Upon seeing the medallion, the Soul Engineer guards immediately knelt to the ground, bowing respectfully.
Feng Piaoling ignored them, his steady pace carrying him toward the palace gates. Moments later, he arrived before a grand hall. The guards at the entrance seemed to have expected his arrival. One of them stepped forward with a smile and said, "Young Master Piaoling, His Highness has stated that if you come to see him, you may go directly to the study."
Feng Piaoling nodded and pushed the door open. The study was located in the left side hall. He was clearly no stranger to this place and headed there directly. By now, he had already transformed back into the indifferent youth he was when he first entered Shrek Academy. He knew very well that Xu Tianran was an extremely cunning and suspicious man; a single misstep could invite unwanted scrutiny.
"Has Piaoling arrived? Come in. I have already given orders—whenever you come, there is no need for an announcement. Just enter."
The side hall door opened, and an attendant walked in, bowing respectfully to Feng Piaoling before gesturing for him to enter. Feng Piaoling walked unhurriedly into the hall. The interior was magnificent yet retained an air of antiquity; fierce fire-dragon patterns were visible everywhere.
Behind the desk sat a young man dressed in white, watching him with a gentle gaze. This man appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, clad in luxurious robes. His eyes were bright and spirited, his features handsome in a sinister way, and his hair was parted in a three-seven split, carrying the inherent majesty of a high-ranking ruler. Unfortunately, his legs had been severed at the thigh, marring the overall harmony of his appearance.
"Feng Piaoling pays his respects to Your Highness." Feng Piaoling stepped forward, preparing to kneel.
Xu Tianran waved a hand, and a gentle surge of soul power supported Feng Piaoling's body. "Enough. I watched you grow up; there is no need for such formalities between us."
Both parties had played this game of lord and minister countless times, yet not once had Feng Piaoling actually knelt. This time was no different.
"I cannot. The laws of the Empire must not be discarded, and the order of status must not be ignored, lest others find an opening to exploit," Feng Piaoling said, maintaining a bowed posture with his hands clasped.
"You, always so rigid." Xu Tianran gave a warm smile, then looked him up and down with a look of satisfaction. "Rank thirty-six. It seems you haven't been slacking off since leaving Mingdu."
"It is all for the sake of the Crown Prince. I am willing to offer my heart to Your Highness," Feng Piaoling said, straightening his body naturally. He pressed a clenched right fist over his heart and spoke with solemnity.
"I recognize your loyalty completely. Now, tell me about the harvest from your journey."
As the conversation turned to business, Xu Tianran's expression became serious. Feng Piaoling reached for his Four Symbols Dragon-Coiled Belt and pulled out a portrait, spreading it across the desk in front of Xu Tianran. "Please look, Your Highness. This is Xu He."
Xu Tianran raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar man in the portrait. Feng Piaoling continued:
"He Caitou, fourteen years old, a third-year student in the Shrek Academy Outer Court. His martial soul is a Cigar, a rank thirty-eight Food-type Tool Soul Elder. He is low-key and solitary, rarely leaving the Soul Tool Department of the Shrek Outer Court."
"Five years ago, he was rescued by a core teacher of the Soul Tool Department within the borders of the Heavenly Soul Empire. He joined Shrek and became Fan Yu's first personal disciple. He claims his family was wiped out by bandits and that he is an orphan. However, while appearances can deceive, a martial soul cannot. Furthermore, he was foolish enough to keep the character 'He' in his name. Combined with the fact that his entry into Shrek coincides with the escape of the former dynasty's remnant, Xu He, it can be confirmed that he is indeed the traitor Xu He."
After listening to Feng Piaoling, Xu Tianran nodded, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips. "No wonder my search for all these years yielded nothing. He changed his appearance and hid within Shrek's Soul Tool Department. You have done well. It seems this trip to Shrek was not in vain."
Feng Piaoling added, "Indeed. Finding Xu He was only one part of it. This time, I not only recruited a group of exceptional talents at Shrek, but I also saw an opportunity to help Your Highness conquer the three empires of Douluo and unify the world."
"Exceptional talents? To receive such high praise from you, they must be extraordinary. Tell me." Xu Tianran was a patient man; he did not immediately press for details about unifying the world, choosing instead to address the first point.
"Xiao Xiao, eleven years old. Martial souls: Three Lives Soul Sealing Cauldron and Nine Phoenix Dancing Flute. A rank twenty-five Soul Grandmaster." Feng Piaoling threw out a bombshell right away.
"Twin martial souls, just like you." Xu Tianran was moved.
Feng Piaoling then briefly introduced the others, such as the Lan sisters with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Huang Chutian with the top-tier beast soul Vigorous Ape, and Zhu Lu, who possessed the Hell Spirit Cat martial soul inherited from the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire.
After listening, Xu Tianran nodded, though a flicker of suspicion crossed his eyes. "They are indeed talented soul masters. However, they hail from the three empires of Douluo. Can you guarantee that when our Empire invades, they won't turn against us at a critical moment to help their homelands?"
"I can guarantee it. And that leads to the opportunity I mentioned." At this, a fanatical light ignited in Feng Piaoling's eyes.
"Go on," Xu Tianran said neutrally.
"May I ask Your Highness, when the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent collided over four thousand years ago, why did the Empire fail?" Feng Piaoling asked in return.
"Only you would dare speak of this to my face," Xu Tianran said calmly, casting a glance at him. "It was because of Shrek Academy."
The fanaticism in Feng Piaoling's eyes grew even stronger. "Exactly. Because of Shrek. Whether then or now, Shrek has always been the obstacle to the Empire's unification. It is a school, but it is also the link that binds the three empires of Douluo together. As long as Shrek Academy exists, the three empires will unite whenever our Sun Moon Empire launches a holy war. Conversely, if Shrek Academy is destroyed, the three empires will fight for themselves, allowing us to crush them one by one."
Xu Tianran finally showed a trace of genuine interest. "And the opportunity you speak of is?"
Feng Piaoling said, "Does Your Highness remember that before I left for Shrek Academy, I went to the headquarters of the Holy Ghost Cult in your name to take a rank nine soul tool—the Mental Barrier?"
"I remember. I only gave you the chance to meet Zhongli Wu, the leader of the Holy Ghost Cult. Whether you could obtain it was up to you. I didn't expect you to suppress the hatred in your heart and actually secure that soul tool. It was indeed beyond my expectations."
As he mentioned the word 'hatred,' Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to discern something from the youth before him.
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