"Your Highness, anger will only harm your health."
An aged figure slowly stepped out from the shadows of the palace, gazing at the seemingly deranged Xu Tianran, and couldn't help but sigh lightly.
A trace of blame rose in his heart as well.
What exactly is His Majesty planning? It seems no one can fathom his intentions anymore.
He actually gave the position of Mingde Hall Master to Xu Hailiu…
Who is Xu Hailiu, anyway? He's a figure of immense prestige within the imperial clan, one of the most powerful princes of the Sun-Moon Empire, and commands the Royal Inspectorate.
Moreover, he's a staunch supporter of the Third Prince.
These days, although His Majesty is still robust, his strength is waning; ultimately, he's only mortal, so his remaining years are limited.
Yet now, at such a sensitive time—right before the struggle for the throne among the nine princes—His Majesty hands over the prized Mingde Hall to the Third Prince. This is far from an ordinary transfer of power.
Rather, it's a veiled dethronement of Xu Tianran, the "rightful" Crown Prince.
It goes without saying:
From this day on, Xu Tianran—the disabled Crown Prince already ostracized by his siblings and looked down upon by the world—will find the road to the throne even more arduous and perhaps hopeless…
After all, with just this one move, His Majesty has caused countless people to follow his lead and place their bets.
Previously, many still watched from the sidelines, thinking the situation was unclear—the Third Prince and the Crown Prince were fighting fiercely, and no one could tell who would win. But now… His Majesty has heavily tipped the already-slanted scales further toward the Third Prince.
The scales of victory are now tilting madly.
"Elder Xue, do you think… I still have a chance to win?" Xu Tianran slowly released the palace maid, his face filled with despair.
"…This…" Xue Chen fell silent, his expression complex.
One could say the odds are hellish.
"But I refuse to accept fate!" Xu Tianran slowly lifted his head, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.
"You…" Xue Chen was taken aback.
"Elder Xue, help me deliver a letter to a certain altar of the Holy Spirit Sect in Mingdu. Make sure it reaches him."
"You… But, cooperating with evil soul masters, won't that make you despised by the world…"
"I'd rather betray everyone than watch the throne fall to the Third Prince and let him crush me like an ant." Xu Tianran replied coldly.
"Only power in my hands is truly tangible. The rest of history—let me write it."
"Yes." Xue Chen took a deep breath and bowed slightly.
As a loyal servant, he would simply do his duty.
No need to ask further.
The old man seemed to melt into the darkness and vanished.
A new, unhinged light appeared in Xu Tianran's eyes after letting go of restraint.
"If you won't give me the throne, then I'll take it myself… just like you snatched it from our uncle all those years ago."
…
"Delete that silly big-face emoji of me!" Su Wen said expressionlessly.
"I can't delete it!" Big Eye replied righteously.
"That big-head chibi emoji took me several nights to design, staying up all night! And you just want me to delete it with one word? No way! I'm the tech guy—if you've got the guts, fire me! Otherwise, as long as I'm on this project, that emoji isn't going anywhere!"
"And I'm still designing more! Planning to apply for copyright…"
Su Wen: "…"
He sometimes muttered some phrases from his previous life, only to be overheard by Big Eye, who imitated them pretty well. He couldn't help but retort, "I could say you're infringing on my portrait rights, you know…"
"Portrait rights? What's that?" Big Eye asked, confused.
"You never mentioned that setting before."
Su Wen waved his hand.
"Forget it. Design away."
"What else can I say?"
"After all, it's a gift for the juniors; having my mark on it isn't a bad thing…" Su Wen sighed.
"Of course, it has mine too." Big Eye grinned, extending a tentacle with a cartoon sketch—a cute, mini classic Cthulhu model.
"You think you're that cute?" Su Wen raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
"Don't make me laugh! Why can't I be cute?" Big Eye scoffed.
"I'm already working hard to earn my new name… Once I'm done, I'll 'change my appearance' and even update my look."
"I'm not some slimy, creepy, crawling monster—I'm a god, standing proudly on the throne of the void!"
Su Wen: "Big Eye."
"Ahhhhhhh!!!"
Big Eye instantly broke down and started crawling around on the ground in a dark, twisted fashion.
That was really its weak spot—a lifelong shame…
Su Wen smiled slyly.
Mess with me?
You're still too green.
I'll enjoy this secret for life!
Leaving the trial grounds where Big Eye was gloomily squeezing itself, Wang Dong'er happened to wake up from the Golden Tree. The two of them had been training together again lately—old bedmates, no awkward phase at all. Their practiced actions would convince anyone they were a married couple.
"Ha~" Wang Dong'er, draped in her pink wavy hair, yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Where'd you run off to this morning? I searched everywhere, couldn't find you, so I went back for a nap."
"How do you sleep so well at your age?" Su Wen asked, exasperated.
"Hmph." The girl snorted and pulled Su Wen along to the inner court cafeteria.
"Hey, little couple's here?" Aunt Lu beamed, bringing over two special breakfasts. "Enjoy your meal."
"Thank you, Aunt Lu." Su Wen stuffed a Thunder Vine bun into his mouth. The crackling electricity, the perfect numbing sensation, and the surge of rich spirit energy woke him up instantly.
He still couldn't figure out if the bun's energizing effect came from the electricity or the tiny bit of "spirit energy."
But the taste was great.
"Boss! I missed you so much!"
A burly figure pounced, snot and tears, and hugged Su Wen's thigh.
"Fatty?" Su Wen was surprised. "You're back from your mission?"
"Yeah!" Xie Huanyue nodded dumbly.
He sneakily grabbed two buns from Su Wen's plate and asked Aunt Lu for five more rounds before finally sitting down next to him—nearly bouncing Su Wen off the seat from his weight.
Su Wen: "…"
"The mission was easy, just a wild evil soul master at the Soul Sovereign level—sat on him and that was that." Xie Huanyue said, munching a bun with a grin.
"Tch." Su Wen was speechless.
He could already imagine the despair and powerlessness on the other side, watching a mountain of flesh barreling down, shadow growing ever larger.
Now, Xie Huanyue was the ultimate tank.
His figure wasn't much different, but with immortal herbs enhancing his body's strength, his tankiness skyrocketed. Even soul emperors a whole rank higher couldn't break his defenses.
Not to mention, this guy does offense and defense in one…
Absolutely absurd.
"Remember to come to the training class." Su Wen smiled.
"Training class?" Xie Huanyue's little eyes were confused. "Boss, I heard the training class is run by a super demon from our academy—supposedly terrifying."
"Who said that?" Su Wen's smile turned dangerous.
"Some senior students from my year." Xie Huanyue, oblivious to the seriousness, sold them out completely.
"No worries, just come." Su Wen patted Xie Huanyue's shoulder.
"Oh, oh…" Xie Huanyue focused on his buns, not caring about anything else.
"Heading to the outer court?" Aunt Lu asked with a grin.
"Yep." Su Wen nodded.
"Take this to him… he hasn't eaten yet." Aunt Lu handed over a steaming, pre-packed bag.
"Alright!" Su Wen took the bag, grabbed Wang Dong'er's little hand, and sped toward the outer court.
Inside the bag was breakfast for Aunt Lu's husband—a teacher in Shrek Academy's outer court. Unlike delicate Aunt Lu, he was rough-looking, burly, and bearded.
But the two were sweet as could be.
Though Su Wen always thought the size difference was a bit much…
After handing off the task, Su Wen and Wang Dong'er headed to the Forging Department.
Now, the Forging Department had grown to three or four dozen people, even split into grades. Of course, Wang Dong'er and Lou Yingying had long since become "inner court disciples."
The only flaw: no core disciple slots—Su Wen hadn't applied yet.
Once the Department grew further, they'd get the same treatment as the Soul Tool and Martial Soul Departments…
With Su Wen's resources as vice dean of the Forging Department, he could easily grant himself a "core disciple" rating.
"Vice Dean, Senior Sister, good morning…"
As Su Wen walked by, the students—just arriving and tidying up their tools—hurriedly greeted him with respect. Given his status, he was just shy of becoming a statue outside the forging building for the disciples to worship…
….