In the corridor.
The brother and sister walked side by side.
Meng Hongchen glanced sideways at Xiao Hongchen's unconcerned face and asked softly:
"Brother, are you confident you can teach him a lesson?"
"Heh." Xiao Hongchen scoffed without even slowing his steps. "Before me, no genius counts as a true genius."
He paused, his tone carrying a streak of arrogance:
"Sis, we're already at levels forty-eight and forty-nine. The tournament starts in eight months. We need to hurry and break through to Soul King so we can show that bunch from Shrek what we're made of."
"As for that Lu Ren..."
He snorted, a disdainful smile curling his lips:
"He dared to spout such wild boasts in front of Grandpa. Tomorrow, I'll give him a lasting memory he'll never forget."
Watching his utterly confident figure from behind, Meng Hongchen stuck out her tongue:
"You're really confident, Brother. But... Grandpa does seem to think highly of him. I'd better make some more preparations."
"Hmph, there's no need." Xiao Hongchen waved without looking back. "Just watch how I trounce him tomorrow."
His figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
Meng Hongchen stood where she was, looking in the direction her brother had gone, and blinked thoughtfully.
Grandpa rarely made such a fanfare of promoting a newcomer.
Just what... was so special about that person?
Early the next morning.
The Soul Tool Trial Grounds.
This was the largest aboveground building at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Shaped like an enormous oval, it could accommodate more than ten thousand people at once.
Its architectural style somewhat resembled Shrek Academy's Beast Arena, but the Soul Tool equipment inside was far more advanced.
Lu Ren stood in the entrance passage and glanced out through a gap at its opening.
The vast Trial Grounds were packed to capacity.
The stands were densely crowded with people, a dark sea of heads. Their noisy discussions gathered into a buzzing wave of sound that echoed beneath the enormous dome.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had nearly twelve thousand students and teachers in total. Including the researchers from the Illustrious Virtue Hall, almost everyone had come today.
Lu Ren withdrew his gaze.
That old fox Jing Hongchen really knew how to stir things up.
He called it a test, yet he'd dragged the whole academy here as an audience. From the looks of it, Jing Hongchen had probably promised the students a chance to enter the Illustrious Virtue Hall, rare metal materials, and so on if they could defeat him...
If he won, the academy would gain a genius; if he lost, he would merely be an arrogant fool inviting humiliation. They could use the opportunity to put him in his place, then draw him completely into their grasp, making it easier to properly mold him into one of their own.
No matter how you calculated it, they wouldn't lose out.
Still...
Lu Ren lowered his head to look at his hands and gently clenched his fists.
It didn't matter.
This suited him perfectly.
In the stands.
Xiao Hongchen sat with his legs crossed and his arms folded across his chest, leaning against his seat back with an utterly bored expression.
Meng Hongchen sat beside him, her gaze sweeping the arena as though searching for that person's figure.
The students around them were deep in discussion:
"I heard that new student knocked Wang Shaojie flat with one punch?"
"Seriously? Wang Shaojie's a Five-Ring Soul King!"
"It's absolutely true. I saw it myself at the main gate yesterday. That guy's Soul Ring configuration was downright terrifying. His first Soul Ring was already a thousand-year one!"
"A thousand-year first Soul Ring? You must be dreaming!"
"Believe it or not! You'll find out soon enough. Besides, the Hall Master personally promised that anyone who defeats him will get a chance to enter the Illustrious Virtue Hall and win some rare metal materials!"
"Really? The rewards are that generous..."
As Xiao Hongchen listened to these discussions, the curve of his lips grew colder.
Hmph.
A bunch of country bumpkins who'd never seen the world.
A thousand-year first Soul Ring, and he could absorb a fifty-thousand-year one for his fourth?
He must have used some underhanded method just to barely catch Grandpa's attention and get specially recruited into the academy...
Just wait. I'll make him show his true colors.
On the dais.
Lin Jiayi stood before the Amplifying Soul Tool and cleared his throat.
"All right, everyone, quiet down."
His voice carried throughout the venue through the Amplifying Soul Tool. The buzzing discussions gradually subsided, and everyone's eyes turned toward the dais.
Lin Jiayi swept his gaze around and announced in a clear voice:
"In keeping with the spirit of forging friendships through combat, the academy has decided to hold this sparring exchange."
"Today, the academy specially recruited a young Soul Master. To test his abilities, the academy will send him out to defend the ring. As challengers, your goal is to defeat him, take the ring, and win the match."
He paused, then continued:
"Of course, we would especially like you to experience the differences between Soul Masters and Soul Engineers during the matches and deepen your understanding."
"For this friendship-through-combat exchange competition, Illustrious Virtue Hall researcher and academy special-grade teacher Xuan Ziwen will serve as referee. I will be your host."
He glanced below the dais and raised his voice:
"Now, please welcome our specially recruited new student, Lu Ren."
Below the dais.
Jing Hongchen stood beside the entrance passage, his gaze resting on Lu Ren.
Today, Lu Ren had changed into the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's uniform. The well-tailored fabric accentuated his tall, straight figure.
His handsome face, however, now bore an air of unhurried composure.
"You'd better not disappoint me, Lu Ren," Jing Hongchen said quietly. "All this commotion today is for your sake."
He did indeed have expectations.
Knocking down a Five-Ring Soul King with one punch, a Soul Ring configuration of Two Purple, Two Black, and being a fourteen-year-old level forty-four Soul Ancestor—put together, these figures were something even a core student of the Shrek Inner Court might not be able to achieve.
But hearsay was still hearsay.
He could not rest easy without seeing for himself.
A Soul Ring configuration of Two Purple, Two Black was only an admission ticket.
His true strength would have to be judged today.
Lu Ren glanced sideways at him and chuckled softly without answering.
Then he stepped forward and walked onto the Trial Grounds.
Every gaze in the venue converged on him in an instant.
The youth emerged from the passage, facing more than ten thousand gazes with neither hurried nor unhurried steps.
Sunlight streamed through the dome's transparent Soul Tool windows, gilding him with a layer of pale golden light.
In the stands, a clamor of discussion suddenly erupted:
"That's him? He doesn't look all that special..."
"He is pretty handsome!"
"What good is being handsome? It'll be hilarious if he gets knocked flat in a moment."
"What do you know? I heard he became a core student as soon as he entered the academy-the kind who can go straight into the Illustrious Virtue Hall."
"A core student? Isn't he a new student?"
"He's a special recruit, understand?"
Xiao Hongchen's gaze settled on that figure, and he narrowed his eyes.
This brat certainly knew how to put on airs.
Meng Hongchen quietly watched the youth in the arena. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds before she gave a soft "Hm?"
"What is it?" Xiao Hongchen asked.
"Nothing." Meng Hongchen shook her head, but a trace of curiosity had entered her eyes. "I just feel there's something different about his presence."
"Hmph." Xiao Hongchen withdrew his gaze and crossed his legs again. "I'll find out when I go down and test him in a moment."
Before you continue