Nonsense!

"Besides."

A flicker of amusement passed through Jing Hongchen's eyes.

"I, Jing Hongchen, have always believed in not employing those I suspect, and not suspecting those I employ. Since his background has already been thoroughly investigated, what is there left to worry about?"

Elder Ma nodded, but he could not help saying,

"But the resources invested will not be a small amount in the end..."

"Resources?"

Jing Hongchen continued, interrupting Elder Ma.

"What do you think Ye Luochen lacks most?"

Elder Ma froze for a moment, then shook his head.

Jing Hongchen said slowly,

"Not resources, nor teachers. What he lacks most is recognition."

"According to my investigation, that child has not received anything worthwhile at Shrek all these years."

"No status, no attention, no rewards—not even a fair chance to prove himself."

"Otherwise, why would he leave his homeland and travel thousands of miles to our Sun Moon Empire?"

At this, Elder Ma fell into thought.

Jing Hongchen continued,

"When a person is at their most disappointed, it is often not because of poverty, but because their efforts receive no response."

"And Ye Luochen is exactly that kind of person."

"He has talent and works hard, yet time and time again, Shrek's upper ranks have excluded him, and he has never received the rewards he deserved."

"Since that is the case, then we will give him whatever he lacks."

"Resources, status, clearance, recognition, qualifications for training..."

"We will give him all of it."

Jing Hongchen turned around, a faint smile on his face.

"As long as we make him feel that his efforts at Mingde Hall will be rewarded, make him feel that this place is worth staying in, give him a sense of belonging, and make him truly regard himself as one of Mingde Hall's people—someone who can truly be used by us."

"Then what do these investments amount to?"

After leaving Mingde Hall.

Ye Luochen did not return to his dormitory directly. Instead, he lowered his head and looked at the silver badge in his hand.

Now that his clearance had been raised, there was naturally no reason to leave it unused.

With the badge, he passed through several metal gates, and the areas along the way gradually became unfamiliar.

When the final heavy metal door slowly opened, the scene before him suddenly opened up.

Even though Ye Luochen had spent half a month in Mingde Hall and had greatly broadened his horizons, he could not help stopping in his tracks at the sight before him.

What came into view was an experimental hall several times larger than the ones he had seen before.

Dozens of experiment tables stood in neat rows.

All kinds of massive Soul Guidance devices that he had never seen before were placed throughout the hall.

Soul Guidance shields gleaming in various hues stood silently there.

Silver-white aircraft floated in midair.

He could even see several gigantic Soul Guidance Cannons over ten meters long.

Simply standing there, they exuded an astonishing pressure.

Ye Luochen's gaze swept continuously across the hall.

Compared with the testing area where he had stayed before, this place was simply too breathtaking.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"New here?"

Ye Luochen turned toward the voice.

Not far away, a young man put down the blueprints in his hands and looked at him.

Ye Luochen hurriedly said,

"Yes, Teacher. My name is Ye Luochen."

Hearing this, the young man raised his brows and sized Ye Luochen up.

"You're that kid who advanced from zero foundation to a second-rank Soul Engineer in fifteen days?"

Ye Luochen nodded.

"Yes, Teacher."

However, contrary to Ye Luochen's expectations, after receiving confirmation, the other man neither said nor did anything else.

He merely gave a faint "Oh."

Then he lowered his head again and looked at the blueprints in his hands.

As if the subject had already ended.

Seeing this, Ye Luochen could only remain where he was.

Judging from the man's clothing, he was clearly a teacher.

And being able to appear in a place like this meant that he was undoubtedly a highly ranked teacher.

Under these circumstances, if the man did not speak, Ye Luochen did not know whether he should leave.

The air fell inexplicably silent.

After a while, just as Ye Luochen could no longer hold himself back and was about to continue deeper inside.

The young man suddenly looked up, as though he had remembered something.

"Wait. How did you get in here? Let me see your clearance badge."

Ye Luochen froze, but he still handed over the silver badge he had just received.

The man casually took it and glanced down at it.

The next moment, his brows furrowed noticeably.

He turned the badge over and examined it again. After confirming that he had not seen wrong, he asked,

"Who gave you this badge?"

"The Hall Master."

Ye Luochen answered honestly.

Hearing that, the man fell silent for several seconds before spitting out two words.

"Nonsense!"

Ye Luochen: "..."

Hearing the man actually dare to call the actions of Mingde Hall's Hall Master nonsense, Ye Luochen did not know how to respond for a moment.

Yet the man seemed completely unaware of whom he had just criticized and continued with a frown,

"You're only a second-rank Soul Engineer. Why give you such high clearance?"

"Materials from ranks one through eight, rare metal quotas, internal research records—everything has been opened to you."

"Isn't that nonsense?!"

Listening to the man's words, Ye Luochen's lips twitched slightly.

He truly did not dare respond to that.

Fortunately, the man did not seem to expect an answer. After grumbling for a while, he tossed the badge back.

"Forget it. Since it was the Hall Master's decision, there is nothing I can say about it."

After saying that, the man looked at Ye Luochen again.

"Since you have been granted clearance and allowed in here, I'll ask you a few questions."

Ye Luochen's expression turned serious.

"Please ask, Teacher."

The man continued,

"What is the usual energy loss rate of a second-rank linked core formation?"

Ye Luochen thought for a moment.

"Between twelve and eighteen percent. It fluctuates depending on the materials and structure."

The man nodded and continued asking,

"If two amplification nodes are placed on the same energy supply circuit at the same time, what will happen?"

"Soul Power transmission will become unbalanced. In severe cases, it may cause the core formation to collapse."

Upon hearing Ye Luochen's flawless answer, a hint of surprise finally appeared in the man's eyes.

But he still did not stop.

Then came the third question, the fourth question, the fifth question...

As the questions increased, the content grew deeper and deeper.

At first, Ye Luochen could still answer them.

But later on, as the questions became more difficult, the speed of his answers clearly began to slow.

Finally, after the man asked more than ten questions, Ye Luochen fell silent.

In truth, if not for the half-month of accumulation at Mingde Hall, as well as the special attention from four seventh-rank Soul Engineers and two eighth-rank Soul Engineers, Ye Luochen would have been unable to answer long ago.

Because these questions had already far exceeded the scope that an ordinary second-rank Soul Engineer could encounter.

Seeing that Ye Luochen could not continue answering, the man finally stopped questioning him.

The experimental area fell silent again.

But moments later, the man suddenly nodded, and his tone softened slightly.

"Not bad. It seems the Hall Master has not completely lost his mind."