The Fourth Prince.
Born to an imperial consort whose maternal clan wielded considerable influence, he had no shortage of supporters throughout the court, among nobles in major cities, and even among the armies stationed around Mingdu.
All of them maintained rather ambiguous ties with him.
Not long ago, the crown prince had survived an assassination attempt, but his legs had been crippled. He would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, never able to stand again.
That had only made the Fourth Prince more brazen, and ever more people flocked to his banner.
Wang Shaojie was one of them.
Strictly speaking, however, he did not even qualify as the Fourth Prince Xu Chang's dog. Tracing the connection back to its source, only his cousin Xu Mochen deserved that title...
Xu Mochen's father was a prince who oversaw the imperial clan, wielded substantial authority, and supported the Fourth Prince.
That made Xu Mochen a true member of the imperial family's direct line.
Wang Shaojie was also the one who, in the original story, had clashed with Huo Gua in the laboratory, then used his cousin's influence to have him bound to a punishment pillar. He had tried to settle a private grudge under the guise of official business, only to be dealt with by Jing Hongchen when he arrived...
As for why a mere dog dared act so arrogantly toward him...
Xu Mochen headed the Imperial Family Inspection Team, which primarily supervised members of the imperial family and the various incidents that occurred within the imperial city.
Xu Cheng counted as a member of the imperial family, but he was also a prince on its fringes.
Only powerhouses on Jing Hongchen's level knew that he had become the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult. Throughout Mingdu, the people who knew what he had done could be counted on one hand.
In their eyes, then, he was perhaps the easiest one to squeeze...
"I'm number seven. What about you, Meng?"
"One hundred and twenty-seven. That's such a long wait."
The two lively characters beside him chattered away about the results of the draw.
"Hey, Cheng, what number did you get?" Xiao Hongchen draped an arm over his shoulders and grinned. "Don't tell me we're facing each other right off the bat. Having the final at the very start would be no fun..."
Xu Cheng unfolded his crumpled slip.
Number 17.
"Seventeen? Who's your opponent?"
Xiao Hongchen leaned over curiously.
"Looks like... Wang Shaojie?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Meng Hongchen's beautiful eyes. What a coincidence.
Before Xu Cheng could react...
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
An utterly insolent voice came from across the way.
Xu Cheng raised his head.
Wang Shaojie was staring at him mockingly, his expression brimming with excitement.
"My name is Wang Shaojie. Remember it, all right? Don't get beaten so senseless during the assessment that you can't even remember my name."
"You mother-"
Xiao Hongchen laughed in fury.
Before Xu Cheng could react...
Xiao Hongchen's shoulder sank as a Level 3 Fixed-Installation Soul Guidance cannon appeared upon it.
Hum!
Pitch-black, annihilating matter gathered at the dark muzzle. Ripples spread through the surrounding air, as though terrifying destructive power would pour forth at any moment.
Wang Shaojie's lackeys went pale, their legs trembling.
They were all Soul Tool students. In their very first lesson, their teacher had explained that fixed-installation Soul Tools were far more powerful than ordinary ranged ones. Even a Soul Ancestor probably would not dare take a shot from a Level 3 fixed-installation Soul Tool head-on, much less mere Soul Grandmasters like them...
One shot would most likely leave not even their bones behind.
"Run!"
After a startled cry, they turned and fled.
They practically ran for their lives. One even summoned his martial soul, sprouting wings from his back and flapping into the sky.
The surrounding students looked terrified as well.
Only Wang Shaojie remained standing there, still "composed."
Several seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Xiao Hongchen curled his lip and put the fixed-installation Soul Tool back into his storage device.
"Interesting. You actually weren't scared. I hope you'll be just as brave in the arena. Come on, Cheng. What's there to say to trash like this..."
Xu Cheng smiled helplessly.
They left together, preparing to enter the assessment area.
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Wang Shaojie frozen in place, still looking composed.
"Boss, you're so brave!"
"Mount Tai could collapse before your eyes, and your expression wouldn't change!"
"Boss, you're tough!"
The lackeys who had fled returned one after another. Seeing Wang Shaojie still standing there, they showered him with praise without holding anything back.
Wang Shaojie's heart filled with bitterness.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to run. His legs simply wouldn't obey him!
When that thick, black muzzle had pointed at him, his heart had lurched. Then he had seemingly lost control of his body, his legs as heavy as though they had been filled with lead, unable to move...
Fortunately, the other party had only been joking.
"No big deal..."
Wang Shaojie put on an air of breezy indifference.
Yet he laid all the shame and anger of nearly being humiliated by Xiao Hongchen at Xu Cheng's door.
Just you wait for the assessment. I'll make you pay!!!
At the center of the venue, metal partitions divided the floor into twenty areas.
In other words, twenty assessments would take place simultaneously to speed things up. If they held them one at a time, they might not finish even in half a year...
The assessment would last a week in total.
It would continue until first, second, and third place, along with the top twenty, had been determined so that rewards could be distributed.
"Candidates numbered one through twenty, please enter!"
Lin Jiayi's voice rang out.
Xiao Hongchen and Xu Cheng went to their respective areas.
Xiao Hongchen's opponent was also a student from the new Class One.
Huang Hao was at rank twenty-one, with a food-type martial soul. His talent fell somewhat short of Xiao Hongchen and the other two, but across their entire year, he was undoubtedly among the very best.
Upon seeing Xiao Hongchen, Huang Hao gave a helpless smile.
A certain defeat.
He had been silently praying that he wouldn't encounter any of those three. Against anyone else, he would at least have a fighting chance.
But his luck was just that bad...
He had run straight into the person he least wanted to face.
"Well? Want to consider surrendering?" Xiao Hongchen asked with a smile.
"Come on."
Huang Hao wasted no words. He freed his hands, conjured two pieces of tender white tofu, and stuffed them into his mouth. As he chewed, a Ranged Soul Guidance Tool appeared in his hand...
In the spectator stands.
At the very top.
Jing Hongchen and Elder Cheng had appeared at some point, with the director of studies, Lin Jiayi, accompanying them. The teachers serving as judges sat behind them, trembling with apprehension and not daring to make the slightest untoward move.
"Xiao has made quite a bit of progress these past few months."
Elder Cheng smiled as he watched the assessment below.
In fact, they were far from the only ones paying attention to Xiao Hongchen.
Most of the people in the entire Soul Guidance Hall had come for Xiao Hongchen, a testament to his immense popularity.
And the result did not disappoint.
Xiao Hongchen displayed near-crushing dominance.
Even Huang Hao, a fellow student of the new Class One whose talent ranked among the top ten in their entire year, failed to withstand two moves from him.
As a Level 3 Soul Engineer, he not only precisely calculated the timing and distance of his opponent's attacks, but also controlled his Soul Tools with an ease far beyond his peers. Even many fourth- and fifth-year seniors felt ashamed of their own shortcomings.
The outcome held no surprises.
Xiao Hongchen claimed a clean, decisive victory.
While fierce battles still raged in several neighboring areas, he was already rather smugly bowing to the surrounding spectators before sauntering down the steps.
The undisputed number-one prodigy.
Thunderous applause and cheers immediately filled the venue.
Coupled with Xiao Hongchen's handsome face, his performance had many of the girls cheering for him.
Everyone admired strength...
"The spirit of youth! Hahahaha! I was just as dashing when I was young."
Elder Cheng stroked his chin and chuckled.
Before you continue