Lin Jiayi left the Director's Office with Kong Bo. Just then, two third-year students came to apply for the Soul Engineer exam. They were the Hongchen siblings. When they saw Kong Bo walking beside Lin Jiayi, they were both astonished.
"Brother Xiao, Sister Meng, good morning." Kong Bo greeted them.
"Good morning, little brother Kong Bo." Meng Hongchen smiled at him, then reached out and tousled his mint-colored hair. Kong Bo was very much to Meng Hongchen's taste. "Why are you here to see Director Lin so early? Did you get into trouble?"
"No, this child came to take the Level 1 Soul Engineer exam," Lin Jiayi said.
"What? He's here to take the Level 1 Soul Engineer exam? He made a Soul Tool himself?" Xiao Hongchen stared at Kong Bo in shock. "You... you haven't been in school that long. How... how is that possible?"
"Brother, don't underestimate little brother Kong Bo. He's loved looking at blueprints since he was young. Little brother Kong Bo, Sister Meng is curious—what kind of Soul Tool did you make?" Meng Hongchen asked.
"Sister Meng, Brother Xiao, you'll find out soon enough," Kong Bo said.
"Director Lin, since little brother Kong Bo arrived first, let him take the test first," Xiao Hongchen said. He was extremely curious to see what kind of Soul Tool Kong Bo had made.
The four of them headed to the Soul Tool testing grounds. Before long, they reached the entrance. Lin Jiayi took the pass clipped to his waist and swiped it. The doors opened, and the four of them entered the testing grounds.
"Kong Bo, you were here first, so you can test your Soul Tool first," Lin Jiayi said.
"Yes, Director." Kong Bo immediately took out the Moon Shuttle in its folded form. He then summoned his Three Moons Martial Soul and channeled Soul Power into the spinning tetrahedron. The small tetrahedron began to rotate in his hand.
Lin Jiayi studied the spinning tetrahedron and sensed the flow of Kong Bo's Soul Power. "Mm, very good. The Soul Power from your Martial Soul is flowing into the Soul Tool, making it spin. So, what exactly is this little pyramid for?"
"Director, watch closely." With a thought from Kong Bo, the tetrahedron transformed into two Moon Shuttles, which circled around him. They flew wherever he wanted them to.
"Oh, flying swords?" Lin Jiayi said. "They're made entirely of rare metal alloys. This must be based on Elder Kong's research into merging Martial Souls and Soul Tools as one's personal Soul Tool. It isn't a true fusion Soul Tool yet, but it already has the beginnings of one."
"Director Lin, what is a personal fusion?" Xiao Hongchen asked curiously. "Little brother Kong Bo's Soul Tool can fly so nimbly?"
"Yes," Lin Jiayi said. "That's Elder Kong's field of research. According to the findings Elder Kong published, the highest stage of a personal Soul Tool is complete fusion, where the Martial Soul and Soul Tool become one. Kong Bo's Soul Tool hasn't reached that stage, but it's already very close."
"Yes, Director," Kong Bo said. "My great-grandfather taught me his ideas, but I made the parts myself. I have a recording from the Soul Guidance Video Recorder in my pocket. My great-grandfather came up with the choice of metal alloys; everything else, I made myself."
"Of course, I believe you and your great-grandfather," Lin Jiayi said. "To pass a Soul Tool exam, you don't have to make everything from scratch. Being able to design and assemble it is enough. Kong Bo, now let's test its power."
"Yes, Director." Kong Bo pointed his right hand at a target. His Soul Power flowed through the Red Moon and into the Moon Shuttles. The two Flying Shuttles turned dark red, and seemed to grow much hotter. Then they pierced the target at the same time, leaving two holes. That proved they were indeed Level 1 Soul Tools.
"Mm, you pass," Lin Jiayi said.
"Director, that's not all," Kong Bo said. With a thought, the two Moon Shuttles fired two Soul Guidance Lasers, leaving two more pinprick-sized holes in the target.
"They can even function as Soul Guidance Cannons!" Xiao Hongchen cried in surprise. "That would be incredibly powerful in battle."
"What an amazing Soul Tool!" Meng Hongchen said. "It can be a flying sword and a Soul Guidance Cannon. Our old Soul Tools never had a design like this. Kong Bo, did you really make it yourself?"
Kong Bo recalled the Moon Shuttles, then looked at Meng Hongchen with a slightly displeased expression. "Sister Meng, you really underestimate me. I spent a whole week designing this blueprint!" He took a small booklet from his Storage Bracelet. "Brother Xiao, Sister Meng, you know this. Didn't I spend all of last week drawing blueprints at school? You and Sister Long'er asked me to come play, but I didn't go."
"That's true," Meng Hongchen said, sticking out her tongue sheepishly. "At the time, I thought you were drawing pictures."
"Kong Bo, that's an excellent habit. I have to praise you for it!" Lin Jiayi said. "Spending a week repeatedly reviewing your blueprints and refining your design—that's how an outstanding Soul Engineer thinks. Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, you should listen carefully too. Making a Soul Tool only proves that someone is a Soul Engineer. Whether it's any good depends on how well it's designed. Your great-grandfather—and Kong Bo's great-grandfather—spent a great deal of time revising blueprints and making prototypes to test their designs when creating high-level Soul Tools. That's how they ultimately produced such exceptional Soul Tools."
What Lin Jiayi had just explained was the importance of "industrial design." Kong Bo naturally understood the principle.
Lin Jiayi then continued earnestly, "All three of you are children of Level 9 Soul Engineers. Making a Soul Tool and obtaining Soul Engineer certification are only the most basic requirements. To become an outstanding Soul Engineer, you have to put more effort into your blueprints."
Then Lin Jiayi looked over Kong Bo's design. "Hm? Kong Bo, your control array core isn't fully engraved; you've only used a small section of it. The same goes for the power supply array. Can you tell me why?"
"Director, the materials for these two Moon Shuttles are very expensive. When my Soul Master rank rises, the Soul Tool's rank will need to rise too. Then I'll only need to engrave the additional arrays for the next upgrade," Kong Bo said. "I can't use materials this rare to make a Level 1 Soul Tool and then just throw it away later, can I?"
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