every day. Their monthly salary is at least one Gold Soul Coin. They are distributed in various places, responsible for collecting intelligence and infiltrating the two great empires of Heaven Dou and Star Luo."
"However,"
Pausing for a moment, Xiao Chenyu changed the subject and said, "Limited by the funds and strength of our Ziwei Palace, our current intelligence network is limited to a few provinces and kingdoms surrounding Fasinuo Province. We still have no way to infiltrate places further away."
(End of this chapter)
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