Xuan Ziwen: I had no choice. He offered far too much

"Huh..."

When Tang Wutong caught sight of Lu Cheng, she suddenly felt a sense of displeasure, as if he were her natural enemy. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she said imperiously, "Hey, you're the head of this lab?"

"I'm not."

Lu Cheng stared at Tang Wutong's eyes for only a moment before instantly understanding what was going on. He lowered his eyelids and said calmly.

"I'm just the Grandmaster in this lab. The lab instructor is Xuan Ziwen. Since you came to the Sun Moon Empire from the Shrek Academy to learn, shouldn't you at least show some basic courtesy?"

Lu Cheng looked down at the girl and slowly spoke.

"Hmph, I... cough cough, I disdain discussing etiquette with barbarians like you. You dare to question me? I only need to stay here for three years, and then, upon returning to the academy, I will utterly defeat you in the next Continental Soul Master Tournament and reclaim the glory that belongs to my father... Shrek Academy."

"I have no interest in learning any so-called Soul Tool; they're all crooked and evil methods. I can crush you all with just my Martial Soul."

"Two years ago, that beast Lu Cheng gave you the championship spot. Don't be fooled into thinking that your Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy is really the champion... You're just a bunch of charlatans."

Tang Wutong was used to being willful and capricious, and her words showed no regard for the fact that this was the territory of the Sun Moon Empire; she looked down on everyone.

Upon hearing this, Ke Ke, Zi Mu, and the others were filled with righteous indignation, their eyes blazing with fury. They wished they could rush up and beat the other party up, but they refrained from doing so because of the other party's status as an exchange student.

So what is your current cultivation level?

Lu Cheng cut to the chase and spoke calmly.

"Soul Ancestor, or Soul King?"

"..."

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Tang Wutong's face also darkened slightly, feeling both embarrassed and angry. Because the Immortal Herb Garden had been completely harvested, she hadn't absorbed a single Immortal Herb yet, hence she was only at level forty-nine.

"Could it be that only Soul Ancestor involved?"

Lu Cheng pursued relentlessly, a mocking smile on his face, "If this is all the strength you have, what right do you have to be so arrogant? Even Xiao Hongchen, the leading disciple of this year's Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy, and his sister Meng Hongchen, are far superior to you."

"Ultimately, if you didn't rely on the Clear Sky Sect, what would you be?"

"You, how dare you humiliate me?" Tang Wutong was furious. She was a typical high-attack, low-defense type. She had a smooth journey and could even insult Da Ming Er Ming at will. Her father had also told her the same thing before she descended to the mortal realm. She was a princess and no one dared to contradict her, let alone insult her to her face.

"You're asking for death!!" Tang Wutong was enraged and embarrassed. In an instant, a Clear Sky Hammer materialized in her right hand and smashed straight at Lu Cheng.

But Lu Cheng was faster than her.

A flying kick.

The weapon struck the girl squarely in the abdomen, sending her flying backward with disheveled hair. With a dull thud, Tang Wutong crashed through a series of machines before slamming into a wall.

"Waste."

Lu Cheng's eyes remained calm as he glanced at her indifferently, then said to Ju Zi beside him, "Pack your things."

"You, you actually dared to hit me! I'm going to..."

Tang Wutong clutched her stomach and struggled to her feet, her eyes wide with anger as she glared at Lu Cheng, wishing she could devour him whole. However, the pain in her abdomen returned, and the fearless woman now looked at Lu Cheng with a hint of dread.

His words abruptly stopped; his lips moved, but he couldn't continue.

"..."

Lu Cheng ignored her and walked straight out of the laboratory.

"Damn it, damn it!!!"

Tang Wutong was clearly a bully who preyed on the weak. Seeing Lu Cheng leave, she was filled with resentment and had no way to vent it. She picked up a nearby weapon and was about to smash it down, but Lu Cheng stepped back.

The scene remained frozen in place.

Tang Wutong caught a glimpse of Lu Cheng out of the corner of her eye. Her mouth gaped open, and the object she was holding remained suspended in mid-air, never coming down. She gritted her teeth and slowly placed it on the table. "This thing... it's really an eyesore to me."

Tang Wutong snorted coldly and turned her head away.

"Ju Zi, come with me."

Lu Cheng's gaze swept over her indifferently, but then landed directly on Ju Zi.

He turned and left again.

"Damn it, ahhhhh!!!"

Tang Wutong kicked the chair angrily, but her previous arrogance had clearly subsided.

She glanced coldly at the laboratory door, thinking to herself: Just wait, when Shrek defeats the Sun Moon Empire and the Clear Sky Sect destroys Mingdu, I will make you suffer a terrible death!

Inside the office.

Xuan Ziwen and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Why did you have to beat her up? She's an exchange student, after all. If she causes trouble, we can't afford the consequences. Let her stay for three years, and then we'll send her away safely..."

I've stopped.

Lu Cheng shrugged.

"It's just a lesson. It's the easiest way to deal with such an ill-mannered guy."

"Sigh..." Xuan Ziwen shook his head, feeling very troubled.

"She reported you to the head of the group, saying that you... you wantonly bullied the exchange student and insulted her character. The head of the group suppressed the matter, but also asked me to tell you to try not to lay a hand on her next time."

"As long as she watches her mouth, I naturally won't bother arguing with her," Lu Cheng said casually.

"Stop with the nonsense. So now you should explain to me... what do you mean by having tens of tons of Ice Extreme Divine Crystal? Where did all this stuff come from?"

Xuan Ziwen slammed a storage soul-guided diamond ring on the table, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Cheng: "These are all from the Far North, even from the core area. Even the Three Great Heavenly Kings might not be able to see them. How did you get so many?"

He found himself increasingly unable to understand his chief disciple.

A prodigious talent, Martial Soul that remains a mystery to this day, and... this rare metal reserve is clearly not something a disciple could obtain.

Although he's a science-oriented guy, that doesn't mean he's stupid.

He understands perfectly what many things mean.

"Teacher, are you sure you want to know?"

Lu Cheng leisurely sipped his tea, glancing at Xuan Ziwen.

The latter's face twitched, and after a long silence, he gritted his teeth and slammed his hand on the table. "I don't want to know anymore, get out of here!"

"..."

The scene was somewhat quiet.

Lu Cheng leaned back in his chair and sighed softly, "Teacher, what if one day someone from the original mainland wanted to recruit you?"

"I'm just a nobody from the Illustrious Virtue Hall, and I don't have any core confidential information about the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Why should I go to such lengths to win me over?" Xuan Ziwen said with a complicated expression.

"You're quite extraordinary."

Lu Cheng smiled and shook his head, "The other researchers can't study this Neural Operating System."

He stared directly at Xuan Ziwen, his expression calm.

"No wonder..." Xuan Ziwen let out a long sigh, somewhat dejected, and said, "I knew it, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Even if there were, how could I possibly stumble upon it?"

"Out of consideration for our past relationship as master and disciple, I won't report you, but..."

"These Ice Extreme Divine Crystal are all for you, as materials for researching the Neural Operating System. In addition, you will receive at least hundreds of millions of Gold Soul Coin in research funding annually, along with all the blueprints for the Tang Sect's precision machinery."

Lu Cheng interrupted Xuan Ziwen and said, word by word.

"..."

The exorbitant price left Xuan Ziwen stunned.

These research conditions are what most researchers crave their entire lives. Not to mention him, even Jing Hongchen doesn't have such extravagant research resources. Although he is the Illustrious Virtue Hall, he is still constrained at every turn.

"Gurgle~"

Xuan Ziwen's throat bobbed; his resolve was wavering.

As a researcher, he knows that some things, once missed, can never be regained.

"However, our soul guidance foundation is relatively backward, so I will also recruit another batch of low-level Soul Engineer from the Sun Moon Empire to serve as your assistants," Lu Cheng said with a smile.

"You win."

Xuan Ziwen slowly closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do; this kid had given him far too much.

Master, I am truly sorry. Before I leave, I will finish the projects I have on hand as much as possible and leave behind some experimental data that he has compiled over half his life. That will be my way of fulfilling my loyalty to the Empire.

After all, he wasn't valued here.

But some people treasure him like a precious gem...

"When are we leaving?" Xuan Ziwen gritted her teeth and turned to look at Lu Cheng.

"What's the rush? Stay a few more days. I still have a few old friends I haven't met yet..." Lu Cheng said with a smile.

"Alright, since you've decided to leave, do it as soon as possible, or things might change. Once you've set a time, I can pack my things." Xuan Ziwen had completely sided with Lu Cheng as the "spy," and after giving him a few more solemn urgings, he turned and left the laboratory, glancing around warily before leaving once he was sure no one was there.

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng chuckled in disbelief.

As expected of Teacher Xuan, he switches between these roles so quickly...

In a small town outside the capital of the Mingdu.

The night was dark and the wind was high.

Wearing a white cloak, Nana walked alone down the street. She looked around to make sure no one was following her before cautiously approaching a secluded courtyard and knocking on the door.

The door slowly opened a crack.

Nana nimbly slipped inside, and then the door slowly closed.

"Your Excellency, the Holy Spirit and the Great Holy Spirit are both below the Temple of Earth. Would you like to see them?" the man who opened the door asked respectfully.

"Um."

Nana lowered her head and nodded slightly.

This was her only chance to see her parents once a month. The Holy Spirit Cult controlled her tightly through her parents' souls. She had tried to resist and struggle, but to no avail.

Even the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineering Academy turned a blind eye to this.

What could she do?

We can only let them do as they please, hoping that the pain their souls suffer will be lessened.

"Please come with me..."

The Holy Spirit Cult disciple bowed and led Nana into a long, narrow corridor. The lights around them flickered, and ahead lay a pitch-black place that seemed to have no end.

"Wrong."

Nana suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Behind the closed door at the dark end ahead, her senses were particularly sharpened by the Ghost Martial Soul, and her heart clenched sharply.

"A Quasi-Holy Spirit?" The disciple looked slightly surprised and turned to look at Nana.

"No, it's nothing..."

Nana hesitated for a moment. There was only one chance per month, and if she missed it, the Holy Spirit Cult wouldn't give her a chance to make up for it.

He forced himself to say, "I was just thinking about something."

The young disciple glanced at her, then turned and headed towards the end of the corridor. As he pushed open the heavy, dark door, a creaking sound filled the air, but the silence inside was oppressive, making her heart clench as if it had been squeezed.

"Huh... why aren't the lights on?"

The young disciple asked in surprise, groping his way towards the lamp in the darkness.

Nana suddenly felt her hair stand on end and instinctively took a half step back.

Something's not right in the darkness!

At the same time, the pungent smell of blood hit her. Just as she was about to stop the young disciple, he had already turned on the wall lamp.

A faint light appeared.

The two witnessed a scene they would never forget.

Almost all the disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult branch, including the three Holy Spirits, lay sprawled in the center of the altar, their bodies soaked in blood and emitting a strong stench of decay. Only a young man dressed in white sat leisurely on a high seat, smiling as he looked down at them.

"Nana, you're finally here..."

I've been waiting for you for days.

Nana felt a chill run down her spine, a cold sensation shooting from her feet to the top of her head. Judging by the days these corpses had been rotting and decaying, they had been there for at least three days, a full three days.

The Holy Spirit Cult disciple who led him there seemed completely unaware of this place?

Or perhaps this mysterious guy only left one person behind, specifically to open the door for him?!