Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen

"...You're very confident."

Jing Hongchen's voice was low, but it betrayed neither anger nor pleasure.

"If I killed you right now, what could you do about it? You dare bargain with me?"

"That would be a real shame. I'd finally managed to develop a shred of goodwill toward your academy, and now it's been completely shattered." Lu Ren's lips curled into a smile.

Since he had dared to come alone to the Sun Moon Empire's territory, he naturally had trump cards of his own.

He wasn't afraid of being captured and studied by these Level 9 Soul Engineers, because Lu Ren had at least a fifty-fifty chance of escaping them by exploiting their lack of knowledge about Cursed Techniques, which they had never seen before.

Even if he couldn't escape, he could take every last one of them down with him before he died. But Lu Ren didn't think he would die so easily.

On the contrary, as long as they failed to blast his entire body to pieces in a single strike, Lu Ren had ways to revive at full health.

In a sense, he could just barely be considered undying.

At those words, Jing Hongchen said nothing more.

Then silence settled over the room.

A very long silence.

Lu Ren didn't hurry him. He simply sat there quietly, waiting for his answer.

At last, Jing Hongchen's gaze returned to Lu Ren, as sharp as ever, but now carrying a trace of something complicated.

"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone isn't something I can decide on alone."

"But..."

His tone shifted, and a meaningful smile appeared at the corners of his mouth:

"If you truly can trample Shrek Academy underfoot at the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament..."

"I'll personally negotiate with the imperial family and try to secure you a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. From then on, you'll be a loyal ally of our Sun Moon Empire."

Lu Ren smiled.

"Deal."

He held out his hand.

But Jing Hongchen looked at that hand and fell silent for two seconds. Rather than shake it, he slowly withdrew his gaze, his tone turning cold and guarded again:

"You're dreaming. I haven't fully agreed to this deal yet."

Lu Ren shrugged and withdrew his hand as though nothing had happened.

Jing Hongchen's tone regained its composure:

"Before that, you must prove you're worth this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow:

"How?"

"You must prove that, as you are now, you're the strongest person under twenty in our Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Otherwise, I won't believe you can help us defeat Shrek in the tournament," Jing Hongchen said evenly.

"Tomorrow, I'll arrange matches at the academy, and you must accept our students' challenges."

An unrestrained, swaggering smile immediately spread across Lu Ren's lips. He was brimming with confidence:

"If it's a test, why not make a bigger spectacle of it? Let's hold an arena challenge. I'll defend the arena, and you can send people against me in waves. No limit on numbers-even a few hundred will do. As long as anyone can knock me flat, I lose. How's that?"

Jing Hongchen gave him a long look, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes before a chilling warning took its place:

"You'd better weigh that arrogance carefully. If you can't produce strength to match that confidence, I'll break all four of your limbs and dump you in a stinking ditch in Mingdu. Consider that the price for making a fool of me."

"Deal."

Lu Ren answered crisply, without the slightest hesitation.

Jing Hongchen gave Lu Ren a long look.

Whether it was arrogance or confidence, the boy at least hadn't shown any fear in front of him.

That temperament alone put him a cut above those so-called geniuses at the academy.

Besides...

I have even more faith in my own judgment. If he really had misjudged him this time, what business did he have being a Level 9 Soul Engineer?

"Fine." He nodded. "I'll indulge this madness of yours just this once."

He raised a hand, pressed the Communication Soul Tool on the desk, and gave a few instructions.

A moment later, a middle-aged man pushed open the door and entered, waiting respectfully to one side.

"Take him to rest. Arrange a single dormitory room for him in the top-grade section, with the same privileges as a core student."

"Yes," the middle-aged man answered, then turned to Lu Ren. "Student Lu Ren, please follow me."

Lu Ren stood, gave Jing Hongchen a slight nod, and followed the middle-aged man out.

As he reached the doorway, Jing Hongchen's voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Don't embarrass me in the arena tomorrow."

Lu Ren paused, looked back, and smiled:

"Don't worry. I won't be the one embarrassed."

The door closed.

Jing Hongchen leaned back in his chair and stared at the closed door, silent for a long time.

Then he raised his hand and pressed the Communication Soul Tool again.

"Have Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen come here."

A moment later, the office door was pushed open.

Two youths, a boy and a girl, walked in.

The boy in front had delicate features and exceptionally bright, large blue eyes, with a tall, slender, upright figure.

The hands hanging at his sides were exceptionally slender, their jade-like hue something even girls rarely possessed.

His steps were casual, and his entire bearing exuded the arrogance of someone who thought, I'm number one under heaven.

The girl following him was extremely beautiful. Her long, straight silver hair was gathered to the right in a ponytail, and her large, watery-blue eyes fluttered. Even her school uniform couldn't conceal her well-developed figure.

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.

They were Jing Hongchen's own grandson and granddaughter.

"Grandfather." The two greeted him in unison.

"Sit." Jing Hongchen pointed at the chairs in front of him.

Xiao Hongchen plopped down, crossed his legs, and leaned back against the chair, asking lazily:

"Grandfather, what did you call us here for?"

Meng Hongchen, by contrast, sat properly with her hands on her knees, looking quietly at Jing Hongchen.

Jing Hongchen didn't beat around the bush. He briefly recounted the matter concerning Lu Ren.

"Grandfather, are you saying his first Soul Ring is already a thousand-year one?" Meng Hongchen blinked, clear curiosity in her voice.

Jing Hongchen nodded:

"Not only that. His fourth Soul Ring is fifty thousand years old."

"Fifty thousand years?" Xiao Hongchen's previously languid expression shifted slightly. "A Soul Ancestor absorbed a fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring?"

"The data measured by the instruments can't be false." Jing Hongchen turned to look at his grandson and granddaughter. "Tomorrow, the academy will hold an arena challenge for him. You'll enter as well."

Xiao Hongchen raised an eyebrow. "Waves of challengers?"

"Yes. He'll defend the arena, and every student in the academy may challenge him." Jing Hongchen paused. "I intend to have both of you enter tomorrow's arena challenge as well."

Xiao Hongchen arched his eyebrows, a disdainful smile curling his lips:

"Is this person worth such a fuss, Grandfather? Can it really just be because of his Soul Ring configuration?"

Jing Hongchen glanced at him without explaining further.

This grandson of his was getting worse and worse.

If Lu Ren really was capable, it wouldn't be a bad thing if he could put him in his place and cure him of this flaw.

"Fight properly in tomorrow's arena challenge. Sound out his capabilities and give yourselves some training at the same time."

"Don't worry, Grandfather." Meng Hongchen brushed aside a strand of hair by her ear, her voice gentle. "We'll take it seriously."

Xiao Hongchen stood, slipped his hands into his pockets, and headed toward the door:

"All right, got it. Tomorrow I'll go meet that brat and let him learn that the Sun Moon Royal Academy isn't a place where any stray cat or dog can run wild."

He reached the doorway and glanced back at Meng Hongchen:

"Let's go, little sister. Don't keep Grandfather from his rest."

Meng Hongchen bowed to Jing Hongchen, rose, and followed.