Wang Chen stepped into the Imperial Garden. Guided by two young eunuchs, he quickly arrived before Emperor Xu Jing.
This was Wang Chen's first time meeting Xu Jing face-to-face. Until now, he had only heard of him through rumors and reports from others.
Xu Jing sat upon a lavish dragon throne, dressed in an exquisite and regal golden robe. His face appeared somewhat pale and frail, with a trace of sickness, yet the majesty emanating from his body was overwhelming.
Even without saying a word, just sitting there silently made him impossible to ignore.
Behind Xu Jing stood two middle-aged attendants—both pale-faced, beardless men wearing the same ceremonial robes as Ye Yulin, the uniform of royal worshipers.
At a single glance, Wang Chen sensed extreme danger from them.
Without needing to probe with his spiritual power, Wang Chen already knew that these two attendants had to be Rank 9 Soul Engineers and Titled Douluo-level powerhouses.
What gave him a sense of danger wasn't just the people—it was the palace itself. For a moment, Wang Chen almost felt as if he had stepped into a forbidden zone of life, a dragon's den filled with lethal traps.
This intense sense of peril was something Wang Chen hadn't felt for a long time—not even when facing an evil Soul Master with Titled Douluo cultivation.
From this alone, one could imagine just how strict the palace defenses truly were.
No wonder, in the original story, even Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, the two Limit Douluo who stood at the peak of the soul master world, perished after invading the Sun Moon Empire's royal palace.
Suppressing his distracting thoughts, Wang Chen recalled his plan:
He would disguise himself as a pure-hearted, easily approachable, ambitionless prodigy—someone who only cared about cultivation and nothing else.
Putting on a slightly nervous expression, Wang Chen bowed and said respectfully,
"Your subject Wang Chen greets Your Majesty."
Xu Jing closed the book in his hands and raised his head to study Wang Chen. He had just been reading the intelligence report on him, and through that, he already had a general understanding.
According to the report, Wang Chen didn't socialize much, rarely interacted with other noble youths, and spent nearly all his time in cultivation.
The only time he had left the Sun Moon Empire was to attend the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, held once every five years in Heaven Dou City.
Such a personality, Xu Jing had seen before—in people like Kong Deming.
Elder Kong was neither power-hungry nor lustful; he devoted all his energy to cultivation and soul tool research, reaching an unfathomable level of strength.
In fact, if Elder Kong had wanted to become Emperor, it wouldn't have been difficult at all. With one-quarter royal blood flowing in his veins, he had a legitimate claim.
However, Kong Deming had no interest in ruling a nation. On the contrary, he believed that being Emperor would only hinder his research into soul tools.
It was precisely because of Kong Deming's research that the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology had flourished so rapidly, and its military power had grown at an astonishing rate.
Once the humanoid soul tool and high-energy compression array soul tool were successfully miniaturized, the Sun Moon Empire would undoubtedly be able to conquer the entire Douluo Continent.
Therefore, Xu Jing fully supported Kong Deming's research. Everything else could wait—except for Kong Deming's laboratory. Naturally, no one in the Empire dared to deprive him of any resources.
Now, based on the intelligence report, Wang Chen gave Xu Jing a similar impression to Kong Deming—an exceptionally gifted individual dedicated wholly to cultivation. Moreover, Wang Chen's talent and potential appeared even greater than Kong Deming's had been at the same age.
If further observation revealed no problems, Xu Jing hoped Wang Chen could one day succeed Kong Deming after his death, becoming the new pillar of the Sun Moon Empire.
With that in mind, Xu Jing began to observe carefully.
The first thing that struck him about Wang Chen was his youth—he was very young, and youth meant limitless potential.
As the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Jing's own cultivation was, of course, extremely formidable—his soul power had already reached Rank 94.
If not for the irreversible damage to his life force sustained during his coup to seize the throne, with his strength and age, he could have easily ruled another fifty years without needing to choose an heir.
As for Wang Chen's appearance, Xu Jing didn't pay it much attention. With his experience and temperament, he had long since learned to overlook such superficial things. What he truly valued was ability and talent.
Xu Jing's perception was keen. With a single glance, he could tell that Wang Chen's soul power really was at the Soul Emperor level—just as Ye Yulin and Xu Tianyuan had reported.
After only a few seconds of observation, Xu Jing said,
"Rise. Someone, bring him a seat."
Wang Chen bowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
At once, the two young eunuchs fetched a chair and placed it beside Wang Chen.
After sitting down, Wang Chen kept his posture upright, eyes straight ahead, behaving like a shy and honest youth who wasn't good at social interaction.
This level of acting skill was only possible thanks to Wang Chen's Black Book, from which he had copied various acting-related techniques.
With the Black Book, Wang Chen could truly be called a master of all trades—whatever the profession, he could excel in it.
Seeing Wang Chen's nervous and restrained demeanor, Xu Jing assumed he was simply tense from meeting the Emperor for the first time. Smiling warmly, he said,
"There's no need to be nervous. I summoned you not for official business, but merely to chat with one of the Sun Moon Empire's rising geniuses."
And so, their conversation began.
To call it a "conversation," however, would be generous—it was more like an interview: Xu Jing asked questions, and Wang Chen answered.
Whenever Xu Jing asked about political matters, Wang Chen would give shallow, naive responses, clearly uninterested in politics or court intrigue.
But whenever Xu Jing asked about cultivation, Wang Chen's eyes would light up. His words poured forth like a flood—clear, logical, and filled with profound insight that left Xu Jing secretly astonished.
At that moment, as Wang Chen began discussing the concept of excavating the inherent power of one's Martial Soul, his entire demeanor changed—his expression radiant, his tone confident and passionate.
The way he spoke now was completely different from his earlier disinterest in politics.
Xu Jing raised an eyebrow in surprise. The more he listened, the more shocked he became.
He soon realized that Wang Chen's understanding of Martial Souls far surpassed that of most Soul Engineers in the Sun Moon Empire.
Because the Empire prioritized soul tool technology so heavily, most of its Soul Engineers devoted nearly all their time and effort to research and development.
This had made the Sun Moon Empire's technological progress vastly superior—hundreds, even thousands of years ahead of the other three Douluo nations and Shrek Academy.
However, this focus on technology came at a price. Because Soul Engineers treated soul power merely as an energy source for their machines, they neglected personal cultivation.
Their understanding of soul power, spiritual power, willpower, and the essence of Martial Souls lagged far behind that of the other nations and Shrek Academy.
That was precisely why no native of the Sun Moon Empire had ever reached the level of a Super Douluo (above Rank 95).
After all, once one reached the Titled Douluo level, breaking through further required not just accumulation of soul power, but also a profound comprehension of the state of unity between man and nature.
Without that enlightenment, advancing to Super Douluo was impossible.
After becoming a Super Douluo, one had to begin mastering the power of the Martial Soul's origin. Once this power was fully understood, self-created soul skills could be developed with ease—skills far more powerful than even soul ring or soul bone abilities.
When Wang Chen finished speaking, Xu Jing clapped his hands in approval.
"Excellent. My Sun Moon Empire may have surpassed the Douluo nations and Shrek Academy in soul tool technology, but in the field of cultivation, we have indeed fallen behind.
"Wang Chen, your insights fill a crucial gap in our Empire's soul master system. Given time, I can assert with confidence that you will become the Sun Moon Empire's first Limit Douluo, surpassing even Rank 99."
Hearing the Emperor's praise, Wang Chen—channeling his best acting—rubbed his nose shyly, though his eyes couldn't help but gleam with a trace of pride.
That subtle microexpression, that little glint in his gaze, that modest gesture—any observer would find him endearing and unguarded.
Xu Jing smiled inwardly. To him, Wang Chen, despite his strength, extraordinary talent, and brilliance, was still just a youth—pure-hearted, straightforward, and easy to win over.
While Wang Chen was conversing with the Emperor, Princess Xu Tianzhen, standing nearby, had been watching him the entire time.
As a princess, Xu Tianzhen was no stranger to handsome men and beautiful women—but it was the first time she had ever seen someone as handsome as Wang Chen.
Moreover, the way he spoke about Martial Souls captivated her completely. As someone whose own Martial Soul was the Sun, and who walked the path of a Soul Master rather than a Soul Engineer, Xu Tianzhen found his knowledge both brilliant and fascinating.
Her bright eyes sparkled with admiration—the classic look of a young girl enchanted by a talented and good-looking peer.
For a young maiden, nothing was more irresistible than someone who possessed both beauty and intellect. Her fondness for Wang Chen soared instantly.
Xu Jing happened to notice his daughter's starry-eyed gaze toward Wang Chen and couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
His daughter had always been cheerful and impulsive, lacking the gentle refinement typical of most noble girls.
Smiling wryly, Xu Jing said,
"Tianzhen, didn't you always say you wanted to study at Shrek Academy?
"In your father's eyes, Wang Chen's understanding of the path of a Soul Master is in no way inferior to those long-established Shrek experts.
"If there's anything you don't understand, you may ask him directly."
Then Xu Jing turned to Wang Chen and said,
"Wang Chen, this is my daughter, Xu Tianzhen. Her Martial Soul is the Sun, one of the Sun Moon Royal Family's inherited Martial Souls.
"It is close to an Ultimate Fire attribute and possesses astonishing power. For that reason, she has not studied soul tools, but has instead chosen the path of a pure Soul Master.
"She is bright and lively, though rather willful and rebellious. Since you're of the same age, do take care of her and keep her company."
Hearing her father describe her as "willful and rebellious" in front of Wang Chen, Xu Tianzhen immediately pouted and said coquettishly,
"Father, what are you saying? I'm not willful or rebellious at all! I'm very well-behaved, okay?"
Wang Chen's heart skipped a beat. Wait—why is he suddenly entrusting the princess to me?!
Things were starting to spiral beyond his expectations.
Forcing a polite smile, Wang Chen looked down at the petite and delicate Xu Tianzhen—whose height only reached his chest—and said respectfully,
"Princess Tianzhen."
Xu Tianzhen looked up at Wang Chen, giggled mischievously, and said without a hint of shyness,
"Wang Chen, come on! Let me show you around the Imperial Garden!"
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