"Hello, Patriarch Shu. My name is Zhou Cai, and I am from the Congress. I’ve come to deliver the Yuanhai Shu Family’s clan badge, the Patriarch’s badge, and a Noble Family Mobilization Order."

Inside a villa, a beautiful and capable-looking woman with an oval face, dressed in professional attire, handed two badges and a document to Shu Feng.

Shu Feng glanced at Zhou Yang, who was standing to the side. Zhou Yang nodded slightly and gestured, confirming that she had been vetted and was indeed from the Congress. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The Qianyuan Republic was filled with swindlers and powerful figures from the Void Demon Association and the Major Noble Families. Countless hidden enemies harbored hostility toward Shu Feng, so it was only natural for him to be cautious.

Only after receiving this confirmation did Shu Feng accept the two badges.

The Yuanhai Shu Family’s clan badge was engraved with a long sword and a shield, just as Shu Feng had requested, with a Flood Dragon coiled around them.

The Noble Families of the Qianyuan Republic were divided into nine grades. On a clan badge, one Flood Dragon represented a Ninth-Grade Noble Family, two Flood Dragons an Eighth-Grade Noble Family, and so on.

Only the Royal Family and the great Clans were permitted to inscribe a True Dragon Pattern on their clan badges. The clan badges of the great Clans featured a four-clawed True Dragon, while only the Royal Family’s crest was adorned with a Five-clawed Golden Dragon.

The Patriarch’s badge looked very similar to the clan badge, but it was a Secret Treasure imbued with a defensive spell: Magic Shield. Once a day, the badge could be used to cast a Magic Shield capable of blocking a full-power attack from a Spirit Sect Realm expert.

"A Noble Family Mobilization Order?"

Shu Feng picked up the document, his gaze tightening as he read it.

The document ordered all Noble Families in the Qianyuan Republic to dispatch their elite troops to the Void Demon Battlefield for a decisive battle against the Void Demon Clan.

Shu Feng could sense the danger emanating from the document.

The Void Demon Clan had been significantly weakened on the Void Demon Battlefield. Even so, they could still unleash the vast majority of their power there.

The power ceiling on the Void Demon Battlefield was high enough for Spirit Saint Level experts to fight, and even those at the Spirit Saint Realm could perish there.

’I could still use some more time to grow stronger,’ Shu Feng thought. ’I should wait until I’ve advanced to the Spirit Saint Realm! No, it would be best to wait until I’m a Divine Spirit before heading to the Void Demon Battlefield.’

Shu Feng rubbed his temples and let out a slow sigh. "Do I have to go? I’m still a high school senior facing college entrance exams. I’m under a lot of pressure!"

’Pressure, my ass,’ Zhou Cai thought. ’You’re a Noble Family Head. You could get into any university you want.’

Zhou Cai grumbled inwardly but maintained her smile. "My apologies, but this is a decision from Congress. It’s a resolution jointly passed by the Saints, the Royal Family, and the Four Pillars of the Empire. I am merely the messenger."

Shu Feng asked, "And what happens if I don’t go?"

Zhou Cai explained with a slight smile, "This is a mandatory order. The conscription isn’t limited to just Noble Families; powerful individuals from the other Major Noble Families and the Lower Class are also being drafted. If you defy the order, your family’s noble status will be revoked, you will have to surrender your territory, and you will be drafted anyway as an individual. After all, you are still a member of the Guardian Flame!"

When Shu Feng had been weaker, his status as a member of the Guardian Flame had provided him with many advantages. If not for that status, he would have been killed long ago, and the big prize that was Phantom God Winery would have been stolen from him.

Now that the Qianyuan Republic was conducting a nationwide draft, calling up experts from the Noble Families and the Lower Class, Shu Feng had no way of escaping.

Within the Qianyuan Republic, only unregistered and undiscovered rogue Spiritualists could possibly escape this fate.

Shu Feng said helplessly, "Fine, I’ll go."

Shu Feng asked curiously, "Do the other Noble Family Heads have to participate in the battle themselves, like me?"

"According to the regulations, a Ninth-Grade Noble Family must dispatch at least five thousand troops, led by a minimum of two Spirit Sects and ten Great Spirit Masters. The five thousand troops must all be elite soldiers at the Spirit Warrior Level. Additionally, the family must send one Legitimate Son or at least five Illegitimate Sons to fight."

"If you do not wish to fight, you can have your parents participate in your place, as long as they bring a sufficient number of powerful experts."

Zhou Cai hesitated for a moment before adding slowly.

Shu Feng frowned. "Having my parents fight is out of the question. But what am I supposed to do if I can’t produce five thousand elite Spirit Warrior Level soldiers?"

The world of the Badge Masters had only recently fallen into Shu Feng’s hands, and it contained fewer than three thousand of them. Coming up with five thousand elite Spirit Warrior Level soldiers on such short notice was a difficult task, even for him.

The environment of the Void Demon Battlefield had been altered by the powerful members of the Void Demon Clan, allowing it to accommodate all kinds of Extraordinary Powers. However, because this particular battlefield was closer to Blue Star, the power of Blue Star’s experts was amplified there.

The Badge Masters could still exert over ninety-five percent of their combat power in an environment like the Void Demon Battlefield, so they wouldn’t be weakened significantly.

Zhou Cai smiled. "You can dispatch more high-level experts to make up the difference. One Spirit Sect Realm expert is equivalent to one thousand elite soldiers."

"In that case," Shu Feng said, "the Yuanhai Shu Family will contribute three Spirit Sect Realm experts and two thousand elite soldiers!"

Zhou Cai smiled. "Very well! You have one month to prepare. In one month, please lead your people to Azure Dragon Spirit City to assemble. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now."

Seeing that Shu Feng had no more questions, Zhou Cai gave a light chuckle, turned, and departed.

Shu Feng took a sip of his Seven-Colored Honey Wine. "Captain," he said, "the Void Demon Battlefield is a great place to rack up merits and resources. You in?"

Zhou Yang gave a wry smile. "Ah Feng, stop messing with me. A place like the Void Demon Battlefield is crawling with powerful experts. Someone with my level of strength would just be committing suicide by going there. I’d like to live a few more years."

Zhou Yang had cultivated painstakingly for many years, but he was still only a Seventh-level Spirit Master. That kind of power was barely enough for peacekeeping duties. If he were to go to the expert-filled Void Demon Battlefield, he’d be little more than cannon fodder.

After a bit more small talk, Zhou Yang departed.

’Only one month until I have to head to the Void Demon Battlefield. Looks like I can’t afford to be stingy with my Source Energy anymore!’

Shu Feng looked at his remaining 20,000 Source Energy and made his decision.

Originally, Shu Feng had planned to reach the Spirit Sect Realm through his own painstaking cultivation. But the Void Demon Battlefield was far too dangerous to enter in just a month’s time; the slightest misstep could get him killed. He decided it would be much safer to advance to the Spirit Sect Realm as soon as possible.

Shu Feng estimated that his current combat power was already comparable to an expert at the Spirit Sect Realm Peak. However, compared to a true expert of that realm, his Spiritual Sense was still too weak, and his control over his Power was nowhere near as formidable.

Shu Feng had a Spiritual Power Value of eight million, yet the force he could generate was less than what an ordinary Spirit Sect could with a Spiritual Power Value of around one million. His combat power was only comparable to a Spirit Sect Realm expert because he relied on his physical constitution, which far surpassed theirs, in addition to his various Epic Skills and the profound power of the Sun and Moon Divine Sword.