Chapter 292: Grilled Fish, One Gold Soul Coin Each

  "Yes!"

  Xuan Ziwen nodded firmly. "Teacher, while you were in seclusion, a major event happened at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, and we need you to make a decision."

  As he spoke, his expression became more and more animated.

  However—

  Kong Deming frowned. "After all these years, your temperament still hasn’t changed much."

  "Haven’t I told you? In times of great events, one must remain calm. If you keep getting so flustered, you’ll find it difficult to become a rank nine soul engineer."

  "Teacher, I… I was just too excited…"

  Xuan Ziwen looked a little embarrassed, then took out an object from his spatial soul tool.

  It was a soul tool modeled after Qin Xiao’s sniper rifle, a creation of his own.

  "What is this?"

  Kong Deming was slightly taken aback.

  "This is a soul tool that allows ordinary soul masters to wield immense combat power."

  Xuan Ziwen’s enthusiasm returned as he presented the device.

  He then began expining the sniper rifle’s mechanics and capabilities in detail, leaving Kong Deming astonished.

  "Impressive, very impressive. I never expected that during my time in seclusion, you would make such significant progress in the field of soul tool research."

  "If you continue down this path, reaching rank nine as a soul engineer will be within your grasp."

  After his initial shock, Kong Deming did not hold back his praise.

  It was clear—

  He was a man who rewarded accomplishments just as much as he punished failures.

  However—

  Hearing Kong Deming’s praise, Xuan Ziwen suddenly showed a hint of embarrassment.

  "What’s wrong?"

  With his level of cultivation, Kong Deming could immediately sense the change in Xuan Ziwen’s expression.

  "Teacher, this soul tool wasn’t designed by me… I was merely the one who replicated it."

  "What?"

  Kong Deming was visibly surprised.

  He had not expected this.

  Quickly, he asked with great urgency, "Then who created such a marvel of craftsmanship?"

  "To be honest, the person who made this soul tool is a close friend of mine."

  "A close friend?" Kong Deming frowned. "As far as I know, you don’t have many friends."

  He had no friends—

  So where did this ‘close friend’ come from?

  He couldn’t understand it.

  Xuan Ziwen shook his head. "Teacher, you’re mistaken."

  "I never had the right friends before simply because I couldn’t find anyone who shared my ideals or vision."

  "But now, I have found one. We hit it off immediately."

  Kong Deming waved a hand. "Enough with the nonsense. I’m very interested in meeting this close friend of yours. Whatever else you want to say, save it for when I see him."

  With that, he pulled Xuan Ziwen along and headed straight for the pace gates.

  Xuan Ziwen: "…"

  And he said I was the impatient one?

  I don’t see how he’s any better.

  Meanwhile—

  At the Royal Soul Engineering Academy, by the ke.

  The golden-brown grilled fish was emitting an irresistible aroma.

  "Wow, that smells amazing! I feel like this makes Shanbao Shrimp look like nothing in comparison."

  Slurp!

  Juzi couldn’t help but swallow her saliva as she spoke.

  "Alright, enough with the fttery. Here, have one."

  Qin Xiao handed a grilled fish to Juzi.

  He took one for himself and began eating as well.

  Not bad.

  The taste was quite good.

  Now he understood why Tang Ya had tried to recruit Huo Yuhao into the Tang Sect just with grilled fish alone.

  It was worth it.

  "Wow, this is so good… just incredible."

  Juzi was already gasping in amazement.

  Qin Xiao: "…"

  Was it really that good?

  And yet, it wasn’t over.

  Qin Xiao noticed that Juzi’s eyes were glistening with tears.

  "You’re not serious, are you?"

  He couldn’t help but ask.

  "And why not?"

  Juzi replied, "Uncle, you don’t understand. If I had tasted grilled fish like this a few years earlier, my life might have turned out completely different."

  Qin Xiao: "???"

  At this moment, he felt like Juzi had been possessed by Wang Tianxin.

  Still, he couldn’t help but ask, "How would it have been different?"

  Curiosity—it was just too hard to suppress.

  "I once made a vow to marry the greatest chef in the world."

  Juzi said, her expression complicated.

  Hearing this, Qin Xiao suddenly remembered something about her past.

  Her father had once been a remarkable chef. But due to the war between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire, he had been forced onto the battlefield.

  In the end—

  He never returned.

  This had always been one of Juzi’s deepest scars.

  At the same time—

  Qin Xiao could see it clearly now.

  Juzi had almost cssified him as the best chef in the world just because of some grilled fish.

  "Just eat. If you like it, have a few more."

  Qin Xiao said before lowering his head and eating again.

  In front of them, there were still over ten grilled fish left.

  Juzi nodded heavily.

  She stopped thinking about anything else and focused on devouring the fish.

  After eating five in a row, she finally patted her stomach in satisfaction and let out a small burp.

  "Uncle, I’m full."

  Qin Xiao had already wiped his mouth clean and was waiting.

  "Then let’s go."

  "What about the leftovers?"

  Juzi gnced at the remaining grilled fish, clearly reluctant to leave them behind.

  "Let’s release them back into the ke. They won’t taste good if they’re no longer fresh.

  "Besides, there are plenty of fish in this ke. Whenever we want to eat, we can just catch some more. It’s very convenient."

  Hearing Qin Xiao’s words, even though Juzi was still unwilling to part with them, she obediently nodded.

  But just then, the rustling of trees outside caught their attention.

  A girl emerged from the foliage.

  Qin Xiao and Juzi both stood still, watching the newcomer.

  Meng Hongchen sniffed the air, scrunching her little nose like a hunting dog.

  "No doubt about it. The smell is coming from here."

  She had left Jing Hongchen’s office intending to return to her family and compin to her brother about the day’s events. But on her way, she caught a delicious scent.

  What was strange was—

  As someone who had been born into wealth and had tasted the finest delicacies, she found this particur aroma absolutely irresistible.

  It was as if an invisible hand was hooking her nose, luring her step by step toward the source.

  However, just as she stood there in momentary awe, Juzi recalled Qin Xiao’s instructions.

  She immediately picked up the remaining five grilled fish, preparing to toss them back into the ke.

  "Wait!"

  Meng Hongchen’s expression changed, and she quickly stopped Juzi.

  "What’s the matter?"

  Juzi asked, puzzled.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Oh, just releasing them back into the ke."

  Releasing them?

  Meng Hongchen rubbed her eyes vigorously, making sure she wasn’t seeing things.

  The fish had already been grilled to a perfect golden brown, their aroma filling the air.

  They were clearly cooked.

  Did they seriously think they could release them back into the water?

  Were they joking?

  Even if the fish had still been alive, they smelled so good that releasing them would have been a crime.

  "Don’t throw them away! Can you sell them to me instead?"

  Seeing that Juzi had frozen in pce, Meng Hongchen hurriedly voiced her request.

  "Uncle?"

  Juzi turned to Qin Xiao.

  After all, he was the one who had grilled the fish. He had the final say.

  "If she wants them, give them to her. One grilled fish, one gold soul coin."

  Qin Xiao spoke casually.

  "No problem!"

  Meng Hongchen agreed without hesitation.

  The Hongchen family wasn’t short on money.

  Five gold soul coins?

  That was nothing. Totally worth it.

  She and Juzi completed the transaction—money for food, simple and fair.

  "Let’s go."

  Qin Xiao called out and started to leave with Juzi.

  However, they had barely taken two steps when—

  "Wait! Can you not leave?"

  Meng Hongchen suddenly called out.

  Qin Xiao: "???"

  "Your grilled fish is amazing—really, really good! Have you ever thought about quitting your studies and becoming a full-time grilled fish vendor?"

  The taste was so incredible that Meng Hongchen felt she could eat it every single day without getting bored.

  Juzi: "…"

  She was speechless.

  This little girl really dared to dream big.

  Was she seriously trying to convince a future rank-nine soul engineer to quit and become a chef?

  What kind of international joke was this?

  "Why bother studying? Out of millions, only a handful of people ever become top-tier powerhouses. The success rate is ridiculously low.

  "But selling grilled fish is different. I believe with your skills, you could dominate the entire Sun Moon Empire in no time.

  "Before long, you’d be the Kong Lao of the grilled fish world!"

  Meng Hongchen passionately tried to convince Qin Xiao, her eyes shining like stars.

  But in the end, she got only one cold response from Qin Xiao.

  "Ridiculous."

  Without looking back, he walked away with Juzi.

  Leaving Meng Hongchen standing there, dumbfounded.

  Ridiculous?

  No, it wasn’t ridiculous!

  This was clearly a path to greatness!

  But Qin Xiao was already gone.

  Even though Meng Hongchen had a thousand words to say, there was no one left to listen.

  She could only turn her frustration into appetite, shifting all her attention to the grilled fish in her hands.

  However—

  After finishing the grilled fish, she suddenly felt something was off.

  "Wait a second… those two were eating school fish…

  "Isn’t that against school rules?"

  "Unbelievable! And they actually charged me five gold soul coins for it!"

  Meng Hongchen gritted her teeth, feeling like she had been scammed.

  Meanwhile—

  Qin Xiao and Juzi had returned to the boratory.

  "Juzi, step outside for a moment."

  "Qin, come in with me."

  Xuan Ziwen motioned for Juzi to wait outside and only let Qin Xiao into the b.

  Juzi was a bit surprised.

  But seeing Xuan Ziwen’s rare serious expression, she could only nod obediently.

  "Alright, I get it."

  Qin Xiao subtly furrowed his brows.

  Inside the b, he could sense an incredibly powerful presence—something far beyond Xuan Ziwen’s level.

  Judging from Xuan Ziwen’s serious demeanor, Qin Xiao guessed that this could only mean one thing—

  The supreme figure of the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Engineering world was here.

  When he entered the b, he immediately saw a figure standing with their back to him.

  The person also noticed Qin Xiao’s arrival and turned around.

  Qin Xiao saw an elderly man with a dignified and authoritative aura.

  Xuan Ziwen stepped forward and respectfully introduced him.

  "Teacher, this is my close friend, Qin Xiao."

  With that—Qin Xiao's suspicions were confirmed.

  This man was none other than Kong Deming, the chief consecrated elder of the Sun Moon Empire.

  He was also the closest person to reaching rank ten as a soul engineer in the entire empire.

  "Oh?"

  Kong Deming raised an eyebrow upon hearing Xuan Ziwen’s words.

  This was not what he had expected.

  In his mind, anyone who could create such an exquisite soul tool and be considered Xuan Ziwen’s close friend must be a highly accomplished soul engineer.

  But reality was… completely different.

  He hadn’t expected Xuan Ziwen’s so-called "close friend" to be a teenager.

  "You’re sure?"

  "Would I lie?" Xuan Ziwen ughed bitterly.

  Earlier, he had tried to give Kong Deming a brief introduction about Qin Xiao, but the old man had insisted it wasn’t necessary.

  Well, now he was speechless.

  "Ahem."

  Kong Deming let out a few light coughs, trying to ease the awkwardness.

  "Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

  "You’re so young, yet you’ve already developed such an advanced soul tool. When I was your age, I was nowhere near as talented."

  Kong Deming did not hold back his praise.

  "Let me introduce myself—I am Kong Deming. Have you heard of me?"

  Qin Xiao’s eyes flickered slightly.

  He cupped his hands and politely greeted him.

  "I am Qin Xiao. It's an honor to meet Senior Kong."

  His tone was neither arrogant nor humble, striking a perfect bance.

  Fwless.

  Kong Deming burst into hearty ughter.

  "Not bad, not bad! No wonder you and Ziwen get along so well.

  "For someone your age to have this level of composure… that is truly rare."

  It wasn’t just praise—it was also a statement of fact.

  A teenage genius with this level of accomplishment?

  If it had been anyone else, their ego would have already soared to the heavens.

  But Qin Xiao was different.

  What Kong Deming didn’t know was—

  Qin Xiao had already seen too much in his life.

  His experiences, his perspective—compared to the entire Douluo Continent, there was very little that could truly move him.

  So, Qin Xiao didn’t continue the conversation.

  There was no real need to.

  Seeing this, Kong Deming’s expression became serious again.

  "I have a question, and I’d like to hear your thoughts on it."

  "Please, go ahead."

  "Would you consider moving to a different pce to cultivate?"

  Kong Deming got straight to the point.

  For someone of his status, there was no need for beating around the bush.

  In the Sun Moon Empire, he could say whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

  Qin Xiao did not answer immediately.

  He could tell—

  Kong Deming was inviting him into the Imperial Pace.

  There were benefits to this.

  He would gain access to massive resources.

  But there were also risks.

  The pace was filled with powerful figures, some of whom he hadn’t encountered yet.

  He wasn’t sure how much of a threat they could pose to him.

  At the end of the day, his cultivation level was still too low.

  If he accidentally exposed any of his secrets, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.

  On the other hand—

  The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy was just right.

  The people here weren’t too strong, yet they were warm and welcoming.

  The resources they provided were more than enough for Qin Xiao at this stage.

  This was the best pce for him.

  Seeing Qin Xiao hesitate, Kong Deming did not rush him.

  He believed that Qin Xiao would make the right decision in time.

  However—

  Just then, a voice rang out—

  One that Kong Deming did not find pleasant.

  "Hahaha! Senior Kong, you’ve finally come out of seclusion!

  "It’s been so long—I’ve missed you dearly!

  "The moment I heard you were at the academy, I rushed over as fast as I could!"

  With a hearty ugh, Jing Hongchen strode into the boratory.

  Unlike his usual casual attire, this time he had deliberately dressed in freshly cleaned robes.

  Kong Deming, however, did not look pleased.

  Instead, he frowned slightly.

  He could tell—

  Jing Hongchen was here to stir up trouble.

  (end of chapter)

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