Chapter 12: Compatible Partner

Chapter 12: Compatible Partner

The white envelope bore a seal pressed by spiritual energy, that only he could break.

Apart from that, there was no signature.

Although it was a letter from the Empire's capital planet, the lack of any emblem or mark suggested it was not an official correspondence.

Shen Tingyu thanked the messenger and waited until they left before locking the door and slowly opening the letter.

The contents were not lengthy, but they left him silent.

The usual faint smile in his eyes disappeared instantly, turned into lifeless pools.

He leaned on the desk, staring at the words motionless for a long time, then activated his communicator to contact someone.

The call was answered quickly, and a woman's voice came through hurriedly from the other end: "Shen Tingyu, you finally read my letter!"

"If I hadn't impulsively intercepted the final data from the Soul-Match system that was about to be sent to the Empire's mainframe yesterday, your high compatibility match result would have been discovered by the royal family!"

Shen Tingyu's voice was deep and calm: "Impossible, there's something wrong with the data."

There was a pause on the other end before the reply came: "Although I am also shocked that there exists a soul in this world so highly compatible with yours, you know your physical was done here, and I personally extracted your soul data sample, right?"

Shen Tingyu remained silent.

The voice continued: "I personally delivered this batch of samples to the Silver Dragon United Hospital, and besides me, there are only four or five people in the entire Empire who possess the technology to alter the sample chip data."

"Those few have no significant interest conflicts with you, and if they had wanted to change it, they would have done so years ago when you were most feared by the Empire."

Then, she added quietly: "Besides, even if they were to match you with a fake partner, they would choose someone obedient and easy to control, right? Xu Qingran's reputation has been in shambles lately, he definitely wouldn't be considered by the Empire..."

Shen Tingyu, holding the letter, fell silent again.

Indeed, why did it have to be Xu Qingran.

If he had known, he should have just thrown him into Tower 2's arena.

"You know, what they care about isn't the authenticity of the data, but having someone who can bind a soul contract with you, to use them to restrict you. If this 99% compatibility result is published, you'd have no time to prepare, and the Empire would immediately force you into marriage and bind you by contract."

Shen Tingyu remained firm: "Impossible."

"I cannot possibly have a suitable soulmate."

The woman on the other end asked him: "I know that the highest compatibility you've ever matched with someone was less than 10%, but... can you really be so sure that you'll never meet one in your lifetime?"

Shen Tingyu's expression darkened, and after a long while, he replied: "I know my situation best."

The person on the other end of the communication stopped persuading and simply said: "Even if you insist there's something wrong with the data, you both just had your physicals recently, and the next soul data extraction won't be possible for at least a year. In that year, the Empire could have you two so involved that there's no way out."

"So what do you plan to do?"

Shen Tingyu lowered his gaze in thought.

Then he said: "First, transfer him to Tianyi."

After a few seconds of silence, the other end burst out in disbelief: "Tianyi? Your little nephew?"

"He's only 5 years old! That's cruel!"

Shen Tingyu ended the call.

He really didn’t want to tie himself down with anyone, but the match with Xu Qingran seemed a bit fishy, and the other party was also his expected E-type candidate. So he thought, before they redo the soul matching, he could keep an eye on him for now and investigate the cause of the incident.

·

During the days Xu Qingran was taken into the Tower of Evil, a huge scandal broke out on the forums.

It started with an anonymous post on a forum called Star Horizon, with a very direct title—The Kayan Empire is blessed, soon to welcome a destined couple with over 98% soul compatibility.

The beginning of the main post was also classic.

—I have a relative who’s part of the team responsible for the Empire’s S-M system, and this is the info he gave me. It’s legit, just wait and see.

"35L: Classic, another one of those 'my relative works there' stories."

"907L: Ugh, these posts are like a yearly ritual. They pop up every year, and every year they get debunked. What’s even the point?"

Then the poster added:

"Can’t spill all the details, but here’s a hint: the two might not be from the same camp.

Unfortunately, it’s no fairy tale romance. One of them has a pretty controversial reputation—just some cash and connections. Everyone thought he’d be single forever, but somehow he got matched. Guess the ancestors are smiling down on him.

The other one? Well, I can’t say much, but they’re definitely a hot topic lately."

In no time, the post racked up tens of thousands of replies.

"3977L: Which influencer or fan club is behind this? Trying to hype a CP for clout again?"

"7613L: Alright, I’m pulling up a chair. If this turns out to be true, I’ll eat my hat, live on stream!"

"12733L: Hmm, is this the big Silver Dragon scandal I’m thinking of?"

"13722L: Wasn’t Xu Qingan and Lu Cheng’s compatibility like 88? So it can’t be them, right?"

"18888L: Nonsense. Different camps? That just shows they’re not a match. How can they have full compatibility if their thoughts and preferences don’t align?"

"29210L: Oh sure, just because you think Golden Wing’s cursed, who do you think you are, dreaming about dating Silver Dragon folks?"

"30008L: That 29k up there, who let that moron in? We haven’t even begun to trash your Silver Dragon for being useless!"

The thread kept growing, then it totally derailed.

What started as mocking the OP for spreading rumors turned into a full-blown flame war between the two factions.

Xu Qingan lounged at the bar, legs crossed, happily scrolling through the forum on his phone. His striking fox eyes couldn’t help but crinkle at the banter in the thread.

A few friends who had just finished dancing in the club sauntered back, picked up their drinks, and asked, “Hey, Qingan, I heard one of the pair with crazy high soul compatibility everyone’s talking about online is your brother? Have you heard anything about that?”

Xu Qingan put down his phone, his expression tinged with worry. “I don’t know. My brother was taken to the Tower of Evil a while ago, and he still hasn’t come back. The whole family’s really worried.”

He held his phone, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, then added, “Besides, I heard the last group sent to the 1st District Hospital for matching were all lowlifes like Boss Chen. My brother’s too good to have high compatibility with people like that. It can’t be him.”

His friends exchanged thoughtful glances, their expressions a mix of curiosity and skepticism.

Xu Qingan sipped his juice, lowering his gaze to hide the sneer in his eyes.

He was eager to see what his so-called dear brother would face once he got out.

·

By now, nearly two days had passed since Xu Qingran was thrown into the arena of Tower 3.

The staff at Tower 3 were all on edge, closely watching the arena's outcome.

To avoid the gruesome visuals, even the tower guards weren’t allowed to watch a live feed. So, until the last survivor walked out, no one knew who’d make it.

The buzz this time was all about the fearless quasi-E-type who’d charged in without a protective bracelet.

Back then, General Shen Tingyu had at least proven his top-tier E-type status before stepping in. This guy, though? Just a regular B-level, and from a cushy, spoiled background—

Could he even throw a punch? Seriously?!

This whole thing even got the Tower Master to show up and keep an eye on things.

When the Tower Master showed up that afternoon, the control room buzzed with excitement: "It’s over! It’s over!"

"The system’s picking up just one life sign left in the arena. Do we... open the door?"

The tension was palpable.

The Tower of Evil’s arena, though unofficially allowed by the empire, could land the whole staff—even the Tower Master—in hot water if an uncondemned person died inside and the royals caught wind of it.

"Open it," the Tower Master ordered, hands clasped behind his back, eyes narrowing.

The imposing Tower Master wouldn’t let anyone see the sweat on his palms.

As the red button was hit, the arena’s massive door slowly creaked open.

At the entrance, armed guards stood at the ready, bracing for anything.

Anyone tossed into the Tower of Evil was a hardened killer. No telling if they’d keep their bloodlust in check after winning and stepping out armed.

It’s happened plenty of times before.

In the dead silence, footsteps finally rang out from inside.

Walking the blood-soaked path, they slowly made their way to the exit.

The light-colored clothes he’d changed into before entering were now splattered with bright red, like paint thrown on a canvas. He still clutched the short knife, his only weapon, in a death grip. His soft, fluffy brown hair was matted with sweat. His body—arms, chest, stomach, legs—was a mess of gruesome wounds.

Even the gaping wound in his stomach was still oozing blood.

Everyone was in shock.

Not because the person emerging looked so battered, but because they never expected that the seemingly inexperienced young master could actually survive a 1vN battle in the hellish arena without a protective bracelet, killing everyone and walking out alive.

Xu Qingran leisurely walked to the entrance before pausing his advance.

The Tower Master stood directly in front of him, maintaining the same posture and locking eyes with him. Everyone else, even those graduated from military academies, felt an inexplicable aura of suppression emanating from him at this moment.

Compared to his soft, harmless appearance, the contrast was stark.

In the silence, the tall, slender young man suddenly raised his hand holding the knife.

Thinking that he might be a quasi-E—a term denoting a specific classification—everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, prepared to retaliate and subdue at a moment's notice.

But then he smirked slightly, and with a slight loosening of his hand, the short knife provided by the Tower of Evil clattered to the ground.

Simultaneously, the tension in the arena began to dissipate.

The Tower Master pondered for a moment before speaking up, "Congratulations, to become the sole victor of the arena without a protective bracelet, you truly possess remarkable skills."

Who would have thought, the scion of a prestigious family, would outmatch even the most hardened thugs in combat.

Truly a force to be reckoned with.

Xu Qingran studied him and suddenly asked, "Are you the Tower Master of the Tower of Evil?"

"Yes," the Tower Master confirmed.

"The medical department will tend to your wounds. After that, if you agree to sign the contract with the Military Academy of Grandis University and join the Imperial Military, you are free to depart at your convenience."

"There's no hurry," Xu Qingran said, "I've been pondering a question for a long time, and I've finally come to understand it somewhat."

"So now, I want to seek confirmation from the Tower Master."

Tower Master: "What is your question?"

Xu Qingran asked with a cold smile, "The inspector who had me sent into the 3rd Tower's arena, is his full name Shen Tingyu?"