"Thank you..."
Tang Ya pursed her red lips and bowed.
"Hehe, you earned this." A flicker of curiosity passed through Jing Hongchen's smile.
He could tell that there was something rather strange about Tang Ya herself.
Her martial soul, dark blue silver grass, probably possessed some devouring properties.
Judging by what she had displayed, she had likely devoured at least a hundred people, and her blue silver grass had almost completely mutated.
An ordinary person would probably have fallen into darkness long ago.
Yet this girl remained clearheaded, nothing at all like the handiwork of those people from the Holy Spirit Cult.
Could it be... this boy's doing?
Jing Hongchen glanced at Xu Cheng beside him and buried the question in his heart.
Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen each received a Level 8 Soul Tool. Of course, everyone knew that, as the grandson and granddaughter of Mingde Hall's master, they could hardly be short of such rewards.
It was more a matter of honor.
Finally, it was Xu Cheng's turn.
Jing Hongchen took out a soul tool without hesitation.
"Red Dust Protection!"
Xu Cheng's pupils abruptly contracted.
A Level 9 Soul Tool-the ticket Jing Hongchen had used to "tour" the Sea Cucumber Pavilion in the original story!
It certainly wasn't among the finest Level 9 Soul Tools, but it was by no means poor either. Most importantly, Jing Hongchen had made this Level 9 Soul Tool himself, so its quality was guaranteed.
Could the reward for a single assessment really be this staggering?
Xu Cheng froze for a moment.
Even at the extravagantly wealthy Shrek Academy, if he remembered correctly, first place had only earned a soul bone thirty or forty thousand years old.
"This is my personal gift to you. Your reward is this..."
Jing Hongchen transmitted his voice to him.
As he spoke, he discreetly slipped Red Dust Protection into Xu Cheng's hand, then handed him a metal Core Array. Smiling, he patted Xu Cheng's shoulder. "May you find a fine teacher."
Xu Cheng parted his lips.
Looking into those kindly eyes, he slowly nodded.
"Thank you..."
If Jing Hongchen's attitude had been somewhat ambiguous before, then now...
He had placed his bet!
"As for this Core Array, it belongs to a Level 7 Soul Tool. Don't look down on it. If you can unravel it, you'll understand its value."
Jing Hongchen sent another voice transmission, then left with a smile.
Xu Cheng lowered his head, looking at the core formation, then at Jing Hongchen's departing figure.
He let out a long breath.
"Cheng, how could Grandpa do this?!" Meng Hongchen approached with puffed cheeks. Seeing that Xu Cheng held only a Core Array, and merely a level seven one at that, she was positively indignant.
"Don't worry! I'll ask Grandpa for another Level 8 Soul Tool later!"
"Ahem, ahem..."
Xu Cheng coughed twice.
"This Core Array may only be level seven, but its significance is enormous, far beyond other soul tools. Besides..." Xu Cheng turned his palm over, and a red crystal appeared in his hand.
"Red Dust Protection!"
Meng Hongchen gave a quiet gasp.
"I never thought Grandpa would even give you this." Xiao Hongchen was even more moved.
A Level 9 Soul Tool already transcended the realm of ordinary soul tools. Calling it a strategic asset was no exaggeration...
"Grandpa..." Only Tang Ya stared with widened eyes, unable to believe it.
Who would have thought that Mingde Hall's master, a Level 9 Soul Engineer... was her best friend's grandfather?
No wonder...
The holidays arrived.
The first semester had ended.
Many students chose to return home and use their families' resources to obtain their second soul rings.
Quite a few others, whose families weren't particularly well-off, chose to stay in Mingdu and work to support their studies, manufacturing low-level soul tools to sell on the black market or to various organizations.
The reputation carried by the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's name was truly formidable.
Every holiday, numerous organizations approached them to arrange amicable cooperation.
Of course, the Sun Moon Imperial Academy also offered financial aid. Students from impoverished families received ten Gold Soul Coins each month, and the academy also provided help with certain soul tool research projects.
After all, unlike Shrek, that "aristocratic academy," quite a few students in the Sun Moon Empire came from commoner backgrounds...
Xu Cheng, however, presented an entirely different picture.
Outside the academy gates.
A mechanical soul-powered car slowly came to a stop.
Its driver was an unfamiliar, tall-looking man shrouded entirely in a black robe.
The soul-powered car was already quite spacious, but his body still pressed against the roof, even forcing him to hunch forward a little.
"Lord Holy Son..."
Inside the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's gates.
A boy and a girl slowly walked out side by side and approached the car.
The black-robed man hurriedly got out and opened the rear door.
Xu Cheng glanced back at the academy.
See you in a month and a half...
Then he got into the car with Nana, and they slowly disappeared from the academy's view.
"Riding in this car..."
Xu Cheng rolled his shoulders.
He looked around.
This was the preferred choice for many low-level soul masters in the Sun Moon Empire.
It replaced cumbersome transport such as the horse-drawn carriages in the original story, without being as expensive as high-level soul beasts.
Those of a somewhat higher level could travel using Flying Soul Tools instead.
Xu Cheng could actually use a Flying Soul Tool too, but he had a particular fondness for vehicles. Riding in something similar to the cars of his previous life, especially in another world like this, gave him a distinct sense that the things remained while the people had changed.
Of course, that was when he wasn't pressed for time...
On this trip, they would first help Nana pay her respects to her parents, then head to the border to try their luck and see whether they could pick up Ju Zi...
"..."
Just as Xu Cheng yawned.
A slender, delicate hand quietly reached over.
It began gently massaging Xu Cheng's shoulders, as though driving away his weariness.
Indeed, Xu Cheng had pulled another all-nighter.
He had been studying the Core Array Jing Hongchen had given him. With the aid of his mastered [Soul Tool Analysis] skill, he had finally analyzed it after an entire night.
That was right.
It was precisely the soul tool core for mass-producible humanoid mechs that had appeared in the Sun Moon Empire.
Far into the later stages of the original story, that is.
It incorporated propulsion, protective barriers, mounted weapon attack circuits, and more-almost everything was included. Its only shortcoming, perhaps, was that this Level 7 Core's array still had certain flaws.
There were still hurdles to overcome in areas such as improving human control and the limits of its mounted weapons.
But it was already extremely valuable...
Xu Cheng shook his head with a sigh of admiration.
If Huo Gua had obtained this Core Array ahead of time in the original story, the entire world's balance might have looked very different.
"Would you like... a lap pillow?"
Nana's gentle voice drifted over.
"Hmm?" Xu Cheng paused. "Where did you learn a term like that?"
"I heard the girls mention it when they were chatting. They all give their boyfriends rewards like this..." Nana said, her pretty face composed.
"Just what I'd expect from the Douluo Continent..." The corner of Xu Cheng's mouth twitched.
So precocious. In my previous life, this sort of 'outrageous behavior'-dating too young-would probably have earned a schoolwide public reprimand long ago...
"Do you want one or not...?" Nana continued.
She seemed perfectly calm, but Xu Cheng's senses were exceptionally keen. He clearly noticed her face reddening a little...
"Sure. Let's give it a try."
Xu Cheng lowered his upper body and rested his head directly on Nana's thighs.
A delicate fragrance washed over him, followed by softness and springiness...
The girl already had long legs, and her wheat-colored skin wasn't dark, giving her a charm all her own.
"Mmm..."
Nana gently pursed her red lips.
Watching Xu Cheng fall asleep the moment his head settled, the shyness in her beautiful eyes quickly faded, replaced by tender concern...
Before you continue