"Congratulations, congratulations," Qianran said, raising his right hand in a fist-bump gesture.
"What kind of congratulation is that? So insincere!" Ke Ke pouted, clearly dissatisfied, and began prancing around in front of Qianran.
Qianran had no idea where Ke Ke had modified her skirt, but it was so short that if she bent down to tie her shoelaces, her entire backside might be exposed.
It was the kind of absurdly short skirt you'd only see in anime. In those cases, no matter what action the heroine took, the skirt would magically defy logic and perfectly conceal all the forbidden areas. Reality, of course, wasn't so kind.
Luckily, Ke Ke usually wore safety shorts that matched the length of her skirt when she went out, so there was no need to worry about accidental exposure.
"Pfft, Ke Ke, stop teasing Qianran already. Honestly, getting a Rank 6 Soul Engineer badge wasn't that hard for us since we took some shortcuts. Why would Qianran get excited over something so trivial? Maybe if you manage to earn a Rank 9 badge, he might start paying you a bit more attention."
"Qianran, come in quickly—we're having hot pot today!"
Ju Zi, dressed in an apron, greeted Qianran warmly. Underneath the apron, her black stockings peeked out, but today she wasn't wearing her usual dress or cheongsam. Instead, she had chosen a pair of hot pants—a choice that was, for certain niche preferences, incredibly alluring.
When Qianran first arrived in this world, he had browsed Bilibili back in his previous life and noticed how dance videos featuring girls in stockings and hot pants often garnered massive views. Plenty of internet "veterans" had a weakness for such a combination. Qianran himself was no exception.
Ju Zi pulled Qianran inside.
She had practically taken over all the spices and ingredients Qianran had planted in his storage ring. Occasionally, in the laboratory, Ju Zi would treat everyone to a demonstration of her exceptional culinary skills.
Her cooking was undoubtedly the best among all of Qianran's female companions. Ju Zi's father had been a chef, so she had a natural talent for it. With the seasonings Qianran brought from his past life combined with her expertise, the result was perfection. No hot pot from his previous life could compare to what Ju Zi could create. Of course, the unique ingredients in this world played a significant role as well.
"Qianran," Meng Hongchen greeted him somewhat shyly.
She had only moved into this lab a couple of days ago, with her grandfather reluctantly agreeing at first, worried that it might disrupt her studies. However, once he saw Meng Hongchen making rapid progress under Qianran's guidance, he didn't hesitate to push her to join them.
Initially, Meng Hongchen had imagined that her move here would mean she and Qianran could enjoy some one-on-one time.
Instead, she found that Ke Ke and Ju Zi were far closer to Qianran than she was. They understood him better, and their relationship with him seemed much more intimate.
Meng Hongchen, who had always thought of herself as outgoing, suddenly realized that Ke Ke and Ju Zi were even bolder than she was. This discovery left her feeling out of place and frustrated for days.
After all, she had been the first girl in the academy to interact with Qianran. So why did she now feel like the third wheel?
After some reflection, Meng Hongchen concluded that she had been too reserved.
Compared to ordinary girls, she was already proactive, but it wasn't enough.
Her competition seemed determined to stick to Qianran's side at every opportunity, even going as far as wearing seductive outfits in the lab—yes, she was talking about Ju Zi and Ke Ke.
"Qianran, the method you taught us—is it something you can use continuously? Does that mean you could also teach us how to cultivate?"
Ever since Qianran had used that miraculous method to transmit all the knowledge needed for Rank 1 to Rank 7 Soul Engineers directly into their minds, the girls had been ecstatic.
For the past two days, they had hardly slept, busy organizing and digesting the wealth of knowledge in their minds.
"I can, but you need to pace yourselves. Your brains have limits, and learning too much at once can be counterproductive," Qianran explained.
Having expanded his spiritual sea to a vast ocean of mental power and grown increasingly strong, Qianran had begun experimenting with managing his mind. He organized the countless pieces of knowledge in his brain into different categories, storing them in separate mental compartments.
He could share anything he had seen, heard, or learned with others as if transferring files. From cultivation techniques to Soul Engineer knowledge—even memories and visual imagery, he could transmit them seamlessly.
He could even share… certain "action movies," turning the experience into a group movie night if he wanted to.
Over the years, as he absorbed the spiritual power of the Ice Jade Scorpion, Qianran had achieved mastery over mental energy, ranking among the top ten in the continent. However, his ability to creatively apply this mental energy was unmatched.
"I'll teach you a method to temper your spiritual power later. For Soul Engineers, spiritual power is actually more important than soul power. Generally, soul power cultivation naturally improves spiritual power, so high-level cultivators don't have weak minds. But the stronger your spiritual power, the easier it becomes to craft Soul Tools."
As he spoke, Qianran casually dipped some lamb slices into the hot pot.
"Alright," Ke Ke blinked, absorbing his advice. She realized how rare Qianran's all-encompassing abilities were. Even though he had directly poured knowledge into their minds, it would still take them a long time to fully comprehend it. Excelling in Soul Engineering alone would already be a tremendous achievement.
"Since you've been pushing yourselves so hard these past two days, I might share something fun with you," Qianran said.
He had just realized that he could share more than just knowledge. At first, he considered introducing them to action movies to… broaden their perspectives. However, he dismissed the idea—it wasn't suitable for his companions.
Instead, he decided to share some of the anime from his previous life. With a bit of modification to the language and cultural context, it would be perfect for their enjoyment.
This way, it would feel like taking them to the movies.
Qianran chuckled to himself. While other couples watched movies as dates, he had to play director too.
"What fun thing?" Ju Zi and Meng Hongchen asked eagerly.
"Stories I occasionally come up with. I can create them in my mind and let you experience them."
"Sounds amazing!" The three girls' eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Close your eyes and calm your minds," Qianran instructed. He quickly edited the chosen anime in his mind before transmitting it to them.
Strange and beautiful scenes began unfolding in their minds. The 2D animation style captivated them instantly. While Douluo Continent had its share of storybooks, none compared to the stunning visuals and emotional depth of the anime Qianran shared.
The romantic tales moved the three girls to tears. They had never imagined that such touching stories could exist—body-swapping, time-traveling, a single red thread binding fates together…
Having never encountered anything like this before, the girls began reflecting on their feelings for Qianran. Could their own love stories be just as beautiful?
Meng Hongchen, in particular, found her emotions surging. Though her feelings for Qianran hadn't yet been openly declared, her gaze grew so fervent that even Qianran, with his thick skin, felt slightly uncomfortable.
(End of Chapter)