Jing Hongchen watched Xuan Ziwen leave the office, then sighed and put his glasses back on.
After a long while, a weary voice echoed in the empty, silent room.
"If they could, who would choose this path?"
"Who in Mingde Hall doesn't love the Sun Moon Empire?
But the court is starting to try and dismantle Mingde Hall!"
Jing Hongchen took out a letter from a hidden compartment on his desk.
This letter was secretly given to him by a friend in the court.
It detailed the plans made by Crown Prince Xu Tianran and his important minister Otto regarding the reform of the Empire's soul tools.
They didn't say a single word targeting Mingde Hall, but their plans were clearly aimed at it.
If this reform was approved, Mingde Hall and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy would likely face dismantling, being split into three academies.
Especially that important minister Otto—Jing Hongchen didn't even know if he had unintentionally killed his entire family; he was targeting Mingde Hall at every turn.
Originally, Crown Prince Xu Tianran's strategy towards Mingde Hall was to win him over, but later, because of the blond man, he began to target him.
Jing Hongchen had considered assassinating Otto, but he discovered that Otto was protected by at least two Title Douluo, and they were evil soul masters!
This left Jing Hongchen completely helpless.
Moreover, it was obvious to the naked eye that Xu Tianran, having regained his ability to walk, was almost certain to become the emperor of the Sun Moon Empire; there were no candidates who could compete with him, as they had all been killed long ago.
Fortunately, Kong Deming helped to veto the proposal.
As the leader of the ninth-level soul masters, everyone had to give Elder Kong face.
However, Jing Hongchen knew that this was only a temporary measure. Who knew if Xu Tianran would push this plan back once he ascended the throne?
By then, Xu Tianran would be fully powerful, and it would be difficult for Elder Kong to veto it again.
Jing Hongchen's concerns were valid; Kong Deming could not protect Mingde Hall for long, as he was already on Otto's death list.
As the leader of all ninth-level soul masters, Kong Deming possessed royal blood and was the guardian of the royal family.
He held exceptionally high prestige among Soul Masters, commanding immense influence.
How could Otto allow such a person to continue living?
In Otto's plan, Silver Moon Douluo Kong Deming had to die; otherwise, his usurpation plan would face numerous unforeseen complications.
A dead Kong Deming was the best of the ninth-level Soul Masters, and Otto was even willing to dedicate a holiday to his memory.
Jing Hongchen put away the letter, opened the magic network, and began contacting enthusiastic individuals, preparing to send Xuan Ziwen and his group of Mingde Hall Soul Masters to Xilu City.
These Soul Masters might not return to the Sun Moon Empire; they would settle in Xilu City, preserving a portion of the Mingde Hall's legacy.
If one day the Sun Moon Empire truly could no longer tolerate Mingde Hall, at least the Heavenly Soul Empire would have a way out.
Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen had also successfully become familiar faces in the Passionate Party, so they wouldn't be specifically targeted even if they went there in the future.
'Old Toad': "The list has been sent out, this is the group, they can depart tomorrow."
"Please ensure their safety!"
Most Beloved Karen Fantasy': "Of course, my friend."
"I will definitely ensure the safety of this group, Passionate Party will welcome them."
"Our friendship has always been like this."
'Old Toad': "Mm."
"I'm counting on you."
Jing Hongchen closed the magic network, as if nothing had happened, and buried himself in dealing with the soul tool issue again.
He had no idea that the person he had just spoken to was Otto, whom he wished he could devour.
Otto was helping to cover up all of Jing Hongchen's actions.
Because Jing Hongchen's behavior was what Otto wanted to see, he naturally had to help.
The kind-hearted Otto even thoughtfully pushed him from behind, saving him and Mingde Hall from dire straits.
Of course, how dire straits came about is another matter.
"...
" *Splash!
* "Quick! Landing net!"
"Su Tong? Where is she?"
Huo Yuhao gripped his fishing rod tightly, his expression contorted with rage.
Looking at the churning waters in the distance, he knew he'd caught a big fish this time!
He'd been sitting by the icy sea for almost half a day, using what looked like a ton of bait, but hadn't seen a single fish!
It was already night, but in the far north, there's the phenomenon of midnight sun, so it was still daytime here.
"Coming, teacher."
Su Tong, dressed in a white down jacket like a giant white penguin, trotted to Huo Yuhao's side, picked up the soul-guided landing net, and slightly infused it with soul power.
The net instantly enlarged, and then, with Huo Yuhao's help, scooped up the still-struggling fish.
"Teacher, why didn't you use soul power and mental power?"
"Fishing like that is very simple, isn't it?"
"If all else fails, you could use electricity, right?"
Su Tong blinked her icy blue eyes, her tone filled with confusion.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao said earnestly,
"This is a matter of a fisherman's dignity."
"Using soul power and electricity is heresy! It'll get you roasted on the magic net and severely criticized!"
"After you haul the fish in, take a picture of it with the magic net, make sure it looks big, I'm going to take this picture to every comment section later."
"By the way, Su Tong, haven't those soul beasts finished fighting yet?"
"It's just a soul spirit spot, why is the competition so fierce?"
Su Tong slowly retracted the net, her tone tinged with helplessness,
"It should take a while longer."
"Sister Shui and Sister Xue went to watch them."
"They're afraid they'll forge their own soul rings."
As soon as Huo Yuhao arrived in the far north, the far north soul beasts, led by the Ice Dragon and Ice Phoenix clans, were on the far north plateau, their eyes filled with tears as they shouted that the sun had risen! Huo Yuhao
was immediately speechless, giving the Ice Dragon and Ice Phoenix clan leaders a flick on the forehead, telling them not to try anything funny again.
Later, Huo Yuhao announced to the far north that he wanted to find a 100,000-year-old soul beast to form a soul spirit contract with Su Tong.
Before Huo Yuhao could even explain the details of the soul spirit technology to these 100,000-year-old soul beasts, they frantically signed up.
Eventually, they fought over it to determine the strongest to form a soul spirit contract with Su Tong.
Each one shouted, "For the Emperor of the Far North!"
Huo Yuhao, focused on controlling the fish, said:
"I see."
"After they've finished fighting, I'll help you complete the Soul Contract."
"This time, the whole process will be recorded."
"I'll put this recording at the top of the Magic Network homepage under the name 'Yege' to announce the birth of the continent's Soul Technology."
"After that, we'll wait to reach an agreement with the Star Dou Great Forest to establish a force to supervise and promote this technology."
"But don't worry, I'll blur your identity through the Magic Network's permissions, so it won't expose you."
Su Tong nodded obediently, then slowly pulled the fish up.
"Wait!"
"Don't kill me!"
"I was wrong! I'll never be greedy again!"
"Please let me go."
Huo Yuhao's hand paused, looking at the large fish that had already revealed its form.
After examining it, he looked at Su Tong with a puzzled expression and said:
"If I'm not mistaken, this is a Demon Soul Great White Shark?"
"When did the Ice Sea get these things?"
"It can also transmit sound through mental power to your ear, and its cultivation level isn't low."
Su Tong's hand holding the fish paused, and a strange look flashed in her ice-blue eyes.
"No way."
"I've never heard of a Demon Soul Great White Shark in the Ice Sea."
"Sister Xue's Ice Sea Soul Beast Compendium doesn't include this kind of soul beast."
"If I remember correctly, Demon Soul Great White Sharks are generally distributed from the western seas to the Arctic Ocean."
"This is the first time a Demon Soul Great White Shark has appeared in the Ice Sea."
Huo Yuhao smiled and said,
"Never mind!"
"This fish ate so much of my bait, it should at least leave me a shark fin to make soup."
"I've never eaten a Demon Soul Great White Shark's shark fin before!"
"Keep pulling, it's already in the net, it still wants to run away!"
Su Tong nodded and continued to pull the landing net, pulling the Demon Soul Great White Shark onto the shallows.
The beautiful female voice was now tinged with sobs.
"Humans, you're all bad!"
"What exactly is that bait? Why do I have no strength left in my body?"
"Please, let me go, my shark fin isn't tasty."
"I'll go catch some giant clams and octopuses for you, don't eat me."
Huo Yuhao clapped his hands, got up and walked to the Demon Soul Great White Shark, used his telekinesis to pry open its mouth, removed the hook, and said to it:
"I added sixth-grade purple ganoderma and drunken fish grass to this bait."
"Theoretically, a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast won't have any problems consuming a small amount."
"Looking at you, it seems you ate all of my ton of bait!"
"I was wondering why I hadn't caught any fish for so long."
"It all went into your stomach."
"Never mind anything else, come on, Su Tong, take a picture of me and this fish."
Su Tong brought up the magic net, aimed at the right angle to make the fish under Huo Yuhao's feet look even bigger, and then took the picture.
"Alright, teacher."
"Should I go prepare firewood?"
"Sister Xue has some snow lotus at home, which can be used to make soup."
The Demon Soul Great White Shark immediately struggled and said,
"No!"
"I didn't mean to!"
"Your bait smelled so good, I couldn't resist."
"I...I'll catch other fish for you, please don't kill me, waaaah."
Huo Yuhao patted the Demon Soul Great White Shark's belly and said,
"You're only thinking about yourself."
"Tell me, how did a Demon Soul Great White Shark end up in the Ice Sea?"
The Demon Soul Great White Shark gradually stopped sobbing, and its melodious female voice said with grievance,
"I don't know, I was originally catching dragon scale octopuses in the Arctic Ocean, and I caught a lot to take back to my mother to taste."
"But as soon as I got to the spawning grounds, I was swept away by a terrifying ocean current, and then some terrifying aura from who knows where stunned me. When I woke up, I was in the Ice Sea."
"I was so hungry, I couldn't resist."
Huo Yuhao frowned after hearing this. He had already guessed the shark's identity, but logically, this shouldn't be happening at this time.
So he closed his eyes and contacted the little planet spirit through his [Dream] authority, saying,
"Is there a problem over at the ocean?"
The little planet spirit appeared above the pure white sea in the dream space, its gem-like eyes somewhat unfocused.
Its small hands gently clutched the hem of its clothes, and it said somewhat embarrassedly,
"This, this was an accident."
"I originally wanted to try to regain control of the sea, even just a little, so I could help you." "
But I seem to have messed up.
Not only did I fail, but I also caused ocean turbulence and even awakened a terrifying Deep Sea Demon Whale King."
"She was the wife of the one from ten thousand years ago."
"The pressure that the little shark felt should be from that Deep Sea Demon Whale King." "
It's probably aimed at the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan."
"It probably wants revenge, after all, they also hate the Sea God Tang San."
(End of Chapter)
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