No Seaweed, No Egg, No Soup

The solitary confinement cell had no windows, only a Soul Guidance Lamp in the corner emitting a dim yellow light.

Bao Liang leaned against the cold alloy wall, his posture seemingly lazy, but his gaze would occasionally sweep over Ji Juechen opposite him.

Having only seen this person in comics and the original work, he was still somewhat wary of him now that they were actually together.

However, the Ji Juechen in front of us seems to be closer to the original character than the one in the comics.

Aside from his face being even more handsome than in the comics, there's almost no difference in other aspects.

But the problem is... why is Ji Juechen so thin?

The kind of thinness doesn't look like the kind of thinness caused by over-exercising and firm muscles, but rather the kind of thinness caused by not eating properly and being starved.

The loose-fitting training clothes he wore looked somewhat loose on him.

The long, black sword lay across his lap, his hands resting lightly on its blade, motionless, as if he had become one with the sword in his hands.

Bao Liang stared for a while before breaking the silence.

"Ji Juechen, right? May I ask how old you are?"

Twenty years old.

What is your Soul Power level?

Level 58.

Level 58? Have you ever used any drugs to aid your cultivation?

Ji Juechen shook his head, "Never used it."

Medicine is ultimately an external thing; the only right path is to tap into one's own potential and strive for self-improvement.

Bao Liang's eyelids twitched, and he continued to ask, "Then what is your Martial Soul?"

"Sword."

Ji Juechen answered directly.

"What kind of sword is it? It must be something special."

Ji Juechen glanced down at the longsword on his lap and said calmly, "It's just an ordinary external sword with no powerful abilities."

It's made of meteorite iron, and I painstakingly shaped it myself.

Bao Liang frowned slightly.

Ji Juechen continued, "My Martial Soul was originally a sword."

But my Martial Soul no longer possesses a physical form; it has completely transformed into Soul Power and will, merging into this sword.

"Martial Soul, Soul Power, spirit, and sword are all the same."

"Man is sword, sword is man."

Bao Liang was taken aback.

He originally thought that Ji Juechen only used the sword as a weapon, but he did not expect that the other party had actually entrusted his Martial Soul and his own will to the sword.

This is not a simple method of cultivating Tool Martial Soul.

In this guy's eyes, the sword in his hand is probably no longer a weapon, but a part of his body, proof of his existence in this world.

Bao Liang was silent for a moment, then asked, "If I may be so bold as to ask again, what is your Innate Soul Power?"

Level 3.

"Level three?!"

Bao Liang's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"So you relied on your innate level three Soul Power to cultivate all the way to level fifty-eight without any medicine?"

"That's true."

Ji Juechen nodded.

His tone was so calm, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary.

Bao Liang fell completely silent.

At the third level of the Innate Realm, even in the Sun Moon Continent, he could barely be considered a promising young genius.

But in the Soul Master World in the Douluo Continent, he would be practically no different from a piece of trash.

Moreover, Ji Juechen had no family resources, no famous teachers to guide him, and no special Martial Soul abilities. He relied solely on a sword he had forged himself to reach the level of the fifty-eighth Soul King without the aid of medicine.

This cannot be explained by talent alone.

This is a path forged bit by bit, through countless days and nights of hard work.

Looking at Ji Juechen's thin face, Bao Liang Liang's initial wariness and probing gradually dissipated.

He then asked, "Where do you live? Where are your parents? Do you have any siblings or close friends?"

"No."

Ji Juechen continued to answer whatever questions he asked.

I have no father or mother, nor any relatives or friends.

I used to live on the border of the Sun Moon Continent, but after the village was gone, I wandered around like this.

Until one day, I passed by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and challenged the students there. The dean saw me and specially recruited me into the academy.

After that, he lived in an abandoned warehouse on the back mountain.

Bao Liang's lips twitched.

This was no ordinary student; the words "lonely and miserable" were clearly written all over their face.

"Didn't the academy assign you a dormitory? And nobody cares about your meals and cultivation resources?"

"The dean said I could do whatever I wanted."

I can challenge anyone in the academy at will, and I don't need to learn how to use Soul Tool.

As for other things, nobody has told me.

Bao Liang suddenly frowned.

Wait, something seems off.

"What's wrong?"

"Our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy should have extra subsidies and assessment requirements for students who major in Martial Soul and minor in Soul Tool, right? Didn't you receive them?"

Ji Juechen looked at him blankly.

"What kind of subsidy? Does such a thing exist?"

Bao Liang sat up straight.

Of course there are.

Every year, the academy recruits a group of talented combat-oriented students to engage in practical combat training with Soul Engineer students. This allows them to observe the performance of Soul Tool in real combat and, incidentally, examine whether there are any flaws in the coordination between Soul Engineer and their Soul Tool.

"The requirements for combat-oriented students like us are not high; we must participate in at least ten sparring matches each month."

In return, the academy will provide cultivation medicine monthly, a Mystic Water Pill every three months, as well as medical expenses and scholarships.

Of course, the academy also provides compensation to students who use Soul Tool in battle, amounting to 30% of the metal quota for Soul Tool damaged during the fight.

At this point, Bao Liang stared at Ji Juechen.

"You didn't know any of this?"

"Have no idea."

Doesn't it say so in the student handbook?

What is a student handbook?

Bao Liang fell silent.

"When Grandpa Jing specially recruited you, didn't he tell you these things?"

Ji Juechen thought for a moment, and finally said, "At that time, the dean said that Mingde Hall had an emergency experiment, and assigned me to another teacher."

The teacher told me that the dean had instructed me to focus on my cultivation, occasionally assist with experiments, and then do whatever I wanted.

"What about the school rules? They're posted everywhere in the hallways and dorms, didn't you see any of them?"

"They said the school rules don't apply to me; I was specially recruited by the dean, so of course I listen to the dean."

Therefore, I do whatever the dean tells me to do.

Bao Liang: "... Are you some silly roe deer from some remote mountain village?"

"..." Ji Juechen paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Have I caused trouble for the dean?"

Looking at his overly serious face, Bao Liang's initial anger suddenly turned into an indescribable sense of helplessness.

Bao Liang patted Ji Juechen on the shoulder, his tone full of rare sincerity, "Not really."

"But some people will probably be eating their fill of seaweed and egg drop soup with no vegetables, no flowers, and no broth from now on."

Ji Juechen didn't understand, but Bao Liang had no intention of explaining.

"Oh dear~ I wonder how Grandpa Jing will react when he finds out about this."

I can't wait!