Chapter 279: Juzi, This Is Your Martial Uncle

  “So, this is the real Xuan Ziwen?” Qin Xiao muttered to himself.

  Previously, he had assumed Xuan Ziwen to be the strict, schorly type. But after their meeting, Xuan Ziwen’s enthusiasm completely shattered that impression.

  “Come, Brother Qin, let me show you around.”

  With a bright smile, Xuan Ziwen warmly grabbed Qin Xiao’s hand and began introducing the various items in the boratory.

  From precise machine tools to rare metals and ingenious formations, everything in the b was of top-tier quality.

  As an eighth-ranked soul engineer and a disciple of the previous head of Mingde Hall, Xuan Ziwen’s resources were undeniably the cream of the crop.

  Qin Xiao started to understand why Jing Hongchen had arranged for him to study under Xuan Ziwen.

  It wasn’t just about Xuan Ziwen’s knowledge—his access to resources was unparalleled.

  As time passed, Qin Xiao and Xuan Ziwen became more familiar with each other. Xuan Ziwen patiently answered the numerous questions Qin Xiao asked, enhancing his understanding of soul engineering.

  “Brother Xuan, I truly appreciate your help,” Qin Xiao said gratefully.

  “Haha, we hit it off so well! Why don’t we swear brotherhood right here and now?” Xuan Ziwen joked, his enthusiasm overflowing.

  “Uh…”

  Qin Xiao was momentarily stunned. Swearing brotherhood already? That seemed a bit rushed.

  In Qin Xiao’s mental space, the Skydream Iceworm was ughing uncontrolbly.

  “I can’t believe it! Another joker!”

  “Little human soul engineer, do you even know who’s standing in front of you? This is someone who’s surpassed the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent—a top-tier god-level powerhouse capable of shattering stars with a punch. And you want to call him brother?”

  The Iceworm chuckled internally, wanting to suggest that Xuan Ziwen consult the locksmiths of Mingdu to determine if he even measured up.

  Knock, knock, knock!

  Just then, the boratory door was knocked upon.

  “Who is it?”

  Xuan Ziwen’s expression turned cold.

  “Teacher, it’s me—Juzi.”

  “I just finished css.”

  A soft and delicate voice came from outside the room.

  “Is it that te already?” Xuan Ziwen was momentarily startled, then said, “Come in; the door’s not locked.”

  As his words fell, the door creaked open, making a slightly jarring sound.

  Qin Xiao looked over curiously and saw a young girl in a Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy uniform walk in.

  The girl had long bck hair, and her sleepy eyes gave her a slightly dazed expression. She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old.

  The uniform fit her perfectly, highlighting her slender and elegant figure. Her fair skin looked soft and delicate, exuding an almost tangible charm.

  “Teacher,” Juzi greeted respectfully as she entered.

  Xuan Ziwen nodded lightly.

  “Teacher, have you recruited a new assistant?” Juzi asked curiously, her gaze falling on Qin Xiao.

  Noticing that Qin Xiao wasn’t wearing the academy uniform, her first thought was that he was too young to be a regur student.

  As for an assistant, there were levels to that too.

  Her impression of Qin Xiao was that he was likely someone meant for grunt work.

  However…

  Xuan Ziwen’s face darkened at her words. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

  “When have you ever seen me recruit an assistant?”

  “Well… you haven’t. All the dirty and tiring work just gets dumped on us,” Juzi replied nonchantly.

  Xuan Ziwen was momentarily speechless, feeling utterly defeated.

  This girl, spilling the hard truth in front of my new friend—how does that make me look?

  Hem, hem.

  Clearing his throat, Xuan Ziwen gestured for Juzi to come closer. “Juzi, come here. Let me introduce someone. This is your martial uncle—my close brother.”

  He emphasized the words close brother, making sure Juzi understood Qin Xiao’s significance.

  “What?”

  Juzi was stunned.

  She had some understanding of Xuan Ziwen’s background and family, and she didn’t recall him having any siblings.

  “Teacher, I don’t remember your parents mentioning another child…”

  Xuan Ziwen: “...”

  “What nonsense are you talking about?” he said with a stern expression. “Brothers don’t have to be blood-reted! This man is a friend I met on the path to the pinnacle of soul engineering, someone who shares my ideals.”

  “Oh, I see…”

  Juzi blinked in confusion, then turned her gaze to Qin Xiao with unconcealed curiosity.

  What kind of person could match Xuan Ziwen’s wavelength?

  Feeling uncomfortable under her intense gaze, Qin Xiao scratched his nose awkwardly.

  "What are you standing around for?"

  "Aren’t you going to greet your martial uncle?"

  After a moment of silence, Xuan Ziwen broke the awkward atmosphere.

  "Wait, what?" Juzi was stunned again.

  "Teacher, you’re telling me to call him martial uncle?"

  "Any problem with that?"

  "He looks younger than me!"

  "But that doesn’t change the fact that his seniority is higher than yours. That’s how it works."

  One argument focused on age, the other on seniority.

  In the end, Juzi conceded.

  Reluctantly, she called out, "Martial Uncle."

  Martial uncle? I’m the martial uncle of the Sun Moon Empire’s future female war god?

  Qin Xiao couldn’t help but ugh inwardly. This plot twist was nothing short of surreal.

  "Good." Qin Xiao nodded, then added jokingly, "Where’s my greeting gift?"

  Juzi extended her hand with a mischievous grin.

  "You little brat! Haven’t I given you enough treasures already?" Xuan Ziwen frowned, displeased at the audacity of his student.

  Xuan Ziwen was well aware of Qin Xiao’s background.

  As stated in the letter from Jing Hongchen, Qin Xiao, despite being the son of the White Tiger Duke of the Star Luo Empire, had a difficult upbringing due to his mutated martial spirit and his mother’s low status. Even the servants in the duke’s mansion had looked down on him.

  After a long and arduous journey, Qin Xiao had finally made it to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. Expecting him to provide a greeting gift was simply unrealistic.

  Qin Xiao, caught off guard by this unexpected situation, smiled awkwardly.

  "I wasn’t prepared for this, but I promise I’ll make it up to you with a proper gift in the future."

  "Fine," Juzi said with understanding, realizing his discomfort and choosing not to press the matter.

  Then, pulling out a rge food container from her spatial soul tool, she said, "Teacher, it’s already lunchtime. I figured you’d be buried in research, so I brought your meal."

  "Today’s cafeteria menu is amazing! They even have my favorite—stir-fried shrimp with eel!"

  As she spoke, Juzi pced the container on the b’s central metallic table and retrieved a pte of shrimp and eel.

  "That’s not bad. What else did you bring?" Xuan Ziwen asked, intrigued.

  "Let’s just say it’s a surprise!" Juzi grinned and pulled out another pte of shrimp and eel.

  Xuan Ziwen: "…"

  "Surprised? Shocked?" Juzi ughed mischievously. "Don’t worry, the best is yet to come."

  She then took out another pte… of shrimp and eel.

  Xuan Ziwen: "…"

  Qin Xiao: "…"

  How much does this girl love shrimp and eel?

  Finally, Juzi revealed the st dish in the container—another pte of shrimp and eel.

  At this moment, Xuan Ziwen felt the world crumbling around him.

  Clink.

  He dropped his chopsticks on the table. "I’m not eating this."

  "Good! More for us!"

  Juzi licked her lips, clearly unfazed, and happily began devouring the food.

  Qin Xiao, curious about the dish, took a bite. His eyes lit up.

  Delicious!

  Even Xuan Ziwen, though grumbling about his student’s antics, reluctantly picked up his chopsticks, knowing skipping lunch wasn’t an option.

  As he ate in silence, Juzi turned to Qin Xiao with curiosity.

  "Martial Uncle, you look pretty young. What rank soul engineer are you?"

  Xuan Ziwen, notoriously proud and selective, wouldn’t value someone ordinary. Anyone earning his respect had to be either a formidable soul engineer or someone with exceptional potential.

  Juzi herself had reached the threshold of a rank-two soul engineer at twelve, and in her mind, Qin Xiao had to be at least a rank-three soul engineer to warrant such recognition.

  "Well…"

  Qin Xiao put down his bowl and chopsticks, contempting for a moment before replying, "I’m not even a rank-one soul engineer."

  "In fact, I haven’t made a single soul tool yet."

  Pfft!

  Juzi spat out her mouthful of shrimp and eel, spraying it across the table.

  Plop.

  Xuan Ziwen angrily tossed his chopsticks onto the table again.

  This meal is officially ruined.

  Juzi, however, wasn’t paying any attention to her teacher’s mood. She was too shocked by Qin Xiao’s words.

  “You, you, you…”

  She stammered, unable to find the right words.

  With a disgruntled snort, Xuan Ziwen interrupted her. “What are you stammering for? Didn’t I just tell you to call him martial uncle? Already forgotten?”

  “Brother Xuan, it’s fine,” Qin Xiao said, waving his hand dismissively. He turned to Juzi with a smile. “Honestly, I’ve only studied some basic soul engineer theories, and even those are beginner-level. When it comes to crafting soul tools, I might be worse than you.”

  Qin Xiao wasn’t the type to feign knowledge or pretend to be something he wasn’t.

  After all, so what if he didn’t know? Learning was always an option.

  Given his cultivation level, could mastering soul tool crafting really be that difficult?

  “But…”

  “You managed to match wavelengths with Teacher?”

  Juzi was at a loss for words.

  Her teacher’s eye for talent was always unique, but this…?

  “Sometimes, cultivation, talent, or even soul engineer rank doesn’t mean everything,” Xuan Ziwen interjected, cutting off Juzi’s train of thought. “Your martial uncle’s insight, comprehension, and understanding of soul tools far exceed your imagination. Surpassing you is only a matter of time.”

  “Really?”

  Juzi sounded skeptical.

  Being Xuan Ziwen’s student was proof of her own exceptional talent. She might believe Qin Xiao could achieve greater accomplishments in the future, but surpassing her so quickly? That was harder to swallow.

  After all, she was about to become a rank-four soul engineer. For Qin Xiao to reach her level within two years would already be considered fast.

  “You’ll see soon enough that your teacher’s judgment is never wrong,” Xuan Ziwen said with a slight shake of his head. He chose not to argue further and stood up, heading for the door.

  “Teacher, where are you going?” Juzi asked, puzzled.

  “To the cafeteria. For food,” Xuan Ziwen replied without turning back.

  “Wasn’t the shrimp and eel enough for you?”

  “Enough? Do you see any left?” Xuan Ziwen retorted, exasperated.

  Juzi gnced at the table, realizing all the ptes of shrimp and eel were completely empty. Only some broth remained.

  “By the way,” Xuan Ziwen added, pausing at the doorway, “after lunch, take your martial uncle to practice carving basic formations. Hands-on experience is the fastest way to grow.”

  “Understood,” Juzi replied, but by the time she spoke, Xuan Ziwen had already disappeared.

  Turning back to the table, Juzi packed up the remaining containers and looked at Qin Xiao. “Martial Uncle, shall we start now?”

  Qin Xiao nodded. “Let’s begin.”

  As Xuan Ziwen left the teaching building, he couldn’t help muttering to himself, “I wonder if I should notify Teacher about Qin Xiao’s existence…”

  Before he could finish his thought, a voice interrupted him from behind.

  “No.”

  Who’s there?

  Xuan Ziwen spun around, startled, instinctively pulling out five or six soul cannons. The dark barrels of the cannons pointed menacingly at the figure behind him.

  For all his schorly demeanor, Xuan Ziwen’s strength was nothing to scoff at. As an eighth-ranked soul engineer, his reactions were sharp, and his arsenal formidable.

  Danger? He’d empty every clip before hearing an expnation.

  However, when he saw who it was, his expression froze in surprise.

  “Dean Jing Hongchen, what brings you here?”

  Indeed, the person standing behind him was none other than the dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, Jing Hongchen.

  “Xuan Ziwen, perhaps you could put away those terrifying toys first?” Jing Hongchen said, his voice tinged with exasperation. Even someone of his level didn’t appreciate having several high-level soul cannons aimed at him.

  Cck, cck, cck.

  Xuan Ziwen obediently retracted his soul tools, giving Jing Hongchen a look that said, Satisfied now?

  “Ahem.” Jing Hongchen coughed lightly and said in a serious tone, “I came here specifically to tell you not to notify Elder Kong about Qin Xiao yet. The elder has plenty on his pte, and Qin Xiao is still a new student. His potential remains specutive. Let’s wait until he proves himself—say, by becoming a rank-five soul engineer—before informing the elder.”

  Jing Hongchen was clearly worried about Elder Kong De Ming “poaching” Qin Xiao. To prevent this, he’d decided to personally intervene.

  Xuan Ziwen nodded slightly. It made sense.

  After all, Kong De Ming, the head of the Sun Moon Empire’s Worship Hall, was not only the leading ninth-ranked soul engineer of the empire but also the most respected figure in soul engineering, often regarded as the closest to becoming a tenth-ranked soul engineer.

  Having seen countless talents, it was true that without concrete achievements, Qin Xiao wasn’t ready to meet Elder Kong.

  But…

  “Dean, is there something else you wanted to discuss?” Xuan Ziwen asked, sensing there was more.

  Jing Hongchen hesitated briefly before replying.

  (End of Chapter)

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