Physical examination! (Please invest! Please bookmark! Please vote!)

Before sunset on the second day after his martial soul awakening, Qin Xu finished converting his innate soul power and became a genuine Rank 10 Soul Scholar.

He felt great.

"We'll test your physical strength tomorrow," Qin Tianji said.

This was one advantage of belonging to a great family. Ordinary soul masters had no means of testing their physiques before acquiring a soul ring; they could only follow the conventional guidelines for soul ring ages.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Qin Xu and Zhang Lexuan arrived at the place in the royal palace that housed all manner of soul tool instruments and equipment—the Soul Tool Equipment Depot.

This warehouse was specifically intended for large soul tool equipment. Advanced soul tool devices from the Sun Moon Empire, some unavailable on the market and obtainable only through special channels, were stored here. Among them was the Soul Master Physique Tester they would use today.

Qin Tianji and Lu Yi, the Soul Tool Equipment Depot Administrator, Royal Palace Soul Tool Advisor, director of the Duchy Soul Tool Research Institute, and a Level 7 Soul Engineer, were already there.

"Your Highness," Lu Yi greeted Qin Xu with a bow.

"No need for formalities, Master Lu," Qin Xu immediately replied. Despite his unremarkable appearance and his being only a Soul Saint and Level 7 Soul Engineer, Master Lu was one of just three Level 7 Soul Engineers in the Black Dragon Duchy, with a chance of becoming a Level 8 Soul Engineer. Both Qin Tianji and Qin Xu therefore valued him highly.

Across the entire continent, a Level 7 Soul Engineer might not amount to much. After all, the dean of practically any advanced soul engineering academy in the Sun Moon Empire was Level 7. But in the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, a Level 7 Soul Engineer was already an exceptional talent.

To this day, the original Douluo Three Kingdoms had not produced a single Level 9 Soul Engineer. There were no more than ten Level 8 Soul Engineers, most of whom belonged to Shrek Academy. Those serving within the three kingdoms themselves might not even fill the fingers of one hand.

That was why Master Lu Yi, who had a chance of advancing to Level 8, received such attention from Qin Tianji and Qin Xu. In this era, the development of soul guidance technology was an unstoppable tide, and talented soul engineers had become critically important.

"Dispense with the pleasantries. Let's begin," Qin Tianji instructed.

Within the spacious second section stood a single enormous, oddly shaped soul tool, twice a person's height and five meters long. Several instrument panels of varying sizes adorned it. The largest was positioned conveniently within reach and displayed the numbers one through ten, along with four colors: white, yellow, purple, and black.

"This Soul Master Physique Tester is the Sun Moon Empire's latest product. Although it's a General-Purpose Soul Tool, its craftsmanship rivals that of a Level 6 Soul Tool," Lu Yi explained. "Our research institute is working at full capacity to master the new technologies within it. In three years at most, we'll understand them completely, and our soul tool technology will improve tremendously."

Qin Xu nodded in acknowledgment.

A General-Purpose Soul Tool is distinct from a Combat Soul Tool, which has destructive capabilities and assists soul masters in battle. Its defining characteristic is that it has neither combat capabilities nor combat support functions.

"The Soul Master Physique Tester works by simulating the pressure released when a soul master absorbs a soul ring, allowing us to determine the maximum pressure their body can withstand," Lu Yi explained. "This tester can reproduce the pressure of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at most. Beyond that, spiritual shock becomes a factor, which it cannot simulate."

"Beep-boop—"

A circular platform rose. Lu Yi turned to Qin Xu and extended a hand invitingly. "Your Highness, please step onto the testing platform. We're ready to begin."

"All right."

Qin Xu stepped straight onto the circular platform. A glass enclosure then rose around him, joining perfectly with a slot at the top of the tester. Three indicator lights immediately lit up overhead.

"Your Highness, release your martial soul, then circulate your soul power at full strength," Lu Yi said. "I'll begin directly with a hundred-year soul ring. Please focus."

Qin Xu immediately released his Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon martial soul. Although his Golden Heart martial soul had remained active all along, no one had noticed.

As the Demon Dragon possessed him, he grew somewhat taller. His harmless, innocent air transformed into a fierce, domineering majesty. Jagged dragon horns emerged from his forehead, adding a swordlike sharpness to his figure that seemed to pierce the heavens.

"Begin!" Lu Yi called, pressing the round red button beside the physique tester's instrument panel.

The machine rumbled repeatedly. Streaks of yellow light climbed from the base of the circular platform along the glass enclosure, encircling Qin Xu like yellow soul rings.

As Qin Tianji, Zhang Lexuan, and Lu Yi watched, a set of numbers lit up on the largest instrument panel amid a yellow glow. They jumped from 100 to 110, then from 110 to 120. After another dozen or so jumps, they reached 400 in little more than ten seconds.

All three understood what those numbers meant. Qin Tianji was pleased, Zhang Lexuan was delighted, and Lu Yi watched the instrument intently, waiting for Qin Xu to reach his limit.

Qin Xu, the focus of their attention, felt nothing at all. He had sensed some pressure at the very beginning, but nothing afterward.

Ultimately, the number on the dial settled around 950. This meant the maximum age Qin Xu could withstand for his first soul ring was approximately 950 years.

"Excellent!" Qin Tianji was especially delighted by the number, clapping his hands and voicing his approval repeatedly.

Qin Xu stepped off the platform and smiled when he saw the number. It was not far from his own estimate. He turned to Lu Yi. "Master Lu, are this tester's results accurate?"

Lu Yi considered the question briefly before choosing his words. "Your Highness, this physique tester only measures an approximate range. We generally favor safety over risk. Taking your result of 950 years as an example, that is the highest soul ring age the machine has determined you can safely withstand. Any higher, and there will be risks."

"I see." Qin Xu understood. That made sense. What a machine could assess was objective, while a soul master's abilities, willpower, and opportunities were subjective. Naturally, it could not predict everything.

"All right. Now that we've finished testing your physical resilience, let's test your strength as well," Qin Tianji instructed.

Lu Yi immediately agreed. "Of course. Your Eminence, Your Highness, Miss Lexuan, please follow me."

The four left the physique tester and, a few meters away, came to another equally peculiar-looking soul tool device: the Strength Testing Machine.

Qin Xu stared at the Strength Testing Machine, momentarily distracted. Why does this look just like the boxing arcade machines on Blue Star in my previous life? Inspiration really is universal.

"This Basic Strength Testing Machine is a creation of our research institute. It can withstand a maximum force of ten thousand kilograms," Lu Yi explained. "Under normal circumstances, it can take a strength-type Soul Elder's full-powered strike."

"Mm, not bad," Qin Tianji said. The Strength Testing Machine's construction was so simple that even he, who had never been involved in manufacturing soul tools, could see how it worked at a glance. "Xu'er, test your physical strength alone first. Then use martial soul possession and test your true strength."

"All right."

Withdrawing his Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon martial soul, Qin Xu began testing his strength under Lu Yi's guidance.

First came his left fist. "455 kilograms!"

Then came his right fist. "495 kilograms!"

"Nine hundred kilograms of barehanded strength!" Lu Yi exclaimed, looking at Qin Xu as though he were a monster in human form.

"Good lad! That's my grandson!" Qin Tianji was also stunned and beside himself with excitement. "You've already exceeded nine hundred kilograms before adding your first soul ring! Once you absorb it, breaking a thousand kilograms with both hands will be a nail driven firmly into the board!"

Zhang Lexuan was not nearly so surprised. As someone who spent every day with Qin Xu, no one understood the change in his strength after his martial soul awakening better than she did.

Qin Xu himself was also astonished by his strength. He currently had a mortal body, not the body of a Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon, yet his physical strength was already close to that of Tang Wulin's version of the Golden Dragon King. At this rate, who could even tell which of them was the real Golden Dragon King?

The Golden Heart is fucking incredible!

"Xu'er, use martial soul possession and try again!" Qin Tianji said, his eyes shining.

Qin Xu did so. This time, the maximum force of his left fist was 1,024 kilograms, while his right reached 1,109 kilograms. Combining both hands, his strength reached a full two thousand kilograms!

Qin Tianji was thoroughly delighted. A smile bloomed across his aged face and never faded.

"Hahaha! Excellent! Xu'er, get some proper rest when we return today. Tomorrow, your great-grandfather will take you to obtain your first soul ring!" Qin Tianji laughed heartily.

"Mm!" Qin Xu nodded, though a faint sigh stirred within him. It took the Golden Heart's innate gifts combined with the Heaven-Defying Demon Dragon's strength to reach this level. Viewed that way, the Golden Dragon King truly defied the heavens: his essence alone could grant Tang Wulin such tremendous strength.

What a pity.

After leaving the Soul Tool Equipment Depot, Qin Xu took Zhang Lexuan out of the palace to enjoy themselves. With a rare day of rest, he naturally had to relax properly.

Night fell. In his bedchamber, Qin Xu sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation. His consciousness was within his Sea of Consciousness, gazing at the uninvited guest who had come from the same world as him.