Rich Second-Gen, Day Twenty-One

Overall, everyone had gained quite a lot this time. Through the constant cycle of cultivation and battle, the little ones had each increased their Soul Power by four or five levels. Aside from Ming Sui and Zhu Zhuqing, everyone else had a God-bestowed Spirit Ring waiting to be used. The teachers' Soul Power had also risen considerably, though not even Ma Hongjun had managed to pry out the exact details.

Most importantly, everyone had obtained new spirit rings. Their mission for this trip was over—they could go home!

Of course, going home was not as simple as saying the word. In their search for suitable spirit rings, they had traveled far from the entrance where they had left their carriages, so they still had to make their way back slowly.

As for abandoning the carriages, sorry, Flender was the first to object.

The journey back was just as exciting. Constant battles let everyone grow familiar with each other's new spirit skills, greatly pleasing Master, thoroughly exhausting everyone, and utterly breaking the hearts of the soul beasts.

By the time they returned to the familiar yet unfamiliar carriages, another month had passed. The Shrek group had finally reached their vacation. Starting the day after they arrived at Shrek, they would have five days off.

"Little brats, we'll be back soon. Before the holiday starts, let's go to the cafeteria and have something nice," Flender said with a smile.

It was rare to see the headmaster being so generous. Everyone cheered in unison, tossed their luggage into the dorms, washed up at top speed, and rushed to gather at the cafeteria.

The other teachers were already waiting for them there. Teacher Shao had personally cooked, using expensive soul beast meat and learning the most popular dishes in Calais City to prepare a huge table full of food. Flender's heart twitched painfully as he desperately comforted himself. It's fine, it's fine. The children just got back. It's fine, it's fine. Just this one meal.

The feast smelled outrageously delicious. The teachers did not want to sit with the children lest they make them uncomfortable, so they were already drinking at their own table. The children had no alcohol and simply focused on eating.

As usual, Dai Mubai picked fish bones out for Zhu Zhuqing. Oscar and Ma Hongjun competed to see who could eat more meatballs. Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong argued over whether orange carrots belonged in dishes at all, while trying to get Nian Nian to take a bite. Tang San ladled soup for Ming Sui.

Ming Sui felt a little dazed. Ever since everyone had emerged from underwater, Tang San seemed to have been taking especially good care of her. No, that was not quite right. Her cousin had always taken good care of her. But looking at Tang San now, his attentiveness was practically meticulous, and she still felt that something was off. Remembering Tang San's poor complexion after they had emerged from the water, she snatched a piece of honey-glazed Earth Dragon Beast meat from under Ma Hongjun's chopsticks and placed it in Tang San's bowl.

"Cousin, eat more," Ming Sui said softly. "If you don't, it'll all be gone."

A smile quickly welled up in Tang San's eyes, but the "mm" in his throat simply would not come out.

Even stranger, Ming Sui thought. But she was an easygoing child who never dwelled on things she could not understand, so she continued eating.

The teachers drank endlessly, while the children began their holiday as soon as they finished dinner.

Ming Sui took out her Communication Soul Tool. Before going underwater, she had sent a message to her parents, and she had sent another after coming out. But aside from a brief message from her mother after she reported that she was safe, there had been nothing. She sent another message saying that she had returned to Calais City.

This time, a reply came quickly. Her father said that he and her mother would be back soon. Ming Sui breathed a sigh of relief, then joined the dormitory girls' conversation as they discussed their holiday plans, all gathered on Ming Sui's bed.

The girls planned to rest today and tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, they would go shopping and have fun. Their clothes and jewelry were old, so they definitely needed to buy new things. The third and fourth days would be free time, and they would rest again on the final day.

Just as everyone was deep in discussion, Ma Hongjun's voice drifted over. "Sisters, which day are you going out to have fun? Let's go together."

It was rare to find someone willing to carry their bags voluntarily. Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. "The day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. Make sure you get up early."

Ma Hongjun agreed and quickly left.

Though soul masters had strong bodies, they had spent a long time in the Star Dou Great Forest with their nerves stretched taut. Once they returned to Shrek, the familiar and relaxing environment brought out their exhaustion. Xiao Wu was the first to yawn, and as if it were contagious, everyone else began yawning as well.

"We really need a good night's sleep." Ming Sui wiped away the tears brought on by her yawn. "Let's sleep. Don't bother changing places, either. Shall we all sleep together?"

The girls shifted from sitting to lying down, quickly closed their eyes, and fell asleep.

Spirit City, always magnificent and bustling, was gripped by a tense atmosphere today. Troops of soul masters marched through the streets, the city gates were tightly shut, and the shops had not opened. All because the Pope had lost a treasure.

The residents of Spirit City could not help but sigh. Whoever had done this was truly unafraid of death, daring to steal something from the Pope.

In truth, Pope Bibi Dong was indeed furious.

Not long ago, the Holy Son Moro had died in the Star Dou Great Forest, and the people sent to investigate had yet to return with any results. Though Moro had already been an abandoned pawn, he was still Bibi Dong's student, and his death had caused her to lose face. Misfortunes never came alone. The day before yesterday, some unknown scoundrel had infiltrated Spirit Hall and stolen the previous Pope's Angel Heart. It did not matter that Spirit Hall had been robbed—she might even have found it satisfying, since that group of old men had repeatedly ruined her plans. But of all things, the stolen item could not have been the Angel Heart.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were utterly baffled. Why was the Pope so enraged? The Angel Heart had been enshrined in Spirit Hall. If anyone was to lose face, it should be the enshrined elders of Spirit Hall. What did it have to do with the Pope's faction? Yet Bibi Dong appeared calm on the surface while her aura raged violently in front of them. Was that normal?

The two confidants of the Pope were deeply perplexed.

The enshrined elders of Spirit Hall were even more furious. What was the Angel Heart? It was a sacred object enshrined by generations of Spirit Hall elders, yet it had simply been stolen. Worse, the thief even knew how to counter tracking. By some unknown method, they had concealed the Angel Heart's trace so thoroughly that even the First Enshrined Elder with the Angel Spirit could not sense its location.

A humiliation beyond measure, a humiliation beyond measure!

Never before had the Pope and Spirit Hall been so united. Orders were rapidly sent to Spirit Hall Branches throughout the continent, which promptly began operating in an orderly fashion. For a time, the Two Great Empires were also thrown into alarm.

Watching the turmoil stirred up by Spirit Hall, the emperors of the Two Great Empires tacitly voiced the same sentiment: "Spirit Hall is making far too big a move." They also decided to temporarily halt the soul master subsidies they provided to Spirit Hall.

The ones who had mocked Spirit Hall were none other than the Tang Siblings and Ming Zhen. As for how they had prevented the people of the Papal Palace from finding the Angel Heart, Ming Zhen's newly developed Isolation Spirit Tool had plenty to say on the matter. Scientific progress really was the primary productive force.

Tang Hao was even more excited. Upon arriving in Calais City, he began researching how to revive Ah Yin. Building on Ming Zhen and Tang Yunhua's research, they had finally worked out a feasible method: first awaken Ah Yin's soul, then use divine power as a guide to reconstruct her body, and use Life Force to bind body and soul together. If they had enough divine power, Tang Hao might not even need to strip away his Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring. An absolute steal.

Ah Yin's soul had yet to awaken, but that did not matter. They could find the divine power first.

Was there divine power on the continent? Tang Hao, who had thoroughly studied Spirit Hall's records and bore a grudge against Spirit Hall, had an answer. Spirit Hall had it. The Angel Heart was a divine artifact.

The Angel Heart was not an angel's actual heart, but the source of an angel's power—the ultimate power of light. It was also the thing Spirit Hall's First Enshrined Elder, Qian Daoliu, treasured most.

For the Angel Heart, Ming Zhen had racked his brains and even used his life-saving trump card.

They confirmed when Qian Daoliu would leave Spirit Hall, mapped out Spirit Hall's arrangements, planned their route, and prepared a container for the Angel Heart. The three of them had exhausted every effort, but fortunately, they had still managed to obtain the Angel Heart smoothly.

"What do you think was the reason Qian Daoliu left Spirit Hall?" This question of Ming Zhen's also troubled Tang Yunhua and Tang Hao.

They had been traveling before and had not dared let their attention wander in the slightest. After returning to Calais City, Ming Zhen began pondering this important question. He always felt that there was a secret hidden within.

Tang Hao went to store the Angel Heart, while Tang Yunhua dug out all the intelligence gathered during this period and sifted through it one item at a time.

"First, in the Star Luo Empire, another little brat was born to the Dai Family. Mu Bai's third brother awakened the White Tiger Spirit."

"That doesn't seem likely. What is there to fear from a newly awakened White Tiger Spirit?"

"The Xu Family of the Star Luo Empire has formed a marriage alliance with the Dai Family."

"The Xu Family? The Star Crown Clan? That probably isn't it either."

"Heaven Dou Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's spirit has undergone a mutation. He has a high fever, is unconscious, and is in critical condition."

"Has there been any news from Ning Fengzhi?"

"Huh, strange. There hasn't been any message from Sect Master Ning. The Communication Talisman has turned red!"

Tang Yunhua and Ming Zhen had an agreement with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect: the Communication Talisman would turn red only when the situation was critical, meaning that it was unsuitable to transmit messages. In this state, all information had to be verified before it could be trusted.

Ming Zhen opened the family's communication channel.

"The imperial family has undergone changes. There is something unusual about Xue Qinghe's spirit." There was nothing more.

"Should we send a letter to Yuehua and ask?" Tang Yunhua dismissed the idea as soon as she voiced it. "No, it's better to remain silent for now."

"The question now is whether Xue Qinghe's illness has anything to do with Qian Daoliu leaving." Ming Zhen pondered.

"Do you remember the excessively dense Holy Element aura you sensed in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace before Sui Sui awakened her spirit?" Tang Yunhua suddenly had an idea.

"You suspect that incident was related to Xue Qinghe?" Ming Zhen also began considering whether the two could be connected, but the clues were too scattered. There was no link between them, and he could not connect them no matter how he tried.

"And that investigation into Spirit Hall back then that ended without results." Ming Zhen muttered.

They seemed only one step away from the truth, but how were they supposed to take that step?