Lin Jiayi knelt down on one knee frantically. "Hallmaster, Huo Yuhao has been captured by the Royal Stewards."

"What?" Jing Hongchen"s eyes widened in shock. "Royal Stewards? What"s going on?"

Lin Jiayi was aware of the conflict between Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Shaojie. He was aware that Huo Yuhao had knocked w.a.n.g Shaojie out for several days with his spiritual-type soul skill. Xuan Ziwen had approached him regarding this matter.

Lin Jiayi recounted everything to Jing Hongchen immediately.

Jing Hongchen"s expression turned extremely dismal after hearing his words. "Are the Royal Stewards trying to rebel? How dare they arrest someone in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy! Who"s backing them? I will deal with them on behalf of His Majesty. Let"s go!" He walked out of the room as he finished speaking..

Lin Jiayi warned him, "Hallmaster, I"m afraid that you must hurry. The Royal Stewards have resorted to underhanded methods. I fear that Huo Yuhao might already…"

"Alright." A cold light flashed in Jing Hongchen"s eyes. He was obviously furious. He wasn"t concerned about Huo Yuhao"s life, but it was imperative that nothing happen to a Shrek exchange student in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. This would most certainly get his grandchildren into trouble. He didn"t think that Huo Yuhao was a brilliant soul engineer. He only insisted that Huo Yuhao join the exchange because he needed someone as collateral against his grandchildren here in the academy.

At the same time, he was well-aware of Huo Yuhao"s significance to Shrek Academy. He had an Ultimate martial soul, and twin martial souls on top of that! Jing Hongchen coveted him. However, he had learned that he couldn"t buy Huo Yuhao when he first met Huo Yuhao beside Elder Mu.

"If something really happens to Huo Yuhao…" Jing Hongchen was afraid to imagine any further. It wasn"t just a matter of whether his grandchildren would return. He was afraid that all of Shrek Academy might turn violent and clash with the Sun Moon Empire. They might even attack the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy!

He had been to Shrek Academy before. There was an abundance of powerful individuals there! Even the Body Sect had been forced to retreat, and he had been forced to leave a Cla.s.s 9 soul tool behind before he was allowed to return.

On the surface, he wasn"t willing to admit his fear of Shrek Academy. However, he was truly terrified of them. Shrek Academy had a long history! They didn"t earn their name as the top academy on the continent for nothing. Shrek Academy possessed great sway within the three empires of the Douluo Continent, and even the Sun Moon Empire didn"t dare to act recklessly when it came to them.

…...

Sun Moon Empire"s Imperial Palace..

Ju Zi retracted her wings and descended around a thousand meters away from the imperial palace. She had no choice but to do so, as flying above the Radiant City was prohibited, especially in the central region. The Soul Engineer Guards stopped her in the air and demanded that she land immediately.

Ju Zi retrieved a dark gold writ. There was a flaming dragon carved onto it.

The Soul Engineer Guards immediately knelt when they saw this writ and bowed respectfully.

Ju Zi ignored them, and quickly ran towards the imperial palace.

"Nothing must happen to him. Nothing must happen to him."

She was well-aware of the Royal Stewards" underhanded tactics. Even though he had just been arrested, Huo Yuhao was unlikely to come out unharmed.

She held the flaming dragon writ in her hand as she ran. When she reached the gates of the imperial palace, no one dared to stop her. All the guards knelt and bowed to her, showing how powerful her writ was.

This eight-clawed flaming dragon writ had great significance. She was allowed free access to practically the entire imperial palace.

She pa.s.sed the main pavilion of the imperial palace and started to run towards the internal regions of the imperial palace with the speed of great familiarity. She kept on holding the writ so that she wouldn"t be stopped or questioned,  moving as fast as possible.

She reached a certain pavilion after running for almost ten minutes. Her pace only slowed when she reached this pavilion.

The guards at the door didn"t kneel upon seeing her. One of them smiled as he approached her, saying, "Miss Ju Zi, you"re here. His Highness is reading in the study room."

"Okay, thanks. I need to see His Highness."

"Alright, follow me." The guard didn"t dare to delay her, and immediately guided Ju Zi inside. Ju Zi also put the eight-clawed flaming dragon writ away.

The guard brought her to a study room in a side pavilion to the left, immediately reporting news of her arrival.

Ju Zi took in a deep breath and tried her best to calm down. She knew that she was about to meet someone as intelligent as herself. If she wasn"t prudent, she was bound to give herself away.

"Ju Zi is here? Ask her to come in. Didn"t I instruct you to let her in when she comes? There"s no need to inform me at all."

The gate of the side pavilion opened, and an attendant rushed out frantically. He bowed towards Ju Zi respectfully, and gestured for her to enter the pavilion.

Ju Zi took small steps into this side pavilion.

The pavilion was elegantly decorated, but didn"t lose its sense of simplicity. There were many eight-clawed flaming dragon patterns on the decorations and furniture. There was a young man in white seated behind the study table. He looked at her with a gentle gaze.

This young man seemed to be in his late twenties.

His attire was very simple, and his eyes were full of energy. Although he wasn"t very handsome, he had the aura of an authoritative figure. His tanned skin revealed a healthy glow.

"Greetings to Your Highness." Ju Zi hurried a few steps forward and knelt.

The youth in white waved her off, and a gentle strand of soul power lifted her. "Alright, you don"t have to be so formal in front of me. Your heartbeat is irregular. Did something happen?"

Ju Zi had been anxious before she entered, but was much calmer now. She said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, an opportunity has arisen. We need to seize it."

"Oh?" The youth in white was curious as he asked, "What opportunity?"

Ju Zi answered, "It"s like this: one of my fellow students under Teacher Xuan is w.a.n.g Shaojie, a young man from a branch family of the imperial family. He was involved in a fight with a Shrek Academy exchange student several days ago.. Not long ago, Teacher Xuan sent me and Ke Ke to experiment on the all-terrain exploration soul tool with this exchange student. From my observations, this Shrek student is extraordinary."

The prince appeared to be interested. "What do you mean?"

Ju Zi answered, "This person has twin martial souls. There"s never been anyone with twin martial souls in the Sun Moon Empire."

"Interesting." The young man in white gestured for Ju Zi to continue.

Ju Zi said, "From what I know, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen are also involved in the exchange of students with Shrek. You should know their importance to the Hallmaster. This exchange student also holds a similarly important position in Shrek. w.a.n.g Shaojie called for the Royal Stewards this morning, and arrested this exchange student. If the Hallmaster is to learn of this…"

The prince immediately comprehended what she was saying. "It"s not a simple matter if the Hallmaster is involved. And your idea is?"

Ju Zi replied, "The Hallmaster holds an important position in the Sun Moon Empire. Many imperial family members want to get close to him, but His Majesty once ordered that no imperial family member should have any contact with the Ill.u.s.trious Virtue Hall. No one dares to go against this edict."

The princenodded and said, "I am under the same restrictions."

Ju Zi continued to speak, "The Royal Stewards have been too brazen over these past few years. Regardless of the fact that a Shrek Academy exchange student is involved, they should"ve informed us before making an arrest. The Hallmaster should be enraged. While it"s not convenient for you to pay a visit to the Hallmaster, I believe that the Hallmaster will remember you if you can settle this matter before it blows up."

The prince revealed a look of approval. "Very good, Ju Zi. You"re getting smarter and smarter. Your observation is very keen this time around. Come on, follow me to find the Royal Stewards. Their captain is Xu Mochen, am I right? This rascal is getting too arrogant. It"s time to deal with him."

Ju Zi quickly walked behind the prince. The sound of wheels rotating could be heard, and the young man was pushed out.

Yes, this young man was seated in a wheelchair. He had practically no legs at all.

While he might be a cripple, he was the Sun Moon Empire"s Crown Prince, the heir apparent of the Sun Moon Empire.

Ju Zi met Xu Tianran after her parents died and she became a vagabond. Xu Tianran wasn"t crippled back then. He adopted her and sent her to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to study.

Ju Zi didn"t let Xu Tianran down. Her cultivation grew quickly as she cultivated tirelessly. Xu Tianran trusted her a lot due to their special relations.h.i.+p, while Ju Zi was also very loyal towards him.

When Xu Tianran was ambushed, Ju Zi took two stabs in her back to protect him, and was almost killed. Although it was a huge blow to Xu Tianran, Ju Zi became his confidante. He trusted Ju Zi completely, and was also aware of Ju Zi"s deep hatred towards the Star Luo Empire. He had always admired Ju Zi"s composure and decisiveness.

Xu Tianran"s position in the Sun Moon Empire"s imperial family was very stable. It was almost a certainty that he would succeed the throne. However, he became a cripple after that surprise ambush, which caused his status in the imperial family to fall. After all, such a thing would have a great impact on any ruler of an empire.

However, Xu Tianran remained resolute and bore the pain, using all sorts of methods to dispel everyone"s doubts. He even tracked down the mastermind behind the ambush, who turned out to be one of his brothers.