Second Level Soul Engineer (Please Follow)

"The grilled fish is ready," Huo Yuhao said.

"Mm." Meng Hongchen stepped over to the grill, picked up a skewer of grilled fish, and began eating.

Very quickly, her eyes lit up as she said, "Huo Yuhao, your cooking really is excellent. This is the best grilled fish I've ever had. Even the imperial chefs in the Sun Moon Imperial Palace can't compare to you when it comes to grilled fish."

For a moment, Meng Hongchen grew even more curious about Huo Yuhao. After all, he was a genius in the field of Soul Tools, and his culinary skills were equally unmatched. People like him were rare indeed.

"You flatter me, Senior Meng," Huo Yuhao said modestly.

"Have you considered selling grilled meat? Other kinds of meat aren't much different from fish meat. With your cooking skills, you should be able to make it taste amazing."

"Senior Meng, the profits from selling grilled meat are far too low. They're nowhere near as good as making Soul Tools. If I make just one First Level Soul Tool and sell it, the profit would be worth at least several hundred skewers of grilled meat!" Huo Yuhao said.

That was indeed true. Even in Shrek City, where prices were extremely high, ordinary grilled meat could not be sold for an outrageous price. After all, grilled meat could not increase one's strength.

Meng Hongchen's eyes shifted. She casually set up a soundproof Soul Tool to keep their conversation from leaking out and being overheard by the nearby students. Then, she said mysteriously, "What I mean is, you make grilled meat and sell it to me. I'll buy it at a high price."

"Hm? Buy it at a high price?" Huo Yuhao was somewhat puzzled.

"That's right." Meng Hongchen moved a little closer to Huo Yuhao and looked directly at him. "I'll provide you with Soul Beast meat. You'll be responsible for processing it, while I'll find a way to sell it. Don't worry, I have an excellent customer in mind. I guarantee we'll both make a fortune!"

"This..." Huo Yuhao became even more confused. "Senior Meng, may I ask who this excellent customer is?"

"Don't ask!" Meng Hongchen sighed. "You just need to handle the grilling. Don't worry, it won't take up much of your time. You only need to prepare one meal every noon, since that guy's appetite is limited! As for the price... I'll pay you two hundred Gold Soul Coins in processing fees per skewer of grilled meat."

"Alright!" Huo Yuhao calculated the speed of his hands and felt that he could take the job. After all, judging from the original novel, the top-tier dishes Zhou Yi had Huo Gua eat in the Shrek Academy cafeteria cost only a little over thirty Gold Soul Coins per serving.

Thus, he continued grilling fish, working hard to earn Gold Soul Coins.

Although he could make money by producing Soul Tools, low-level Soul Tools did not actually earn much. Even the Fourth Level Milk Bottle, which had been extremely novel in Star Luo during the early part of the original novel, had only sold for twenty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins at auction.

"Besides the grilled fish business, my next main goal, apart from cultivating my soul power, is to pass the Second Level Soul Engineer assessment." Thoughts surged through his mind.

The fifth floor of the library.

"Teacher Xuan truly deserves to be a Rank 8 Soul Engineer. I benefited greatly from reading this book!"

Xiao Hongchen slowly closed the book, satisfaction appearing on his face.

He stood up and paced slowly. When he reached the window, thoughts churned in his mind. Even so, I can't relax in the slightest. Huo Yuhao's threat is right before me. I have to set a record he'll never be able to surpass. Only then can I hold onto my position as the number one genius!

"Huo Yuhao, I'll let you know that in the Sun Moon Empire, I am the once-in-a-millennium number one genius!"

He clenched his fists. In his mind, he pictured Huo Yuhao praising his extraordinary talent, admitting his own inferiority, and willingly becoming his lackey. At that thought, a smile curled across his lips.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind him, followed by a female voice. "Xiao, so you really were here studying in secret!"

"Hm? Meng? Why are you here? What do you mean, studying in secret? I never hid the fact that I came to the library to study the Fifth Level Core Array." Xiao Hongchen turned around and looked toward Meng Hongchen at the stairway entrance.

"Xiao, you've been studying for so long. You must be hungry, right?" Meng Hongchen asked.

"I am a little hungry. I've decided to go to the cafeteria and enjoy some specially prepared food," Xiao Hongchen replied.

"Xiao, I have some delicious grilled meat here. Maybe it can fill your stomach." Meng Hongchen placed her fingers on her Storage Ring and gave it a slight wipe. Several skewers of grilled meat appeared in her hands.

"Grilled meat?" Xiao Hongchen's eyes lit up. "You brought it for me?"

For a moment, he was somewhat touched. He felt that although his sister usually said things that annoyed him, she was still reliable when it mattered. She had actually remembered to bring him food.

"It's not a gift. I'm selling it to you. One skewer costs five hundred Gold Soul Coins!" Meng Hongchen said with a grin. Besides the processing fee she paid Huo Yuhao, the Soul Beast meat also had a cost. She needed to make money too, which was why she had set this price.

"Five hundred Gold Soul Coins?" Xiao Hongchen froze for a moment and looked at Meng Hongchen suspiciously. "Is this meat from a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast?"

For the wealthy Xiao Hongchen, this amount of money was nothing. Still, he had to ask about it clearly.

"No, it's just ordinary Soul Beast meat. But I can guarantee that this skewer is especially delicious," Meng Hongchen said.

"Really? Fine, give me one to try." Xiao Hongchen was somewhat doubtful.

Very quickly, Meng Hongchen handed him a skewer of grilled meat. Xiao Hongchen had initially been dismissive, believing that his sister was trying to fleece him. But the moment he took a bite, surprise instantly appeared on his face. "This grilled meat tastes great. Where did you buy it?"

"I'm not telling you. Xiao, I still have more grilled meat. Do you want it?"

"Yes, of course I do. It's only five hundred Gold Soul Coins per skewer! This is the first time in my life I've eaten grilled meat this delicious. It's worth it!" Xiao Hongchen looked extravagantly rich.

Some time later, Xiao Hongchen wore a satisfied expression. "Not bad. I'm very satisfied with this meal. The person who made this grilled meat has cooking skills beyond imagination."

"If you're satisfied, then pay up. You ate fifty skewers of Soul Beast meat, so you owe me... twenty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins," Meng Hongchen said.

"Twenty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins." Xiao Hongchen silently calculated it, then paid without hesitation. He also reminded her, "By the way, Meng, I've been reading a lot lately, so I don't have much free time. Remember to keep a closer eye on Huo Yuhao for me. Pay attention to when he applies for the Second Level Soul Engineer assessment!"

Meng Hongchen waved her hand perfunctorily. "Alright, alright, Xiao, I get it. I'm leaving first!"

She immediately left the library, found Huo Yuhao, and handed him a card. "There are ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in this card. Consider it your payment for today. I preserved the leftover grilled meat using a special ice-preserving Soul Tool. We'll sell it tomorrow, and then we'll split the money again."

"Alright." Huo Yuhao took the card, a smile appearing on his face. No matter when it was, making money was something that brought joy.

He knew that Meng Hongchen, as the middleman, would definitely profit from the price difference.

However, Meng Hongchen made money, he made money, and the person buying the grilled meat got delicious food. Without question, it was a win-win-win situation.

A month and a half later.

Inside the Third Laboratory.

Huo Yuhao stood before the experimental table and said to Xuan Ziwen beside him, "Teacher Xuan, I'm ready. Today, I'm taking the Second Level Soul Engineer assessment!"

"Mm, good. I'll prepare the rare metals for you. Wait a moment." Xuan Ziwen smiled, then turned and walked deeper into the laboratory.

In truth, Xuan Ziwen had quite a few rare metals in his Storage Ring. However, their grades were too high, making them unsuitable for crafting Second Level Soul Tools.

"Alright, Teacher Xuan!" Huo Yuhao nodded.

These days, he had been diligently studying Soul Tool knowledge and had finally met the requirements to take the Second Level Soul Engineer assessment. Of course, to be safe, he had deliberately spent extra time honing his skill in engraving Core Arrays, intending to pass the assessment in one go.

Naturally, he had not neglected cultivating his martial soul either. Soul Power Level was the foundation of a Soul Master, so he had also invested considerable effort into martial soul cultivation.

Thanks to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's efficient educational system, Huo Yuhao had truly achieved highly efficient use of his time.

As for Zi Mu, who liked Ju Zi and single-mindedly pursued her, he naturally did not come looking for trouble because of the rumors.

After all, everyone knew that Huo Yuhao was a genius Soul Engineer who was highly valued by the Dean and Teacher Xuan. Knowing all this, Zi Mu naturally did not dare make a move against Huo Yuhao!

For Huo Yuhao, his life at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was certainly more comfortable than it had been at Shrek Academy. At the very least, he did not need to constantly pit his wits against absurd teachers.

Compared to the teachers at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Shrek had far too many absurd people. Besides Xuan Zi, who bore the reputation of being the Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, Shrek also had Zhou Yi, whose teaching philosophy was extremely outdated.

Zhou Yi only remained qualified to teach students because she possessed the strength of a Soul Emperor and because her husband, Fan Yu, was a Rank 8 Soul Engineer. Otherwise, she would have long since lost that qualification.

After all, as a teacher, Zhou Yi had actually made her students run laps around Shrek Square during their very first lesson of the school year!

Although physical fitness was indeed important for Soul Masters, couldn't students' physical condition be improved through other methods? This was supposed to be the Continent's Number One Soul Master Academy. Could it really be this backward?

Moreover, people attended Shrek Academy to improve their strength, not to run. If they wanted to run, where couldn't they run? Did they have to run around Shrek Square?

It couldn't be that Shrek Academy's track was somehow different from those outside, could it? Did the track at Shrek Square increase soul power, or randomly drop soul bones?

Furthermore, Zhou Yi made every student run according to the same standard. Whether one was an auxiliary-type Soul Master or an assault-type Soul Master, everyone had to run the same number of laps under Zhou Yi.

It had to be said that this one-size-fits-all approach was the most ridiculous method possible. It did not consider the actual circumstances at all.

To brainwash the students, Zhou Yi even gave a reason: on the battlefield, enemies would treat everyone equally and show no mercy. There was indeed nothing particularly wrong with that statement.

But the question was, would running more laps in daily life somehow prevent one from being killed by enemies on the battlefield?

Later on, Shrek also faced off against the Sun Moon Empire. Teacher Zhou Yi's students couldn't possibly dodge the bombardment of Standard Soul Cannon Shells by running, could they?

Shrek also had another point that made people desperately want to complain: Shrek Academy's cafeteria was unbelievably bizarre.

There was not even a single table or chair in the Shrek Academy cafeteria. In other words, to eat there, one either had to squat, stand, or summon one's martial soul to solve the problem of having nowhere to sit.

If a student wanted to take food bought from the cafeteria back to eat, that would actually count as breaking the rules.

After all, food from Shrek Academy's cafeteria was strictly forbidden from being packed up and taken away.

When he had read the novel back then, he had wanted to complain about why such a cafeteria had been designed and such rules established. Wasn't that just deliberately tormenting people?

"Yuhao, I've prepared all the rare metals you need. You can begin now. As long as you make a Second Level Soul Tool that I consider qualified, you'll pass this assessment and advance to become a Second Level Soul Engineer!

"If it isn't qualified, then I can only judge you to have failed the assessment! Do your best. I'll go continue researching the Sealed Milk Bottle first." Xuan Ziwen walked over as he spoke, piling a large amount of metal onto the table.

"Mm, alright. Thank you, Teacher Xuan." Huo Yuhao replied politely, then watched Xuan Ziwen walk toward another part of the laboratory.

Then, he began methodically using the Soul Guidance Forging Device to forge the metal. Using that metal, he first crafted the outer casing, inner casing, and core. The outer and inner casings were relatively simple to make, but for a Soul Tool, the Core Array was the true priority.

A moment later, a short black metal rod lay on the experimental table before Huo Yuhao. There was also a button on the lower half of the rod.

"Teacher Xuan, I'm finished," Huo Yuhao called out.

"Alright, I'm coming over now." Xuan Ziwen immediately walked over from the other side of the laboratory, then looked at the strange metal rod with some confusion.

"This is... what?" he asked. Even with his many years of experience, he could not immediately determine the purpose of this short metal rod.

"A Soul Guidance Electric Rod. Teacher Xuan, would you like to see what it does?" Huo Yuhao asked.

"Mm. Do you need a living Soul Beast again this time?"

"Yes. But this time, I need you to tie it to the experimental table," Huo Yuhao said with a nod.

Thus, Xuan Ziwen soon brought over a Soft Bone Rabbit and tied it to the experimental table as Huo Yuhao requested.

Huo Yuhao pressed the tip of the electric rod against the Soft Bone Rabbit, then pushed the button. The next instant, a blinding flash of electricity surged from the tip of the rod and struck the Soft Bone Rabbit directly.

Almost instantly, the Soft Bone Rabbit, which had still been struggling moments ago, turned into a lump of blackened charcoal. A burnt smell spread through the air.

"This is at least equivalent to a Soul Elder's strike. A Second Level close-combat Soul Tool can actually reach this level? Yuhao, you truly are a genius!

"You've passed the assessment! From today onward, you are a Second Level Soul Engineer! And you have officially become my disciple. As long as it is something I know, I will certainly teach it to you without holding anything back." Xuan Ziwen said with a smile.