Douluo : Capture the goddess starting from peerless tang sect

Including Juzi, the four of them were prized students of Xuan Ziwen, all possessing Soul King-level cultivation and qualifications as Rank 5 Soul Engineers.

Though not members of Mingde Hall, they were still considered elites among elites.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you to deal with this," Qian Ran said, crossing his arms as he perched atop a relatively clean lab table, looking down at them. "Clean up what needs cleaning, repair what needs repairing, and pay for what needs compensating. Just a reminder—I didn't even make a move. All the lab's damages are your responsibility."

They were too preoccupied to dwell on their fear of Qian Ran and rushed to inspect the lab.

Though nothing catastrophic had occurred, a significant amount of damage needed repair. The scattered oranges, orange juice, and marks from soul cannons and ray weapons on the walls weren't going to be easy to fix.

What stung the most was that, after such a high price, Qian Ran remained completely unscathed. Instead, they were left physically and mentally exhausted, facing a hefty clean-up.

It was then that Xuan Ziwen arrived.

Seeing Juzi and the others collapsed on the floor and the lab in complete disarray, he was utterly stunned.

After hearing Juzi's explanation, Xuan Ziwen was left speechless.

From what he understood, Qian Ran's strength was at least on par with the top students in Mingde Hall. Juzi and her group picking a fight with him was simply asking to be humiliated.

Thankfully, Qian Ran hadn't retaliated seriously. If he had, with his level of power, even a casual strike would have sent them all to the hospital.

"You're on your own. Fix the lab within a week. As for materials, buy them with your own money." Xuan Ziwen glanced around before turning to leave.

He had recently done some digging into Qian Ran's background and found the student to be ridiculously powerful.

What's more, Qian Ran seemed to have ties to an immensely influential sect.

Xuan Ziwen's words caused their faces to fall. This time, they had truly lost big.

"Didn't you hear the teacher? Clean up the lab already. I'll step out for a bit. If it's still this messy when I return, you know the consequences," Qian Ran said coldly.

His voice snapped them out of their daze, but also brought back vivid memories of the terrifying aura he had unleashed earlier. Shivering, they hurriedly began cleaning the lab.

At this point, none of them dared harbor even a shred of resentment toward Qian Ran. Even if they did, they wouldn't dare show it. In any setting, strength was the most direct way to earn respect. They understood that someone of Qian Ran's caliber was a rare gem, even at Shrek Academy. If not for this exchange program, they would never have had the chance to interact with such a genius.

Even with their disdain for Shrek Academy, Qian Ran's overwhelming strength had earned their grudging admiration.

Keke opened her mouth, initially wanting to utter a few more threats out of habit. But looking at their current pathetic state, she wisely stayed silent.

As they cleaned the lab and inspected the equipment, they couldn't help but steal glances at Qian Ran.

Fear aside, they were extremely curious about him.

They had used a variety of soul tools in the confined space of the lab—how on earth had Qian Ran avoided all of their attacks? Even they, the users, hadn't been able to avoid the chaos entirely, yet Qian Ran had emerged completely unscathed. If they couldn't defeat him here, in such a narrow space, how could they possibly hope to fare against him in the open?

What's more, Qian Ran hadn't seemed to use any soul tools. His sole offensive tactic had been the terrifying pressure he exerted, which crushed their will to resist before they could even approach him.

As Xuan Ziwen's students, their collective strength was only a notch below that of Mingde Hall members.

They were confident they could qualify for Mingde Hall in the near future.

Their deepening research into soul tools had led them to increasingly doubt the capabilities of traditional soul masters. In their view, soul masters of the same rank were no match for the highly trained soul engineers of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.

Yet today, Qian Ran had completely overturned their assumptions.

"Wait… Where's Qian Ran?" Keke suddenly cried out. She had been cleaning near him, but in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.

Juzi and the two young men were equally stunned, cold sweat breaking out on their backs.

"The lab door doesn't seem to have been opened." Juzi checked the lab's access log and shuddered.

"Could Qian Ran be… a ghost?" Keke whispered, her face pale as she moved closer to Juzi. The two huddled together, seeking a semblance of security. They had already been terrified by the oppressive aura Qian Ran had displayed earlier, and now his sudden disappearance in broad daylight only deepened their fear.

The lab door hadn't been touched—how had Qian Ran left? Wasn't this like seeing a ghost?

"Alright, stop scaring yourselves. It must be one of Qian Ran's unique abilities," Juzi said, forcing herself to regain composure. Though shaken, she quickly steadied herself. Thanks to Xu Tiannan's training, her nerves weren't as fragile as her delicate appearance suggested.

"What kind of ability lets someone come and go from the lab so freely? If he can do that, doesn't that mean he could steal all our lab's information?" one of the young men said grimly.

Keke and Juzi fell silent.

At that moment, they gained a deeper understanding of the kind of genius Shrek Academy nurtured. No wonder Shrek had always outshone the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy in every generation.

A crushing sense of defeat hung over them, leaving them despondent.

"No, I have to apply," Keke declared suddenly, biting her lip.

"Apply for what?" Juzi asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I want to be Qian Ran's study partner! With his strength, he must have some kind of secret. If I can learn from him, I'll definitely improve!" Keke's eyes lit up with determination. In her mind, someone like Qian Ran was far from common at Shrek Academy. Weren't students who went on exchange programs aiming for breakthroughs in their cultivation? Becoming Qian Ran's study partner seemed like a golden opportunity.

She figured she could teach Qian Ran about soul tools, while he could help her improve her cultivation—a win-win situation. Given Qian Ran's monstrous talent, his training methods probably surpassed even most of Shrek Academy's instructors.

Juzi and the others were speechless.

Moments ago, Keke had been acting all tough in front of Qian Ran. Now, she wanted to be his study partner?

Who would want a tiger-like study partner?

While Keke and the others busied themselves with cleaning, Qian Ran retreated into the small space within his Xumi Ring to spend time with Bing Di, Xue Di, and his maid. Keke's image, lugging a cannon larger than her waist, had reminded him of the girls in Girls' Frontline—those stylishly dressed women wielding oversized weapons.

The idea of assembling a team of such maids for himself was suddenly quite tempting. With the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy teeming with talented beauties, it seemed like an achievable dream.

(End of Chapter)

Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X