"Tap—tap—"
The familiar sound of footsteps echoed again, and Lin Xiao realized he was starting to grow accustomed to it.
"Lin Xiao, is it? Someone's here to take you out."
A jailer opened the cell door. As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to sense something and whipped his head around to look behind him, but there was nothing there.
Lin Xiao opened his eyes, slightly tilting his head to look at the man. "I can leave?"
"That's right, you can leave."
The jailer turned back upon hearing this. Above his head, a translucent shadow slowly emerged from the ceiling, staring intently at the back of his skull.
The jailer didn't notice. He stepped forward and removed the soul tool from Lin Xiao's wrists.
Feeling his soul power flow freely again, Lin Xiao's body seemed to lighten considerably.
"Come with me."
The jailer pocketed the key, glanced around suspiciously, then shook his head slightly and walked out of the cell.
Lin Xiao stood up, stretched his limbs, and made a subtle gesture with his hand before following.
Outside the prison, there were no familiar faces. Only a palace servant stood nearby, watching those coming and going. Upon seeing Lin Xiao, he hurriedly stepped forward and handed over a storage soul tool.
"Sir, this is your storage soul tool."
"Who are you?" Lin Xiao looked at the servant.
"This humble one serves His Highness the Crown Prince," the servant said, taking out a robe and draping it over Lin Xiao's shoulders. "These past few days, both His Highness and Sect Leader Zhongli have been concerned for you."
Lin Xiao's eyes flickered slightly. If it were only the Crown Prince's people coming for him, it wouldn't mean much. But mentioning Zhongli Wu alongside the Crown Prince was intriguing.
Had Xu Tianran and Zhongli Wu struck some kind of deal in recent days?
"Where are we going next?"
Though he didn't know what Zhongli Wu and Xu Tianran had discussed, according to his memories, Xu Tianran would remain the Crown Prince in the future, and the Holy Ghost Church likely played a significant role in that.
For the Crown Prince's people to come for him now—Lin Xiao wondered if there was more to it.
"His Highness invites you to the Eastern Palace for a discussion."
"I understand. Lead the way."
"Yes."
Xu Tianran's condition was better than Lin Xiao had expected.
He was seated at a desk, a thick blanket covering his lower body, concealing his true state.
Upon seeing Lin Xiao enter, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"You're here. Sit."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Xu Tianran waved a hand. "No need for formalities. I've taken Sect Leader Ye as my godmother. From now on, we're family."
Lin Xiao sat down calmly, his expression unchanged. He knew the "Sect Leader Ye" Xu Tianran referred to was likely Ye Xishui, the Supreme Leader of the Holy Ghost Church.
Perhaps the relationship between Xu Tianran and the Holy Ghost Church had already begun to take shape at this point, though it wouldn't be until he ascended the throne that the church would fully step into the open.
"By the way, I heard you were the one who saved Juzi?" Xu Tianran raised a hand, and someone nearby brought over hot tea.
"I didn't do much, just brought her back."
"That's already a great favor to Juzi," Xu Tianran said with a smile, looking at Lin Xiao. "Juzi risked her life to block a strike for me, proving her loyalty. And you, saving my benefactor in such a critical moment, have earned great merit."
"Bring the reward."
At his words, the same servant who had brought Lin Xiao in presented a tray holding a golden inner armor.
"This may look like mere inner armor, but it's a genuine soul tool. Its primary material is mercury gold, making it extremely soft. It's equipped with a triggered defensive soul array and has considerable defensive strength on its own. It's of excellent quality."
"To actively trigger its defensive effect requires at least rank 70 soul power, but for passive defense, a Soul King's strength is sufficient."
"What do you think? Are you satisfied?"
The servant lifted the mercury gold armor, displaying it before Lin Xiao, while Xu Tianran spoke, his smile unwavering.
"Your Highness, this is too valuable."
"What's that supposed to mean? You saved Juzi, which is as good as saving my life. Are you saying my life is worth less than this soul tool?"
"I wouldn't dare," Lin Xiao quickly replied.
The gratitude was likely a pretense. This was more about compensating for his days of imprisonment. Having just allied with the Holy Ghost Church, Xu Tianran was probably showing his sincerity through Lin Xiao.
"Since it's a reward from Your Highness, I'll accept it."
"That's the spirit," Xu Tianran said, his smile widening. "By the way, Juzi is out of danger, so you can rest easy. I heard you're still studying at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy. Don't worry about these minor matters from the past few days. Go back to the academy and rest well."
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness."
Lin Xiao stood to take his leave. Xu Tianran instinctively reached to steady himself on the desk but stumbled abruptly, his face visibly darkening.
"See our guest out," he said through gritted teeth.
"Yes." The servant didn't dare delay and quickly led Lin Xiao out.
Before they had gone far, the sound of something shattering came from Xu Tianran's room, followed by hoarse roars.
Lin Xiao kept walking, not looking back. The smiles from earlier couldn't hide the shift in Xu Tianran's mindset. When he instinctively tried to stand and realized his condition, the madness in his heart had surfaced.
"Sir, His Highness is still recovering from his ordeal. Please don't speak of this to others," the servant said, his tone carrying a hint of a plea.
"Naturally. I'm not one to gossip."
"Thank you, sir," the servant said with a slight bow. "Oh, please follow me. We'll leave through the eastern gate—it's closer to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Academy."
Lin Xiao glanced at the servant. This wasn't the first time he'd heard the academy mentioned. Was it a casual remark, or had someone instructed him to return there?
Given the situation, it seemed he wouldn't need to return to the Holy Ghost Church headquarters. Xu Tianran must have learned of his release, and the church likely knew as well. For now, he'd wait at the academy. Nightmare Douluo would probably come find him.
Leaving the palace, the bustling noise of the streets filled his ears, and Lin Xiao let out a long breath.
Before this, he had always carried the restrictions placed by Nightmare Douluo. After breaking those restrictions, he had been kept close, followed by the Spirit Ascension Ceremony and imprisonment.
Having undergone the Spirit Ascension Ceremony, the Holy Ghost Church now trusted him more. Standing at the palace gates, watching the crowd come and go, he felt a rare sense of ease.
But just as he took two steps forward with this mood, the sound of footsteps came from behind.