"An exceptionally fine Soul Tool," Lin Jiayi praised. "Your Soul Power is only at Level 21, yet you can use this Soul Tool Shield to restrain a Level 26 target. If your Soul Power rises further, the Imprisonment Cube's restraining power will surely reach a new level."
"Your praise is too kind, Director," Kong Bo said. "When I made this Soul Tool, all I could think about was how to increase its output and simplify its energy transmission circuits as much as possible. That's how I came up with the Imprisonment Cube. In my view, the development of Soul Tools shouldn't just focus on making them more complex and advanced. It should also pursue simplicity and widespread use. What if one day, everyone could use Soul Tools?"
"Simplicity and widespread use..." Lin Jiayi thought for a moment. "That's a novel idea. Maybe when you grow up, you'll be able to take it even further. At any rate, you've passed the Level Two Soul Engineer examination. Congratulations on becoming a Level Two Soul Engineer. You've also set a record: you're the youngest Level Two Soul Engineer in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy's history."
Kong Bo took the medal and said modestly, "Director Lin, these are just empty honors. I'm more interested in going farther than in getting there sooner."
"You're certainly modest. You and your big brother Xiao Hongchen really are two different kinds of people," Lin Jiayi said. "Kong Bo, you're very talented, and you have a teacher with Limit Douluo strength—the Evil Emperor. Go ahead and do what you want. I've already spoken to Teacher Zhuang Yi."
"Thank you for your help, Director." Kong Bo bowed to Lin Jiayi. "It's enough that you and Teacher Zhuang understand. I was just worried that my frequent absences from the academy might reflect badly on it. I was afraid of causing trouble for you and Teacher Zhuang, too." Kong Bo wasn't God King Tang. He understood that Lin Jiayi was looking out for him, and he really had worried that his frequent absences would harm the academy's reputation.
"That won't happen. Our academy can't hold extraordinarily gifted students like you to ordinary standards," Lin Jiayi said.
Kong Bo continued, "Director, sometimes I come to borrow books on the weekend and find you at the academy, too. I told my great-grandfather, 'Director Lin is amazing. He's a role model for me.'"
Kong Bo had meant it as a compliment, but Lin Jiayi sighed. "Ah, child, let's not talk about it. If I had a child like you, I wouldn't have to work overtime on weekends. There's a saying: every family has its own book of troubles. You'll understand when you're older. Go on back, Kong Bo."
As he spoke, Lin Jiayi looked Kong Bo over. His gaze was that of an old man looking at a promising younger generation. "Kong Bo, you're a very hardworking boy. But boys should have a few hobbies, too. You've got a lot of talent. When you grow up and take up some hobbies, I'll understand."
"Yes, Director. I'll head back now." Kong Bo bowed, then left Lin Jiayi's office.
Kong Bo had no intention of eavesdropping on Lin Jiayi's office. After seeing him off, Lin Jiayi began talking to himself. "I heard Teacher Zhuang say that Kong Bo doesn't play with the boys or girls at school. He just sits at his desk every day drawing Soul Tool designs. Shouldn't boys and girls have some hobbies? I'll see how things go when he's a little older."
"Kong Bo, you actually became a Level Two Soul Engineer?" When Kong Bo returned to the classroom, Zhuang Yi and all his classmates were stunned. An eight-and-a-half-year-old Soul Grandmaster who was also a Level Two Soul Engineer—his rate of progress left them all astonished.
That morning, Kong Bo had still been dutifully studying at school. The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy taught not only Soul Tool and Soul Engineer knowledge, but also the history of the Sun Moon Empire. History was taught in the morning in particular. As a history buff, Kong Bo could naturally tell how the Sun Moon Empire's history books "avoided mentioning the failings of the powerful."
Xu Tianran's father, Xu Cong, had ascended the throne through brotherly deference, and Xu Cong's father had done the same. Knowing that the Xu Clan's imperial family now lived in Ming Capital, Xu Tianran understood that Xu Cong had supposedly brought them there to enjoy a life of luxury, but in reality, he had locked them up in gilded cages.
Xu Tianran can't have children, either. He'll only be more wary of the imperial family. Since Cao Pi, the old Cao family had watched its own imperial clan like a bunch of thieves, keeping them confined in Ye City. Later, when the Sima family took the throne, many members of the Cao clan had been the first to urge them to accept the throne. That's useful information.
With my talents, the imperial family will definitely try to foist a princess on me and make me a consort. Most likely, it'll be Xu Tianzhen. If we're really not a match, then it'll be a daughter from some other branch of the imperial family. If I act like a complete scoundrel while still proving my talent, I can find out more about what Xu Cong and his son really think of the imperial family. Forget it. That's for later.
After class that morning, Kong Bo returned to the Evil Emperor's residence. In the afternoon, he went back to working on his "Gundam," until Ice Empress returned a month later.
"Here's the Ice Explosion footage you asked for," Ice Empress told Kong Bo. "I found an Ice Jade Scorpion and had her demonstrate it. I recorded the whole process. See if it's any use to you."
"Great, thank you so much, Ice Empress," Kong Bo said. "I'll go study Ice Explosion now."
Ice Explosion involved channeling Soul Power into ice you had created, then detonating it. Only Soul Beasts and Soul Masters with the Ultimate Ice attribute could do it, because the Ultimate Ice attribute not only made their control over ice more powerful, but also let them manipulate ice-attributed Soul Power with greater microscopic precision. Fine strands of Soul Power were driven into the ice and detonated, making it explode more completely and giving Ice Explosion its power.
Kong Bo had naturally observed this through the Soul Guidance Camera. Following that same line of thought, he began studying how to use Ice Explosion himself. He needed to make a lot of ice and channel plenty of Soul Power into it. But he couldn't inject the Soul Power in clumps; he had to send it into the ice as countless tiny particles, then detonate them.
Once he had worked out those two points, Kong Bo began a period of seclusion. Every day, he made ice in the Evil Emperor's courtyard and blew it up for fun. Ice Empress and Snow Empress watched from the sidelines. After all, to them, the idea of a human learning Ice Explosion seemed utterly absurd, and they were curious to see what would happen.
At first, Kong Bo could only split the ice he made in two. Ice Empress and Snow Empress couldn't help saying, "It's supposed to explode, Kong Bo!" But as he practiced, his control over ice-attributed Soul Power became increasingly microscopic and precise. After about two months, he could use Ice Explosion with ease.
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