Inside Haoyu Palace, Tianhao and the other five little ones had just finished their cultivation, their youthful faces revealing a composure and keenness far beyond their peers.
The spirit power circulating through their bodies was stable and profound; clearly, their diligent training all morning had brought subtle improvements to their strength.
The youths exchanged smiles with each other, planning to rest for a moment and enjoy their morning medicinal meal, when a steady and familiar aura approached from afar.
Tianhao looked up and saw his mentor.
At the doorway, Kong Deming stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling gently upon Tianhao, a hint of imperceptible amusement in his eyes.
Without any unnecessary pleasantries, Kong Deming called out: "Tianhao, come with me."
Tianhao's heart stirred slightly; if not for something of vital importance, his teacher would never have summoned him so urgently just as he finished his cultivation.
He immediately nodded to the five little ones beside him, signaling for them to rest on their own, and then quickened his pace to follow Kong Deming.
The master and disciple, one after the other, left the heavily guarded forbidden area of the imperial palace and dashed toward Mingde Hall outside the palace.
Along the way, the two traveled through the air like swift shadows, the bustling cityscape of the Sun Moon Empire capital beneath their feet receding rapidly, with vermilion towers, jade buildings, and the heavy traffic all turning into blurry outlines.
Tianhao couldn't help but ask softly: "Teacher, why are we in such a rush? What major event has occurred?"
"Could it be that there is a change at the Empire's border, or has there been a major breakthrough in spirit tool research at Mingde Hall?"
Kong Deming heard this and said in a light tone: "It is neither a war at the border nor spirit tool research, but rather the trap that you and your brother carefully laid; that big fish has taken the bait."
"A big fish?" Tianhao's eyes lit up suddenly, and his previously calm gaze instantly erupted with brilliant radiance.
Tianhao's tone was filled with irrepressible surprise: "Teacher, are you saying... someone from the Body Sect has arrived?!"
Kong Deming looked at Tianhao's undisguised joy, nodded, and lowered his voice slightly, carrying a hint of secrecy:
"That's right, and it's not an ordinary Sect member who has come, but the current Sect Master of the Body Sect, the one known for his invincible physical body and peerless poison techniques, Poison Immortal himself, who has come to visit."
"However, he is, after all, a citizen of the Heavenly Soul Empire. This visit to the Sun Moon Empire is a secret operation; he dares not make it public for fear of being discovered by the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family, which would invite unnecessary trouble."
Upon hearing this, Tianhao couldn't help but grin, his smile filled with the cunning and pride of a youth.
Tianhao's eyes twinkled with mischievous light: "Coming is all that matters! Whether he came secretly or openly doesn't matter; as long as he is willing to step onto the land of my Sun Moon Empire, it proves that the bait we threw is something he finds irresistible and simply cannot refuse!"
Kong Deming looked at the smiling and spirited Tianhao before him, his eyes filled with indulgence and approval.
Kong Deming couldn't help but reach out his broad palm and gently pat his head, saying with a mix of helplessness and gratification:
"You, at such a young age, have a mind more meticulous than anyone else. Your mischievous ideas always manage to make people sit up and take notice."
"If you can truly rely on your talent to win over a top Sect like the Body Sect for the use of our Sun Moon Empire, I am sure that once His Majesty finds out, he will be greatly pleased and will record a tremendous contribution for you."
Tianhao waved his hand slightly upon hearing this, his smile fading a bit, replaced by a sense of responsibility and composure that did not match his age.
He looked up at Kong Deming, his tone sincere and firm: "Teacher, whether there is credit or reward, I have never taken it to heart."
"I am, after all, the Sixth Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, born with the surname Xu, enjoying the honor and protection bestowed upon me by the Empire, and possessing the best cultivation resources of the royal family."
"Now that I have the opportunity to share the Empire's burdens and take on heavy responsibilities for my father, it is my duty."
"Being able to contribute to the prosperity of the Empire is my greatest wish; everything else is just passing clouds."
Kong Deming, hearing these words of profound righteousness from his disciple, felt even more gratified, and his gaze toward Tianhao became increasingly filled with expectation.
He said no more, only quickening his speed, and the master and disciple chatted and laughed all the way.
In less than half an incense stick of time, a magnificent and heavily fortified giant building appeared before them; it was none other than one of the core key areas of the Sun Moon Empire—Mingde Hall.
As the core location for the Sun Moon Empire's spirit tool research and confidential meetings, Mingde Hall was guarded on the perimeter by countless elite Spirit Masters and various spirit tool devices.
Every corner was set with strict spirit tool prohibitions; ordinary people, let alone stepping inside, would be instantly captured if they even approached within a hundred zhang.
In the center of the main hall, two figures were sitting opposite each other.
One of them was dressed in a luxurious black and gold robe, with an elegant temperament; he was the current Hall Master of Mingde Hall, holding great power, Jing Hongchen.
Sitting opposite Jing Hongchen was a burly man with a robust, blood-filled physique.
The burly man wore a simple martial outfit; his pupils, beard, and hair were all green. There were dark green, tattoo-like patterns on his exposed chest, and his long beard was tied into a small braid, making him highly recognizable.
As his eyes opened and closed, a domineering aura that looked down upon the world emanated from him, and a heart-palpitating pressure faintly radiated from his body.
This person was none other than the Sect Master of the Body Sect, the one whom the entire continent's Spirit Masters feared, the Body Douluo, Poison Immortal.
At this moment, Poison Immortal was holding a cup of clear tea, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the cup.
He appeared to be calmly sipping tea, yet he looked up from time to time, his burning gaze fixed on the passage outside the hall.
His eyes carried a hint of irrepressible urgency, anticipation, and even a touch of restlessness.
From the time he learned the information about Tianhao to now, when he had made up his mind to come to the Sun Moon Empire, nearly two months had passed.
In these two months, Poison Immortal could be said to have felt like every day was a year, unable to eat or sleep in peace.
As the Sect Master of the Body Sect, he had seen many geniuses and monsters in his life, but never had anyone been able to make him so obsessed and unable to sleep at night like Tianhao.
Even when he was in seclusion for cultivation, he was restless; all that kept appearing in his mind over and over again were the three words: Tianhao.
As well as all the rumors about this Sixth Prince of the Sun Moon Empire.
Nothing else, simply because Tianhao's talent had reached a level that made even him, the Sect Master of the Body Sect, go crazy and turn green with envy!
Innate Full spirit power; this was a top-tier talent, one in ten thousand on the Douluo Continent, and the starting point that all Spirit Masters dreamed of.
And Tianhao's Spirit was an even more top-tier, mutated, mental-type Body Martial Soul, far surpassing the Body Martial Souls of ordinary Body Sect disciples, with endless potential.
What made Poison Immortal unable to remain calm, and even made his heart beat wildly, was that this Sixth Prince actually possessed an Innate Domain!
An Innate Domain, what kind of concept was that?
That was a legendary-level talent in the Spirit Master's world, a supreme treasure that only the favored children of heaven and earth could possess!
Looking back at the thousands of years of history of the Body Sect, from its founding until now, countless geniuses had emerged, but there was only one person who possessed an Innate Domain.
That was the first Sect Master of the Body Sect, who founded the eternal foundation of the Body Sect and eventually reached the peak of the 99th-rank Limit Douluo!
That ancestor, relying on his top-tier talent and Innate Domain, broke through all obstacles along the way and swept away the strong enemies of the continent.
He developed the Body Sect from an obscure little Sect into a top power that shook the world, leaving behind an eternal legend.
And Tianhao had actually awakened an Innate Domain, just like that founding ancestor; what did this mean?
This meant that as long as Tianhao could grow up smoothly and not die halfway, he would definitely be able to replicate the ancestor's path in the future and touch the realm of the 99th-rank Limit Douluo.
It was even possible that he would surpass the ancestor and lead the Body Sect to an unprecedented brilliance!
This was simply the heaven-chosen heir bestowed upon the Body Sect by the heavens; he was the child of destiny destined to become the Sect Master of the Body Sect and lead the Sect to its peak!