Xu Qing Stumbles Out, Leaning on the Wall

"Are you full?"

"Half-full."

"..."

Xu Qing looked at the Ice Empress's completely flat stomach and his mouth twitched.

From day until night, he had refined his soul power several times over, producing an entire bowl of that high-quality Mystic Ice Marrow!

This little scorpion had just inhaled it like it was a bowl of rice.

Is this the appetite of a Far North Heavenly King?

I can't afford to keep her.

"Why are you looking at this Empress with that gaze?"

The Ice Empress used a napkin to wipe her mouth in a refined manner.

"Hiccup~"

"You are already quite impressive; there is no need to be discouraged just because you cannot satisfy this Empress."

Creak...

Xu Qing pushed away from his chair, his face pale from soul power exhaustion, and he walked straight out the door.

"I won't be making any Mystic Ice Marrow for you for a week."

"Tch..."

The Ice Empress dismissed him with a look of disdain, thinking Xu Qing was truly pathetic.

After watching his figure disappear, she hopped off the chair and scurried over to lock the door tight.

"Whew... he's finally gone... I almost gave myself away..."

The tips of her ears were bright red; clearly, consuming a bowl of Mystic Ice Marrow was not as easy for her to digest as she had let on.

After all, her seal had not yet been lifted, and she had only managed to hold on by relying on her body's innate abilities.

The Ice Empress's body went limp involuntarily, and she leaned against the door, eyes half-closed.

With her mind blank, she simply bent over to kick off her sandals, letting her rounded toes stretch out in relief.

At this moment, fine beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. She glanced around the spacious room and decided to just let herself go.

Rustle, rustle...

One day later, early morning.

Comfortable sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto Xu Qing's large bed.

It was completely empty.

Where did he go?

He had already finished his night of meditation and left for school.

It was just the Ice Empress home alone again.

Royal Soul Master Academy, teaching building.

In Grade Five, Class One, Xiao Meng had been waiting at the door since early morning.

She had wanted to go back to the villa after school yesterday, but her grandfather had caught her, lecturing her about how a girl should be more reserved.

Tch!

This young lady has her own pace!

If I'm not proactive, what if that... that Xiao Bing? What if she beats me to it!

Brother Xu won't even tell me about her situation, how annoying!!

"Morning, Xiao Meng."

"Good morning! Brother Xu!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Xiao Meng immediately cast her bad mood aside, determined to greet Xu Qing with the most perfect demeanor.

Xu Qing held a cup of soy milk, finished it off quickly, and handed it to Xiao Meng to dispose of. He looked through the window into the classroom, feeling a sense of anticipation.

Creak--

Xu Qing pushed open the classroom door, the sunlight behind him making his silhouette too bright to look at directly. The students in the class all turned to look at the sound.

The black-haired youth's expression was indifferent, devoid of any excess emotion, as if everything were a matter of course.

He walked slowly to the podium and immediately spotted Xiao Hongchen in the back row, sporting a head of brilliant white hair.

That guy had actually dyed his hair with various streaks of color!

A wisp of red here, a tuft of pink there...

"Hello everyone, I'm Xu Qing, the transfer student..."

"Hahahaha!!"

A burst of arrogant laughter erupted. Xiao Hongchen leaped up, bounded onto his desk, covered one eye with a hand, pointed at Xu Qing with the other, and declared loudly:

"You have come, my best friend!"

This line hit Xu Qing's wavelength instantly, and he reflexively replied:

"I have come."

Xiao Hongchen wore an 'as I expected' expression and continued:

"You shouldn't have come."

"Then should I leave?"

Xu Qing couldn't hold it together; it was too awkward. Why hadn't this chuunibyou teenager grown out of it yet?

Where did he even learn these lines? Why did it feel so familiar...

The surrounding classmates were already accustomed to this, clearly the result of Xiao Hongchen's long-term conditioning.

They remained curious about this incredibly capable transfer student.

After all, he had passed the secret grade-skipping examination personally arranged by the Dean, entering the fifth grade—where the average age was fourteen to sixteen—at only eleven years old.

His talent was, quite frankly, heaven-defying.

The chuunibyou teenager curled his lips, a grand drama already playing out in his mind: joining forces with his best friend to suppress all enemies in the academy!

He jumped off the desk, his soul power rippling, and was about to beckon Xu Qing over to be his seatmate.

However, he had forgotten that besides himself, there was someone else coveting the seat next to Brother Xu.

"Don't sit with my stinky brother; sit with Xiao Meng instead."

The faint, unique fragrance of a young girl arrived before her sweet voice, and Xu Qing complied immediately.

Xiao Hongchen was out!

"Ring-a-ling--"

Lin Jiayi appeared. He didn't usually need to teach, but after witnessing such a brutal battle yesterday, he felt there were few teachers in the academy capable of instructing Xu Qing.

The Dean of Academic Affairs had no choice but to step up himself.

"Class begins. Today, we will analyze the battle between a Level 5 Soul Engineer and a pure-blooded Soul King..."

Lin Jiayi was a Level 8 Soul Engineer affiliated directly with Mingde Hall, serving as a trusted confidant under the Hall Master.

His teaching ability was naturally beyond question.

Xu Qing looked around; everyone else wore expressions of 'I understand,' 'So that's how it is,' or 'Is that kind of operation even possible?'...

Ha... what was this old man up there blathering about?

It was making him sleepy.

As a pure-blooded Soul Master, Xu Qing had absolutely no knowledge of soul guidance devices.

The current situation was like taking a child who had just graduated kindergarten and dropping them into a high school classroom to solve functions.

The morning passed just like that.

"Ring-a-ling--"

"Class dismissed."

Lin Jiayi looked with burning eyes at Xu Qing, whose head was tilted onto Meng Hongchen's shoulder, his mind filled with the boy's muscles.

What a robust body! What immense power! What broken, overpowered stats!!

He was truly a genius found by the Hall Master!

For the Hall Master! Loyalty!!!

He pulled himself together, looked around, and cleared his throat to grab the attention of the students who were already itching to go grab lunch.

"In preparation for the Continental Soul Master Tournament a year from now, the academy will hold a selection trial for the fifth and sixth grades in two and a half months."

"We will select the geniuses among geniuses from these two grades!"

"This assessment will be completely different from previous ones. It will not test complex soul guidance theory, nor will it test flashy soul guidance operations."

"There are only two criteria: the crafting of soul guidance devices and a test of strength after a Soul Master utilizes them."

Lin Jiayi swept his gaze across the room.

"Ultimately, it comes down to individual strength. This selection will determine seven main team members and seven reserve members."

"The academy will then provide one-on-two instruction for the team composed of these fourteen students, with teachers being at least Level 8 Soul Engineers."

"The Dean himself will lead the team! And the most outstanding member among them may even receive personal guidance from Master Kong!"

"I urge all students to strive hard toward this goal!"

Xu Qing was sensitive to the mention of two and a half months; he shook off his pleasant dream, returned to reality, and happened to hear the crucial part.