A Month to Become a Rank Two Soul Engineer

Meng Hongchen looked at Li Qingming and spoke with great seriousness.

What she said sounded somewhat childish to Li Qingming, but for a teenage girl, the excuse she had come up with seemed perfectly normal when he heard it.

Li Qingming hesitated for two seconds before nodding.

Although he had figured out Rank One soul tools in just two days, Rank Two soul tools still needed to be studied—or rather, he still needed to learn from others.

Kong Deming had told him to find Xuan Ziwen, and the implication was obvious: he wanted Xuan Ziwen to teach him. There was no way Xuan Ziwen would not understand that.

So if he went to Xuan Ziwen, this senior brother would most likely teach him.

But that would also amount to wasting the other man's time.

Moreover, they were not familiar with each other, and Li Qingming had no money on him. If he really delayed him, Li Qingming would not know how to make amends.

At this stage, however, if he worked with Meng Hongchen, she was only a Rank Two Soul Engineer as well, so her time was not quite so precious.

Even if he did end up taking up her time, Li Qingming could afford it.

So after thinking it over, Li Qingming nodded despite the clumsiness of her excuse.

When she saw him nod, Meng Hongchen quietly let out a breath, a smile appearing on her face.

"Then wait here for me. I'll arrange a workbench now."

"The defenses here are ultimately too excessive. It won't be convenient for us to research other technologies."

Meng Hongchen blinked, then led Li Qingming away.

The workbenches were managed by dedicated Soul Engineers, but they clearly recognized the dean's granddaughter and treated her with great courtesy.

When Meng Hongchen said she wanted to rent a long-term workbench, they agreed without much difficulty.

Once the workbench was secured, Meng Hongchen found some people to move all the specialized equipment into it.

Looking at the complete, enclosed workbench, Li Qingming was somewhat excited as well.

After all, the technology was advanced, and the fully sealed environment was ideal for the early stages of learning and researching soul tools.

For the next stretch of time, Li Qingming lived there.

After researching Rank One soul tools, Li Qingming not only continued studying other soul tools, but also kept exchanging knowledge with Meng Hongchen.

Of course, Meng Hongchen had harbored certain improper thoughts toward Li Qingming from the start, so she cherished every chance to spend time with him normally. She also taught him some techniques related to Rank One and Rank Two Soul Engineers.

It had to be said that Meng Hongchen had learned her Soul Engineer techniques from Jing Hongchen, a genuine Rank Nine Soul Engineer. The techniques he taught were naturally anything but ordinary.

Having studied under her for only this short time, Li Qingming already felt that he had gained a great deal.

As for Li Qingming, Meng Hongchen was genuinely somewhat astonished.

During the first two days after they met, Li Qingming had still been researching Rank One soul tools.

Yet in only two days, he had researched more than five types of Rank One soul tools and successfully made every one of them.

At first, Meng Hongchen had only assumed that he had long since reached a rather profound level as a Rank One Soul Engineer.

But when Li Qingming began researching Rank Two soul tools on the third day, the knowledge he asked her about had all become Rank Two soul engineering knowledge.

At first, Meng Hongchen answered smoothly. She even took Li Qingming's hand and taught him step by step as they began experimenting with Rank Two soul tool techniques.

But after only another five days, Meng Hongchen was shocked.

By then, Li Qingming had actually begun carrying out basic designs for Rank Two soul tools, and he designed them very quickly.

In just those five days, he had already made the materials and begun the final assembly.

One had to know that Rank Two soul tools were far more complex, requiring at least eighteen components.

Assembling eighteen components and completing every assembly step in one go required a great deal of time, as well as constant memorization and recordkeeping.

Furthermore, every Rank Two soul tool design demanded considerable effort.

Thus, ordinary Rank Two Soul Engineers would only study and make one or two Rank Two soul tools. Li Qingming, however, was researching all kinds of different manufacturing methods.

Another five days passed. Counting the time before that, it had only been ten days, yet Li Qingming had already begun designing Rank Two soul tools and could even attempt to draw soul tool formations.

By this point, Meng Hongchen no longer had any thoughts of taking advantage of Li Qingming.

Instead, she continuously followed along as he designed Rank Two soul tools.

Li Qingming's ideas were especially advanced, and his various soul tool concepts were remarkably novel.

For example, when it came to methods of engraving patterns, Li Qingming could use his powerful spiritual power to lay down the basic lines and even find a more coherent path.

This directly turned Meng Hongchen teaching Li Qingming into the two of them learning from each other.

After roughly another ten days passed, with only a little over ten days remaining before school officially began, Li Qingming had designed his first Rank Two soul tool.

Although there was still a gap between him and Meng Hongchen, who could independently design a complete Rank Two soul tool set.

Meng Hongchen had personally watched Li Qingming rise in little more than ten days from a Rank One Soul Engineer to a Rank Two Soul Engineer—or rather, from an insignificant Soul Engineer to a Rank Two Soul Engineer.

Even Meng Hongchen had been stunned by such absolute talent.

As she looked at the Anesthetic Energy-Gathering Bracelet Li Qingming had researched, her eyes were filled with amazement.

"Student Li, y-you're far too talented! You can already take the Rank Two Soul Engineer assessment."

"I wonder which third-year class you want to join? If possible, could you come to our Class One? Then the two of us can look after each other."

By the time Meng Hongchen said this, anticipation had entered her voice.

If she had initially only liked Li Qingming because of that devastatingly handsome face, and had kept helping him because of it.

Then after these twenty days together, she had truly come to see Li Qingming as a fellow genius.

People naturally admired geniuses, let alone a genius who was so handsome and striking.

Hearing Meng Hongchen's heartfelt words, Li Qingming nodded.

After researching a Rank Two soul tool, he needed to begin designing a complete Rank Two soul tool set, and he would still need Meng Hongchen's help during that process.

Of course, he planned to visit that Crown Prince again, with the goal of asking for some money.

He truly had no money on hand. During this period, aside from the free food provided by the cafeteria, all the metal materials had been Meng Hongchen's. This made Li Qingming feel somewhat embarrassed.

He did not want to live off a woman, but as things stood, he really did seem to be living off one. That was not something Li Qingming could accept.

Now that he could research Rank Two soul tools, as long as he presented his work, whether it was Kong Deming or that Crown Prince, their regard for him would only rise further. That was what Li Qingming needed.

If he wanted others to invest in him and gain more resources, the prerequisite was that he possessed the corresponding ability—or, at least, displayed the corresponding talent.

Only with sufficient talent and ability could he attract others' attention or obtain investment.