met free Chapter 39 Shadows, Aftermath
Chapter 39 Shadows, Aftermath
Jing Hongchen frowned and said in a deep voice, "Don't mention this matter again. Send someone to warn her that if a similar situation occurs again, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Master."
Lin Jiayi bowed respectfully and took his leave.
Just before he stepped out the threshold, he heard Jing Hongchen let out a heavy, cold snort, and those three words that chilled him to the bone—
"Evil Soul Master!"
……
Pushing open the door to the research lab, several elderly men who were busy in front of a huge silver-white soul guidance platform stopped what they were doing. Kong Deming instantly felt several burning gazes directed at him.
What's wrong with all these people, young and old, today? Kong Deming chuckled inwardly; he had a rough idea of what it was about, but he remained outwardly calm. He habitually glanced around and spotted two people who shouldn't have been there.
"Your Majesty, who is this?" Kong Deming gave a slight greeting, looking somewhat puzzled at the young man in white beside Xu Guoyi.
The young man in white looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was dressed very simply, with bright, piercing eyes and dark skin that shone with a healthy glow. He looked nine-tenths like Xu Guoyi in front of him, and his gentle demeanor was tinged with a hint of authority.
"No need for such formalities, Elder Kong," Xu Guoyi waved his hand and said with a smile, "Naturally, I haven't even greeted Elder Kong yet."
"Xu Tianran has met Master Kong."
As soon as Xu Guoyi finished speaking, he bowed respectfully to Kong Deming.
"So it's His Highness the Crown Prince."
Kong Deming nodded to Xu Tianran. Given his status, being second only to the emperor in the Sun Moon Empire was beneath him; only Xu Guoyi commanded any respect from him. Even the crown prince, before truly ascending to the throne, was no different from an ordinary person in Kong Deming's eyes.
Xu Guoyi clapped his hands and laughed:
"Lord Kong, I came here today to inspect the progress of the high-energy compression array. On the way, I received some news, so I came along to congratulate you. You probably don't know, but Tianxu completed the inscription of six techniques on a piece of metal in just one minute during the entrance examination. Although I am not proficient in soul tools, I know what an astonishing talent this is. With Tianxu's aptitude, he will surely become another pillar of our Sun Moon Sect within twenty years."
The elders exchanged glances, all sharing the shock in each other's eyes. Although Ye Yulin had given them a heads-up, it wasn't entirely accurate. Six-sided carving completed in one minute, and on a single piece of metal?
Even Confucius, who held the record for over a hundred years, only managed to complete it just in time. This is definitely the skill level of a high-level Soul Master. How old is that child?
"Your Majesty flatters me."
Kong Deming said calmly, but the smile that gradually widened at the corners of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.
Given his control over the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, he actually learned of this news a little earlier than Xu Guoyi. But in front of so many old buddies, his pride couldn't help but show.
Seeing that the other party was in a good mood, Xu Guoyi gestured to Xu Tianran to strike while the iron was hot. Xu Tianran, being very perceptive, immediately stepped forward and said:
"Master Kong, Tianzhen will be turning twelve soon, and we'd like to take this opportunity to host a banquet at our villa outside Mingdu, inviting you and little brother Tianxu to get together. I wonder if you would do us the honor of joining us, Master Kong?"
Is this paving the way for the Crown Prince? But Xu'er is probably not so easy to win over.
Kong Deming remained noncommittal, then smiled and said, "In that case, I will first present a congratulatory gift to Little Innocent."
Xu Guoyi's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Could it be a high-energy compression array...?"
Nodding, Kong Deming inserted his key into the preheated soul guidance node, and the other six level-nine soul masters followed suit. The light that had been steadily surrounding the high-energy compression array suddenly intensified, and the dome of the research lab slowly opened.
Then, a terrifying beam of seven-colored light shot into the sky, heading straight for the distant mountain peak!
……
It wasn't until late at night that Xu Guoyi, accompanied by Kong Deming, left the royal research institute located in the far suburbs. He declined Kong's usual attempts to persuade him to stay and strode back to his carriage with invigorated steps.
Looking at Kong Deming's steady figure through the car window, Xu Guoyi's eyes flashed with envy. He finally stopped suppressing his physical weakness, and his face suddenly turned ashen.
Xu Tianran immediately poured his pure soul power into his body and said urgently, "Father, your illness has relapsed. I will go and ask Zhong Gongfeng to treat you."
The Zhong Gongfeng he mentioned refers to a healing-type Gongfeng in the Imperial Palace, who is also the only healing-type Title Douluo in the Sun Moon Empire. His title is Chunhui, and he is known as Chunhui for one to three years.
After coughing a few times with difficulty, Xu Guoyi waved his hand, gesturing for Xu Tianran to sit down next to him.
He took out a crimson pill from the storage ring in his left hand, which was inlaid with a large ruby. With the other person's help, he mixed it with a blood-red drink and drank it down. His complexion immediately improved. Only then did he slowly speak:
"Tianran, you are the Crown Prince. Your every move is being watched. You must be mindful of the consequences. Zhong Gongfeng only came for a few days last time. If you summon him here again, who knows what kind of rumors will circulate among the imperial clan? Those insatiable ingrates, they all wish I would die sooner, hmph!"
It seemed the pill was working; Xu Guoyi gradually regained his spirits, and his voice became much stronger. But then he sighed:
"Twenty years... Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't live to see that time. I'll leave Kong Tianxu to you. Take advantage of this banquet to cultivate your relationship with him. Such a young genius should be mostly focused on cultivation and relatively simple-minded, but since he was trained by Master Kong, don't treat him like a fool. Make good use of him, and the great cause of unifying the continent will surely be accomplished in your hands."
"As for Elder Kong, his loyalty is beyond doubt. The fact that he voluntarily relinquished his title as the First Soul Instructor to secretly develop the high-energy compression array back then already proves his integrity. You just need to keep an eye on his research direction..."
Xu Guoyi kept rambling on, and Xu Tianran nodded obediently in agreement, a thoughtful look occasionally flashing in his eyes. But whether he truly listened or not, only he knew…
As soon as Kong Deming returned to the research lab, several level-nine soul masters surrounded him, each eagerly offering their services. At their level, all they wanted was to pass on their life's work, and Kong Tianxu was naturally the best candidate.
Clap his hands to signal everyone to be quiet, and Kong Deming said, "Everyone has a chance, don't rush, the participants for today's class have already been reserved."
"Who is it?" everyone asked in unison.
"Could it be Xiao Jingzi? That chubby kid is always up to no good, don't let him corrupt the child," said Old Su, who had the worst temper.
"One of my disciples," Kong Deming said with a slight smile.
……
Opening his eyes, he sensed the purple aura in the distance to the east. Even without the so-called Purple Demon Eye, the faint purple energy from the horizon still brought Kong Tianxu a sense of enlightenment as his martial soul absorbed it on its own.
After several hours of meditation, Kong Tianxu's breakthrough in cultivation yesterday has been fully consolidated. He can feel that since acquiring his fourth soul ring, his cultivation speed has risen to a new level.
This is why he was so eager to acquire his fourth spirit ring a few months ago.