Chapter 60: Nephew Troubles and a Cold Revelation
At the Sun Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy, a motorcycle streaked across the grounds at a speed that almost made it seem airborne—blatantly breaking the no-speeding rule.
The teacher in charge of campus security instinctively opened his mouth to scold the rider—until he saw who it was.
Xiao Qiang.
The man promptly shut his mouth.
In this fantasy world, strength determined respect. Equality was a dream, not a rule. As Jing Hongchen's personal disciple, Xiao Qiang enjoyed a few… privileges. Technically, speeding was against school regulations—but "technically" depended entirely on how Jing Hongchen felt that day.
The security teacher had barely recovered when he glanced up and spotted someone flying overhead with a soul tool.
"That's it! Do you think the school is your personal—"
He didn't finish his sentence.
It was Xiao Hongchen.
Another student flew past a moment later—Meng Hongchen.
The teacher, who had just started to gather his courage, instantly deflated again and sealed his mouth shut.
Just as Xiao Qiang was on his way to see Jing Hongchen about materials for researching the Wisdom Soul Ring, he paused. He could sense someone approaching.
"Hmm? My nephew's looking for me?" he murmured, stopping in his tracks.
Behind the approaching Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen popped her head out and added cheekily, "Of course he is! He couldn't eat or sleep without you. He's been thinking about you non-stop."
"Meng, you brat! Shut up!" Xiao Hongchen's face twitched, a large red cross almost visibly pulsing on his forehead. With her around, his reputation was always in jeopardy.
"Oh, not just the nephew, but Senior Sister Meng is here too." Xiao Qiang smiled.
Xiao Hongchen twitched again. After half a year of hanging out together and Xiao Qiang constantly calling him "nephew," he'd begrudgingly gotten used to it—though it still irritated him that Meng was always addressed with the respectful "senior sister."
"Where've you been all this time?" Xiao Hongchen asked.
"I went out to get my fourth spirit ring."
"You hit level 40?"
"Yep."
"Then let's fight. This time, you won't be able to use your low spirit power as an excuse."
"Brother," Meng Hongchen interjected, "he's only level 41, and you're already level 49. Isn't that still bullying?"
"At worst, I'll suppress my spirit power to match his level. I've gotta beat him while I still can!"
Xiao Qiang raised his hands. "Nephew, spare your poor uncle. I'm no match for you."
"Don't even try that again," Xiao Hongchen grumbled. "I'm not falling for your tricks. I'm not paying for another beating. I just want you to know—you're too slow! I'll hit level 50 in three months."
He puffed his chest with pride. "Grandpa's already found a way for me to absorb a 30,000-year spirit ring once I do. If you don't fight me now, you'll never catch up."
"Oh yeah, I remember," Xiao Qiang nodded. "You said your fourth spirit ring was over 8,000 years old, right?"
"Of course," Xiao Hongchen said proudly.
"Fourth ring at 8,000 years, fifth ring at 30,000 years, and with the divine beast spirit of the three-legged golden toad… Nephew, your talent is off the charts. Your uncle here is going to be left in the dust."
Inside Xiao Qiang's spiritual sea, the Ice Empress blinked in disbelief.
"Did he just lie with a straight face?"
Tianmeng answered lazily, "That's just Xiao Qiang being Xiao Qiang. He's the grandson of their teacher. Beating his nephew brings no benefits. Losing means he'll get smacked harder. Not to mention he always has to hold back. So he avoids fighting him if he can. Still, he can usually wriggle out of it."
"Hmph!" Xiao Hongchen insisted. "Fight me! If you win, I'll convince Grandpa to give you a 30,000-year spirit ring too."
Xiao Qiang fell silent.
"…What's wrong with you?" Xiao Hongchen frowned.
"Oh, nothing. I was just moved. Nephew, I didn't know you cared so much. But really, there's no need. I can't always bother Teacher for things like this."
"What do you mean 'bother'? Grandpa accepted you as a disciple, didn't he? That makes you part of the Hongchen family. We always take care of our own."
Xiao Qiang mulled it over. Jing Hongchen had indeed given him a lot—gold soul coins, a priceless Ranking Engraving Knife, even a top-tier storage soul tool. His nephew wasn't wrong.
Still… a 30,000-year soul ring? Unless it was something extremely special, both Tianmeng and the Ice Empress would scoff at it.
"Thanks for the thought, nephew. I really shouldn't have beaten you so hard back then."
"Shut up and fight me already! This might be one of the few chances we'll have in the coming years. Once I surpass you completely in soul power and soul rings, you won't stand a chance!"
Have I ever cared about winning? Beating you was just a happy accident, Xiao Qiang mused silently, his thoughts drifting to the blood pill and the ten-thousand-year-old Black Ice Marrow in his body.
"Nephew, how could I possibly win against you? I'm just a humble auxiliary-type soul tool user. Supporting others is my job. You're a battle genius! I only won those two times by sheer luck. No way I can repeat that. I don't want to get beat up."
Tianmeng chimed in mentally, "Does he always lie like this?"
"Uh… not really. Xiao Qiang usually tells the truth. This is just a special case."
"Truth, huh? Like what?"
"Well, for example… I am really a genius."
"…Where's your shame?"
"Bingbing, I'm being serious. My little trip gave me some real insights into the Wisdom Soul Ring. I just need enough samples and materials, and I might finish my research within half a year."
"???"
While Bingdi was still processing the fact that Tianmeng had actual academic potential, Jing Hongchen arrived and waved Xiao Qiang over to his office.
"Sit down. Where've you been? Based on the time, you should've broken through to level 40 already. I sent someone to help you get a spirit ring, but you weren't there."
"It's a long story. I ran into something… beyond normal understanding."
"Oh?" Jing Hongchen raised an eyebrow. "Something beyond normal understanding? In this world, what could I possibly not have seen?"
In answer, Xiao Qiang calmly took off his shirt. Behind him, the phantom of the Ice-Blue Emperor Scorpion manifested.
The temperature in the office dropped over 30 degrees in an instant.
Jing Hongchen, the composed and experienced head of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, stared with wide eyes.
For once, in his long and storied career, he was completely stunned.
He had truly never seen a spirit like this before.