No one responded. Everyone remained silent, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Seeing the silence of the group, Meng Yun became even more furious. Just as he was about to lash out in anger, he seemed to sense something. His expression changed.
"You all leave first," Meng Yun said in a deep voice, taking a deep breath to adjust his emotions.
The people present were surprised, unsure why his mood had changed so suddenly.
"Hurry and leave!" Meng Yun scolded.
"Yes!" They immediately responded, feeling as if a great burden had been lifted. They hurriedly turned and quickly left the room.
Not long after they left, a tall woman with red hair entered. The black uniform she wore accentuated her well-proportioned figure.
The woman walked into the Tower Master's office naturally, showing no hesitation or respect toward Meng Yun.
"Greetings, Tianfeng Your Excellency," Meng Yun immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply, his attitude respectful—completely different from his previous authoritative demeanor.
The woman was none other than Leng Yaozhu, one of the vice tower masters of the Spirit Pagoda, a Super Douluo at Rank 98, titled Heavenly Phoenix Douluo.
"There's no need for formalities, Hall Master Meng," Leng Yaozhu said gently, stopping a few meters away from him.
"I heard you discovered a genius with innate Rank 20 soul power, and his martial soul is a Phoenix?"
Meng Yun's heart tightened. His expression became slightly unnatural as he replied, "Yes, we did find such a talent."
Leng Yaozhu noticed his reaction and asked, "Is there something wrong with the child?"
"There's no problem," Meng Yun hesitated for a moment but eventually told the truth. "It's just that we can't find him now."
"When he awakened his martial soul, the address he provided was fake. I sent people to follow him, but after half a day, we realized that the boy had disappeared without a trace."
Meng Yun quickly added, cursing inwardly. This kid was too cunning—he had been guarding against them from the start.
"Oh?" Leng Yaozhu frowned slightly. She had come specifically for the child named Yun Ze.
Innate Rank 20 soul power, with a Phoenix martial soul—this was the perfect candidate for a disciple in her eyes. If she could take him as her apprentice, she would have no regrets.
"Have you begun searching for him?" Leng Yaozhu asked.
"I've had people searching for him these past few days, but we've found nothing. Your Excellency, you know how difficult it is to find a single person in a city of nearly ten million," Meng Yun said helplessly.
Leng Yaozhu understood the difficulty of searching for someone in such a vast population, so she did not blame him.
"Continue the search. I will also mobilize other Spirit Pagoda branches to assist. We must find this child," Leng Yaozhu declared.
Her martial soul, Heavenly Phoenix, was a branch of the Phoenix lineage. As a Rank 98 soul master, she would be the best teacher for this child.
Likewise, this child would also be the most suitable successor for her. He could perfectly inherit her legacy.
She would not let go of such a rare disciple so easily.
"Understood," Meng Yun responded, secretly relieved. Fortunately, it was Heavenly Phoenix Douluo who had come—she was reasonable and easy to talk to.
After gathering more details about Yun Ze, Leng Yaozhu took the opportunity to inspect this branch of the Spirit Pagoda. The results left her quite satisfied.
"Since I'm nearby, I might as well visit Na'na. I haven't seen that girl for some time. I wonder how her training has progressed?"
Standing by the window and admiring the night view, Leng Yaozhu thought of her disciple, a faint smile appearing on her face.
Mingdu: Arrival at the Sun Moon Royal Academy
At the entrance to Mingdu, Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na presented their pre-arranged identity cards and entered this core city of the western region.
Their identity cards were, of course, forged. With a show of strength and the right amount of money, obtaining legal and reasonable identification wasn't difficult.
Di Tian and Zi Ji had not yet left Star Moon City—they were still helping the newly transformed soul beasts obtain identity cards.
As the capital of the Federation, Mingdu had always been the political, technological, and commercial center of the continent.
Over the years, its development had made it home to over thirty million permanent residents. Towering skyscrapers were everywhere, the streets were bustling with traffic, and a strong technological atmosphere permeated the air.
Although Star Moon City was already prosperous, it was still far behind Mingdu—there was no comparison.
The group had no interest in sightseeing. They headed straight for Sun Moon Royal Academy.
Unlike traditional academy campuses, Sun Moon Royal Academy consisted of three massive metal skyscrapers.
These three hundreds-of-meters-tall buildings formed the core, surrounded by numerous shorter buildings, creating a cluster of structures.
The academy occupied a vast area, with plenty of open spaces between buildings that had been developed into combat arenas and soul device testing grounds.
A few hundred meters from the academy, the group got off their vehicle and split up.
Bi Ji and the others went to scout the area and select suitable storefronts or buildings.
Meanwhile, Yun Ze and Gu Yue Na headed toward Sun Moon Royal Academy. Yun Ze was here to enroll.
As the two walked into the main building, a faint metallic scent filled the air, as if even the oxygen here carried a metallic tinge.
A sharp, high-pitched alarm suddenly sounded, and red lights flashed on both sides of the entrance.
Four tall men in gray uniforms rushed over.
"I forgot," Gu Yue Na said awkwardly. "Entering the academy requires identity authentication. If you're not registered, the system detects you automatically."
Sun Moon Royal Academy had no traditional school gates or fixed guards, but that did not mean anyone could just walk in.
At the entrance, identity scanners were installed. If an unauthorized individual was detected, an alarm would go off, and security would respond immediately.
Besides these four soul masters, Yun Ze also sensed other hidden threats. If he wasn't mistaken, multiple concealed soul devices were already locked onto him.
"Just explain the situation," Yun Ze said calmly. He showed no emotional reaction toward the approaching guards.
"Come with us," one of the large men said, surrounding Yun Ze.
For unauthorized intruders, standard protocol required questioning to determine their intentions. Further action would depend on the situation.
Of course, they wouldn't handle the matter right at the entrance, as that would be unprofessional. Instead, they would take Yun Ze to a dedicated security room.
"You explain," Yun Ze said to Gu Yue Na. No matter how much he said, it likely wouldn't hold as much weight as a single sentence from her.
"Mm," Gu Yue Na nodded and presented her identity card.
Her card was special—it bore a golden seal, which was the exclusive stamp of the Academy's Dean.
Upon seeing the seal, the four guards' expressions changed drastically. They immediately bowed in respect.
"He is my friend. I am taking him to see the Dean," Gu Yue Na stated simply.
The four guards exchanged glances before stepping aside. Since Gu Yue Na had said so, they naturally wouldn't dare to interfere.
One of them took out a remote-like device and pressed the green button.
With the press of the green button, the concealed soul devices deactivated, and Yun Ze was now recognized as a temporary authorized individual.