Level 10 Soul Engineer?

Inside Shrek Academy's Sea God's Pavilion.

The atmosphere, which had only just eased slightly because Yan Shaozhe had entered the Ranking list, became complicated again with Golden Peng's appearance.

"Body Sect... Golden Body Douluo..."

Xuan Zi smacked his lips.

"That old fellow Du Busi is probably grinning from ear to ear right now."

"Thunder God Liquid—what exactly does this thing do?"

Mu En said in a deep voice, "With the Body Sect's strength increasing, in the short term, it may be able to restrain the Holy Spirit Cult."

"But in the long run, an overly powerful Body Sect likewise does not align with the academy's interests."

"The situation on the continent is becoming more and more complicated."

The Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult were also shocked and wary of Golden Peng's reward.

They were likewise extremely puzzled by the effects of the Thunder God Liquid.

After the announcement of the fourteenth-ranked Golden Peng, the Ranking list once again fell silent.

But at this moment, the Various Continental Powers had thoroughly understood.

Every rise in rank within the top twenty represented a tremendous leap in strength.

And rewards that were even more astonishing, even touching the divine realm!

Who would be thirteenth?

What variables would it bring to this turbulent, treacherous continent?

Everyone's anticipation and tension reached a new peak.

[Douluo Continent Human Spirit Master Power Ranking, Thirteenth Place: Kong Deming!]

The grand voice was like a thunderclap, exploding in the ears of every living being paying attention to the Ranking list.

The thirteenth line of the Golden Ranking burst with an unprecedentedly blazing radiance.

That light was not pure gold, but was mixed with countless blue-white gleams like precise soul tool circuits.

A figure emerged, somewhat aged yet vigorous in spirit, his eyes filled with wisdom and persistence.

There was no powerful pressure of soul power around him, yet he exuded a profound aura of controlling rules and analyzing all things.

[Name: Kong Deming]

[Affiliation: Sun Moon Empire (Imperial Worship Elder, Founder of Mingde Hall)]

[Martial Soul: Silver Moon]

[Soul Power Level: Level 94 Control System Titled Douluo]

[Title: Silver Moon]

[Combat Power Assessment: The "Silver Moon" Martial Soul is of superior quality, but it is not his strongest point. His true reliance is his unprecedented soul tool attainment; he is hailed as the number one soul engineer of the Douluo Continent and is infinitely close to the legendary realm of a Level 10 soul engineer! Relying on the many Peak Level 9 Soul Tools he developed, as well as his unique soul tool theories and combat system, his Comprehensive Combat Power is sufficient to rival a Level 98 Titled Douluo. He is the true Stabilizing Pillar of the Sun Moon Empire, a living legend of the soul tool era! Comprehensive Assessment: ranked thirteenth.]

[Reward: Soul Power Increased by One Level, all Spirit Ring Lifespans increased by five thousand years, one design blueprint for the soul tool "Heaven and Earth Shine Together," infinitely close to Level 10, and partial Level 10 Soul Engineer Insights!]

"Elder Kong!"

Sun Moon Empire Imperial Palace.

Xu Tianran suddenly propped himself up from his wheelchair, his face filled with unprecedented excitement and wild joy.

"It's Elder Kong! Thirteenth place, the number one soul engineer on the continent! A well-deserved ranking!"

Ju Zi, at his side, also covered her red lips, brilliant light flashing again and again in her eyes.

Kong Deming entering the Ranking list carried even greater meaning than Jing Hongchen.

This represented the absolute correctness of the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool path.

It had received the Recognition of the Golden Ranking's Heavenly Rules!

Inside Mingde Hall.

Jing Hongchen looked at his teacher's phantom image, trembling with excitement as he murmured.

"Teacher, infinitely close to Level 10... I knew you could definitely do it!"

The entire Sun Moon Empire seemed to have been injected with a stimulant at this moment.

All soul engineers shared in the honor, their cheers resounding into the clouds.

And in contrast to that—

There was a deathly silence inside Shrek Academy's Sea God's Pavilion.

"Kong Deming... as expected, it's him."

Xuan Zi said hoarsely. The Wine Gourd in his hand had fallen to the floor at some point.

Yan Shaozhe's face turned pale. "A soul engineer infinitely close to Level 10, comparable to a Level 98 Titled Douluo—this... how is this possible?"

"Can soul tools really reach such a level?"

As the dean of the Soul Tool Department, Xian Lin'er felt it even more deeply as she looked at Kong Deming's introduction.

Her lips trembled slightly. "We've always underestimated the limits of Soul Tools, and we've also underestimated the Sun Moon Empire's development..."

Cai Meier gave a bitter smile. "No wonder Jing Hongchen could rank nineteenth by relying on Soul Tools. So there was someone like this above him all along."

Mu En slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, they were filled with resolve.

"Everyone, did you see that? This is the potential of Soul Tools! We Shrek have placed too much emphasis on traditional Martial Soul cultivation in the past, and in the field of Soul Tools, we have fallen far too far behind!"

"From today onward, by decision of Sea God's Pavilion, the Resource tilt for the Soul Tool Department will be raised to the highest priority. We will use the strength of the entire academy to develop Soul Tools!"

"We must catch up, or on the future continent, there will no longer be any place for Shrek to stand!"

They had long known of the threat posed by Soul Tools, but they had never truly made up their minds to develop them with all their strength.

Now the Golden Ranking had laid the bloody truth before their eyes, leaving them no room to keep neglecting it.

Level 9 Soul Tools could already threaten Super Douluo.

Then what about Soul Tools infinitely close to Level 10, or even true Level 10 Soul Tools?

Could they really slaughter gods and annihilate Limit Douluo?

The thought made every elder of Sea God's Pavilion's scalp go numb.

At the same time, those generous rewards

had already descended deep within the Sun Moon Empire Imperial Palace, into a workshop filled with Soul Tools.

Kong Deming calmly accepted the three pillars of light that contained vast power and knowledge.

His Soul Power broke through to Level 95 as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

His Spirit Ring Lifespan surged by five thousand years, especially his final spirit ring, whose color became incomparably deep.

But these were far less shocking to him than the latter two rewards.

The moment that portion of "Level 10 Soul Engineer Insights" merged into his sea of consciousness, it was as if he had pushed open a door to a new world.

Countless problems he had pondered bitterly for decades, even a hundred years, without ever finding an answer to, countless profound pieces of knowledge regarding the essence of energy, the application of Rules, and the transformation of matter, surged forth like sudden enlightenment.

His previous research had been as if he were always pacing outside the door.

But at this moment, he had truly glimpsed the vast, boundless scenery within!

"So that's how it is... So I've been trapped at this step all along because I lacked this sliver of understanding of the root Rules!"

Kong Deming murmured to himself, an unprecedented gleam bursting from his cloudy old eyes.

His entire person seemed to grow decades younger in an instant, a feeling of sudden clarity filling his heart.

Immediately afterward, his gaze fell upon the blueprint before him, formed from countless energy circuits so complex they had reached the extreme, seemingly containing the ultimate truths of the movement of the stars—"Heaven and Earth Shine Together"!

With just a rough glance, Kong Deming's heart began to pound violently.

The Soul Tool depicted on this blueprint—

the exquisiteness of its concept, the complexity of its energy circuits, and the profundity of the Rules it involved

far surpassed the current limits of what he could understand.

Yet, strangely, it gave him a feeling that it was "feasible"!