Time flowed slowly, and in a blink of an eye, more than half a year passed.
Over the past six months, a topic, neither too big nor too small, emerged in the upper circles of Mingdu. The center of this topic was Kong Ming'an, the only grandson of His Excellency Kong Deming, who was only six and a half years old.
The reason was simple: every morning, this young master would be personally escorted by a Titled Douluo to the military camp outside the city, rain or shine, precisely on time. This had been happening since the day he awakened his Spirit until now.
This action, for a six-year-old child, seemed particularly conspicuous.
He neither attended school for enlightenment nor received tutelage in the Hall of Worship. What was he doing in the military camp all day? Various speculations circulated privately, but none hit the mark.
Especially since information regarding this young master's Spirit and Innate spirit power was completely sealed by the high-ranking members of the Hall of Worship, without any leakage.
To outsiders, it was basically only known that this young master had awakened his Spirit; the specifics remained a closely guarded secret.
Of course, apart from these inquiries, another topic about Kong Ming'an circulated more widely.
This young master of the Kong Family was exceptionally handsome. After Awakening his Spirit, perhaps due to its influence, he also possessed a calm temperament far beyond his peers.
Coupled with his already exquisite features, many people who had seen him were deeply impressed.
Many high-ranking officials of the Sun Moon Empire with young daughters unconsciously developed ideas of a marriage alliance.
After all, this was the sole Bloodline of His Excellency Kong Deming, the Soul Engineer pillar of the Empire. In a sense, this young master of the Kong Family held a higher status than a host of imperial princes...
Approaching noon, within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy,
The sun was bright, and the neatly trimmed flowerbeds exuded a fresh scent of plants. On the path, two children, also around six years old, walked side by side, exceptionally conspicuous.
The little girl walked briskly, her soft, silver, shoulder-length hair shimmering in the sunlight. Her ice-blue eyes did not appear cold; instead, they carried a childlike clarity.
Beside her was a little boy with equally silver hair, but his eyes were heterochromatic, one blue and one green, with an undisguised sense of pride in his features.
These were the grandchildren of Jing Hongchen, the Hall Master of Mingde Hall and the Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy: Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen.
"Hey, big brother,"
Meng Hongchen plucked a leaf and tilted her head to look at Xiao Hongchen, "That Kong Ming'an, I heard he's especially good-looking? He goes to the military camp to play every day, is it fun?"
Xiao Hongchen pouted, "What's the use of being good-looking? Strength is the most important! Him? He doesn't even come to the academy, what strength could he have?"
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had a preparatory class. Geniuses like Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen could enter early to learn knowledge related to spirit tools.
Furthermore, due to their family background, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen had been exposed to spirit tool knowledge since childhood and now directly attended second-year classes.
"Tsk… big brother, be modest… Maybe he'll be your future opponent~"
Meng Hongchen said earnestly, like a little adult.
"Hmph, my, Xiao Hongchen's, only opponent is myself!"
Meng Hongchen looked helpless; she felt her big brother was truly beyond saving...
As the siblings chatted, a group of people hurried out of the teaching building nearby.
The leader was tall, with a refined and handsome face, wearing the Mingde Hall's characteristic ornate red robe. It was their grandfather, the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen.
And the few people beside him were his students.
Jing Hongchen paused slightly when he saw his grandchildren: "Meng, Xiao? Why are you here?"
"Grandpa!" the two little ones called out in unison. Meng Hongchen ran forward: "We just finished class and were about to go eat!"
Jing Hongchen nodded, pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to a middle-aged man beside him, dressed in the dark purple uniform of the Hall of Worship:
"Steward Lin, would it be convenient to take the two little ones to broaden their horizons?"
Steward Lin's gaze swept over the two exquisitely carved children and he nodded slightly: "Naturally, it's fine, just maintain silence."
"Good," Jing Hongchen replied, then told Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen: "Let's go."
With that, he directly threw a flying spirit tool onto the two little ones, and then the group flew up together.
"Grandpa, where are we going?" Meng Hongchen whispered in mid-air.
"You'll know when we get there," Jing Hongchen responded with a smile, but he glanced at Xiao Hongchen beside him, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.
He hoped Xiao's Dao Heart wouldn't shatter.
The group flew away from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and arrived at Mingde Hall, located on the other side, built near the Sun Moon Imperial Palace.
Passing through a heavily guarded area and entering a special passage, the air became heavy, and the walls gleamed with a thick metallic luster, exuding an aura of safety.
After a long while, they arrived at the core laboratory area of the Hall of Worship.
The heavy alloy door slid open silently, and a unique scent, a mixture of metal Energy and precision instruments, wafted out.
The internal space was vast, with various complex spirit tool devices flickering with light, and researchers in dark purple uniforms moved through it.
Led by Steward Lin, Meng Hongchen ascended to the second floor with her grandfather.
The second floor was a huge circular observation platform. At this moment, more than ten people had gathered near the transparent protective wall, and the atmosphere was solemn.
Meng Hongchen looked around curiously and recognized many familiar faces among the dozen people.
For example, the uncle with a refined temperament and eyes as deep as the starry sky, that was the Starry Sky Douluo, Ye Yulin, who was as famous as her grandfather.
There was also the young man standing nearby, the current Crown Prince, Xu Tianran, who was only 17 years old this year. Her grandfather said he had a very good chance of becoming the Crown Prince and, in the future, the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.
Of course, there was also the most important person, the elder standing at the very front, with a stern posture, resolute face, and dignified demeanor.
That was Kong Deming. Every time her grandfather spoke of him, his expression would become solemn, as if he were very afraid.
Aside from these important figures, the others chatting and smiling politely were all powerful individuals, wearing nine-level Soul Engineer badges!
Compared to them, she and her big brother here… felt strangely out of place?
Little Meng Hongchen felt an invisible pressure.
Shifting her position, Meng Hongchen leaned against the glass, focusing her attention on the experimental field below.
In the field stood a soldier with an exceptionally robust physique, like a small iron tower.
At this moment, this soldier was connected to complex spirit tool sensor cables, covered in simple armor for testing joints and strength, like a meticulously monitored weapon.
Meng Hongchen watched intently, somewhat curious if this was the 'world' her grandfather spoke of. However, when her peripheral vision unconsciously swept over a corner of the experimental field, her small body involuntarily froze slightly.
In that inconspicuous corner, a young boy, who looked about her age, sat quietly.
He wore a white robe, worn only by researchers. His delicate face had a calm expression unsuited for his age.
His ink-like eyes were intently watching the soldier being tested in the field, his small hands seemingly resting unconsciously on his knees, as if he were thinking, calculating something?
Meng Hongchen blinked, somewhat confused.
Who was this? Why was he in the experimental field?
But he was so, so handsome… The handsome young boy easily captured little Meng Hongchen's full attention.
She stood at the edge of the crowd on the second-floor observation platform, straining on her tiptoes, her ice-blue eyes unblinkingly fixed on the quiet corner of the experimental field below, observing cautiously.
Meanwhile, the hushed conversations of the adults reached her ears, every word imbued with seriousness and expectation:
"…Basic data recording complete…"
"…Elder Kong, do you think the Energy dissipation rate can be further optimized this time?"
"…Your Highness, if this project succeeds, the improvement to the foundational combat power of my Sun Moon Imperial army will be immeasurable…"
"…The key lies in the universality and stability of this 'method'…"
These terms were somewhat incomprehensible to six-year-old Meng Hongchen, but she could clearly feel the weight contained in those words.
Everyone's attention, in their conversations, was firmly fixed on the soldier in the field, who resembled a small iron tower, connected by countless cables and simple armor. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
In this silence, Meng Hongchen's peripheral vision caught sight of the young boy in the corner of the experimental field… he moved.
Without any warning, and without attracting the attention of anyone else except Meng Hongchen, who had been watching him, he stood up silently, like a precisely set mechanical part.
However, the moment he straightened his body—
Buzz!
It was as if an invisible command was instantly transmitted.
All the hushed conversations on the second-floor platform ceased abruptly.
Kong Deming lowered his gaze.
Xu Tianran stepped forward with a solemn look in his eyes.
Jing Hongchen, meanwhile, was filled with sighs and exclamations.
All the nine-level Soul Engineers and attendants, their gazes simultaneously shifted from the test subject in the field to that small figure who had just stood up.
The entire second-floor platform fell into absolute silence.
Meng Hongchen looked at the surrounding important figures, somewhat at a loss, unable to understand what had happened.
And at a certain moment, below, at the center of everyone's attention, the small young boy raised his eyes and looked towards the second-floor observation platform.
It was not directed at a specific person, nor was it a request for permission; it was more like a unilateral notification.
The next moment, his clear and steady voice, carrying confidence and an undeniable command, penetrated the thick protective wall and the dead silent air, echoing clearly in every corner of the laboratory:
"The fifth periodic demonstration of the results of the 'Body Tempering Method' practice, now… 'begins'."