The days that followed were peaceful, and I immersed myself in cultivation and the study of Soul Tools.
The scenes flashed by quickly.
In the laboratory, Sun Moon Lin Qing held a carving knife and inscribed Soul Tool circuits onto a metal plate.
Delayed Vision activated, making every detail crystal clear.
With Metal Manipulation enhancing him, the carving knife moved as naturally as an extension of his arm, precise and so fast that the eye could barely follow it.
He completed Soul Tool circuits several times faster than other Soul Engineers of the same level.
"This speed... this precision..."
The instructor stared at the record sheet, his hands trembling.
"He completed the core circuit of a Level 3 Soul Tool in only ten minutes, and it was flawless."
"There has never been a record like this in the academy's history."
With the Innate Soul Skill Delayed Vision and my second Soul Skill, Metal Manipulation, my Soul Tool studies soared.
At eleven, I broke through Rank 30.
That same year, I consecutively passed the Level 3 and Level 4 Soul Engineer assessments, officially becoming a Level 4 Soul Engineer.
An eleven-year-old Level 4 Soul Engineer!
This record once again rewrote the academy's history.
Given the talent I had displayed, Teacher Jing Hongchen valued me greatly. He still personally led the team into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt my third Soul Ring.
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.
Target: the Silver Moon Wolf King.
A top-tier Soul Beast among spiritual-type Soul Beasts.
Age: nine thousand years!
"Nine thousand years should be no problem for you now."
Jing Hongchen looked at Sun Moon Lin Qing, his gaze filled with confidence.
"With your current physique and Spiritual Power, nine thousand years is just right."
Sun Moon Lin Qing nodded.
This time, he did not excessively pursue a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
His Spiritual Power was not enough to withstand the spiritual shock of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Without the aid of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, nor Tang San's Purple Demon Eye and Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew to raise his Spiritual Power,
his Spiritual Power was above average, but nowhere near the level of a cheat user.
The hunt and absorption went far more smoothly than they had with his second Soul Ring.
Though it was still somewhat painful, it no longer endangered his life.
I successfully absorbed the nine-thousand-year Silver Moon Wolf King Soul Ring. My Soul Power Level surged to Rank 34, and I gained my Third Soul Skill—Mental Confusion!
It was exactly the same as Huo Yuhao's Third Soul Skill.
It could disrupt an opponent's mind, create confusion, and even control them briefly.
"Not bad."
Jing Hongchen was extremely satisfied.
"Mental Confusion is a solid control Soul Skill. Combined with your first two Soul Skills, your tactics will become much more flexible."
At twelve, I had already become a Rank 36 Soul Elder.
The result on the Soul Power testing crystal left every teacher silent.
Twelve years old, Rank 36.
That pace had already surpassed every record in the history of the Sun Moon Empire.
The key was that Lin Qing had never taken any medicinal pills from beginning to end, aside from Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!
Oh, right, he was also a Level 4 Soul Engineer!
He was enough to make the entire Golden Generation of Sun Moon Royal Academy ashamed!
"A monster..."
Xiao Hongchen looked bitterly at the badge on Sun Moon Lin Qing's chest.
"When I was twelve, I had only just become a Level 3 Soul Engineer. Even now, at fourteen, I'm only Level 4. Your pace... it's too crushing."
Jing Hongchen, however, laughed heartily.
"A genius! This is what a true genius is! Xiao, you still need to work much harder."
He forcefully patted Lin Qing on the shoulder.
"Lin Qing, you are the finest student I have ever taught! Bar none!"
Lin Qing himself clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Twelve years old, a Rank 36 Soul Elder, a Level 4 Soul Engineer... this growth rate..."
He recalled the original story.
When Huo Yuhao was twelve, he seemed to have only been a Level 2 Soul Master, right?
Still, Huo Yuhao's cheat was just too powerful. It took him only one year from first encountering Soul Tools to becoming a Level 2 Soul Master.
"Being too dazzling isn't necessarily a good thing."
The tallest tree in the forest catches the wind first. Lin Qing understood that principle well.
The twelve-year-old Lin Qing had been beaten to death by Tang Hao precisely because of that.
Judging by the age in the portrait, Sun Moon Lin Qing... was not far from death.
That day, Teacher Jing Hongchen brought me good news: I would participate as a main-team member of Sun Moon Royal Academy in this year's All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament.
Jing Hongchen said, "Lin Qing, there is something important coming up."
"Teacher, what is it?"
"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament is about to begin. The academy has decided to send you as a main-team member."
Sun Moon Lin Qing froze.
"Me? A main-team member?"
"Yes."
Jing Hongchen stroked his beard.
"Your strength is already sufficient. Moreover, the Soul Skill combination you and Xiao developed can even assemble a temporary, single-use Level 6 Fixed Soul Cannon. Its power rivals a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
This was a special result produced after Lin Qing and Xiao Hongchen frequently interacted and gradually studied how to combine Metal Manipulation.
"This is an opportunity—an opportunity to show the world the strength of our Sun Moon Empire's younger generation!"
In all the previous Soul Master Tournaments, the Sun Moon Empire had never achieved particularly good results.
But this time was different. They had more and better talents, as well as further advancements in Soul Tool technology.
In Jing Hongchen's eyes, they might even win the championship this year!
I chose to participate in this tournament because I wanted to see the continent's geniuses, as well as the cheat-using protagonist, Huo Yuhao.
At twelve, the Soul Master Tournament began. I competed as a main-team member of Sun Moon Royal Academy.
The scene shifted.
The grand arena was packed with people.
Soul Master Academy teams from every nation had gathered in one place.
In Sun Moon Royal Academy's team, Lin Qing stood beside Xiao Hongchen.
Though he was the youngest, his presence was not the least bit weaker.
At the tournament, I finally met the protagonist of Peerless Tang Sect—Huo Yuhao.
Shrek Academy's team entered the arena.
Just like in the original story, walking at the front was Huo Yuhao, a thin, frail youth deliberately putting on a cold expression.
Huo Yuhao, possessor of the Spirit Eye martial soul, host of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and Electrolux—the true cheat user of this era.
As expected, Huo Yuhao showed off and humiliated opponents all the way through.
Huo Yuhao shone brilliantly in the arena.
He flaunted six 100,000-Year Soul Rings.
Spiritual Detection Sharing controlled the entire field.
His Martial Soul Fusion Skill crushed opponents with brute force.
Every appearance he made drew countless doubts and gasps.
Especially after hearing Shrek Academy's teacher, Wang Yan, mention that several of Shrek Academy's tournament participants were twelve years old, everyone felt an inexplicable chill.
"So these are Shrek's geniuses?"
The members of Sun Moon Royal Academy all looked somewhat grave.
"That Huo Yuhao... won't be easy to deal with," Xiao Hongchen said quietly.
Sun Moon Lin Qing nodded.
"I know."
I not only knew Huo Yuhao would be difficult to handle, I also knew we would most likely lose.
In the end, Shrek Academy still faced our Sun Moon Royal Academy.
The battle was more intense than anyone expected. After Xiao and Meng's Martial Soul Fusion Skill was broken, Xiao and I used our final trump card.
Sun Moon Lin Qing and Xiao Hongchen exchanged a glance and moved at once.
"Level 7 Temporary Soul Tool—Assemble!"
Sun Moon Lin Qing held his hands in the air.
Metal fragments rapidly assembled in midair.
Xiao Hongchen did the same.
Together, the two completed a crude yet enormously powerful Level 7 Soul Cannon platform.
"A single-use Level 7 Fixed Soul Cannon!"
Lin Qing and Xiao Hongchen wildly poured their Soul Power into it, and the cannon muzzle lit up with a blinding radiance!
"Fire!"
"BOOM!!!"
A massive beam of energy tore through the air and blasted straight toward Shrek's team!
This strike, infused with both of their full strength, had surpassed even the power of a Soul Saint or Soul Douluo!
But after this strike, the cannon platform exploded, and Lin Qing and Xiao Hongchen were also at the end of their strength.
"!!!"
The entire arena fell silent.
Everyone held their breath, wanting to know who had won and who had lost within the explosion.
As the smoke cleared, Huo Yuhao of Shrek's team was completely unharmed.
We lost.
The narrator's voice carried a hint of bitterness.
Even though Xiao Hongchen and I gave everything we had to assemble a single-use Level 7 Soul Cannon, we still lost to Huo Yuhao, who possessed a true cheat.
"Ah..."
Lin Qing sighed.
"Nothing to be done. Huo Yuhao's cheat is just too powerful."
By this point, Huo Yuhao already had three cheats: Ice Empress, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and Electrolux. He was simply beyond comparison with ordinary people.
Sun Moon Lin Qing was a genius too, but... his cheat just was not big enough.
I had thought that a loss was just a loss, and that the matter would end there.
But I never expected an accident to descend.
Late at night.
At Sun Moon Royal Academy's residence, the team members had already gone to rest.
Lin Qing sat alone in his room, reviewing the day's match.
"If my spiritual defense had been stronger then, if Metal Manipulation had been faster..."
He muttered to himself, slightly unwilling to accept the defeat.
Just then.
"BOOM!!!"
A terrifying pressure suddenly descended!
The entire residence trembled!
"Who?!"
Lin Qing abruptly rose to his feet.
Crash!
The window exploded.
A disheveled old man in tattered robes, reeking of alcohol, floated in midair.
His murky eyes stared at him, cold killing intent lurking in their depths.
Xuan Zi!
A senior of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, a Rank 98 peak Douluo!
"Kid..."
He stared at Lin Qing and grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"You were quite impressive today. Twelve years old, a Level 4 Soul Engineer, a Rank 36 Soul Elder, three purple Soul Rings, and you nearly forced our Shrek students into a desperate situation."
As he spoke, Xuan Zi's gaze gradually turned cold.
"If I let you live, you will surely become a great threat in the future!"
Lin Qing's pupils contracted sharply.
He wanted to escape.
But the pressure of a level ninety-eight Title Douluo left him unable to move.
"So, you should die!"
Xuan Zi slowly raised his hand, earth-yellow Soul Power gathering in his palm.
He struck down with one palm.
Boom!!!
The entire room instantly turned to rubble.
Lin Qing's figure was completely buried.
[I died.]
Before you continue