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"An undercover agent? Mingde Hall is the Sun Moon Empire's top research institution on the surface. Our internal review process is very strict, so how could there be an undercover agent?"
When Xu Tianxi brought up "undercover agent," Jing Hongchen's first reaction was to refute it. The researchers here were well-fed, well-rested, and well-provided for. Although they had to work tirelessly on experiments, their benefits were the best in the Sun Moon Empire.
How could someone who made a name for themselves here go undercover for the Three Great Empires? And which of the Three Great Empires would be willing to sacrifice such a talent by sending them into the lion's den?
"I also think it's unlikely, but Dean, it's better to be safe than sorry. You haven't been Dean and Hall Master for long. Who knows if someone planted a chess piece during your predecessor's time? Or perhaps these people are just greedy and would sell out anything for money."
"They dared to traffic the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade and Level 6 Fixed Soul Cannon Shells. Who knows if they would also sell this kind of intelligence?"
Xu Tianxi carefully persuaded Jing Hongchen, his eyebrows clearly showing the word "prudence."
Mingde Hall was located a hundred meters underground. In the original story, the Body Sect being able to tunnel there was already very strange, and accurately finding the Snow Empress's embryo was even more absurd. Afterward, Jing Hongchen and Lin Jiayi reviewed the situation and concluded that there must have been an inside traitor.
Based on Xu Tianxi's understanding of Mingde Hall, anyone who could access confidential information like the Snow Empress's embryo location would at least be a Level 7 Soul Engineer. He also couldn't understand why such a person would be an undercover agent, but it was always better to be cautious.
The significance of Soul Spirits was too great. Once it was announced, his future movements would likely have to be completely concealed. People from the Three Great Empires and Shrek would very likely target him as their top bounty or even assassination target.
He couldn't fight those old geezers yet, and he didn't want to go and brawl with Titled Douluo or Super Douluo for no reason; that would just be looking for trouble.
Jing Hongchen also realized how dangerous Xu Tianxi's situation would become once the information was leaked. There was an old saying that you couldn't guard against a thief for a thousand days. Unless Xu Tianxi stayed in the academy or the Hall of Worship from now on, even assigning him a few Level 9 Soul Engineers might not guarantee that no one would plot against him.
Although Xu Tianxi usually didn't go out much, he still needed to have the necessary precautions.
"Alright, I'll look into this. Starting today, I'll begin screening the personnel within Mingde Hall. I'll have Ye Yulin transfer people from the Hall of Worship to assist you."
Jing Hongchen noted this down, his mind feeling more relaxed. He casually asked Xu Tianxi, "Oh, right, what kind of Soul Spirit do you think would be most suitable for Xiao and Meng, given their situations? You're better at this than I am."
Xu Tianxi glanced at the Hongchen siblings, then mused before replying, "Senior Meng's Zhu Qing Ice Toad has kin Soul Beasts in the Far North Land, so it would naturally be most suitable to directly bond with a Zhu Qing Ice Toad Soul Beast. Little Xiao's Three-legged Golden Toad doesn't exist in the Soul Beast world, so it's best to choose a powerful Metal-attribute Soul Beast as much as possible."
"Also, I've noticed that bonding with a Soul Spirit requires strong Spiritual Power. The process of bonding with a Soul Spirit is also a challenge to a Soul Master's Spiritual Power. If a Soul Master's own Spiritual Power is insufficient, they won't be able to bond with powerful Soul Beasts."
"From now on, you must train their Spiritual Power. Think about whether you can find them Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that can help with Spiritual Power, as well as suitable head Soul Bones. The older the better, preferably over one hundred thousand years old."
People in this era didn't place much importance on Spiritual Power, nor did they have a systematic method for cultivating it. Xu Tianxi himself could cultivate Spiritual Power by absorbing moonlight through his Martial Soul's characteristics, and he had greatly benefited from it.
Furthermore, the Soul Power Vortex he had just condensed was of a spiritual attribute, and its rotation could subtly enhance Spiritual Power. However, neither of these methods could be replicated.
The simplest and most effective way to improve Spiritual Power was to absorb a head Soul Bone. Xu Tianxi was confident that if he fused with a one hundred thousand-year-old head Soul Bone, his Spiritual Power could immediately rival, or even surpass, that of a non-spiritual Titled Douluo.
However, his requirements for this were still very high. Spiritual Power was the foundation of his strength. Other Soul Bones were fine, but he would only absorb a head Soul Bone if it was at least of the fierce beast level.
"Alright, I'll certainly keep an eye out for these. I just got my hands on a one hundred thousand-year-old Soul Bone the other day, but unfortunately, it's not a head Soul Bone. More effort is needed."
Jing Hongchen firmly agreed, his blood boiling. He was willing to strive for his juniors for another hundred years.
With a turn of his eyes, Jing Hongchen then asked, "Speaking of which, Tianxi, Shrek sent us a message yesterday, offering to negotiate terms for the return of their captured students and the elder dean. What are your thoughts on this?"
"It's been almost half a month. They're finally willing to drop their coy attitude and their precious pride, and propose an exchange to us? How rare."
Xu Tianxi muttered about Shrek, pondered for a moment, then looked up and said,
"I think it's fine to let ordinary geniuses go. However, Xiao Xiao, with her Twin Martial Souls, absolutely cannot be released easily. Their inner court's senior disciple, Zhang Lexuan, has been captured by Old Man Kong, and we can't make decisions for Old Man Kong, so she cannot be released."
"As for Qian Duoduo and Lin Huiqun, they are currently held in the Hall of Worship, and their fate probably depends on Old Man Kong's mood. My suggestion is that unless Shrek offers a price of more than two one hundred thousand-year-old Soul Bones, we absolutely must not release even one person."
"Furthermore, there's something special I've discovered about that fellow named He Caitou."
"What's special? Tell me."
Xu Tianxi raised an eyebrow and said, "In the arena back then, among the three geniuses from Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy who died, strictly speaking, only one person truly died at Ma Xiaotao's hands. The lives of the other two were taken by him."
"That person's skin is too dark; it's clear at a glance that he's from our Sun Moon Empire. I had someone draw his blood and compare it with some blood samples, and I found… his blood is from the same source as the Imperial Family."
Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted sharply, and he held his breath, saying, "Are you saying he's also of imperial lineage?"
Xu Tianxi nodded and replied, "Unlike me, his blood is from the same source as the direct descendants of the Imperial Family. Barring any surprises, he might have Twin Martial Souls, with the other Martial Soul being the Sun, which can only be inherited by direct imperial descendants."
"I've checked the Sun Moon Empire's genealogy and top-secret files. Over the years, no imperial descendants have been unaccounted for, except for one person whose whereabouts are unknown. And that person's age at disappearance matches He Caitou's."
Jing Hongchen's eyes shone brightly, and his hands involuntarily clenched into fists. "Who?"
Xu Tianxi enunciated each word: "The former Crown Prince, Xu He."
Thump!
Jing Hongchen, who usually had good self-control, his face changed dramatically, and he stumbled. "You mean he's a survivor from the previous dynasty? Are you sure?"
"Over 70% certain," Xu Tianxi said, not giving a definite answer.
"Then this person is a bit troublesome. The Imperial Family's affairs are the most headache-inducing."
Jing Hongchen ran a hand through his hair and looked out towards Shrek City. "Shrek took in such a person as a Core Disciple of their Soul Tool Department. Could they be planning to help him regain his position, using this to meddle in our Sun Moon Empire's internal affairs?"
"I don't think they're smart enough to think of something like that, but there's no harm in being prepared," Xu Tianxi mused.
Jing Hongchen pondered upon hearing this. "Then this person must be kept firmly in hand. We can't easily return him to Shrek, nor can we let the current Imperial Family know his identity. We might need him in the future…"
He looked at the sky, then patted Xu Tianxi's shoulder, smiling slightly.
"Alright, I've pretty much said everything I needed to consider. You all rest first. I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's court session."
"Okay, Dean, you should rest well too."
Jing Hongchen flew off. Xu Tianxi looked around, seeing that everyone was still meditating. He gazed up at the moonlight, sighed softly, took out a military cot from his Storage Ring, and decided to rest for the night.
"I can barely remember the last time I slept. How time flies…"
As Xu Tianxi slept, his mind cleared, and he inwardly observed his body. He noticed that even without actively cultivating, the Soul Power within him was circulating rapidly due to the Soul Power Vortex, twice as fast as his usual meditative practice.
During the formation of the Soul Power Vortex, he had absorbed a vast amount of Heaven and Earth Origin Power from the outside world, the Moonlight Radiance from the moon, and the life essence from the Gold of Life. His Soul Power had broken through again during the high-speed compression and rotation, and he was now at rank 53.
Furthermore, his Spiritual Power had also made a significant leap forward. This level of Spiritual Power allowed him to suppress his Dual Extremes attributes to a certain extent, accelerating his cultivation speed.
"At this rate, I should be able to reach rank 60 within two years. The cultivation speed from Soul Emperor to Soul Sage won't be affected by the Soul Power Vortex either. Within five years, I will definitely achieve the Soul Sage realm. It's not easy…"
…
Xu Tianxi slept for a full day and night. When he finally woke up, he found that it was still night outside.
Looking around the laboratory, everyone was still meditating and cultivating.
Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin sat on either side. Sensing Xu Tianxi had woken up, they both offered their warm greetings.
Xu Tianxi responded for a while, then smiled and asked, "Dean, how was the court today? What happened to that scoundrel Xu Guozhong?"
Jing Hongchen scoffed, his expression neither pleased nor displeased. "The outcome was acceptable, I suppose. He chopped off his own left leg and hobbled into court with a crutch. He cried loudly in front of everyone, confessing his sins to me and offering 200 million gold soul coins as compensation for Mingde Hall's losses and research expenses."
"Xu Tianyuan and the other imperial princes pleaded for him. In the end, even Crown Prince Xu Tianran spoke up. At that point, I couldn't pursue the matter further, so I had to let him off."
Ye Yulin added, "It's clear that these people were saving Xu Guozhong at the emperor's behest, so we couldn't push too hard. From Xu Guozhong's demeanor, if we hadn't let him go, he might have slammed his head against the wall in the great hall and killed himself. That wouldn't have ended well for us either."
"Understood. Knowing when to quit is indeed the most appropriate choice," Xu Tianxi said in agreement. At present, the academy and the Imperial Family still had to coexist, and it wasn't worth completely falling out over one Xu Guozhong.
"Let's not talk about other things. This is the God Sealing Platform you asked for. Remember, no matter what you do, safety comes first."
Jing Hongchen opened his palm, releasing a dense Soul Light. It was precisely the God Sealing Platform, which sealed the Snow Empress embryo.
Xu Tianxi's eyes lit up slightly, and he nodded solemnly.
…
At the Crown Prince's Residence, two members of the Xu Family sat in wheelchairs, facing each other. One's face was filled with resentment, while the other was calm and composed.
Xu Tianran chuckled softly. "Imperial Uncle, today's play went quite well. Your life and the prosperity of your latter half are secured. What are your plans now?"
Xu Guozhong gripped his wheelchair bitterly, gritting his teeth. "Revenge, of course! Jing Hongchen forced me to such an extent; how can I let it go?"
"But he holds a high position and possesses great power. How can you be his match?" Xu Tianran asked airily.
"I… I have my ways." A cold glint flickered in Xu Guozhong's eyes.
"What are your ways? Colluding with external enemies? Or stabbing him in the back?"
Xu Tianran exposed Xu Guozhong's thoughts with a single sentence, then added, "Imperial Uncle, instead of acting so recklessly, why not consider my suggestion? It might inflict severe harm on Jing Hongchen."
"What does Your Highness mean?" Xu Guozhong suddenly looked up and asked.
"Nothing much. It's just that for some time now, those loyal to me in Mingde Hall have been searching for something – that Level 9 God Sealing Platform that you, Imperial Uncle, made, the one sealing a 100,000-year Soul Beast embryo. We're preparing to sell this information to a very interested client…"
Xu Tianran tapped his knuckles on the armrest, a mysterious, cold smile appearing on his face. He continued,
"Imperial Uncle, since you could resell things from Mingde Hall, you must have your own informants, right? Why not help me search for it? Once found, we'll sell this information."
"Your Highness means…"
"Don't you want to collude with external enemies? There aren't many forces in this world that dare to invade Mingde Hall, but fortunately, there are some. I believe certain people will be interested."
"As long as they attack Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen, unable to contain the losses, will surely be held accountable by my imperial father. That will be our opportunity to force him to our side. At that point, Imperial Uncle, will you still worry about not having a chance to trouble him?
Once he's no longer useful, he'll be discarded! Remember, there's a long road ahead."
"Your Highness is brilliant!"
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