Rebirth: Supreme Soul Master

The old patriarch was surprised by how the meeting was progressing. He had expected William to sit before him like any child, trembling with fear.

Even if Kong wasn't a simple child in William's eyes, he was still just a weak Soul Master.

Any Soul Master below the Dark Gold level would feel the same way. And those at the Dark Gold level would look at him with respect and admiration.

But what he felt from the child in front of him was... nothing at all! Not awe, not fear, and of course, he was not affected by the pressure of the child's presence.

This was the first time Kong had seen William face to face like this. Even when he was monitoring him, he had never had the chance to test the boy himself.

“I was just saying, isn’t that what we’re all about?” The old patriarch looked at William again, recalling the principal’s brief words about William’s behavior when he was angry in front of him, and the latter responded so calmly.

“Do you know you’re shrouded in mystery? In my eyes, you’re a very difficult child to understand.” Kong decided to skip over William’s unexpected attitude, paused, and then added emphatically, “I hate people who hide deep secrets.”

“Every Soul Master has their own secrets, and I am no different from them.”

“But nobody in our world has such a secret, or such strange ways of doing things,” Kong meant something completely different from what William took from his words.

“I saved Berry’s life, aren’t you happy?” William realized that the old man had given up on knowing his secret, and his approach had changed from evasive defense to bold defense.

"Don't tell me you're doing this without expecting anything in return."

“It’s not for that,” William shook his head in disappointment. “It’s for her.”

"So this is love... or just a trick to gain the trust of my people and then infiltrate us later?"

At this moment, William realized even more that something was amiss. The old man before him, when bringing up the matter, did not seem to feel uneasy about his help to Berry.

Kong, however, distorted the whole story, linking it back to the Dark Soul Masters. This kept William on high alert.

“Don’t misunderstand,” William’s expression turned serious, determined to clear up this doubt once and for all, “I do care about her. In this dark world full of danger and turmoil, there is still such a kind-hearted Soul Master.” Time is rare.

"I am flattered by these words. By the way, how old are you?"

“I’m getting old, and I know my limits.” William’s answer made the old patriarch’s gaze deepen.

Everything indicated that William was no ordinary child, far from being a normal person. Even his choice of words left the old man bewildered. And such a bold attitude left Kong unsure whether to believe William or become even more skeptical.

Why should a child speak so cautiously? It's not only to express support for his granddaughter, but also to draw a line between them.

"Don't you like my clan's gems!" Kong threw out a bait, wanting to see William's true feelings towards Berry. The old patriarch decided to test William by dealing with one troublesome issue at a time.

After all, he felt that trying to extract all the truth from William through a long speech about everything was not going to work.

Sora had to deal with William in a much slower manner, discussing the suspicious points one by one. After all, the kid was quite eloquent, and no matter what situation Sora imposed on him, he could always extricate himself from it.

“If I don’t learn how to fly first, I can’t dream of soaring through the clouds, right?” William insisted on his position to avoid getting into more trouble here.

“Such wise words coming from such a young child… Who are you? Really, who are you?” Kong still pressed William with a cold and hostile gaze.

Even after speaking with William for several minutes, Kong still felt that the discussion was going far off from his initial expectations and plans.

Therefore, he went straight to the most perplexing question, the one that he and his friends were trying to find the answer to.

“One who just wanted to help, one who wasn’t on the side of the Dark Soul Masters. In fact, I’m considering them my mortal enemies.” William avoided answering such a thorny question about his true identity, changing the subject to emphasize his loyalty.

After all, he felt that his loyalty had been questioned by such a terrifying Soul Master. "However, we have a problem to keep in mind first."

"You mean the thief?" The old man understood what William meant and what he wanted to do by suddenly changing the subject.

But Kong decided to follow William's bait, to end this once and for all, and then return to what was truly important to him.

“It’s not that simple,” William said, sensing Kong’s dismissive attitude toward the issue. “The person who took these documents knew they belonged to your family’s precious daughter, yet he dared to do it.”

"Such a wrong decision could cost him his life."

"What if he were still at the academy?"

"What do you mean?"

The old patriarch didn't take this minor issue too seriously. He knew William was the one who wrote down these messages, which meant the lost information could be copied by him.

In his view, it was just a mistake, a moment of greed, when a dirty person in the college lost control and took the documents to examine them.