Meng Hongchen, who had been watching from the side, jumped nearly three feet high with excitement when she saw Brother Wang Chen defeat Ji Juechen.
Delighted, she turned to her brother and said happily, "Brother, did you see that? Brother Wang Chen is amazing—he even beat that sword fanatic!"
Xiao Hongchen: (︶︹︺) — didn't even want to speak.
At this moment, Xiao Hongchen was completely numb. The strength Wang Chen had displayed was simply too terrifying. He no longer had any will to compare himself to Wang Chen—or even to chase after him.
When the gap in strength between two people is small, one might still feel the urge to work hard and surpass the other. But when the difference becomes vast as heaven and earth, all that's left is to look up in awe. There's no longer any desire to compete.
Compared to Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen, even the teaching director Lin Jiayi, a Contra-level expert, couldn't remain calm.
He looked at Wang Chen and Ji Juechen, his mind buzzing.
The sword and spear they had just used seemed simple—without any flashy soul skills—but the power behind each clash was absolutely terrifying.
Although Lin Jiayi couldn't quite understand the principles behind their attacks, he clearly knew one thing—both were geniuses, but Wang Chen was a monster among monsters.
So young, yet his strength already surpassed Ji Juechen's.
With Wang Chen repeatedly shattering his understanding of what was possible, Lin Jiayi no longer knew how to evaluate him.
Or rather, he felt he no longer had the qualifications to evaluate Wang Chen at all.
Lin Jiayi thought inwardly, "This Wang Chen's talent is simply too frightening—so terrifying that it makes one's heart tremble. I've never even heard of a genius like this before."
"Given time, he'll surely attract the attention of the entire Sun Moon Empire. I'd better not get too entangled with such a monster. If I get dragged into something involving him, it could bring either fortune or disaster—no one could say which."
"I'd better just quietly continue being the teaching director of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy."
After losing, Ji Juechen's eyes showed no sign of disappointment.
At the academy, he constantly challenged stronger opponents and was defeated again and again.
Each time he lost, he would devote himself to cultivation before challenging once more—until the day he finally won.
Failure was an everyday occurrence for Ji Juechen. He never felt dejected because of it. Instead, he found joy in meeting a powerful opponent.
Brimming with fighting spirit, Ji Juechen looked at Wang Chen and said,
"I lost. According to our previous agreement, if you ever need something, I'll do one thing for you."
"Fighting you benefited me greatly. Once I recover, I'll challenge you again."
Wang Chen looked at Ji Juechen, feeling rather pleased.
Originally, he had thought that visiting the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy would just be a way to pass the time. Unexpectedly, he had encountered Ji Juechen.
From him, he had learned the cultivation method of infusing the soul into the sword—a great harvest indeed, one that might even allow him to take another step forward in strength.
However, he wasn't particularly interested in Ji Juechen's challenge.
The gap between them was simply too great, and as time went on, that gap would only grow wider.
Still, since Ji Juechen had provided him with the method of Soul-Into-Sword cultivation, Wang Chen didn't reject his request for a rematch.
He only said, "When you've fully perfected your sword intent, then come find me again. As you are now, you're still too weak."
After speaking, Wang Chen took out a Wang Family guest token and a healing pill from his storage soul tool and handed them to Ji Juechen.
"Take the pill, and keep this token. When the time comes, you can bring it to the Wang Family at Yinghou Mansion to find me."
Then, Wang Chen turned and left the examination hall with the delighted Meng Hongchen, the sulking Xiao Hongchen, and the dutiful teaching director Lin Jiayi.
Ji Juechen looked down at the cracked palm of his hand, where the pill and token rested.
Without any hesitation or suspicion, he swallowed the pill in one go and placed the token carefully into his storage soul tool.
After consuming the pill, Ji Juechen immediately felt a soothing warmth spread through his body. He sat cross-legged, began to absorb the medicinal energy, and slowly forced out the stagnant blood within him.
Not long after Wang Chen and the others left—
A woman in her early thirties, with ordinary looks and figure—so plain she could disappear into any crowd—arrived at the examination hall.
Her name was Jing Ziyan, a Soul Engineer and both friend and secret admirer of Ji Juechen.
Upon finding Ji Juechen, her face lit up with joy, and she shouted loudly,
"Ji Juechen! I finally found you! What on earth are you doing here?"
Ji Juechen slowly opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of dark blood.
Seeing this, Jing Ziyan's face went pale with fright. She rushed to his side, helping him up and asking anxiously,
"You're injured! Who hurt you? I'll take you to a healer right now."
Ji Juechen waved his hand lightly.
"No need. My injuries aren't serious. That person controlled his strength perfectly—he defeated me without causing any lasting harm. The gap between us was far greater than I imagined."
Hearing that, Jing Ziyan's curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Who did you just spar with? To make you admit defeat so completely—that's rare!"
Ji Juechen didn't hide anything from his only friend. He told her the whole truth.
.....................
After Wang Chen and the others left the examination hall, Director Lin Jiayi parted ways with them.
As the teaching director of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, Lin Jiayi was usually very busy. But instead of returning to work immediately, the first thing he did was go report the situation to Jing Hongchen.
As one of Jing Hongchen's trusted subordinates, Lin Jiayi believed that regardless of whether his lord already knew of Wang Chen's strength, it was his duty to report it personally.
After all, if he didn't regularly report, how would his superior know whether he was being diligent?
After listening to Lin Jiayi's detailed report, even Jing Hongchen—normally calm and composed—was momentarily stunned before regaining his usual expression.
Once Lin Jiayi left, Jing Hongchen sat alone in his chair, murmuring to himself,
"To think he actually defeated the sword fanatic Ji Juechen… truly, the younger generation is fearsome.
It's about time I met my future grandson-in-law. If I keep waiting, someone else might snatch him away—and that would be troublesome."
That morning, Wang Chen, Meng Hongchen, and Xiao Hongchen had spent their time wandering around together, chatting and enjoying themselves.
During that time, Meng Hongchen didn't forget to show affection in front of her brother, showering him in dog food and mercilessly teasing the single man.
Watching his little sister acting so lovey-dovey with Wang Chen, Xiao Hongchen's handsome face twisted in agony.
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, he blurted out,
"Meng! You're a girl—can't you be a little more reserved?"
After saying that, he turned around and ran away in despair.
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, afternoon had arrived.
In Jing Hongchen's private territory—the domain of the Mingde Hall Master—
Wang Chen stood respectfully before him and said,
"Greetings, Hall Master."
Jing Hongchen smiled kindly and said,
"You're Meng'er's boyfriend. Just call me Grandpa."