"So, may I ask if I can join the academy now?"
"Well, please wait a moment. I need to report this to the higher-ups first. You're simply too talented."
After hearing the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy staff member say that, Zhong Kui understood that reaching this level at his age truly qualified him as a genius.
However, he knew he was not a real genius.
First of all, he was a transmigrator from another world. Although his body was that of an underage child, his soul came from another world. In that world—or rather, in terms of his soul age—he was already an adult.
Just like Tang San. Before Tang San transmigrated from the Bashu Tang Sect to this world, he had already been an adult, an old man for who knew how long.
Then there was his cheat. Zhong Kui knew he had become so strong because of the system's help. Without that cheat, there was no way he could have become a genius in such a short time.
Furthermore, his soul was already much older. Compared to those young geniuses who had grown up naturally, he had no right to call himself a genius. He understood that he relied on a cheat. Compared to those who relied on their own abilities, those true self-made geniuses, he was someone using hacks.
It was like playing a game. Those people honed their skills on their own before becoming true experts. As for him, with the system's help, he had turned on a cheat and taken a backdoor, which was why he had become so powerful.
Zhong Kui knew perfectly well whether he was a genius. He was not a true genius; he was someone using cheats.
Just like Tang San. Tang San was also someone using cheats. Those Tang Sect techniques had never belonged to Tang San in the first place. He had secretly learned them, been discovered with nowhere left to run, and finally jumped off a cliff before arriving on the Douluo Continent, bringing them with him.
And Tang San's Innate Full Soul Power was fake too!
He had cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill and eventually attained Innate Full Soul Power. That kind of Innate Full Soul Power was fake.
Still, Tang San was rather stupid. He clearly knew his Innate Full Soul Power should have been cultivated through the Mysterious Heaven Skill, yet he still took Yu Xiaogang as his master. Yu Xiaogang got everything wrong, but Tang San still believed him completely. That was truly stupid.
Meanwhile, the Sun Moon Academy staff member from earlier quickly arrived somewhere else. This was the Hongchen Family's office, as well as the office of Jing Hongchen, master of the Virtue Hall.
After all, the Hongchen Family currently managed the academy. They had the final say. Upon discovering a genius, of course he had to report it to Jing Hongchen of the Hongchen Family, their leader.
"Hall Master! I discovered a genius! Fourteen years old, a level 62 Soul Emperor—he's a genius among geniuses! We need to recruit him immediately!"
"A genius among geniuses... Fourteen years old, with level 62 Soul Power—he truly is exceptionally talented. Recruit him first. We'll send a spiritual-type Soul Douluo to test him and have him reveal his background, so we can confirm whether the Douluo Three Kingdoms sent him as a spy."
"Yes."
Zhong Kui was soon invited to an office, where there was a spiritual-type Soul Douluo.
"Are you from the Douluo Three Kingdoms?" the spiritual-type Soul Douluo asked, pretending to speak casually. In truth, he had already begun secretly releasing a soul skill, intending to make Zhong Kui obediently tell the truth.
This was to confirm whether Zhong Kui was an undercover agent sent by the Douluo Three Kingdoms.
Zhong Kui pretended not to notice, since he had the system.
He quickly detected it and therefore pretended to have fallen for it.
"I am from the Douluo Three Kingdoms. I came to the Sun Moon Empire to join the Sun Moon Empire's academy and become stronger."
"Can you tell me about your family situation in detail?"
"My parents' names are..."
Zhong Kui then began providing information about his parents. However, he only spoke of ordinary family matters and simple details, never anything major. The more detailed his mundane accounts were, the more believable they seemed.
"A genius like you is very welcome at our academy. Please wait patiently and remain at the academy for a while. We'll give you a uniform, then decide which class you'll join and arrange your courses."
"Thank you." Zhong Kui then left the office directly.
"Although there doesn't seem to be any problem on the surface, I still can't put my mind at ease.
What if he has some means of resisting spiritual-type soul masters... Take the information he gave us and investigate it in the Douluo Three Kingdoms. If any of it is false, then he is a spy. If not, then he is truly a genius who came to join us, and we'll warmly welcome him."
"Yes."
After Jing Hongchen gave the order, his subordinate hurried off to carry it out.
One week later.
"Reporting to the Hall Master, everything he said appears to be true. We also investigated his parents' circumstances, and they match what he described. He probably isn't a spy."
Jing Hongchen's subordinate delivered the investigation materials to his desk.
"I'll go consult Elder Kong."
Elder Kong, Kong Deming, was one of the Sun Moon Empire's strongest figures. Or rather, he was the Sun Moon Empire's strongest Soul Engineer, the person closest to the legendary Level 10 Soul Master.
In the Sun Moon Empire, Kong Deming assisted in the decision-making for many major affairs.
Soon, Jing Hongchen arrived at the Worship Hall where Kong Deming resided. Led by a Worship Hall guard of the Sun Moon Empire, he quickly entered the room and met Kong Deming.
Seeing Jing Hongchen arrive, Kong Deming smiled and gestured for him to sit. He was also curious what business had brought him here.
He then had someone pour each of them a cup of tea before asking Jing Hongchen, "All right, speak. Given your personality, you wouldn't have come uninvited unless it was something particularly important."
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen nodded at Kong Deming, then quickly glanced at the nearby guards.
Kong Deming waved at the guard, who promptly left the room.
Now, only Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming remained inside.
So Jing Hongchen no longer concealed anything.
He directly presented Zhong Kui's file and told Kong Deming everything they had discovered about Zhong Kui so far.
"So I wanted to ask you, Elder Kong, do you think Zhong Kui is a spy planted by the Douluo Three Kingdoms? I can't be sure, so I came to seek your advice. I truly can't put my mind at ease."
"When he arrived in the Sun Moon Empire, he was already tested by a spiritual-type Soul Saint. When he joined the academy, he was tested again by a Soul Douluo-level soul master. Although I don't think those two soul masters could be undercover agents, I still have doubts about Zhong Kui. I just can't shake this unease..."
Kong Deming's words left Jing Hongchen somewhat confused. Why would Kong Deming say that? Did he have some basis for it?
"It's simple. If your grandson or granddaughter were asked to become an undercover agent, would you agree?"
"I certainly wouldn't. Although neither of them could be considered peak geniuses, they are still very outstanding talents. Sending such geniuses to work undercover would be wasting their gifts. Wouldn't it be better to wait until they became pillars of the empire?"
"I have read Zhong Kui's file as well. A genius like him is unquestionably among the very best. Reaching the Soul Emperor level at such a young age already makes him more talented than your grandson and granddaughter.
You wouldn't agree to let your grandson or granddaughter become an undercover agent, so how could any force be foolish enough to send a genius of Zhong Kui's caliber to serve as one?
Could it be that the leaders of the Douluo Three Kingdoms had their brains caught in a door? Is that why they would send a genius like this to the Sun Moon Empire as an undercover agent?"
Those words struck him like a revelation, and the master of the Virtue Hall finally understood. It made perfect sense.
Before you continue