The group returned to Mingdu on Jing Hongchen's airship as dusk settled, but this did nothing to dampen their spirits.
Jing Hongchen waved his hand and announced that to celebrate the new students' impending enrollment, Lin Jiayi was permitted to take the students to play in the Mingdu night market for the entire night, and the Dean would cover all expenses!
The students, including the Hongchen siblings, cheered excitedly. Even those who hadn't met Xu Tianxi felt a growing fondness for him.
Xu Tianxi himself was personally escorted by the very enthusiastic Dean Hongchen, who amiably asked him all sorts of questions.
"Little Xu, I've known your senior grand-uncle for a long time, but I don't know much about your situation. Could you tell me about it? For example, what happened to you in the Xuanming Sect, and how did you leave home?"
Xu Tianxi looked curiously at the Mingdu buildings, which were switching to their nighttime forms as dusk approached, and he seemed very nervous.
"I learned of my mother's death before I awakened my Martial Soul. After that, I never participated in any social activities within the Xuanming Sect again. I spent all my time cultivating, which led to a strained relationship with most people in the Xuanming Sect. When the mistress of the house, Xue Lingxun, reached an agreement with Yan Shaozhe, she wanted to wear down my will to cultivate.
I couldn't bear it, so, under the protection of an elder from the Xuanming Sect and an old servant my mother brought with her, I left the Xuanming Sect. Later, I first went to the Far North Land to obtain my second Soul Ring, and then I went to Vast Sea City to seek refuge with my senior grand-uncle. That's when I finally settled down…"
"Oh? So, those two are your great benefactors, then. Do you know where they are now? Are they also in Vast Sea City?"
Hearing this, Xu Tianxi lowered his head and softly said, "No," his voice incredibly low:
"When we traveled to Vast Sea City by sea, we encountered a battle between Evil Soul Masters and the Heavenly Tyrant Bixi. We joined the fight, and then some accidents happened…
The elder from the Xuanming Sect couldn't accompany me to Vast Sea City. I haven't seen him since I disembarked, and I miss him very much now…"
As he spoke, Xu Tianxi's eyes reddened again, and tears were on the verge of falling.
"Oh, oh, oh, child, you're…"
Jing Hongchen hadn't expected Xu Tianxi to start with "bad news" and quickly shot a look at the Hongchen siblings, who were quietly listening to the story behind him.
Xiao Hongchen looked confused and sad, while Meng Hongchen quickly pulled out a stack of tissues and handed them over.
Jing Hongchen secretly thought, My granddaughter is still the clever one, and fumbled to wipe Xu Tianxi's eyes, comforting him gently.
Xu Tianxi wiped away his tears and continued, head still lowered:
"Not long ago, the old servant who was with my mother and I came to the Sun Moon Empire. When we passed near the Ming Dou Great Forest, we encountered the notorious Abomination Demon Soul Assassin Group, and a fierce conflict broke out…
During the great battle, I desperately killed that Abomination Envoy. My Soul Power was exhausted, and after I recovered, I crossed the Ming Dou Mountain Range alone; they told me that from then on, I would have to walk my path alone…"
"Ah, this…"
Jing Hongchen prided himself on being well-traveled and experienced, but he had never encountered such a "tragic" background as Xu Tianxi's. Could it be that this child was at odds with Evil Soul Masters? How else could he encounter Evil Soul Masters just by traveling?
With his cultivation as a Titled Douluo, he was certain that Xu Tianxi wasn't lying; the sadness and hatred in his Spiritual Power were absolutely genuine.
But wasn't this a bit too tragic? How did his senior grand-uncle arrange things? Couldn't he have personally escorted him?
Wait a minute, could that guy be trying to tell me that this child has no other relatives in the Xuanming Sect besides him, so I can boldly invest in him without worrying about his sincerity?
"By the way, child, what about your father? Did he not care for you?"
"He went into seclusion the two days before I awakened my Martial Soul. I've never seen him."
Jing Hongchen was speechless. Well, then, Xu Tianxi is practically an orphan.
He had been monitoring Xu Tianxi's Soul Power fluctuations and found no physiological abnormalities. He prided himself on his discerning eye, and he could tell whether a child was lying.
"Then, do you have any other relatives in the Xuanming Sect? Like siblings?"
Meng Hongchen, who had been listening for a long time, couldn't help but lean closer, her small face filled with sympathy.
Xu Tianxi shook his head, shrugging with a sigh:
"Among my peers in the Xuanming Sect, only one half-brother has a good relationship with me, but he's a student at Shrek Academy and isn't often home."
"Huh? Wouldn't that make him even less reliable than Xiao?" Meng Hongchen blurted out.
"Cough cough, Meng, what are you saying? How am I unreliable…"
Xiao Hongchen, with a darkened expression, walked forward and curiously asked, "Your brother is at Shrek Academy? Is he powerful?"
Xu Tianxi earnestly recalled Xu Sanshi's boastful words from his letters and slowly said:
"He awakened the Profound Tortoise, the direct lineage Martial Soul of the Xuanming Sect. We occasionally communicate, and he claims to have become the top defensive Soul Master in Shrek's Outer Court."
"The top defensive Soul Master in Shrek's Outer Court? Then he's very likely to participate in the Soul Fighting Grand Competition with Xiao's generation, isn't he? Little Xu, your brother isn't bragging, is he?"
Jing Hongchen's eyes flickered, quickly pinpointing the crucial detail.
Two top-tier geniuses appearing in the Xuanming Sect at the same time, and both enrolling in the two strongest academies of the current era? Such flourishing luck, could there be some special intentions behind it?
"I wouldn't know about that, but Dean, you should be able to find out." Xu Tianxi replied calmly.
That's true, the information is too obvious; it can't withstand scrutiny at all.
Jing Hongchen secretly compared the information, and a large weight was lifted from his heart.
This makes sense. Dispersing talented family members and investing in both sides is exactly what those people tend to do.
With the two brothers on opposing sides, a legacy could be preserved no matter who won.
However, looking at Xu Tianxi's situation, he was indeed alone and helpless. That was enough. As long as he was careful, there shouldn't be any problems.
"Sigh…"
Jing Hongchen let out a long sigh, shook his head, and said to Xu Tianxi gently:
"Child, even though you don't have a home now, the Sun Moon Empire offers endless opportunities. As long as you work hard, establishing a family and securing a future for your wife and children will be no problem. As your Dean, I will guide you."
"Judging by how you look now, you probably don't feel like playing anymore. I'll take you back to the academy and get you settled in."
With that, Jing Hongchen waved to his grandchildren and flew off with Xu Tianxi towards the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
The Hongchen siblings stood there, looking at each other.
"Meng, why do I feel like Grandpa values Xu Tianxi more than he values us? Our positions aren't going to be threatened, are they?"
Xiao Hongchen's eyes darted around. He jumped next to Meng Hongchen and whispered in her ear, watching Jing Hongchen and Xu Tianxi disappear into the distance as if facing a formidable enemy.
Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes helplessly and reminded him, annoyed,
"It was you who told Director Lin the night before last that Grandpa dreamt of taking on a disciple. Director Lin asked Grandpa, and Grandpa didn't deny it, so it's practically confirmed, isn't it?"
Xiao Hongchen rubbed his scalp sheepishly, lowering his head and muttering,
"Well, I couldn't think of a better lie at the time, could I? Besides, Grandpa is so busy, he probably doesn't have much time to teach students, right? He barely has time to check in on us."
"Then you'd better pray that some master at the academy happens to discover young Xu and takes him on as a personal disciple. But I don't think anyone would dare to snatch someone away from Grandpa, you know."
Meng Hongchen didn't want to discuss the matter with her brother any further. She turned and waved, signaling Xiao Hongchen to go shopping with her. He immediately made a bitter face and resignedly followed along.
Shopping with girls was pure torture, especially when it was his own sister—there was no escaping it!