Meng Hongchen didn’t feel embarrassed at all.
In the Teaching Department, she had long heard the rumors about Huo Yuhao and knew he was a super handsome guy.
But constrained by her study tasks, she had never had the chance to go see him.
Now that her brother said this, it simply poked right at her heartstrings.
“Okay, okay!
But should we tell Grandfather about this?
Didn’t Grandfather say he wanted to take Huo Yuhao as a disciple?
Will us contacting him privately affect Grandfather’s plans?”
Xiao Hongchen shrugged uncaringly.
“Nothing is set in stone yet.
Besides, with that kid’s monstrous talent in soul tool research right now, Grandfather might not get his wish.
Sneaking over to say a few words to that kid and getting to know him before that happens…
Grandfather definitely won’t say anything.”
Meng Hongchen was clearly convinced.
Of course, you could also say she had developed a strong interest in Huo Yuhao’s existence.
“Alright then, genius big bro.
Let’s hope you and that Huo Yuhao can get along.”
“Of course!
Your big bro is a genius.
I’m going to let him know how amazing your big bro is!”
Mingdu Imperial Palace, nearing evening.
Crown Prince Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair, his mind heavily weighed down as he looked at the intelligence report in his hands.
“Body martial soul, twin martial souls, broke the empire’s record for the fastest Class 2 Soul Engineer.
Elder Kong’s closed-door disciple is truly interesting!”
“Someone come.”
When a close guard entered, Xu Tianran ordered, “Deliver a reward to the teenager named Huo Yuhao, congratulating him on breaking the empire’s record for the fastest Class 2 Soul Engineer.”
“Yes.”
After the guard left, Xu Tianran looked towards the shadows.
“Such a genius, and Elder Kong’s closed-door disciple at that.
You people cannot touch him, otherwise that old man will go crazy.”
A sinister voice drifted from the shadows.
“That is not within my duties.
The Holy Cult has no interest in such matters.”
“That is for the best,” Xu Tianran said noncommittally.
He wanted to win over Mingde Hall, or rather, show goodwill to the Worship Hall.
Starting with this teenager named Huo Yuhao wasn’t a bad idea.
However, he had to consider the Holy Spirit Cult’s side of things.
Plotting with tigers requires guarding against the tiger turning around and biting you.
Once he ascended the throne and completely grasped the majority of power in his hands, it would be time to make a clean break with those filthy creatures.
How could someone who wants to become the emperor who unifies the continent accept having such an un-washable stain on himself?
As the sun set in the west, the Imperial City was painted in a brilliant golden hue by the afterglow.
After all the surrounding attendants and hidden guards had retreated, Xu Tianran couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
“The entire empire will sooner or later be entirely within my grasp.
Imperial Father, you are old.
Why hold onto the seat and refuse to let go?
Your son is truly getting a bit impatient.”
At this moment, a woman with soft, orange-red long hair suddenly appeared in the quiet environment.
She had fair skin, a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, and an aura of dangerous languor.
As if possessing some special privilege, while everyone else dared not approach, this woman walked openly right behind Xu Tianran.
Her amber, cat-like eyes also watched the sunset.
Like poisoned daggers—beautiful, yet dangerous.
“Ju Zi, you’re here.”
Ju Zi didn’t make any sudden movements, nor did she speak to reply.
She just pushed Xu Tianran’s wheelchair and began walking down from the palace.
She didn’t like it here.
But because of her hatred, she had to stay beside Xu Tianran, the Empire’s Crown Prince.
Only this way could she avenge her parents and fulfill her heart’s long-held wish.
As for why Xu Tianran, an incredibly scheming Crown Prince, would accommodate Ju Zi so much?
Naturally, it was because when the Third Prince assassinated Xu Tianran back then, Ju Zi had blocked a fatal strike for him.
The relationship between the two couldn’t be called trust; it was more like mutual utilization.
Seeing Ju Zi remain silent for a long time, Xu Tianran didn’t mind and continued speaking on his own.
“I heard a peerless genius appeared at the Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
He had never touched soul tools before, yet became a Class 2 Soul Engineer in just three months.
Perhaps you can get in contact with him in the future, Ju Zi.”
He added, seemingly just remembering, “Oh right, your teacher, Xuan Ziwen, seems to have become that teenager’s senior brother.
You’ll probably meet him inevitably in the future.
That teenager is named Huo Yuhao, a first-year student in the Teaching Department.”
Ju Zi’s body trembled slightly, but her expression remained unchanged.
Regardless of whether Xu Tianran could see it, she gave a faint nod.
Huo Yuhao?
She suddenly recalled the blue-haired teenager she had briefly encountered outside the academy a while ago.
Was it him?
A Class 2 Soul Engineer in three months.
No wonder someone like Xu Tianran would call him a peerless genius.
“Alright, I understand.”
With Ju Zi speaking, Xu Tianran was slightly taken aback for a moment, but soon said no more.
The next day.
Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, Teaching Department Dormitory.
Huo Yuhao woke up in the bathroom.
Before he could fully clear his head, a foul stench hit him.
Indeed, pores excreting waste was unavoidable.
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance, saving him the effort of cleaning up the room.
“Level 17, just a tiny bit away from level 18.”
After washing up first, he sensed his soul power level and wasn’t surprised.
He was already just a step away from breaking through to level 17.
Now that the Profound Water Pill had cleared the impurities in his body, nourished his meridians, and improved his innate soul power—achieving an effect akin to “deep purification”—it wasn’t strange that his soul power rose by a level.
Now that he had passed the Class 2 Soul Engineer assessment and broken the Sun Moon Empire’s record, he naturally didn’t need to continue attending the first-year classes.
Once this semester ended, he could smoothly enter the fifth year next semester for systematic study of Class 3 soul tool knowledge.
Therefore, Huo Yuhao first requested a leave of absence from Shi Xuan, then returned to his dorm to take the Spirit Ascension Pill.
As for whether having just taken the Profound Water Pill—meaning his soul power wasn’t stable yet—would cause a waste of the medicinal efficacy, that wasn’t within Huo Yuhao’s considerations at all.
His teacher would prepare several medicinal baths every week moving forward.
That would definitely be more than enough for him to solidify his foundation over the next month.
Moreover, a Spirit Ascension Pill could only be taken once in a lifetime, and its unique effect of helping a level 30 soul master break through to level 31 was entirely dispensable in Huo Yuhao’s eyes.
If you have resources, use them.
By the time he reached level 30, there would definitely be better things waiting for him.
He wasn’t some theory-plagiarizing “Grandmaster”; since when was level 30 some insurmountable hurdle?
Resources are only yours once you’ve used them.
“Hiss~”
Although both pills were mild, Huo Yuhao still felt a swelling sensation in his meridians.
Fortunately, it wasn’t unbearable, and under these conditions, his soul power skyrocketed.
Two hours later, Huo Yuhao got off the bed and stretched his body.
“Level 19, just a tiny bit away from level 20.
Soul power increased by two levels.”
Despite his soul power increasing by three levels in a single day, Huo Yuhao didn’t feel the slightest bit of instability in his soul power.
In the end, soul power was essentially a “quantity.” As long as the level went up, it meant you possessed the strength of that level.
The difference only lay in the “quality.” But unless you were an ultimate-attribute soul master, the difference in “quality” for a universal energy like soul power basically wouldn’t manifest.
Huo Yuhao, having reached level 19, wasn’t complacent.
After adapting for a while, he got up and headed to the cafeteria.
He figured his teacher’s medicinal bath materials were probably ready.
After eating, he would go get a wave of enhancement.
Once his foundation was solidified, he planned to go out tonight to try his luck and see if he could buy a few pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Gel.
He had more gold spirit coins in his hands now than he could spend.
If he didn’t quickly convert them into resources to strengthen his physical body, Huo Yuhao felt he’d be doing a disservice to Skydream’s expectations for the Far North.
As a continent with a massive coastline, the Sun Moon Empire definitely wouldn’t lack a heavy treasure of the sea like whale gel.
And what he lacked the least right now was gold spirit coins.
If it weren’t for that damn aphrodisiac effect, he could entirely treat the stuff like jellybeans.