Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
After thinking it over again and again, Xu Tianming had still decided to bring Ye Guyi here with him, and had taken her into Mingde Hall, which wielded absolute authority in the field of Soul Tools across the entire continent.
However, to be on the safe side, he had asked Ye Guyi to put on a mask before entering Mingde Hall.
After all, Evil Soul Masters from the Holy Spirit Cult were lurking inside Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
Once they had entered Mingde Hall, Xu Tianming had thought it over carefully and decided that Ye Guyi should keep her mask on.
Though there were no Evil Soul Master spies inside Mingde Hall, there were definitely people there who belonged to his second brother, Xu Tianran.
If his second brother, whose attitude toward him remained unclear for now, found out about Ye Guyi, who knew what trouble it might bring Xu Tianming.
Though Xu Tianming did not yet meet the requirements for entering Mingde Hall, his status as a prince had his back. Rules had to meekly step aside for power.
After they had entered the core experimental area of Mingde Hall without any hindrance, Xu Tianming saw that not one of the researchers busy at work there bothered to look up and acknowledge him. Though he felt a little awkward, he paid it no mind.
After all, his main purpose in coming here was to find his uncle's student, Xuan Ziwen.
The fact that Xuan Ziwen had been taken on as a student by Kong Deming, the continent's greatest Soul Engineer, was proof enough of his talent. According to the original story, he had already been a Level 8 Soul Engineer when he first appeared, and later even developed the "Ice Extreme War God Armor" on his own—the prototype of Battle Armor in the Douluo III world.
But later, because his ideas clashed with Jing Hongchen's, and because Huo Yuhao had tempted him with the complete collection of Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, Xuan Ziwen had ultimately abandoned the Sun Moon Empire and joined the Tang Sect.
But since Xu Tianming already had the advantage of knowing what was to come, he naturally had to prevent that from happening again.
The fact that his second brother, Xu Tianran, had not yet ascended to the position of crown prince showed that Huo Yuhao had not yet begun to rise. That meant there were at least a few years left for Xu Tianming to grow closer to Xuan Ziwen.
With such an advantage handed to him on a silver platter, Xu Tianming saw no reason he could possibly fail.
Still, there were no certainties in life.
Even if things really did not go his way in the end, Xu Tianming could at least stop Xuan Ziwen from leaving the Sun Moon Empire.
That was his bottom line.
No matter the reason, betrayal was something he could never tolerate.
Just as Xu Tianming was recalling his conversation with his uncle the night before and trying to remember where Xuan Ziwen's workbench was, a puzzled female voice suddenly came from behind him:
"Who are you? What are you standing around here for? How come I've never seen you before?"
He turned toward the voice and saw a breathtakingly beautiful girl with straight, wine-red hair and icy blue eyes. Dressed in the standard uniform of Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, she stood with her arms crossed, warily eyeing Xu Tianming and Ye Guyi beside him.
Slightly dazzled by the girl's beauty, Xu Tianming quickly composed himself and casually tossed his identity token to her:
"This is my identity token. We're here to find Xuan Ziwen. If you know where he is, sorry for the trouble, but take us to him."
Hearing Xu Tianming's coolly commanding tone, the girl immediately felt a surge of displeasure:
This guy's handsome enough, but why is his personality so awful? Didn't the adults in his family ever teach him to ask people for help politely and sincerely?
With that thought, she was about to give him a good lecture.
But the words had barely reached her lips when she held back, first glancing at the identity token she had just caught.
The moment she looked at it, she froze.
The token was forged from dark gold. It felt weighty in her hand yet smooth to the touch, and under the sunlight its surface gleamed with a subdued golden sheen.
The front bore a raised carving of a rising sun, its rays spreading outward in layers. Coiled in the center of the sun was a four-clawed python, its body winding and its scales finely detailed. Its head was raised, and its eyes were set with vermilion gemstones no bigger than grains of rice, blazing like flames.
She turned it over. On the back was a crescent moon, its arc cool and clear. Beneath it, a line of small characters was engraved vertically: Fourth Imperial Son Tianming, commissioned by imperial decree.
It was a royal identity token!
Realizing this, the girl froze for a moment. Then cold sweat drenched her from head to toe.
That was close! She had nearly offended a prince!
Seen in that light, the attitude he had shown a moment ago made perfect sense.
With the status of a Sun Moon prince, he truly did not need to concern himself with his tone or attitude when asking someone to do something.
Thinking back carefully, the prince had actually been quite polite just now. After all, he had even said "sorry for the trouble" when asking her for help.
That was already very considerate of her, Meng Hongchen!
With that thought, Meng Hongchen's stunning face immediately broke into a smile. Holding the token that symbolized power and status in both hands, she returned it to Xu Tianming and bowed slightly:
"So it is the Fourth Prince. This humble girl was blind just now and may have offended Your Highness. I beg Your Highness to forgive me."
Seeing the noble bearing of her actions, and hearing her refer to herself as "this humble girl," Xu Tianming immediately realized that she was no ordinary girl either:
"It's a small matter. Don't worry about it. Now that you know who I am, whose daughter are you?"
"This humble girl is Meng Hongchen, granddaughter of Jing Hongchen. It is my honor to show Your Highness the way."
Hearing her answer, Xu Tianming's eyes finally took on a serious look.
At first glance, he had only thought she was stunning. He had not expected her to be Meng Hongchen!
One of the Sun Moon Empire's famous peerless twin prodigies in the original story!
After awakening his memories of his past life, Xu Tianming had considered getting to know Meng Hongchen. He had never expected their first meeting to happen like this.
But right now, Xu Tianming's top priority was not to grow closer to her.
So, after Meng Hongchen introduced herself, Xu Tianming merely gave a faint nod to show that he understood, then steered the conversation back on track:
"Where is Xuan Ziwen? If you know, take me to him. If you don't, you're free to go."
Though Meng Hongchen had been prepared for him to speak in the same tone as before, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
Since she was little, every boy she had met besides her brother had been captivated by her stunning looks. Some had even gone so far as to abandon their dignity and kneel before her like dogs, all to win her favor.
She had rejected every one of them, without exception, but deep down, she had secretly enjoyed being the center of everyone's attention.
And today, a boy nearly her own age had shown no interest at all in her beauty!
She knew it wasn't a good thing, but Meng Hongchen couldn't help feeling a little competitive.
She refused to believe that anyone in the world could resist her breathtaking beauty!
Once she had made up her mind, Meng Hongchen smiled sweetly and deliberately pitched her voice higher, answering in a saccharine tone:
"I remember where Teacher Xuan is... It's over there. Your Highness, please follow me."
At the same time, she thought to herself:
I'm only doing this to prove how charming I am. It's definitely not because I'm attracted to the Fourth Prince's looks!
Before you continue