"Beep~"
With a crisp chime, Su Wen followed Xuan Ziwen into a building full of mechanical style. As they passed through door after door—some metal, some glass—the number of people around them thinned, until they finally stopped before a broad hall.
The three dark-gold characters on the plaque above said clearly where they were.
"Mingde Hall…"
Su Wen looked up, lightly voicing the words.
A laughing voice came from within. "Little Wen, long time no see. I've been swamped with Hall business these days and haven't been able to free up any time until now. I hope you don't mind…"
"I wouldn't dare."
Su Wen smiled.
He exchanged a look with Xuan Ziwen. The latter cupped his hands respectfully to Jing Hongchen, then quietly withdrew.
Jing Hongchen didn't spare him so much as a glance. He simply waved him off.
"So, how are you settling into the Sun Moon Empire?" Jing Hongchen gestured for Su Wen to sit as he asked with a smile.
"Not bad. Teacher Xuan has taken good care of me, and my classmates are quite friendly," Su Wen replied.
"That's good to hear…"
As he spoke, Jing Hongchen studied Su Wen's features, inwardly a little stunned.
Such sharp contours, fair skin, tall build… In a lifetime of seeing all kinds of people, he'd seldom seen a youth as handsome as this. Perhaps only that sword freak could compare.
"No wonder he's got Meng wrapped around his little finger, hahaha…" Jing Hongchen suddenly laughed.
"I hope you're not still holding it against her for pulling down your pants. She didn't do it to humiliate you."
"…"
Su Wen raised a brow.
He called me here just for that? Even specifically made time in his schedule?
With the suspicion of the imperial family almost stripping him of his position, Jing Hongchen should be neck-deep in trouble right now. For him to seem… unscathed and unbothered…
That didn't quite add up either.
Seeing Su Wen's silence, Jing Hongchen hesitated, then finally asked, "I've heard that, uh… you've already started working on ninth-level soul tools?"
"Yes." Su Wen nodded openly.
"Ninth-level soul tools…" Jing Hongchen got the answer he wanted, yet still couldn't help being shaken. His expression grew complicated as he looked at Su Wen.
No wonder every power in the empire, all the way up to His Majesty, had reached a consensus— even at the risk of tearing their faces with Shrek and sparking war, they had to nip him in the bud.
This kid was simply too monstrous.
If he'd been just a genius in terms of martial soul, people might have been surprised that Shrek had another Mu En in the making. But with only Soul Emperor cultivation, Su Wen had breached almost every barrier below eighth-level soul tools within a few months— even Jing Hongchen himself had been floored by the reports.
He still remembered the looks in that meeting room when those dossiers had been laid out on the table.
Even the ever-proud Ye Yulin, who ranked among the top three soul engineers in the entire Sun Moon Empire, had sighed, "What a pity he's not one of us," before casting his vote in favor of killing him.
His teacher, the empire's anchor, Kong Deming, hadn't said a word—only calmly voted "agree."
If they let this boy go back…
For the Sun Moon Empire, it would be a catastrophe.
Even if he only sheltered Shrek for two hundred years, an Ultimate Douluo's lifespan was limited, but the empire couldn't afford to wait two centuries.
Therefore, Su Wen… had to die.
As for the Abyssal Stealth Submarine and the bionic tech that came with it, Mingde Hall had dared to auction it off openly because of their absolute confidence in their own technology—and their disdain for the original continent's soul tool research.
So what if Su Wen brought it back?
With Shrek's level of technology, could they even understand bionics? Even with a freak like him, at most they might get a few scraps of insight. With how little soul tools were used in the original continent's daily life, there was no foundation to actually apply bionic tech on any large scale.
It was like some backwoods savage picking up a research manual and using it as toilet paper.
You climbed a tech tree branch by branch. You didn't get to seize one random twig halfway up and declare you'd mastered everything.
"The Sun Moon Empire's soul tool tech is very advanced. Compared to the other nations on the original continent, it's a complete dimensionality reduction. Even the Dou Ling Empire is basically nothing more than a monkey imitating a man," Su Wen said slowly.
"You're very interested in soul tools?" Jing Hongchen asked.
"Yes." Su Wen nodded.
"Then why not stay in Mingde Hall?" Jing Hongchen's eyes lit with interest as he stared into Su Wen's calm gaze.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.
"Stay in Mingde Hall? Surely you're joking, Hallmaster," Su Wen answered with an easy smile. He casually picked up his teacup, blew away the floating leaves, and took a slow sip, his tone utterly unchanged.
"…"
Jing Hongchen tapped the table lightly, then drew back his gaze.
This kid was too slippery. Those eyes were as steady as an old fox who'd wandered the continent for decades. There wasn't a hint of panic to latch onto.
"I'm not joking," Jing Hongchen said mildly. "Meng likes you. If you're willing to stay in the Sun Moon Empire, you'll be the next Kong Lao. I'd gladly marry Meng to you. If you really care about soul tool research, then think about it: on the original continent, could anyone gather a thousand elite soul engineers in one place for your research? Here in Mingde Hall, I can give you dozens of top eighth-level soul engineers at your beck and call. Any experiment you want to run, all it takes is a word…"
"For a pure soul tool researcher, that is indeed hard to turn down," Su Wen sighed.
If it were Xuan-teacher sitting here, he'd be over the moon.
But Su Wen was different…
"What, you look down on us?" Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes in a smile.
"It's not that…" Su Wen shook his head. "But the Sun Moon Empire values imperial blood above all. I'm an outsider, and worse, a student from Shrek Academy. Will the empire ever truly treat me as one of its own? Most likely I'd spend my entire life being watched like an enemy."
He lifted the corners of his lips.
"I don't want to make a mistake one day and get immediately stripped of my position and investigated by the Sun Moon Empire… Meng would suffer with me."
He lounged lazily on the sofa and watched Jing Hongchen's face flicker through shifts of shadow, knowing he had hit the mark.
He only had to look back at the original novel.
The Sun Moon Empire was like the Ming dynasty back on Earth.
Almost every critical position was held by someone with the surname Xu. While the imperial relatives had only appeared once or twice in canon, that was enough to see the tip of the iceberg.
Kong Deming didn't have the surname Xu, but he did have a quarter share of imperial blood. The few named legion commanders of the numbered soul engineer legions (aside from the four Beast Soul Engineer Legions) all mostly carried the surname Xu. Combined with how arrogantly the royal family had snatched Huo Yuhao from right inside the Academy, and how troublesome it became even once they found him… Jing Hongchen had been furious, but still had to drag Crown Prince Xu Tianran out to deal with the imperial clan scum.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
The Sun Moon Empire had persisted for ten thousand years without its royal line ever being replaced like Star Luo's, or its lands splitting like the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling. The Xu surname was carved into everyone's minds as the royal name.
In the military, the Royal Soul Engineer Legion and most of the numbered legions (besides the beast legions) were dominated by the Xu clan.
But Mingde Hall was in the hands of an outsider. Even most of its high-ups were not imperial. That was precisely how the royal family wanted it: leave technological development to talented outsiders, but hold all the military power tightly in their own grip.
In other words, in the Sun Moon Empire, if you weren't a Xu, you were just the royal family's loyal dog.
The words clearly poked at certain bad memories in Jing Hongchen's heart.
"Hallmaster Jing, that was just an offhand comment. Please don't take it the wrong way," Su Wen added with a smile.
"…"
Jing Hongchen's mouth twitched. He glared at Su Wen. This little fox clearly saw through his situation from the start, so there was no need to keep pretending otherwise. "Get lost!"
"Fine… if you insist~"
Su Wen sighed.
"Looks like you really did misunderstand me."
Before Jing Hongchen's temper could fully flare, Su Wen had already slipped out of the hall, leaving in a care-free stride.
"Hmph."
Once the boy was out of sight, Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes, watching the spot where he'd vanished. He snorted softly. "Little fox. That was a veiled jab at me, wasn't it?"
"Hallmaster." Lin Jiayi walked in from outside and bowed respectfully.
"You're… all right?" He'd barely had time to ask about the palace before Jing Hongchen called Su Wen over.
"You hoping I wasn't?" Jing Hongchen raised a brow.
"Your subordinate wouldn't dare!!!" Lin Jiayi dropped to his knees in fright.
"All right, get up," Jing Hongchen said, leaning back in his chair and gazing up at the dark-gold ceiling. "His Majesty has cleared me. No punishment at all…"
"His Majesty is wise!" Lin Jiayi said, visibly relieved.
Jing Hongchen, however, felt rather empty.
Had the royal family really only ever treated him as a dog?
He'd known the answer for a long time. He'd just buried it.
When he'd been just a student at the Royal Academy, that was expected. When he became a Mingde Hall researcher, it was still bearable. But once he advanced to ninth-level, took over Mingde Hall, and became one of the top few figures in the entire empire… dissatisfaction had started to grow.
Su Wen had merely ripped that crack open, forcing him to look it in the eye.
"By the way, Hallmaster, Fan Yu requests an audience…"
Lin Jiayi spoke hesitantly.
"Fan Yu?" Jing Hongchen curled his lip. "Let him in."
"Yes!"
…
Fan Yu stared anxiously at the tea leaves swirling in his cup, trying to calm his nerves.
His hands trembled slightly. There was a faint flutter in his chest.
Two things had happened in quick succession.
First, his closed-door disciple had vanished without a trace. He'd even gone to ask Xuan Ziwen, Huo Yuhao's instructor. Xuan had claimed ignorance, saying Huo Yuhao always moved alone and was probably in seclusion cultivating. True, the boy usually left a note when he went off, but this time he must have left in too much of a hurry, so he hadn't had time, and so on…
But that didn't calm him at all.
They had clearly agreed to meet at the academy's coffee shop the next day. But Fan Yu had waited there all day without seeing him, and then searched for several days without any sign.
Yuhao was his student. Steeped in respect for his mentor, he would never stand him up for no reason. Something had happened—something big.
Second, his wife had disappeared under bizarre circumstances.
She'd been a vegetative invalid. There was no way she could have walked out on her own.
"Teacher Fan Yu, Hallmaster will see you now."
A voice cut across his thoughts.
"Oh, right…"
He straightened his robes and followed Lin Jiayi in. But just as he stepped over the threshold, he saw Su Wen coming out.
The two brushed shoulders and glanced at each other. Neither said a word.
Even Lin Jiayi found the scene strange.
A few minutes later.
In another hall in Mingde Hall.
Jing Hongchen tapped a finger lightly on the armrest as he listened to Fan Yu's frantic account of recent events and all his questions. Only when Fan Yu finished did he slowly open his eyes.
"You don't need to pursue Huo Yuhao's situation any further."
"That's the Holy Spirit Church's business. Whether he's dead or alive has nothing to do with us…"
"As for your wife—did you ever offend anyone?"
"The Holy Spirit Church?!" Even though Fan Yu had prepared himself mentally, he was still struck dumb when he heard the name. He hadn't expected his treasured disciple to have joined the evil soul master organization. He quickly protested.
"I've been extremely cautious since coming to Mingdu. I haven't offended anyone! My wife has been bedridden the whole time, only able to move her mouth. How could she have offended anyone…" Fan Yu said helplessly.
"I mean in the past," Jing Hongchen said, sipping his tea. "If your wife never offended anyone, why was she beaten into that state?"
"…"
Fan Yu fell silent.
There were too many to count…
The people and powers Zhou Yi had offended over the years far exceeded what he could list on both hands.
"That's enough. I'll have someone look into it. Go back and wait for news," Jing Hongchen said casually, waving him away.
"I… yes. Please be quick," Fan Yu said, rising and leaving helplessly.
As soon as he was gone, Lin Jiayi snorted. "Be quick? He really thinks he's some big deal, doesn't he? If there's one thing the Sun Moon Empire doesn't lack, it's soul engineers. And even eighth-level ones. By our standards here, I'm not sure he even counts as eighth level."
"Especially not a traitor."
"That woman strutted around on the strength of being a Shrek Academy teacher and ruined who knows how many talented students. She left her mark all over the original continent. The people she's offended are as numerous as the stars… It'll never be possible to track them all."
"A research post in Mingde Hall is already more than generous. I owe him nothing," Jing Hongchen said with a wave.
"Yes!"
Lin Jiayi hesitated.
"But, Hallmaster, from what I've heard, Zhou Yi's residence outside the academy is very close to a Holy Spirit Church branch hidden in Mingdu. Is it possible that…"
"Why would the Holy Spirit Church bother with her? They have no grudge with her," Jing Hongchen frowned. "Don't overthink it."
…
Holy Spirit Church.
A branch hall.
Zhou Yi lay on the floor like a dead fish, terror-stricken as she stared at the ring of people surrounding her.
"Who are you? What do you want? My husband is Fan Yu, a Mingde Hall researcher! If he reports you to Mingde Hall, they'll never let you off!"
"Tsk tsk…"
One of them squatted down slowly, pulling back his hood to reveal a horrific face full of scars. He looked like a demon, frightening Zhou Yi out of her wits.
"Looks like Teacher Zhou doesn't recognize me anymore," the young man sighed.
"In that case, I'll give you a hint. I'm Chen Ji—your first-generation student. After four years of your devil training left me gravely injured, you expelled me with a single line about being 'lazy by nature.'"
"I cried my eyes out back then. I couldn't understand why. Later… I understood. You did it to protect the academy's inner court admission rate."
Chen Ji spoke in a flat near-whisper.
"Chen Ji???" Zhou Yi froze, then the fear in her eyes turned to outright panic. "Teacher had her own difficulties back then. Didn't all those runs temper your will?"
"But all you know is running! Trash!" Chen Ji snapped.
He stomped down on Zhou Yi's face. Her expression twisted with pain while her four limbs remained limp and useless.
"Mmfff…"
"Besides running and weighted running—primitive and ignorant training methods that most factions abandoned ages ago—what else did you know as a teacher?!!"
"No medicinal baths. At best, you occasionally dragged in some Soul Sage to restore our stamina… The injuries that built up over time stranded me at Soul King forever."
He seemed lost in painful memories. "With my talent, I could've reached Soul Douluo at least. Back then I was this close to giving up on my life. Fortunately, I met the greatest benefactor of my life and joined the Holy Spirit Church. Otherwise, I could never have reached where I am today."
Seeing the dreadful expression in Zhou Yi's eyes, he leaned closer, smiling.
"Your body may be ruined; you can't move. But you can still feel, can't you?"
"Hehe… take her downstairs. We'll give her a proper welcome."
As she stared at his cold grin, Zhou Yi began screaming curses at him, but no one responded.
Chen Ji leaned in to murmur in her ear, "Oh, and Teacher Zhou, I'm a generous person. There are many of our fellow disciples here in the Church. I've already sent people out to notify them. Also, joy is better shared than kept alone, right? I've even asked them to bring in all the generations of students you've taught…"
"I think they'll be very interested."
"So rest assured. We won't let you die easily."
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Her desperate wails echoed up from the basement.
…
Sun Moon Empire.
Imperial Palace.
Ju Zi had lost count of how many times she'd come here. She was, strictly speaking, Crown Prince Xu Tianran's person now. Yet every time she came, she moved like some petty thief.
"Is that you, Ju Zi?"
Xu Tianran sat with a teacup in hand, smiling lazily at her.
He lounged back in his chair, enjoying the massages from his palace maids.
"Your Highness."
Ju Zi half-knelt and bowed.
"Rise."
He flicked his fingers, sending the maids away. "So, how's that Su Wen in your lab doing these days?"
"…"
Ju Zi hesitated. Her heart warred silently before she finally said, "He's already working on ninth-level soul tools. And… rumor has it he can perfectly replicate Hallmaster Hongchen's Hongchen's Blessing."
"Swish—"
Xu Tianran sat bolt upright, eyes flashing with shock. Then his expression relaxed into one of understanding. He nodded faintly.
"Your Highness… doesn't believe me?" Ju Zi asked softly.
"How could I not?" Xu Tianran shook his head, regaining his calm. "I only suddenly understood why Father is so determined to kill Su Wen. This boy truly is a dire threat to our Sun Moon Empire."
"K-kill Su Wen?" Ju Zi's pupils shrank.
"Of course. According to what I've heard, every high-level in the empire has agreed: we must kill him before he leaves the Sun Moon Empire. Even if we sacrifice Hallmaster Hongchen's grandson and many of our most talented youths in the process…"
He sighed, not noticing Ju Zi's pale face.
"But if they do that, won't Hallmaster Hongchen…" she pressed, trying to steady her voice.
"Heh. He's just a dog of the royal family," Xu Tianran said flatly.
His eyes hardened at the thought of Jing Hongchen. The Hallmaster's constant polite distance had long stoked his resentment. Once Jing Hongchen was ruined, the empire would first send Kong Deming to suppress him and force him to step down. After all, no one would feel at ease leaving the empire's foremost institution in the hands of a man who'd been tricked into sacrificing his only grandson.
At that point, no matter how furious Jing Hongchen might be, he'd have no choice but to hand over his position and accept house arrest.
A prisoner, nothing more.
As for Xu Tianran, he would move swiftly around the appointment of the new hallmaster to shape a power structure to his own advantage.
In the past, he might've been willing to swallow his pride to curry Jing Hongchen's favor.
Now… he didn't need to.
"Hahaha. A double blessing indeed."
…
In the lab.
"Hey, Ju Zi, why are you so out of it?"
Ke Ke studied the girl, then reached up on tiptoe to feel her forehead. "No fever… Did you pull another all-nighter?"
"No." Ju Zi forced a smile and stole a glance at the far side of the lab.
There, Su Wen was carefully grinding a soul tool component, focused entirely on his work. Her eyes flickered with hesitation and struggle.
She bit her lip.
"If you're not feeling well, go rest," Xuan Ziwen said the moment he walked in, brows rising. "I won't dock your credits. You know I'm a merciful man."
"Yeah, right," Ke Ke snorted.
"You're merciful my ass. You've just got straight male brain rot. How about I set you up with a wife and you have a daughter. Maybe then you'll treat us better."
"Bullshit!" Xuan Ziwen flushed. "What nonsense are you thinking all day?"
For a staunch lifelong bachelor, those words were a direct critical hit.
"Hey, Ju Zi, what kind of guy do you like?" Ke Ke asked, chin propped on her hand, curious.
"The one who cooks the best meals in the world," Ju Zi said after a pause.
Zi Mu quietly wiped down his workstation in silence.
Words from a goddess were best treated as air.
In truth, the man Ju Zi liked was one who could help her avenge her parents…
"You… have a grudge against the White Tiger Duke of Star Luo?" Su Wen asked lightly.
"Yeah." Ju Zi's voice went dull.
It wasn't exactly a secret.
Zi Mu knew. Ke Ke knew.
"If you had the chance, would you take revenge?" Su Wen smiled faintly.
"I'll kill Dai Hao myself and bring his head to my parents' graves," Ju Zi said through clenched teeth. "Would I? I dream of it…"
"You might just get that chance."
Su Wen's smile deepened a fraction.
The others just heard it as comfort. Only Ju Zi sensed a different note in his tone.
She stared fixedly at him, but could see no cracks in his calm.
Still, in that moment, the balance in her heart tipped violently.
It fell toward him.
…
"Beware the Sun Moon royal family."
It was already late at night, but the lab lights still burned bright.
Alone, Su Wen was in the lab carving the core formation of a soul tool. He happened to glance down at the workbench and noticed a folded slip of paper pinned beneath a weight.
He read the words softly, eyes narrowing.
Beware the royal family?
Why not Mingde Hall? They had no reason to kill him. The royal family, on the other hand…
Thinking of his conversation with Jing Hongchen earlier, Su Wen understood.
"It seems the Sun Moon Empire can't wait to make a move on me. Even with Xiao Hongchen and the others still at Shrek."
In canon, Huo Yuhao had been overpowered, but within reason.
At most, he was a rare soul tool prodigy.
Su Wen…
He'd completely upended the top soul engineers' understanding of the word "genius."
For them to be this anxious was only natural.
Also…
He rubbed his chin.
They would likely strike early.
If they waited until after the student exchange, with Shrek's powerhouses present, it would be much harder. With Mu En sitting in town, who knew if that old monster might appear personally.
For the next year at least, they wouldn't move openly in Mingdu.
After all, this was still Jing Hongchen's territory. They wouldn't risk tearing their masks off just yet. They'd look for opportunities.
"Looks like I'll have to be careful…"
Su Wen frowned slightly.
He wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about the others from Shrek. If he was cornered, the rest of them might not escape alive.
He'd have to make arrangements early.
He rolled the paper between his fingers. It crumbled into fine ice dust that scattered to the floor.
As for who had tipped him off, the elegant handwriting said enough. He hadn't expected his casual kindness earlier to bring such a useful, unexpected return.
"How is it?"
Footsteps sounded behind him. Xuan Ziwen appeared, eyes full of expectation.
"It's done."
Su Wen smoothed away his thoughts and smiled.
He opened his palm to reveal a delicate soul tool core array etched onto a tiny piece of metal.
"A dual-attribute… long-range sniper rifle?" Xuan Ziwen's eyes shone as he studied the little work of art.
The smaller the core, the harder it was to inscribe the array.
Especially an eighth-level soul tool core like this one, packed with complex lines and difficult rune chains.
This was the theory Su Wen had proposed days ago.
Gather and focus energy.
Turn a "cannon" into a "rifle."
In some ways, it was similar to a soul ray. The key was "concentration"—compressing the effect range to increase destructive force. It was essentially an upgraded, more refined soul cannon.
The metal casing piled next to the table had been entirely soul-forged by Su Wen himself, infused with traces of his Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Wind attributes. The former boosted destructive force; the latter amplified projectile speed.
Together—
The damage would multiply.
How much, exactly, still needed to be tested.
"Let's go!"
Xuan Ziwen grabbed Su Wen by the collar, dragging him toward the private target range in his haste.
"Beep~"
After dropping a thousand gold soul coins to rent one of the top-tier ranges for a day and a night—
Su Wen set up the soul engineer rifle.
The barrel alone was nearly 1.7 meters long. Even in his previous life, this would've qualified as a monster among sniper rifles.
As the air grew tense—
Xuan Ziwen didn't even dare breathe too loudly. He stared at the target with unblinking eyes.
"Boom!!!"
The deafening blast rolled through the range.
The temperature dropped by dozens of degrees, like winter's sudden arrival. With a shrill whine that felt like it was tearing the air itself apart, an ice-blue projectile screamed through the air and punched into the distant metal target.
"Penetration!"
Xuan Ziwen gaped.
That target was built to withstand a full-force blow from a Title Douluo.
And Su Wen's shot had gone straight through.
If that target had been an actual Title Douluo…
He'd be half-dead, if not worse.