Atop the raised platform.
Old Man Withered Glory knitted his brows and cast a sidelong glance at Zhi Xing, tapping his fingers against his chair's armrest. "Wise Old Ghost, what exactly are you playing at?" he demanded.
"Not only have you been poaching talent all over southeastern Tosk Province, you've also taken a Tyrannosaur Sect disciple from Blazing Fire Academy in Northwest Lagahanma Province. You even poached a child of the Northern Ling Family, one of the Twenty-Four Eminent Families, from Skywater Academy in northern Heavenly Water Province."
"Are you planning to strip every province in the empire bare?"
The Northern Ling Family did not have the compound surname Northern Ling. Rather, there were two Ling families among the Twenty-Four Eminent Families. This family stood in the north, while the Three-Color Radiance Peacock Ling Family—the family of the Star Luo Empire's prime minister—stood in the south. The two shared deep roots; according to legend, they had once been a single family in the distant past.
The Northern Ling Family, also known as the Beichen Ling Family, stood apart among the Twenty-Four Eminent Families. Though ranked last among them, it was the only distinguished house without a martial soul of eighth grade or higher.
Yet it possessed two unique martial souls at the very pinnacle of the seventh grade-the ice element and the Wind and Cloud Fan-which drew considerable attention. The two could also perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Although it could not compare with top-tier fusion skills such as the Hell White Tiger, it still ranked among the martial soul fusion skills of the whole continent.
Thus, apart from the Ice Palace and the Heavenly Water Duke's Estate, the Northern Ling Family was the most powerful top-tier force in Heavenly Water Province.
Rumor had it that the Northern Ling