The cultivation room's heavy metal door closed behind him, shutting out every sound from outside.
Under the dim yellow light of the Soul Guidance Lamp, the dark gray walls seemed to merge with the shadows.
The chill in the air seeped through his pores, leaving him refreshed.
At three times its normal concentration, the energy of heaven and earth flowed slowly into his limbs and bones like a trickling stream, producing a subtle resonance with the Cursed Energy within him.
Lu Ren leaned against the wall and murmured:
"You really spared no expense... Thanks, Jing Hongchen."
He was only a lone wolf, with no family backing him and no faction to rely on.
Now that the value he had displayed had attracted an investment from the master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, the man had indeed treated him generously.
He would remember this favor.
If an opportunity arose in the future to save the Hongchen Family and change their original fate, that was not out of the question.
He, Lu Ren, had never been one to forget kindness and betray those who gave it.
Speaking of which, the Hongchen Family's ending in the original novel had been bleak indeed.
They had clearly been the Sun Moon Empire's foremost family, yet Mingdu had blown up, Illustrious Virtue Hall had blown up too, and Jing Hongchen had been banished to the frontier by Xu Tianran, left to await death in that barren land.
Come to think of it, the blame had originally belonged to Huo Yuhao, yet the Hongchen Family had ended up carrying the whole pot on their backs.
"Now I'm no longer short of Soul Power. It's still Cursed Energy I lack." Lu Ren shook his head, looking through the cultivation room's narrow ventilation window toward the distant outline of bustling Mingdu.
The academy was full of the vigor and vitality of youth, and its concentration of Cursed Energy fell far short of a big city's.
When I get the chance, I'll have to head out and explore deep into Mingdu.
What a big city never lacks is resentment in people's hearts. Even a couple of casual strolls would yield more than staying here.
Unfortunately, the people from Shrek had yet to arrive, so he could not leave yet.
If he rashly left the academy before resolving this matter, no one would protect him.
Lu Ren sighed inwardly and found a corner where he sat down cross-legged.
"Shrek... when are you finally coming? And who will you send?"
He paused, then could not help murmuring:
"Preferably Xuan Zi. If it's him, I'll be set."
Closing his eyes, Lu Ren immersed himself in cultivation.
Over the next seven days, Lu Ren experienced the campus life he had not known for so long.
During the day, he sparred and exchanged insights with Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan, testing the limits of his moves.
At night, he returned to the cultivation room to absorb the energy of heaven and earth and consolidate his foundation.
Thanks to those two battle maniacs, he could use his Cursed Technique without restraint, honing his skills in actual combat.
The intensity rose each day, and his strength grew visibly.
Meng Hongchen also followed him around every day. Under the banner of "learning practical combat skills," the hall master's granddaughter barely left his side.
Lu Ren did not mind. When guiding her cultivation and sparring with her, he was serious and never the slightest bit perfunctory.
The girl improved quickly, going from being defeated in a single move at first to lasting three to five exchanges now.
The quality of his three daily meals was also absurdly high, with ingredient costs that could only be described as astronomical.
Soul Beast meat, spiritual herb soup, rare fruits-everything was carefully prepared specifically to replenish those undergoing high-intensity cultivation.
Lu Ren ate to his heart's content.
Compared with the past year of gnawing on dry rations and drinking stream water in the Star Dou Great Forest, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Back then, his life had been little different from a primitive man's.
Then came the morning of the eighth day, with sunlight only just climbing onto the cafeteria's windowsills.
Lu Ren and Meng Hongchen had finished breakfast and were about to head to the training grounds to practice. They had only just stepped outside the cafeteria when they saw Wang Shaojie standing not far away.
He looked terrible. Most of his bruising had faded, but the medical soul tool patch on the bridge of his nose had yet to be removed, and he exuded a long-suppressed viciousness.
The instant he saw Lu Ren, he abruptly raised his hand and pointed straight at him.
"That's him!"
The shout was particularly grating in the early-morning academy.
Seven people stood beside Wang Shaojie, all middle-aged men in their thirties or forties, wearing standard military armor engraved with the Imperial Family Inspection Team's insignia on the chest.
All seven released their Martial Souls simultaneously, the light of their Soul Rings flickering and intertwining in the morning sunshine.
Two Soul Emperors, four Soul Kings, and a Soul Saint!
The presences of six rings and seven rings mingled, pressing toward Lu Ren like an invisible wall.
The middle-aged man leading them was burly and square-faced, his brow carrying a soldier's distinctive cold severity.
He strode up to Lu Ren, took a golden token from inside his clothing, and waved it before his eyes.
"Imperial Family Inspection Team. Are you Lu Ren?"
"Who are you?!" Meng Hongchen stepped forward to stand in front of Lu Ren, lifting her head to look the middle-aged man straight in the eye, without the slightest concession in her water-blue eyes.
The middle-aged man lowered his head, his gaze lingering on her face for an instant before moving away to settle on Lu Ren again.
"You are suspected of assaulting and injuring a member of the imperial family. Come with us to assist in the investigation."
He took a pair of handcuffs from his waist, fluctuations of Soul Power surging around him and growing ever stronger.
The six behind him adjusted their positions at the same time, spreading into a fan and sealing off every escape route.
If Lu Ren dared resist, he would immediately face a combined attack from all of them.
Meng Hongchen's expression darkened. Soul Power abruptly circulated around her, and four Soul Rings-two yellow and two purple-rose from beneath her feet, while the phantom of a Vermilion Clear Ice Toad flickered behind her.
"You dare use force inside the academy?"
"This is official business." The middle-aged man's tone left no room for negotiation. "No one may obstruct the Imperial Family Inspection Team in the execution of its duties."
"Official business?" Meng Hongchen sneered. "I'd say you're using public office to settle a private grudge. Wang Shaojie provoked him first and was injured because his skills fell short, yet now you've come marching over to demand an accounting? If word gets out, where will the imperial family hide its face?"
The middle-aged man's eyes flickered, but he did not answer.
Wang Shaojie rushed up from behind, pointing at the bridge of his nose, which had yet to fully heal, his voice shrill:
"She's lying! Lu Ren attacked me for absolutely no reason! All those people saw it!"
"Shut your mouth." The middle-aged man raised a hand to stop him, his gaze returning to Lu Ren as his tone grew heavier. "Come with us. Don't force us to use force."
Meng Hongchen was about to say more when a hand pressed down on her shoulder.
She turned her head and saw that Lu Ren had come to stand beside her at some point.
He patted her shoulder, signaling for her to step back, then stepped forward himself to face the seven inspection team members.
"Lu Ren!" Meng Hongchen grew anxious.
"It's fine."
Lu Ren's voice was calm. His gaze swept across the seven faces one by one before settling on the middle-aged man in the lead.
"I can cooperate with the investigation." His tone was unhurried. "But you should at least make one thing clear. Are you here on behalf of the Imperial Family Inspection Team, or are you standing up for certain people?"
The middle-aged man frowned slightly. "On behalf of the inspection team, of course."
"Good." Lu Ren nodded. "I thought you were just here to stand up for some clown."
Wang Shaojie's face flushed crimson, his lips trembling as he tried to speak, only to be silenced by a glare from the middle-aged man.
"We're only asking you to come back with us for an investigation." The middle-aged man's tone softened somewhat, but remained firm. "Cooperating with investigations is the duty of every imperial subject."
Click.
The instant the golden handcuffs closed around Lu Ren's wrists, a powerful binding force spread from the metal's surface, winding around his meridians like countless invisible chains.
The flow of Soul Power was forcibly cut off, as though a dam had been laid across the middle of the river through which it surged.
Lu Ren lowered his head to look at the shackles on his wrists and did not struggle.
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