I, Xiao Hongchen, Am Invincible Among My Peers

The four of them were all exceptionally good-looking on campus, drawing countless stares.

The boys were handsome and refined.

Meng Hongchen was delicate and adorable, her wine-red eyes carrying an eerie charm.

Her appearance was already sweet and captivating.

But the girl beside her was clearly even more stunning.

Jiang Nannan had a perfectly proportioned figure, cascading golden hair, skin whiter than snow, and bright, clear eyes. Her temperament was elegant and graceful, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.

The two girls walked arm in arm, slender and poised.

A boy their age carrying a tray beside them became so distracted that he walked straight into a pillar.

The four walked together into the cafeteria.

Every table and chair in sight was made of metal.

Xu Tinglan noticed that this metal was no ordinary material. It contained a trace of fire attribute energy, and its temperature was only slightly lower than that of human skin.

The silver-haired boy looked proud.

"All the tables and chairs at our Sun Moon Academy are made of Warm Stone. Their temperature is nearly constant, so they stay warm in winter and cool in summer."

"Soul Engineer academies really are rich."

Xu Tinglan was very satisfied with Sun Moon Academy.

At the very least, it respected its students.

To judge whether an academy was good or bad, one had to look beyond its teaching standards and consider its dormitories and cafeteria as well.

Those represented the academy's financial resources and the importance it placed on its students.

"I wonder what Shrek, the Number One Academy of the Continent, is really like?"

Xiao Hongchen scratched his head. "Maybe it's even better than ours."

The silver-haired girl guessed.

"Maybe their tables and chairs are made from plant-type Soul Beasts?"

Hearing them discuss the cafeteria's facilities,

Xu Tinglan instinctively thought of his cousin, Xu Sanshi.

He had probably already arrived at Shrek by now.

Xu Tinglan knew Shrek fairly well.

Shrek admitted around a thousand freshmen every year. If three hundred of them passed the assessment and officially joined Shrek, that was already considered good.

But how could a three-month assessment period accommodate a thousand people?

So,

an Outer Court dean waved his hand and simply decided to remove the tables and chairs from the Freshman Cafeteria to make room for more freshmen.

After all, most freshmen were not qualified to join Shrek.

What use did they have for tables and chairs?

"Don't mythologize it too much. Shrek's Freshman Cafeteria doesn't even have tables or chairs. What's more, the dormitory buildings are covered in rust."

Xu Tinglan curled his lip.

His words left the siblings astonished.

"How did you know?"

"I met a Shrek student before. That's where I got the information."

Xu Tinglan shoved the question onto a nonexistent person.

"Meng, I always thought Shrek was a paradise for Soul Masters." Xiao Hongchen muttered, "Looks like I placed my hopes in the wrong place."

He felt as though one of his fantasies had been shattered.

The four of them bought food from the cafeteria windows.

Xu Tinglan looked at the small metal pot placed before him. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, somewhat like the clay pots he had eaten from in his previous life.

The meat soup was cooked until tender and golden, melting in his mouth.

After finishing it, warmth filled his stomach and slowly spread throughout his body.

"The academy will hold a Soul Master Competition in a month. The top ten can receive varying amounts of rare metals and choose their own attributes."

"The champion will also receive a special reward."

"Are you two interested in joining?"

After eating and drinking their fill,

Xiao Hongchen spoke to them.

"A Soul Master Competition... but I still don't know how to make Soul Tools."

Xu Tinglan was tempted, but when it came to Soul Engineer crafting, he was like someone who understood six of seven openings, missing only the most crucial one.

"It doesn't matter if you can't make them. Knowing how to use them is enough."

From his explanation, Xu Tinglan learned

that Sun Moon Academy's Soul Engineer competitions had changed long ago. They no longer tested who could make Soul Tools, but rather battles between Soul Engineers.

They tested who could better combine their martial soul with Soul Tools.

Sun Moon Academy had altered the competition format to align itself with the Continental Youth Soul Master Tournament and keep up with the times.

"Wouldn't the differences between freshmen be huge?" Jiang Nannan asked.

"Yes." Meng Hongchen replied crisply. "That's why we divide them by level."

She withdrew her gaze from Xu Tinglan's face and explained patiently.

Among the freshmen, there were people like Xu Tinglan who could not independently complete the production of a Soul Tool.

But there were also those capable of making third-grade Soul Tools.

Therefore, in order to encourage both commoner and noble students,

the event had separate Core Competitions and Level One Competitions.

The top ten in both competitions received rare metals with attributes of their choice.

After learning the details, Xu Tinglan could not help but praise Sun Moon Academy's dean as a true talent. He was actually pursuing educational fairness.

"I think I forgot to ask what level your Soul Power is?"

"I'm level thirty-four."

"I'm a little lower than him, level twenty-six."

The moment Xu Tinglan and Jiang Nannan finished speaking,

Xiao Hongchen's eyes widened, excitement plainly flashing in them. "How interesting.

"But I've seen many geniuses. In the end, they all call me a genius!"

"I, Xiao Hongchen, am a level thirty-two Soul Elder!"

The silver-haired boy struck a strange pose.

He leaned forward, closed his eyes, curled his lips slightly upward, pressed his right thumb against his forehead, and stretched his left hand behind him.

Miss Meng covered her face.

"Brother, your cultivation is clearly two levels lower. Can you stop embarrassing me?"

"If your brother didn't also need to cultivate as a Soul Engineer, his progress would only be faster."

Xiao Hongchen changed poses.

He clenched his left fist against his forehead and held his right hand behind his back.

"I, Xiao Hongchen, am a peak third-grade Soul Engineer!"

The silver-haired boy opened his eyes, placed his index finger against his lips, and stood up to look down on everyone with an indifferent expression.

"My slogan is: invincible among my peers."

Xu Tinglan, still seated in his chair, turned his head away, the muscles on his face twitching.

What level of cringeworthy lunatic was this guy?

How had I not noticed it back in the dorm? Did I trigger some strange competitive instinct in him?

"Where did this idiot come from?"

Someone nearby cursed under their breath, though he did not dare say it loudly.

After finishing their meal, the other three hurried from the cafeteria as if fleeing for their lives.

Only one person remained behind, looking solemn and dignified.

"Meng, don't just abandon your brother!" Xiao Hongchen belatedly realized what had happened and hurried after them.

Xu Tinglan glanced back at him, his expression complicated.

Thinking about having to live with a roommate like that for several years, he felt like he was about to explode on the spot.

No wonder Miss Meng looked at her brother with such disgust.

"My brother is too childish."

Meng Hongchen helplessly curled her lips. "I really want to call him an idiot, but my cultivation is lower than his."

"Being able to say all that in public is a skill in itself."

Xu Tinglan rubbed his hair.

Jiang Nannan nodded lightly, believing the boy was right.

"I'll take you to my collection room and let you pick out some Soul Tools to play with."

Meng Hongchen crooked a finger, then turned to speak to the two of them.

Xu Tinglan was somewhat tempted.

There had simply been too few Soul Tools available at the Mysterious Underworld Sect.

There was no helping it.

The Dou Ling Empire was indeed rather remote.

Meng Hongchen activated her Propulsion Soul Tool and led the way ahead.

Sun Moon Academy's rules did not allow students to use combat Soul Tools in public.

Although Propulsion Soul Tools were not included in that restriction, there were strict limits on their speed.

Following the path, they arrived at the eastern side of Sun Moon Academy.

They continued all the way to the Villa District before the four of them finally stopped.