The next morning.
As dawn broke, Lin Jiayi rushed into Jing Hongchen's office without even knocking, forcing his way in.
"Master! Something's happened!" His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his face was filled with panic.
Jing Hongchen was reading the research report given to him by the Soul Engineer at a crucial moment when Lin Jiayi interrupted him.
He wanted to get angry, but seeing how flustered the other person was, he looked up, his brows slightly furrowed.
"What's the rush? Speak slowly."
He knew Lin Jiayi's personality; he wouldn't be in such a hurry unless it was something important.
Lin Jiayi swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "Master, last night... last night two monitoring Soul Tool were destroyed, and writing was left in the elevator leading to the Illustrious Virtue Hall... We suspect that something was hacked into the Illustrious Virtue Hall last night!"
"What?!" Jing Hongchen suddenly stood up, knocking over the teacup on the table in the process.
Scalding hot tea splashed onto his hands, but he was completely unaware.
"Were there any other losses? Who dared to break into our Illustrious Virtue Hall?!"
"Aside from the destruction of two monitoring Soul Tool, we haven't found any other damage. As for who caused it..."
Lin Jiayi hesitated, clearly unsure how to explain.
But in the end, he had no choice but to say:
"Master, why don't you go and check the elevator leading to the Illustrious Virtue Hall yourself? The writings are still there."
"Let's go take a look now."
The two walked quickly through the corridor, and the Soul Engineer along the way made way for them.
Jing Hongchen's face was terribly gloomy, and his eyes flashed with a dangerous light.
When they arrived at the damaged elevator, Lin Jiayi nervously pressed the switch.
The metal door slid open slowly, revealing the arrogant words written on the inner wall:
" Soul Engineer Killer, I was here."
The nine large characters, written in a bold, flamboyant style, were painted with the most glaring red pigment, making them stand out starkly against the silvery-white metal wall.
Jing Hongchen's pupils suddenly contracted. He slowly stepped into the elevator, his fingertips gently tracing the words on the screen.
The paint wasn't completely dry yet, and it clung to his fingertips, sticky Blood One.
"Good... very good!" His voice was terrifyingly low, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop to freezing point instantly.
" Soul Engineer Killer, it's you again!"
"Twice."
"Our Illustrious Virtue Hall has been treated like a child's game, with people coming and going as they please."
Suppressing his anger, Jing Hongchen spoke sharply.
Are there any clues?
Lin Jiayi's back was already soaked with cold sweat. "Master, we've checked the surveillance footage, but there's no trace of them."
"Although our surveillance covers the entire academy without any blind spots, the enemy can selectively disrupt the monitoring direction of one of the Soul Tool and then successfully break in."
"Strangely, we clearly set up a trigger alarm in the monitoring Soul Tool, but no alarm has sounded yet."
"The opponent still used a mysterious power that we are unaware of, completely ignoring the effects of all Soul Tool..."
"Smack!"
Jing Hongchen slammed his palm against the metal wall, causing the entire elevator to tremble.
The Titled Douluo's Soul Power leaked out uncontrollably, distorting the surrounding air.
"Last time he infiltrated, he didn't damage the monitoring Soul Tool at all, but this time he did!"
"Without a doubt, this is blatant provocation!" he said through gritted teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "To come and go freely in my Illustrious Virtue Hall and leave such handwriting... this is a slap in the face to all of us!"
"What's even more embarrassing is that we couldn't find a single clue at all?"
Lin Jiayi kept his head down, not daring to breathe.
Jing Hongchen took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! All the guards on duty last night, all the personnel authorized to enter the elevator, don't let a single one escape!"
"Yes," Lin Jiayi quickly replied.
"And..." Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Strengthen inspections at all entrances and exits, especially that new combat instructor."
Lin Jiayi was taken aback. "You suspect him? But we've investigated; he stayed in his room meditating and cultivating all night and didn't go out."
"The more impossible someone seems, the more suspicious they should be, especially regarding the Soul Engineer Killer. It's far too important; this person's threat to our country has shaken the very foundation of our nation."
"That's what Jing Hongchen said coldly."
"Even my teacher was alarmed; we can't be careless in this kind of matter."
"Even if he is His Highness the Crown Prince's man, we can't completely rule out suspicion. Besides, I'm afraid His Highness the Crown Prince might be deceived by him. Go and do it; just give him a simple test."
If he is truly innocent, then there's no need to bother with him anymore.
"Yes, Master."
After Lin Jiayi left in a hurry, Jing Hongchen looked again at the scathing handwriting.
His eyes were as sinister as an eagle's, and he murmured softly:
"It seems you're determined to oppose us to the end... No matter who you are, daring to provoke Illustrious Virtue Hall will come at a price."
Meanwhile, Toji was giving practical lessons to the students at the Soul Guidance Test Grounds.
One student after another was carried away on a stretcher. Today's course had reached its fifteenth session, and the young Soul Engineer continued to come and challenge them, only to leave one after another with bruised and battered faces.
He exercised some restraint; the injuries were neither too severe nor too minor, enough to teach them a lesson they would never forget.
"Next." Toji yawned, his tone tinged with boredom.
Playing around with little kids and giving them lessons is honestly boring and a bit tiring. Being a teacher is really tough.
But he had no choice in order to poach talent.
Even those twenty-year-old Soul Engineer who were his age, or those older than him, were no match for him.
Just then, the audience fell silent for a moment.
A figure slowly walked onto the arena, the sound of their footsteps so light it was almost inaudible.
Toji raised an eyebrow, finally perking up a bit.
The newcomer was an ordinary-looking female Soul Engineer, who appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore a plain gray uniform, was of medium build, and had her short brown hair casually tied back. She looked just like any ordinary office worker you could find anywhere in the academy.
" Illustrious Virtue Hall, Jing Ziyan."
Her voice was as flat as she was, without any inflection, and her appearance was extremely ordinary; she was the kind of person who would be completely lost in a crowd.
A murmur rippled through the audience; clearly, this female Soul Engineer was quite famous within the academy.
Toji Er narrowed his eyes slightly.
We've finally found someone we'd really like to recruit.
Although her level is somewhat low, she was known as an all-around genius in the original work, skilled in all aspects of Soul Tool. It was precisely because she was too greedy that her cultivation level was low.
At the same time, she was the only person in the academy who could communicate with the Sword Fanatic Ji Juechen.
Ji Juechen is the most ruthless of all. In the Douluo Continent, so-called talent is all about how much innate Soul Power one has, the quality of one's Martial Soul, and whether the inherited Martial Soul bloodline is of a high level, etc...
All of the above points are indispensable; if any one of them is missing, one is not a top-tier genius.