Sun Moon Empire, Ming Capital.
On the broad, tidy streets, Soul Tool vehicles passed by one after another.
Tall buildings lined the streets, their countless metal structures gleaming with a cold sheen beneath the sunlight.
Even the air carried a faint metallic scent.
Ye Luochen stood in the middle of the street, marveling at everything around him.
They were both on Douluo Continent, yet this place had already fully entered the technological age, with Soul Tools in every household.
Meanwhile, Shrek still had several hundred people fighting over a single toilet.
He truly did not know what to say.
However, Ye Luochen had not come merely to admire Ming Capital.
Not far from where he stood, at the end of the street, a grand and enormous academy stood quietly.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
The holy land of Soul Tools on the continent, and Shrek Academy's greatest rival for many years.
That was Ye Luochen's true destination.
Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, registration office.
The teacher in charge of reception had initially been somewhat inattentive while recording the information.
But when Ye Luochen took out that silver badge,
the teacher's expression changed.
"This is..."
He carefully examined the patterns on the badge.
Then he immediately looked up.
"Please wait."
With that, he quickly left.
This scene left quite a few students waiting to register stunned.
Most of those able to enter Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had some sort of background.
Yet this was their first time seeing
a mere badge make a registration teacher act so seriously.
Before long, a figure hurried over.
He was an elderly man in gray robes, around fifty years old.
On his chest was a badge representing a Rank 7 Soul Engineer.
Quite a few students nearby immediately sucked in a breath.
A Rank 7 Soul Engineer!
A figure of that level
would be considered a true high-ranking teacher even at Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
The gray-robed elder approached.
His gaze immediately fell upon the silver badge in Ye Luochen's hand.
Then his eyes softened slightly.
"Who gave you this badge?"
"A teacher named Xuan Wu."
Ye Luochen answered calmly.
Upon hearing that name, the gray-robed elder was visibly taken aback.
Then he sized Ye Luochen up again.
"So it was him."
Xuan Wu was a teacher specifically responsible for the academy's external exchanges, and he was well known within Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy for having exceptionally high standards.
There were not many people he would personally give a Recommendation Badge to.
It seemed the boy before him had some real ability.
At that thought, the gray-robed elder's tone became more serious.
"This old man is Lin Yuan."
"Since Xuan Wu recommended you, I will personally oversee your entrance examination."
As soon as those words fell, the expressions of many students around them changed.
A Rank 7 Soul Engineer was personally overseeing the examination?
Just who was this Ye Luochen?
Ye Luochen merely nodded lightly.
"Thank you, Senior."
Lin Yuan swept his gaze over the documents Ye Luochen handed him.
His originally calm expression immediately shifted.
"Level thirty-eight?"
He raised his head and looked at Ye Luochen again.
Fifteen years old, level thirty-eight.
Such a cultivation speed
would be considered extraordinarily fast not only at Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, but even within the Sun Moon Empire, or across the entire continent.
However, as his gaze continued downward, he froze again.
Dark Iron Blade, Innate Soul Power level four.
Lin Yuan fell silent for several seconds before slowly lifting his head.
"Innate Soul Power level four."
"You reached level thirty-eight at fifteen?"
Even he could not keep the surprise from his voice.
As someone born in the Sun Moon Empire with a poor martial soul, he understood all too well what this meant.
Behind it must have been countless drops of sweat and tireless effort!
At that thought, Lin Yuan's gaze at Ye Luochen gained a hint of approval.
"Not bad, very good."
"With talent like yours, reaching this point means you have already surpassed the vast majority of people."
"However."
At that point, his tone abruptly changed.
"This is Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy."
"Here, talent in Soul Tools is what matters most."
"Without aptitude in Soul Tools, no matter how high your Soul Power is, you cannot truly enter the core training tier."
Ye Luochen nodded lightly.
"This junior understands."
Seeing his calm expression, Lin Yuan grew even more satisfied.
Neither arrogant nor impatient. His temperament was good.
Then he waved his hand.
A Soul Tool array blueprint and a metal blank appeared out of thin air, slowly descending onto the table.
"Do you know how to make Soul Tools?"
Ye Luochen answered honestly:
"I have never come into contact with them."
As soon as he said that, the surrounding students, along with several teachers, were all stunned.
He had never encountered Soul Tools before?
Then what was he doing at Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy?
Even Lin Yuan frowned slightly.
However, he did not show disappointment. After pondering for a moment, he slowly spoke.
"No matter. This is a Level 1 Core Array blueprint."
"Try engraving it. This old man will assess your talent for Soul Tools based on the result."
After saying that, he stood quietly to the side.
Quite a few people nearby also unconsciously looked over.
His first contact with Soul Tools, and he was directly attempting to engrave a core array?
That was simply a fantasy. It was utterly impossible to accomplish!
Yet Ye Luochen did not shrink back. He lowered his head slightly and began studying the blueprint.
Then he slowly raised his right hand.
Faint Soul Power circulated as a pitch-black short blade appeared.
Dark Iron Blade.
The moment Ye Luochen's martial soul took shape, Lin Yuan's expression shifted again.
Good heavens.
He seemed to understand a little why Xuan Wu had given him a Recommendation Badge.
The shape of this martial soul might not have been identical to an engraving knife, but it was at least eighty or ninety percent similar.
Before he could think further, Ye Luochen had already begun.
One cut, two cuts, three cuts...
The Dark Iron Blade repeatedly passed over the metal's surface, and metal shavings continuously fell away.
His movements were slow.
Any official student picked at random from Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy would have been much faster than Ye Luochen was now.
Yet Lin Yuan's expression grew increasingly solemn.
Because he discovered that, even now, Ye Luochen had not made the slightest mistake!
Could someone who had truly never touched a Soul Tool before accomplish this?
Time passed, and gradually, the only sound remaining was metal being continuously cut apart.
Until a certain moment.
Buzz—
A faint glow of Soul Power slowly lit up from the tabletop.
Level 1 Core Array.
Activation successful!
"Whew. I did not fail you, it seems. Looks like I engraved it successfully, right?"
Ye Luochen set down the metal block in his hand, raised his head, and let out a long breath.
Yet to his surprise, there was no response from those around him. The place was utterly silent.
"Hm? What is going on? Did I fail?"
"No!"
Just as Ye Luochen voiced his confusion, Lin Yuan's voice suddenly rang out beside him.
"You passed. Of course you passed!"
"This time, we really found a treasure!"
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