"Master Wei, what is the meaning of this?" Gu Yuena asked as she stood up, quickly walking to Yunze's side, frowning.
Wei Yang's gaze shifted from Yunze to Gu Yuena, and he said in a deep voice: "The surveillance shows that Yunze has absorbed the Lava Lord's soul."
"The Lava Lord's soul is extremely significant. To have it absorbed like this is a huge loss for the Spirit Pagoda. We need an explanation."
Regret filled his heart. Had he known they would touch the Lava Lord, he would never have revealed its location.
When Gu Yuena asked for the Lava Lord's location, she claimed it was out of curiosity, just wanting to take a look, and that the deputy tower master, Leng Yaozhu, had approved it. At the time, he didn't think much of it, confident that nothing would go wrong. "Just take a look," he thought, and so he gave them the location, reminding them to be careful.
But who could have imagined? These two youngsters not only defeated the Lava Lord but also absorbed its unyielding soul.
The matter had suddenly become complicated.
"Once a Soul Master enters the Spirit Pagoda, they can do anything inside. Absorbing a Lava Lord soul isn't really breaking any rules, right?"
"Isn't demanding an explanation a bit too much?" Gu Yuena challenged, clearly dissatisfied with their approach.
Wei Yang smiled wryly. "I understand your point, but this involves the Lava Lord's soul—we have to take it seriously."
"I've already reported this to headquarters and informed your teacher, Deputy Tower Master Leng Yaozhu. How to handle it will be decided by them."
"Before they come up with a solution, Yunze will have to stay put and cannot leave this branch tower."
Yunze, the young master of the Dragon-Phoenix Hall, had close ties with the Sun-Moon Royal Academy and the Federation Research Institute. How to deal with him was beyond the authority of a branch tower master.
The stakes were too high. Any misstep could provoke hostilities among major powers—a responsibility Wei Yang could not bear.
Thus, upon learning that the unyielding Lava Lord soul had been absorbed, his first action was to report it, leaving the tricky situation to headquarters. For now, his duty was simply to keep Yunze from leaving until a decision was made.
"Are you trying to imprison him?" Gu Yuena asked in a low, angry voice.
"Since you can't leave, let's stay here a while. Master Wei, could you prepare some food for us? It's past mealtime, and we're a bit hungry," Yunze said with a smile, patting Gu Yuena's back to calm her. There was no need to get impatient.
The issue was significant in the grand scheme of the Spirit Pagoda, but the solution didn't require panic. As long as the tower wasn't foolish, they wouldn't forcibly extract a soul—at most, it would be a matter of compensation.
Gu Yuena calmed down considerably at Yunze's gentle pat, shooting Wei Yang a cold glance without saying another word.
Wei Yang was slightly taken aback, not expecting Yunze to be so reasonable, and smiled. "Of course."
He instructed those nearby: "Quick, prepare food—make it abundant. We cannot slight these rare guests."
Both Yunze and Gu Yuena were not people to offend. Wei Yang, for now, didn't act like a strict master; he appeared kind and courteous.
"Prepare plenty—she has a big appetite," Yunze reminded, glancing at Gu Yuena.
"I don't!" she whispered back with a slight pout, playfully glaring at Yunze. Her appetite wasn't actually that large.
Though she said that, she didn't really want them to prepare less. It was already past one in the afternoon, and she was hungry, needing a proper meal to feel full.
"All right, prepare enough. Don't worry about waste; make sure it's sufficient," Wei Yang said with a smile.
"Understood," the person replied, hurrying out of the room.
"The meal is being prepared. I'll show you around the branch tower first," Wei Yang said. He didn't want to directly place them in a room to wait, as that might feel like imprisonment.
Though it was a form of containment, it was mild and preserved their dignity.
"Let's go," Yunze told Gu Yuena, cooperating as they followed Wei Yang on a tour of the branch tower.
Meanwhile, headquarters of the Spirit Pagoda held a small meeting to discuss the matter, taking the unyielding soul seriously.
The Tower contained many souls, but unyielding souls numbered only a dozen or so. Losing one was a significant loss.
The meeting was chaired by Pagoda Master Qiangu Dongfeng. Normally, the loss of an unyielding soul wouldn't alarm him, but since it involved Dragon-Phoenix Hall's young master Yunze, he took charge personally.
"My thought is to use this as an opportunity to establish long-term cooperation with Dragon-Phoenix Hall, aiming for preferential access to elixirs. That would be far more beneficial than monetary compensation," Qiangu Dongfeng said.
After Leng Yaozhu explained the situation, Qiangu Dongfeng spoke first, clarifying his position.
In his view, long-term cooperation with Dragon-Phoenix Hall was far more important than retrieving the unyielding soul. The idea of forcibly taking it back hadn't been considered.
Long-term cooperation would open more possibilities. If they could obtain their elixir formulas, the benefits would far surpass those of the unyielding soul.
He was also surprised that Yunze had already reached thirty-one Soul Lord level at just over six years old.
"What kind of monster is this?" Qiangu Dongfeng thought, uneasy. Yunze's cultivation speed exceeded his expectations.
He had a premonition: if Yunze continued at this pace, he would break all cultivation speed records, surpassing even those who had ascended to godhood.
"I agree with Tower Master Qiangu's view. The soul has already been absorbed. Forcibly removing it would harm Yunze, something Dragon-Phoenix Hall will never allow."
"To offend Dragon-Phoenix Hall, the Sun-Moon Royal Academy, and the Federation Research Institute just over an unyielding soul is clearly unwise," Leng Yaozhu said. She leaned toward supporting Yunze, as she trusted him and had a close bond with her disciple.
The others in the meeting considered this and nodded in agreement.
"Since everyone agrees, we'll proceed accordingly," Qiangu Dongfeng decided, looking at Leng Yaozhu.
"Yaozhu, since this involves your disciple, you should negotiate with Dragon-Phoenix Hall. It will be easier coming from you. Remember, as Deputy Tower Master, try to gain as much benefit as possible."
"Among the unyielding souls, besides the ten-thousand-year Lava Lord, there's also a top-tier fire-type. You can use it as leverage in negotiations if needed."
"I trust Yunze won't refuse such a soul and will make concessions accordingly."
To strengthen ties with Dragon-Phoenix Hall and gain their elixir formulas, they were willing to invest resources.
"Good," Leng Yaozhu nodded.
(End of Chapter)