After the furious outburst of the esteemed elder on the board subsided, silence fell over the conference room like a thick fog. No one spoke for a long time. Finally, seated at the head of the table, the chairman of the board heaved a heavy sigh. Things had already come to this point. If he didn't speak now, then when?
"Sigh... Everyone, I know you're all full of grievances," he said slowly, his voice laced with fatigue, "But let's be realistic—since this matter is already happening within the Royal Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, then it must be with his silent approval."
The word "his" instantly silenced the board once more. Who that referred to, everyone in the room knew—Crown Prince Xu Tiannan.
"So what?" A young and fiery board member frowned and raised a question that echoed through the room like a blade of ice. "Chairman, do you think this matter should have happened in the first place?"
The chairman didn't reply immediately. He just slowly shook his head, eyes closed, his expression solemn.
But his silent gesture ignited the fury of the young man, who slammed a palm onto the table and shot to his feet, posture firm and commanding.
"Then what—do we just endure this? This is blatant provocation! They're draining our blood, devouring our legacy! The Crown Prince is not the Emperor!"
"Watch your tongue!" the chairman scolded, his brows furrowing deeply.
The young man finally realized how dangerously close he'd come to crossing a line. What he'd just said could be seen as seditious. If word of this ever spread outside the boardroom, the board could very well find itself facing Xu Tiannan's ruthless retaliation.
But no one in the room raised objections. No one would leak anything. In fact, the silent approval, even nods of agreement on many board members' faces, proved something very clear—the actions Xu Tiannan had taken, stripping the old noble houses of their power and privilege, had enraged them.
The board chairman knew this couldn't drag on much longer. As the leader, he needed to resolve the unrest. He cleared his throat, his voice now steadier, more determined.
"What matters isn't whether those people can enter the Royal Academy. What matters now is the attitude of the academy's dean and... his."
He paused meaningfully. Everyone knew exactly who "his" referred to.
"Since their stance is firm, and things have reached this point, we can't just sit here and do nothing."
He leaned forward, eyes sweeping the room. "So we must act. This matter has already crossed our bottom line. And that one... he's not yet emperor. If he ascends the throne, our lives will only grow harder."
He paused again, then added, voice low but sharp:
"I'm old. But that also means I dare to act. We still have time. We still have a chance—to make sure he never takes that seat."
The air froze.
His words, so blunt and fearless, left everyone stunned. They had all been thinking this. But none had dared to say it aloud—until now.
"No objections, then?"
No one spoke. No one objected.
Supporting the third prince over Xu Tiannan was certainly dangerous. But watching Xu Tiannan rise to power, only to strip their families of wealth, privilege, and political influence? That was even more intolerable.
If they couldn't accept it—then they had to resist.
"Then let's begin. Let us discuss how best to act."
And so, within the board's opulent conference hall, a heated and secretive meeting began. Plans were laid out—strategies formed to undermine Xu Tiannan's rise, back the third prince, and form a coalition of forces against reform.
Meanwhile, in the academy's main office, Dean Jing Hongchen watched all of this unfold on a screen.
He listened quietly, arms crossed, the expression on his face icy and full of disdain.
"Bloodsucking parasites..." he muttered.
Everything—every image, every word—was being recorded by the latest soul device developed by Mingde Hall. While the board members thought they had sealed the room perfectly against surveillance, using advanced detection blockers and dampeners, they had underestimated the true reach of Mingde Hall's technology.
Jing Hongchen had already installed a ninth-tier secret detection soul device inside the conference room long ago. He had been monitoring everything with meticulous clarity.
He hadn't been surprised by the board's reaction. In fact, he had expected it. He had wanted them to reveal their fangs. That was why he had been watching carefully ever since the decision to admit commoners into the Royal Academy was announced.
And they did not disappoint.
They had chosen their side—and that side was against reform, against the Crown Prince, and in favor of an outdated noble-dominated hierarchy.
So would Jing Hongchen take the recordings and run to Xu Tiannan with them? Demand immediate purging of all these traitors?
No. He wouldn't.
Because even if he did, Xu Tiannan would ignore him.
The third prince was weak—for now. He wouldn't act until he had amassed enough power to believe he could strike. Only then would he raise the banner of rebellion, launching his campaign to seize the throne.
And Xu Tiannan wanted exactly that.
An open war would expose every hidden faction. And Xu Tiannan, supported by Mingde Hall and the Guardian Hand Soul Engineer Legion, had full confidence in crushing all opposition.
"Petty clowns... Jump and dance while you still can," Jing Hongchen sneered.
He reached out and switched off the screen.
In the past, the board had existed only because the Royal Academy needed the financial support of the noble houses. But once those old bloodlines were purged and Mingde Hall ruled without rival—what use would there be for these parasites?
None at all.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, a soul bus rolled to a stop.
Seven students stepped off, led by a soul engineer from the education reform task force. One of them, a young man named Zhao Yuan, looked around in awe, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
"So this... this is the highest institution in the entire Sun Moon Empire?"
The marble halls. The elegant carvings. The towers of metal and glass that gleamed under the sun. Zhao Yuan had never seen anything like it in his life.
His mind blanked, his eyes wide, he stood there speechless.
The soul engineer leading them smiled slightly and gestured toward the central square.
"Get ready," he said, "You'll be meeting the Chief Architect of the entire reform plan soon. That's an incredible honor. But before that, I'll take you on a short tour so you can get familiar with the campus."
Zhao Yuan gulped. His heart thudded with anticipation.
'The Chief Architect... The one who changed my life... I'm finally going to meet him...'
(End of Chapter)
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