A City of Hidden Agendas

"The seed has been planted. Now I just have to wait for it to take root and sprout—or for him to crush it with his own hands." A faint smile touched Dai Weisi's lips.

Whatever Levin chose, Dai Weisi could not lose this move.

If Levin accepted and used the pill, he would owe Dai Weisi a favor. Sooner or later, there would be a chance to collect.

If Levin refused to use it or handed it over to the academy or the royal family, that hardly mattered. It would only strengthen Dai Weisi's reputation for valuing talent and being generous. All he would lose was a pill he did not particularly need.

Besides, a genius so blind to his own interests would be worth far less in the eyes of other factions. That would make him easier for Dai Weisi to control by other means someday.

"Have someone watch Levin's movements, especially whether he makes contact with the second or third prince," Dai Weisi instructed his guard in a low voice.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Time passed. It had been quite a while since Tang Hao left that hastily written note and departed Notting City.

On the surface, life at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy had changed little.

The students still attended classes, trained, and played around. The teachers still taught and held assessments.

In Yu Xiaogang's office, an oil lamp cast a dim yellow glow.

He sat behind his desk with a weighty illustrated guide to Soul Beasts in his hands, but his gaze had drifted from its pages to the dark night beyond the window.

At first, after the shock and brief rush of elation brought on by Tang Hao's departure, Yu Xiaogang's reason had returned. He began to consider what Clear Sky Douluo truly intended.

*From