The luxurious Soul Tool Carriage slowly departed Hongchen Mansion. Its wheels rolled over the smooth metal road, emitting a faint hum.
Inside the carriage.
Xu Tianran leaned against a backrest woven from soft Deep Sea Silver Silk. The warm, refined smile on his face—the smile of a man who treated worthy people with respect—swiftly receded like the tide.
In its place was a chilling coldness, along with... jealousy and madness buried deep in his eyes.
"A Soul Sage before the age of twenty..."
He lowered his gaze to his legs, which had no sensation. His knuckles whitened as he clenched his fingers.
"I thought that old fox Jing Hongchen was exaggerating to raise the Hongchen Family's prestige."
"I never imagined it was true."
As the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Tianran had always considered himself exceptionally gifted. If not for the "accident" that had left him disabled, his cultivation would have gone far beyond this.
But Gu Yuejin, the young man he had seen today, possessed a perfect physique and terrifying cultivation. He was like a mirror, reflecting the flaws in Xu Tianran's body.
The venomous snake named "inferiority" in his heart began to writhe frantically.
"What bothers me most is his attitude."
A sinister glint flashed in Xu Tianran's eyes.
"He acts respectful on the surface, but in truth he's like a block of ice that keeps everyone at arm's length."
"He thinks nothing of high office and generous pay, and the Imperial Power and riches leave him unmoved."
"This attitude of 'wanting nothing' is practically a cold-shoulder rejection of my offer!"
For an ambitious man with an overwhelming need for control, whose mind had gradually warped because of his disability, greedy people were no threat. It was people with no weaknesses, people he couldn't control, that he feared.
"Hmph. Everyone has desires."
Xu Tianran closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming the turmoil within him.
"No need to rush."
"Since he's teaching at the academy, I have all the time in the world to deal with him."
"Money, beautiful women, rare metals, or... that young Apprentice of his named Huo Yuhao."
"Some bargaining chip will make you kneel at my feet and become my sharpest blade."
Two days later.
With Jing Hongchen personally overseeing the arrangements, all the enrollment and hiring procedures for Gu Yuejin and Huo Yuhao had been settled.
As a Special Appointed Teacher and a core Disciple, they had certain privileges, but they still had to go through the basic procedures.
The Physical Examination Hall of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
The hall was filled with all kinds of precise Soul Tool testing instruments, giving it a futuristic feel.
"Yuhao, go test your Soul Power."
Jing Hongchen pointed to the latest model of the Soul Power Tester and said with a smile.
Huo Yuhao nodded and walked up nervously, pressing his palm against the huge crystal sensor screen.
Bzz—
The instrument started up. A gentle light came on, and the displayed value quickly climbed.
At last, it stopped.
[Soul Power Level: 28]
"Twenty-eight?"
The teacher in charge of recording pushed up his glasses and looked at the plainly dressed, rather honest-looking young man in surprise.
He'd assumed the boy was some relative who'd gotten in through connections. He hadn't expected someone so young to have reached level twenty-eight. That put him among the upper ranks, even in the Sun Moon Empire.
"Not bad."
The recording teacher nodded and picked up his pen. "Name: Huo Yuhao. What's your Martial Soul?"
"Spirit Eyes."
Huo Yuhao answered honestly, pointing to his eyes.
"Spirit Eyes?"
The recording teacher froze, his pen suspended in midair. He looked utterly baffled. "Eyes? What kind of Martial Soul is that? A mutated Beast Martial Soul? Or some kind of special tool Martial Soul?"
In the Sun Moon Empire, most Soul Masters cultivated Martial Souls suited to working with Soul Tools. A purely spiritual Body Martial Soul like this was extremely rare.
"How narrow-minded."
Jing Hongchen stood nearby with his hands behind his back and stepped in to explain, sounding rather pleased with himself.
"It's a Body Martial Soul."
"A Body Martial Soul?!"
The recording teacher cried out. Several other teachers who were helping nearby gathered around, their expressions changing the moment they looked at Huo Yuhao.
"Exactly. And not only is it a Body Martial Soul, its 'eyes' are an exceptionally rare body part to awaken as one."
Jing Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao as though he were an uncut jade stone.
"Body Martial Souls have tremendous potential for a Second Awakening and offer terrifying control over the body. They give their users a natural advantage when using high-level Soul Tools, especially spiritual Soul Tools."
"This boy is born to be a Soul Engineer!"
With the Hall Master's personal endorsement, Huo Yuhao's file was immediately marked "S-Class Priority Attention."
"Good, the Disciple's test is done. Now it's the teacher's turn."
Jing Hongchen turned and looked with a smile at Gu Yuejin, who had been standing nearby with his arms crossed.
"Teacher Gu Yue, even as a special appointee, you still need to have your Soul Power recorded as part of the academy's hiring procedures."
"What a hassle."
Gu Yuejin shrugged and strode toward the testing station.
The person operating the instrument now wasn't the recording teacher from before, but a stern-looking instructor in his forties.
He watched Gu Yuejin approach, his brow furrowing as unconcealed doubt flashed in his eyes.
For the past two days, rumors had been spreading around the academy that the Hall Master had brought back a "peerless genius" from outside and intended to appoint him directly as the head of the Combat Class.
Even the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen spoke highly of him.
But now that he was seeing him in person...
"Isn't he way too young?"
The middle-aged teacher grumbled to himself.
He looked under twenty. No matter how maturely he dressed, he couldn't hide his youthful air.
"Probably some young master from a reclusive family, here to pad his résumé at our academy."
"And he's supposed to lead the Combat Class? What if he can't even beat the students? That'd be embarrassing."
Though that was what he thought, Jing Hongchen was there, so he kept a stiff expression and went through the motions.
"Put your hand on it and circulate your Soul Power."
"Just so you know, this instrument can withstand a Soul Power impact up to level eighty. You—"
Before he could finish,
Gu Yuejin had already casually placed his palm against it.
Boom!!!
There was no warning, no gradual climb.
The Soul Power Tester, which had been glowing softly, instantly erupted with a blinding light like the sun!
The entire Physical Examination Hall was bathed in brilliant white!
"Beep, beep, beep—!! Warning! Warning! Energy level too high!"
The instrument's alarm shrieked wildly, as if it might explode at any second.
The middle-aged teacher jumped back in fright and landed hard on his rear, his glasses askew.
"Th-this... Wh-what..."
With a trembling hand, he pointed at the display, which was about to overflow. His eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
The numbers flickered wildly, then finally stopped at a figure that left everyone breathless—
[Soul Power Level: 77]
A deathly silence fell.
The middle-aged teacher stared open-mouthed at the young man, who looked utterly calm, as if he'd done nothing more than complete a trivial task.
The little contempt and doubt he'd felt moments ago were crushed to dust by that terrifying number.
Level seventy-seven... a Soul Sage?!
A Soul Sage before the age of twenty?!
"Good heavens... Am I still asleep?"
He pinched his thigh hard and grimaced at the pain.
Holy crap, this is real?!
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