A promise with the Snow Empress

Qian Renxue rose and walked over, reaching out to help her up with a smile in her eyes. "Please rise, Elder Ling Yuan. With your help, our chances of restoring Spirit Hall's glory have grown even greater."

Ling Yuan stood, her expression still solemn. Things had come this far, and there was no turning back now. She bowed and asked, "Young Master, what should your subordinate do next? Please give me your orders."

"It's simple." Qian Renxue's smile deepened. "Continue serving as an elder of Spirit Hall. Coordinate with Spirit City as usual, negotiate the Soul Tool trade as usual, and keep gathering intelligence on the Fate Defying Pavilion as usual—just make sure you know which information is true and which is false."

Ling Yuan understood at once.

She was being asked to become a double agent.

On the surface, she remained the trusted elder the Pope had sent to gather intelligence and poach talent. In secret, she had become a pawn the Fate Defying Pavilion had planted right under Spirit Hall's nose.

"Understood." She nodded, though her gaze couldn't help drifting toward her "future self" nearby.

Principal Ling Yuan folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't look at me like that. Once you've endured another couple of years at the top, you'll understand just how suspicious His Holiness the Pope is. Do your job well. The Young Master never treats his own people poorly."

Only then did Luo Can speak. With a flick of his fingers, a dark red flight Spirit Bone slowly floated into the air, radiating powerful waves of soul power. "Since you're one of us, you deserve a welcome gift. Take this forty-thousand-year fire-attribute right leg Spirit Bone for now. Once you've earned some merit, there will be plenty more rewards."

Ling Yuan's