Xuan Ziwen, Misunderstanding

Ye Luochen was slightly taken aback by the other man's words.

What was this supposed to mean?

First, he wielded a big stick, questioning the legitimacy of Mingde Hall granting him a Level 6 clearance badge; then, he offered a sweet treat, giving preliminary recognition to his skill level?

Why did this teacher in front of him feel so strange?

Before Ye Luochen could continue to be confused, the man's voice rang out again.

"Your theoretical level is barely acceptable, but for a soul engineer, theory alone isn't enough; otherwise, it's just empty talk on paper."

"I'll give you a quarter of an hour. Choose any materials you like from this workbench and make a soul tool core array for me."

"There are no requirements for the level or the type; just make whatever you consider to be your best work."

After saying this, the young man flicked his wrist, and a small soul tool timer appeared in his palm.

After setting the time, the man placed the timer on the table and stepped aside.

Listening to the man's words and watching his actions, the confusion in Ye Luochen's heart grew even deeper.

Wait, what?

What was going on here?

Why, for no apparent reason, was he suddenly being asked to make a soul tool for the man to see?

Was this a test?

But this clearance badge had been given to him by Jing Hongchen, the Hall Master of Mingde Hall himself.

Did it really fall to some other teacher to test him or question him?

Seeing that Ye Luochen remained motionless, the man frowned.

His tone reverted to the cold indifference from before:

"What? You don't want to do it? Or are you unable to?"

"If that's the case, then even if you have a clearance badge from the Hall Master, I won't accept you."

"If you think this is unfair, you can go to the Hall Master and protest, and ask him to change your teacher."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen felt even more bewildered.

What was all this about?

What did he mean by not wanting to accept him?

He understood every word the man said, but when put together, why did it sound so strange?

With all sorts of confusion piling up in his heart, Ye Luochen finally couldn't help but speak up:

"This... teacher..."

"My name is Xuan Ziwen," the man stated his name.

"Teacher Xuan, I think you might have misunderstood something."

Ye Luochen spoke slowly.

"I only came here because my clearance level was raised, and I wanted to visit the high-level areas. That is all."

"I can understand you asking me questions or testing my level."

"But as for what you said about accepting me or changing teachers..."

"I really don't understand."

Upon hearing Ye Luochen's words, Xuan Ziwen was visibly stunned.

His furrowed brows lifted slightly as he asked:

"Hm?"

"You didn't come here to apprentice under me and join my research group?"

???

Listening to Xuan Ziwen's question, Ye Luochen felt ten thousand question marks galloping through his mind.

Good grief, when had he ever said he was here to apprentice?

From start to finish, he hadn't mentioned a single word related to that, had he?

After some explanation, the matter was finally resolved.

"You're saying that you simply wanted to visit the high-level areas, and you don't know how you ended up here?" Xuan Ziwen asked.

Ye Luochen nodded and replied:

"Yes, Teacher Xuan. I didn't expect this to be your research lab either."

A few sentences clarified the cause of this misunderstanding.

It turned out that the area Ye Luochen had stumbled into was not a high-level testing zone at all.

Instead, it was the private research laboratory belonging exclusively to Xuan Ziwen.

Normally, this place was not open to the public, and no unauthorized personnel could ever gain entry.

The layers of security checkpoints and the main gate had long since declared this path off-limits.

Yet, Ye Luochen was the exception.

Jing Hongchen had raised his clearance level to the highest tier, surpassed only by a few powerful leaders and several Level 9 Soul Engineers.

Because he hadn't had time to add any additional restrictions, the current Ye Luochen could move through almost the entire Mingde Hall without obstruction.

No checkpoint could stop him.

For the past half-month, Ye Luochen had been completely buried in his research.

This meant that although he had been in Mingde Hall for two weeks, he actually knew nothing about its internal layout.

To put it bluntly, he didn't really know his way around.

After leaving Jing Hongchen's office, he had wandered off in a daze and taken a wrong turn.

Ultimately, relying on the badge with maxed-out clearance in his hand, he had walked into Xuan Ziwen's laboratory, a place no outsider should have been able to enter.

Xuan Ziwen, naturally, was unaware of this blunder.

From his perspective, he had been focused on his research project inside the lab.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar student had opened the door to his lab and walked in.

Upon asking, he learned it was Ye Luochen, the genius student who had caused a sensation in Mingde Hall with his record-breaking speed in mastering soul guidance technology.

Furthermore, the boy was holding a clearance badge he claimed the Hall Master had just given him.

Naturally, Xuan Ziwen assumed Ye Luochen was a student the Hall Master had specifically arranged to study under him.

Otherwise, how could he have navigated through layers of strict security to arrive precisely at his laboratory?

After clarifying the situation, Xuan Ziwen couldn't help but pat his own head.

After all that, it had been a misunderstanding.

"Fine, since it's just a misunderstanding, you may leave. I'll go report this to the Hall Master later; your clearance really needs some restrictions."

As he spoke, Xuan Ziwen's tone turned serious.

"Also, you are not to speak of anything you saw here today to anyone else."

Listening to Xuan Ziwen, Ye Luochen nodded.

He knew exactly what should and should not be said; he had his own sense of discretion.

However, he did not leave immediately as Xuan Ziwen had suggested.

Instead, his gaze drifted past Xuan Ziwen, fixing upon the stunning soul guidance devices scattered deep within the hall.

Seeing Ye Luochen's reaction, Xuan Ziwen's expression instantly soured.

"Kid, I'm warning you, these are my research materials. If you dare to harbor any designs on them, I will not show you any mercy."

"Believe me, as someone who receives special subsidies from Mingde Hall and serves as one of its chief research consultants, I am more than capable of handling that."

Hearing Xuan Ziwen's words, Ye Luochen finally withdrew his gaze.

With a flicker of thought, he cupped his hands and said:

"Teacher Xuan, what if I told you that I am willing to accept your assessment?"

Hearing this, Xuan Ziwen was momentarily stunned, then frowned.

"What do you mean? Didn't you just say you only took a wrong turn?"

Ye Luochen nodded, then continued:

"Yes, that was true at first."

"But being able to arrive here because of it can be considered a stroke of fate."

"Moreover, the soul guidance devices here, Teacher Xuan, are unlike anything I have seen elsewhere."

"I must be honest and say that these things have left me deeply impressed."

"Therefore, I would like the opportunity to understand them more deeply."