Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao, the villain from a parallel world

He couldn't tell anyone about charging the soul tool without the emperor's order, not even the crown prince standing in front of him.

Xu Tianran's eyes flickered slightly, and his gaze lingered on Jing Hongchen's face for a moment.

But his dark face showed no change in emotion, remaining calm and composed, with the smile on his lips even deepening.

He nodded, his tone devoid of any displeasure, but rather carrying a hint of self-reflection: "I see, I was presumptuous."

"Since Master Jing has important matters to attend to, please make yourself at home."

Jing Hongchen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not be negligent in the slightest. He bowed again and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. I shall take my leave now."

After saying that, he turned and walked around the wheelchair, quickening his pace toward the palace gate.

His figure quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Xu Tianran did not turn back, nor did he rush to leave.

He watched quietly in the direction Jing Hongchen had left, the gentle smile on his lips fading away like a thin mist blown away by the wind, until it disappeared without a trace.

Moonlight streamed through the carved windows of the corridor, falling on his sharply defined face and making the fleeting glint in his eyes all the more vivid.

"It seems things aren't so simple," he muttered to himself.

After a moment of silence, Xu Tianran turned his gaze away from the distance, raised his right hand, and gently waved it behind him.

The attendant who had been standing behind his wheelchair immediately stepped forward and respectfully held the wheelchair handle.

Xu Tianran didn't say anything more, and had no intention of going to the study to find Xu Tianlin and ask him questions.

Since Jing Hongchen had already made things so clear, any further questions from him would only be pointless.

"Return to the Eastern Palace," he said calmly.

The wheelchair glided silently through the moonlit corridor, slowly making its way toward the palace gate at the other end.

After Jing Hongchen bid farewell to Xu Tianran, no one dared to stop him anymore.

He left the palace without any hindrance and hurried back to Mingde Hall in the darkness.

Upon returning to the brightly lit underground metal base illuminated by the soul-guided lights, he didn't waste a moment and immediately summoned five core researchers.

The five people gathered in a secret laboratory deep inside Mingde Hall. Each of them was a senior soul master of level seven or above, with profound experience and superb skills in Mingde Hall.

They don't have any projects to research right now, so they're perfect for this task.

Jing Hongchen didn't beat around the bush. He placed the energy-charging ray directly on the experimental table and briefly explained the principle and function of the energy storage array.

After hearing this, the five people first looked at each other in bewilderment, and then rushed forward to examine the energy beam from all angles.

When they finally confirmed that the soul tool had indeed achieved soul power retention, their expressions almost simultaneously changed from confusion to shock.

"Master, this formation... which senior researcher developed it?" an elderly researcher with gray hair couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling slightly.

Jing Hongchen remained expressionless and simply said, "It was developed by Master Kong's disciple."

He refused to say a word more.

When the five men heard him mention Kong Deming's name and saw his tight-lipped demeanor, they all understood what was going on.

This matter carries far more weight than he makes out to be.

The group wisely refrained from asking further questions, but the shock in their eyes deepened.

Jing Hongchen then relayed Xu Tianlin's orders to everyone, and immediately began to study the formation, thoroughly understand its principles, and try to adapt it to other types of soul tools as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, the five men's eyes blazed with barely suppressed excitement.

They are all people who have explored this path for many years and know what a breakthrough in the energy storage array means.

No one uttered a single unnecessary word. Each person accepted their orders, picked up the energy-charging ray, and gathered around the experimental table to begin disassembling and analyzing it.

Jing Hongchen solemnly instructed, "No one is allowed to reveal a single word about this formation to anyone in the near future."

The five people responded in unison without looking up, and their carving knives and testing instruments were already in operation.

After everything was arranged, it was already getting light outside the window.

Jing Hongchen rubbed her throbbing temples, feeling somewhat tired as well.

He gave the five a few instructions and then left Mingde Hall, heading straight towards the east side of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

The eastern part of the college is a large dormitory area, but it is not inhabited by students, but by the college's teachers and researchers from Mingde Hall.

The buildings here are much more exquisite than the student dormitories, with rows of independent two-story buildings arranged in a staggered manner among the green trees.

Jing Hongchen's residence is located at the deepest part of this area. It is a three-story detached building made entirely of white and gray stone, with four carved stone pillars standing outside the main entrance.

There is a fairly large courtyard in front of the building, with several neatly trimmed evergreen trees and a set of stone table and benches under the trees.

In the entire Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, this building is unique in both scale and grandeur.

Chapter 59 Mirror of the Mortal World: Killing Two Birds with One Stone (Please continue reading!)

Jing Hongchen pushed open the courtyard gate, walked through the courtyard, and as soon as she entered the living room, she saw her grandson and granddaughter.

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, the brother and sister, were sitting on the sofa in the living room, looking rather bored.

Xiao Hongchen leaned against the armrest, fiddling with a metal part in her hand, her long legs casually draped over the edge of the coffee table.

He looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a handsome face, fair skin, and long white hair loosely tied behind his head, with a few strands hanging down beside his face.

His features were exquisitely handsome, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his expression carried an innate pride and nonchalance, as if he didn't care much about anything.

Meng Hongchen, sitting opposite him, was much quieter.

She was more than half a head shorter than her brother, and at the same age of fourteen or fifteen, she had long, silvery-white hair draped over her shoulders, the ends of which shimmered faintly in the morning light.

Her facial features are six or seven parts similar to Xiao Hongchen's, but her lines are softer and her skin is so white that it is almost transparent.

Her eyes were wine-red, like two magnificent rubies.

At this moment, she was looking down and fiddling with an exquisite soul tool in her hand, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow on her cheeks.

Upon seeing the two of them so relaxed, Jing Hongchen's weariness was immediately replaced by displeasure.

He frowned, his face darkened, and his voice became several decibels louder than usual: "What's wrong with you two? Shouldn't you be studying in Mingde Hall at this time?"

Upon hearing his voice, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were both startled and jumped up from the sofa almost simultaneously.

Meng Hongchen almost dropped the soul tool in her hand, and hurriedly caught it and hid it behind her back.

Xiao Hongchen subconsciously took half a step back, his nonchalant expression instantly turning into a fawning smile.

“Grandpa,” Xiao Hongchen quickly explained, his tone carrying a hint of flattery, “it’s not that we’re being lazy, it’s that we’ve already learned everything that researcher taught us.”

"We can recite the structure of the formation and the disassembly and reassembly of the core formation by heart. Sitting there doing nothing is a pure waste of time."

He carefully observed Jing Hongchen's expression and saw that although his grandfather did not speak, he did not continue to be angry.

Emboldened, he took a step forward and continued, "Grandpa, the teacher you found for us really can't teach us anything new anymore. What do you think... how about we get a new teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen's brows remained furrowed, but her displeasure was gradually suppressed by another thought.

The teacher he originally arranged for Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen was one of his grand-disciples, a level 5 Soul Master, in his twenties, with extremely solid basic skills.

Logically speaking, a teacher of this caliber should be more than capable of tutoring two fourteen-year-old boys.

But he didn't expect that Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen would be so talented, reaching the level of a fifth-level soul master in just a few years.

In terms of rank, the two were already on par with their teacher, and in terms of age, they were far ahead of him. That teacher was indeed no longer suitable to continue teaching.

In the past, this wouldn't have been a difficult task. Jing Hongchen, the dignified head of the Mingde Hall and a ninth-level Soul Master, could have simply taken care of his grandchildren for a while.

But now he has just received a secret order from Xu Tianlin, and for a considerable period of time to come, he must devote most of his energy to the expanded application of the energy storage array.

Let alone teaching in person, I'm afraid even my time to go home and sleep will be greatly reduced.

Who will teach then? Should we get a more senior researcher? A level six or seven researcher?

Most of these people were busy with their own projects at Mingde Hall and couldn't get away for the time being.

Jing Hongchen was troubled when a sudden inspiration flashed in his mind.

He thought of someone named Kong Deming.

The old senior now spends every morning teaching Huo Yuhao, this genius, and has resumed the habit of giving regular lessons.

Since we already have one student, what difference does it make if we have two more auditing students?

Kong Deming didn't need to put in any extra effort to teach them; he only needed to have Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen sit aside and listen.

In this way, the two little ones will not only be able to learn from Kong Deming, the number one soul master on the continent, but also get to know Huo Yuhao, a monstrous genius.

One is a descendant of Kong Deming, and the other is the grandchildren of the head of Mingdetang. The friendship between the young people will be beneficial to both their personal development and the continuation of Mingdetang in the future.

This is a win-win situation.

The more Jing Hongchen thought about it, the more ingenious the idea seemed, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up.

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen watched as their grandfather first had a stern face, then frowned, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and finally he even smiled.

The series of changes in their expressions made the two of them feel uneasy, and they couldn't help but look at each other, their eyes revealing a hint of confusion and unease.

Before the two could ask any questions, Jing Hongchen waved his hand and said with a confident smile, "Alright, in that case, I'll find you a new teacher."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's unease vanished instantly, and their eyes lit up with joy as they nodded in unison.

Then Jing Hongchen said, "You two, come with me to Mingde Hall now."

As soon as he said it, he couldn't help but smile helplessly.

I just got back from Mingdetang and didn't even have time to drink a cup of hot tea, and now I have to go back.

However, for the sake of their grandchildren's future development, this little bit of trouble is nothing.

Upon hearing that they were going to Mingde Hall, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen's eyes immediately lit up with anticipation.

I wonder which teacher their grandfather will find for them?

The two quickly gathered up the scattered soul tool parts on the table, and followed Jing Hongchen on the left and right. The three of them went out together and headed towards Mingde Hall.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao, after a night of cultivation, had returned to Mingde Hall.

Before he left yesterday, Kong Deming sent someone to help him obtain the necessary identification for entering and leaving Mingde Hall.

Even without Xuan Ziwen or Kong Deming personally leading him, he can now pass through those strict checkpoints without any hindrance thanks to that nameplate.