area51novel Chapter 133 Mingdu
Chapter 133 Mingdu
Chapter 133 Mingdu
Soon after, Dai Youheng and Ling Ya arrived at the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, officially named Sun Moon City. This colossal city, perched atop a plain, is renowned for its unparalleled soul-guided technology, and is more commonly known as Mingdu.
It is like a steel heart embedded in the Douluo Continent, beating vigorously and radiating a vitality that is completely different from all traditional ancient cities.
The two did not enter the country through official channels, but instead infiltrated a Sun Moon Merchant Caravan that was traveling to the Heavenly Soul Empire to do business.
Dai Youheng was generous, paying a high price in exchange for the caravan owner bringing them into the city as "distant cousins who were curious about Sun and Moon Technology".
They all disguised themselves. Dai Youheng concealed the sharpness of the Star Luo nobles and the power-attack type battle soul master, and pretended to be a young businessman from a wealthy family who was curious about everything. Ling Ya, on the other hand, concealed the aura of a titled Douluo so well that he looked like a taciturn and attentive old servant.
As the massive caravan's wheels rolled over the smooth road marking the outskirts of Mingdu, the caravan owner proudly pointed to the seemingly endless steel forest that stretched before him and said to Dai Youheng, "Gentlemen, we've now entered Mingdu's territory. See that? This is the pride of our Sun Moon Empire, the undisputed number one city on the continent! I'm not exaggerating, but compared to Mingdu, Tiandou City, Xingluo City, and even Shrek City, are all outdated relics!"
As Dai Youheng walked the streets of Mingdu, bathed in sunlight, he couldn't help but admit that the merchant's words weren't entirely exaggerated.
The city has no walls; towering metal buildings stand side by side, their glass curtain walls reflecting a cold light under the illumination of soul-guided lamps. On the wide streets, all kinds of soul-guided vehicles shuttle back and forth in an orderly manner, and traditional horse-drawn carriages are almost nowhere to be seen.
Small soul-guided aircraft occasionally streaked across the sky, the air filled with a faint, peculiar metallic scent, and the air was filled with the hum of soul-guided engines, the voices of broadcast soul-guided devices, and the clamor of the crowd.
All of this gave him a fleeting illusion of returning to his past life. This was a futuristic city built entirely on Soul Guidance Technology, its power and advancement at least a thousand years ahead of the Douluo Three Kingdoms.
"Boss, do you know where the Soul Master Academy is?" Dai Youheng withdrew his gaze, his face showing curiosity and longing. "When we come to Mingdu for sightseeing, what we most want to see is this Soul Master Academy, which is ranked number one on the continent."
The caravan owner chuckled, "Soul Master Academy? Of course I know! The two top academies in our Sun Moon Empire, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and the Mingdu Soul Master Academy, are both in the city. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is in the city center, right next to the palace—it's very impressive! The Mingdu Soul Master Academy is in the north of the city, and it's not small either. But..."
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He lowered his voice, "These two places are heavily guarded. They contain our empire's precious technologies, and outsiders are not allowed to enter under normal circumstances."
Dai Youheng nodded in understanding, "Of course, we understand. Such an important university cannot be visited casually. We'll just take a look from afar, get a feel for the atmosphere, and satisfy our curiosity. That's enough for us."
After bidding farewell to the caravan at a bustling intersection, Dai Youheng and Ling Ya followed the instructions and arrived at the area where the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was located.
The closer one gets, the more acutely one senses the tight security here. An invisible soul power detection barrier surrounds the academy, and the high walls are covered with monitoring soul tools. The only entrance is strictly guarded by uniformed soul masters, and every student needs to swipe their card to enter. That solemn and tense atmosphere proclaims the extraordinary and secretive nature of this place.
Ling Ya's gaze swept over the hidden array of defensive soul tools, and he said in a low voice, "Young Master, the defense level here is very high. Even for me, it would be extremely difficult to sneak in silently, and it would be easy to trigger the alarm."
Dai Youheng nodded slightly, not surprised. He had not come here to force his way in.
The two booked a private room at a popular restaurant on the street corner opposite the college, and sat down by the window, from where they could clearly observe the college's imposing gate and the flow of people coming and going.
Ling Ya asked, "Young Master, did you come here specifically to find someone in the academy?"
"Not bad." Dai Youheng gently stirred the drink in his glass, his gaze never leaving the academy gate. "A girl named Nana. I want her to be part of my team, just like you."
"Nana?" Ling Ya searched his memory but had never heard of this name before.
"Her situation is somewhat similar to yours," Dai Youheng explained. "Both of you are burdened with a deep-seated blood feud. Your enemy is the Xuanming Sect, while her enemy is a more bizarre and powerful evil soul master organization—the Holy Spirit Cult."
"The Holy Spirit Cult?" Ling Ya frowned slightly. He had never heard of this name before, but he always knew about evil spirit masters; they were a group of madmen.
"Hmm." Dai Youheng continued, "Her parents were killed by the Holy Spirit Cult, and their souls were controlled by evil soul masters using special methods after their deaths. Those guys completely controlled Nana by controlling her parents' souls, forcing her to obey orders."
A hint of understanding and sympathy flashed in Ling Ya's eyes. This method was indeed extremely despicable and vicious, enough to drag a person into the abyss of despair.
"As long as we can find and liberate her parents' souls, we can free her from the control of the Holy Spirit Cult. This favor is enough to make her loyal." Dai Youheng paused, his tone becoming more pragmatic. "More importantly, she is a top student carefully cultivated by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, possessing access to and review of the academy's internal soul tool technology data. Through her, we might be able to obtain a large amount of valuable soul tool technology that is difficult for outsiders to access. This is crucial for your future advancement and for enhancing our overall strength."
Ling Ya immediately understood Nana's value. A Soul Master talent who had potential, was easy to control, and could bring huge added value was indeed the type of team the young master urgently needed.
"Young Master hopes that she will also take it—" Ling Ya didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
Dai Youheng opened his palm, his soul power surging slightly, and a strange pill, half red and half blue, with a lotus-like phantom floating inside, quietly appeared, emitting a powerful yet contradictory energy fluctuation.
It is the second Yin-Yang Reversal Lotus Seed Pill!
Thanks to the continuous nourishment of the vast life force of the Life Gold, this heaven-defying divine pill, which originally required five years to condense, was formed again in just over a year! Although the one-time nourishment had disappeared, the ever-circulating life energy remained, greatly shortening the pill's cooling time.
At this rate, the next one could be born in just three to four years. If we could obtain another piece of Life Gold, mass-producing Title Douluos might no longer be a distant dream.
"That's right," Dai Youheng answered confidently. "For her, this isn't actually the best choice, it's even a negative one. With her talent, she could easily become a Title Douluo through her own cultivation. But for me, what I need is immediate combat power, the power to ensure absolute control. In exchange, I will give her what she desires most: the liberation of her parents and the power of revenge."
His words were calm and ruthless, prioritizing the weighing of interests above all else.
He had considered another candidate: Ji Juechen, who was known for his obsession with swordsmanship at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
But he gave up after just one thought.
Ji Juechen's Dao heart is pure, devoted solely to the sword; he would rather break than bend, and it is utterly impossible for him to accept being controlled by another's power. Forcibly controlling him would likely backfire.
Nana, however, is different. She harbors deep hatred and is trapped in constraints. To save her parents and to avenge the Holy Spirit Cult, she is willing to pay any price, including her freedom and future potential.
Her weaknesses were so obvious, and her desires so intense, that she was the easiest type to control.