"Is there a problem with the Electro-optical Poison Dragon Drill?"
Qin Xiao asked in return.
The elder burst into laughter upon hearing this, "Not at all, I think the name is imposing and domineering."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiao couldn't help but take another look at the elder, feeling a sense of camaraderie.
"Since you're also very talented in the aspect of soul tools, then I have no reservations. At least in my eyes, you've passed. Now I'll take you to meet my teacher and see what arrangements he will make for you next."
The elder's heart was finally at ease.
He felt that a genius like Qin Xiao should not be buried in obscurity.
After a long while,
Qin Xiao followed the elder Wang to the inner areas of the Sun-Moon Royal Academy.
There, there was an incredibly majestic teaching building.
They went straight to the third floor, to the room at the end of the corridor. The visitor told Qin Xiao to wait a moment, not to wander off, and then knocked on the door. After getting a response, he went in.
...
The room was spacious.
The furnishings inside were also peculiar, equipped with various devices for forging soul tools. This place was a laboratory.
"Have you become a Seventh-Level Soul Master?"
An ancient voice suddenly echoed in the elder's ear and then, in the blink of an eye, an old man with a slightly plump figure, dressed in an unpretentious manner, appeared in front of him.
Upon seeing this, the elder's expression changed, and he respectfully said, "Teacher..."
Without a doubt, this person was the dean of the Imperial Sun Moon Soul Academy, Jing Hongchen.
Besides, this dean was also a Titled Douluo with powerful cultivation and a Ninth-Level Soul Master.
"Hmm?"
Jing Hongchen seemed unsatisfied with the title the elder used.
"Dean..."
"Hmm."
Jing Hongchen's expression eased a bit as he nodded slowly, "Judging by your appearance, you don't seem to have become a Seventh-Level Soul Master.
Tell me, what brings you here?"
"Dean, today I was in charge of overseeing the entrance examination for new students and encountered an extremely rare genius."
An extremely rare genius?
Jing Hongchen asked with indifference, "How rare can it be?"
At his age, he had seen far too many geniuses.
"He's a self martial soul owner, and his martial soul is spiritual attribute."
"Self martial soul, spiritual?"
Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen became interested and signaled for the elder to continue.
"His martial soul is his eyes, the boy claims it's spiritual eyes!"
"What?"
Jing Hongchen's expression changed abruptly, "Eye Martial Soul, Spiritual Martial Soul..."
The moment he thought of this kind of Martial Soul, he realized it wasn't just the eyes, it could also be... the brain.
"Xiao Wang, tell me more about this student; I'm very interested."
Jing Hongchen's face suddenly showed a kind expression.
The elder did not dare to delay and quickly narrated the wonders Qin Xiao had revealed to him.
It took quite a while to finish the storytelling.
During the entire narration, Jing Hongchen listened quietly.
"Mental Sharing..."
"A normal Eye Martial Soul couldn't bring such a peculiar ability. It looks like my guess was correct. This young fellow's Martial Soul is very unusual..."
Jing Hongchen gave his assessment with a serious countenance.
"Then what is her Martial Soul?"
The elder asked, puzzled.
"It should be a combination of eyes and brain... This Martial Soul is quite extraordinary. It's even fair to say it's a super Martial Soul..."
Jing Hongchen's eyes were suddenly filled with admiration.
Indeed, Huo Yuhao's spiritual eyes Martial Soul was not weak.
In the original work, when the Skydream Ice Silkworm entered Huo Yuhao's body, he mentioned that before Huo Yuhao, several human Soul Masters could not withstand its divine power infusion and were killed instantly.
That Huo Yuhao could withstand the Skydream Ice Silkworm spoke volumes.
His only drawback was his physical aptitude.
After listening to Jing Hongchen's words, the elder was stunned.
He knew Huo Yuhao had good talent, but he hadn't realized it was this strong.
"However, a strong spirit does not guarantee becoming an excellent Soul Master. It only means he has certain advantages in this aspect.
If he doesn't have the talent to become a Soul Master, then the advantage of his Martial Soul is invalid. At best, he could be considered a fairly strong Assistant Soul Master..."
Jing Hongchen remained quite rational.
"Dean, this is the other matter I wanted to discuss with you..."
The elder continued: "This young man also has an extraordinary talent for crafting soul tools."
Jing Hongchen's eyes brightened, "Oh? Does he have any impressive creations?"
"No, he's only familiar with various entry-level theories of Soul Masters. He personally told me he's never crafted a single soul tool..."
"Then what are you talking about... If there's no tangible product, how can you prove his talent is exceptional?"
Jing Hongchen scoffed dismissively.
"Dean, Qin Xiao may not have made any soul tools, but he has unique insights into soul tools and has already developed a type of soul tool through his own efforts," the elder said.
"Are you serious?"
Jing Hongchen raised his eyebrow, "You're a Sixth-Level Soul Guidance Master, so you should understand how difficult it is for every new type of soul tool to come into existence. Not to mention other factors, it requires a great deal of practical testing.
You're telling me that Qin Xiao, who hasn't made a single soul tool, has developed a new one, isn't that a joke?"
The elder quickly took out the schematic of the Electro-optical Poison Dragon Drill, "Dean, please hold on, take a look at this and you'll understand..."
"Don't tell me you think he has the talent of a Soul Master because of this diagram?"
Jing Hongchen snorted but still took the scroll and casually spread it open.
At first, he only intended to take a cursory look...
However, after glancing at it, Jing Hongchen found that he couldn't take his eyes off it.
"Eh, this schematic... it's quite something..."
In fact, a storm of astonishment was brewing in Jing Hongchen's heart.
This small Electro-optical Poison Dragon Drill had a significant function.
Its value was not easily estimated at the moment.
With his vision, he immediately thought of various uses, whether it was for combat or for the construction of the Sun-Moon Empire...
"Hehe, is the dean trying to say that it's quite something?" The elder chuckled lightly, "The formations used to assemble the soul tool on the schematic are among the most basic ones. The assembly of the parts and the principles of operation are also very simple. For a soul tool of this level, I wouldn't even need to test it to know whether it's feasible or not. Dean, do you still doubt Qin Xiao's talent?"
In contrast, Jing Hongchen frowned.
The elder was startled, wondering if he had said something wrong.
At that moment, Jing Hongchen said: "You've been my nominal disciple for so many years now. Even if you haven't been able to break through the Seventh-Level Soul Master, you've still dedicated yourself to the academy. Even without merits, you have hard work. When we are alone, you can call me teacher."
"If you have any questions that you don't understand, you can come to me anytime in the future, and if I'm not particularly busy, I'll have time to answer them. With your talent, there is still some hope for you to become a Seventh-Level Soul Master."
Ah, this... The elder was truly stunned by Jing Hongchen's 180-degree attitude change.
Just now, he had tried to get closer by calling him teacher, but was rejected...
However, living to his age was not for naught; he immediately realized that Jing Hongchen's significant change towards him most likely had something to do with Qin Xiao.
After all this fuss, it seemed that it was all thanks to Qin Xiao. The elder mused and resolved to properly thank the youngster later...
"Teacher, does this mean that you acknowledge Qin Xiao?"
"This child is extraordinary, his thoughts are imaginative and extremely viable. I see in him the makings of a Ninth-Level Soul Master!"
Meng Hongchen gave a very high appraisal.
"Hiss, a Ninth-Level Soul Master..." The elder inhaled sharply, his mind momentarily in a daze.
Being a Ninth-Level Soul Master was his lifelong dream.
"Go and bring the youngster here, I still have some questions for him. Whether he can be seriously considered for a position will depend on his identity and background."
Jing Hongchen spoke solemnly.
This was also of crucial importance.
Qin Xiao's identity would determine what kind of treatment he would receive in the Sun-Moon Empire.
...
A short while later.
Qin Xiao followed the elder into the office.
Upon seeing the unkempt elder before him, he already knew the man's identity.
Jing Hongchen!
At this moment, Jing Hongchen instantly retracted his aura, becoming grave, "Looking at you, you don't appear to be from our Sun-Moon Empire, do you?"
As soon as these words came out, both Qin Xiao and the elder felt the temperature in the room drop suddenly.
It was as if they had moved directly from the heat of summer to the cold of winter.
And all this was a result of Meng Hongchen's use of his spiritual pressure.
Qin Xiao knew that he had to pretend to be affected or he would give himself away.
So he immediately displayed a facade of terrified yet forced composure.
Jing Hongchen nodded to himself.
This youngster's spirit is not bad at all.
"Indeed, I am not from the Sun-Moon Empire. My real name is Huo Yuhao. I come from the Xingluo Empire, from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion..."
Qin Xiao revealed Huo Yuhao's background without any concealment.
It must be said, Huo Yuhao's life was indeed quite tragic. Without needing to exaggerate at all, it garnered sympathy from both Jing Hongchen and the elder.
They hadn't realized that a teenager had lived such a difficult life from childhood to adulthood...
No.
To be exact, it was a wonder he had managed to survive to his current age.
"Staying in the Xingluo Empire, I see no hope of taking revenge in my lifetime."
"But in the Sun-Moon Empire, I can!"
"I yearn to become stronger, to destroy the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, and to trample all those haughty individuals under my feet."
While speaking, Qin Xiao also became very angry. He really harbored the impulse to destroy the Duke White Tiger's Mansion.
In his eyes, a fierce light was revealed.
He realized that Huo Yuhao's hatred for the Duke White Tiger's Mansion had already engraved itself deep into his bones.
"Rest assured, I won't make poor use of your body. I will definitely avenge this grudge for you!"
Qin Xiao said to himself in his heart.
Strangely, after he finished speaking, the fierceness in his heart diminished somewhat...
"Good!"
Just at that moment, Jing Hongchen suddenly called out in a deep voice.
He had been closely watching Qin Xiao all this time, capturing every expression of Qin Xiao's in his eyes.
At the same time, he believed in Qin Xiao's purpose for coming to the Sun-Moon Empire—it truly was to learn and to obtain powerful strength to seek revenge against Duke Bai Hu!
After all, the look of wanting to stab someone could not be hidden.
However, Jing Hongchen's shock startled the old man, who had just been engrossed in the story told by Qin Xiao.
He was inwardly sighing over the unfair fate of Huo Yuhao...
"Child, you've come to the right place in our Sun-Moon Empire. Only here can you fully realize your potential. What's a Duke Bai Hu?"
Jing Hongchen held up three fingers as he spoke, "At most thirty years..."
However, he stopped mid-sentence, seemingly feeling that thirty years was too long a time. Considering Qin Xiao's talent, it should take less than thirty years. So, Jing Hongchen folded a finger and said, "Twenty years... At most twenty years, you won't need to fear him anymore, and you can seek your revenge!"
Twenty years?
Qin Xiao certainly did not agree with that number.
In his heart, he planned to destroy Duke Bai Hu and everyone in the Duke White Tiger's Mansion within at most five years.
However.
Thinking is one thing, but showing is another.
Hadn't Qin Xiao prepared for half a month just to take advantage of today?
He pretended to be disheartened and shook his head, "It's impossible, not to mention twenty years, even thirty years, forty years—I just won't be able..."
Hm?
Both Jing Hongchen and the old man were taken aback upon hearing this.
"Why do you say that?"
"Elders, I am very clear about my own talent. With an innate Soul Power of level one, I'm really just... hopeless."
Qin Xiao's demeanor was that of someone who had turned a thousand words into a single sigh.
"What's the matter with innate level one Soul Power?"
"That is not the issue!"
Jing Hongchen asked with pride, "Do you know how the people of The Three Great Empires of Douluo secretly refer to us?"
Of course, Qin Xiao knew. They were called medicine pots.
Because the powerhouses of the Sun-Moon Empire value soul tools more, they do not place much emphasis on cultivating their own levels.
In the eyes of the Sun-Moon Empire's powerhouses, why should one cultivate hard when one can consume medicinal pills or elixirs for rapid cultivation advancement?
With that time, why not spend it on researching how to create a couple of powerful soul tools? Isn't that better?
However, it's worth mentioning that not everyone can elevate their cultivation level by consuming pills. This requires a substantial amount of capital.
"Haha, you definitely don't know..."
Jing Hongchen laughed and said, "They all say our Sun-Moon Empire's powerhouses are medicine pots. Their mighty cultivation levels are piled up by medicine and external forces. So rest assured, we have ways to change your aptitude and improve your cultivation level."
"And what you need to do is study hard, master more powerful soul tools, and even create powerful soul tools!"
It was obvious that Jing Hongchen had high hopes for Qin Xiao.
"Senior, I understand."
"Here, these two bottles each contain five Mysterious Water Pills and five Soul-raising Pills. Take them. First, take the Mysterious Water Pill and after five days take the Soul-raising Pill. Then, every five days, take the other medicinal pill, alternating between them. This should enable you to quickly advance to level 20."
Jing Hongchen gave two bottles of medicinal pills to Qin Xiao right away.
Qin Xiao was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected Jing Hongchen to be so generous.
After all, one could say that each pill is worth a fortune without exaggeration.
The elder standing by widened his eyes, "Dean, aren't those medicinal pills in short supply?"
"Short supply doesn't mean we don't have any..."
Jing Hongchen snorted, "Aren't the high-end soul tools of our Sun-Moon Empire also strictly forbidden to be exported? Yet, have they become less common in the hands of The Three Great Empires?"
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