7: Chapter 7: If you want my sister, you'll have to get past me first!

Jing Hongchen's mouth twitched, but he managed to force a smile onto his face.

"Mengmeng, who is this young friend?"

Meng Hongchen did not notice the oddity in Jing Hongchen's tone at all and remained grinning.

"Grandpa, this is my new friend, Mu Qingci. Qingci, this is my grandfather, Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen."

Mu Qingci hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Hall Master Jing."

The hand that had let go of Meng Hongchen to perform the bow was immediately grabbed back by her.

Seeing this, Jing Hongchen roughly understood the situation; it wasn't that someone was abducting his granddaughter, but rather his granddaughter was throwing herself at him.

"Grandpa, Qingci wants to learn knowledge about spirit tools from you. His cultivation talent is very high, and his talent for spirit tools will surely not be bad either."

Mu Qingci nodded in agreement.

Jing Hongchen pondered for a moment; his granddaughter had never been one to joke around.

"Since Mengmeng says your cultivation talent is high, could you report your Soul Power level and age?"

Mu Qingci nodded and then stated his information:

"Mu Qingci, eleven years old, Level 40 attack system Battle Spirit Elder."

A trace of surprise flashed in Jing Hongchen's eyes. Such talent was even above that of his own grandchildren.

"Not bad, Mengmeng really didn't lie to this old man. How about this, the academy will also teach knowledge about spirit tools. If you are interested, you can come to ask for guidance every week when I come to see Mengmeng."

"Thank you, Hall Master!"

This was exactly the effect Mu Qingci wanted. As for whether he could make a connection with Kong Deming, that would depend on his own fortune.

Afterwards, Meng Hongchen took Mu Qingci to her dormitory. It seemed to be a special arrangement by Jing Hongchen, as Mu Qingci's dormitory was a single room without any roommates.

"Alright, Qingci, I'll head back first. Perform well in tomorrow's entrance exam, I believe in you!"

Meng Hongchen waved her hand, then skipped away.

Mu Qingci tidied up his bed casually and began his meditation practice for the day.

Although continued cultivation could not improve his Soul Power after reaching a bottleneck, the Soul Power cultivated would not disappear; it would be fed back to him after Mu Qingci obtained his next spirit ring.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning.

Just after Mu Qingci finished washing up and stepped out of his dormitory, he prepared to walk towards the teaching plaza.

At this moment, a middle-aged man blocked his path. Looking closely, it was none other than Jing Hongchen.

"Greetings, Hall Master."

Although Mu Qingci was somewhat puzzled, he still bowed respectfully.

Jing Hongchen nodded slightly: "It is like this: this old man knows your situation. Considering you have not studied spirit tools, the prepared assessment might not be suitable for you, so I have arranged a separate assessment for you. Follow me now."

"Thank you, Hall Master."

Mu Qingci nodded and followed the other person in another direction.

Jing Hongchen brought him to an arena. At this time, two people were already waiting there: the Hongchen siblings.

"Qingci! Over here!"

Meng Hongchen was waving from far away, as if afraid Mu Qingci wouldn't see her.

Beside her, Xiao Hongchen was rubbing his hands together, seemingly preparing for a big fight.

Jing Hongchen led Mu Qingci to the two of them, pointed at Xiao Hongchen, and said: "Your assessment has been changed to a spar with Xiaoxiao. As long as you can hold out against him for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the assessment will be considered passed."

Mu Qingci looked at the ready-to-go Xiao Hongchen with some helplessness. He didn't need to think to know that this guy must have secretly approached Jing Hongchen.

"Very well."

Helplessly, when one is under the eaves, one must lower their head, but he also had the confidence to defeat his opponent.

The two stepped onto the arena stage together.

Before leaving, Meng Hongchen grabbed Xiao Hongchen's hand: "Brother, go easy on him later, don't hurt Qingci."

Looking at his sister's hopeless behavior, Xiao Hongchen felt deeply helpless: "Got it, got it, I'll be careful."

He said that with his mouth, but in his heart, he was already pondering how to beat up Mu Qingci later.

"If you want my sister, it's not that easy. Get past me first!"

The pre-battle trash-talking segment was essential. Xiao Hongchen's motivation was naturally his sister, Meng Hongchen.

Mu Qingci had no interest in this aspect, so he didn't say any harsh words.

"Oh, brother!"

Hearing her brother say this, Meng Hongchen was both shy and angry, her pretty face turning as red as a ripe apple.

Mu Qingci did not respond; he just silently released his Spirit.

With the Hades Sword in hand, the pressure of a god-level Spirit was undoubtedly revealed, causing Xiao Hongchen opposite him to feel significant pressure and internal shock.

"Mu Qingci, Spirit Hades Sword, Level 40 attack system Battle Spirit Elder, please advise!"

One yellow and two purple, three spirit rings circled beneath his feet. The extraordinary spirit ring ratio once again shocked Xiao Hongchen opposite him, and the two people watching the battle.

However, Xiao Hongchen was also a person who had seen the world. He quickly gathered his thoughts and immediately released his Spirit.

Two yellow and two purple, four spirit rings appeared beneath his feet. Subsequently, the phantom of a golden Three-legged Golden Toad appeared behind him.

"Xiao Hongchen, Spirit Three-legged Golden Toad, Level 49 attack system Battle Spirit Ancestor!"

The battle was about to break out. As a Soul Engineer, Xiao Hongchen's combat style naturally relied heavily on spirit tools.

A spirit tool cannon appeared in his hands, and then a shell was fired towards Mu Qingci.

Relying on his superior footwork, Mu Qingci barely dodged it.

He knew well that he could not engage in a long-range war of attrition with his opponent; he had to advance rapidly.

"First Spirit Ability, Breath of the Underworld!"

A complex aura, cold yet carrying light, wrapped around the Hades Sword as Mu Qingci slashed forward rapidly.

While dodging, Xiao Hongchen fired multiple shells, but they were all slashed apart by Mu Qingci's enhanced Hades Sword.

"Second Spirit Ability, Dark Nether Ghost Slash!"

A light blade, grey mixed with gold, flew towards Xiao Hongchen.

A smile curled on the corner of Xiao Hongchen's mouth, and he activated a defensive spirit tool.

A protective barrier appeared around him, taking the blow head-on.

As a result, the attack was blocked, but his defensive barrier shattered.

"How is this possible? This is a Level 4 spirit tool; even a Spirit Ancestor shouldn't be able to break it easily!"

The expression on Xiao Hongchen's face changed rapidly, shifting from his original composure to shock.

He could not imagine how a quasi-Spirit Ancestor who hadn't obtained his fourth spirit ring yet could break his spirit tool shield with just a second Spirit Ability.

"It's not over yet! Third Spirit Ability, Rise of the Netherworld!"

Dazzling grey light erupted from Mu Qingci's body, with a few specks of gold mixed within the light.

His overall attributes were greatly enhanced at this moment, his speed became faster, and he slashed towards Xiao Hongchen.

Xiao Hongchen had no time to be shocked and quickly responded to the opponent's attack.

Shells and spirit tool rays were fired, barely hindering Mu Qingci's advance and giving him a slight chance to catch his breath.