At the words "detention," Qin Chuan felt the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him.
Back in his previous life, he'd been terrible at English. He never passed his vocabulary dictation tests, and out of five school days a week, he spent three or four in detention.
What's more, when Xuan Ziwen had entered the room, his gaze had clearly lingered on Qin Chuan. Jing Hongchen had obviously singled him out.
Fortunately, though, the system had maxed out Qin Chuan's comprehension, bringing it to MAX.
Xuan Ziwen set down the textbook and braced both hands on the lectern. After looking around the room, he nodded. "Let's begin..."
Making a Soul Tool involved processing the material, shaping it, drilling holes, crafting the Core Array, and finally assembling the finished product.
Every step was crucial. If anything went wrong at any stage, congratulations—you'd ruined the whole Soul Tool, and all your previous work would have been for nothing.
In a measured tone, Xuan Ziwen explained Soul Tools in terms the children could understand. Then he began teaching them how to identify rare metals.
There were ordinary iron blocks, Refined Iron distilled from iron, Deep Sea Silver Motherlode, Scarlet Sun Fire Crystal, Black Gold, Silver Iron, Mithril, Mercury Steel, and many other rare metals.
All kinds of rare metals were laid out on the lectern. Xuan Ziwen picked one up and explained its properties, as well as how different rare metals could be combined.
A lesson lasted forty-five minutes, and Xuan Ziwen managed to fill every one of them.
"Ding, ding, ding—"
The bell rang. Xuan Ziwen said calmly, "Class dismissed."
"..."
The classroom was unusually quiet. The only sound was the soft rustling of students copying notes from the blackboard.
This was Qin Chuan's first time learning about Soul Tools. Thanks to his maxed-out comprehension, after just one lesson he understood all the rare metals, their properties, and how they could be combined.
Ye Guyi was already a Second-Class Soul Engineer, so this basic knowledge served to reinforce what she knew. Xuan Ziwen was indeed a good teacher; the lesson filled in quite a few gaps in her knowledge of Soul Tool crafting.
As for Qian Renxue, she was even more focused. It was as if a whole new world had opened up to her. Even after Xuan Ziwen's first lesson on what Soul Tools were and how to identify rare metals had ended, she was still savoring every detail.
Qian Renxue was like a sponge, soaking up knowledge at a furious pace. She knew exactly what Soul Tools meant for the world she came from.
They were an overwhelming technological advantage. In daily life and on the battlefield alike, the advent of Soul Tools would be a devastating blow to the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, both of which still relied on swords, spears, and other traditional weapons.
Qin Chuan set down his pen, rubbed his brow, and closed his eyes to review what he'd learned that day. Then he turned to look over.
Qian Renxue was writing something with her head down. Qin Chuan didn't disturb her. He simply doodled in his notebook and waited for the next class to begin.
Classes were always a cycle of boredom and finding ways to entertain yourself. How much you learned depended entirely on you.
"Ding-a-ling—"
The second class began. Qin Chuan sat up straight and listened closely. Behind him, Qian Renxue furrowed her brow as well. Whenever she came across something she didn't understand, she took notes, planning to ask her younger brother and Guyi about it afterward. If they didn't know either, she would ask the teacher.
And so, Qin Chuan, Qian Renxue, and Ye Guyi began their school days...
Seven days later.
After visiting every place except the imperial palace, Bibi Dong looked back at Bright Capital in the distance, still reluctant to leave. Her trip ten thousand years into the future had yielded a great deal. She had a good understanding of Bright Capital and its surroundings now. It was time to head to the Douluo Continent and begin her hunt.
Disguised as an unremarkable middle-aged woman, Bibi Dong reached the Mingdou Mountains in just one day. She crossed the Western Army Group's defensive zone and entered Star Luo Empire territory.
Leaning against a tree, Bibi Dong held a detailed map of the Douluo Continent and fixed her gaze on Star Luo City. She murmured, "The Star Crown Sect... Who would've thought that a reclusive sect from back then would replace the White Tiger Dai Family and become the empire's new masters? The world truly changes with time."
"They've already made the White Tiger Duke a duke, and still let the White Tiger line control the military. I can't make heads or tails of what the Star Crown Sect is thinking. Perhaps the current generation of the Star Luo Imperial Family has simply dwindled away."
Bibi Dong took out a small booklet and opened it. It listed the Douluo Continent's powerful fighters and the distribution of its factions. Qin Chuan had written it.
The first page listed Shrek Academy.
Dragon God Douluo: Mu En, Level 99 Limit Douluo
Taotie Douluo: Xuan Zi, Level 98 Super Douluo
Bright Phoenix Douluo: Yan Shaozhe, Level 96 Super Douluo
From Shrek Academy at the top to the Titled Douluos and factions under the three great empires below, all the major powers known to everyone were recorded in the booklet.
It was more than just a list of powerful fighters and factions. It was like a book of life and death, and Bibi Dong, who wielded the Rakshasa Demon Scythe, was the god of death.
Her gaze swept over the many factions before finally settling on Dragon City · Heavenly Dragon Sect.
"Well, well. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, which I ordered destroyed ten thousand years ago, has recovered its strength. So some of them survived the Soul Hunting Operation after all. No matter. Once my son gets his hands on a Grade 9 Fixed Soul Cannon Shell, I'll show you what it means to be utterly reduced to ashes."
"As for the Heavenly Dragon Sect, its strongest member, Old Heavenly Dragon, has only Level 95 Soul Power. I'll start with him."
Bibi Dong put away the book of life and death and headed north toward Dragon City in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Meanwhile, at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy...
Qin Chuan and Qian Renxue had reached their first hands-on Soul Tool lesson. For the first ten days, they had studied various rare metals, how to make Core Arrays, and what to pay attention to while engraving, along with other essential knowledge.
Now they were finally getting to try it themselves. Qin Chuan and Qian Renxue would have been lying if they said they weren't nervous.
Each student received an engraving knife made of Refined Iron.
Qian Renxue had also learned that engraving knives varied in quality. The ones they'd been given were the most basic kind. Different knives could give the Soul Tools they engraved different "souls."
Only the top one hundred knives were worthy of being called Ranked Engraving Knives. Every one of them was unique.
Over the past few days, Qian Renxue had reviewed a great deal of Soul Tool theory and learned how precious Ranked Engraving Knives were.
She walked up to a spotless workbench and looked at the materials in front of her.
A square block of iron, ten centimeters on each side.
Then Xuan Ziwen's voice rang out. "This is everyone's first time making a Soul Tool. No talking during the process, and be extremely careful. If there's anything you don't understand, check your notes. I covered everything during my lessons."
"You have the whole morning to work on it. Now, begin!"
At Xuan Ziwen's command, almost everyone got to work.
Ye Guyi was the first to make a cut. As a self-taught Second-Class Soul Engineer, she already knew what she wanted to make.
Before you continue