Douluo: A Fake God in Peerless

"Yes, yes! Take this, child, here is your test slip."

The examiner's attitude turned instantly enthusiastic. He stared fixedly at Su Luoheng as if afraid he might run away; in fact, had he not been on duty, he would have loved to escort him there personally.

"Thank you, teacher."

"No problem, no problem. Hurry off to take the next round of assessments."

Su Luoheng rubbed his nose in embarrassment; he still wasn't used to being the center of so much attention.

He quickly took the test slip and headed toward the secondary testing area.

The secondary test was divided into two categories.

One was the testing of Soul Master abilities, and the other was the testing of Soul Tool Master abilities.

As long as one met the standard in either, they could pass the assessment and officially become a student of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

The secondary testing site was not far from the preliminary one, and with thoughtful signposts erected for the candidates, Su Luoheng soon arrived at the location without issue.

Because many students had already passed the preliminary round, a queue had already formed by the time he arrived.

Although nearly a third of the students had been eliminated in the preliminary round, the base number of Soul Masters coming to apply for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was massive. Coupled with the complexity of the secondary assessment, even though there were fifty percent more testing stations than in the preliminary round, there were still long lines, and looking down the queue, it was a sea of heads.

It was just like being stuck in a throat-clearing bottleneck.

In his spare time, Su Luoheng began to observe his surroundings.

The secondary test was much simpler than the preliminary one, requiring only one teacher, one table, and a few small gadgets.

It didn't have the large-scale soul tool testing equipment that assisted the preliminary round.

However, although they looked ordinary, Su Luoheng noticed a difference upon closer inspection: the Soul Tool Master badges worn by these academy teachers were at least level six!

A level six Soul Tool Master was equivalent to a Soul Emperor-rank Soul Master.

With at least fifty testing stations here, the faculty strength of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was evident.

Even compared to Shrek Academy, it was not inferior in the slightest.

Although there were two ways to test in the secondary round, the assessment did not distinguish between stations.

Because the teachers in charge of the assessment were all at least level six Soul Tool Masters, and the prerequisite for becoming a Soul Tool Master was having sufficiently strong soul power, the teachers at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy were fully capable of judging both Soul Tool Master and Soul Master abilities.

About half an hour passed.

As time went on, Su Luoheng finally reached the front of the line.

After observing carefully, he discovered the evaluation method: whether it was the Soul Master or Soul Tool Master test, in addition to the teacher's personal judgment, they also used small soul tools. These were likely the same as the soul tool testers outside, used by the Sun Moon Empire to evaluate ability.

After another quarter of an hour, it was finally Su Luoheng's turn.

The teacher in charge of the test was wearing a Soul Tool Master's robe. To Su Luoheng's surprise, he did not wear a badge representing his status as a Soul Tool Master like the other teachers, and his appearance was at least a generation older than the others, looking to be in his sixties.

However, being a secondary assessment teacher at his age, he had to be at least a level six Soul Tool Master.

And soon, he discovered what made this man unique!

There were advantages to being older; the baptism of time had honed a sharp eye for people. In his slightly sunken eye sockets, a pair of deep brown eyes held a profundity that struck the soul. Whenever he looked at a candidate, it gave them the feeling of being seen through. This was a sensation the other teachers lacked. Perhaps this was precisely why he had become a secondary assessment teacher.

Furthermore, when facing the previous candidates, the evaluations he gave were exceptionally objective and fair. But precisely because his accurate and detailed judgments had eliminated many candidates with mediocre strength, the number of people passing his station was nearly half that of the others. Consequently, many candidates could not withstand the pressure of such a rigorous assessment and chose other teachers' lines instead.

That was why Su Luoheng, who had been at the end of the line, was able to reach the front in just an hour.

The old man took the test slip without looking at it first, instead sizing Su Luoheng up from head to toe. Under the stimulation of external spiritual power, Su Luoheng's spiritual sea was touched. Su Luoheng was secretly shocked; given the intensity of this old man's spiritual power, he was likely a spiritual-type Soul Master as well.

As the old man withdrew his gaze, the spiritual pressure vanished along with it.

The old man also sensed the spiritual attribute of Su Luoheng's soul power, his expression shifting slightly before he nodded, clearly satisfied with his first impression.

"Not bad."

He offered a rare word of praise, but quickly returned to his previous indifferent expression.

"Kid, do you want to test your Soul Master or Soul Tool Master abilities first?"

"Soul Master, I suppose."

"Release your Martial Soul."

Hearing this, Su Luoheng moved his mind, and the desert of his Unlimited Blade Works Martial Soul appeared behind him. A pale yellow soul ring floated beneath his feet. Although it was still as desolate as before, the desert now contained many more weapons. Most were swords, and if one looked closely, these were the weapons he had analyzed using his first soul skill during this period.

"Indeed, it possesses a spiritual attribute."

The familiar fluctuation of spiritual power made him nod, though he looked slightly surprised when he saw the Martial Soul as a whole. "However, your Martial Soul is quite peculiar. What is its name?"

"Unlimited Blade Works."

"It suits your Martial Soul quite well. Alright, withdraw it."

The old man glanced at the long swords within the Martial Soul and chuckled, then signaled for him to withdraw it while picking up the personal file that had been on the table.

This was his personal habit for assessments.

For the Soul Master assessment, he always had the candidates release their Martial Souls first.

If the strength of the Martial Soul did not meet the requirements, there was no need to read the file. Previously, five or six students had switched to testing their soul tools for this very reason, only to be eliminated for failing that as well.

"Martial soul Unlimited Blade Works, possesses a spiritual attribute... bone age is nine years old, soul power ten, seven, seventeen levels?!"

The old man's hand, which had been stroking his long beard, suddenly clenched and jerked downward, nearly pulling out a clump of hair. He had no mind for the pain, however; his previously casual expression turned serious as he widened his eyes and scrutinized the test sheet once more.

Bone age nine, soul power seventeen.

There were no signs of tampering on the data recorded on the test sheet.

Is this kid really seventeen levels of soul power at nine years old? Or did he use pills to boost it?

At this thought, the old man's expression paused, and he said in a deep voice, "Kid, stretch out your arm!"

Before the words had even faded, he grabbed Su Luoheng's right arm, and a powerful spiritual force surged into the boy's body to conduct a meticulous inspection. Su Luoheng did not resist throughout the process; faced with a Soul Emperor-level Grade 6 Soul Master, his own negligible spiritual power was incapable of resistance anyway.

A moment later, the old man withdrew his spiritual force, and Su Luoheng was freed from the sensation of being restrained.

The old man, however, was utterly shocked.

The boy's soul power was indeed seventeen levels, and more importantly, there were no traces of any medicinal residue in his body. This meant his seventeen levels of soul power were attained entirely through his own talent, not by sacrificing his potential through the consumption of performance-enhancing pills.

"Kid, are you truly at seventeen levels of soul power?" Although both the test report and his own investigation had confirmed the rank, he still couldn't help but ask.

"Yes."

Su Luoheng frowned slightly as he pulled back his arm. Though displeased by the old man's actions, he nodded in confirmation. After all, he still intended to join the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

Receiving Su Luoheng's firm affirmation, the old man remained immersed in shock, his expression shifting uncontrollably.

It eventually settled into a broad, deep smile.

A nine-year-old genius with a spiritual attribute martial soul, seventeen levels of soul power, and most importantly, one who had never consumed any pills—this was a rare find! How long had it been since the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had seen such a talent join their ranks? Even the two juniors from the Hongchen family two years ago couldn't compare to this child at the same age.

There were some things they had to admit: while the Sun Moon Empire held a slight edge in soul guidance devices, they lagged far behind the original three Douluo nations in the quality of their soul masters. Shrek Academy produced at least seven or eight students like Su Luoheng every year.

It was precisely because Shrek Academy held the best talent from those three nations that, even though they were set in their ways and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy worked tirelessly, the gap in raw talent meant that even a hundred years from now, they would struggle to shake Shrek Academy's status as the premier academy on the continent.

"Nine years old and seventeen levels of soul power, good lad!"

The old man patted Su Luoheng's shoulder firmly, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation. "Not bad, not bad! You have passed my assessment. On behalf of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, I welcome you!"

"Hm?"

Su Luoheng paused, gesturing toward the soul guidance devices nearby. "Teacher, aren't there more tests?"

"No need. Your soul power talent is sufficient; you can enter our academy directly."

The old man waved his hand. If a student as outstanding as Su Luoheng couldn't pass the assessment, then the candidates waiting behind him might as well be eliminated immediately.

"Teacher, I wasn't talking about the soul master assessment, but the soul master technician assessment," Su Luoheng explained.

"Soul master technician? Kid, you understand soul guidance devices too?"

The old man was even more surprised, then patiently explained, "Our Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy assigns grades based on soul master technician levels. If you only know the basics, you'll still be assigned to the first grade regardless, so don't waste your time here."

"Teacher, I am already a Grade 1 Soul Master Technician," Su Luoheng said earnestly.

"Kid, you shouldn't joke about such things." The old man frowned, clearly not believing that Su Luoheng could reach seventeen levels of soul power while simultaneously achieving the level of a Grade 1 Soul Master Technician.

"Teacher, you can test me." Su Luoheng's expression was calm and confident. If not for the restriction of his soul power, he might even be a Grade 2 Soul Master Technician. It was a pity he had learned soul guidance devices at home with his mother, so he lacked an official badge; otherwise, he would be more persuasive.

"Good lad~"

Seeing the boy's confident demeanor, the old man smiled.

"Here, take a look."

The old man produced a sheet of white paper and, with a wave of his hand, wrote down the names of several core arrays: including an acceleration array, a power array, a reflux array, and so on.

"Kid, I have drawn thirteen Grade 1 arrays in total. You have five minutes to select at least three of them and combine them into a soul guidance device."

"With your ability as a Grade 1 Soul Master Technician, you should be able to do that, right?"

This was, of course, not the academy's formal assessment method; he was simply intrigued and decided to test the boy himself.

For the average student taking the soul master technician exam, one only needed to ask a few questions about soul guidance device theory and identify the names of core arrays.

However, the old man was careful to keep things within reason.

If this child were truly a Grade 1 Soul Master Technician, he would certainly be able to find a correct combination of arrays.

Seeing this, Su Luoheng did not show any fear. After glancing at the core arrays on the paper, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was quite a coincidence; he had seen the construction of a soul guidance device at the market yesterday that used exactly these core arrays! With that thought, he calmly took the pen and paper from the old man and began to write and draw rapidly.

Five minutes passed, and Su Luoheng stopped his pen.

"Kid, if—"

"Teacher, I have finished."

"Hm?!"

The old man's eyes were filled with both surprise and curiosity as he hurriedly took the paper.

A combination of core arrays for a soul guidance device was laid out on the page. The overall structure and the combination of core arrays were flawless, and he had even had time to draw the outer casing!

Good heavens...

Nine years old, seventeen levels of soul power, and a Grade 1 Soul Master Technician—what kind of genius had the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy just brought in!

The old man felt a fresh wave of shock, his gaze toward Su Luoheng now burning with intense fervor.

He had originally assumed the boy was a genius soul master, but he never expected him to be a genius soul engineer as well. As a soul engineer himself, he valued talent in soul engineering far more than a candidate's soul master abilities. Seeing both combined, even an old man who had witnessed countless prodigies found it difficult to remain composed.

"Little fellow, how did you manage that?"

The old man's sudden shift in attitude actually left Su Luoheng struggling to adapt.

He knew his soul skill was unique, but the change in demeanor was truly a bit much.

He took two steps back, keeping his expression neutral as he explained, "My mother was a soul engineer. I just learned from her while growing up, and eventually, I became a first-level soul engineer."

"Just... learned, and became one?" The old man's expression turned strange; he didn't know how to respond to such a humblebrag. Having a parent who was a soul engineer certainly helped, but surely not enough to become a first-level soul engineer at nine years old?

"Yes."

Su Luoheng nodded calmly, considering it a small act of retaliation.

However, he hadn't forgotten his objective, and added, "Oh, right, Teacher. I should have mentioned earlier: my first soul skill is Weapon Analysis."

"An, Analysis? You can analyze soul tools?" The old man suddenly realized something, his piercing gaze sharpening like a blade.

Su Luoheng remained composed. "Yes."

After a moment of contemplation, the old man waved his hand, and an invisible barrier isolated the two of them, ensuring none of the other candidates could overhear their conversation.

Only then did he speak in a low, serious voice, "What level of soul tool can you analyze right now?"

"Third-level for sword-type tools, second-level for others," Su Luoheng replied directly.

"Describe its structure." With a flash of blue light in his palm, the old man produced a sword-shaped soul tool.

Su Luoheng didn't hesitate to take the soul tool from the old man's hand. He converted his soul power into mental energy to fully envelop it, simultaneously activating his Unlimited Blade Works martial soul. As his pale yellow soul ring emitted a soft glow, the Weapon Analysis officially began!