While Xuan Ziwen was reporting to Kong Deming...
Inside the laboratory.
Chen Mo was already standing at the workbench.
All the materials needed for the Level 2 Soul Engineer Assessment were laid out on it, along with a Timing Crystal.
The proctor for this assessment was not Jing Hongchen, but someone else.
He was a Level 7 Soul Engineer named Ning Tao.
Jing Hongchen had originally planned to proctor it himself, but since Chen Mo was his student, he wanted to avoid giving people grounds to gossip afterward.
To keep anyone from suspecting him of going easy on Chen Mo, he had arranged for someone else to take over at the last minute.
As the proctor overseeing the entire assessment, Ning Tao was explaining its requirements to Chen Mo.
"The Level 2 Soul Engineer Assessment is very simple. Within the allotted time, you must finish engraving a Level 2 Magic Array Core and successfully assemble a Level 2 Soul Tool. During the assessment, you may not use anything other than your own martial soul and the equipment provided by the academy. Otherwise, it will be considered cheating."
"Do you have any questions?"
"No," Chen Mo said.
Ning Tao continued, "Good. In that case, you may begin whenever you're ready."
"Hss—hoo."
Chen Mo took a deep breath.
He reached out, deftly picked up his tools, and began making his soul tool.
The Timing Crystal began its countdown the moment he started working.
This time, he was making a longsword.
It was a melee soul tool among the Level 2 Soul Tools.
It was also the model he had practiced making most often.
As a result, he was thoroughly familiar with the process.
After finishing the blade and hilt at tremendous speed...
He picked up his Engraving Knife and began engraving a magic array swiftly and skillfully.
Watching this, Ning Tao could not help feeling shocked.
Those techniques were even more practiced than his own.
It was hard for him to believe that the person taking the assessment before him was only a nine-year-old boy.
Before long...
A walnut-sized Magic Array Core was fully engraved and placed on the table.
While Ning Tao was still marveling, Chen Mo had already begun the final assembly.
Within moments...
A brand-new Level 2 Soul Tool appeared on the table.
"Teacher, I'm finished."
The Timing Crystal stopped counting at that very moment.
The elapsed time was one hour and fifty-three minutes.
Looking at the time displayed on the crystal, Ning Tao's mouth fell open wide enough to swallow a fist.
He was utterly stunned.
That speed was simply outrageous.
Back when he had taken the Level 2 Soul Engineer Assessment, it had taken him a full seven hours to finish his soul tool.
Yet this boy had taken less than two hours.
Could the gap between people really be this vast?
"Ahem..." Ning Tao coughed twice, tried to steady himself, and walked over. "Candidate Chen Mo, take a seat over there and rest. I'll take the soul tool you made for appraisal right away."
Inside the observation room.
"Mo is amazing!"
"He actually finished his soul tool this quickly! He was much faster than my brother and I were back then."
Meng Hongchen spoke happily.
She had been in class when she learned that Chen Mo was taking the Level 2 Soul Engineer Assessment.
She had immediately decided to skip class and flown over to watch his assessment.
Beside her, Jing Hongchen smiled smugly. "Naturally. Just look at who his teacher is."
Xuan Ziwen was so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks, his gaze darting toward the door every so often.
Teacher, why aren't you here yet?
The next moment, the observation room door slowly opened.
Once Xuan Ziwen saw who had arrived, delight immediately spread across his face.
At their respective homeroom teachers' signals, the other students rose to their feet.
Jing Hongchen assumed Ning Tao had brought Chen Mo's soul tool for him to appraise.
Without even turning around, he said, "Ning Tao, didn't I tell you already? Just take Chen Mo's soul tool to the Appraisal Team. There's no need to bring it to me. Don't you know we need to avoid any appearance of favoritism?"
Recognizing the newcomer, Meng Hongchen hurriedly alerted her grandfather. "Grandpa, someone's here."
"I know. It's Ning Tao, right?" Jing Hongchen said.
"It's not Teacher Ning Tao," Meng Hongchen said anxiously.
Jing Hongchen remained unconcerned. "Not Ning Tao? Then who is it?"
"It's Elder Kong!"
"E-Elder Kong!!!"
Hearing his granddaughter's words, Jing Hongchen hastily turned around.
There stood an imposing old man more than a hundred and fifty years old, with gray hair like needles and a bright yellow metallic robe.
His gaze burned like a torch as he looked at Jing Hongchen.
"It's been a long time, Little Mirror. Who would have thought that a few years as dean would teach you to put on such airs?"
Jing Hongchen hurriedly rose and approached him. "How would I dare put on airs before you, Elder Kong?"
"If you hadn't chosen me back then, how could I have reached my current position?"
"But Elder Kong, what brings you to the academy so suddenly? You should at least have let me know before coming, so I could have gone to meet you."
As the master of the Sun Moon Empire's Offering Hall, as well as the former master of Virtuous Hall...
Kong Deming held an exceptionally high position in the Sun Moon Empire.
Moreover, he had a quarter of the imperial bloodline, which meant that even members of the imperial family had to treat him with utmost respect.
Having become dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy only because the former hall master had chosen him, Jing Hongchen naturally had to maintain a courteous facade.
Xuan Ziwen quickly stepped forward and greeted him respectfully. "Teacher, you're here."
"Mm, Ziwen, don't spend all your time researching soul tools. You should work on raising your soul power level too. It's been so many years. Why haven't you reached Level 9 Soul Engineer yet?" Kong Deming said.
Looking at Xuan Ziwen, Jing Hongchen understood exactly what had happened.
This brat must have summoned Kong Deming, and his purpose went without saying: it had to be for Chen Mo.
After all, when Chen Mo had passed the Level 1 Soul Engineer assessment after just three months...
He had caught Kong Deming's attention.
Since then, Kong Deming had expressed his wish to meet this outstanding student more than once.
But Jing Hongchen had brushed him off every time.
Meet him?
Was that really all he wanted? He'd clearly set his sights on my student!
Pah!
Shameless old man.
What he had not expected was that the old fellow would actually go to the trouble of coming in person today.
After exchanging a few words with Xuan Ziwen...
Kong Deming sat down in a chair and took a longsword out of his robe.
It was the very one Chen Mo had made.
Just outside the door, Kong Deming had intercepted it straight from Ning Tao's hands.
"There's no need to send this soul tool to those youngsters for appraisal. I've already examined it. Both the engraving of the Magic Array Core and the forging of the blade are flawless. This is a perfect-grade Level 2 Soul Tool."
"Just announce that the boy has passed, then have him come up. I want to meet him."
"Yes."
With Kong Deming personally coming to see Chen Mo, Jing Hongchen could hardly object.
He could only send someone downstairs to notify him before he left.
But unexpectedly...
Just as everyone was waiting for Chen Mo to come upstairs...
Chen Mo, having rested enough, suddenly stood up, walked to the workbench, and looked toward the observation room. "Teacher, may I apply to continue with the Level 3 Soul Engineer assessment?"
At those words...
Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, Xuan Ziwen, and all the other teachers and students froze.
Before you continue