Can the Hongchen Family Marry into the Imperial Family?

Along the way, Lin Jiayi felt that he had moved at the fastest speed of his life, rushing frantically through the broad teaching district and straight toward the office area.

The passing teachers and students all stopped in their tracks and stared when they saw Director Lin, who was usually stern and unsmiling, drenched in sweat and sprinting wildly without a shred of dignity.

Reaching the door of his private office, Lin Jiayi shoved it open and ushered Ye Chenxing inside.

Then he leaned half his body out, vigilantly looking left and right as though guarding against thieves. Only after confirming that there was no one else in the corridor did he carefully shut the door tight.

When he turned back, Lin Jiayi's face instantly broke into a warm, genial smile.

He took out some top-grade spirit tea that he normally could not bear to drink, carefully poured Ye Chenxing a cup, and gently set it on the table before him.

Lin Jiayi then rubbed his hands together and said with a smile:

"Young Master Ye, please sit here for a while and have some tea to quench your thirst. I just remembered that I have some extremely urgent official business to handle. I'll be back soon. Remember, don't go wandering around!"

Looking at the academic director before him, sweating profusely and smiling like an old chrysanthemum, Ye Chenxing did not know whether to laugh or cry. Still, he obediently picked up his teacup and nodded.

"All right, Director Lin. Go take care of your business. I'll wait for you here."

Only after Ye Chenxing agreed did Lin Jiayi let out a breath of relief. He turned, pulled open the door again, and rushed out in a flurry, heading straight for the dean's office on the top floor.

He was not an idiot. Of course he knew what an earth-shattering achievement it was to discover a genius with a mutated martial soul possessing "dual ultimate attributes"! Once this accomplishment was reported, he might become the Sun Moon Empire's greatest contributor in a thousand years.

But Lin Jiayi was exceptionally clear-headed—he simply could not hold on to such overwhelming fortune!

Reporting it to his immediate superior was the surest path to happiness.

However, as Lin Jiayi ran blindly down the corridor, he probably had not realized one thing.

A genius like this was likely something Jing Hongchen could not "handle" either.

As Lin Jiayi's frantic footsteps gradually faded into the depths of the corridor, an invisible superstorm capable of overturning the entire continent's balance was slowly gathering above Ming Capital.

Inside the headmaster's office.

Jing Hongchen was currently in high spirits as he sat in his office, savoring a cup of exquisite tea.

Briefly escaping the complicated affairs of Illustrious Virtue Hall was a rare moment of relaxation for Jing Hongchen.

Jing Hongchen sat behind a broad rosewood desk, holding a cup of freshly brewed premium tea. At that moment, he was regarding the grandson and granddaughter standing before him with a rather strange look.

Logically speaking, with the siblings' extraordinary talent of becoming Soul Elders at eleven, enrollment was merely a formality. There should have been no suspense whatsoever. Yet their condition after returning today was simply too strange.

Xiao Hongchen, who was usually arrogant and proud as a little rooster, now had his head lowered, his face grave, and even a hint of unprecedented dejection in his eyes. Meanwhile, Meng Hongchen beside him had slightly flushed cheeks and the corners of her lips tilted wildly upward. She could barely conceal her delight, and she even looked somewhat lovestruck.

"What's gotten into you two? Why are you acting so strangely today?" Jing Hongchen set down his teacup and asked casually, "Did the entrance test not go smoothly?"

Xiao Hongchen pressed his lips together tightly and said nothing. Meng Hongchen's eyes, however, lit up as she eagerly stepped forward and blurted out something astonishing. "Grandpa, can our Hongchen Family marry into the imperial family?"

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!" Jing Hongchen sprayed out the mouthful of hot tea he had just swallowed, choking until his old face turned red as he coughed repeatedly. "Meng, y-you scared Grandpa! Where did this idea come from? Was it you or Xiao who took a fancy to some member of the imperial family?!"

"Of course it was me, Grandpa, and I'm serious!" Meng Hongchen pouted.

"Nonsense! Absolutely not!" Jing Hongchen finally caught his breath, his face hardening as he rejected her without hesitation. "How old are you? Eleven! At your age, proper cultivation is the right path. Don't start thinking about romance and love!"

On the surface, he was using her age as an excuse, but what truly concerned him were those two words—"imperial family."

The Sun Moon Empire's imperial family was now a bottomless whirlpool.

Prince Xu Tianran had suffered a brutal assassination attempt that left both his legs crippled, while another prince had died tragically in the palace. Some said it had been Xu Tianran's purge.

Now, panic gripped the palace and its surroundings, while all factions openly and covertly struggled against one another. At a time like this, the Hongchen Family, as the people in charge of Illustrious Virtue Hall and the core lifeline of the Sun Moon Empire's soul tools, had only one way forward: preserve themselves wisely and never casually choose a side! If Meng Hongchen became involved with an imperial family member, all of Illustrious Virtue Hall would be dragged into this muddy mess.

"Grandpa~~" Meng Hongchen stubbornly tugged on Jing Hongchen's sleeve and shook it. "He's really, really handsome! And he's incredibly talented too. Don't reject it so quickly!"

Hearing his granddaughter's argument, Jing Hongchen quickly went through all the eligible young members of the imperial family in his mind.

No matter how he thought about it, they were either useless good-for-nothings who spent all day drinking and chasing pleasure, or spoiled dandies who relied solely on their fathers' influence.

Jing Hongchen shook his head dismissively, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Do not bring this up again."

After forcibly suppressing his granddaughter's thoughts, Jing Hongchen turned to his grandson, who had remained silent like a stuffed gourd, and frowned slightly. "Xiao, what's wrong with you? Why are you so downcast? This isn't like you at all."

Xiao Hongchen drew a deep breath and raised his head. His face, usually filled with pride, now held a tangled mixture of emotions. "Grandpa... Today at the registration office, I met someone. I thought I had already reached the limit among people my age. Only after meeting him did I understand that there is always someone greater. His talent far surpasses mine."

Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen's frown deepened.

"Nonsense!"

He immediately slapped the desk and said in a low voice, "My grandson is unquestionably the strongest among his peers in the Sun Moon Empire! You must not belittle yourself!"

In Jing Hongchen's view, Xiao Hongchen had surely encountered someone during the test who had used medicine to overdraw his talent.

After all, under his cultivation, the Hongchen siblings had already reached the limit of safely using medicinal supplements. If someone their age surpassed both of them, then in Jing Hongchen's eyes, that person had certainly taken medicine that overdraw potential.

"Xiao, don't let appearances deceive you. There are plenty of so-called geniuses in this world who rely on drugs and overdrawing their potential to force their growth. Even if his soul power appears stronger than yours, that is only temporary. When it comes to martial soul foundations and future potential, how could he possibly compare to your Three-Legged Golden Toad?"

Listening to his grandfather's textbook consolation, Xiao Hongchen did not feel relieved. Instead, he lowered his head even further, a bitter curve appearing on his lips. "No, Grandpa... You..."