"Yuhao, it's so late—aren't you leaving yet?"
At that moment, a tall figure walked up to Huo Yuhao's desk, and He Caitou's honest, straightforward voice rang out.
"Brother He, once I finish engraving the core formation in my hand, I'll head back to the dormitory. You should go first—no need to wait for me."
Huo Yuhao stopped what he was doing, raised his head to look at He Caitou, and spoke softly.
He Caitou and his relationship was quite good. The two of them were also partners in the Extreme Individual Soldier Plan. However, what Huo Yuhao was doing right now absolutely had to be kept secret.
If this matter were exposed and discovered by Mingdetang, the consequences would be severe. After all, he currently represented Shrek Academy. This would undoubtedly smear its reputation, and Mingdetang might even use it as leverage to threaten them.
"All right then. Yuhao, you should also head back early and rest—don't overwork yourself."
He Caitou nodded slightly, offered a reminder, and then left Mingdetang.
"Sigh, this is destined to be a battle I fight alone!"
Huo Yuhao sighed inwardly, yet what he felt more strongly was a sense of pride. Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department would rise because of him—what a wonderful thing that was.
"Here, maybe my Tang Sect hidden weapons can also play a role. I could even squeeze them for a hefty sum."
Huo Yuhao thought to himself. He had already begun preliminarily integrating Tang Sect hidden weapons with soul tools and was planning to sell them to Mingdetang, giving them a good shake-down.
"No rush. Take it slow—there will be plenty of opportunities."
The corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth lifted slightly as he plotted in secret. The Tang Sect's hidden weapons would surely flourish in his hands.
After all, based on his understanding over the past several days, Mingdetang still hadn't managed to develop soul tools that could be used without a soul master. In this regard, there was a lot he could do!
Immediately after, his spiritual detection activated once more, probing toward the surrounding Mingdetang students.
"This one's advanced… this one's not bad either. So soul tools can be made like this too…"
"Write it down—write it all down. Once I'm back in the dormitory, I'll record it all onto blueprints…"
…
Mingdetang.
Jing Hongchen's Office.
"Jiayi, how has that Huo Yuhao from Shrek Academy been performing inside Mingdetang?"
Jing Hongchen set down the golden engraving knife in his hand, leaned back in his chair, removed his glasses, and asked Lin Jiayi, who stood before him.
"Hall Master, Huo Yuhao returns to the dormitory very late every day. He stays in Mingdetang the entire day, but what he makes are mostly simple soul tools. That said, he has also learned some of Mingdetang's advanced techniques."
Lin Jiayi straightened his chest and replied respectfully.
"Should we…?"
As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed through Lin Jiayi's eyes.
Huo Yuhao was the most important person among this batch of exchange students from Shrek Academy—twin martial souls, with ultimate ice attributes.
If he were allowed to grow, it wouldn't be a good thing for the Sun Moon Empire. Moreover, in the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, Huo Yuhao would definitely be a mainstay of Shrek Academy, which also wouldn't be good for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
"Forget it. He has to learn something, otherwise how would we explain it to Shrek Academy? He's only a three-ring soul master—at most, he has the ability of a level-four soul engineer. Let him learn. Can one person's strength really change the outcome of a war?"
Jing Hongchen waved his hand, cutting Lin Jiayi off.
"Oh right—how have Xiao and Meng been doing lately?"
"After the last All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament ended, Young Master Xiao Hongchen seemed to be stimulated by something. During this period, he's been working hard at cultivation and has gradually reduced his use of—and reliance on—medicines."
After some consideration, Lin Jiayi replied.
Hearing this, a complex look appeared in Jing Hongchen's eyes.
Of course he knew why Xiao Hongchen was working so hard—it was all because of that exceptionally talented youth. Xiao Hongchen's current diligence in cultivation owed more than half of the credit to that young man.
"Sigh, Jiang Jue… it's been so long since I last saw you. This Hall Master really misses you. Such a fine young man—what a pity. If only you could come back sooner…"
Jing Hongchen sighed inwardly.
What surprised him, however, was that after Jiang Jue had been taken away by the Body Sect, the Holy Spirit Cult had not come to cause him any trouble.
"And as for Miss Meng… she's cultivating even harder than Young Master Xiao Hongchen, locking herself in the cultivation room all day. However, Miss Meng's… mental state hasn't been very good…"
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Jiayi still said it. After finishing, he even stole a glance at Jing Hongchen, but quickly lowered his head again and fell silent.
Because the previously calm Jing Hongchen now had a flushed face, and his breathing had quickened slightly.
How could he not know why his precious granddaughter had become like this? It was all because of Jiang Jue.
The tender, delicate "cabbage" he had raised since childhood had, in a moment of carelessness, been rooted up by a pig. Even though that pig had run off somewhere unknown, his granddaughter was still thinking about him in her heart.
"Jiang Jue, you little brat! If you dare come back, this Hall Master will definitely teach you a good lesson on Meng's behalf!"
Jing Hongchen fumed inwardly.
"All right, Jiayi, you may leave. If anything happens on Huo Yuhao's side, come report to me immediately."
After calming his turbulent emotions, Jing Hongchen waved his hand, telling Lin Jiayi to leave.
"Oh right—make sure to strengthen Mingdetang's security. I don't know why, but these past few days, I've been feeling somewhat uneasy, as if I'm being targeted by something unclean."
Just as Lin Jiayi was about to leave, Jing Hongchen seemed to think of something and added another instruction.
"Rest assured, Hall Master. Mingdetang is located deep within the academy grounds. There's a level-nine soul tool detection device above, and the core area is more than a hundred meters underground."
"No one can break in from the outside all the way in—unless they come from underground."
Lin Jiayi spoke, exchanging a glance with Jing Hongchen, and the two of them laughed at the same time.
They both knew this was impossible—absolutely impossible.
After all, who would burrow out from a depth of a hundred meters underground? That was a full hundred meters, with metal plates blocking the way as well. Only a fool would do something so laborious and thankless.
"Still, keep an eye on it."
Jing Hongchen withdrew his smile and gave one more reminder.
"Understood, Hall Master."
Lin Jiayi nodded, walked out of the room, and closed the door behind him.
"Jiang Jue, Jiang Jue… this Hall Master truly both loves and hates you…"
Jing Hongchen's gaze grew distant. With a flash of white light in his hand, a jade box appeared. Inside it lay quietly a golden left leg bone.
This was one of the three soul bones awarded as prizes to the champions of the last All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.
At the same time, it was the one with the highest age and the best quality among the three.
It had been personally selected for Jiang Jue from the Star Luo Empire's treasury by Elder Lin, who had led the team at the time—a left leg bone of a Light Unicorn with a strong Light Holy Dragon bloodline, aged as high as ninety-five thousand years.
After the competition ended, all the members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's team unanimously agreed that Jiang Jue had contributed the most on the battlefield, and that this soul bone had to belong to him.
Thus, Jing Hongchen had stored it away, quietly waiting for Jiang Jue's return.
"Sigh… I really don't know what the Holy Spirit Cult sees in you, to actually make someone with light attributes like you their Saint Son."
Jing Hongchen frowned slightly, muttering in a low voice, puzzled.
"If only this Hall Master had met you earlier…"
If Jiang Jue were here, he would definitely laugh and cry at the same time. The only thing to blame was that he had played his "light soul master" persona too well, to the point that the soul bone Elder Lin picked for him was also of the light attribute.
(End of the chapter)