Plate Eighty-Two: Seizing the Heavenly Emperor?

Junshi cleared her throat awkwardly. “It’s because I asked him what career would be suitable and easy to make money. He said if we’re really short on cash, we can bet on the results of this test—you’re guaranteed to take first place.”

“So you dared to risk it all because Little Jin made the guarantee.” Sang Sang nodded, no wonder Little Jin was being so mysterious last night, saying that after today we wouldn’t need to worry about funds anymore.

Just as she was thinking about Little Jin, a message arrived from him, and its contents made Sang Sang’s expression change dramatically.

[Return immediately after the test. Knight Commander Kane wants to take the Celestial Emperor away.]

Junshi, who was closest, noticed her sudden change most clearly and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Did you receive news that the advanced civilization is reneging on their debt?”

Everyone’s expression shifted. Boya and Aslan were fine, but those from the Galactic Civilization had spent the whole night dreaming about how they’d spend their winnings.

“Reneging on the debt?!” Green Shoots and Little Dragon Lord abandoned their playful bickering; Little Dragon Lord angrily opened his terminal. “I’ll borrow the Dragon Squad from Uncle Dragon—if they dare default, we’ll fight.”

“It’s not that, it’s because of the Celestial Emperor. Uncle Kane is at the dormitory. Teacher, we need to hurry.”

Aslan returned to the driver’s seat, switched to manual control. As a graduate of the Knight Academy, even the top mechas were no challenge for him. Under his hands, the shuttle car performed at its fullest, wasting not a single second.

Little Dragon Lord blurted out, “Uncle Kane has always wanted the Celestial Emperor to change professions. Is he taking advantage of the Emperor’s closed-door cultivation to forcibly abduct him?”

That was Sang Sang’s first thought as well. Otherwise, why would he come specifically when she wasn’t around? But then she reconsidered—it was unlikely. The Celestial Emperor’s personality wouldn’t suit a sacred profession; too poor at pretending. Grandfather Anthony would never agree.

Inside the Mulberry Tree House, Little Jin had stretched himself into a thin sheet of metal, like an overturned bowl, covering the Celestial Emperor’s nutrient pool. His small head poked out at the top, eyes glowing with wary orange light. In front of him, Tom faced Kane, sweating profusely.

Kane frowned. He didn’t care about Tom, but he sensed changes in the nutrient pool where the Celestial Emperor lay. Yet the little AI before him stubbornly refused to yield, showing some tricks even he couldn’t decipher, and with the Celestial Emperor still vulnerable, he couldn’t forcefully break through. It was troublesome. “Move aside. You’re harming the Celestial Emperor, not helping him.”

“How would taking him away not harm him then?” Sang Sang hurried in, nodded to Little Jin and Tom, and stood between them and Kane, confronting him.

Little Dragon Lord ran to Sang Sang’s side to bolster her. Hu Yang stepped forward to steady Tom. Green Shoots dragged Ye Xiu over. Junshi naturally supported her boss, Xiao Lang followed close behind, Boya stood smiling behind Sang Sang, and, thinking things weren’t lively enough, waved to Aslan, who stood unmoving at the door, looking helpless.

Seeing Aslan wouldn’t budge, Boya turned his attention to Kane. “Honorable Knight Commander, bullying children doesn’t fit the knight’s code.”

Kane shook his head. “Boya, you’re grown now. Don’t cause trouble with the children.”

Boya’s eyes widened. “How is protecting students causing trouble? Knight Commander, entering the dormitory without permission is against the rules. I simply can’t stand seeing students oppressed by privilege.”

Kane gestured to Aslan to take Boya away. Aslan stared at his own fingers as if searching for calluses. Kane had no choice but to handle it himself.

He didn’t want to deal with children, but he couldn’t ignore the Celestial Emperor.

He scanned the group. Little Dragon and Green Shoots were puffed up with anger, Ye Xiu stood apart, Junshi, Hu Yang, Xiao Lang weren’t decision-makers, the AI Little Jin was stubborn and incomprehensible, leaving only Sang Sang, whom the Celestial Emperor always mentioned.

This wasn’t the first time Kane had seen Sang Sang; in the Galactic Civilization, he’d seen her several times beside Bishop Anthony. But as a prodigy from a lower civilization, she hadn’t been worth his attention. He’d never really looked at her, not even during their last video call. Now, hearing about her achievements in the temple over the past year and feeling the group’s subtle deference to her, his gaze shifted from scanning to scrutinizing, more focused.

She didn’t seem like a child.

That was Kane’s first impression. But humans from lower civilizations matured early due to their shorter lifespans; there was nothing exceptional about her. Why did someone like the Celestial Emperor follow her? It wasn’t appearance—perhaps their personalities matched, or their souls resonated?

“Sang Sang, may I call you by your nickname, just like the Celestial Emperor does?”

Though Kane phrased it as a question, his tone brooked no refusal. Sang Sang didn’t explain that Sang Hongye was a self-chosen surname and title, and Sang Sang was her real name. She simply nodded. “Of course, as you wish.”

Kane said, “The Celestial Emperor told me you two share a mutual sense of connection. I believe you can sense when he’s about to break through.”

Sang Sang replied, “It’s within these few days—maybe the next moment.”

Kane breathed easier. Communication was possible; his tone softened. “The Celestial Emperor said he wants to wait until his reserves are deeper before breaking through. I thought he’d take at least a year or two, but he’s so impatient—he went into seclusion right away, and only when I finished my affairs did I realize he was about to break through.”

Apart from the segment in Sin City, the Celestial Emperor’s memories were wide open to Sang Sang; during their dual cultivation, even without intentionally peeking, she could sense vague images. Sang Sang knew the Emperor trusted Kane, and Kane genuinely cared for the Emperor. So, unlike Little Dragon Lord and Green Shoots, she wasn’t angry. Her impulsiveness had cooled on the way over, and now she spoke calmly. “The Celestial Emperor doesn’t like cultural classes. Seclusion means no classes.”

Those who knew the Celestial Emperor all lowered their heads; this was certainly something he would do.

Aslan glanced at Boya, who looked back at the nutrient pool: kindred spirit. He’d once used seclusion to dodge many classes himself. But young man, let me tell you as someone who’s been through it—skipping class is fun for the moment, but you’ll cry your heart out at the exams, unless you don’t care about your diploma.

“No wonder he doesn’t want to be the Holy Son,” Kane murmured, suddenly understanding. Then, seeing the wary expressions of the children, he shook his head. “Don’t worry, I won’t force the Celestial Emperor. His Majesty has decided to send him to the elite class at the Knight Academy. I’ll be his direct mentor, guiding him one-on-one.”

Tom blurted out, “So, Uncle Kane, you weren’t planning to snatch the Celestial Emperor to make him the Holy Son while he’s in seclusion?”

Kane snorted. “Do you think becoming Holy Son is so simple? Just say it and it happens? A single candidate for Holy Son is selected from a hundred billion young prodigies of all races. Sang Sang only made it to the finals because His Majesty recommended her. Lower civilizations can’t even enter the preliminary rounds, let alone be forced.”

Little Jin shifted from his eggshell form into a small mech, slinking onto Sang Sang’s shoulder, curling into a tight ball, eyes glowing with gloomy blue light.

[Sorry, I made the mistake of relying on human experience, and thought he was here to snatch the Celestial Emperor. I just simulated the whole situation from start to finish—Kane is probably here because the Emperor is about to break through, and the dormitory can’t fully shield the celestial phenomena of a star-level breakthrough, so he wants to take him somewhere safer. Why can’t he just explain it? What’s his tongue for, anyway?]

Sang Sang stroked the spherical mech to comfort Little Jin, her downcast eyes full of amusement. Little Jin was learning to suppress his AI instincts, not jumping to conclusions before calculating, and even complaining afterward—he was becoming more human.

She looked up and asked, “Uncle Kane, where will you take the Celestial Emperor for his breakthrough? Can we come along?”