Top 10 Strongest in Peerless Tang Sect: Kong Deming, Level Ten Soul Engineer

"Will you come back?"

The sea breeze swept over the steps before the temple. Bo Saixi's voice was very soft, quickly drowned out by the sound of the waves.

The image on the Sky Screen slowly faded, turning into countless golden specks of light.

[Douluo's Top Ten Beauties Ranking, concluded.]

The golden light circled in the air a few times before completely vanishing.

The entire continent fell silent for several seconds, then erupted into deafening discussion.

"That's it? The first place didn't even get a reward?"

"What the hell do you know? She's a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo. Does she need your little reward?"

On Shrek Academy's training grounds, Ma Hongjun scratched his head, still wanting more. "That's all? I wanted to look a little longer."

Oscar bumped him and lowered his voice. "Say less. Can't you see Third Brother is in a bad mood?"

Tang San stood where he was, his gaze still fixed on where the Sky Screen had disappeared. For some reason, the woman named Bo Saixi made him feel an extreme sense of danger. Level ninety-nine...

He turned to Xiao Wu. "Xiao Wu, it's fine now. The ranking is over. Spirit Hall won't make any moves for the time being."

Xiao Wu bit her lip and nodded softly, but her hand still clutched Tang San's clothes tightly.

[Special Feature Activated: Peerless Tang Sect—Top Ten Strongest Ranking]

[The era changes. Ten thousand years later.]

[Martial souls are no longer the only truth.]

"Ten thousand years later? This Sky Screen can see the future?!"

"What does it mean, martial souls are no longer the only truth? Bullshit! If Soul Masters don't cultivate martial souls, what are they supposed to cultivate?!"

Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Yu Yuanzhen smashed the tea table beside him with one palm, sending stone chips flying.

"Absurd!" He pointed at the Sky Screen, even his beard trembling. "Martial souls are the foundation bestowed by the heavens! What kind of demon is this Sky Screen, daring to make such outrageous claims with this ranking?!"

Yu Xiaogang stood in the corner and let out a cold laugh.

"Father, since the Sky Screen can expose secrets of the past, it isn't strange for it to see the future." He clasped his hands behind his back, his tone certain. "But I dare say that no matter how many years pass, the laws of martial souls will not change. This so-called 'not the only truth' is nothing more than attention-seeking nonsense."

The silver-gray light on the Sky Screen began to rotate, forming a massive vortex.

[Peerless Douluo Strongest Ranking, Top 10, about to be revealed.]

The image at the center of the vortex gradually became clear.

It was an exceptionally spacious room, its four walls glinting with the cold reflection of metal. A huge workbench stood in the center, piled with all kinds of bizarre metal components, gears, and faintly glowing crystals.

An elderly man with a full head of silver hair stood before the workbench.

He wore a magnificent silver robe embroidered in gold thread with patterns of the sun and moon alternating. In his hand was an exquisitely crafted carving knife, which he used with complete focus to carve lines into a dark golden metal block.

With every cut, a faint blue glow lit up on the metal block.

[Top 10: Kong Deming]

[Identity: Head of the Sun Moon Empire Worship Hall, Level Ten Soul Engineer]

[Martial Soul: Silver Moon Dragon Jiao]

[Evaluation: With a mortal body, he stood shoulder to shoulder with gods; a demigod who pioneered Level Ten Soul Tools.]

"Sun Moon Empire? What empire is that? I've never heard that name among the two great empires." Dai Mubai frowned, utterly confused.

"Level Ten Soul Engineer..." Oscar muttered the term. "What kind of profession is a Soul Engineer? Does it have something to do with Soul Masters?"

Tang San stared fixedly at the Sky Screen.

His gaze was completely locked onto the carving knife in the old man's hand, as well as the metal parts on the workbench.

Those gears, springs, metal clasps... they looked far too familiar.

Concealed weapons? The term had just surfaced in Tang San's mind before he immediately rejected it. No, concealed weapons didn't need those glowing patterns carved into them. What exactly was he making?

An unprecedented sense of crisis shot from Tang San's feet to the top of his head. The Tang Sect concealed weapons he had always been so proud of made him feel, before this old man's metal creations, as though he were looking at toys.

The image on the Sky Screen began to move.

The old man set down the carving knife, picked up the finished metal piece, and embedded it into a silver sphere.

The scene flashed, shifting from the laboratory to a barren plain.

Kong Deming floated in midair.

Opposite him stood three figures with terrifying auras. Their faces could not be seen clearly, but each of them stood atop nine soul rings.

Three Titled Douluo!

"This old man is taking on three by himself?" Ma Hongjun sucked in a breath. "He hasn't even released his martial soul!"

On the Sky Screen, the three Titled Douluo attacked at the same time. A sea of fire filled the sky, sword qi tore through space, and a massive beastly phantom sealed off every one of Kong Deming's escape routes from three directions.

Kong Deming did not retreat.

He did not even release his martial soul. He merely raised his right hand.

The silver sphere appeared in his palm.

He gently squeezed it with his fingers.

"Bzzzz—"

A strange hum pierced through the Sky Screen and slammed directly into everyone's ears.

A silver barrier rapidly expanded outward from Kong Deming. Countless complex patterns flowed across its surface like living blood vessels.

The world-destroying attacks of the three Titled Douluo crashed into the silver barrier.

"How is this possible?!"

Within Spirit Hall, Chrysanthemum Douluo shrieked, nearly tearing apart the hem of his clothes with his fingers. "That was the full-force attack of three Titled Douluo! He didn't even use a soul skill! What kind of thing is that?!"

Bibi Dong abruptly rose to her feet, and the Pope's throne beneath her let out an overwhelmed creak.

Her eyes were fixed on that silver barrier.

A tool with such terrifying defensive power? If Spirit Hall could mass-produce it...

The image on the Sky Screen was not over yet.

After blocking the attack, Kong Deming looked coldly at the three people before him.

"Remnants of the old era."

He spoke, his voice filled with absolute contempt.

The moment his words fell, Kong Deming's silver robe suddenly came apart.

Countless pieces of precision metal armor flew out from his storage ring, clicking into place over his arms, chest, and back.

In less than three seconds, a three-meter-tall metal giant appeared in the air.

Two thick metal cannon barrels unfolded from the giant's shoulders, their muzzles aimed at the three Titled Douluo below.

"Run!"

On the Sky Screen, the three Titled Douluo clearly realized something was wrong and turned to flee.

Kong Deming expressionlessly pressed the switch in his hand.

"Boom—"

Two thick pillars of white light pierced through heaven and earth.

The three Titled Douluo did not even have time to scream before they were completely swallowed by the white light, leaving not even a trace behind.

Gengxin City, Blacksmith Association Headquarters.

The Divine Blacksmith Lou Gao dropped to his knees with a thud, cracking the stone slabs beneath them without even noticing.

Both hands clawed at his hair, his eyes bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the metal armor on the Sky Screen.

"That's metal... those are things forged from metal!"

Lou Gao's voice trembled uncontrollably. He cried and laughed like a madman. "Combining metal with Soul Power... this is the ultimate path of forging! This is a divine miracle! I've forged iron my whole life, but what kind of worthless scraps have I been forging?!"

Shrek Academy.

Flender dropped onto the ground, his glasses sliding down to the tip of his nose.

"Instantly killing... three Titled Douluo..." He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. "Just what level is this old man? Is he a god?"

Zhao Wuji wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice dry. "He didn't release his martial soul at all! He relied entirely on those lumps of metal!"

"Impossible... How could mechanical weapons carry such enormous energy?" Tang San gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into his palm as blood dripped through the gaps onto the ground.

The pride he had built over two lifetimes was blasted to pieces by that single shot.

"Third Brother..." Xiao Wu was terrified and reached out to pull him.

Tang San flung her hand away, his eyes locked on the Sky Screen. Extreme unwillingness and an almost pathological fanaticism churned in his gaze.

"Soul Tools... so this is what Soul Tools are?" he muttered.

The image on the Sky Screen shifted again.

Kong Deming removed his armor and returned to being the old man in silver robes.

He stood at the edge of the massive ravine and raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the screen and meet the eyes of everyone across the continent.

Golden text appeared once more.

[Level Ten Soul Engineer, Kong Deming.]

[His appearance heralded the complete end of the cold weapon era.]

[Reward granted: One incomplete blueprint of a Level Ten Soul Tool core formation.]