The Brain of a Soul Tool

The residence's main hall.

After a round of introductions, Wu Qi learned the old man's circumstances.

The old man was named Lu Mingcheng, one of the Eighth-Rank Soul Masters officially certified by the Blazing Sun Empire. In his early years, he had served at the Imperial Court as a third-rank official, overseeing the empire's Soul Engineer education system. Later, his colleagues had framed him, costing him his official's hat and implicating his disciples and their disciples as well.

Zhao Chenggong had originally held a position at the Royal Academy, but had been transferred to Changde Academy after being implicated.

"Little Zhao, sending you to the frontier was actually a way of protecting you. The waters of Mingdu run too deep. Now you've come back, and you even want to take the Soul Engineer assessment. Have you got a death wish?"

Lu Mingcheng left something else unsaid.

If Zhao Chenggong had sought refuge under another high official, returning this time would certainly have posed no danger. His official career might even have soared straight into the clouds.

But that would inevitably mean betraying him.

A large part of the reason Lu Mingcheng could still remain in Mingdu was his reliance on these disciples and their disciples scattered across the continent. If someone set a precedent for betrayal, the rest would surely follow one after another, selling him out for their own futures.

When that happened, it would no longer be a question of whether he could remain in Mingdu. Although his political enemies would not kill him, he would inevitably spend his final years being treated as a laborer, ordered around at others' whim.

Zhao Chenggong hurriedly explained, "Mentor, I was able to return to Mingdu this time thanks to this Earl."

Lu Mingcheng turned his gaze toward Wu Qi.

His