On the day the Spirit Pagoda officially opened, the morning sun rose slowly from the eastern horizon. Golden morning light poured down like a waterfall, dyeing the entire Star Luo City a warm, pale gold.
The sky was cloudless and clear as if washed, and one could tell at a glance that today would be another rare, beautiful day.
At the Star Emperor Hotel, after finishing breakfast, Cai Meier took Bei Bei and Wang Donger out of the hotel entrance, walking along the streets that were gradually becoming lively towards the Spirit Pagoda on the east side of the imperial palace.
The reason Shrek Academy brought Bei Bei and Wang Donger along this time naturally had deep considerations.
Bei Bei was Elder Mu's direct great-grandson, possessing outstanding talent and a steady Heart-Nature; he was a core seed that the academy planned to cultivate as a key figure in the future.
As for Wang Donger, she was Huo Yuhao's public girlfriend, a status that was known to everyone at Shrek Academy.
Moreover, her Spirit Power had just broken through to level sixty not long ago, and she happened to need a sixth spirit ring. Bringing her along would also allow her to witness the wonders of the Spirit Soul firsthand.
In fact, Wang Donger had already snuck off to see Huo Yuhao the previous night. The two of them had spent quite a while together in the office on the top floor of the Spirit Pagoda, and she had naturally pestered Huo Yuhao with many questions about the Spirit Soul.
But no matter how she acted coquettishly or tried to fish for information, Huo Yuhao maintained that mysterious demeanor, only smiling as he ruffled her hair and said, "You will know tomorrow."
This made Wang Donger so angry that she returned to the hotel with her cheeks puffed out, spending the whole night tossing and turning in bed, guessing what that so-called Spirit Soul actually was.
When the three of them—Cai Meier, Bei Bei, and Wang Donger—arrived at the square east of the Star Luo Imperial Palace, quite a few people had already gathered there.
Representatives of factions from all over the continent gathered in small groups, either exchanging pleasantries or whispering in discussion. Occasionally, a few gazes would cross the crowd and land on the eight-story silver-white tower on the east side of the square.
At this moment, the tower's doors remained tightly shut, and the silver-white halo flowing across its surface shimmered with a soft and mysterious luster under the morning sun.
Bei Bei's gaze crossed the crowd and landed on a few people in the distance. He lowered his head slightly and whispered to Cai Meier beside him, "Dean, why are people from the Sun Moon Empire here too?"
Cai Meier's expression was as calm as water, and she said in an indifferent tone, "Naturally, they received an invitation."
Although she said this, she couldn't help but be secretly shocked in her heart; she had not expected the Spirit Pagoda to invite factions from the Sun Moon Empire to attend the ceremony.
As they spoke, a series of hurried and light footsteps suddenly came from afar. A figure trotted through the crowd, running straight towards them.
It was a young girl with a slender figure, her long, snow-white hair shimmering with a cold luster like moonlight in the morning light.
She ran a few steps to Wang Donger and stopped, her Face filled with undisguised excitement and anticipation. She immediately unleashed a barrage of questions: "Are you also from Shrek Academy? Why do you look so much like Wang Dong? Did Wang Dong come this time?"
Wang Donger froze in place, her fists clenching involuntarily. Her pink-blue eyes were wide open, and she stared at Meng Hongchen in front of her, momentarily at a loss for how to answer.
Bei Bei, thinking quickly, introduced her with a straight Face: "This is Wang Dong's sister, Wang Donger. Wang Dong did not come to Star Luo this time."
Upon hearing this, a trace of disappointment clearly flashed in Meng Hongchen's eyes, and she muttered to herself, "So it's Wang Dong's sister. No wonder she looks so much like him. Are they twins?"
However, she seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up again.
She looked up at Wang Donger, her smile even brighter than before, with a hint of rare shyness and coyness: "Hello, Sister, my name is Meng Hongchen, and I'm from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy."
"Since you are Wang Dong's sister, you must know what kind of girls he likes, right?"
"What are his hobbies? What does he like to eat? And he... mm... mmm..."
Meng Hongchen had only said halfway when her mouth was suddenly covered by someone from behind.
Xiao Hongchen's handsome Face, full of embarrassment, appeared from behind Meng Hongchen's head. His heterochromatic eyes were filled with helplessness towards his own sister; having a sister who was obsessed with looks left him quite speechless.
Xiao Hongchen used all his strength to drag the still-struggling Meng Hongchen backward, and while dragging her, he laughed dryly and explained, "Sorry for the disturbance. My sister didn't take her medicine this morning. Please, continue, continue."
Cai Meier watched as Xiao Hongchen dragged the still-struggling Meng Hongchen further and further away, a rare, clear look of confusion appearing on her usually dignified and gentle Face.
She turned her head to look at Bei Bei beside her and asked in a low voice, "What is going on? Why is that little girl from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy so interested in Wang Dong?"
Bei Bei suppressed his laughter and whispered, "Dean, you also know that Donger used to disguise herself as a man in the academy."
"With that appearance of his, wouldn't you say it's normal for him to have charmed a few naive young girls?"
"Back when he was at the academy, he received quite a few love letters."
Cai Meier suddenly realized, and when she looked at Wang Donger again, her gentle eyes held a bit more understanding and a trace of suppressed amusement.
Wang Donger's cheeks burned under her gaze, the blush spreading from her earlobes all the way to her neck. She lowered her head, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Just then, the two tightly closed silver-white doors of the Spirit Pagoda finally swung open with a boom.
The heavy door hinges emitted a deep, rumbling sound, and a slender figure walked slowly out of the shadows inside the tower, bathing in the brilliant morning sunlight.
Gongyang Mo was wearing a brand-new, deep blue formal suit today, with a gleaming Spirit Pagoda badge pinned to his chest. He looked spirited, and his gaze carried unprecedented confidence.
His gaze slowly swept over the powerhouses and Geniuses from various factions across the continent gathered in the square. He took a deep breath and said in a clear, loud voice, "The Spirit Pagoda officially opens today. Everyone, please enter in an orderly fashion."
After speaking, he stepped aside to clear the entrance, gesturing with his hand for them to enter.
Watching the high-spirited Gongyang Mo at this moment, Cai Meier couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
Back then, he was severely injured and disabled, and he had been completely listless in the academy. He was like a completely different person compared to how he looked now.
In the end, the academy had let him down regarding that matter.
Now, seeing that Gongyang Mo seemed to have regained his confidence, Cai Meier felt that, in this regard, the academy owed Huo Yuhao a favor.
Standing closest to the tower were the people from the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Having occupied a favorable position, they could be said to have the advantage of being close to the water to get the moonlight first.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect Leader, Yu Xingzhen, stroked his gray beard and was the first to take a large step into the Spirit Pagoda's entrance.
As soon as he entered, he subconsciously examined the layout inside the tower. The hall on the first floor was extremely spacious, but the decor was unexpectedly simple. It wasn't the resplendent luxury he had imagined, just a vast and bright hall.
Several counters resembling consultation desks were set up along the walls, but there were no staff members on duty at the moment.
There was an enclosed area in the very center of the hall; while nothing unusual was visible, it was clearly by no means simple.
"The three of you, please come this way."
A gentle and pleasant female voice suddenly sounded from the side. The three from the Heavenly Dragon Sect looked in the direction of the voice and saw a stunningly beautiful young girl wearing a gorgeous golden dress standing not far away, looking at them with a beaming smile, her hand elegantly gesturing towards the east side of the hall.
She had an elegant temperament and exquisite features, and the golden dress only served to make her look even more stunningly beautiful.
As the Heavenly Dragon Sect Leader, Yu Xingzhen often dealt with the upper echelons of the Star Luo Empire, and he recognized this person almost at a glance. Wasn't this Princess Xu Jiujiu, the eldest princess of the Star Luo Empire?
The eldest princess was actually acting as a greeter on the first floor of the Spirit Pagoda personally; this was giving them too much Face.
He felt a sense of awe in his heart, and his evaluation of the Spirit Pagoda couldn't help but rise even higher.
At the same time, he was even more certain that the Spirit Pagoda and the Star Luo Imperial Family were indeed working in close cooperation.
-------------------------------------------------
A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.