Jing Hongchen looked at Wang Chen as if he were gazing at a peerless piece of jade.
Clearly, in the eyes of an old man like Jing Hongchen, good looks were useless—what truly mattered was talent and strength.
Only someone with outstanding talent and strength was worthy of being his good grandson-in-law.
As for those without talent or strength—they were scoundrels who would only corrupt his precious granddaughter. He would have liked nothing more than to break such a boy's legs himself.
Jing Hongchen thought to himself,
"Wang Chen's skill in carving Fifth-rank Core Formations and crafting Fifth-rank Soul Tools is exceptionally refined.
He utilized multiple advanced techniques and demonstrated the poise of a true master.
Although his cultivation limits him from making or using higher-level Soul Tools for now, once his cultivation catches up, his path as a Soul Engineer will surely be smooth—soaring to the heavens.
Not bad… not bad at all. I once thought my grandson Xiao Hongchen was a once-in-decades genius in the art of Soul Tools.
But as it turns out, there is always someone beyond another, and a sky beyond this sky.
Fortunately, Wang Chen is my grandson-in-law.
Otherwise, even the other Ninth-rank Soul Engineers and the royal family themselves would covet him for his talent.
When that time came, recruiting him to my side would not have been so easy.
Now that Wang Chen and my dear granddaughter Meng Hongchen grew up as childhood sweethearts and share such a deep bond, even if the other Ninth-rank Soul Engineers are shameless, they won't dare to snatch him away."
Thinking of this, Jing Hongchen's lips curved upward, his mood bright.
He imagined a future where his grandson Xiao Hongchen, his granddaughter Meng Hongchen, and his grandson-in-law Wang Chen all grew up and matured—his Hongchen family would then be glorious and prosperous beyond compare.
As for Wang Chen's family being entangled in the imperial succession struggle—
in Jing Hongchen's eyes, that was merely a minor inconvenience.
If the Second Prince supported by the Wang family were to lose in the battle for the throne, Jing Hongchen wouldn't mind paying a certain price to help the Wang family through the crisis.
Previously, Jing Hongchen had been unwilling to pay such a cost—
at most, he had only been willing to protect Wang Chen alone.
But now, seeing Wang Chen's talent and power firsthand, Jing Hongchen was willing to go much further.
As one of the strongest among the Ninth-rank Soul Engineers,
Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Hall Master of Mingde Hall,
Jing Hongchen held an extremely high position in the Sun Moon Empire.
More importantly, countless teachers and students from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy owed him personal gratitude.
Some of these people still remained at the Academy,
while others had moved on into every sector of the Sun Moon Empire.
This made Jing Hongchen's influence within the Empire vast and far-reaching.
If Jing Hongchen wanted to protect the Second Prince himself, that would be impossible—
no new Emperor would allow a rival prince who threatened his throne to live.
But if he wanted to protect a faction that had supported the Second Prince,
the new Emperor might be dissatisfied, but as long as Jing Hongchen offered a trade of interests—
doing the new Emperor a favor in exchange—
the new Emperor would certainly give him face.
When a new Emperor first ascends the throne, he lacks prestige and achievements. His position is not yet secure.
If he had Jing Hongchen's public support, his authority would solidify far more quickly.
That was the art of politics—as long as there was no risk, and there were benefits, everything could be discussed and negotiated.
Wang Chen probably never imagined that merely showing a small part of his strength
had already moved Jing Hongchen to the point of being willing to help his family in the future.
Unfortunately, Jing Hongchen still greatly underestimated Wang Chen's true talent and strength.
Wang Chen's current real power was already enough to defeat a peak Soul Douluo-level expert.
If such talent and strength were ever exposed, the entire upper echelon of the Sun Moon Empire would be shaken to its core.
At that point, it wouldn't matter that Wang Chen was Jing Hongchen's grandson-in-law—
they would still fight to recruit him, just the same.
After all, Jing Hongchen wasn't the only one with a granddaughter;
the other Ninth-rank Soul Engineers and powerful figures all had daughters or granddaughters of their own.
In fact, given Wang Chen's level of talent and strength, it was very likely he would attract the attention of Kong Deming,
the Pillar of the Sun Moon Empire, who was currently in seclusion researching humanoid soul tools.
Before Kong Deming, even Jing Hongchen would only count as a junior.
Of course, whether Kong Deming's attention would turn out to be good or bad—admiration or fear—was something no one could predict.
That was why Wang Chen had no intention of revealing his full power or talent too early.
Even when showing himself, he only displayed a portion of his true ability.
Only after he possessed the combat strength of a Titled Douluo,
with enough power to protect himself, would he reveal his true strength and talent to the world.
Wang Chen was cautious and meticulous—he never placed his life in another's hands.
And that caution was absolutely correct.
Only those who advanced step by step, planning every move,
could ultimately become the final victor.
Just as Jing Hongchen was filled with admiration for Wang Chen, planning to meet him later—
Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen were walking together toward the Mingde Hall Assessment Hall from afar.
Xiao Hongchen said,
"Sister, if you wanted to come, fine—but why drag me along?
I have no interest in Wang Chen. Besides, it's class time right now—you're skipping class."
Xiao Hongchen's face showed clear reluctance.
He neither liked nor disliked Wang Chen, but his little sister was always so willful and lawless—
so having someone like Wang Chen around to keep her in check wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Therefore, Xiao Hongchen actually supported his sister's relationship with Wang Chen.
However, what truly annoyed him was that Wang Chen was even more handsome than he was.
Whenever they stood together, all the girls' eyes turned to Wang Chen, completely ignoring him.
Where was he supposed to put his pride after that?
That was why Xiao Hongchen didn't like hanging out with Wang Chen.
Meng Hongchen giggled,
"Brother, aren't you even a little curious whether Brother Wang Chen can pass the Mingde Hall assessment?"
Xiao Hongchen snorted,
"What's there to be curious about? Is passing Mingde Hall's assessment that difficult?
I'm not far from breaking through to Soul King now, and I can already craft some Fifth-rank Soul Tools that aren't too complex.
In another year or so, once I reach the Soul King realm, making a Sixth-rank Soul Tool won't be impossible.
So what's the big deal about the Mingde Hall assessment? It's child's play!
I think you just wanted to drag me along so that when Grandpa punishes you later,
I'll be your scapegoat."
Hearing her true motive exposed, Meng Hongchen just laughed sheepishly and said,
"Brother, we're siblings—shouldn't we share blessings and hardships together?"
Xiao Hongchen immediately rolled his eyes and muttered inwardly,
"Share blessings and hardships? Yeah right—more like you take the blessings and I take the hardships."
Though he said he wasn't curious, deep down Xiao Hongchen actually wanted to know whether Wang Chen had passed the assessment.
He might not take Mingde Hall's test seriously in words,
but as Jing Hongchen's grandson, he knew very well how difficult it truly was.
Even he, at his current level, had no confidence in passing the test.
His cultivation wasn't high enough, and his spiritual power still lacked the required strength—
his success rate when carving Fifth-rank Core Formations and crafting Fifth-rank Soul Tools wasn't stable yet.
Only after advancing to Soul King would he have full confidence in passing Mingde Hall's examination.
If Wang Chen could really pass…
Then that meant Wang Chen was already a Fifth-rank Soul Engineer,
with Soul Engineer talent no weaker than his own.
For someone who had always regarded himself as the greatest genius of his generation in the Sun Moon Empire—
who looked down on all peers—
even Xiao Hongchen's eyes flickered faintly with fighting spirit.
Unlike Wang Chen, whose maturity spanned two lifetimes and whose vision reached the highest levels of the Sun Moon Empire's power structure,
Xiao Hongchen was still very much a youth.
The pride and impulsive vigor unique to youth made Xiao Hongchen bristle like a cocksure young man.
Whenever he encountered a formidable peer, he couldn't help but want to compare—
to compete—
to see who truly was the strongest genius of their generation in the Sun Moon Empire!
The siblings chatted as they walked.
Strictly speaking, neither of them had entered Mingde Hall yet,
so by rights, they shouldn't have been allowed to enter the premises.
However, as the grandson and granddaughter of Jing Hongchen—the Hall Master himself—they had grown up roaming around Mingde Hall.
They knew every corner of it, and no one would dare stop them.
At that moment, Jing Hongchen—still observing Wang Chen—
heard the familiar voices of his grandson and granddaughter,
who were supposed to be attending class at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
He immediately felt a vein pulse on his forehead.
Instead of attending class properly, they had come here to watch the Mingde Hall assessment?!
He would make sure both of them made up for every skipped lesson twice over later!
Unaware that their grandfather was also here watching Wang Chen's test,
Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen were still chatting and laughing.
Then—disaster struck.
They turned a corner and ran headfirst into their grandfather.
"Grandpa!!" Xiao Hongchen's eyes widened in shock.
"Grandpa, why are you here?" Meng Hongchen asked in surprise.
Jing Hongchen snorted,
"Why can't I be here? Aren't you two supposed to be in class?
What are you doing here?"
Xiao Hongchen immediately said,
"Grandpa, it was all my sister's idea—she dragged me along!
It has nothing to do with me! I'll go back to class right now!"
He turned to leave the moment he finished.
Normally, Jing Hongchen was extremely strict about his grandchildren's cultivation and studies.
He could be lenient in other matters,
but not when it came to learning and training—
neglecting those would definitely earn a scolding.
Without such strict discipline,
even with top-tier resources,
Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen would never have reached their current level at such a young age.
Hearing her brother sell her out, Meng Hongchen became furious and pointed at his back, shouting,
"Brother, you've changed! Didn't you say we'd share blessings and hardships together?!"
Xiao Hongchen twitched the corner of his mouth and ran even faster.
But before he got far, Jing Hongchen grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back.
Jing Hongchen said irritably,
"What are you running for? Since you're already here,
go and meet Wang Chen properly. Talk to him a bit.
You're always so restless—learn to be steadier, like him.
As for the classes you skipped,
I'll arrange teachers tonight to make you both make up double."
With that, Jing Hongchen turned and walked away, clearly not intending to accompany the siblings to meet Wang Chen.
As a Ninth-rank Soul Engineer, a figure of immense status—
and, more importantly, as Meng Hongchen's grandfather—
even if he wished to meet Wang Chen,
it had to be Wang Chen coming to visit him, not the other way around.
That was the dignity and pride reserved for those at the top.