Chapter 37 - Imperial Douluo Saint Court (Patreon)

Spirit City, Several Weeks Later

Three weeks have passed sicne the fall of the last area of the Disputed Lands that were not under the control of the Spirit Hall.

There was even a clash between the Snake Lance Douluo, She Long, and Imperial Prince Dai Jixian, because the forces of the Spirit Hall and the Star Luo Empire had a minor incident on the border.

As Hun Tiandi predicted, the Star Luo Empire wanted to occupy the Green Bamboo Territory, which was the sole passage between the Anarchic Lands and the areas of the Star Luo Empire and the Disputed Lands.

It seemed that the Star Luo Empire realized that this was one of the goals of the Spirit Hall, and they sent one of their legions there, but they arrived exactly in time to meet the Spirit Guard Army and divisions of the Templar Knights.

Thus, a fight broke out between two factions, and in the end, the Imperial Prince Dai Jixian ordered retreat, and the Green Bamboo Territory was incorporated into the influence of the Spirit Hall.

Today was a very important day in the Spirit City. 

A ceremony was taking place on the main plaza of the Spirit City in front of the Supreme Pontiff Palace, as Hun Tiandi was clad in the ceremonial garbs as he was sitting among the Cardinals of the Spirit Hall.

Next to him was seated Qian Renxue, as the eleven-year-old looked rather bored that she was forced to sit quietly for a long time, while several seats away, there were Tang Hailan, Xu Tianzhen, and Dugu Yan sitting together with other members of the Spirit Hall's younger generation.

Bibi Dong, who was wearing her attire as the Supreme Pontiff, stepped forward on the stage as she overlooked thousands upon thousands of troops of the Spirit Hall. Mainly, the members of the Templar Knights and Spirit Guard Army were lined up in the enormous plaza in a perfect formation.

Behind them, there were citizens of the Spirit City, as they were curious about the speech of the Supreme Pontiff. Rarely did the Supreme Pontiff of the Spirit Hall speak like this, but once it happened, it also shook through the entire Douluo Continent.

"For a very long time, Spirit Hall has remained observant of the continent and never intervened in the development of the continent directly. We were always the sanctuary for the Spirit Masters and cultivators who wanted to pursue the higher realms of cultivation. For the past centuries, the Spirit Hall has overseen the Disputed Lands, which were being ruled by countless nobles, aristocrats, and persons of questionable characters as the common populace suffered in poverty and suppression by those in positions of power."

Bibi Dong then made a small pause before she continued her speech. For anyone who knew her, it was more than evident that she was greatly enjoying this moment, as this was the very first step towards the unification of the entire continent.

"The entire Disputed Lands are now under the control of the Spirit Hall, and with this step, the Spirit Hall has taken the step to become a full-fledged nation that will be ruling these lands in the name of the Spirit Hall. On this day, I proclaim the foundation of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court that would lead the peoples of the Douluo Continent into better tomorrows."

Imperial Douluo Saint Court...

Spirit Hall wanted to differentiate itself from the traditional monarchs that appeared and disappeared in the annals of the history of the Douluo Continent by creating something that had never appeared before.

Certainly, the concept of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court was rather unique.

There was no hereditary throne for the first change.

Only the most capable and strongest Spirit Master could be a contender for the throne, and there were also several tests to ensure that the person was also a skilled ruler and not just a good warrior.

Secondly, the actual ruling was done through the entire Court, which consisted of the highest-ranked Spirit Masters in the Imperial Douluo Saint Court, who were also the leaders of the Ministries and Departments of the Court.

So the ruler didn't rule alone, and everything wasn't up to just the whims of one person.

Hun Tiandi didn't really care about these pleasantries because in the cultivation world, there was only one primordial law.

The one with the biggest fists decided everything.

As long as the person sitting on the throne of the Sovereign was the strongest, then his words had the biggest weight. 

"We swear our undying loyalty to the Imperial Douluo Saint Court!!!"

A thunderous roar was heard across the plaza of the Spirit City.

"The forces of the Spirit Hall would be merged into those of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court, and the duties and benefits of the Spirit Hall would extend to the entire territory of the Court. Starting from today, there will be a Mandaroy Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony for everyone and for free. Spirit Masters and Armies of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court would start clearing the territory from the brigands, bandits, criminals, and Evil Spirit Masters as soon as the consolidation of power finishes."

The decision to establish something like the Imperial Douluo Saint Court and a full-fledged kingdom was primarily due to the enormous population increase of the Spirit Hall. Previously, they barely ruled over one million people who were living in the adjacent territories to the Spirit City.

But now?

That number was easily crossing tens of millions from all of these Duchies, Counties, Baronies, and other Lorships of the Disputed Lands. Not to mention, the upcoming population boom when the commoners started migrating to the Imperial Douluo Saint Court.

Everyone knew that their nation would be the primary target for the commoners from the border regions of the Star Luo Empire and Heaven Dou Empire, who would want a better life and the possibility of becoming a Spirit Master.

Even though most of these commoners would never obtain their first Spirit Ring, it was more than enough for them. With the Spirit Energy in their bodies, allowing them to live longer by some years, be healthier, and most importantly, there was a higher chance that their descendants would have better talent to become full-fledged Spirit Masters.

So for most of these commoners, it was worth it.

Even that bit of the Spirit Energy that would be in their bodies would be more than enough for them to work on the farms, forges, or during the construction without any problems.

This was also the reason why Spirit City was so obscenely rich.

One farmer at the Spirit Trainee Realm could probably do even more work than five farmers who didn't awaken their Martial Souls and had Spirit Energy.

If the farmer was lucky, he would obtain Martial Soul that could be used for his work, which would once again increase the efficiency and work speed, bringing more riches to the farmer with less work.

And within the territory of the Spirit Hall, everyone had their Martial Souls awakened.

Even most ordinary workers, miners, smiths, construction workers, or farmers had Spirit Energy, and their efficiency and work performance were far superior to those without it. It was no wonder that the ones being most optimistic and joyous about living under the rule of Spirit Hall were the commoners. 

Because their lives would get much, much better compared to living under various Nobles, petty kingdoms, Great Aristocrats of the two Great Empires, or living in other places in the Douluo Continent, where the conditions were not really that good.

"Another important announcement is that Spirit City is proclaimed as the official capital of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court and the center of the nation."

Spirit Hall's structure wasn't suitable for the governance of such a large number of people, or rather, it would be more prudent to say that it wasn't suited for the effective and productive form of governance.

To have the most effective form of governance and also to prepare for the future, it was prudent to start laying down the foundations of the nation already right now. He doubted that after the unification, the Imperial Douluo Saint Court would remain the same, but for the start, it would be more than enough.

One would see how it would evolve over time as the Imperial Douluo Saint Court unified more and more of the Douluo Planet under its banner. 

The Sun Moon Continent was another point on the list, once the Douluo Continent was completely under the Imperial Douluo Saint Court. 

And perhaps the Imperial Douluo Saint Court would remain mainly the same, just with minor changes, even after the unification of the entire planet, who knew...

Especially the unification with the Sun Moon Continent, which would be the most challenging, as two entirely different cultures and heritages would clash against each other.

***

Bibi Dong had a speech for more than one hour, which was pretty long, but she had something for theatrics... and most importantly, she understood that people needed these theatrics, these grandiose gestures, and everything related to it.

She was good at it.

Hun Tiandi, who was observing the speech from the top of the Supreme Pontiff Palace's Plaza together with Qian Renxue, could see the people boiling and that everyone was motivated to work harder for the sake of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court.

This was indeed an ability that he didn't have.

He was aware that he didn't have Bibi Dong's charisma, nor did he have her social skills, because she could be really good with people and convince them of her cause and use them as she wanted.

He was a schemer.

True.

But he wasn't that kind of leader, like Bibi Dong, because she had that spark in her. She was the kind of person who could actually inspire people, while he was the type who used his strength and reputation as an ultimate deterrent against any possible dissent or disobedience.

After Bibi Dong's speech ended, it was time for the work.

Even though the Imperial Douluo Saint Court was established, it was just a hollow shell, and it needed to create branches, Departments, and everything that would manage the territory of the Court.

Which was something that they needed to address as soon as possible. Because everything that they had for the time being was plans on paper and nothing concrete in reality.

The rudimentary work of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court was already devised by Bibi Dong and some scholars of the Spirit Hall, who searched for various past forms of government and attempted to combine them.

"With this change, the Spirit Hall will return to its original and primeval purpose... becoming a true, real sanctuary for the Spirit Masters, and only Spirit Saints and above would be able to enter the Spirit Hall to become the clergy."

Within the depths of the Spirit Hall, a very important meeting was taking place, which was called "The Grand Assembly", which was a term for a meeting of every single Elder-Level personnel.

During the Grand Assembly, every Titled Douluo, Worship Elder, Cardinal, Elder, Platinum Archbishop, and even Bishops were called for the meeting, during which they would usually discuss very important things.

The Grand Assembly was last convened more than a thousand years ago, according to historical records, during the Demonized Spirit Beast Crisis that was wreaking havoc across the continent.

Since then, the Grand Assembly hasn't been called even once, because there has been nothing important happening that would warrant the initiation of the Grand Assembly.

Bibi Dong proposed something that actually shocked a lot of people, because it meant that the Supreme Pontiff Palace and Throne would be giving up most of its power. However, as long as she maintained the position of the Sacred Hierarch of the Court, it was inconsequential.

Meanwhile, Qian Daoliu deeply pondered over the suggestion, because this would be a fundamental change to the structure of the Spirit Hall, but at the same time, the Spirit Hall would return to its roots.

Worshipping their Gods, helping the poor, and training more and more Titled Douluos.

Basically, on her proposal, it would mean a complete overhaul of the Spirit Hall, and the personnel of the Spirit Hall would be one with that of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court. The purpose of the Spirit Hall was always to create the best cultivation enviroment for the Titled Douluos of the continent. 

Due to the Douluo Consecration Hall being created and established, it worked to a certain degree.

Yet as the time passed, the Spirit Hall started deviating from its fundamental purpose and the reasons why it was created by the Angel Goddess. One could say that it has deviated from its original purpose, or they could say that it was an evolution of the Spirit Hall and an adjustment to the changing times.

"How would this new structure look? It's not like this old man is opposed to the change, because we would be fundamentally returning to the roots of our founders, but I am curious."

The Grand Worship Elder wasn't really opposed to making changes to the Spirit Hall, because everything was in flux, and resisting change meant perishing in the times. 

Qian Daoliu wasn't the only one who was curious about the changes that would happen, as many of the Worship Elders and Cardinals were intrigued by the possible changes and the future development of their faction.

Spirit Hall was Spirit Hall.

Imperial Douluo Saint Court was Imperial Douluo Saint Court.

Yet the Imperial Douluo Saint Court would be controlled by the people of the Spirit Hall, and in the future, when the time was up, the people who wanted to retire and focus on their cultivation would join the Douluo Consecration Hall to become the foundational pillars of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court and the entire Douluo Continent.

"We will adopt the system of Three Departments and Six Ministries for the Imperial Douluo Saint Court that would rule the people instead of the branches of the Spirit Hall. The Burial Agency would be integrated into the Imperial Douluo Saint Court, as would the Soul Tool Hall and all armed forces of the Spirit Hall, along with their civilian bureaucrats."

Bibi Dong then proceeded to explain how the system would work, as the explanation was pretty lengthy and detailed at the same time, but despite that, everyone listened with great interest as they were witnesses to the birth of something truly extraordinary.

Most of this system was patched together by studying the ancient dynasties of the Douluo Continent, with Hun Tiandi contributing some of his input from the Dou Qi Continent.

In the end, some of the Empires in the Central Plains survived for many thousands of years, and their systems of government were rather robust. Hun Tiandi was very well acquainted with the systems of governance acorss the Dou Qi Continent... well, he lived for several thousands of years, so he knew a thing or two.

The result was the system of Three Departments and Six Ministries.

Beneath the Hierarchy of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court, there would be three Departments led by their respective leaders.

Department of State Affairs, led by the Director, would be managing all things related to the ruling and governing. It would be responsible for effectively running the entire state as it would be.

It would also oversee the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Enlightenment, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Homeland Security.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury would be responsible for all of the financial affairs within the Imperial Douluo Saint Court. They would be charged with creating a budget for the nation, its branches, other Ministries, collecting taxes, checking if everything was collected correctly, and so on.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs would be responsible for the development of the territories, managing the population, building things, cities, towns, fortresses, and handling everything, starting with agriculture and ending with infrastructure.

The Ministry of Justice would be tasked with drafting Laws, overseeing courts, delivering punishments, overseeing and maintaining prisons, and everything related to it. It would be created from the Disciplinary Hall of the Spirit Hall.

The Ministry of Enlightenment was just a fancy name for the ministry that would be responsible for the development of Soul Tools on a greater scale, for making improvements to the cultivation system, and practically every invention that would be made in any Profession.

The Ministry of War would be responsible for the Military of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court and the security of the nation. They would be tasked with expanding the territory, as well as protecting it from enemies and creating professional elite armies.

And lastly, there was the Ministry of Homeland Security, which would be responsible for the internal security of the Imperial Douluo Saint Court. This was entirely a new concept for the Douluo Continent, because normally this role fell on the army or on the shoulders of City Guards in the bigger cities, but Bibi Dong wanted a unified approach to this matter.

After the Department of State Affairs, there was the Department of Chancellery, also known as the Chancellery. Led by the Grand Chancellor, it advised the Hierarch of the Court, and if the Sacred Hierarch was indisposed, the Grand Chancellor was also the Acting Regent for the Court.

The Chancellery also held the Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy because they were basically second-in-command in the state.

Obviously, this was only the secondary role of the Chancellery as the Foreign Affairs wouldn't be really a thing for the Imperial Douluo Saint Court while being confined on the Douluo Planet.

With Bibi Dong's ambitions, which were only being supplemented by Hun Tiandi's ambitions, there was only room for one single ruler on the Douluo Planet. If they managed to leave the Douluo Planet, perhaps the situation of the Chancellery would change, but for that, only time would tell.