Chapter Forty-Six: The Protagonist?

This investigation truly yielded some results, though they had little to do with Zixu…

“People from the Great Luo Academy contacted him?”

Zhou Tian gazed at the slip of paper on the table, the ink still fresh, and spoke in a calm voice.

After all, the Prince of Qin’s mansion was a colossal force within the Tianqin Empire, with countless ties to the Emperor himself. Zhou Tian’s order was barely out before information was delivered back to him.

“Yes, young master. Someone from the Great Luo Academy did contact him. We couldn’t uncover exactly what they discussed, but the meeting took place the day after you humiliated them.”

The black-clad servant knelt on one knee and spoke in a low voice. They could gather intelligence, but they weren’t omniscient—finding out exactly what others said was still quite difficult.

“Moreover, after contacting him, the Great Luo Academy representatives continued reaching out to several other independents. Following the trail, we discovered that each of these scattered cultivators’ strength improved noticeably after their encounter. Three of them even made it into the top sixteen.”

The servant added.

Thud. Thud.

Zhou Tian tapped his fingers on the table, brows furrowing. Why would the Great Luo Academy help these independents?

He couldn’t work it out alone, but he had people to delegate to. He spoke:

“What are your guesses regarding their motives?”

“Reporting to young master, we suspect that they bear a grudge for the humiliation you dealt them that day and are seeking revenge. But since you didn’t participate in the tournament, their only target could be the heir’s consort.”

This black-clad servant was specially trained by the Prince of Qin’s household—devoted and thorough. Fearing Zhou Tian might miss the connection, he made sure to spell it out.

“Targeting Tianling… how bold…”

Zhou Tian leaned back in his chair, eyes deep and unreadable, his chest rising and falling as anger brewed within him. His voice was cold:

“Can we simply eliminate them?”

“This…” The servant hesitated before replying, “Young master, I’m afraid not. After all, they’re from the Great Luo Academy—a power on par with our own. Without proper justification, the Empire would find itself in a precarious position.”

Zhou Tian narrowed his eyes, silent. He had spoken too hastily before. The Academy matched the Zhou family in influence; the consequences could be severe. Though it might not lead to war, it would certainly cost them dearly in other ways.

After a moment’s silent contemplation, Zhou Tian settled on a plan.

“When will Tianling face one of those three?”

“If she advances smoothly, she should meet one of them in the quarterfinals in five days.”

The black-clad servant answered without hesitation—he had all such details at his fingertips.

“Very well. Send invitations on my behalf to the Prince of Xiaoyao’s household, the Grand Preceptor’s residence, the Prime Minister’s office, the Duke’s estate, and the Third Prince. Five days from now, I, Zhou Tian, will host them to watch the match.”

“Furthermore, find Zixu and tell him I invite him to the Prince of Qin’s mansion.”

“Investigate the full social networks of the independents contacted by the Great Luo Academy. Bring everyone connected to them to the imperial capital.”

“I want to see just how much influence the Great Luo Academy can wield in my Tianqin capital!”

Zhou Tian’s voice was icy as he issued command after command. Since the Academy was playing in secret, he would strike back with overwhelming force.

“Yes!”

The servant bowed and retreated to carry out the orders.

As Zhou Tian’s commands were delivered, the entire household sprang into action. Shadows flitted through the night, spreading across every corner of Futian Province. Invitations were dispatched to the various noble estates.

Many well-informed figures in the capital were puzzled by the Prince of Qin’s sudden flurry of activity, and soon, all manner of spies reached out to uncover what was afoot.

Zhou Tian did not inform Tianling of these developments. He could have advised her to abandon the contest, and had he insisted, Tianling would likely have obeyed. But that would have been far too cowardly. Zhou Tian was the Prince of Qin’s heir—how could he tolerate being bullied in his own house?

As the sun set and dusk was falling, Zixu arrived at the mansion. No one knew what was discussed, but less than an hour later, he left again…

In Zhou Tian’s chamber, after Zixu’s departure,

Zhou Tian gazed at the spot where Zixu had just been sitting and asked,

“Uncle Zhou, did you notice anything unusual about this boy?”

A figure emerged from the shadows, bowing slightly as he replied respectfully,

“Young master, there is another soul within him.”

“Another soul?” Zhou Tian was taken aback. That sounded oddly familiar…

“Yes, another soul. It’s likely hidden in the necklace he wears around his neck. Though the soul is doing its utmost to conceal itself, I was still able to sense it.”

Uncle Zhou spoke evenly.

“Interesting…”

Zhou Tian’s curiosity was piqued. He took Zixu’s file from Uncle Zhou again and leafed through it.

“…Orphan… discovered as an infant in the wild by Elder Ziling of the Haotian Sect… his only possession a necklace inscribed with the character ‘Xu’… years passed in obscurity… recently displayed remarkable talent… received special training from the Haotian Sect… harbors deep affection for senior sister Tianling…”

He had reviewed this file before, but knowing now that Zixu carried another’s soul, everything seemed eerily familiar…

“Isn’t this the classic template for a protagonist’s rise? How fascinating!” Zhou Tian’s expression turned odd.

“Young master, do you want me to bring him in?” Uncle Zhou, seeing Zhou Tian’s strange look, thought he was displeased with the last line in the file.

“Can you sense what cultivation level the soul in the necklace reached in life?” Zhou Tian didn’t answer, changing the subject instead.

“Nothing more than a Saint King,” Uncle Zhou replied coolly.

“Just a Saint King… What would my father say to that?” Zhou Tian laughed.

“It’s not the same. The master’s Saint King and this soul’s Saint King are worlds apart. The master slays such Saint Kings as easily as slaughtering dogs.”

Uncle Zhou responded earnestly.

Zhou Tian was no longer the ignorant youth he’d been upon first arriving in this world. He’d recently been cramming knowledge. After the Saint stage comes Saint King, above Saint King is Great Emperor, above that Heavenly King, then Dao Lord, and above Dao Lord, Heavenly Sovereign. The Zhou family’s records only went up to Heavenly Sovereign; whether there was a realm beyond, he didn’t know.

His two elder brothers were only at the Saint stage. Advancing from Dharma Form to Saint wasn’t easy; one needed to nurture their Dharma Form to ten thousand feet, merge it with the body, and internalize its power to become a Saint—a process that took considerable time.

Uncle Zhou, you really ought to hear this phrase: a bootlicker gains nothing in the end. You boast of slaying Saint Kings like dogs—why not claim you could do the same to Great Emperors?

Of course, these were Zhou Tian’s private musings. He would never say such things aloud.

“Forget it. It’s just a remnant Saint King’s soul. Let’s leave him alone for now—after all, he is Ling’er’s junior. If she found out, she’d surely hate me.”

Zhou Tian waved his hand dismissively. He wasn’t so cruel as to kill someone just for harboring affection for Tianling, especially since Zixu hadn’t shown him any hostility. In their conversation just now, Zixu had been entirely cooperative and agreed to his requests without hesitation.