Jing Hongchen spread open the flight-type soul tool on his back, crafted using principles of bionics, and warmly addressed the exchange students from Shrek Academy.
"Everyone, let's go. I am Jing Hongchen, Hallmaster of Mingde Hall, and I welcome you all to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy."
With that, Jing Hongchen rose into the air. Two slender golden wings unfolded from his back, lifting his body skyward at a steady pace.
This display of the Sun Moon Empire's advanced soul tool technology left even Fan Yu, a level-eight soul engineer, visibly shaken. Wang Dong and Ma Xiaotao, both from the martial soul department, were equally stunned.
Wang Dong gazed at the elegant, butterfly-wing-like flight tool—no less beautiful than her own Goddess of Light Butterfly—and felt herself becoming less averse to soul tools. Ma Xiaotao, meanwhile, was surprised by the soul tool's ability to carry so many people with such ease.
The flight speed of the tool was astounding. In no time, they had entered the boundaries of Mingdu. Immersed in the sight of towering skyscrapers and endless city lights, the students soon landed in the central plaza of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
There, the academy's Director of Instruction led the newcomers on a tour of the campus, explaining various rules and conducting standard physical evaluations.
"Next, Ma Xiaotao."
The teacher recording the data called out. Ma Xiaotao frowned slightly at the surrounding metallic detectors, clearly uncomfortable, but she stepped forward unflinchingly.
"Relax your body. Beginning the scan."
As the teacher spoke, a circular soul tool platform beneath Ma Xiaotao lit up. A white beam of light, fan-shaped and about one square meter in area, slowly descended from the top of the testing device, scanning her body from head to toe.
Ma Xiaotao stood calmly, unbothered by the light sweeping across her body.
The male teacher monitoring the readings glanced at the display, then swallowed hard. Though the scan only showed her skeletal structure, the outline of her figure still left room for… imaginative distraction. He quickly steadied himself and turned his attention back to the data—only to be stunned again.
With a slight tremor in his voice, he read off the results.
"Bone age: nineteen. Physical strength: level sixty-five. Flexibility: level sixty-seven. Soul power fluctuation: level sixty-nine. Height: 1.85 meters. Weight: sixty-four kilograms. Left arm and right leg equipped with soul bones. Overall evaluation: Soul Emperor. Physical strength: Soul Emperor-level. Body power: pending test."
The terrifying results made Director Lin Jiayi's eyebrows twitch furiously. The earlier students had acceptable stats—but this one? A monster. A nineteen-year-old with soul power close to Soul Sage, perfect body stats, and two soul bones? Lin Jiayi decided right then that this student's report must be immediately passed to Hallmaster Jing Hongchen.
He couldn't understand why Shrek Academy would send such a top-tier martial soul department student—likely one of their strongest—to study soul tools. A dual cultivation prodigy? Did she also have a talent for engineering?
"No… that's impossible."
In the following strength and reflex tests, Ma Xiaotao's results were more average. After all the exchange students had been tested and arrangements made, Lin Jiayi rushed straight to Jing Hongchen's office, where the Hallmaster was reviewing student placement plans.
"Hallmaster, it's like this…"
Jing Hongchen listened with a smile as Lin Jiayi finished reporting. The students who stood out were He Caitou and Ma Xiaotao, huh?
To be honest, Jing Hongchen was struggling not to laugh.
Why?
Because Ma Xiaotao was strong? Because she posed a serious threat to the Sun Moon Empire?
"And?" Jing Hongchen asked.
"Eh?" Lin Jiayi was momentarily confused. Hadn't he just explained the threat Ma Xiaotao posed?
But he didn't press further. Jing Hongchen was no fool, and his casual demeanor meant there were things better left unsaid—things not for someone of Lin Jiayi's level to know.
If Jing Hongchen knew Huo Yuhao had figured out He Caitou's real name—Xu He—he would've laughed even harder. In just one exchange, they had managed to flip two Shrek students. What reason would he have to fear any so-called geniuses from Shrek?
"Anything else?" Jing Hongchen asked.
"Well… no, Hallmaster. I was just wondering if we should make any adjustments in teaching…"
Jing Hongchen waved his hand.
"No need. Proceed as usual. Let them learn whatever they can. A few years of study won't change much. Most of them aren't even level seven soul engineers. What can they do? Nothing. Rest easy. Mingde Hall isn't what it used to be. Project One of the humanoid soul tool initiative has already succeeded. If the student we had received from Shrek had been Huo Yuhao, we might have needed to worry. Hahaha."
He chuckled. If not for Duke Dai Hao, Huo Yuhao might have ended up a student of Shrek Academy. Had he come as an exchange student, he could have used his spiritual detection skill to steal soul tool schematics, which, paired with his terrifying engineering talent, would have drastically narrowed the tech gap between the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Federation.
Lin Jiayi nodded repeatedly, chuckling with him.
"Yes… I still can't believe how smoothly Project One progressed with Yuhao's help. And with Xuan Ziwen's sealed milk bottle technology, our empire is practically invincible."
"In twenty years," Jing Hongchen added, eyes gleaming, "the entire continent will belong to the Sun Moon Empire. The name Douluo Continent will be no more. It shall be called the Sun Moon Continent."
Lin Jiayi respectfully excused himself, but Jing Hongchen stopped him.
"Wait. One more thing. Have that student named Ma Xiaotao brought to me. I have something to discuss with her."
"Yes, Hallmaster."
—
Inside Jing Hongchen's office, Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao sat across from each other, silently staring, while Jing Hongchen watched them with an oddly kind smile.
With warmth in his voice, he spoke.
"Miss Ma, since I've agreed to help Shrek Academy purge your evil fire, I will naturally do so with full sincerity. Before you is my treasured disciple, Huo Yuhao, who possesses the Ultimate Ice martial soul. I trust you've met before, so there's no need for introductions. Yuhao, prepare to begin. There's no time to waste."
Huo Yuhao nodded and smiled. Ma Xiaotao looked at the two fake-smiling master and disciple and felt a chill.
Truthfully, she hated the idea of revealing her weakness in front of this old fox from the Sun Moon Academy. But she had no choice. Jing Hongchen insisted that she undergo the fire purging procedure under his direct supervision.
No way he would let a monster like Ma Xiaotao—who possessed Soul Sage-level power as a Soul Emperor—stay alone with a mere four-ringed Huo Yuhao.
"Please don't resist."
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Ma Xiaotao silently nodded. She didn't feel like talking.
Huo Yuhao released his Ultimate Ice soul power, letting it flow into Ma Xiaotao's body. Having already helped Meng Hongchen purge fire once, the process came naturally to him. His icy soul power flowed smoothly through her meridians, quickly locating and suppressing the pockets of evil fire within.
Under the intense aura of Ultimate Ice, Ma Xiaotao's evil fire flared up violently before it could be subdued. Her face twisted in pain, but she grit her teeth and refused to show even the slightest sign of weakness in front of the two men she utterly despised—even loathed. Not a single groan escaped her lips, though beads of fragrant sweat streamed down her body.
If any other man were witnessing this, the sight might have been impossible to resist. But Huo Yuhao, in the detached calm of his Deathly Still Heart, remained perfectly composed. He stood there silently, calmly helping to purge the evil fire—though from an outside perspective, it almost looked as if he were toying with or even training her. Jing Hongchen sat nearby with his eyes closed in meditation. At his age, such scenes no longer stirred his heart.
The evil fire's eruption sent Ma Xiaotao into a strange state. She slumped to the floor, barely managing to hold herself together as she fought against any involuntary reactions. Being subjected to this in front of two men made her feel utterly humiliated. What infuriated her even more was the complete helplessness—she felt like nothing more than a lab rat, pitiful and exposed before beings far more powerful than herself.
Before long, a portion of the evil fire had been purged under the effect of the Ultimate Ice. The rest was slowly suppressed. Ma Xiaotao gradually came back to her senses, her mind sharpening in the icy clarity. She wanted to slap herself.
'What the hell was that? He didn't even touch me and managed to make me like this?'
After a moment, Huo Yuhao withdrew his Ultimate Ice soul power and said calmly,
"My soul power is depleted. That concludes today's purification. We'll meet again in three days, in a different location."
Soul power depleted? Not a chance. Huo Yuhao clearly hadn't gone all out. If he had, the fire would've been cleansed much more thoroughly. But he still had other plans to tend to.
Jing Hongchen opened his eyes then, glancing at the disheveled Ma Xiaotao sitting on the ground, her head lowered. He frowned slightly, then forced a gentle smile.
"We'll do as Yuhao says. Miss Ma, I'm sorry we couldn't completely resolve your condition today. Are you alright?"
His words pierced Ma Xiaotao's heart like a dagger.
She struggled to her feet, said nothing, and simply shook her head. Still trembling, she turned and left the office in silence.
The smile faded from Jing Hongchen's face entirely.
"Utterly disgusting."
"Yes, Master. That's why I suggest we change locations next time."
Jing Hongchen nodded as he looked at the calm expression on Huo Yuhao's face. Truly, this child had an extraordinary temperament. For someone to remain so composed in the face of something that would stir the hearts of most men... there was no doubt in his mind.
As far as he was concerned, there couldn't be a better candidate to marry his granddaughter.
(End of Chapter)