Yan Hongchen's Subsequent Thoughts

Yan Hongchen's heart tightened. He had heard plenty about how the current Sun Moon Emperor's health had begun to decline, while Crown Prince Xu Tianran was gradually taking over court affairs.

Although the other princes were still unwilling to accept it and undercurrents swirled through the court, everything remained calm on the surface.

But Yan Hongchen knew that Xu Tianran was a formidable tyrant. His ambitions surpassed even those of the current Sun Moon Emperor. Unwilling to settle for mediocrity, he wanted to unify the world!

And someone like Xu Tianran was fully capable of using someone when needed, then discarding them once they had served their purpose. Yan Hongchen truly disliked that sort of person and had no desire to involve his family in it.

As the saying went, if I refused to enter your game, what could you do to me?

Naturally, Huo Yuhao and the Body Sect would be involved in this as well.

If not for the Snow Empress embryo from the original story, which later led to Mingde Hall's destruction and the theft of the metal man, Jing Hongchen could have stayed out of it and ultimately chosen Xu Tianran's side.

The origins of the Snow Empress embryo incident were also tied to the Sun Moon Empire. He did not know who the ninth-rank soul engineer behind that "Sealing God Altar" was, but he trusted that the Snow Empress would remain vigilant. That was enough. Sooner or later, its mysteries would be uncovered!

Yan Hongchen had a favorable impression of the Body Sect, but he was now a citizen of the Sun Moon Empire, not Douluo Three Kingdoms. He could only fulfill the duties of his position.

By now, Princess Vina should already have made contact with the Body Sect. Yan Hongchen considered himself too young—he was only six, and already two or three years late. He could only look for an opening later.

He gathered his thoughts, took a deep breath, suppressed the chaos in his mind, and raised his head to look directly at Jing Hongchen.

"Grandpa." His tone was calm, yet carried an impossible-to-ignore seriousness. "It's not like I know nothing."

Jing Hongchen's hand paused slightly as he held his teacup. He raised his eyes and met Yan Hongchen's gaze. "Don't concern yourself with what the current emperor and crown prince are thinking."

Yan Hongchen said, word by word, "You are now the master of Mingde Hall. You only need to manage Mingde Hall properly. Don't take sides. That will be enough."

Jing Hongchen's fingers paused against the tabletop, and the base of his cup made an extremely soft sound as it touched the table.

Yan Hongchen did not give him a chance to interrupt. His gaze shifted to Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen before returning to Jing Hongchen.

"If you're truly worried about things being unstable..." The corner of his lips lifted slightly, carrying the unyielding sharpness unique to a young man.

"The next Soul Fighting Tournament is next year, right? We can't participate, but in the one after that, with your support, the three of us should be qualified to serve as reserve members."

He paused, his tone growing more assured. "Maybe we'll even bring you back a championship. Would you still be worried about instability then?"

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen had been listening quietly all along, barely daring to breathe too loudly or interrupt. At those words, both of them perked up at once, their backs unconsciously straightening.

"That's right, Grandpa!" Xiao Hongchen slapped the table, his palm producing a crisp smack against its surface. His eyes shone like stars.

"Little brother is right! The Sun Moon Empire hasn't won a single championship in over four thousand years. If we can bring one home in a few years, with us playing a part in it, then things really will be secure enough!"

Meng Hongchen nodded vigorously as well. Her hands were folded on the table, her knuckles faintly white, while an eager light shone in her eyes.

"Exactly. Brother and I haven't been doing nothing these past two months." Her voice became a little livelier, and a trace of smug pride hid in her eyes.

"The two of us developed a martial soul fusion skill. It's just that... we don't know how powerful it is yet."

By the end, her tone held a trace of uncertainty, but she could not suppress her excitement.

Jing Hongchen's brows rose slightly. The Soul Fighting Tournament—Yan Hongchen's mention of it had awakened him to something.

This matter truly held great significance for the Sun Moon Empire. He had no expectations for the championship in this tournament, since he knew the strength of the main team well enough, but the reserve team was not bad.

If Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Yan Hongchen could join the reserve team for the tournament after next, then it was indeed highly possible!

And Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen had actually developed a martial soul fusion skill. Its boost to combat power was more than merely one plus one.

It was simply unknown whether Yan Hongchen could coordinate with Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen to cultivate one as well. That would make their chances even more secure.

Jing Hongchen set down his teacup and placed both hands flat on the table. His gaze swept across the faces of the three children one by one.

"Good." His voice was steady, like a final verdict. "Then we'll do as you say. I will devote every resource to nurturing you three little ones."

At the words "martial soul fusion skill," Yan Hongchen's heart stirred slightly. He remembered that, in the original story, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's martial soul fusion skill was supposed to be called Mortal Longing.

It had not existed before. He had not expected the two of them to succeed in the past two months. During the months after acquiring soul rings, the activity of their martial soul origins was somewhat higher. As they sensed and merged their martial soul origins with each other, everything had gone smoothly, so the martial soul fusion skill had naturally followed.

An unconscious smile curved his lips. "Good."

There was a measure of confidence in his voice. "Then I'm quite confident as well. I have a trump card too, especially against soul engineers—Omniscient Vision!"

He paused and turned his gaze toward Yi Hongchen. "Rest well over the next few days. Then, how about the three of us fight Dad and take a look at his eighth soul skill too?"

Yi Hongchen had been listening quietly the entire time, his fingers gently stroking the back of Liu Yueming's hand. Hearing this, he raised his eyes and looked at Yan Hongchen's sparkling gaze. After a moment of silence, a smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Alright." His voice was low and gentle. "We'll listen to Little Yan."

Jing Hongchen and Liu Yueming exchanged a glance. Neither objected. Instead, Liu Yueming tilted her head slightly, curiosity flashing through her eyes. Just what trump card did Yan Hongchen possess? No one else knew anything about his abilities.

Having a fight would not be a bad idea.

After saying that, Yan Hongchen suddenly felt that the topic had drifted off course. He coughed lightly, sat up straight, and pulled his wandering thoughts back.

"Alright." His tone became serious again. "I'm not finished yet. There are still matters to arrange."

He turned to Jing Hongchen, his gaze solemn. "Grandpa, I need some tools to practice with."

His voice lowered slightly. "Find that Spirit Devouring Carving Knife for me. No matter how much it costs, I want it."

Jing Hongchen's brows twitched slightly, but he did not interrupt.

"Senior Snow Empress's earlier judgment was mistaken, but not entirely wrong."

"Healing and purification complement each other. I intend to arrange a soul skill for my third soul skill that purifies negative effects—so I'll use it to test my hand."

He paused, his gaze deepening. "I feel that the thing on it can rival spiritual fire. If I can remove it, I'll have confidence in treating Mother's condition as well. And I'll get a top-ranked carving knife for free—after all, such things are far too rare. Even our family doesn't have many of them."

He truly had looked into the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife. It was not a bad excuse; it just depended on whether Jing Hongchen agreed.

Jing Hongchen fell silent for a moment. "Alright." He did not ask further, merely answered crisply, "I'll look for it."

Yan Hongchen nodded and continued, "Lastly, Grandpa, please help me gather information on Evil Eye Tyrants with both spiritual and water attributes."

His tone became serious. "Their clan's innate soul skill—Spiritual Force Field—would be quite beneficial to me, and its attributes are compatible as well. It could give me greater insight into the fusion of the two attributes. I just don't know... whether one can be found."

Jing Hongchen nodded as well. Of course he would handle this. Now that he knew that if Yan Hongchen's martial soul obtained soul beast soul skills that matched it perfectly, it would be equivalent to gaining two soul skills, how could he possibly not take it seriously?

Having finished with Jing Hongchen, Yan Hongchen turned to Yi Hongchen. "Dad." His voice softened somewhat, yet carried an unquestionable resolve. "Absorb the Ice Bear right arm bone. Strive to reach at least Rank 89 within three years."

He paused, looking straight into Yi Hongchen's eyes. "I'll ask Senior Snow Empress for something like an Ice Bear left arm bone as well. This concerns your path to becoming a Titled Douluo. You must accomplish it."

Yi Hongchen had not expected Yan Hongchen's task for him to be this. He was slightly stunned, and before he could speak, Liu Yueming had already turned toward him and gently taken his hand.

"Yes, Yi." Her voice was soft, but it carried a gentle and steadfast strength.

"Take on the burden that should have been mine. The Ice Bear right arm bone is yours. Break through to Titled Douluo as soon as possible and protect the children."

She looked at Yi Hongchen, her gaze filled with trust, entrustment, and the unspoken understanding forged through the years they had walked side by side.

Yi Hongchen looked into Liu Yueming's eyes, then at Yan Hongchen's resolute gaze.

He did not ask why it had to be three years. Perhaps Yan Hongchen had some deeper meaning, perhaps Snow Empress had promised something, or perhaps Yan Hongchen had dreamed of something again.

It was simply not yet the right time, so it was inconvenient to say.

He did not need to know the reason. He only needed to do it.

"Alright." His voice steadied, like a stone settling to the ground. "For Yueming and the children, I will become a Titled Douluo within three years as well."

Yan Hongchen let out a long breath, as though he had finally removed the last stone weighing on his chest. He leaned back in his chair, his shoulders sagging slightly, and the tension between his brows finally eased somewhat.

"Sorry, Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister." His voice carried a trace of exhaustion. "I'm sure everyone is tired too. I'm tired now as well. Let's rest."

Jing Hongchen looked at Yan Hongchen's somewhat weary eyes, then at the sky outside, already completely dark. This trip had indeed lasted far too long.

"Alright." He rose to his feet, his robes swaying gently in the candlelight. "Everyone should get some rest for now. When we spar in a few days, anything that needs to be said can be said then."

Everyone rose in succession. The scrape of chairs, the soft clink of cups, footsteps, and the rustle of fabric—fragmented yet warm sounds echoed through the dining hall.

Yan Hongchen walked last. As he passed Liu Yueming, she gently caught his hand. "Little Yan." Liu Yueming lowered her gaze to him, her eyes soft. "You've worked hard."

Yan Hongchen shook his head, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. "Not really," he said. "Mom, you're the one who's worked hard."

Liu Yueming said nothing more. She simply raised a hand and ruffled his hair, her touch as light as a feather falling onto his head.

Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water. One by one, the lights of the Duke's residence went out, and the entire estate sank into silence.