Chapter 82: The Final Piece of the Puzzle
Awakened powers.
A transcendent force that could only emerge after the revival of spiritual energy.
And they had already appeared a year ago?
Holding back trump cards, playing weak to confuse the enemy, baiting with vulnerability...
It truly was—such behavior fit the descendants of Yan and Huang perfectly.
Gu Ruoli could swear on her integrity that the nation definitely had even stronger extraordinary forces hidden as their aces in the hole.
She let out a sigh, then turned to the man. "What's your name? Didn't you say you were investigating the aura tide? Why come to my house?"
"My name is Liu Feng. I'm an external agent from a relevant department. My awakened ability is spatial phasing. Since my ability isn't suited for combat, I'm mainly tasked with gathering intel."
"As for why I came to your house, it's because our department detected an unusually high concentration of spiritual energy here just moments ago—enough to form a small aura storm."
"The minister suspected a powerful spirit beast was evolving, so I was sent to investigate the situation."
So that's how it was.
Gu Ruoli understood now. During the transformation process from the angelic gene engine, she had absorbed a massive amount of spiritual energy as fuel.
She hadn't expected that the department would pick up on it and mistake it for a spirit beast undergoing evolution, prompting them to send Liu Feng for reconnaissance.
Which led to him overhearing their family's entire conversation.
Realizing this, Gu Ruoli couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
What a comedy of errors.
Still, this might not be a bad thing. Through Liu Feng—a government operative—she could directly establish contact and initiate cooperation with the state.
As that thought crossed her mind, Gu Ruoli exchanged a glance with Gu Dad and Gu Mom. Their expressions subtly shifted as they all looked toward Liu Feng with an unreadable gleam in their eyes.
——
Leaving aside Gu Ruoli's plan to cooperate with the government through Liu Feng...
On the other side, Wu Tong had already successfully absorbed two spirit rings. His internal true essence had greatly increased.
Additionally, the King of Wisdom had finished integrating the new skills gained, enhancing its functions further and bringing Wu Tong another step closer to his ultimate plan.
Only four more to go.
After absorbing the spirit rings, Wu Tong's eyes gleamed with sharp light. He stood up, feeling the changes in his body, and looked forward even more eagerly to the remaining four spirit beasts.
With just four spirit rings left, he would complete his accumulation and begin his ultimate leap.
Thinking about his nearly complete plan filled Wu Tong's heart with excitement.
"Congratulations, Brother Tong, on acquiring the spirit rings you needed."
Standing nearby, Xue Qinghe congratulated him as he saw Wu Tong rise.
"Haha, I should be thanking you, Brother Xue. If it weren't for your help in capturing the spirit beasts, it would've taken me a lot more effort to do it on my own." Wu Tong, in high spirits, responded with a laugh.
Afterward, the two chatted casually in the training grounds for a while.
As evening approached, Wu Tong invited Xue Qinghe to stay for dinner. After the meal, Xue Qinghe took his leave.
With Xue Qinghe gone, Wu Tong returned to his tech-nerd mode, diving back into crafting the inventions projected by the King of Wisdom.
He used it to grind down his increasingly restless mind.
——
Time flew by quickly.
It had already been about half a month since Xue Qinghe had delivered the spirit beasts.
In that time, a lot had happened.
First, following the scandal of Prince Xue Xing and Prince Xue Beng dying in a brothel, another bombshell rocked the royal court: Emperor Xue Ye had passed away.
Reportedly, while attempting to absorb an immortal herb, his weakened body couldn't withstand the medicinal energy and was directly torn apart by the immense power—dispersing into light particles that returned to the heavens and earth, leaving not even a trace of ashes behind. Resurrection was out of the question.
After seven days of national mourning, the empire's sole remaining prince, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, officially ascended to the throne.
Taking the title Emperor Qinghe, the Heaven Dou Empire was peacefully absorbed into the holdings of the Spirit Hall—without a single drop of bloodshed.
Next was the news of Wu Tong opening an academy, which had now spread across every major power.
Everyone on the Douluo Continent was waiting for Wu Tong—the continent's foremost intellect—to officially open his academy.
Many were preparing to send their children to study under him.
Lastly, regarding the spirit beasts Wu Tong needed: three more had been delivered in succession by the Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Wu Tong immediately absorbed them upon arrival.
He extracted the spirit abilities from the rings and fused them with the King of Wisdom, directly upgrading and enhancing its computational capacity.
…
Wutong Garden.
Training Grounds.
"Finally, the last spirit beast—Lingming Wisdom Ape."
Looking at the spirit beast delivered by the Star Luo Empire, Wu Tong couldn't suppress his excitement.
The final piece of the puzzle.
The Lingming Wisdom Ape, which could provide him with a cognitive acceleration ability, was finally in his grasp.
Originally, Wu Tong had thought it would take the Star Luo Empire at least a month to acquire the creature. Unexpectedly, their determination had been far greater than he imagined.
The Star Luo Emperor had directly mobilized an entire army to conduct a carpet-style search.
Naturally, the result spoke for itself. In less than a week, they found the Lingming Wisdom Ape—previously just a rumor—captured it, and had Prince Dai Weisi personally escort it.
Today, at last, it was delivered into Wu Tong's hands.
"Almost there. Almost... it's all coming together."
Staring at the Lingming Wisdom Ape before him—bound in fine steel chains, barely able to move even a single finger—Wu Tong's eyes burned with fervor, as if he could ignite the beast with his gaze alone.
"Brother Dai, thank you for this. I'm sure the journey has been exhausting. Let me arrange a room for you—get some proper rest," Wu Tong said, glancing at the blond youth beside him.
Dai Weisi had been about to reply that he wasn't tired, but upon seeing the look in Wu Tong's eyes, he immediately understood—this was a polite way of being asked to leave.
He didn't mind. After all, absorbing a spirit ring was far more urgent. As for rewards or negotiations, those could wait.
So he pretended not to notice Wu Tong's subtext and smiled as he replied, "Indeed, I haven't rested the entire way. I am a bit fatigued. Then I'll trouble Mr. Wu Tong to prepare a room."
"Of course. Xiaoyun…" Wu Tong casually called out, instructing the nearby maid Xiaoyun to prepare guest accommodations for Dai Weisi.
Once everyone had left, Wu Tong turned his gaze back to the Lingming Wisdom Ape. No longer holding back—
He circulated his true energy and struck with a punch, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
His fist, infused with the force of lightning, exploded forward like a bolt from the heavens.
A violent force swept through the area. The resulting shockwave kicked up clouds of dust, generating a massive sandstorm that engulfed both Wu Tong and the Lingming Wisdom Ape in an instant.
When the dust finally settled, a massive hole had already been blasted through the Lingming Wisdom Ape's chest—its body fully pierced through, with blood and organs clearly visible along the gaping wound.
Then, its towering body collapsed with a thud.
The Lingming Wisdom Ape—dead.
Dark specks of light began to float from its corpse, rising into the air and condensing into a pitch-black spirit ring.
Seeing the ring form, Wu Tong immediately sat down cross-legged.
Drawing the spirit ring toward him, he placed it around himself and began the absorption process.
[End of Chapter]
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