He knew very well what this kid was really like. Though he did not know Bai Chen's objective, he could be certain that Bai Chen definitely had plans of his own.
Watching his junior sister get toyed with so easily, Xuan Ziwen sighed inwardly and looked away.
Forget it. Based on what he knew of Bai Chen, the kid probably would not do anything too excessive. Letting Jing Ziyan suffer a couple of losses and learn her lesson would be a good thing too.
Very quickly, Bai Chen got the answer he wanted from Jing Ziyan.
The Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was primarily filled with Soul Engineers. Even Soul Engineers from the control department mostly relied on Soul Tools as their main means of combat.
Jing Ziyan only knew three experts who mainly fought using their Martial Souls, and among them was Bai Chen's true target for this round of probing—
Ji Juechen.
Ji Juechen
According to Jing Ziyan, Ji Juechen was seventeen this year, yet his cultivation was only Rank 41.
That would naturally be considered decent talent elsewhere, but at the Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, his cultivation speed was truly nothing noteworthy.
The main reason was that he was one of the rare Sun-Moon Empire soul masters unwilling to cultivate through medicinal substances.
His main method of cultivation was to carry his sword on his back and constantly seek out outstanding students for sparring matches.
Over time, the students of the Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy gave him the nickname "Sword Maniac."
To most students, he was someone they avoided at all costs.
It was not because they could not defeat him. Ji Juechen had only just broken through to Four-Ring, and any stronger Level-Five Soul Engineer could defeat him steadily.
To the students of the Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, what they truly found intolerable about Ji Juechen was his personality.
This guy wore a cold face all day long and talked to people as though he were collecting a debt. It was hard for anyone to like him.
And once he set his sights on someone, a battle was practically unavoidable. His fighting style was also exceptionally fierce, so even those stronger than him would break out in a cold sweat by the end of a fight with him.
The key was that he had a bit of a masochistic streak. The more he got beaten, the more excited he became. Like a piece of chewing gum, once he stuck to someone, he could not be shaken off no matter what.
As a result, aside from battle maniacs of the same type as Jing Ziyan, hardly anyone in the entire Sun-Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy could stand him.
Of course, those who could not stand him were all people with genuine strength. Among weaker groups of female students, Ji Juechen was quite popular.
Most of that popularity came from his handsome face. According to Jing Ziyan, she had never seen a man more handsome than Ji Juechen. Perhaps once Bai Chen grew up, he might have a chance to compete with him.
"Then, Senior Sister, can you let me watch one of your fights with him?"
"Hehe, of course."
Jing Ziyan, who had already been sweet-talked into a buoyant mood by Bai Chen, laughed smugly.
She thought for a moment and said,
"How about this Saturday morning? We'll meet at the academy entrance at nine in the morning. Sound good?"
"Alright!"
Hearing that, Bai Chen immediately agreed.
Afterward, Jing Ziyan spoke to Xuan Ziwen about the task their teacher had assigned, then left.
Watching the laboratory door slowly close, Xuan Ziwen asked Bai Chen,
"You brat, don't tell me you're planning to get in touch with Ji Juechen?"
"Yes."
Bai Chen had nothing to hide from Xuan Ziwen. He sat down in a chair and smiled.
"After all, I'm from the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect. I have to help my sect look for talent."
Xuan Ziwen's mouth twitched.
"You really don't treat me like an outsider..."
"Of course not." Bai Chen smiled faintly. "Not only Ji Juechen—I still haven't given up on pulling you into our sect either."
"You're really straightforward."
Xuan Ziwen laughed.
He did not dislike Bai Chen's attitude. If anything, he liked this kind of direct way of getting along.
He was not worried that Bai Chen would suffer any losses while dealing with Ji Juechen. Xuan Ziwen had interacted with Ji Juechen once before. That guy only had swords in his head, and his thoughts were even simpler than Jing Ziyan's. A single-minded fool like that could never outscheme this little monster.
Afterward, Xuan Ziwen began teaching, while also giving Ning Tian and Bai Chen academic guidance.
That weekend, Bai Chen arrived at the place he had agreed upon with Jing Ziyan right on time.
"Ah, Bai Chen, you're here!"
The moment he reached the academy entrance, he heard Jing Ziyan's shout. Following the sound, he saw Jing Ziyan waving at him flamboyantly.
Beside her stood a cold-faced young man. The instant Bai Chen saw him, he understood why this guy had such a bad temper yet still had so many admirers.
If Bai Chen had to describe him, Ji Juechen was the classic image of a cold-faced Shalnark. A heavy iron sword rested on his back, his expression was aloof, and his entire body radiated an air that warned strangers to stay away. Yet passing girls could not help stealing a few extra glances at him.
Bai Chen quickly walked over to Jing Ziyan and the young man, then asked Jing Ziyan for confirmation.
"Senior Sister, is this the Senior Ji you mentioned?"
"Yes."
Jing Ziyan chuckled.
"Well? I told you he's handsome, right?"
Hearing the pride in her voice, Bai Chen's mouth twitched.
You look like you're bragging about your crush, Senior Sister.
She was making it so obvious. It was truly impressive that Ji Juechen had managed to remain such a Wood for so many years.
However, Bai Chen had no intention of interfering in their relationship. He revealed a bright smile and extended his hand to Ji Juechen.
"Yes, Senior Ji really is handsome. Senior Ji, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Bai Chen, the student of Senior Sister Jing's senior."
"..."
Ji Juechen looked at the hand Bai Chen had extended, remained silent for a moment, then shook it.
"—!"
The next instant, his expression suddenly changed.
An innocent smile remained on Bai Chen's face.
"Senior Ji, after you finish sparring with Senior Sister, could you give me a little guidance?"
"Hey, hey."
Hearing him say that, Jing Ziyan was immediately startled and hurriedly warned him.
"Little Bai Chen, I advise you not to fight him. This senior specializes in offensive power, and sometimes he can't hold back. If he hurts you when the time comes—"
"Alright, I agree."
Before she could finish, a cold voice interrupted her warning.
"Huh?"
Jing Ziyan blinked in astonishment.
Ji Juechen had always been stingy with words and extremely aloof. Aside from opponents he acknowledged, he had always been too lazy to say even a single sentence.
The main reason she had been able to invite Ji Juechen out this time was because she had promised to spar with him. Ji Juechen had actually had no interest in Bai Chen whatsoever.
That was how it should have been...
Yet it was not over yet.
Ji Juechen released Bai Chen's hand and said calmly,
"I look forward to fighting you."
After saying that, he gave Bai Chen a deep look, then actually turned and walked off into the distance.
"Huh? Huh huh huh?"
Jing Ziyan could not help becoming even more confused.
Whose battle was Ji Juechen looking forward to? Bai Chen's?
He, he, he... Could he suddenly want to kill someone?
Increasingly outrageous guesses emerged in Jing Ziyan's mind, but they were far from the truth.
In truth, the reason Ji Juechen had changed his attitude toward Bai Chen was simple: Bai Chen had used the opportunity of their handshake to display a bit of his strength.
Even without adding his Martial Soul, Bai Chen's strength was no weaker than that of a strength-type Soul Ancestor. It was already enough to surpass Ji Juechen.
Ji Juechen had always judged only strength, never people. He did not care how young Bai Chen was. Since Bai Chen had displayed strength enough to catch his attention, he did not mind fighting such a child.
If anything, the fact that Bai Chen possessed such strength at his age made him even more excited.
The So-Called Sword Maniac
Jing Ziyan and Bai Chen followed behind Ji Juechen until they arrived before a tall building.
The signboard on the building bore several large words: "Soul Device Testing Ground."
Jing Ziyan explained to Bai Chen,
"This is a place Ji Juechen and I often visit. Its business is renting venues to Soul Engineers so they can freely test the performance of new Soul Tools. It also supports sparring between Soul Engineers. I know the owner a little, so she can give me a discount."
As she spoke, they entered the building.
After Jing Ziyan briefly spoke with the receptionist, she received a plaque and led Bai Chen and Ji Juechen to a spacious venue.
"Then let's begin, Ji Juechen."
Jing Ziyan leaped onto the arena, crooked a finger at Ji Juechen, and revealed an excited smile.
The reason she spent time with Ji Juechen was not merely because she had a favorable impression of him. It was also because she was a battle maniac by nature.
Even if Bai Chen had not asked to meet Ji Juechen, she had recently been preparing to spar with Ji Juechen again.
This was the perfect chance to fight to their hearts' content!
"..."
Ji Juechen silently stepped onto the arena and drew his longsword.
And so, the battle began.
Bai Chen sat in the spectator seats, watching the battle between the two on the arena as he nodded thoughtfully.
Overall, Ji Juechen was at a disadvantage.
After all, he was six or seven years younger than Jing Ziyan. Although he would later surpass her in strength, for now, she still had the upper hand.
If Bai Chen had to use two words to describe Ji Juechen's fighting style, they would be "all or nothing" and "overpowering all techniques with sheer force."
The reason for "overpowering all techniques with sheer force" was that he simply had no combat methods aside from his sword. No matter what tricks his opponent used, he would straightforwardly break through them head-on with the sword in his hand.
As for "all or nothing," it meant that dodging and defense simply did not exist in his battles. He always used offense as defense, making up for his shortcomings in that regard with attacks of extreme sharpness.
According to a description Bai Chen had seen in his previous life, it was a mutually destructive sword style: It's fine if you attack me too, but you'll die as well.
This distinctive fighting style perfectly reflected his nature and could be said to be exceptionally troublesome.
However, Jing Ziyan's fighting style was completely different from his.
The reason Jing Ziyan could be called the Uncrowned King of Level-Four Soul Engineers was because she had practically mastered the crafting methods for every Level-Four Soul Tool.
If Ji Juechen was a stat chart that sacrificed every other attribute in pursuit of extreme attack power, then Jing Ziyan was a hexagonal stat chart who took every aspect into account and excelled in all attributes.
At the same time, her Smoke Martial Soul made her primary fighting method lean toward guerrilla tactics, creating an enormous difference from Ji Juechen's style of trading ultimate moves head-on.
These two utterly opposite fighting styles made their battle exceptionally intense.
However, Ji Juechen's cultivation was still somewhat too low. After fighting for ten minutes, Jing Ziyan ultimately found an opening and defeated him.
Yet Jing Ziyan, as the victor, was not relaxed either. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sighed.
"Ji Juechen, your strength is really getting stronger and stronger. At this rate, it won't be long before I can't beat you anymore."
"Mm."
Faced with her praise, Ji Juechen merely nodded indifferently, then turned his gaze toward Bai Chen, who was watching beneath the arena.
Before you continue