Zhong Kui Meets Jing Hongchen

"We will first conduct some tests to tailor a learning plan specifically for you. After all, you are a genius from the Douluo Three Kingdoms, and we would never abandon such talent."

"A talent like you deserves the most elite training and the most perfect cultivation to strengthen the Sun Moon Empire."

Zhong Kui did not object when he heard this. Accepting cultivation from the Sun Moon Empire was only natural; at the very least, he should be prepared to give back to the empire in return.

Furthermore, Zhong Kui did not see anything worth praising in the Douluo Three Kingdoms. Although he was born there, the problem was that the Douluo Three Kingdoms were inherently a slave-based or feudal society.

His family was merely one struggling to survive in that society.

In this life, despite having parents who were Soul Masters, Zhong Kui did not hail from any powerful clan.

His Soul Master parents essentially worked for sects or nobles with a bit of influence. While they had awakened their Martial Souls and possessed the connections to help their children awaken theirs, life remained incredibly difficult. Though they never went hungry or lacked clothes, they constantly had to read the expressions of others, and whenever they encountered someone they couldn't afford to offend, they had to bow their heads.

Even when facing nobles with no real strength, they had to force a smile. Those nobles might have lost their actual influence, but because they were still nobles, even a capable commoner Soul Master could not provoke them. Doing so would threaten the interests of other nobles, insult their dignity, and invite endless trouble.

Thus, a family like Zhong Kui's, living as bottom-tier Soul Masters, had no foundation and no real power; they could only work as laborers to scrape by.

But everyone wants a better life. Why should they work for a group of weaklings and force themselves to smile like slaves?

That was why Zhong Kui chose to turn his gaze toward the Sun Moon Empire. Although the Sun Moon Empire was portrayed as the villain in the novels, a closer look revealed that it was the most progressive nation, the one that truly deserved to unify the entire Douluo Continent.

One must admit that while the Sun Moon Empire was not perfect, it was at least far better than the Douluo Three Kingdoms.

The Sun Moon Empire could be called a highly progressive nation, far ahead of the Douluo Three Kingdoms, as it understood how to use the power of Soul Tools to strengthen Soul Masters and educate its students.

They taught students using scientific methods, whereas if one looked at the teaching style of Shrek Academy in the Douluo Three Kingdoms, they scavenged for geniuses and treated students as tools for their own fame—teaching only monsters and discarding the "waste."

A truly great academy should be able to turn the "waste" into geniuses, not just turn monsters into bigger monsters. Yet, the Douluo Three Kingdoms saw no issue with this; wasn't that laughable?

Or perhaps the Douluo Three Kingdoms knew it was laughable but dared not speak out, because they had no choice and no power to resist.

After all, the Douluo Three Kingdoms needed to resist, and they needed the power of Shrek. Shrek had its limits, and the Douluo Three Kingdoms could only rely on Shrek's help, so they could not expose the truth.

Returning to the matter at hand, Zhong Kui was soon brought to a Soul Tool laboratory, where the testing of students took place.

Jing Hongchen walked over at this moment; he was a man with silver hair and a handsome appearance.

(It seems that in this world, many people's appearances are based on the manga version.)

(Note: I don't particularly like the character designs from the animation or the original novel, so I will base the characters on the manga designs, though I will still use the anime designs for some characters.)

"Zhong Kui, there is no need to be nervous. My name is Jing Hongchen, and I am the Hall Master of the Virtue Hall in the Sun Moon Empire. You can think of me as the person in charge of this modern academy. We would never abandon a genius like you. I assume you could no longer tolerate the ridiculous systems of the Douluo Three Kingdoms, which is why you came to our Sun Moon Empire."

"Otherwise, I cannot imagine why a genius like you would come to us."

Upon hearing Jing Hongchen say this, Zhong Kui nodded.

(I am no genius; I am just cheating with a system. But if that is what you believe, I cannot say otherwise. After all, I can't exactly reveal the system. Still, it is true that I don't like the Douluo Three Kingdoms; life there is certainly worse than in the Sun Moon Empire.)

"I truly do not enjoy living in the Douluo Three Kingdoms. It is a paradise for nobles, where any noble can enjoy everything, yet we commoner Soul Masters cannot become nobles, cannot obtain what we deserve, and must force smiles for nobles who possess no real strength."

After hearing this, the Hall Master of the Virtue Hall felt his suspicions were confirmed, and that what Kong Deming said made sense.

After all, no matter how foolish the Douluo Three Kingdoms were, they wouldn't just let a genius go to the Sun Moon Empire. It was clear this genius was not valued, which was why he came here; he could not possibly be a spy.

To reach the Soul Emperor level at such a young age already made him a genius. How could such a talent be sent to the Sun Moon Empire?

Unless the other side had a hole in their brain.

"Now, let us test your innate strength and some of your abilities."

The tests began shortly after. First was the strength test. Zhong Kui approached a machine, put on the gloves, and prepared to test his power.

"Let us see your strength. Strike the machine with the gloves, and let us measure how much power you possess."

Zhong Kui heard this and immediately put on the gloves. He threw a single punch, and the result was that the machine was destroyed instantly, with a hole punched right through it!

"!!!" The Hall Master of the Virtue Hall was dumbfounded. He had expected Zhong Kui to have significant strength for a Soul Emperor, but he hadn't expected it to be this absurd. A single casual punch had punched a hole through it—was this something a Soul Emperor could do?

"Are you sure he is only a Soul Emperor? If you told me he was a Soul Douluo, I would believe it! I would actually believe it!"

Jing Hongchen stared at the machine in disbelief. This machine could easily withstand the attacks of a Soul Saint, yet it had been destroyed by a Soul Emperor.

"According to the test, the soul power monitor confirmed he was indeed a Soul Emperor-level Soul Master at the time. However, his strength is so immense that it is possible he has undergone long-term physical training, or perhaps his Soul Rings are of the power-type."

"Um, I would like to ask, your Martial Soul is an eye, correct? Could it be that your Soul Rings are all...?"

"My Soul Rings are all of the mental attribute."

"Then where does your strength come from?"

"I have undergone training. After all, in the Douluo Three Kingdoms, you cannot survive if you are not strong."

"Understood. Let us proceed to the next test."