Untouchable-Give Up!

"Bang!"

The office's heavy soundproof door was violently shoved open from outside.

"Hall Master! S-something terrible has happened!" Director of Education Lin Jiayi rushed in, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. His slightly plump face, usually adorned with a genial smile, had turned red from extreme agitation and the frantic run. Even the few strands of hair atop his head were messily plastered to his forehead.

Seeing his usually reliable and composed right-hand man in such a state, Jing Hongchen's brows immediately furrowed tightly.

"Jiayi, Jiayi. You've followed me for so many years. You've always been steady and level-headed, so why are you so unable to keep your cool today?"

Jing Hongchen leisurely set down his teacup, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his hands. His tone carried a hint of stern rebuke. "Panicking and shouting in front of the children—what kind of behavior is that? If word gets out, what will others think of our academy?"

"No, Hall Master, something really has happened! Over at the new student assessment..." Lin Jiayi gasped for breath, anxiously slapping his thigh as he prepared to report those astonishing figures.

"Enough."

Jing Hongchen raised a hand and casually cut him off, his tone still calm and unhurried. "You, Xiao, and the others were all there today. What major incident could possibly happen? What, are you here to tell me about that genius wasting his talent too?"

In Jing Hongchen's eyes, the "genius" Xiao Hongchen and Lin Jiayi had encountered today was already nothing more than an insignificant pill-popping invalid.

"W-wasting his talent?"

"What else could a soul master who surpassed Xiao before the age of twelve be, if not someone who took medicine that overdrew his potential?"

Lin Jiayi anxiously slapped his thigh again and shook his head repeatedly. "Hall Master, you've got it wrong! It isn't his Soul Power that stands out, but his spiritual power! That boy named Ye Chenxing may only be a Rank Twenty Soul Grandmaster, but his spiritual power test reached a staggering 4,800 points!"

"How much? 4,800 points?!"

Jing Hongchen was initially shocked and slapped the table as he rose to his feet. Then his brows knitted together. "How is that possible? A Rank Twenty Soul Grandmaster possessing spiritual power at the level of a high-ranking Spirit Emperor? Jiayi, are you sure the machine wasn't malfunctioning?"

"I took him to the newest classified research lab for this test! The instrument definitely wasn't broken!" Lin Jiayi was so anxious he nearly jumped in place. He strode to the desk and planted both hands on its surface. "That isn't even the key point, Hall Master! His Martial Soul is that one! The inherited Martial Soul of the imperial family's direct line—the Sun!"

"The imperial family's direct line?" Jing Hongchen froze slightly, his brows immediately drawing together. Why had he not heard of any direct descendant of the imperial family enrolling at the academy today? He quickly ran through every royal child currently of suitable age in his mind, but none matched.

Lin Jiayi hurriedly explained, "Hall Master, this Young Master Ye claims to have come from the Heaven Dou Empire. He is royal blood that was left wandering outside."

"A royal descendant left outside?" Jing Hongchen was stunned again. He instinctively turned to look at Meng Hongchen beside him, only to see his granddaughter grinning at him with a smug look, her face plainly saying, See? I didn't lie to you.

Only then did Jing Hongchen come to a sudden realization. So the one who had dealt Xiao such a blow today and made Meng's heart flutter had been the same person all along!

Although the boy's heaven-defying spiritual power of 4,800 points had indeed piqued his keen interest, the moment it involved the "imperial family's direct line," the nature of the matter changed completely.

Jing Hongchen concealed the surprise in his eyes, his expression turning serious once more as he warned, "Jiayi, you should understand that the imperial family is currently embroiled in open and covert struggles. The situation is extremely complicated. A so-called 'royal bloodline left wandering outside' is far too sensitive in the Sun Moon Empire right now. Illustrious Virtue Hall absolutely cannot casually interfere or choose sides."

He sighed. Though he felt some regret over a genius with such monstrous spiritual power, considerations of self-preservation still made him wave a hand helplessly. "Report the boy directly to His Majesty and let His Majesty decide personally. To us, he is an extremely dangerous hot potato. He's untouchable. Give up."

"Absolutely not, Hall Master! We must not hand him over just like that!" Lin Jiayi finally lost all composure. Forgetting rank and propriety, he directly shouted the final words that had been lodged in his throat like beans spilling from a jar:

"His Sun Martial Soul isn't an ordinary Sun! On the testing pillar, he displayed both Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire! It's a Mutated Sun with Double Ultimate Attributes!! He nearly melted the testing pillar!!"

"Even an Ultimate Martial Soul won't do. The imperial family..."

"Clatter."

Only halfway through his sentence did Jing Hongchen realize what he had just heard. The exquisitely expensive teapot he had just picked up slipped from his fingers without warning and smashed onto the hard floor, instantly shattering into pieces. Scalding tea splashed everywhere, soaking his trouser legs, yet he did not notice at all.

This Rank Nine Soul Engineer, who controlled the Sun Moon Empire's most vital technological lifeline and could remain expressionless even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, now looked as though the back of his head had been struck by a massive hammer. He sat frozen in his broad leather chair.

"Y-you... what did you say?" It took Jing Hongchen more than ten seconds before he could painfully move his throat. His voice trembled as though it did not belong to him. "Double Ultimate Attributes? Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light?"

"Absolutely true! The Young Master, Miss Meng, and I were all there. We saw it with our own eyes!" Lin Jiayi nodded heavily, excited sweat dripping from his chin.

At last, Jing Hongchen could no longer maintain his previous calm. He sprang up from his chair, nearly overturning the heavy solid-wood desk before him from using too much force.

"Dual Ultimate... Sun Martial Soul..." Jing Hongchen muttered, his eyes bloodshot from extreme excitement. More than anyone else, he understood what these words together meant for the Sun Moon Empire and for Illustrious Virtue Hall!

Back when the Sun Moon Empire had warred against the original nations of the Douluo Continent, it had been an Ultimate Fire soul master from the opposing side who single-handedly changed the course of the battle, making up for the technological gap between the Douluo Continent and the Sun Moon Continent.

From then on, the Sun Moon Continent had been forced to change its name to the Douluo Continent.

Thus, Ultimate Martial Souls could be said to be the pain in every Sun Moon citizen's heart—and their obsession.

At this moment, news of Ye Chenxing's arrival in the Sun Moon Empire felt like the unattainable girl of his school days suddenly throwing herself at him, and even bringing along her twin sister.

Jing Hongchen shoved the desk aside. His fat body burst forth with terrifying speed utterly disproportionate to his size. He grabbed Lin Jiayi by the collar, his eyes nearly popping out as he sprayed spit all over Lin Jiayi's face.

"This is no joking matter. Is it truly an Ultimate Martial Soul?!"

Seeing the dean's terrifying expression, Lin Jiayi nodded like a woodpecker.

"Absolutely true! Not only did I sense it myself, our most advanced testing equipment reached the same conclusion."

After struggling to calm his excitement, Jing Hongchen said in a trembling voice:

"Quick, quick, Director Lin, take me to see this child!"