In truth, Poison Immortal knew better than anyone that the Sun Moon Royal Family had intentionally leaked information about Xu Tianhao from the very beginning; the purpose could not have been more obvious.
They were using Xu Tianhao as bait to hook the big fish that was his Body Sect, hoping to use this to pull the Body Sect into the Sun Moon Empire's camp.
This was an undisguised, overt scheme—a calculation that could be seen through at a single glance.
Yet he, Poison Immortal, simply could not control himself!
As a citizen of the Heavenly Soul Empire, he naturally had feelings for his country. While he might not be considered loyal to the Heavenly Soul Empire's royal family, he still possessed a sense of belonging and attachment to his homeland.
But in his heart, the future of the Body Sect was above all else, heavier than all else!
Patriotism was certainly important, but the inheritance of the Body Sect, the future of countless disciples, and the rise and fall of the Sect were the heaviest burdens on his shoulders as Sect Master.
On one side was the attachment to his homeland; on the other was a peerless genius, a once-in-ten-thousand-year talent for the Sect, and the hope for the Body Sect to revive the glory of its ancestors.
Poison Immortal had struggled, hesitated, and suffered in his heart for two whole months.
Tossing and turning, he was ultimately defeated by his craving for genius, defeated by the future of the Body Sect.
In the end, he could not hold back. Casting aside all concerns, he left the Heavenly Soul Empire silently, risking accountability from the royal family to sneak secretly into the Sun Moon Empire.
It was only to see Xu Tianhao with his own eyes, only to bring this heaven-chosen child of the Sect back to the Body Sect!
Jing Hongchen sat opposite Poison Immortal, taking in the restlessness and impatience of this Body Sect Master, and could not help but secretly find it amusing.
Having managed the Mingde Hall for many years and being accustomed to the power plays and schemes of various factions, he naturally understood Poison Immortal's current state of mind.
He picked up his teacup, took a light sip of tea, revealed a gentle smile on his face, and spoke slowly, offering comfort:
"Sect Master Du, there is no need to be so nervous. The Sixth Highness has practiced diligently since childhood, and he should be on his way now; he will arrive in a moment."
Poison Immortal was usually overbearing and perverse in temperament. He had never had a good expression for these guys in Mingde Hall who only knew how to study spirit tools, and he was even quite disdainful of them.
But today was different from the past. Now, he was the one asking something of the Sun Moon Empire, asking something of Xu Tianhao.
Therefore, no matter how urgent or impatient he felt inside, he could only suppress his temper, force a slightly stiff smile at Jing Hongchen, and speak with a tone of urgency:
"Hall Master Hongchen, everything that could be discussed between us has already been discussed. I have already drunk three cups of this tea, and my lips and teeth are already numb. Stop beating around the bush; hurry up and let Xu Tianhao come over. This old man wants to see this Sixth Prince with his own eyes!"
As if to verify Poison Immortal's words, the moment his voice fell, two familiar figures appeared one after another at the entrance of the Mingde Hall main hall.
As soon as they stepped into the hall, a rich fragrance of tea rushed towards them.
The interior of the hall was decorated in an ancient and magnificent style, with gold bricks paving the floor, jade pillars supporting the sky, and curtains made from the fur of top-tier Spirit Beasts hanging all around.
In the center, a set of tables and chairs crafted from thousand-year warm jade was placed, fully displaying the royal style.
Jing Hongchen and Poison Immortal sat facing each other, drinking tea.
Xu Tianhao's figure still appeared youthful, yet his posture was as straight as a pine tree; even at such a young age, he carried an air of royal nobility.
He stepped into the hall with steady and light paces, his face beaming with a gentle and polite smile.
His gaze fell directly on Poison Immortal, and he spoke first, his tone humble but not servile: "Sect Master Du, you have traveled from afar. The journey must have been arduous; I have kept you waiting for a long time."
"It is only because today's morning lessons were heavy, and I did not dare to give up halfway during a critical moment of cultivation, so I delayed for some time. I hope Sect Master Du will not blame me."
In fact, Poison Immortal had already arrived at Mingde Hall long ago, but Kong Deming saw that Xu Tianhao and the five little ones were in an excellent state of cultivation and did not want to interrupt their training, so he had deliberately delayed the time.
This seemed like a slight, but in reality, it was intentional on Kong Deming's part.
He wanted to let Poison Immortal completely calm down during this waiting period and think clearly about how strong the Body Sect's craving for Xu Tianhao's talent was.
He wanted him to think clearly about how the Body Sect should make its choice, letting this craving take root and sprout in his heart, leaving no room for regret.
This seemingly boring cooling-off period was actually intended to make Poison Immortal completely make up his mind and cut off all paths of retreat.
At this moment, the instant Poison Immortal saw Xu Tianhao, he froze in place.
He stood up abruptly, and his originally murky old eyes instantly erupted with a brilliant, dazzling light.
That gaze was as if he had seen a rare treasure, locking onto Xu Tianhao tightly.
His line of sight was glued to him, not even sparing a glance for Kong Deming beside him.
It was as if in the entire vast Mingde Hall, only Xu Tianhao remained, and everything else had become insignificant background.
He looked Xu Tianhao up and down, his gaze sweeping from his youthful yet resolute face to the solid spirit power fluctuations around his body. The more he looked, the more excited he became; the more he looked, the more satisfied he was.
After staring at Xu Tianhao for a full few breaths, Poison Immortal slowly withdrew his gaze.
A heartfelt, gratified smile finally appeared on his face, a smile filled with endless satisfaction and certainty.
He spoke loudly, his voice thick and powerful: "Sixth Highness, you speak too seriously; a little waiting is not worth mentioning."
"Presumably, the Sixth Highness is well aware of the reason why this old man has traveled thousands of miles to secretly come to the Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Tianhao nodded gently. The smile on his face remained gentle, but his eyes became a bit sharper. He spoke bluntly, his tone crisp and clear:
"Sect Master Du is a straightforward person, so this junior naturally understands."
"Since that is the case, this junior will not beat around the bush. Sect Master Du has traveled from afar, and it is nothing more than wanting to verify this junior's talent with your own eyes. Since that is the case, then please, Sect Master Du, inspect the goods!"
The moment his voice fell, the aura on Xu Tianhao's body changed suddenly!
The originally gentle and reserved youth instantly erupted with light that reached the extreme.
That light was not a single color, but one yin and one yang, one hard and one soft, transforming into two extremely brilliant shadows of light that hovered above his eyes.
On the left was a magnificent sun, with ten thousand zhang of golden light shining in all directions, carrying an overbearing aura capable of burning the sky and boiling the sea.
On the right was a bright, clean moon, with silver radiance like water, cool and gentle, containing the vast and boundless Taiyin Qi.
The sun and moon shine together; yin and yang coexist!
As his Spirit was completely released, a purple spirit ring slowly rose, gently pulsating around his body.
A thousand-year spirit ring!
Xu Tianhao, who was only about six years old, had a first spirit ring that was actually of a thousand-year level!
The instant he saw this scene, Poison Immortal, who had still been forcing himself to remain calm, saw his pupils shrink suddenly, and he could not help but gasp.
His breathing instantly became extremely rapid, his chest heaved violently, and he froze in place due to the extreme surprise and shock!
A genius!
This is a supreme genius!
A peerless prodigy, once in ten thousand years!
Top-tier goods!
However, what shocked Poison Immortal was far from over.
"Sun and Moon Together in the Sky."
The Domain unfolded, and the scene before Poison Immortal changed suddenly. It formed a space of its own, with the magnificent sun and the bright, clean moon hanging high in the sky.
Xu Tianhao did not restrain himself but instead pushed the Domain to its limit, allowing Poison Immortal to carefully perceive it.
Although with Xu Tianhao's current strength, even with the Domain fully opened, it would not have much of an impact on Poison Immortal.
But as long as Poison Immortal felt the power of his Domain, that was enough.
Not long after, having finished feeling the Domain, Poison Immortal's gaze as he looked at Xu Tianhao turned blood-red.
This person must belong to his Body Sect.
Such a peerless prodigy—was this not the future that the heavens had bestowed upon his Body Sect?
Xu Tianhao retracted his Domain and Spirit, returning to his initial air of nobility.
Yet his small figure in Poison Immortal's eyes was incomparably tall.
Poison Immortal revealed a satisfied smile: "Sixth Highness, I have nothing to say; tell me your conditions."
Regarding Xu Tianhao, Poison Immortal already did not need to say anything more.
This was the genius he had seen who was most suitable to inherit the Body Seed, without any exception.
Therefore, what came next would depend on the conditions of the Sun Moon Empire.
Although he most likely had no way to refuse any conditions...