"Se... seventy-seven levels?!"
Staring at the glaring red number on the screen, even the fat on Jing Hongchen's face couldn't help twitching three times.
He'd known that Gu Yuejin was a Soul Sage, but subconsciously, he'd assumed he'd only just broken through level seventy.
After all, becoming a Soul Sage at eighteen had already shattered the record in human history.
But who could have guessed this guy was actually level seventy-seven?!
What did that even mean?
It meant he was only one step away from level eighty, the Soul Douluo realm!
"High-level Soul Sage..."
Jing Hongchen took a deep breath. He looked at Gu Yuejin as if he were some ten-thousand-year-old monster wearing human skin.
"Brother Gu Yue... ahem, Teacher Gu Yue, your cultivation is truly humbling."
"I just got lucky."
Gu Yuejin brushed him off casually, clearly unwilling to dwell on the subject.
After the simple registration was complete, the middle-aged teacher, still too stunned to recover, held Huo Yuhao's file as reverently as if it were an imperial decree and escorted the "S-Class Genius" to the first-year honors class.
Meanwhile, accompanied by Jing Hongchen, Gu Yuejin went to the Education Committee to complete the final steps of his appointment and, while he was at it, familiarize himself with the campus of the continent's foremost Soul Master Academy.
The two walked through the school's corridors, their surfaces gleaming with a metallic sheen.
They had just reached the entrance to the Education Committee building when they ran into a group of people head-on.
At their head was Crown Prince Xu Tianran, seated in a wheelchair.
Beside him walked a girl dressed in an ornate palace gown.
She looked about fifteen or sixteen, with fair skin and lively eyes. At that moment, she was sizing up Gu Yuejin with a curious, probing gaze.
Gu Yuejin glanced at her and thought she looked familiar.
That look in her eyes, that spoiled yet regal air...
Oh, right. Wasn't this the "young man" who'd dressed as a boy when he ran into her at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion the other day?
"Mr. Gu Yue, it's been a long time."
Xu Tianran stopped his wheelchair. A signature warm smile spread across his face, as if the two of them were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.
"A long time?"
Gu Yuejin stopped and looked at the Crown Prince with an utterly sincere expression of confusion.
He said solemnly,
"Your Highness, unless my memory's failing me, we only met yesterday, didn't we?"
"It hasn't even been twenty-four hours. How has it been a long time?"
The air froze instantly.
Xu Tianran's smile stiffened. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he nearly spat up a mouthful of blood.
This guy... he's doing it on purpose, isn't he?
He absolutely is!
Is this what they mean by killing a conversation?
"Pfft—"
The girl standing beside Xu Tianran couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
Her laughter finally broke the suffocating awkwardness.
Xu Tianran took a deep breath, forcing down his irritation, and changed the subject.
"Ahem, Mr. Gu Yue certainly is... witty."
"Allow me to introduce my younger sister, Xu Tianzhen."
"Tianzhen, this is the peerless genius I told you about, Mr. Gu Yuejin."
"So you're Princess Tianzhen."
Gu Yuejin gave a slight nod, his expression calm. "A pleasure to meet you."
Looking at the man before her, who seemed rather "clueless about romance," Xu Tianzhen only grew more interested.
He'd been just as indifferent at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
What a strange man.
Just then, the doors to the Education Committee building opened.
A kind-looking, slightly plump middle-aged man hurried out.
It was Dean of Students Lin Jiayi.
"You must be Mr. Gu Yue?"
Lin Jiayi strode forward and looked Gu Yuejin over, unable to hide his shock.
Although the Hall Master had already told him that the newly appointed Special Appointed Teacher was a young monster, seeing him in person was still unbelievable.
He was so young!
He looked like a student himself!
"At his age, ordinary geniuses are still struggling in the Soul Ancestor or Soul King realms, yet Mr. Gu Yue is already a High-level Soul Sage..."
Lin Jiayi exclaimed sincerely, his manner humble. "The young truly surpass their elders. The young truly surpass their elders."
The group exchanged pleasantries at the entrance.
Xu Tianran seemed intent on making up for the face he'd lost earlier. He also wanted to see Gu Yuejin's mettle for himself, so he smoothly steered the conversation toward combat.
"Since Mr. Gu Yue will be in charge of Combat Class, I imagine your skills are exceptional."
A glint flashed in Xu Tianran's eyes. "As everyone's here today, why not show us a thing or two? It would give Jiayi and me a chance to broaden our horizons."
"A spar?"
Gu Yuejin raised an eyebrow. "I don't see why not."
"If we're sparring, then your opponent..."
Xu Tianran glanced at the two Soul Douluo guards behind him, preparing to assign one of them.
"As for my opponent..."
But Gu Yuejin cut him off directly.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, he slowly raised his hand and pointed to Jing Hongchen, who was standing off to the side watching the show.
"Hall Master Jing."
"I'd like to see for myself what a Rank 9 Soul Master can do."
Silence.
A dead silence.
Lin Jiayi's jaw nearly hit the floor. Xu Tianzhen's beautiful eyes widened, and even Xu Tianran was stunned.
"Mr. Gu Yue, you... you're not joking, are you?"
Lin Jiayi couldn't help trying to dissuade him. "Hall Master Jing is a Titled Douluo! Your talent is extraordinary, of course, but you're still a Soul Sage. Isn't that a bit..."
Too much of a gap?
It was like an ant challenging an elephant—utterly overambitious, with no idea of the scale of the world!
"That's right, Mr. Gu Yue."
Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes as well. "It's good for young people to be bold, but a spar should be kept friendly. It would be a shame if anyone got hurt and soured things between us."
Though he wanted to see Gu Yuejin embarrass himself, he didn't want to watch Jing Hongchen accidentally damage this uncut gem.
"No worries."
Gu Yuejin waved his hand, wearing a confident, almost arrogant smile.
"I'd like to find out just how far I am from a Titled Douluo now."
Overambitious?
That might be true of ordinary people.
But he had absorbed five Immortal Herbs, fused with the Ice Fire Dragon King's Double Arm Bone, and completed the Golden Grade Body Martial Soul Second Awakening.
An ordinary Titled Douluo might not be his match!
Especially not a "potion-fueled" Titled Douluo like Jing Hongchen, who possessed a Rank Nine Soul Tool but whose Martial Soul foundation wasn't particularly exceptional.
He was twelve parts certain he could go toe-to-toe with the old man!
"What a bold claim!"
Watching the spirited man, Xu Tianzhen's heart skipped a beat despite herself.
As a princess, she'd seen her share of timid noblemen who sucked up to others and fawned over them.
She'd never met a madman like Gu Yuejin, who dared to challenge a Titled Douluo outright.
That dangerous, mysterious air of his was utterly captivating!
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