Looking at the dim, damp surroundings, Zhou Tong felt rather sad.
And there were suspicious details everywhere about Ah Yin's entire downfall.
Since she was pregnant, why hadn't she hidden away to rest and carry the baby? Why had she dared to go out for a stroll and attract the Spirit Hall's attention?
And Ah Yin was clearly a Soul Emperor. Once she reached maturity, she could conceal her aura perfectly, so how had the Spirit Hall still discovered her?
After Ah Yin sacrificed herself, why hadn't Tang Hao taken her back to the Blue Silver Forest to seek the Blue Silver King's help and let her recover as quickly as possible?
Instead, he'd treated Ah Yin like a tool, locking her away in a valley under heavy guard, afraid she might escape and deprive the Tang family of the value they could harvest from her.
There were suspicious details everywhere, so Zhou Tong was deeply suspicious of Tang Hao.
Especially when he compared him with Tang Hao's son, Tang San, who had learned from and copied his father's methods.
He, too, had used love as an excuse to trick the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Xiao Wu into sacrificing her Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
If that still wasn't clear enough, just look at Tang San's descendant, Tang Wulin, who married the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena.
The Tang family had always used romantic tricks to harvest resources from high-ranked Soul Beasts.
The women of this romance-addled continent were just too easy to fool.
The Tang family were professional con artists, and every time they scammed someone, they hit the mark.
Feeling sorry for Ah Yin, Zhou Tong ventured deeper into the cave.
A small mound of earth appeared inside.
A somewhat yellowed Blue Silver Grass grew atop it. It looked lifeless, barely clinging to life.
If not for the golden lines running through the wilted Blue Silver Grass, Zhou Tong would never have believed it was the Blue Silver Emperor.
He felt along the rock wall and eventually found a large box.
He carefully opened the lead box, and a rich breath of life immediately spilled out.
The moment that life force emerged, Zhou Tong felt his whole body grow wonderfully refreshed.
The Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone was pale blue from end to end. Though it was a Soul Bone, it felt warm and smooth to the touch, like jade, and a gentle yet surging Soul Power flowed through it.
"As expected of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!"
"Taking it with me!"
He gently closed the lid, then stowed it in the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.
Next, he dug up the Blue Silver Emperor, planted it in a flowerpot, and swaggered away.
Before leaving, he planted an ordinary Blue Silver Grass here as a cover.
When he returned to Nuoding City, he didn't immediately absorb the Soul Bone or the Blue Silver Emperor. Instead, he went to work at the Spirit Hall Branch as usual.
After all, if he suddenly disappeared, he could easily attract attention.
Before Bibi Dong arrived, he'd already received word that the Pope wasn't very pleased with him.
So when Zhou Tong left that day, he'd already come up with an excuse: he'd say he was taking leave to cultivate in seclusion.
Grandpa Martino understood completely and even felt a little guilty.
He'd wanted to recommend Zhou Tong to Bibi Dong, but who could have guessed that Bibi Dong would break with convention and dislike such a gifted child?
So he'd told Zhou Tong about it in advance and advised him to lie low, lest Bibi Dong take her displeasure out on him.
Not long afterward, Bibi Dong left the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City, and only then did Zhou Tong relax.
However, to his surprise, Grandpa Martino brought him to meet three strangers.
One look told him they were no ordinary people.
The one in the middle was a handsome young man in white, only a few years older than Zhou Tong.
Beside him stood two powerful figures radiating an intimidating pressure.
One had a stern face, sharp features, and a tall, lean build, as straight and keen as a spear.
The other looked like an ordinary old man, of average build, with nothing particularly distinctive about him.
"Zhou Tong, this is His Highness the Crown Prince of the Empire. Your chance has come."
At those words, Zhou Tong's eyes lit up. He immediately said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
He hadn't expected that after losing his opportunity with the Spirit Hall, Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) would come looking for him.
It seemed heaven hadn't forsaken him.
Zhou Tong knew that this Xue Qinghe was actually Qian Renxue in disguise. She was now the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and controlled many resources.
Most importantly, she had control over Heaven Dou Royal Academy. With her putting in a word, getting in to study there would surely be no trouble.
Zhou Tong had actually been hoping to get into that academy.
After all, it had abundant resources, as well as a Mimicry Cultivation Environment for cultivating thunder-attributed Soul Power.
But the academy's requirements were strict. You needed a noble background to get in.
So he'd never found an opportunity to enroll.
Perhaps this unexpected visit from Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) was the turning point.
Xue Qinghe spoke first. "Brother Zhou Tong, I hear you have a rare thunder-attributed Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power."
"It's a shame the Spirit Hall's Pope is blind, to push away a genius like you."
Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) was very approachable. With a single remark, she'd already won Zhou Tong over.
Looking at Zhou Tong, Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) sensed the powerful thunder coursing through him and marveled inwardly. What a little monster.
But she liked just this sort.
The more talented people she had under her, the better her chances of standing against Bibi Dong in the future.
Her mother might look down on her, but she was determined to show her just how powerful she, Qian Renxue, truly was.
Qian Renxue felt that heaven had delivered Zhou Tong, this genius, right to her doorstep.
And he was a genius pushed aside by Bibi Dong, naturally an ally of her own.
"Being a commoner Soul Master is so hard."
"Just because of one argument, Yu Xiaogang started making things difficult for me and even turned the Pope against me. Now I have no way to cultivate."
Zhou Tong spoke with deep grievance.
Yu Xiaogang really was sinister and vicious. He'd secretly written to the Pope to stop Zhou Tong from joining the Spirit Hall.
Zhou Tong wished he could tear Yu Xiaogang, that vile good-for-nothing, apart right now.
Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) immediately smiled. "If the Pope doesn't want you, Brother Zhou Tong, then I do!"
"I have connections at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Would you like to study there?"
Zhou Tong was more than happy to. It was as if he'd mentioned being sleepy, and someone had brought him a pillow.
He immediately said, "Brother Xue, please accept my bow."
Zhou Tong gave him an adorable smile. He was still under seven, and his handsome little face was full of youthful charm.
Qian Renxue had come to recruit him in person. What else was there to say? He'd grab hold of a powerful ally.
As long as he chose the right person to lean on, good days would be waiting for him.
Besides, Qian Renxue was Tang San's future enemy, which made her Zhou Tong's natural ally.
With the two of them joining forces, wouldn't dealing with Tang San be a piece of cake?
At that, Qian Renxue beamed. "Good, good, good! Brother Zhou Tong, I'll look after you from now on!"
"Anywhere in the Heaven Dou Empire, just give them my name. I guarantee no one will dare bully you!"
"Thank you, Brother Xue!"
The two chatted for a while. Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) gave Zhou Tong a Soul Tool and left him a token before departing in a luxurious carriage.
"Qian Renxue really is a good person."
Looking at the token in his hand, Zhou Tong smiled broadly and waved goodbye to Qian Renxue.
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