Back when Jing Hongchen traded for the alloy smelting technology in Lin Xiao's hands, one of the conditions was that Mingde Hall would provide him with all the materials he needed.
For Mingde Hall, which was practically supported by the entire Sun Moon Empire, supplying materials to a ninth-level soul engineer was not difficult at all. Moreover, the higher Lin Xiao's strength grew, the less likely Mingde Hall would go back on its word.
Sure enough, after hearing him out, Jing Hongchen didn't think for long before nodding in agreement.
"No problem. I'll take you into Mingde Hall in a moment. With me there, no one will question your identity."
"Then I must thank the Hall Master. The materials I need this time might be quite a lot."
"A lot?"
"Yes." Lin Xiao nodded. "Hall Master, you should know that my self-propelled soul cannons have been by my side since I was a fifth-level soul engineer."
"And their greatest advantage is that they can operate independently of a soul engineer controlling them, relying on numbers to win. Now that I've upgraded them to the ninth level, the materials required won't be few."
"Hahaha." Jing Hongchen laughed. "You're underestimating the material reserves in the hall. As long as you're not trying to build a batch of soul tools capable of flattening Mingdu, the hall definitely has enough."
As he spoke, Jing Hongchen picked up some food from the table and smiled at Lin Xiao. "Tell me honestly, if you hadn't run short of materials for making soul tools this time, were you planning to keep the fact that you're still alive hidden forever?"
Lin Xiao didn't deny it. "Hall Master, you know that ever since His Majesty decided to purge the Holy Spirit Cult, evil soul masters like me have had a hard time. Now that I've finally escaped, I have to be cautious."
"But speaking of this, I must ask the Hall Master to help conceal my whereabouts."
"That's fine on my end." Jing Hongchen paused slightly. "What about Jia Yi? Should I keep it from him, too? Ever since you disappeared, he's been very worried about you."
"He even resigned from his position as director of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and has been busy researching mixed materials ever since."
"Mixed materials…" Lin Xiao pondered for a moment and nodded. "Researching mixed materials is far more complicated than metals. Teacher's path won't be easy."
"But it's a blessing in disguise. If not for this, Jia Yi might never have found the opportunity to advance to ninth-level soul engineer."
"Since the teacher is busy, I won't disturb him for now. Please convey my regards to him, Hall Master. When I return to Mingdu in the future, I'll visit Teacher then."
"You don't need to be so cautious. Though your identity is special, you have Mingde Hall's status, so you're different from the other evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Cult." Jing Hongchen spoke while glancing out the window.
"When you entered the city, you should have seen the square ahead, right? There's even a stone monument commemorating you inside. Among all the evil soul masters of the Holy Spirit Cult, you're the only one."
"To figure out what happened to you, the Empress even sent people to the academy to question Jia Yi and me. Such treatment isn't something ordinary royal consecrators get, let alone evil soul masters."
"The Empress?"
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen smiled at Lin Xiao. "That's Ju Zi. You should be familiar with her. She graduated from our Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Looking back, she probably entered the academy back then to act as His Majesty's eyes and ears."
Jing Hongchen's guess was correct. When Ju Zi first entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, aside from studying soul tools, it was also because Xu Tianran wanted Mingde Hall to support his position at the time.
However, after hearing Jing Hongchen's words, Lin Xiao's thoughts didn't dwell on Ju Zi acting as a spy in the past. Instead, he focused on what Jing Hongchen had just mentioned.
The Empress herself had sent people to inquire about his experiences; could it really just be to write an inscription for his monument? She was one of the few in the Sun Moon Empire who knew he was still alive.
Lin Xiao looked up from the window toward the direction of the imperial palace, but all he could see was a stretch of palace walls.
"It's about time. I'll take you back to Mingde Hall. Although your identity certificate has been canceled, the credential I gave you before can still be used. If I'm not at the academy in the future, contact Jia Yi and have him take you to the storehouse—he can get you the materials you need."
"Thank you, Hall Master." Lin Xiao stood up and clasped his fist toward Jing Hongchen. He could hear the details in Jing Hongchen's words; regardless of his identity, Mingde Hall and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had always treated him as one of their own.
With Jing Hongchen leading the way, Lin Xiao entered the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy without attracting anyone's attention. After all, as the Hall Master of Mingde Hall and a ninth-level soul engineer himself, Jing Hongchen often brought people into the academy, and the other teachers were long accustomed to it.
It wasn't until the sun had completely set outside and the illumination soul tools in Mingdu City lit up as usual that Lin Xiao left the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
In the months that had passed, some of the illumination soul tools in Mingdu had been replaced. With the appearance of devices that could convert other energies into soul power, many common soul tools no longer required soul engineers to recharge them.
Soul tools were no longer something only soul masters and soul engineers could use; they were truly beginning to spread to ordinary civilians.
Standing under an illumination soul tool by the roadside, Lin Xiao withdrew his thoughts, glanced toward the city gates, but did not choose to leave.
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly turned and headed toward the imperial palace.
"Lady, it's time for your medicine."
Inside the imperial palace, the voice Lin Xiao had heard countless times rang in Ju Zi's ears once again.
Setting down the military book in her hand, Ju Zi reached for the medicine bowl. For some reason, her hand seemed to tremble slightly.
Ever since returning from the front lines, she had repeated this routine almost every day. She knew full well that drinking the bowl of medicine in front of her brought her one step closer to that day.
Glancing at the walls around her, though she was now the Empress, what difference was there between her and a prisoner confined here? Both were merely waiting for their own "execution."
Gulp—
Ju Zi swallowed the medicine. A maid immediately stepped forward with clear water for her to rinse her mouth.
"All of you, withdraw."
"Yes, Lady."
Ju Zi gazed out the window in a daze. After waiting for a long time with no other movement outside, she understood that Xu Tianran probably wouldn't come tonight.
Only then did she turn and return to the bed, lying down gently.
However, the moment her head touched the pillow, she suddenly sat bolt upright.
She scanned the room. Under the light of the illumination soul tool, she saw nothing unusual, but the years of fighting on the front lines told her that something in the room was definitely off.
Just as she was about to call someone in, a faint, almost imperceptible shadow appeared at the window, and a familiar voice emerged from it.
"What do you want from me?"
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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