I admire three... ah, no, Soul Tools

The red light dispersed, and a slightly stout, imposing old man descended from the sky.

The oppressive pressure of a Rank 94 Titled Douluo, like a tangible mountain, instantly enveloped the entire Ice Valley.

Jing Hongchen's eyes brimmed with killing intent, the Soul Tool Cannon on his back faintly glowing red, ready to blast everything before him into dust at any moment.

"Don't be nervous."

Gu Yuejin made no defensive posture, didn't even release his Martial Soul, merely pointing behind him with a finger pressed to his lips.

"You're Dream's grandfather, right? Shh—keep it down, she's absorbing a Soul Ring."

Jing Hongchen's gaze swept past Gu Yuejin and immediately spotted Meng Hongchen sitting cross-legged, her aura steady.

Seeing his granddaughter safe and sound, even in the midst of absorbing a Soul Ring, the overwhelming killing intent dissipated into nothing in an instant.

"Phew..."

Jing Hongchen let out a long breath, retracted the Soul Tool on his back, and fixed his gaze back on Gu Yuejin, now tinged with scrutiny and curiosity.

This youth faced a Titled Douluo's pressure without changing expression—such composure was far from ordinary.

Though Gu Yuejin hadn't revealed any Soul Rings, just this bearing, combined with his ability to protect Dream in the Extreme North—a place known as a human forbidden zone—at his age, his strength was undoubtedly formidable.

"This Old Man is Jing Hongchen, Hall Master of Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Empire."

Jing Hongchen cupped his hands, his eyes sharp as torches. "May I ask your esteemed name?"

"Gu Yuejin."

Gu Yuejin replied calmly, stating his name.

"Gu Yue..."

Jing Hongchen quickly searched his mind for this surname but found nothing.

A hidden family?

Or an alias?

But looking at this young man who remained unruffled even under a Titled Douluo's pressure, his guesses gradually converged on the only answer.

At such an age, with such composure, across the entire original Three Kingdoms of Douluo, aside from that deeply formidable Shrek Academy, who else could it be?

If this was a monster secretly trained by Shrek's Inner Court, this favor would be a hot potato.

With that thought, Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes and probed:

"Friend Gu Yue, your bearing is extraordinary, truly a dragon among men. Might you be a disciple of some Elder from Shrek Academy?"

"Shrek?"

Gu Yuejin let out a scoff, as if he'd heard a joke, his eyes showing undisguised disdain.

"Hall Master Jing, you can eat your words carelessly, but don't speak nonsense."

"That place, full of decay, double standards, and nothing but slogans all day—how could it be worthy of teaching me?"

"I'm just a rogue cultivator, no sect or school, here to hunt Soul Rings for my apprentice. I happened to pass by and saved your granddaughter—pure coincidence."

Hearing this undisguised mockery, Jing Hongchen didn't get angry; instead, his eyes lit up, and his view of Gu Yuejin instantly improved by eight hundred degrees.

Not from Shrek?

And even has a grudge against Shrek?

Then this is a great guy!

"Hahaha, this Old Man's eyes were mistaken; I've been presumptuous toward you, friend!"

Jing Hongchen laughed heartily, the wariness on his face fading a bit.

As long as he wasn't from Shrek, everything was fine.

He pulled a pitch-black metal token engraved with complex patterns from his bosom and handed it over.

"You saved Dream, so you are an benefactor of our Hongchen Family."

"This token is this Old Man's personal mark."

"With this token, you can come find me at Mingde Hall anytime. I promise to craft you a custom Rank Nine Soul Tool for free, or three Rank Eight Soul Tools."

"Material costs—Mingde Hall covers them all."

That was a generous offer.

Gu Yuejin didn't stand on ceremony either; he took the token and casually tossed it into his storage space.

"Since Hall Master Hongchen is so generous, I'll gladly accept."

Just then.

"Mmm..."

A soft hum broke the silence.

Meng Hongchen's soul power fluctuations gradually subsided, and she slowly opened her eyes, those wine-red irises seeming even brighter.

"Grandfather!"

When Jing Hongchen saw Meng Hongchen, her eyes lit up and she threw herself at him like a fledgling returning to its nest.

"Oh, my good granddaughter, as long as you're safe, as long as you're safe..."

Jing Hongchen patted his granddaughter's back with a face full of doting affection, his old face crinkling into a chrysanthemum of a smile as the weight finally lifted from his heart.

But then, the next second.

Meng Hongchen wriggled out of his embrace, tugged at his sleeve, and pointed excitedly at Gu Yuejin, saying:

"Grandfather, this is Brother Gu Yue! He's amazing!"

"Just now, that Magic Ice Flood Dragon ambushed me, and Brother Gu Yue appeared with a 'whoosh,' carried me... ahem, saved me, and then one-shot that dragon!"

"Not only is he handsome and strong, but he's also really kind—he even helped guard me while I cultivated..."

Meng Hongchen's little face was flushed, her eyes glued to Gu Yuejin, her infatuated expression utterly shameless to behold.

Watching his granddaughter's eyes sparkle with adoration, Jing Hongchen's smile gradually froze.

This... didn't sound right, did it?

She hadn't been this excited when she saw her own grandfather just now, yet she was hyped up like she'd taken stimulants at the mention of this wild brat?

His little sweetheart was starting to feel like it was letting in a draft.

"Ahem."

Jing Hongchen coughed dryly, forcefully cutting off his granddaughter's "sales pitch," and pulled her behind him with a serious expression.

Then, he turned to look at Huo Yuhao, who had just finished absorbing his Soul Ring and was standing up with a bewildered look, awkwardly changing the subject:

"So this is your esteemed disciple? Hmm, he looks like promising material."

Huo Yuhao scratched his head: "Ah? Thanks for the compliment, senior."

They chatted for a bit, and the atmosphere was fairly harmonious.

Seeing that the groundwork had been laid, Gu Yuejin casually asked as if on a whim:

"Hall Master Jing, what are the current requirements for recruiting teachers at your country's Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy?"

"Teachers?"

Jing Hongchen was taken aback and answered instinctively: "Most of our academy's teachers are selected from outstanding graduates, or they're concurrent researchers from Mingde Hall."

"After all, in our Sun Moon Empire, with medicinal aids for cultivation, it's not uncommon for students to reach five or six rings or even higher by age eighteen."

"As long as their Soul Tool craftsmanship is up to par, staying on as faculty is perfectly normal."

Having said this, Jing Hongchen suddenly caught on and looked at Gu Yuejin with some surprise.

"Wait... Young friend Gu Yue, what do you mean?"

He sized up Gu Yuejin.

Though this kid had an extraordinary bearing, his pure soul power fluctuations clearly marked him as a traditional Douluo Continent Soul Master, with no connection to Soul Engineers whatsoever.

"I want to bring my disciple and teach at your academy."

Gu Yuejin pointed at Huo Yuhao beside him, then at himself, going straight for the point.

"You mean... you want to become a teacher at our Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy?"

Jing Hongchen was genuinely stunned this time.

After all, Soul Masters from the original Three Kingdoms of Douluo Continent, especially the strong ones, mostly looked down on Soul Tools, dismissing them as mere tricks and shaming themselves for using them.

"Why?"

Jing Hongchen couldn't help asking, his brow furrowing slightly. "With your strength and talent, you could be a guest of honor anywhere in the original Three Kingdoms. Why travel thousands of miles to our Sun Moon Empire?"

"Is there some unspeakable difficulty?"

Meng Hongchen nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, looking at Gu Yuejin with eager anticipation.

Gu Yuejin was silent for a moment.

He lifted his head, those golden eyes holding an unfathomable depth, as if hiding a sea of stars.

Then, under the gaze of the grandfather and granddaughter, he gave a reason that was plain and unadorned, yet impossible to refute:

"Because, I like Soul Tools."

"..."

A cold wind swept through with snowflakes.

Jing Hongchen opened his mouth, staring at Gu Yuejin's handsome face, which was written all over with "sincerity," and for a moment, he was speechless.

This reason...

Was way too damn perfunctory!