Chapter 101: Dai Huabin Humiliates Himself, Zhu Lu’s Change of Heart

After leaving Xian Lin'er's room, Qian Ran couldn't wait to find Xiao Xiao.

Since class hadn't ended yet, Qian Ran went directly to Class One's classroom.

Since the class division, Qian Ran hadn't attended a single session, so all the students in the class were looking at him with curiosity, many of them with admiration in their eyes.

"Hmph."

Dai Huabin snorted coldly. He had been diligently training these past few days with the sole purpose of defeating Qian Ran.

Zhu Lu's gaze lingered on Qian Ran for a moment before she quickly looked away. Not seeing Qian Ran over the past few days had given her a sense of relief, but also a faint feeling of disappointment.

"Qian Ran, over here!"

Not having seen Qian Ran for a while, Xiao Xiao stood up and waved to him.

Unlike Wang Dong'er, who shared a dorm with Qian Ran, Xiao Xiao didn't have as much access to him, so meeting up was less convenient.

Qian Ran sat between Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao, pulled out a tissue from a nearby box, folded it into a rose shape, and offered it to Xiao Xiao. "Beautiful lady, you're even more beautiful than this rose."

Before Xiao Xiao could react, a small flame instantly ignited the paper rose, transforming it into a delicate red rose.

"Wow!"

All the classmates watching were stunned by Qian Ran's mysterious trick.

They had never seen such a romantic gesture before.

Xiao Xiao melted instantly. She had been feeling a bit sad over the past few days without seeing Qian Ran, but in that moment, all her unhappiness seemed to vanish.

"So handsome."

The girls in the class were envious, wishing they could be the one receiving a rose from Qian Ran. This side of Qian Ran, combined with his good looks and perfect build, was like a dream come true for the girls.

"Thank you."

Xiao Xiao took the rose and looked at the bright red petals. Though it looked like an ordinary rose, Qian Ran's magical gesture had made it feel uniquely beautiful.

Wu Feng and Ning Tian, sitting behind Qian Ran and Xiao Xiao, watched this scene with surprise. After all, they were still young girls with romantic hearts.

Wang Dong'er, feeling a bit envious, thought she'd ask Qian Ran to make one for her back in the dorm.

"Qian Ran, how did you do that?" Wu Feng was curious, thinking she could learn it to impress Ning Tian.

"It's just a magic trick with a bit of sleight of hand. Why? You want to learn? But there's a fee!" Qian Ran teased.

"A fee? I... I don't need to learn! It doesn't help with our training anyway." Wu Feng quickly understood Qian Ran's playful hint and declined. She wouldn't be naive enough to let Qian Ran take advantage of her!

"Hmph. Qian Ran, I didn't expect you to skip class just to learn such trivial tricks. You may have talent, but if you waste it like this, you'll only end up as someone else's stepping stone," Dai Huabin scoffed, though even he had been impressed momentarily, refusing to admit inferiority.

After all, he was the son of the White Tiger Duke and groomed to be an heir.

In the future, he would be a Duke of the Star Luo Empire, a position of high prestige—how could he possibly be inferior to Qian Ran?

"Dai Huabin, looks like you're itching for a fight."

"Want me to help you out?"

Qian Ran glanced at Dai Huabin, his eyes instantly turning blood-red. Dai Huabin flinched, as the familiar fear of Qian Ran's dominance washed over him. He lowered his head, unable to meet Qian Ran's gaze.

"A coward is still a coward, lacking even the courage to face me directly." Qian Ran mocked.

Dai Huabin was nothing but a small fry, unworthy of Qian Ran's interest.

The class elites—Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, Nanmen Yun'er, and others—were astonished by Dai Huabin's sudden silence and fearful demeanor, now even more in awe of Qian Ran's strength.

Dai Huabin was considered the second strongest freshman.

Yet he didn't even qualify as a worthy opponent for Qian Ran. Just how powerful was Qian Ran?

Once Dai Huabin quieted down, Qian Ran took out the soul tools he had promised Ning Tian.

The pink soul tools on the table made the girls' hearts flutter.

"These are my soul tools?" Ning Tian asked, surprised.

"Yes, there's a thruster, a flying soul tool, a defensive soul tool, and a close-range soul tool with low soul power consumption, all at grade 3. They'll be useful for you even as a Soul Elder. These are common types, just slightly modified," Qian Ran explained.

"Wow."

"How much do they cost?"

Ning Tian playfully stuck out her tongue and quickly stored away the soul tools.

"I'm not too sure; we'll talk about it later." Qian Ran didn't care much about the cost, and since Ning Tian was someone he considered his future partner, it wouldn't be appropriate to charge her. However, with so many people watching, giving them for free would seem too obvious—especially to Wang Dong'er, who tended to get jealous.

"See that? Dai Huabin, these are all soul tools Qian Ran made for me. All grade-3 soul tools. Can you do that?" Ning Tian taunted Dai Huabin, though she refrained from mentioning that Qian Ran was a grade-5 soul engineer, sensing that this should remain a secret.

"Grade-3 soul tools?"

"Qian Ran is also a soul engineer?"

The entire class was astonished. How did Qian Ran find the time to study soul tools on top of his powerful cultivation? And he was making grade-3 soul tools?

At Shrek Academy, a grade-3 soul engineer was already impressive for an outer court student, especially for a freshman.

Many new students never progressed beyond grade-3 soul engineers in their lifetime, despite Shrek Academy's high standards.

It was as if they hadn't even started the race, while Qian Ran was already at the finish line.

"Indeed, Qian Ran has been learning soul engineering lately. His talent for it even surpasses his cultivation talent," Xiao Xiao proudly added on his behalf.

"So Qian Ran reached the level of a grade-3 soul engineer after just a short period of study?"

Even those who knew little about soul engineering could understand how extraordinary this talent was.

Dai Huabin felt a deep sense of shame, his fists clenched in frustration. This silent humiliation was more painful than any physical beating. The slap to his pride came too fast. Qian Ran had achieved such mastery in soul engineering without a word, while he had accomplished... what?

Zhu Lu felt disappointed in Dai Huabin. He had once been outstanding, but in Qian Ran's presence, he seemed to lose all sense, exposing all his flaws. Compared to Qian Ran, Dai Huabin was truly lacking.

(Chapter Ends)