I don't believe

"Dad, your hand…"

Before Su Luoheng could finish, Su Junran waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Ah, it's nothing serious. Just went on a trade expedition a few days ago, and we ran into a ten-thousand-year soul beast. I dodged, but it still managed to get my shoulder. It's been getting better over the past few days."

Su Luoheng looked at his father, suspicion lingering in his gaze.

"Dad, was it really a ten-thousand-year soul beast?"

"What, you don't believe me?"

He deliberately moved his arm a few times. However, the pained expression on his face didn't quite match his claim of only a minor injury.

"Oh…"

Su Luoheng nodded, though the doubt in his eyes remained.

His father was, after all, a seven-ringed Soul Saint with two soul bones. Getting caught off guard by a ten-thousand-year soul beast… maybe that would be believable for others, but Su Luoheng found it hard to buy when it came to his father.

"Hey, something smells great! Looks like your mother's finished cooking dinner!"

"Come on, son, let's go eat. Don't keep your mom waiting. She made all your favorite dishes tonight!"

Without waiting for Su Luoheng to respond, Su Junran was already heading to the dining room. Seeing this, Su Luoheng could only shrug and follow his father's lead. If his father didn't want to talk, he wouldn't push it—he'd be staying home for a while anyway.

At the same time, as he walked ahead, Su Junran glanced at his right arm, his expression turning complex and conflicted, ending in a soft, helpless sigh.

…

Time flew by.

Su Luoheng had already been home for over a month, and his vacation from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy was nearing its end.

A carriage pulled up in front of the house.

Su Luoheng waved his hand, saying, "Mom, Dad, I'm leaving now."

"Son, be careful on your way through the Soul Beast Forest and stay safe…"

Ye Lan held his hand reluctantly, giving him instructions over and over. Although her son was already a second-level Soul Engineer, in her eyes, he was still just a child.

"Son, remember to stay safe on the road."

Su Junran didn't say much, but the concern on his face was clear.

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I'll take good care of myself."

Su Luoheng gently patted the back of Ye Lan's hand, waved to his father, and then jumped onto the carriage, which gradually drove off into the distance.

Su Luoheng and Su Junran stood at the gate, watching the carriage disappear from sight.

Turning around, Ye Lan's eyes were already red with tears.

"There, there, Lan'er. Our son's grown up and is making something of himself; we should be happy."

"…"

"Besides, he's only going to school, not leaving for good. Once things here settle, we can visit him in the Sun Moon Empire, right?"

Su Junran held Ye Lan close, soothingly stroking her hair. His voice, filled with warmth and strength, had a reassuring quality.

"Mm."

Ye Lan nodded lightly, wiping her tears away.

"Now that he's gone, it's time we get back to settling scores. The longer we wait, the more trouble it could bring." Su Junran muttered, his gaze turning cold, eyes narrowed with a fierce gleam.

Hearing this, she glanced at his right arm, her beautiful eyes revealing a trace of worry.

"Junran, your injury from last time…"

"Don't worry. After a month of rest, it's nearly healed." As he spoke, Su Junran stretched out both arms to show he was fine. The deep wound on his arm, once bone-deep, had mostly healed by now, at least enough for normal movement.

The two of them returned to the courtyard, where a porcelain bottle lay on the stone table, weighed down by an envelope.

Su Junran opened the envelope and began reading.

[Mom, Dad, I know you're hiding something from me. But come on, Dad—getting injured by a ten-thousand-year soul beast? You don't think I would believe that, do you? Next time, if you're going to make up a story, at least put some effort into it, okay?]

"That brat…"

Su Junran chuckled and continued reading.

[Anyway, here's what I wanted to say. The bottle contains royal bee honey from a ten-thousand-year queen bee. It'll speed up your recovery, Dad. I won't pry into your business, but please, take care of yourselves… Don't lose any limbs or anything. Don't go scaring your future grandkids… Off I go~]

Seeing this, Su Junran's touched expression instantly fell apart. His mouth twitched, and a dark line seemed to appear on his forehead…

Turning to his wife with a wry smile, Su Junran muttered, "This brat really has grown up… He's even bold enough to tease me now."

"Pfft—"

Ye Lan couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. As they laughed, their eyes gradually misted with tears.

Ye Lan sighed softly, "Junran, our child has really grown up…"

"Yes, he has," Su Junran nodded in agreement, exhaling heavily. "So quickly, too… Lan'er, when everything is over this time, let's spend more time with Luoheng."

"Mm," Ye Lan nodded and nestled in Su Junran's arms.

…

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, Su Luoheng had returned to the academy. Thanks to his outstanding performance in the examination competition, he advanced to the third year without needing to take another exam.

And before he knew it, time continued to race forward.

Under the guidance of Ran Yuming, Su Luoheng's natural talent in soul engineering flourished. The solid foundation he had built in his first and second years paid off tremendously. In learning and crafting third-level soul tools, he made incredible progress. Within less than six months, he successfully created his first third-level soul tool.

His soul power also advanced rapidly. With daily training and the support of elixirs, his soul power level skyrocketed, reaching Level 28 within half a year!

Whether as a Soul Engineer or a Soul Master, he was improving by leaps and bounds.

…

Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, sixth-year teaching building.

Laboratory 7.

At this moment, Su Luoheng was standing at the lab bench, holding a carving knife, meticulously engraving patterns onto a silver metal sphere. His expression was intensely focused, his movements smooth and graceful, making the process almost mesmerizing to watch. As he completed the final stroke, he lifted the sphere, examining it with a discerning eye, as if admiring a piece of art.

The areas carved by the knife glowed with precision and speed, as if electrified, radiating a dazzling silver light.

Finally, Su Luoheng's brows relaxed.

In an instant, the bright silver metal sphere floated gently upward, hovering in front of him.

The next moment, he lightly tapped it with his finger, sending a thread of soul power through his fingertip into the sphere. The soul inscriptions on the surface began to glow one by one, and soon a silver beam of light shot upward from the sphere, soaring into the sky.

The core array of the third-level soul tool—successfully activated!