Meng Hongchen lifted her small head, smiling brightly as she looked at Wang Chen.
" My grandpa is the Dean. That's just how willful he is, hehe."
Wang Chen chuckled and pinched Meng Hongchen's tender cheek. Then, deciding to be honest, he said,
"Meng'er, it's not like that. The reason I don't want to go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy is mainly because the things they teach there are too shallow for me. Going to classes would only waste my cultivation time."
Meng Hongchen, seeing that Wang Chen still didn't want to go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, replied,
"Brother Wang Chen, if the academy's courses are too simple, why don't you go study at Mingde Hall instead?
I can ask the Dean of Instruction to arrange a direct test for you. As long as you pass the Mingde Hall examination, you can directly study there. Even if you don't pass, you can still intern inside Mingde Hall."
Wang Chen shook his head helplessly once more. He knew very clearly what he was lacking right now.
What he lacked was time—time to accumulate soul power, not knowledge of soul tools.
In terms of soul tool crafting, all he needed to do was observe another soul engineer making one, and he could record everything through the Black Book, then quickly master it himself.
When it came to mastery of soul tool creation, Wang Chen was in no way inferior to an eighth-rank Soul Engineer—he was simply limited by his cultivation level, unable to produce or use high-level devices yet.
Therefore, even the Mingde Hall, which many soul engineers considered a sacred place, was of no real use to him—it would only waste his time.
Moreover, aside from the four ninth-rank Soul Engineers within Mingde Hall, no one else even qualified to teach him.
And those ninth-rank Soul Engineers were incredibly busy—each more pressed for time than the last. Even their own sons or grandsons rarely received personal instruction from them, let alone an outsider.
Meng Hongchen didn't truly understand Wang Chen's real strength. Seeing that he still refused, she pouted, her delicate brows furrowing.
Inside, she thought,
"That bad Brother Wang Chen… he doesn't even want to come to Mingde Hall. Does he really not want to see me every day? Or is it because he wants to be with Ye Guyi instead?"
Seeing Meng Hongchen like that, Wang Chen realized that his repeated refusals had made her upset. He could more or less guess what she was thinking—and he was mostly right.
However, he couldn't possibly waste his precious time just for the sake of seeing Meng Hongchen daily.
He sighed inwardly—after all, his strength still wasn't enough.
If he already had the power of a ninth-rank Soul Engineer, he wouldn't need to be so anxious.
At that level, he would already be standing in an invincible position—able to protect his loved ones and start doing what he truly wished to do.
But as long as he had not yet reached that level, he could not relax for even a single day.
After all, no one could predict which would come first—tomorrow or an unexpected disaster.
Before any disaster struck, the only thing Wang Chen could do was to gain strength as quickly as possible—to acquire the power to protect himself and those around him.
Furthermore, even if he did go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, or joined Mingde Hall, at most he could only meet Meng Hongchen occasionally.
He couldn't openly declare himself as Meng Hongchen's man.
After all, the Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire had issued a decree prohibiting any imperial prince from contacting the Hall Master of Mingde Hall or any ninth-rank Soul Engineer.
Since the Wang family supported the Second Prince, they were naturally part of his faction.
In private, being together with Meng Hongchen wasn't an issue—no one knew about it.
But doing so publicly would be crossing the line, even if only subtly.
Unless he himself became a ninth-rank Soul Engineer, or possessed comparable strength, he couldn't ignore that decree. Otherwise, being together openly was still a risk.
That was the sorrow of insufficient strength—he couldn't even make their relationship public.
Wang Chen sighed inwardly. Then he pulled Meng Hongchen gently into his arms, kissed her smooth forehead, her delicate, high nose, and finally her soft, rosy lips.
Meng Hongchen's mind went dizzy from his kisses, quickly melting into Wang Chen's tenderness.
As for her earlier anger—it had long since vanished, completely washed away by Wang Chen's gentle affection.
Wang Chen kissed her from her delicate face downwards, making Meng Hongchen tremble all over.
...
After a long while, Meng Hongchen, her face flushed red, looked at Wang Chen and pouted, her lips glistening softly.
"Since Brother Wang Chen doesn't want to see Meng'er every day… then forget it."
Seeing her slightly dejected expression, Wang Chen said,
"Meng'er, how about this—tomorrow I'll go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and take the Mingde Hall assessment.
I'll register my name at Mingde Hall, so that whenever I'm free, I can come to the academy to see you.
But as for actually studying in Mingde Hall, let's skip that—I have my own unique path of cultivation. Mingde Hall just isn't suitable for me."
What Wang Chen meant was simply to obtain a pass, so that he could freely enter and exit the academy and Mingde Hall whenever he wished—to conveniently meet with Meng Hongchen.
Looking at Wang Chen's handsome face, Meng Hongchen realized this was the greatest compromise he could make.
As for her wish that he would come to the academy or Mingde Hall every day—she knew it was impossible.
So she nodded in agreement. After all, if she didn't, she might end up with nothing at all—it was better to take what she could get.
As for Ye Guyi… Meng Hongchen believed firmly in her relationship with Brother Wang Chen—no way could Ye Guyi ever break them apart!
.........…
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the next day.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
The academy's campus was hexagonal in layout, covering a vast area—large enough to rival a medium-sized city.
When Wang Chen arrived, he found the entrance packed with people.
It was the academy's opening day, with new students coming to register and older ones returning.
From what Wang Chen knew, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's admission requirements weren't particularly strict—students under twelve years old with cultivation above level ten and at least one soul ring could enroll.
Because of that, the academy's student population was enormous—far exceeding that of Shrek Academy.
Just the first-year cohort alone had thirty-two classes.
However, once inside, students were no longer grouped by age, but by strength.
For instance, those who reached First-rank Soul Engineer level could advance to the second grade, and Second-rank Soul Engineers could move up to third.
Any student who reached Fifth-rank Soul Engineer before the age of twenty-five qualified to take the Mingde Hall assessment.
Thus, on opening day, all six grades gathered together, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.
Wang Chen passed through the bustling crowd and quickly arrived at the academy's High-Level Passage.
This passage was reserved for teachers, Mingde Hall researchers, and other individuals of high status.
He took out a card from his storage soul tool and swiped it on the reader. With a soft "ding," the gate opened.
As for where he got the card—well, that was thanks to cute little Meng Hongchen.
As the granddaughter of Jing Hongchen, the Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Hall Master of Mingde Hall, it was perfectly normal for her to have a few of these access cards.
Nearby, a Mingde Hall researcher looked at Wang Chen with suspicion, thinking,
"Who is this handsome guy? I don't remember seeing him before.
With a face like that, I'd definitely remember him. Could he be a spy?
No… spies wouldn't dare walk straight through the High-Level Passage in broad daylight. That would be suicide!"
Wang Chen, of course, had no idea what that researcher was thinking. He strode confidently down the passage and soon reached the exit.
As he stepped out, he was met by a short, chubby middle-aged man.
This man was Lin Jiayi, the Director of Education at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
His cultivation was that of a Soul Douluo, and he was also an Eighth-rank Soul Engineer—one of Jing Hongchen's trusted aides.
Since Jing Hongchen was often busy with Mingde Hall affairs, Lin Jiayi handled the academy's day-to-day management.
Lin Jiayi had come here because he had received an order from their "little ancestor" Meng Hongchen—to open the back door for a youth named Wang Chen, under fifteen years old, allowing him to register under Mingde Hall.
Meng Hongchen's reasoning:
"I'm just afraid Brother Wang Chen might not pass…"
Although Lin Jiayi agreed on the surface, he had secretly reported this matter to Jing Hongchen.
After all, Mingde Hall wasn't a place for casual favors—it was the Sun Moon Empire's top research institution, holding countless state secrets.
Even as Jing Hongchen's confidant, Lin Jiayi wouldn't dare make such a decision without permission.
After all, Mingde Hall housed four ninth-rank Soul Engineers. If any serious mistake occurred, even as Jing Hongchen's trusted subordinate, he would still face severe punishment.
But to Lin Jiayi's surprise, Jing Hongchen actually instructed him to let that youth named Wang Chen take the Mingde Hall assessment—
However, no back doors were to be opened. Everything was to follow the standard procedure: if he passed, he passed; if not, he'd be sent away.
Lin Jiayi was utterly shocked by that command.
Letting a boy under fifteen take Mingde Hall's assessment—and without any shortcuts?
How was that even possible?
After all, Mingde Hall's assessment was notoriously difficult. Even many Fifth-rank Soul Engineers couldn't pass.
And this Wang Chen—barely fifteen years old—at best might be a Fourth-rank Soul Engineer.
As for reaching Fifth-rank before fifteen—Lin Jiayi had seen only a handful of such prodigies in all his years as Director, and each of them was a peerless genius among geniuses.
At that moment, inside Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen thought to himself:
"It's been three years. I want to see just what level this kid Wang Chen has reached now. Hmph!"