The seasoned Jing Hongchen

Time rewound a few minutes.

Inside the dean's office.

Jing Hongchen stared at the list of this year's newly admitted students, his face clouded with worry.

"The quality of our new students has been getting worse with every passing year."

"Fine, so they have no talent in martial souls. At least send us a few students with a gift for soul tools."

"At this rate, when will we ever knock Shrek Academy off its perch?"

"Ah, we can only pick the tallest from a bunch of dwarfs."

Just as Jing Hongchen scanned the list of new students.

Planning to find a few with decent talent and give them special training.

There came a bang!

The office door flew past, grazing his hair.

Jing Hongchen jolted in fright and hurriedly stood up.

He thought a powerful enemy had come to stir up trouble.

So frightened was he that he whipped out a Level 9 Soul Cannon!

But when he looked up.

He discovered.

It was no powerful enemy, but his most capable Director of Education.

"Old Zhang!"

"Are you fucking trying to rebel? Or murder this old man?"

"You're paying for my damn door!!!"

When the Director of Education saw Jing Hongchen's fist only two centimeters from him.

He shouted, "Wait, Dean! I've come with good news!"

Hearing that.

Jing Hongchen stopped his fist.

Half believing him, he said, "Really? I'm warning you, if I don't think this news is good enough, I'll blast you with my Level 9 Soul Cannon."

To avoid taking a shot from the Level 9 Soul Cannon.

The Director of Education hurriedly read out the contents of Chen Mo's information form.

"Dean, it really is good news. Our academy has admitted a genius this year."

"He's from the Heaven Dou Empire."

"A body martial soul with a mental attribute!"

"Level ten innate soul power!"

"And he's only nine years old."

"..."

But what the Director of Education had not expected was that.

After hearing the news, Jing Hongchen.

Showed not the slightest joy and instead gave him a strange look.

After a long pause, he said, "Old Zhang, I know admissions have kept you terribly busy these past few days, and you've often been working late into the night. But you can't come here with your daydreams. Listen to what you just said. Does that sound realistic?"

"How about this? Once I've finished beating you up, I'll give you two days off so you can get some proper rest."

A nine-year-old with a mental-attribute body martial soul and level ten innate soul power.

What a joke.

Even if the Body Sect had not snatched up a genius like that, surely his first choice would have been Shrek Academy.

Why would he trek over mountains and rivers, traveling thousands of miles to attend the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy?

He did not believe it.

Seeing Jing Hongchen's disbelief, the Director of Education held out the form. "It's true, Dean. He's in the teaching building taking the entrance tests right now. If you still don't believe me, you can go see for yourself."

"I swear, if a single word I just said was false, may I never break through to Soul Douluo in this lifetime. Besides, I have no reason to lie to you."

Seeing that the man really did not seem to be lying.

Jing Hongchen took the information form and checked it. His eyes widened, and he immediately flew toward the teaching building.

The scene returned to the present.

Drawn by the voice, Xuan Ziwen and Tang Shan turned around and saw that the newcomer was Jing Hongchen.

They called out in unison, "Dean!" and "Hall Master!"

"Teacher Xuan, weren't you researching a new soul tool? What are you doing here?" Seeing Xuan Ziwen here, Jing Hongchen could not help growing wary.

He feared the man had come to compete with him for Chen Mo.

"I heard the alarm just now, so I came down to take a look."

"I just remembered that I still have unfinished work. I'll be leaving now."

Xuan Ziwen resumed his aloof demeanor, turned, and left.

Jing Hongchen looked at Tang Shan. "What alarm?"

Tang Shan briefly explained what had just happened.

"Spiritual power over a hundred!" Jing Hongchen could scarcely believe what he heard.

A genius like this was exceedingly rare even at Shrek.

Then he looked over Chen Mo's other test results.

He might have been fine without looking, but one glance gave him a shock.

At only nine years old, he was already a Peak Level 27 Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster.

His soul ring combination was one purple and one black.

He glanced again at the information form, where "commoner" was written under background.

The seasoned Jing Hongchen chuckled.

Who are you trying to fool?

Never mind anything else.

That soul ring combination alone.

Was something no commoner could possibly possess.

So this boy's background had to be significant.

But when his gaze swept over the soul skill field, he frowned.

A Spatial Attribute Soul Skill?

Strange. Aren't this boy's eyes his martial soul? Why the hell does he have spatial abilities?

Could it be a mutated martial soul?

But can body martial souls mutate?

Jing Hongchen, whose research into martial souls was rather shallow, was thoroughly puzzled.

He looked at Chen Mo and asked, "Could you demonstrate your soul skill again?"

"Of course."

Chen Mo released the little bird in his hand, then used his soul skill.

The little bird returned to his hand.

Jing Hongchen looked at Tang Shan. "Tang Shan, step outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with student Chen Mo."

Tang Shan nodded, turned, and walked out.

He closed the door on his way out.

Only the two of them remained in the classroom.

"You're from the Body Sect, aren't you?"

Jing Hongchen exposed Chen Mo's origins with a single remark.

Holy shit! I've been exposed already?

Since Jing Hongchen had seen through his origins, Chen Mo simply admitted it. "You have a sharp eye, Dean."

"What is your purpose in coming to the academy?" Jing Hongchen demanded.

Chen Mo spread his hands. "Don't worry, Dean. I'm not a spy. I came here purely to attend school and learn soul tool technology."

"Attend school? Learn soul tool technology?" Jing Hongchen's brows knitted tightly.

He knew a little about that old fellow from the Body Sect and his ways.

The man's pride was absurdly high.

Even Shrek Academy was beneath his notice.

Let alone allowing such a genius to travel all the way to the Sun Moon Empire to study.

Chen Mo asked, "You don't believe me, Dean?"

"I do! Of course I do!"

"I hereby declare that, from this moment on, you are a new student of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy!"

Jing Hongchen laughed heartily.

He thought to himself.

That old poisonous bastard may be arrogant, but he's no fool.

He wouldn't send a genius to the Sun Moon Empire as a spy.

The sacrifice would be far too great.

Hearing Jing Hongchen's words, Chen Mo added, "But I haven't passed the other assessments yet."

"No need!"

"A genius like you qualifies for an exemption from the tests."

"I'll have Tang Shan take you straight to complete your enrollment shortly."

"Also, since you've come to learn soul tool technology, would you be willing to become my student and study soul tools under me?"

"Yes!"

Just as Chen Mo thought the system's mission was about to be completed.

To his surprise, Jing Hongchen added, "Good! But there is a condition if you want to become my student."

"You must pass the Level 2 Soul Engineer assessment within one year and obtain your Level 2 Soul Engineer badge. Then I'll accept you as my student."

Chen Mo froze for a moment.

He had thought Jing Hongchen would take him as a student outright. He had not expected this old fox to attach a condition.

But for the sake of the mission.

Chen Mo agreed anyway. "All right! It's a deal!"

"It's a deal."

Jing Hongchen said with a smile.

Then he called Tang Shan back in and told him to take Chen Mo straight to complete his enrollment.

He himself returned to the dean's office.

After thinking for a moment.

He sent someone to the Heaven Dou Empire to investigate Chen Mo's circumstances.