Chapter 17: Enrollment

"That genius you speak of, is he also from your sect?"

Jing Hongchen gently brushed his fingers over the carving knife in his hand and spoke slowly.

"Yes, he is the Holy Son of our Sacred Sect."

Ming Lei looked at Jing Hongchen and stated this without any concealment.

There was nothing to hide—given the strength of Mingde Hall, if they wanted to investigate, they would find out anyway. It was better to be open about it.

Moreover, now that their Holy Spirit Sect had placed its bets on Xu Tianran, they had already begun to emerge from the shadows.

"Your Holy Spirit Sect isn't lacking soul engineers, so why do you need to come to my Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy?"

"Furthermore, why should I agree to this?"

Jing Hongchen picked up the teacup on the table, took a light sip, and spoke casually.

"The first reason, of course, is that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy has advanced soul engineering technology and high-quality education—our Holy Son has long admired it."

"As for the second reason, well, it's because you are my senior brother…"

The moment Jing Hongchen heard Ming Lei's second sentence, his body trembled almost imperceptibly. His eyes locked tightly onto Ming Lei Douluo.

"You still remember that I am your senior brother? Then why did you leave without saying a word back then?"

Jing Hongchen suddenly stood up, pointed at Ming Lei Douluo, and questioned him in a sharp voice, his face now carrying a tinge of anger.

"Senior Brother, I was wrong back then."

Ming Lei Douluo's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"You!"

Jing Hongchen looked at the lowered head of Ming Lei Douluo and felt as if he had punched a pile of cotton—utterly powerless.

"Get out! You are not welcome here."

Jing Hongchen pointed toward the door and shouted angrily.

Since becoming the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, he had spent years practicing self-restraint, yet today, he found himself struggling to maintain it.

Ming Lei Douluo seemed to be frozen in place, unmoving.

The two remained locked in a standoff.

Back then, when Ming Lei Douluo's martial soul mutated, he had joined the Holy Spirit Sect to resolve the issues caused by his martial soul and had become an evil soul master.

After becoming an evil soul master, he no longer dared to face his master or senior brother. Even though all three of them were in Mingdu, he had never met them again.

Things would never be the same as they were in the past.

The truth was, if someone deliberately avoided you, even living in the same city would be meaningless.

"I will go and visit Master."

In the end, it was Ming Lei Douluo who broke the silence, speaking in a low voice.

"Now you understand. Go, then."

Jing Hongchen slowly sat back down in his chair and spoke again.

"Bring that so-called genius to me tomorrow."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Ming Lei Douluo's tone carried a hint of joy.

When Zhongli Wu had asked him to come to Mingde Hall, he had felt a trace of fear—this was a place he both longed for and feared to face.

But now, he had not only completed his mission but also relieved a burden in his heart.

"I will take my leave, Senior Brother."

Ming Lei Douluo bid farewell to Jing Hongchen, his figure turning into a flash of dark purple lightning as he departed.

"Don't forget what you said—go and see Master."

Jing Hongchen's voice echoed from inside the room, causing Ming Lei Douluo's airborne figure to pause for a moment before speeding up even more as he left.

"This time, I won't break my promise…"

His voice lingered in the air, but Ming Lei Douluo's figure had long since disappeared.

Jing Hongchen sat in his chair, his gaze distant.

He hadn't agreed to Ming Lei Douluo's request because of that so-called genius. From his youthful arrogance to his current position of power, he had seen countless geniuses.

Even his own grandson and granddaughter, at only thirteen or fourteen years old, were already hailed as the greatest prodigies the Sun Moon Empire had seen in a century.

Moreover, no matter how talented the Holy Spirit Sect's Holy Son was, after studying at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, he would have to leave eventually. Jing Hongchen had nothing to gain from it.

The reason he agreed was because Ming Lei still called him Senior Brother—it was for the sake of their shared past under the same master.

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"Now I have one more daily task—feeding Old Yi."

After a night of cultivation, Jiang Jue extracted the life force absorbed by the Evil Eye from the Soul Refining Banner and divided it into two portions.

One portion he absorbed into his body, while the other was infused into his spiritual sea.

The gray bead that Electrolux had transformed into was slowly expanding under the nourishment of this life force. Although the growth was slow, it was undeniably happening.

Jiang Jue got out of bed and tidied his attire. This time, he did not wear the dark, gothic-style black robe but instead chose a white one.

With Jiang Jue's handsome features, the white robe gave him the refined and noble appearance of a young aristocrat.

After dressing properly, Jiang Jue headed to the discussion hall. He had agreed with his master, Zhongli Wu, the previous night that they would set off for Mingdu early in the morning.

By the time Jiang Jue arrived at the hall, Zhongli Wu had not yet arrived. He waited for about ten minutes before Zhongli Wu finally appeared.

"Let's go, my disciple. Everything has been arranged."

Zhongli Wu left the Holy Spirit Sect headquarters and, using his immense soul power, carried Jiang Jue through the air toward Mingdu.

The headquarters of the Holy Spirit Sect was not far from Mingdu, so with Zhongli Wu's speed, it took only twenty minutes to arrive. If he had traveled alone, he would have been even faster.

Upon entering Mingdu, Jiang Jue's first impression was that it had a modern feel, unlike the former three great empires, which had a more feudal architectural style.

As the political and economic center of the Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu's prosperity far surpassed that of other cities—even the capitals of the former three great empires could not compare.

Towering buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, with most exceeding five stories.

Between the buildings, wide stone-paved streets crisscrossed like a network, and some main roads were over twenty meters wide.

"Let's go. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy is in the eastern part of Mingdu."

Zhongli Wu led the way, with Jiang Jue following behind.

Before long, they arrived at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy—a vast complex of hexagonal silver-white buildings, towering over thirty meters tall. The flowing, metallic walls exuded a sense of advanced technology.

At this time, it happened to be the academy's freshman enrollment period. Looking around, the place was filled with groups of youthful students.

"It's been a long time since I felt like this."

Jiang Jue observed the scene before him and felt a slight sense of nostalgia.

He had spent nearly all his time at the Holy Spirit Sect headquarters. Though the place was luxurious, it always had an eerie atmosphere.

However, later on, both the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and Mingde Hall would vanish in the catastrophic explosion that Huo Yuhao triggered in Mingdu.

In an instant, lives were lost, and a third of Mingdu was reduced to ruins. That day, the entire city mourned, while only the Holy Spirit Sect rejoiced.

"Don't move."

Zhongli Wu softly instructed Jiang Jue, then placed a hand on his shoulder. With a flash of black light, the two of them instantly vanished.

Jiang Jue felt the world around him blur. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a luxurious room.

"Hahaha, welcome, Cult Master Zhongli, to my Mingde Hall. My apologies for not greeting you sooner."

A hearty laugh echoed through the room.

(End of Chapter)