Wu Changkong's Shock

The cafeteria.

When Wu Changkong entered with a student, every gaze in the cafeteria fell on them. It couldn't be helped—Wu Changkong was too handsome and powerful. Wherever he went, he had female admirers.

The two casually found a place to sit.

The cafeteria meals were divided into Grades A, B, and C. Grade A cost one thousand Federal Coins per meal, Grade B cost three hundred, while Grade C was free and came with unlimited portions.

Meng Li ordered two Grade A Meals and carried them to the table.

Wu Changkong suddenly fixed Meng Li with a sharp gaze.

"Judging by your aura, you've hidden your strength—and it isn't low."

"You'll be my teacher for the next six years. I definitely won't be able to hide my strength from you." Meng Li paused, then spoke quietly, low enough for only the two of them to hear.

"You're a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster?" Wu Changkong casually guessed a number.

Meng Li said nothing.

"Twenty-five?"

"Twenty-nine?"

"Thirty?"

Wu Changkong guessed for a long time without getting it right, so Meng Li quietly told him.

When Wu Changkong learned that Meng Li's Soul Power was level forty-five, his face was full of disbelief.

At this age, reaching level eighteen or twenty was already extraordinary. Yet the person before him was claiming to be level forty-five. If that wasn't madness, what was? How could a nine-year-old child be level forty-five?

"I don't like people who lie." Wu Changkong frowned slightly, his voice gradually turning cold.

"Find somewhere later, and you'll see whether I'm lying."

After the two finished eating, they returned to Wu Changkong's dormitory.

Meng Li released his one-of-a-kind Angel Martial Soul. Four soul rings lit up one after another, all black, while golden feathers circled around the Angel Martial Soul.

"You really are a prodigy."

Even the genius Wu Changkong was utterly shocked.

The prodigies among the Shrek Seven Devils, whom he had once considered exceptional, were utterly overshadowed before this child.

"So, you believe me now? Only three people know this secret at present." Meng Li was somewhat proud. He had to admit, this feeling of showing off was quite satisfying.

"Just how strong is your Spiritual Power? Your first soul ring is a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit!"

"Off the charts! I drew the Soul Spirit from the Gacha Machine..." Meng Li explained gloomily.

"You wouldn't happen to be some Great God's illegitimate son, would you?"

"Ten-Thousand-Year Artificial Soul Spirits haven't been developed at all." Wu Changkong looked completely unconvinced.

"Then where did my Soul Spirit come from? I clearly remember drawing it from the random Soul Spirit pool."

"I suspect someone did it deliberately," Wu Changkong said. He had somehow taken in such a monstrous student—whose first ring was ten thousand years old—and began to take this student seriously.

"Now that you mention it, Teacher, I'm starting to suspect that too. Who could it be..." Meng Li nodded and began pondering.

A Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit could produce four soul rings, so he had never gone back to the Spirit Pagoda and knew little about the situation there.

A Ten-Thousand-Year Artificial Soul Spirit was far too shocking. Someone had clearly done this deliberately. His Soul Spirit was definitely not artificial; such a thing had never existed in this world.

Could this have something to do with Na'er? After thinking for a long time, that was the only possibility Meng Li could come up with.

"There is someone extremely powerful watching over you from behind the scenes. I don't know whether they're a good person or a bad one, but their purpose is very clear: to nurture you!" Wu Changkong said after thinking for a moment.

"For now, you don't need to worry that she'll harm you."

Having taken a nine-year-old level-forty-five Soul Ancestor as a student, Wu Changkong suddenly felt tremendous pressure. He put away his pride and immediately asked Meng Li humbly, "How did your previous teacher teach you?"

"This is mainly talent. My teacher mostly taught me common knowledge about soul masters. As for cultivation, I explored it on my own."

"Your teacher didn't teach you anything else?"

"No."

"Then good. From now on, I'll teach you diligently and pass on everything I know to you. Perhaps one day, you truly will become the strongest person."

With this, the promotion tournament was practically secure. Wu Changkong, who had originally planned to rely on Xie Xie, took a sip of tea and suppressed the excitement in his heart.

"You may leave first. Remember, you absolutely must not reveal that your first ring is ten thousand years old."

Reaching the level of a level-forty-five Soul Ancestor at nine years old and being able to absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Spirit at level ten meant that Meng Li's Spiritual Power was nearly at the pinnacle.

Even a God-Bestowed Child would not be this monstrous. Just as Meng Li had said himself, he might truly become the strongest person in this world, and even in the Divine Realm, in the future. However, that path was still far away!

After Meng Li left, even Wu Changkong's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. Discovering an unparalleled genius was no different from discovering an enormous treasure.

Meng Li left the office and wandered toward the market with nothing to do.

He had been in Eastsea for so long without ever going out for a stroll. He planned to see the local customs of Eastsea.

Since no one was accompanying him, Meng Li felt that something was missing. After wandering around casually, he eventually stopped at a Soul Tool forging workshop.

He wanted to forge a long blade here—a blade that could cut through iron like mud and never break. This world revered martial strength, so people were allowed to wear blades while walking around. As for why he wanted to forge one, it was simply a whim.

As soon as he entered the workshop, he saw grease everywhere and metal components scattered across the floor. The machines were so noisy that the workers, busy with their own tasks, did not notice his arrival.

"Hello, miss. May I ask if weapons can be forged here?" Meng Li walked into the workshop's reception room. The reception room was very quiet, with almost no noise audible. The receptionist was a beautiful young woman of eighteen or nineteen with long hair, dressed in professional attire.

"Yes. What would you like to forge?" The receptionist gave him a polite smile.

"I want to forge a blade!" Meng Li said, taking out the blueprint he had designed.

The blueprint indicated the blade's length and several details requiring special attention. A ferocious ghost was drawn on the hilt. The overall color scheme was black and gold, forming various decorative patterns. The blade itself was unremarkable, except for its curved tip, spine, and sharpened edge.

Meng Li had named this weapon Ghost Cutter! For no other reason than one word: cool!

"Your blade is quite special." The receptionist smiled, unable to help liking its appearance.

"Mm, it's all right. I'm spending one and a half million to forge this blade," Meng Li added.

"What? One and a half million for a single blade?" A Hundred-Year Soul Spirit only cost one million Federal Coins. He really is a wealthy young master, the receptionist thought. Maintaining her composure, she said, "It seems you have very high expectations for this blade."

"This blade must be able to cut through iron like mud and be indestructible." Meng Li smiled. In any case, he was not short of money now.

"With the money you're offering, that can naturally be done!" the receptionist said with a smile. Of course, that was under certain conditions, since the materials were limited.

However, if Meng Li were willing to spend one hundred million, making a blade capable of cutting through mechas would be easy.

"Charge it to my card. If it isn't enough, I can add more!" Meng Li said as he took out his Federal Card.

After watching Meng Li swipe his card, the receptionist handed him a receipt and said with a smile, "Thank you for your trust. Your weapon will be delivered to you within a week. We welcome you to visit again."

"All right." Meng Li nodded. After leaving the reception room, he heard the clanging sounds again.