It had to be said—Jing Hongchen was truly sincere.
As the dignified Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, after staying up all night handling the anomaly in Mingdu, he didn't rest. Instead, he rushed over at the earliest opportunity to meet Liu Yuan—and even lowered his status to personally apologize for being late.
Just this alone already set him leagues apart from Shrek and Xuan Zi.
Liu Yuan couldn't help but compare.
If it had been Xuan Zi sitting here today, what kind of attitude would he have?
There was no need to think too deeply about it.
Xuan Zi would never apologize for being late.
He might not even show up at all.
More likely, he'd be lounging in some tavern, wine gourd in one hand and a roasted chicken leg in the other, only arriving after he had eaten and drunk his fill—putting on the air of "my presence itself is your greatest honor."
The difference between the two was like night and day.
Jing Hongchen's respect felt rare—and valuable.
Of course, Liu Yuan was not someone who became arrogant just because he was favored.
His principle had always been simple:
If someone respects me by one foot, I return ten.
Since Jing Hongchen had given him full respect, Liu Yuan naturally wouldn't put on airs.
He immediately stood up, bowed slightly, and replied sincerely:
"Dean, you're too kind. I've only waited a short while—it's nothing worth mentioning."
"On the contrary, you worked through the night and still came to meet me immediately. I'm truly honored."
Seeing Liu Yuan's calm and appropriate response—neither servile nor arrogant—the appreciation in Jing Hongchen's eyes deepened.
This was someone who understood boundaries.
And people like that were always the easiest to deal with.
"Hahaha! Little Yuan, no need to be so modest."
Jing Hongchen laughed heartily, waving him back to his seat as he himself sat down.
"I've already heard everything about your abilities from Xiaoer and Meng'er."
"To be honest, even I was shocked after hearing it."
"With your talent, you're more than worthy of this treatment!"
Before Liu Yuan could respond, Meng Hongchen pouted from the side.
"Grandfather! Brother Liu Yuan! Stop being so polite already—get to the point!"
Jing Hongchen glared at her in mock annoyance.
"You girl, no manners at all. I've spoiled you too much."
But the next second, his stern face melted into a doting smile.
"Still… Meng'er is right."
His expression turned serious as he looked at Liu Yuan.
"Little Yuan, I've heard about what happened between you and Shrek."
"To be honest… I'm actually quite grateful to them."
A mocking smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"If it weren't for their arrogance and stupidity—especially that old fool Xuan Zi—how would we have the chance to meet a genius like you?"
"And since we've found you, we absolutely won't repeat their mistake."
"Our academy will show you the utmost sincerity."
As he spoke, Jing Hongchen flipped his wrist.
A flash of spirit tool light appeared—
—and a black card embedded with a dark golden Sun Moon emblem landed gently on the table.
"This is a Black Soul Card."
"No password. Unlimited access."
"Its limit is ten million gold coins."
"Consider it your scholarship for this semester."
"From now on, as long as you remain a student here, ten million gold coins will be deposited into it every semester."
"Hiss—"
Even Liu Yuan couldn't help but inhale sharply.
Ten million gold coins… per semester?
This wasn't a scholarship.
This was outright wealth beyond reason.
But Jing Hongchen wasn't finished.
With another flash of light, three more items appeared on the table.
A skull bone radiating deep blue light, pulsing with mental energy.
And two exquisitely crafted spirit tools.
"This is a thirty-thousand-year mental attribute skull bone."
"It will greatly benefit your cultivation."
"These two are fifth-level spirit tools I personally crafted."
"One is the Blazing Sun Shield for defense."
"The other is the Wing of Flowing Light for flight."
"Take them as my personal gift."
Then, his tone grew even more solemn.
"And I promise you—on behalf of the academy."
"You will enjoy the highest level of freedom here."
"We will never force you into factions or missions."
"All your future spirit ring needs—we will fully support."
"And any other requirements—resources, research, daily life—just say the word."
"We will do everything in our power to satisfy you."
The entire room fell silent.
Even Liu Yuan, who had seen much in his life, was momentarily stunned.
This level of generosity… was simply overwhelming.
Ten million gold per semester.
A rare thirty-thousand-year soul bone.
Two top-tier spirit tools.
Unlimited resources.
Absolute freedom.
Honestly—
If not for the System, Liu Yuan felt he might have knelt on the spot and called him father.
This treatment was simply too good.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen also jumped in immediately.
"Brother Liu Yuan, this is the most generous Grandfather has ever been!" Xiao Hongchen said.
"There's no second person in the entire academy with your privileges !"
Meng Hongchen nodded vigorously.
"Even we're jealous! Your pocket money is way higher than ours!"
Liu Yuan took a deep breath, steadying himself.
Now was not the time to pretend to refuse.
That would only seem fake.
He stood and bowed deeply.
"Dean Jing, I am deeply grateful for your kindness."
"Since you have shown such sincerity, I will accept."
"From today onward, I will not disappoint the academy."
"Good! Good! Good!"
Jing Hongchen laughed loudly, personally helping him up.
"With those words, that's enough!"
And just like that—
Liu Yuan officially joined the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were already excited to take him around the campus—
But suddenly, Jing Hongchen spoke again.
"Wait a moment, Little Yuan."
Liu Yuan paused.
"Dean, is there something else?"
A meaningful smile appeared on Jing Hongchen's face.
There was a strange gleam in his tired eyes—curiosity… and anticipation.
"Hehe… it's like this."
"I've only heard about your abilities so far."
"I haven't seen them with my own eyes."
"Now that you've joined us…"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Would you be willing to show a bit of your strength?"
"This old man would quite like to see it for himself."