Federation Research Institute, Gu Ming

Top floor of the main building, Academy Council Meeting Hall.

The Metal Long Table in the center of the meeting hall was already surrounded by people, most of them elderly men. President Xu Lin sat at the head of the table.

Another white-haired old man sat beside him. From their seating arrangement alone, it was clear that the old man's status was no lower than Xu Lin's.

In fact, his status did not merely rival Xu Lin's—it surpassed him.

His name was Gu Ming. He was the former president of Sun Moon Royal Academy, the current President of Federation Research Institute, and one of the Core Councilors of Federation Parliament. He held an extremely influential position within the Federation, the sort of great figure whose mere stomp could make the Federation tremble.

President Xu Lin had to respectfully address him as Teacher. If Gu Ming had not insisted, Xu Lin would not have dared sit beside him.

Twelve people sat on each side of the table. All of them sat upright with solemn expressions. Even those who were usually carefree had reined themselves in.

Before Gu Ming, none of them dared act presumptuously. They both feared his status and respected him as an elder.

After all, many of those present were either students Gu Ming had taught or students of his students. No one here was of a higher generation than him.

Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na's seats were also rather interesting. They sat beside Gu Ming, with Yun Ze next to Gu Ming and Gu Yue Na next to Yun Ze.

Both of them sat in chairs that had been added temporarily. Their positions alone showed just how highly Gu Ming regarded them.

At that moment, the Soul Guidance Screen across from the conference table was playing a battle—the clash between Yun Ze and Long Chen from earlier.

The footage stopped, and the vast meeting hall fell silent. Everyone's gaze focused on Yun Ze.

Shock, admiration, satisfaction, and other emotions appeared on their faces. The video had greatly shaken them.

"Good, good, good!" Gu Ming was the first to break the silence. He cried out three times in succession and rose to his feet excitedly.

As soon as he stood, everyone else hurriedly rose as well, not daring to remain seated.

Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na could only stand helplessly too. Everyone else was standing; they could hardly remain seated, could they?

Though they truly did not want to stand, they had no choice. Circumstances demanded it, and they still had to keep up appearances.

"Good child." Gu Ming looked at Yun Ze and patted his shoulder. When he smiled, the wrinkles on his face bunched together like Withered Tree Bark.

He was already over two hundred years old. His body was hunched, his white hair sparse, and his entire figure bore the marks left by time.

His wrinkled face was not particularly pleasant to look at when he smiled, yet it was not off-putting either. He seemed kindly and benevolent, exceptionally gentle.

Yun Ze smiled faintly but said nothing.

"Everyone, sit down." Gu Ming pressed his left hand downward in a gesture for them to sit. Only after he sat down did the others follow suit.

"Child, would you be willing to become my student? The kind where you formally take me as your master?" Gu Ming asked expectantly.

"I already have a teacher, so I cannot take you as my master," Yun Ze refused.

Gu Yue Na added, "Elder Gu, when Yun Ze's teacher accepted him as a disciple, he made Yun Ze promise that he could not take another master."

His refusal made the councilors and President Xu Lin all frown. This was rather tactless. Countless people begged to become Elder Gu's students, only to be turned down. Yet now that he had taken the initiative to accept a disciple, he had actually been refused. How humiliating was that for Elder Gu?

Gu Ming said nothing, so even though they were somewhat dissatisfied with Yun Ze's refusal, none of them dared speak carelessly. "I see..." Deep disappointment flashed through Gu Ming's eyes, and his aged face looked somewhat lonely. He sighed and said, "It seems we have no fate as master and disciple. Since you already have a teacher, then pretend I never said anything."

"Although you cannot become my student, if there is ever anything you do not understand about Soul Tools, you may still come ask me."

"Thank you," Yun Ze said politely. Though he would not actually come to ask in the future, it was still a kind gesture, and thanking him was only proper. "Mm." Gu Ming patted Yun Ze's hand approvingly and said with some emotion, "Originally, I had wanted to invite you to join the Federation Research Institute."

"But after seeing this video, I gave up on that idea. Your talent should not be devoted entirely to Soul Tools. Cultivating both would suit you better."

"Study well at the academy from now on. The academy will devote great effort to nurturing you."

"Thank you," Yun Ze said again.

"Mm." Gu Ming nodded with a smile. After talking with Yun Ze for a while longer, he had them leave first.

After Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na left, Gu Ming gestured to Xu Lin beside him. "Little Xu, tell us about Yun Ze's situation."

"Yes." Xu Lin answered respectfully and began recounting the information they had gathered.

In such a short time, he had basically uncovered Yun Ze's circumstances. His intelligence-gathering ability was indeed formidable.

Of course, Yun Ze and the others had not concealed this information. They had deliberately left it out in the open for others to see.

"Tell us your respective opinions," Xu Lin said.

"He comes from a Hidden Family. Even if we nurture someone like him, he may not serve the academy. I think investing a great deal of resources in him would be rather uneconomical."

"I share that view. Nurturing someone from a Hidden Family could ultimately amount to drawing water with a bamboo basket—nothing gained in the end."

"I disagree. I think this child is quite good. If we nurture him, he will certainly remember this kindness and will not repay us with ingratitude."

"Besides, a child with such talent will surely become an unparalleled powerhouse in the future. Whether or not he remembers the academy's kindness, he will still be a member of Sun Moon Royal Academy. That alone is enough."

"Once he grows to surpass Yun Ming, our academy will be able to outshine Shrek Academy in reputation."

"Old Wang is right. This child is absolutely worth nurturing..." The councilors voiced their opinions one after another, their views divided.

"Enough," Gu Ming called out softly, and the councilors instantly fell silent.

"Little Xu, tell us what you think."

"Yes." Xu Lin stood and swept his gaze around the room. "I think highly of this child. I believe he is worthy of our full efforts to nurture."

"I also agree that this child should be nurtured with great effort," Gu Ming stated his position as well.

Once Gu Ming had made his stance clear, there was basically no need for further discussion. The matter was settled.

After leaving the meeting room, Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na went straight out of the academy and returned to the hotel to rest.

On streets bustling with traffic and illuminated by neon lights, the two strolled along, chatting idly.

"Oh, right. My teacher, Leng Yaozhu, has come to Mingdu. She'll be staying here for a few days. Do you want to go meet her?" Gu Yue Na asked.

"She is your teacher. Why would I go meet her?" Yun Ze said with a smile.

"Her coming to Mingdu is somewhat related to you, you know," Gu Yue Na said with a radiant smile, deliberately keeping him in suspense.

"Related to me?" Yun Ze thought for a moment. "Did Star Moon City report my awakening to her?"

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