Chapter 81: A Topic That Must Not Be Touched

Of course, among the four soul skills granted by the Snow Emperor's soul ring aside from the Snow Emperor's Three Absolutes there was also a combination soul skill with the Ice Emperor, named Pride of the Two Emperors of Ice and Snow. At this moment, Jing Hongchen was staring at the screen with a puzzled expression. "Strange... who could have used the God Sealing Platform to capture a hundred thousand year soul beast embryo? Even among the Rank 9 soul engineers I know, almost none would create such a soul tool." It wasn't that crafting the God Sealing Platform was overly difficult; rather, the opportunity to use it was far too rare. What soul engineer could be lucky enough to catch a hundred thousand year soul beast just as it was transforming, allowing them to deploy the God Sealing Platform for capture? Looking back at the history of the Sun Moon Empire, the number of people who had achieved this could be counted on one hand. Moreover, every existing Rank 9 soul engineer already had their own signature soul tools, so they had no reason to invest vast amounts of resources and time into crafting a God Sealing Platform. Even if they made one, the chances of ever using it were slim. For a moment, Jing Hongchen felt an imminent sense of crisis he suspected there was a traitor within the Sun Moon Empire! It was well known that only the Sun Moon Empire had Rank 9 soul engineers. The original three nations of the Douluo Continent, as well as Shrek Academy, had none. A God Sealing Platform could only be crafted by a Rank 9 soul engineer, meaning that unless there was a traitor, such an item could never have ended up in the Starlight Auction House. And yet, not only was there a God Sealing Platform here, but it also contained an incredibly rare hundred thousand year soul beast embryo! Jing Hongchen knew that if it had been up to him, he would never have put such a thing up for auction. Muttering to himself, he said, "Who exactly has betrayed the Sun Moon Empire?" Names of familiar individuals flashed through his mind, and he dismissed them one by one. "Forget it. First, let's buy it back." Jing Hongchen glanced at Xiao Hongchen and Huo Yuhao, hesitating slightly. If it was about family ties, then Xiao Hongchen was naturally closer to him after all, he was his biological grandson. He wanted this hundred thousand year soul beast embryo to become Xiao Hongchen's second martial soul. Though the process would take time, gaining a second martial soul would greatly benefit Xiao Hongchen's future development. As a grandfather, he naturally wished to see his grandson grow stronger. However, his relationship with Huo Yuhao was also quite good now. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao had pioneered the soul spirit system, which suggested that a hundred thousand year soul spirit should theoretically be possible. If Huo Yuhao could obtain one, his future power would be unimaginable. A contemplative expression appeared on Jing Hongchen's face. After a moment, he reluctantly looked away from Xiao Hongchen and made his decision. "Yuhao, bid as you please. Mingde Hall will handle the rest. This hundred thousand year soul beast embryo will be yours in the future." In his view, even if Xiao Hongchen obtained a second martial soul, his talent still wouldn't compare to Huo Yuhao's. Thus, Xiao Hongchen's chances of reaching the rank of Limit Douluo were extremely slim. Even Elder Kong, despite possessing twin martial souls, had only reached Rank 94. But Huo Yuhao was different. Given his talent, combined with the Sun Moon Empire's meticulous cultivation, he had a real chance of becoming a Limit Douluo. Besides, even if he wanted to give the embryo to Xiao Hongchen, Elder Kong would never agree after learning that Huo Yuhao had developed the soul spirit system. In the end, the embryo would still belong to Huo Yuhao. Since that was inevitable, he might as well use this as an opportunity to show goodwill. Xiao Hongchen was shocked. "Grandfather... wouldn't using the hundred thousand year soul beast embryo to awaken my second martial soul be better?" Jing Hongchen shook his head. "Xiao, you'll understand my reasoning in the future. When we return to the Sun Moon Empire, I'll explain everything. For now, Yuhao, start bidding." Huo Yuhao understood Jing Hongchen's intentions. He nodded and said, "Alright, Hall Master." He then began bidding. From the moment the embryo appeared, the auction had already become a frenzy, as its rarity was simply too great. However, as soon as Huo Yuhao placed his bid, the matter was settled. After all, Mingde Hall was too rich. Before long, Huo Yuhao secured the Snow Emperor's embryo for 150 million gold soul coins. Once they had obtained both the Snow Emperor's embryo and the Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone, Huo Yuhao and his group quickly left. Meanwhile, in a hidden room within the Starlight Auction House, Xu Jiawei stood observing. "In the end, the hundred thousand year soul beast embryo still ended up in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire. But that works to my advantage after all, I can use it to set up a plan to strike against Mingde Hall." Bang! The door was suddenly kicked open. Xuanzi strode in, frowning at Xu Jiawei. "Earlier, you sent me a message telling me not to compete for the hundred thousand year soul beast embryo. You also said you had a plan to strike Mingde Hall and secure immense benefits for Shrek Academy. Is that true?" Xu Jiawei turned around with a smile. "Of course it's true. Elder Xuan, Jing Hongchen will undoubtedly keep that hundred thousand year soul beast embryo for himself. But we in Star Luo have spies inside Mingde Hall. That means I can track Mingde Hall's movements to some extent. Finding out where they store the embryo won't be difficult." "In three months, I will issue a treasure hunting mission through the Adventurer's Guild, targeting Mingde Hall. When the time comes, various factions will take the bait and attack Mingde Hall to seize the embryo. If Shrek Academy joins in, you will not only recover the embryo but also deal a massive blow to Mingde Hall." Xuanzi narrowed his eyes. "Xu Jiawei... you're just openly telling me your plan?" "Elder Xuan, Star Luo and Shrek Academy have always been close allies. What's a simple plan between us?" Xu Jiawei waved his hand dismissively, as if placing absolute trust in Shrek Academy. In truth, he hadn't originally intended to share his plan. But after witnessing the overwhelming pressure exerted by the Rank 9 soul engineers earlier, he had grown increasingly wary of the Sun Moon Empire. Thus, he decided to bring Xuanzi into the fold and see if he could sway him. Xuanzi replied, "Xu Jiawei, Shrek Academy has always remained neutral. Frankly, I cannot involve myself in this." Xu Jiawei was momentarily stunned before shaking his head. "Elder Xuan, neutrality only holds meaning in times of peace. I can tell you clearly according to intel from our spies, Mingde Hall's soul tool technology has advanced tremendously. Within ten years, their power will swell beyond control. When that happens, the Sun Moon Empire will inevitably ignite a war across the continent. Will you just stand by and watch the world burn?" Xuanzi sighed. "Of course, I don't want to see war. I'm well aware of the Sun Moon Empire's ambitions. However, Shrek Academy's neutrality will not change we are an institution that upholds fairness and justice. If I make a move, the Sun Moon Empire will instantly know it was me. We are still in a time of peace. If I act now, it would contradict Shrek Academy's principles and damage its reputation. Worse, if I accelerate the outbreak of war, I would become a sinner!" Xu Jiawei thought to himself that Shrek Academy's so called neutrality, fairness, and justice had never truly aligned with reality. Yes, they had done some good things, and he wouldn't deny that. But they had also done plenty of questionable things. Of course, these were thoughts he dared not speak aloud because this was a topic that must not be touched. (End of chapter.)Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon. Read 15 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1