CHAPTER 226: CHAPTER 226: SILVERMOON DOULUO

The bloody incident at the entrance of the participants’ quarters immediately attracted widespread attention. The assassin was quickly identified as a member of the Sun-Moon Empire’s Royal Soul Tool Corps.

Coupled with the mysterious deaths of Shrek Academy’s Headmaster and Grand Elder inside the academy itself, and the Empire’s immediate intervention in the matter, suspicion began shifting toward the Sun-Moon Empire’s royal family.

After all, within Sun-Moon City, only they possessed the strength to silently eliminate two Title Douluo.

At the same time, Fang Chang played a subtle trick and incited teachers and students from the other academies staying nearby to voice their disapproval.

Fifteen academies and over a hundred staff and students—some expressed a desire to leave the now perilous Shrek Academy, while others openly declared they would withdraw from the competition and depart the Sun-Moon Empire altogether.

After all, compared to one’s life, a bit of empty fame was nothing.

With things developing to this point, the Sun-Moon Empire’s royal family had completely lost face. They neither dared let these people leave nor dared lay a hand on them.

"Fang Chang, your move was brilliant," Zhu Jing returned from the academy with a radiant smile and praised him. "You’ve redirected all the conflict onto the Sun-Moon Empire. If this continues, even if they’re unwilling, they’ll be forced to lift the lockdown on Shrek Academy, and the whole thing will just blow over."

According to the news she had received during her meeting at the academy, the incident with the assassin had left the Empire in an extremely awkward position.

"Let’s set that aside for now. Do you have any updates from your end? Is the royal family really going to let this go?" Fang Chang asked.

It had already been three days since Shrek Academy had been sealed off. Despite immense pressure, the royal family of the Sun-Moon Empire was still determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

"Not yet, but there is something very strange." Zhu Jing’s eyes darkened. "The Holy Spirit Cult seems to be extremely interested in this incident."

"Also, we’ve previously uncovered some ties between the Spider Hunters and them. We’ve long suspected the Holy Spirit Cult is linked to those Spider Hunters."

"You mean..." Fang Chang hesitated, "You suspect the Holy Spirit Cult is one of the three forces behind the Spider Hunters that the Headmaster mentioned?"

That night, before his death, the headmaster of Shrek Academy had revealed that the Spider Hunters were formed by three factions. He had only identified one—Tang Sect—before dying without naming the other two.

"Yeah, but I’m still not certain. It’s just a theory," Zhu Jing said, brushing her hair back, a slightly dazed look in her eyes.

The Holy Spirit Cult was the state religion of the Sun-Moon Empire and held immense influence. If they were indeed tied to the Spider Hunters, it would spell serious trouble for Fang Chang and his allies.

As the two of them were pondering this dilemma, a sudden commotion outside their room broke their thoughts.

They opened the door to find a crowd rushing outside, as if they were going to meet someone important.

Fang Chang and Zhu Jing exchanged glances and followed them out.

Outside the guest manor, over a dozen individuals stood in a group. Most were elderly and possessed powerful auras.

One figure stood out in particular—his hair and beard were white, but his back was ramrod straight, exuding an imposing presence.

At the sight of him, Zhu Jing’s face immediately darkened. "Why is he here? I can’t believe he showed up."

"Who is he?" Fang Chang noticed her expression and quickly asked.

Though this old man’s soul power appeared to be around level ninety-four or ninety-five, his aura far surpassed that of an ordinary Title Douluo.

"His name is Kong Mingde, Title: Silvermoon. Besides being a Title Douluo, he is also the only level-ten soul engineer alive today," Zhu Jing explained.

Hearing that name, Fang Chang instantly understood. In the original story, this old man had quite a lot of screen time, and as a level-ten soul engineer, his combat strength was comparable to a Peerless Douluo—posing a real threat even to Fang Chang now.

Following the crowd, Fang Chang and Zhu Jing approached. As soon as Silvermoon Douluo saw Zhu Jing, he cupped his hands in greeting. "So it’s Pavilion Master Zhu. I didn’t expect to see you here."

Zhu Jing returned the gesture with measured politeness. "Elder Kong, I hope you’ve been well. A distant cousin of mine is participating in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, so I’ve been staying here recently."

She knew well that Kong Mingde’s words were merely courtesy—he likely had all the details already.

As expected, he then turned and scrutinized Fang Chang carefully. "This must be Pavilion Master Zhu’s cousin, Fang Qi. A promising youth indeed. To already be a Soul Emperor at such a young age—your future achievements may well surpass your cousin’s."

"You flatter me, Elder Kong. Compared to you, the only level-ten soul engineer on the continent, no one can compare," Fang Chang replied with equal courtesy.

After exchanging polite words, Silvermoon Douluo turned to face the hundred-some teachers and students and bowed deeply. "First, on behalf of the Sun-Moon Empire’s royal family, I, Kong Mingde, offer my sincerest apologies."

"It was our honor to host this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, yet such an incident occurred. We have truly failed as hosts."

No one had expected the royal family to bring out someone of his stature. With his reputation in the soul master world, one bow was enough to silence all dissent.

Then he turned to Fang Chang. "Next, I would like to apologize personally to young friend Fang of Arachnid God Academy. He previously had a dispute with the son of a prince from our royal family and accidentally injured him."

"After Fang arrived in the Sun-Moon Empire, that prince harassed him endlessly, even sending assassins to kill him. That prince has now been dealt with by the royal family."

Hmm... the crowd erupted in whispers. So that’s what really happened.

While it sounded like an apology, it was more about pacifying the tournament participants.

As for what "dealt with" actually meant, that remained vague. And just like that, the assassination attempt was glossed over—clearly perfunctory.

Silvermoon Douluo then revealed his true intention. "The royal family has entrusted this matter entirely to me. Within three days, regardless of the outcome, I will give everyone a proper explanation."

That declaration served as a reassurance—there would be answers in three days. With that, the crowd dispersed and returned to the manor.

Only Fang Chang and Zhu Jing looked troubled. Silvermoon Douluo’s arrival had disrupted their plans, lifted the royal family’s burden, and placed him in charge of the investigation.

Anyone else might not pose much threat—but a level-ten soul engineer like him? He might truly uncover something.

Fang Chang and Zhu Jing exchanged a glance, and both saw deep concern in the other’s eyes.