Permission Upgrade

Smack!

A crisp sound echoed through the air.

Xiao Hongchen was sent reeling backward by the force of the blow.

The aura of a master he had worked so hard to cultivate vanished in an instant.

Watching this scene, many people off-stage turned beet red, holding back their laughter, not daring to make a sound.

Xiao Hongchen shoved Meng Hongchen's hand away, then clutched his face, veins throbbing on his forehead as he roared:

"Meng Hongchen!"

"Are you looking for a beating?"

"Bring it on."

Meng Hongchen stood with her hands on her hips.

"Who's afraid of you?"

Seeing the siblings on the verge of starting a fight right there on the spot, the instructor in charge quickly spoke up:

"We are still in class, you two need to behave."

Only then did the two of them settle down.

The matches continued, with pairs of students taking the stage one after another.

Although his own turn was over, Ye Luochen did not leave. Instead, he stood on the sidelines, watching the situation in the arena intently.

He was particularly curious about Xiao Hongchen.

To have reached the cultivation level of a Soul King at fifteen, with Soul Guidance technology at the fifth level, it was necessary to observe and learn how he utilized his Soul Guidance devices in combat.

However, these thoughts ultimately came to nothing.

Xiao Hongchen did indeed take the stage, and he did indeed use Soul Guidance devices to defeat his opponent.

But after watching for only a moment, Ye Luochen realized there was nothing to learn.

He had no idea how the guy did it, but he had conjured nearly a hundred Soul Guidance Cannons out of thin air in an instant.

In a single exchange, he had suppressed his opponent with unstoppable firepower and finished the match in seconds.

Then, he cast a disdainful glance at the crowd and walked off the stage with a flourish.

This guy, while incredibly flashy, is truly powerful.

Ye Luochen couldn't help but sigh.

The class continued, and as the final pair of students left the stage, it finally came to an end.

Compared to before the class, the way everyone looked at Ye Luochen had changed significantly.

If before, everyone just knew that a new student with decent talent had joined the class, then after this practical lesson—especially with Xiao Hongchen's explanation—they had begun to truly realize the terrifying nature of Ye Luochen.

In half a month, he had gone from zero foundation to a second-level Soul Guidance Master.

Furthermore, he had used Soul Guidance technology to defeat a fourth-level Soul Guidance Master in actual combat.

It seemed the academy had truly welcomed someone extraordinary...

The morning classes ended, and in the afternoon, Ye Luochen went to Mingde Hall as usual.

However, before he could begin his practice, his instructor interrupted him.

"Don't rush to practice yet; the Hall Master wants to see you."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen was slightly stunned, but he quickly nodded.

"Understood."

Led by the instructor, he passed through layers of security checkpoints and arrived at the door of the office in the deepest part of the building.

The door was open, and Jing Hongchen was sitting behind his desk, flipping through files.

Seeing Ye Luochen arrive, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

"You're here?"

"Greetings, Hall Master." Ye Luochen bowed slightly.

Jing Hongchen waved his hand.

"Sit."

After Ye Luochen sat down, Jing Hongchen did not beat around the bush.

He got straight to the point:

"Your performance in today's practical class was quite good."

"Using a dismantling approach to disrupt the opponent's mindset while simultaneously compromising the integrity of the Soul Guidance Cannon was a very clever strategy."

Ye Luochen said:

"It was merely a trick."

"A trick?"

Jing Hongchen chuckled.

"If it were truly that easy to win by tricks, wouldn't every Level 2 Soul Master be able to defeat a Level 4 Soul Master?"

"Actually, I called you here today for another matter."

As he spoke, Jing Hongchen took a silver-white badge from his drawer.

He placed it on the desktop.

The badge was not complex; a special pattern was engraved in the center, surrounded by the emblem of Mingde Hall.

"This is?" Ye Luochen asked, puzzled.

Jing Hongchen explained:

"The Mingde Hall Internal Authorization Badge."

"Starting today, your authorization level within Mingde Hall has been raised to Level 6."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen was momentarily stunned.

Having spent the last half-month in Mingde Hall, he naturally understood the importance of authorization levels.

Because not every area in Mingde Hall could be entered at will.

Students of different levels had access to completely different information, equipment, and mentor resources.

Ordinary students didn't even have the qualifications to look at the blueprints for high-level soul devices.

And now, Jing Hongchen had actually raised his authorization directly to Level 6!

One had to understand, this was not his Soul Master level.

There were a total of nine levels of authorization within Mingde Hall.

The only holder of Level 9 authorization was the Hall Master, Jing Hongchen himself.

The other three Level 9 Soul Masters held Level 8 authorization.

Below them, those with real power, such as Elder Ma, held Level 7 authorization.

Excluding these special individuals, Level 6 was the highest authorization level within Mingde Hall.

"Thank you, Hall Master."

After accepting the badge, Ye Luochen said earnestly.

Jing Hongchen waved his hand with a smile.

"Don't be in such a hurry to thank me; take a look at your new permissions first."

As he spoke, he took out a form and handed it over.

Ye Luochen took it.

[Access to Level 1-8 soul device theoretical database granted.]

[Access to Level 1-8 core array database granted.]

[Eligibility for high-level experimental area usage granted.]

[Monthly quota of rare metals increased fivefold.]

Each line of authorization caught his eye.

Ye Luochen couldn't help but feel a slight shock in his heart.

Setting everything else aside, that fivefold increase in rare metal quota alone was enough to make countless Mingde Hall students green with envy.

In Mingde Hall, where soul devices were revered, rare metals were the absolute hard currency!

After all, the most expensive part of being a Soul Master was the practice.

Every time a carving failed, the material was wasted.

Furthermore, rare metals were under strict control.

Not to mention the exorbitant prices—even if one could afford them, it was difficult to find a way to purchase them.

Therefore, what held many students back wasn't that they couldn't learn, but that they didn't have enough materials to practice with.

But now, Jing Hongchen had directly increased his resource quota by five times!

This was basically equivalent to telling him: practice freely, build whatever you want, there is plenty to go around.

Seeing the look of surprise on Ye Luochen's face, Jing Hongchen laughed.

"Make good use of these resources; don't let your talent go to waste."

"Of course, you are a smart person. Since Mingde Hall has provided you with these resources, we naturally hope to see corresponding returns in the future."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen slowly stood up and offered a sincere cupped-fist salute.

"Rest assured, Hall Master, I will not let you down."

Jing Hongchen laughed heartily at these words.

"Good, I shall wait for that day."

Once Ye Luochen had departed, the office returned to silence.

A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the side door.

It was Elder Ma.

Gazing at the closed door, Elder Ma asked with some hesitation, "Hall Master, isn't this being given out a bit too quickly?"

"After all, it has only been half a month, and Ye Luochen only just passed the assessment this morning."

Jing Hongchen merely smiled at this.

"Is it fast?"

"If someone like him isn't worth investing in, then I truly don't know who would be."

Jing Hongchen continued, "Fifteen years old, and he cultivated to nearly level forty despite having only innate level four soul power."

"In half a month, he went from zero foundation to becoming a level two soul engineer, and he was able to precisely dismantle a level four soul engineer's soul tool in actual combat."

"Every day, he does nothing but cultivate and study; he has never slacked off for a single day."

"With such talent and such character, how many others can you find across the entire Sun Moon Empire?"