Moments later, raucous laughter erupted once again from the main tent—Xiao Hongchen's booming voice echoed sky-high.
"What? Your martial soul is a spiritual-type Body Martial Soul?!"
"And your Body Martial Soul also has traits of a celestial-type soul, absorbing moonlight for cultivation?"
Meng Hongchen's voice was softer, but the shock in her eyes was no less intense than her brother's.
"That's right. If I didn't have this kind of martial soul, Granduncle wouldn't have valued me so highly. Look—these are my soul rings."
Xu Tianxi quietly activated his Illusory Moon Mystic Eye, and three extraordinary soul rings rose beneath his feet: one yellow and two purple.
It was common for Body Martial Soul users to have exceptional soul ring configurations, so there was no need to hide it.
Xiao Hongchen / Meng Hongchen (thinking): What a beautiful soul ring combination… If only it were mine…
"This is bad. Today, the title of the Sun Moon Empire's top genius has finally met a true challenger."
Xiao Hongchen finally understood the uneasy feeling he had when first seeing Xu Tianxi—this guy's talent was terrifying!
His own Three-Legged Golden Toad might be a divine beast martial soul, but Xu Tianxi's Body Martial Soul was also widely recognized as a top-tier martial soul, and it even possessed stellar attributes. It wasn't inferior to his in the slightest.
Meng Hongchen was thinking even further ahead and asked,
"Earlier you said you also make soul tools—what level soul engineer are you now? Have you earned your certification?"
Xu Tianxi replied helplessly,
"I ran away from home and never had the chance to take the certification with my real identity. I'm not really interested in those certificates anyway—I just focus on crafting soul tools."
Xu Tianxi had a background in the military, specializing in offensive soul tools. He had a particular fondness for stationary soul cannon shells, devoting most of his energy to researching stationary soul tools.
"That's a relief."
Upon hearing that Xu Tianxi hadn't even obtained a Class 1 Soul Engineer certification, Xiao Hongchen let out a long breath of relief.
Heh, at Xu Tianxi's age, he himself had already become a Class 3 Soul Engineer and could even engrave small Class 4 arrays. It looked like he still had the advantage here.
This round, the edge is still mine!
Realizing he wasn't looking very impressive in front of Xu Tianxi, Xiao Hongchen straightened his clothes and waved his hand magnanimously:
"It's actually a good thing you haven't taken the certification. The three nations of Douluo are decades behind our Sun Moon Empire in soul tool technology. Their certification standards don't hold a candle to ours—we wouldn't recognize theirs anyway.
Now that you're in the Sun Moon Empire, be sure to study hard when you enter the academy. If there's anything you don't understand, you can always come ask me. I'd be happy to guide you!"
Thanks to all those sea cucumbers and abalone, Xiao Hongchen felt the need to show some proper pride as a member of the prestigious Hongchen Clan.
After all, Xu Tianxi was a genius who had reached Soul Elder rank (level 35) before the age of eleven—stronger than most of the academy. He was worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Hongchen.
"Thank you, Senior Xiao! But I have a question—since I'm entering the academy mid-term, are there any specific rules or requirements I should be aware of?"
Xu Tianxi naturally addressed him as Senior and casually referred to Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy as our academy.
"Well… normally, to enroll you only need to have one soul ring before the age of twelve. But for transfer students like you, I think there's a much stricter evaluation. That said, you're a Soul Elder—it should be no problem at all."
Xiao Hongchen thought for a moment, then turned to his sister:
"Meng, what are the academy's specific entry requirements again? Your big brother's memory is fuzzy—I forgot."
Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes. You don't take school rules seriously in the first place. It's not your memory that's the problem—you just never paid attention.
Still, since there were outsiders present, she chose not to expose him:
"The assessment requires a minimum of Level 20 soul power. You must also craft at least two Class 1 or higher soul tools in a single day and hold your own in battle against a hundred-year soul beast for three minutes."
"Right! Craft two soul tools and defeat a hundred-year soul beast in under three minutes!"
Xiao Hongchen simplified the explanation to fit his own understanding and passed it along to Xu Tianxi.
Xu Tianxi nodded, indicating it was no problem, and asked again:
"Does the battle have to involve soul tools?"
"Soul master abilities are allowed too, but your score might be lower. After all, our academy focuses on soul engineering.
Of course, for someone like you, it won't matter—being a Soul Elder ensures you'll be given top priority."
Meng Hongchen, who was better at soul master abilities, explained.
"Come, let me teach you the basics of soul tools so you don't walk into the academy completely blind."
Xiao Hongchen eagerly pulled out a thick book titled "Introductory Guide to Soul Tools" and enthusiastically motioned for Xu Tianxi to join him.
Xu Tianxi's eyes lit up. This Xiao Hongchen might be a bit silly, but he's unexpectedly kind.
What he lacked most right now was this kind of foundational knowledge. Maybe he could even borrow his notes later…
Outside the tent, two powerful Class 8 Soul Engineers, Xu Sheng and Lin Jiayi, crouched quietly, eavesdropping intently.
They weren't trying to be disrespectful—it was just that Xiao Hongchen's dramatic reactions had made them all overly jumpy. A direct challenge, a spiritual-type Body Martial Soul—it was impossible not to pay attention.
A Body Martial Soul—especially one of the spiritual variety—meant its essence was focused on the eyes and brain. It was incredibly compatible with soul engineers, boasting immense innate talent. Even if resources had to be burned to cultivate him into a Titled Douluo, it would still be worth it.
The Sun Moon Empire needed top talents like Xu Tianxi.
"Director Lin, did I just hear a lecture start inside? Is he already starting classes?"
Xu Sheng listened carefully and confirmed they were going over the fundamentals of soul tools.
Lin Jiayi's expression grew increasingly complex.
"…It's more than that. The one teaching is actually Xiao Hongchen. If I hadn't heard it clearly myself, I'd have thought I was dreaming."
"What do you mean?"
"If it were Meng Hongchen, you could chalk it up to a soft heart. But Xiao Hongchen? He's barely ever given anyone the time of day in the academy. For him to personally give a lecture means he truly recognizes Xu Tianxi. I can't believe it—this guy actually earned Xiao Hongchen's respect so quickly."
Lin Jiayi was deeply moved. The sun must've risen in the west today.
"Is it that hard to earn Xiao Hongchen's approval at your academy?"
"At the very least, you'd need the potential to become a Class 8 Soul Engineer—someone who could reach our level someday."
"…That is a high bar."
"I'm going to report this to the Dean right away. He'll definitely be thrilled to hear about it."
One day later, after a full day learning soul tool theory from Xiao Hongchen and martial soul knowledge from Meng Hongchen, Xu Tianxi finally met the person sent to formally receive him from Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
Thanks to the Hongchen siblings' grand introduction, this scholarly giant—who resembled a humanoid Iron-Eating Beast—was none other than the legendary Jing Hongchen, Head of Mingde Hall.
"Aiya, you must be Tianxi! Xiao and Meng haven't stopped talking about you on the commsoul device. Such a fine young man! As soon as I cleared my schedule, I rushed over to meet you—hope I didn't keep you waiting?"
Jing Hongchen gripped Xu Tianxi's hands tightly, as if afraid he'd run away. His bright little eyes sparkled with a strange excitement, making Xu Tianxi feel a chill.
Xu Tianxi (thinking): Isn't this a little too enthusiastic for a first meeting? Is Granduncle's recommendation letter really that powerful?
Jing Hongchen (thinking): I've waited so long for this moment—now I'll finally find out who that strong-arming, wheeling-and-dealing student in my academy really is!
One old and one young exchanged words with practiced politeness:
Xu Tianxi: "Dean, you flatter me. I dare not trouble you so personally."
Jing Hongchen: "Everything I said comes from the heart. It's a dean's duty to care for his students."
The scene was so harmonious that even the Hongchen siblings standing nearby felt like outsiders. They exchanged glances and whispered.
"Brother… isn't Grandpa being a bit too excited?"
"Who knows? Maybe he's just trying to make up for all the seafood we've eaten these past few years."
"Xiao, you make it sound like Grandpa's a glutton."
"Come on, it's not like we haven't eaten a ton too. You love that beauty-boosting turtle jelly… why are you glaring at me?"
Xiao Hongchen blinked innocently:
(⊙_⊙)?
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin