Scheming

The lake before them shimmered beneath the sunlight.

The Radiant Holy Spirit Flower, over two thousand seven hundred years old, floated on the water's surface.

Its petals were sculpted from pure gold, layer upon layer of holy light wrapped around it like an impregnable barrier. A gentle sway of its vines sent a force sweeping out to dispel anything nearby. Then it suddenly flung out a branch, and an unstoppable slash of light cleaved through the air, bearing down on Ye Guyi at the shore.

Ye Guyi didn't dodge. She instinctively activated the Soul Tool Shield.

The slash of light was instantly absorbed by the shield.

"Ye Guyi, sit cross-legged and cultivate for a while. Recover from what you just spent." Xu Yanli glanced at Ye Guyi, noticing that she looked a little tired.

The Soul Beast was a little too old for her to absorb easily. It would be best to face it in peak condition.

The Sun Moon Soul Seal flashed in Xu Yanli's eyes. The Twelve-Winged Holy Wings, interwoven with gold and silver, unfolded behind him. The Left Sun Wheel blazed, while the Right Moon Wheel flowed with clear, silvery light. Martial Soul Possession.

"Third Soul Skill, Solar Flame: Holy Judgment!"

At his quiet command, Sun Origin True Fire poured down from the sky, gathering into an Angel Light Blade that stretched across the lake. A golden-red wave of holy flame, carrying the power of judgment, cleaved through space and struck the Radiant Holy Spirit Flower!

The light barrier the Soul Beast had taken such pride in shattered like thin paper before the extreme Sun True Fire. The slash of light was burned to ash in an instant.

Holy Judgment slammed into the flower itself. Threefold holy damage erupted, scorching and mangling its pure-gold petals. Its source of light power poured out, and it was left on the brink of death, drooping limply over the water.

When Xu Yanli had first obtained this thing, he'd thought the Soul Skill was pretty useless. What if the other party wasn't guilty? But now that he'd used it, he understood: if he thought the other party was guilty, then the other party was guilty...

Against Evil Soul Masters, though, its damage automatically increased by one hundred percent.

Xu Yanli saw that the flower seemed to be in bad shape. He might have gone a little too hard just now.

A faint silver glow began to flow over Xu Yanli's fingertips. He sent the moon aspect of his first Soul Skill, Holy Prayer Sun Moon Light Heal, toward the battered flower in an unbroken stream, afraid it might give up the ghost. Wrapped in the breath of life, the healing light steadied its vitality again and again.

The Radiant Holy Spirit Flower struggled weakly. Its last remaining petals tried to release their dispelling skill, but the holy pressure around Xu Yanli weighed them down, leaving them unable to move. All it could do was cling to life on the water's surface.

Ye Guyi released her Martial Soul and stepped forward. Her glasslike eyes rested on the dying Soul Beast, and her voice was calm and brisk. "Brother Yanli, don't bother saving it. I've recovered."

She raised a hand and pointed. An Angel Holy Sword slowly took shape in her grasp. With no flashy technique, she simply tossed it. The blade pierced the last of the Radiant Holy Spirit Flower's vitality with pinpoint accuracy.

The thousand-year-old Soul Beast's body transformed into a pure light Soul Ring.

Ye Guyi sat cross-legged by the lake. Her Martial Soul slowly drew the Soul Ring onto her, and rich Soul Power immediately filled her meridians.

Xu Yanli surveyed the area and, after confirming there was no problem, set down a larger Storage Soul Tool, enclosing the three of them inside.

Huo Yuhao had nearly recovered his Soul Power by now. Xu Yanli walked over to him, pulled a stool out of the Storage Soul Tool, and sat down nearby. "Show me your Spiritual Detection Sharing."

"Oh, sure." Huo Yuhao answered with unusual nervousness. Then his immense mental power slowly entered Xu Yanli's mind, and the surroundings appeared clearly in his thoughts.

Xu Yanli thought to himself, This thing is basically a man-made radar. Come to think of it, why does it remind me a little of that Indian guy's artificial intelligence reconnaissance from back then...

He immediately shoved the song with "AK Curry..." in it out of his mind.

That was a little creepy.

"Not a bad Soul Skill. Maybe one day you could become a junior commander in the Sun Moon Empire. You might even be able to take on your father. Are you interested?" Xu Yanli asked with a smile, a dark glimmer in his eyes.

"Really, teacher?" Huo Yuhao's eyes brimmed with excitement. "Do I really have a chance to kill him and make him repent at my mother's grave?"

Xu Yanli smiled and nodded, patting Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "Of course. But it depends on how you perform, and how loyal you are. Understand?"

Xu Yanli didn't look at Huo Yuhao again. Instead, he quietly waited nearby for Ye Guyi to finish absorbing her Soul Ring.

About an hour later, a trace of pain surfaced on Ye Guyi's face.

Xu Yanli slowly stood and went behind her, sending a rich flow of Sun Moon power into her meridians.

"Calm your mind. Don't be nervous. I'm here," Xu Yanli said evenly from behind Ye Guyi.

At last, Ye Guyi's breathing gradually steadied, and the pain slowly faded from her face.

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm inside Huo Yuhao's mind was filled with regret, though a trace of excitement also flashed in its eyes. "Yuhao, from now on, you have to listen to your master. I sensed the aura of a god in his Martial Soul. You need to get along with him—really get along with him. Maybe he can take you straight up there."

What the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm didn't say was that it regretted its choice. If only it had known, it would have offered itself to Xu Yanli instead. Though he might not have accepted it, since their attributes didn't match.

Seeing Ye Guyi's breathing gradually settle, Xu Yanli returned to his little stool and sat there, lost in thought.

He did regret having the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm offer itself to Huo Yuhao. But the problem was that the Sun Moon Empire had spent six years searching and still hadn't found a Soul Master with a Mental Attribute.

Even more absurdly, whenever he heard about a Soul Master with a Mental Attribute and set out to look for them, they suddenly died.

It was as if something were stopping him from replacing Huo Yuhao.

Since that was the case, he might as well keep Huo Yuhao under control. Not only could he make father and son turn against each other and enjoy the show, he might even be able to use it to undermine the prestige of Star Luo Empire's Duke of White Tiger.

Xu Yanli's eyes were unreadable. As for Huo Yuhao's character, he was only half-convinced of it—but at least Huo Yuhao was trustworthy for now.

Besides, hadn't Huo Yuhao fallen for Ju Zi back then?

Why not give Ju Zi to Huo Yuhao? That way, she might even make his hatred more unwavering.

As for his older brother, he could have him choose someone else later. His brother wouldn't refuse if Xu Yanli asked him for a woman, even if she was one of his more important pieces on the board.

At last, Ye Guyi finished absorbing her Soul Ring. She stood and turned toward the two seated figures, one large and one small, her face alight with excitement. "Brother Yanli, I'm level 33!"

Xu Yanli nodded, stood up, and put away his stool. Then he gestured to Kong Deming in the sky to show that they were ready to head back.

Xu Yanli led them toward Shrek Academy, following the direction marked on the map.

Meanwhile, some of the Level 9 Soul Engineers who had just arrived chose to enter Xiaoyao Pavilion in Heaven Dou City, while the rest slipped quietly into Shrek City.