Since fully winning over the adorable Meng Hongchen, Qian Ran felt no further desires at Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Aside from the few people around him, no one else could truly capture his interest.
When not devoting himself to cultivation, Qian Ran spent most of his time helping Meng Hongchen and the other three with their training. While Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was impressive, it still fell short compared to the top-tier Shrek Academy. Qian Ran customized training regimens and daily routines specifically tailored to their needs.
On this matter, Qian Ran was particularly attentive. Their stamina simply couldn't keep pace with his progress.
Perhaps because of how quickly they improved under his guidance, Meng Hongchen and the others cherished this time immensely, pushing themselves to the limit. Their relentless effort even made Qian Ran feel a tinge of guilt.
Compared to them, Qian Ran felt like a slacker, only occasionally applying himself while spending most of his time enjoying life.
Of course, Qian Ran still made a point of visiting Xu Tianran's residence every couple of days.
As his health showed signs of improvement, Xu Tianran grew increasingly reliant on Qian Ran. Every time Qian Ran and Juzi were affectionate, Xu Tianran would become both anxious and furious, silently watching as Juzi drifted further and further away from him.
Xu Tianran had already noticed that Juzi was no longer the woman who obeyed his every word.
Although she outwardly remained under his control, Juzi's heart now belonged to Qian Ran.
Even if Xu Tianran ordered her back, she wouldn't listen.
Xu Tianran understood why. Juzi was an extraordinary woman, and spending so much time with Qian Ran, it was inevitable she would fall for him. By now, Qian Ran likely knew all his deepest vulnerabilities.
Yet, despite knowing this, Xu Tianran pretended ignorance.
For now, he didn't want to make an enemy of Qian Ran—not until he was ready to kill him. When that day came, he would lay all his cards on the table, but only after placing a blade at Qian Ran's throat. That time hadn't arrived yet.
Once Qian Ran was dead, Juzi would inevitably return to his side.
But by then, how would he face her? Even if his body recovered and he regained the abilities of a man, Juzi's heart would still remain beyond his reach.
"Qian Ran must have a way to completely heal me," Xu Tianran realized after much reflection. His experience told him that Qian Ran had definitely held back during his treatment. While it was true his condition involved psychological factors, Qian Ran was not to be trusted.
"That sly bastard must be holding back on purpose, fearing I'll retaliate. As long as I'm not fully healed, he can maintain his safety," Xu Tianran thought, growing increasingly suspicious.
Qian Ran was clearly stringing him along. He was far craftier than Xu Tianran had initially imagined.
This couldn't go on.
Having finally found someone who could heal him, Xu Tianran wasn't about to give up on regaining his manhood.
"That devious scoundrel," Xu Tianran fumed. Despite treating Qian Ran with utmost courtesy in recent days, the latter remained aloof. Xu Tianran had even offered Juzi to him, yet Qian Ran still maintained his guard.
Xu Tianran felt deeply aggrieved.
If not for Qian Ran holding his lifeline, would he ever have to endure this humiliation?
He was the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire! Anyone who dared play games with him had already been sent to the underworld. But now…
For the time being, Xu Tianran had no way of dealing with Qian Ran. Even knowing he was being strung along, he couldn't afford to lose his temper.
A phrase came to Xu Tianran's mind—balance of grace and intimidation.
Had he been too accommodating to Qian Ran? Had he forgotten he was still a prince? Xu Tianran closed his eyes in deep thought.
Based on his investigations, Qian Ran likely had power comparable to a Soul Douluo. The only people capable of suppressing him would be Titled Douluo-level experts.
"It seems I'll need to enlist the national advisor to intimidate him," Xu Tianran mused, his eyes gleaming coldly. Among powerful cultivators, the Holy Spirit Cult's experts far outstripped those of Mingde Hall.
While Xu Tianran schemed and plotted, Qian Ran had no intention of humoring him. Even within Xu Tianran's residence, Qian Ran behaved as he pleased.
Juzi, too, seemed to have grasped Qian Ran's preferences. As competition among the women grew fiercer, Juzi saw it as an opportunity to make her move. Initially hesitant, she decided to embrace it, going along with whatever Qian Ran desired.
In recent days, her strength had grown rapidly, and she felt a need to reward Qian Ran for his efforts.
Qian Ran was now convinced that when transmitting cultivation techniques and other knowledge to them, he had inadvertently allowed glimpses of his past-life memories to seep through—particularly scenes from anime that occasionally surfaced in his mind. The system could trim out critical memories, but it didn't catch everything.
He was sure of this because Juzi had somehow obtained a cosplay costume resembling one worn by Marineford Boa Hancock. Qian Ran certainly hadn't given her such an outfit—she must have commissioned it herself.
Juzi appeared in attire completely out of place for this world: a Japanese-style idol costume. The scanty fabric revealed black stockings clinging tightly to her smooth, fair skin beneath a red mini-dress that concealed just enough to tantalize without giving everything away. The outfit seemed to belong to the swimsuit-and-stockings genre.
The faintly visible skin beneath the black silk stockings made Juzi even more alluring. The contrast between the black fabric and her snow-white skin was striking.
Her legs were adorned with red thigh-high stockings that highlighted her long, shapely legs. The overall effect was one of mature seduction. Juzi stood slightly sideways, lifting one leg gracefully, accentuating the curve of her thighs and calves.
Her face turned toward Qian Ran, her gentle eyes locking onto his. Juzi rarely wore makeup, but she had put in considerable effort this time, even dyeing her hair red and styling it into twin tails to match the character.
Seeing Qian Ran's astonished expression, Juzi struck an adorable pose. Raising her gloved right hand, she pressed her fingertip to the corner of her mouth and tilted her head slightly in a gesture that sent Qian Ran reeling with delight.
She looked as though she had stepped straight out of a 2D world.
Qian Ran had previously encouraged them to try on anime costumes but hadn't expected them to go so far as to change their makeup and hairstyles. This level of commitment elevated the cosplay from "beautiful" to something truly immersive.
Thankfully, Juzi wasn't a convention cosplayer. Otherwise, those lecherous old men at conventions would have gone mad.
Qian Ran knew all too well what those "convention-goers" were like. If a cosplayer of Juzi's caliber showed up at an event, she would be surrounded by countless admirers, with cameras clicking away from every angle.
Luckily, luckily, such beauty was for his eyes only. Call him selfish, but he had no intention of sharing.
(End of Chapter)