"How's Qianran doing lately?" Jing Hongchen asked Lin Jiayi while working on some documents.
"Him? He doesn't seem as eager about academics as the other Shrek Academy students. As far as I know, he hasn't even set foot in the lab for any research." Lin Jiayi shrugged. Compared to the other Shrek Academy transfers, who were all bursting with curiosity and motivation, Qianran's attitude was much more laid-back.
The learning environment at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was notoriously intense. Students with Qianran's casual mindset were a rarity. In the field of soul engineering, without dedication to study, it was nearly impossible to excel.
"It seems he was like this back at Shrek Academy too—barely attending classes. You could easily confirm this by asking anyone at Shrek City," Lin Jiayi continued.
"The more this is true, the more it highlights how terrifying Qianran's talent is. To maintain both his cultivation level and soul engineering progress while fooling around all day... isn't that proof of how extraordinary he is?" Jing Hongchen sighed deeply. As a high-ranking soul engineer, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy, wishing he could steal such talent for himself.
"Never mind. Perhaps this is for the best. If he really put his all into studying, it would give us even more headaches. Do any of our Academy's girls have... close relations with him?"
"Nana from the Control Department seems pretty close to him. She's even stayed overnight in his dorm," Lin Jiayi replied.
"Nana..." Jing Hongchen immediately recalled who she was. The fact that such a talented girl from his Academy had quickly grown attached to Qianran left him feeling somewhat sour. Still, he knew this was ultimately a good thing. The Sun Moon Royal Academy needed powerful soul masters. With enough of them, Jing Hongchen was confident he could nurture an ultimate Douluo-level expert.
"One isn't enough to be certain. By the way, what about Huo Yuhao? We need to keep a close eye on him—he's one of ours," Jing Hongchen reminded.
"Yes, understood."
After Lin Jiayi left, Jing Hongchen sat in thought for a while. If the Clear Sky Sect and Mingde Hall could form a marital alliance, it would provide a significant safeguard for the empire's future plans. But his granddaughter seemed to have her sights set on Qianran. She had even stayed at the Academy for his sake.
If he set aside his biases, he would rather see Mengmeng with Qianran. If their descendants could inherit Qianran's martial soul, the Hongchen family would have a brighter future. However, Huo Yuhao's martial soul wasn't weak either, and a spiritual martial soul was especially valuable to soul engineers.
The next morning, Qianran entered the lab, only to find both Keke and Juzi staring at him as if he'd committed an unforgivable crime.
"Why are you two staring at me like that? And where are the other two from our lab?" Qianran, unnerved by their gazes, quickly tried to change the subject.
"They're still recovering in the hospital because of what you did last time. By the way, Wang Shaojie is a royal. If he gets better, won't he come looking for trouble?"
"Doesn't matter. They're no match for me," Qianran replied nonchalantly, sitting on Juzi's desk and grabbing an orange from the fruit platter. He peeled it and popped a segment into his mouth. It was juicy, sweet, and delicious.
Qianran recalled from the original story that this same Wang Shaojie eventually captured Huo Yuhao with his men. If Wang Shaojie dared to mess with him, he'd be courting death. Qianran had no qualms about dealing with him, even killing him if necessary.
He was at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy just for fun, anyway.
Qianran didn't intend to stay at the Academy for the full two and a half years. Once he got bored, he'd simply leave.
"I already told you, he's royalty. This isn't just about whether you can beat him." Keke rolled her eyes at him, frustrated. Qianran was certainly strong, but how could he not understand such basic logic?
"Maybe we should talk to Teacher Xuan and request a leave of absence to avoid the situation for a few days?" Juzi, realizing the potential severity of the issue, suggested. Wang Shaojie did seem like the type to hold grudges.
"It's not that serious. I'm actually quite capable. Don't think of me as so weak, okay?" Qianran said with a sigh, feeling insulted that they underestimated him.
"Do you... have someone protecting you?" Keke blinked curiously.
"Smart guess."
"A Titled Douluo?" Juzi gasped.
"Yup."
"Hiss—" Both Keke and Juzi drew sharp breaths, stunned. No wonder Qianran was so fearless—he had a Titled Douluo as his hidden guardian.
A Titled Douluo! That was an unattainable existence for most people.
"Qianran, could you... teach us how to cultivate? You're so strong, just teaching us a few tricks would benefit us immensely," Keke asked hesitantly, her eyes glinting with hope.
For most soul engineers at the Sun Moon Royal Academy, their biggest obstacle wasn't soul engineering theory but their personal cultivation levels.
Their martial souls were already difficult to train, and balancing that with daily soul engineering research was even harder.
Juzi also looked excited. She had been wondering how to broach the topic, but Keke had beaten her to it.
"Don't tell me you applied to be my study partner with this in mind," Qianran said with a wry smile.
"Well... it was part of the reason," Keke admitted sheepishly. At the time, she had been thinking of mutual assistance, but who could have known Qianran's mastery of soul engineering would be so advanced?
"Do you think we still have room to improve?" Keke tugged at Qianran's sleeve, pleading softly. Her goal was to become a seventh-level soul engineer, which required her to reach the Soul Sage level of cultivation.
"Of course you do! You're not even twenty yet. How could you not have room for improvement?" Qianran rolled his eyes at her. Then, he continued seriously, "But without some special help, your progress won't be significant."
"At Shrek Academy, students who reach Soul King before the age of twenty generally have the potential to reach Soul Sage or even Soul Douluo levels in the future."
"But for you two, the problem is that you've relied too heavily on medicinal aids to boost your cultivation. Those stimulants accelerated your progress in the short term but quickly depleted your potential. Recently, you've probably noticed that cultivating has become much harder."
"Mm." Keke nodded earnestly. Juzi's expression turned bitter—without those medicines, she might never have even reached Soul King level.
"So, under normal circumstances, Keke, you'll probably top out as a seventh-level soul engineer, but it'll be tough for you to break through to Soul Sage. Juzi, you might not even make it to Soul Emperor, though your expertise in soul engineering could still allow you to become a sixth-level soul engineer," Qianran explained seriously, scrutinizing the two of them.
Under normal conditions, that would be the extent of their achievements. Of course, if they stumbled upon some extraordinary natural treasures, their cultivation levels could still be forcefully pushed higher.
(Chapter End)