Ferdinand's Surprise

Chapter 49: Ferdinand's Surprise "The first time I came here, I was also drawn to this Angel Portrait," Ferdinand explained.

"It is said that the Spirit Hall was founded by an angel. Therefore, the Angel Sword also represents the Spirit Hall."

Dai Yao nodded.

The Spirit Hall's Great Enshrinement, Qian Daoliu, was the owner of the Angel Spirit. The Spirit Hall had passed down the Angel Spirit for generations. Perhaps because Qian Daoliu's status was too high, Bishop Ferdinand did not know about this.

"Then let's begin. Manifest your Martial Soul and release your Spirit Rings," Ferdinand said.

Dai Yao walked to the center of the palace, extended his right hand, calmed his mind, circulated the Soul Power within his body, and summoned the White Tiger Spirit.

A tiger's roar rang out, carrying the majesty of a king.

Dai Yao's entire body grew sturdier, and a pair of snow-white wings appeared behind him.

Two Spirit Rings rose from beneath Dai Yao's feet, floating up and down around his body.

One yellow and one purple.

The purple Spirit Ring radiated a dim violet glow, mysterious and powerful.

Bishop Ferdinand had originally been all smiles, his eyes nearly narrowed into slits. He had come in and immediately sprawled in a reclining chair, looking utterly languid.

But when he saw that purple Spirit Ring, he instantly stood up from the chair, shock coloring his face.

He rubbed his eyes and repeatedly confirmed the color of the Spirit Ring before saying in astonishment, "This is... a Thousand-Year Spirit Ring?"

Dai Yao answered calmly, "Yes."

Ferdinand let out a long breath, calming his excitement. "You must have endured no small amount of torment to obtain it. A Thousand-Year Spirit Ring—such talent has never been seen throughout the ages. What a pity. You are a prince of the Star Luo Empire. Otherwise, I would have recruited you into the Spirit Hall no matter what."

Revealing the Thousand-Year Spirit Ring and proving his potential was the first step toward achieving his goal.

As a normal person, Dai Yao would never develop any sense of belonging under the Dai Family's brutal clan rules.

Dai Yao was a transmigrator who had already developed normal values. When he had read novels in his previous life, he had felt little about Dai Mubai's experiences. But after truly transmigrating into the Dai Family, he realized how utterly inhumane those clan rules were.

But joining the Spirit Hall was out of the question for now. Although life in the Star Luo Empire had been unpleasant, he still had Third Uncle and a few others whom he cared about.

Joining the Spirit Hall would mean cutting ties with them. It would not only affect him—Zhu Zhuqing would also have to sever ties with her clansmen.

Dai Yao was not so narcissistic as to make decisions for Zhu Zhuqing.

Thus, he refused, saying, "I'm afraid I can only decline the bishop's kind offer."

But Bishop Ferdinand did not give up. "As far as I know, Fourth Prince, your current situation is not very good."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know why the First Prince didn't act against you after you entered the Academy?"

"Why?" Dai Yao asked in confusion.

He had once considered this question himself. The First Prince had only sent someone to attack him on the first day of enrollment, but afterward, he had never appeared again.

Ferdinand patiently explained:

"Because he was competing for the position of captain of the Star Luo Royal Team, and his opponent was the Second Prince. What he was worried about was you joining forces with the Second Prince."

"But he never expected you to come into conflict with the Second Prince. He was delighted. That was why he never caused you trouble afterward, allowing you and the Second Prince to remain opposed and exhaust the Second Prince's energy."

"But now that the captain of the Star Luo Royal Team has been decided, the First Prince was elected with overwhelming support. He can finally spare a hand to deal with you."

"Fourth Highness, I originally believed you had no hope at all in your duel with the Second Prince, but your Thousand-Year Spirit Ring has given me confidence in you."

"But even if you defeat the Second Prince, so what? You cannot possibly be the First Prince's match. The slightest misstep will leave you beyond redemption."

At this point, Bishop Ferdinand looked at Dai Yao with deep emotion and earnestly urged him:

"Fourth Highness, come to my Spirit Hall. There are absolutely none of those decayed clan rules in the Spirit Hall. We will provide you with the best cultivation resources. Once your cultivation reaches a certain level, we can even give you a Spirit Bone as a reward."

After remaining silent for quite some time, Dai Yao let out a long, quiet sigh.

Zhu Zhuqing also watched him nervously.

"As the son of an empire, do you truly think the Spirit Hall will support my cultivation without reservation?" Dai Yao considered his wording for a long time before speaking slowly.

Seeing that Dai Yao still had reservations, Bishop Ferdinand hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, you don't need to worry about that..."

Before he could finish, Dai Yao waved a hand to stop him. "Since you are so insistent, let's assume for now that the Spirit Hall will support me without reservation. But will the geniuses of my generation accept that?"

"Will they allow me to take away the resources that should belong to them? Besides, as someone who has betrayed his country, will the Pope truly trust me?"

The two questions left the bishop speechless, and he fell silent at once.

Indeed, everything Dai Yao had said was completely correct. There were only so many resources. If one person received an extra share, someone else would receive less. By then, the geniuses of the Spirit Hall's younger generation would likely all become hostile toward Dai Yao, leaving him in the same predicament as the Star Luo Royal Academy.

The second point was also what worried Ferdinand.

A traitor was an existence people would always look down upon. Throughout ten thousand years of history, there had been no shortage of princes—even rare geniuses—who had defected to the Spirit Hall as spies and inflicted tremendous damage upon it.

Moreover, those princes had all been investigated again and again. Only after it had been confirmed that they could not possibly be spies had they been accepted into the Spirit Hall. Yet all of them had ultimately exposed their identities as spies. Their experiences in the Star Luo Empire had merely been disguises.

Therefore, it was impossible for Dai Yao to gain the Pope's trust.

It was an insolvable problem, and Ferdinand wore a regretful expression.

"That should be enough," Dai Yao thought.

His visit to the Spirit Hall today had already made his attitude clear: he intended to draw closer to the Spirit Hall.

Draw closer, not join.

But anything obtained too easily would be looked down upon. The same applied to talented people. Only those recruited at great expense would be cherished.

Dai Yao had experienced this in his previous life at his company.

Capable veteran employees worked diligently year after year yet received meager salaries, while newly hired rookies who knew nothing earned even more than some veterans who had spent years at the company.

That was human nature.

"I am also favorably disposed toward the Spirit Hall. It's just that, as things stand, this is not the best time for me to join the Spirit Hall," Dai Yao said seriously as he looked at the bishop.

"What do you mean?" the bishop asked in confusion.

"After my duel with Dai Yaming, I will leave the Star Luo Empire. At that time, I may need your help, Bishop."

"Rest assured. As long as I am here, I will definitely ensure that you leave the Star Luo Empire safely," Bishop Ferdinand promised solemnly.

The bishop's straightforward attitude instead made Dai Yao feel uneasy.

"Aren't you worried that I'm merely using the Spirit Hall to leave the Star Luo Empire?" Dai Yao asked in confusion.

"Since I wish to recruit Your Highness, I naturally have to trust you. Even if you only intend to use me, I must still let you see the sincerity of my Spirit Hall."