Listening to Ju Zi's report, Kong Mingan nodded his head. He looked like he understood everything perfectly. He had many plans for the Douluo Three Kingdoms. Most of these plans were about taking control of the economy. He wanted to steal their resources and find talented people to join him. He also wanted to get his own people into their government and control what the public thought about things.
Kong Mingan knew that a war between the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Three Kingdoms was going to happen. It was something that no one could stop. Because he lived in the Sun Moon Empire, he would definitely fight for them. This was why he had made so many plans against the Douluo Three Kingdoms.
For example, he had started a newspaper company. He did not just do this to say bad things about Shrek Academy. The real reason was to build a huge network for gathering information. This network covered all of the Douluo Three Kingdoms. It allowed him to slowly change how people felt about certain topics.
He used a special place called the Undead Demiplane, which belonged to Electrolux, to send information very quickly. Because of this, the newspapers under his group, Mingmeng, always got the news before anyone else. This gave them a huge advantage because they were always the first to tell the public what was happening. This helped them take over the entire market.
Another part of his plan was called the Enlightenment Plan. He also focused on hiring people who graduated from Shrek Academy. Kong Mingan did not like Shrek Academy very much. However, he knew that the academy had many talented students.
He thought it would be a total waste if he did not try to take those talented people for himself. Even if these people did not move to the Sun Moon Empire right away, they were still very useful. They could help run his businesses within the Douluo Three Kingdoms and act as a cover for his secret operations.
Xu Tianzhen was standing right next to him. She was completely shocked by what she was hearing. She looked at the young man, who was about the same age as her. As she listened to him talk about secret schemes, stealing talent, and controlling the news, she felt like her brain could not keep up.
She wondered who had told her that this guy only did science experiments all day. People had said he just stayed in his lab and was very boring. They said he would be very easy to control.
She looked at him and thought to herself that he was definitely not easy to control. She remembered what Kong Deming had said not long ago. He had said that the boy could be replaced. She had not been sure if she agreed with that before, but now she felt a strong sense of agreement deep in her heart.
Kong Mingan finished listening to Ju Zi's very organized report. He started to like her skills even more than before. He looked at her and asked about the other task he had given her. Ju Zi knew exactly what he meant. She reached into her spirit tool and pulled out a thin folder.
She told him that they had checked the information. She said that Zhang Lexuan was eighteen years old. She was a Spirit Emperor at Rank sixty-eight. Her Spirit was the Moon, and it was extremely powerful.
She was the leader of the current Shrek Seven Devils. She was also very respected within Shrek Academy. Ju Zi was about to talk about her family history when Xu Tianzhen interrupted her.
Xu Tianzhen had been listening very closely. She caught the most important part of the information. She looked at Kong Mingan and asked if the girl really had the Moon Spirit. Kong Mingan had expected her to be surprised.
He nodded and told her that this was the branch of the family he had mentioned to his grandfather before. Xu Tianzhen seemed to understand then. She stopped talking, but she started paying much closer attention to the conversation.
Kong Mingan then asked Ju Zi how well the news he asked her to spread was working. Ju Zi looked very calm as she replied. she said that the results were even better than they had hoped for. They had only spread small, confusing pieces of information.
They mentioned things like the Kong Family of the Sun Moon Empire, the Silver Moon Spirit, and a secret legacy of the Imperial Family. They made sure to put this information in places where Zhang Lexuan would find it.
Ju Zi explained that Zhang Lexuan became very suspicious. She started looking into her own history very quickly. She even paid their business association to help her find out the truth. Kong Mingan then asked if they had also spread the bad news about Shrek Academy. Ju Zi confirmed that they had. She took out another paper and put it in front of him.
She explained that all the bad news they spread was true. They did not have to lie or make anything up. They just made sure she accidentally found these facts while she was looking for her family history. Ju Zi noted that Zhang Lexuan seemed more worried about the corruption inside Shrek Academy than her own past. Even if she only heard a small rumor, she would go looking for proof.
Ju Zi smiled slightly and said that whenever Zhang Lexuan looked for proof, their people were there to give it to her. She also mentioned that they had sources inside Shrek. Some of the old masters in the Sea God Pavilion were starting to complain about her. They did not like that she was punishing people herself without giving them a fair trial first.
Kong Mingan told her she did a very good job. He sounded like he really meant it. Ju Zi paused for a second. She had a tiny smile on her face that showed she felt a strange kind of satisfaction. She bowed to him very respectfully and called him Chairman. She said it was just her duty to do these things.
After she finished her report, Ju Zi did not stay in the office. She knew it was time to leave. Before she walked out, she bowed to Xu Tianzhen as well. Then she closed the door behind her. Once they were alone, Xu Tianzhen could not keep quiet anymore. She asked if his main goal was to get Zhang Lexuan.
Kong Mingan told her that was only one part of the plan. He admitted she was very important because she had the Moon Spirit. Xu Tianzhen asked if it would be hard to make her join them. She asked why he didn't just kill her like Grandpa Kong had suggested. She thought that would be much easier.
Kong Mingan looked at her with a bit of a frown. He asked her if she really thought he was that much of a killer. He explained that since she had the Moon Spirit, she was technically like a sister to him according to their family tree.
He did not think it was necessary to kill her. He also said that her personality actually made her easy to win over, even if it took some time. He added that it would be much more fun to watch her be the one who tore Shrek Academy apart from the inside.
He gave a kind-looking smile. To him, Shrek Academy looked strong on the outside, but it was actually very weak and rotting on the inside. It had too many internal problems and did not have enough powerful fighters at the top anymore.
The foundation of the school was already ruined. He was just putting more pests into the wood to make it rot faster. He was waiting for the right moment to destroy it completely.
He even had a plan to deal with Yu Xiaogang and Mu En, the leader of the Sea God Pavilion. However, he knew he was not strong enough to do that yet. He thought that trying to destroy the academy by force right now would cost him too many men. It was much better to break it down piece by piece from the inside. While he did that, he could use the academy's resources to make his own team stronger.
Xu Tianzhen understood some of what he was saying, but she decided to stop thinking about it. She told herself that it was better not to know too many secrets. She thought that staying quiet and being a mascot would help her live a longer life. While she was thinking to herself, she saw Kong Mingan reach out his hand to her.
She blinked and looked confused. Kong Mingan smiled and told her that he had promised to take her around Shrek City. He said he would not break his promise to her. Xu Tianzhen was very surprised at first, but then her eyes started to shine with excitement. She started to think that her fiancé was actually a pretty good guy. She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door, telling him they should go right now.
Meanwhile, inside the inner court of Shrek Academy, there was a special room for training called a Mimicry Cultivation Room. Inside, a girl who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old was sitting on the floor. She looked very peaceful. Her face was beautiful and gentle. There was a soft glow like moonlight coming from her skin. It made the quiet room feel a little bit colder.
The girl was sitting very still and training her spirit power. Suddenly, the door to the room opened up. A voice spoke to her and told her that her time in isolation was finally over. She could finally leave the room.
Zhang Lexuan opened her eyes slowly. She had spent a long time thinking while she was inside. The things she had learned about her family and the things she had seen at the academy were heavy on her mind. She stood up and smoothed out her clothes. She knew that things were changing, and she had to figure out what the truth really was.
She walked toward the door, ready to face the world again, not knowing that everything was moving exactly how Kong Mingan wanted it to. She was a genius, but she was also a piece on a very large game board.
The sun was setting over Shrek City as she walked out. The streets were busy with people and Spirit Masters. Somewhere in that city, Kong Mingan and Xu Tianzhen were walking together.
The future of the continent was being decided in small rooms and quiet conversations. The war was coming, and every person would have to choose a side. For now, the peace remained, but it was a very fragile peace that could break at any moment.
Zhang Lexuan looked up at the moon in the sky. It was her Spirit, her source of power. She felt a connection to it that she couldn't explain. She wondered if the answers she was looking for were out there somewhere in the light of the moon. She took a deep breath and started walking, heading back toward the main part of the academy to see what had happened while she was away.