The trail had gone cold from the very beginning.
Bibi Dong sat within the hall, listening to report after report from subordinates who had returned empty-handed. Her expression grew darker by the moment.
She knew very well that anyone daring to do this had come prepared and possessed an intimate understanding of Spirit Hall's distribution of power and investigative methods.
Anyone capable of pulling this off in Spirit City was definitely no simple figure.
"Who could it be?" Bibi Dong frowned deeply as name after name flashed through her mind.
A spy from one of the two great empires? An opposing force within Spirit Hall? Or perhaps some powerful Soul Master hiding in the shadows?
Suddenly, a figure entered her thoughts.
Ye Xuan?
No, that couldn't be.
Aside from Nana, he was the disciple she thought most highly of. He was extraordinarily talented, unconventional in his conduct, and had never met Yu Xiaogang before.
But the timing of the Image Recording Crystals was far too suspicious. They had appeared exactly one week before Yu Xiaogang was due to arrive in Spirit City.
And Ye Xuan had happened to remain in Spirit City this entire time.
"Pass down my order. Keep a close watch on Ye Xuan's every move. Report any unusual development to me immediately!" Bibi Dong ordered in a deep voice, a trace of suspicion flashing through her eyes.
Over the next two or three days, some of the Pope Palace's Soul Masters monitored Ye Xuan around the clock. Yet what they observed only left Bibi Dong even more confused.
Ye Xuan's daily routine was regular to an absurd degree.
Every morning, he would stroll through the streets of Spirit City with Hu Liena. The two chatted and laughed, behaving intimately, without the slightest sign of anything unusual.
Whenever