Inside the Illustrious Virtue Hall, Lin Xiao's figure was rapidly moving forward along the passageway when several voices in conversation suddenly came from ahead.
"It's just up ahead, we're almost there."
"Teacher?"
Lin Xiao softly called out upon hearing the familiar voice, and the voices ahead suddenly paused.
Then several calls of his name echoed through the passageway.
"Lin Xiao, you're okay?"
As the words fell, soon Lin Jiayi and three figures completely encased in metal appeared in view.
Those three figures were like wearing armor that fully covered their bodies, yet far more refined than ordinary armor. A faint metallic sheen mingled with soul power mist rising, and just one glance was enough to know it was a high-grade soul tool.
Lin Xiao glanced at them before quickly averting his gaze. Those should be the human-shaped soul tools similar to the "No°1 Project," yet taking a completely different developmental path.
In the previous Soul Dueling Competition, Mi Jia and Xiao Hongchen had already demonstrated this advanced technology from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
In Lin Xiao's memory, when the Sun Moon Empire later launched the continental war, it was precisely by relying on a soul engineer regiment fully equipped with human-shaped soul tools that they caused the entire Douluo Empire to fall in an extremely short time.
The sets of human-shaped soul tools before him were likely trials or tests before fully popularizing them in the army.
And even this initial version of the human-shaped soul tool already had the effect of greatly enhancing a soul engineer's combat strength.
"It's him?"
The leader among the three looked at Lin Jiayi again for confirmation.
"Mm."
Seeing Lin Jiayi nod, the person sized Lin Xiao up and down once more. "What about the other things inside?"
"There was a collapse inside. I seized the opportunity to escape, but as for the specific situation deeper in, I'm not clear."
Lin Xiao gently shook his head.
The person did not respond immediately after hearing Lin Xiao's words, unsure if he believed it or not. He simply looked at Lin Xiao again before slightly nodding to the two behind him. Then, the three figures headed together toward the depths of the passageway.
"Are you alright?" Only then did Lin Jiayi step forward and grasp Lin Xiao's ice-cold wrist.
"I'm fine now, Teacher." Lin Xiao glanced around, gently pulling Lin Jiayi. "There was just a collapse inside; it's not safe here. We should head outside first."
"Good." Lin Jiayi nodded.
"By the way, Teacher, how's the situation outside?"
"The attackers on Illustrious Virtue Hall have basically all been captured; some soul masters were killed on the spot. Their identities have also been speculated. According to other experts in Illustrious Virtue Hall, those people should be from the Body Sect."
Lin Xiao nodded lightly upon hearing this. Once a soul master becomes famous, some of their soul skills or combat techniques inevitably become known to others. With a special martial soul like Immortality Through Poison, many people had likely already seen his figure.
"Teacher, how does the academy plan to handle this matter?"
"When I rushed over with people, the Hall Master hadn't returned yet, so no specific decision has been discussed." Lin Jiayi narrowed his eyes slightly. "But this is the Body Sect's provocation against our Illustrious Virtue Hall; this matter absolutely will not end well."
"Right, after we go out, don't say too much, try to cooperate with the other teachers. With such a major incident in the hall, the Hall Master should return soon. Once he's back, I'll tell him what happened today."
Lin Xiao nodded. Soon, he understood why Lin Jiayi had specifically instructed him.
The previous Body Sect attack had damaged several elevators from the underground to the surface in Illustrious Virtue Hall. Many soul engineers were escorting the still-breathing injured toward the outside.
Lin Xiao and Lin Jiayi waited a moment until there were fewer people, then left with the crowd. The instant Lin Xiao saw the situation outside, he was slightly stunned.
The buildings above ground in Illustrious Virtue Hall no longer bore any resemblance to their original appearance. The ground was full of pits and craters, with several massive depressions.
Recalling the passageway he had passed through earlier, Lin Xiao roughly judged the direction and found that the area where he had fought the Snow Empress had completely caved in; that room must have been fully buried by now.
The surroundings were crowded with teachers, preventing other students from approaching Illustrious Virtue Hall, while also stopping those inside from leaving casually.
Even so, the recent explosions had drawn the attention of nearly all students, who densely packed the area, trying to see clearly what had happened inside.
Huo Yuhao was pushed by a group of students toward the warning line drawn by the teachers. He slightly raised his head and happened to see Lin Xiao emerging from underground. Sensing the aura on him, his brows suddenly furrowed.
"Strange..."
In his mental sea, the Million-Year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm softly spoke. "That person has a very familiar aura about him."
"Ice, Ice! Come quick and see if I'm wrong."
The Ice Emperor was awakened by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's noise, but didn't bother arguing over the address this time; her attention seemed completely drawn to the aura on Lin Xiao.
"You're not wrong. That person does indeed carry an aura unique to our Far North."
Huo Yuhao stared at Lin Xiao for a moment. "Perhaps they're researching some soul tool related to ultimate ice."
Hearing it was about soul tools, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Ice Emperor quickly fell silent.
As Lin Jiayi had predicted, with such a major incident in Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Hongchen had long lost any intention of dealing with Shrek Academy. He hurried back to the academy without stopping.
The moment he arrived near Illustrious Virtue Hall, he spotted Lin Jiayi standing with Lin Xiao.
"Jiayi." Jing Hongchen immediately stepped forward. "Have the losses in Illustrious Virtue Hall been tallied?"
Lin Jiayi slightly shook his head. "Not yet, but adding up all our losses, their value is probably beyond calculation."
Jing Hongchen's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this. These years, he had worked day and night, pouring nearly all his effort into Illustrious Virtue Hall, never expecting such a devastating blow.
Glancing left and right, Jing Hongchen lowered his voice. "What about the important things inside?"
"The No°1 Project is already in my hands." Lin Jiayi also lowered his voice. "But the other item was somehow destroyed."
Jing Hongchen's face twitched several times. Before he could grieve, another figure quickly approached him.
"Hall Master."
"What's wrong?" Jing Hongchen clearly recognized the person before him, fully covered in a human-shaped soul tool.
"Hall Master, look at this. We found it in the underground collapsed ruins."
As he spoke, the person slightly opened his palm, revealing several fragments of soul tools. Through the metal surfaces, a peculiar metal appeared before Jing Hongchen's eyes, seeming to contain specks of starlight within.
Lin Xiao, standing nearby, abruptly turned his head to look.
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