A Brand-New Course

Time flashed by. He had no idea how long had passed, how many days and nights.

Ziyang no longer remembered which day it was.

The schedule was like a road he could never finish climbing—after climbing through the morning, he climbed through the afternoon; after the afternoon, he climbed through the evening.

Basic Soul Master knowledge, second profession theory, combat training, meditation cultivation.

Every day was the same, yet every day was different.

By now, he felt somewhat numb.

At this moment, he was inside a workshop.

The room was not particularly large, only a little over thirty square meters, but it was fully equipped.

Ziyang sat before a workbench.

The tabletop was covered in drafts of soul device formation diagrams. Some were filled with dense lines, while others contained only a few simple strokes.

These were his mech design blueprints, and what he was doing now was engraving a soul device core.

The piece of metal looked only palm-sized, its surface as smooth as a mirror.

Ziyang's blade tip rested on it, but he did not move immediately. He merely tapped it lightly. He was afraid the engraving knife would acknowledge him as its master again.

Though the knife lost every time.

Ziyang's gaze settled on the metal surface as he mentally constructed the soul device circuit.

His eyes were intensely focused.

After confirming his design, his hand finally moved. The blade tip left a faint mark across the metal surface.

Ziyang's hand was steady, like a precision instrument.

The blade tip followed his gaze, moving bit by bit without pause.

Soul Power flowed from his fingertips, seeping along the engraving knife into the mark.

The groove flashed briefly, giving off a faint glow. Hints of nine-colored radiance flowed within it.

Soon, one groove, two grooves, three grooves...

Several engraved lines connected into a complex pattern—a complete soul device formation.

As Ziyang finished engraving the soul device formation, the entire formation lit up.

Then it vanished in a flash.

Ziyang let out a long breath, as though he had been holding it in for a very long time and could finally release it.

"It's done. I finally succeeded. I really am a genius soul device engineer!"

Excitement welled up in his eyes. He had finally completed the construction of a second-grade soul device core.

Leng Yaoyu stood at the doorway, though no one knew how long she had been there. Watching her disciple complete yet another soul device core, she said, "Not bad. You can already complete the engraving of a second-grade soul device core so quickly. It seems your talent for mech manufacturing is quite high as well."

"Impressive, right? Amazing, right? I'm a genius, right?" Ziyang said with a grin.

"You really are a little genius."

After praising him, Leng Yaoyu walked over. She gently patted Ziyang's little head and continued, "Let's go. Today's combat class for you and Na'er will be different from before."

"What's different? Aren't we fighting soul beast phantoms?"

There was confusion in Ziyang's eyes, along with faint curiosity.

"No. Today, Na'er and you are coming somewhere with me." Leng Yaoyu first took Ziyang to pick up Na'er, who was already drooling all over her desk.

Ziyang carried Na'er on his back, but she still did not wake up.

"This child... How can she fall asleep in every class? How can she sleep so much at this age?" Leng Yaoyu looked at Na'er helplessly, but she was only six years old, after all. People were different.

Na'er still could not adapt, but there were many more high-intensity classes ahead. Once she got used to them a little more, her body would naturally become numb to it all.

Ziyang looked at Na'er in resignation. It had been so long already—how could she still not adapt to eight a.m. classes that lasted an hour each?

"Wake up." Once they arrived, Ziyang shook Na'er. Not only did the girl fail to wake up, she drooled even more as she mumbled, "Big chicken drumstick... hehehe..."

"Food's ready."

Ziyang was helpless, but the instant the words left his mouth, Na'er's eyes flew open and gleamed silver, as if she had received a startup command.

"Food's ready? It's finally time to eat!" She woke up on Ziyang's back and looked around. Before her stood only a metal gate, with no sign whatsoever of a fragrant meal.

"Ziyang, you lied to me again." Tears filled Na'er's large, watery eyes as she looked pitifully at Ziyang.

"I couldn't wake you up any other way," Ziyang said helplessly. "My shoulder is covered in your drool."

Hearing that, Na'er looked at Ziyang's shoulder. Her face showed a trace of embarrassment, but she still said righteously, "No, it isn't. I didn't drool. That must be your sweat."

"You two, settle down for a moment." Leng Yaoyu cut off their conversation and stepped forward. The metal gate ahead opened automatically. "Go in."

The moment the gate opened, Ziyang froze.

The inside did not look like a room at all. Instead, it felt as though they had arrived in another world.

Light poured in from every direction, with no source and no boundary. The ground was transparent, like crystal and like water. Fine ripples spread beneath their feet when they stepped on it. There were mountains, water, and cities in the distance, but they were all veiled by mist and impossible to see clearly.

It was dreamlike and fantastical.

The gate silently closed behind them, then vanished without a trace.

They stood in a patch of emptiness. Everything became dreamy and unreal, like some forgotten dream.

"Where is this?" There was a note of confusion in Ziyang's voice.

"This is the True Illusion, a place specifically for your training." Leng Yaoyu smiled faintly. "But before that, Ziyang, you need to have your body examined."

She glanced at Ziyang, then called into the illusion, "Senior Illusory Brain, would you show yourself?"

The illusion rippled. Three breaths later, the mist began to move.

It did not disperse. Instead, it retreated to both sides, as though a curtain had been drawn open by an invisible hand. A person emerged from the void, walking slowly but making no sound.

He was an old man dressed in a gray robe. His hair was grizzled, yet his eyes were clearer than someone of his age should have possessed.

He first looked at Leng Yaoyu and gave a slight nod. "It has been a long time, Sky Phoenix."

"It has indeed been a long time, Senior Illusory Brain," Leng Yaoyu replied calmly.

Illusory Brain Douluo Han Tianyi nodded, then turned his gaze toward Ziyang once more. That gaze carried no weight, yet Ziyang felt as if he had been seen through completely, from skin to bone, inside and out.

"Is this the child you wanted me to examine?"

The old man's voice was hoarse. After studying him for a moment, he smiled. "He truly is extraordinary."

"His blood and vitality are abundant. If I had not already known that he possesses an External Martial Soul, I would have suspected him of being a genius with a body martial soul."

He stepped closer again, crouched down, and squeezed the boy's shoulder. "His physical development is also quite good. There are no hidden ailments in this child's body."

"That special Soul Ring you mentioned should have come from his own unusual bloodline. The Douluo Continent is full of wonders, so the existence of special bloodline power is not impossible."

Leng Yaoyu nodded. Once she confirmed that there was nothing wrong with Ziyang's body, she finally relaxed.

"Then let us begin today's course," she said directly.

The old man raised his hand, and the illusion abruptly began to change, as though space itself had twisted.

"Little ones, welcome your challenge."

Ziyang and Na'er felt the world spin. The light around them shattered into countless fragments before reassembling. When their vision returned, they were standing in an open clearing.

"Today's first class is to defeat your opponents."

"These are all famous Soul Masters from history, recreated by the Spirit Pagoda based on historical records."

As his words fell, two one-ring Soul Masters appeared before them.