Only after Jiang Hai left did Ji Kai and the others recover from their stupor. They stared at Xuan Ziwen, their eyes bulging, and stammered, "Old Xuan, was that really our director? How... how could he be so young? He didn't look even twenty!"
Xuan Ziwen smiled. "The director isn't even seventeen yet. Where did you get twenty from?"
"Seventeen!?"
Ji Kai forced a smile. "Old Xuan, you must be joking, right? How could a seventeen-year-old develop a Lifebound Soul Tool? How could he become a Level 8 Soul Engineer? Doesn't that mean all these years we've lived have gone to the dogs?"
Yu Lang approached, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes, and asked, "Ji Kai, if you had access to the Flame of Civilization all along, would reaching the level of a Level 8 Soul Engineer at seventeen truly be hopeless?"
Ji Kai's expression froze.
Xuan Ziwen grew serious. "Brother Ji, Elder Yu, everyone, I can't say much about the director's secrets, but he's even more gifted than you imagine, and he would never do anything to harm humanity. We all know why the Civilization Research Institute was founded. That's also why every one of us joined it. Given that, I think we should give the director some trust. At the very least, someone steeped in wickedness and evil could never possess a flame like the Flame of Civilization!"
Ji Kai's expression turned serious as well. He said quietly, "Old Xuan, I understand. The director's willingness to show us his true face was a sign of his trust in us. I may be a bit of a gossip, but I'm not someone who fails to appreciate kindness. I'd never betray him. Besides, I couldn't bear to part with a treasure like the Flame of Civilization!"
Xuan Ziwen nodded. "I