Under the soul-testing instrument's scan.
Information about Chen Mo appeared line by line on the round crystal screen at the top and the elongated crystal column at the front.
Height: 1.58 meters. Weight: 50 kilograms. Bone age: nine years. Physical strength: Level 51. Physical resilience: Level 50. Soul power fluctuations: peak Level 27.
Tang Shan read out Chen Mo's information as he recorded it.
He couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath inwardly.
Hiss—!
Weren't these readings ridiculously high?!
The expression on his face grew increasingly astonished.
There was no other reason.
It was simply that Chen Mo's readings, among all those recorded over the past few years,
Were the highest of any new student!
Without exception!
Even the genius siblings hailed by the academy as talents seen only once in a millennium in the Sun Moon Empire had fallen somewhat short of Chen Mo when their entrance test results were compared.
His physique and resilience had practically reached Soul King level.
"Only Spiritual Power left."
Beep! Beep! Beep...
Just as Tang Shan was about to check Chen Mo's Spiritual Power reading.
The instrument suddenly sounded an alarm!
The round crystal at the top also displayed the result of Chen Mo's Spiritual Power test.
Spiritual Power: ???
"What's with the question marks?"
"Could the instrument be malfunctioning?"
Looking at the three question marks on the display, Tang Shan assumed the instrument had malfunctioned.
He hurriedly inspected it.
After running through every troubleshooting procedure.
Tang Shan looked utterly bewildered.
There was nothing wrong with the instrument itself.
Chen Mo listened to the alarm ringing in his ears.
He felt a little panicked.
"Um, can I ask if this machine is about to explode?"
"Do I still have time to run?"
Just then.
The classroom door was pushed open.
A man with a stern face, glasses, and disheveled hair walked into the classroom.
"What happened?"
"The alarm's ringing through the entire corridor."
"The noise nearly made me carve the wrong inscription into the new array I was working on."
Upon seeing the newcomer.
Tang Shan hurried forward and greeted him politely. "Teacher Xuan."
"Mm." Xuan Ziwen nodded impassively, then asked in puzzlement, "What's going on?"
"Sorry for disturbing you, Teacher Xuan."
"I'm conducting an entrance test for a new student."
"I didn't expect the soul-testing instrument to suddenly malfunction."
Tang Shan answered with a smile.
Although they were both teachers at the academy.
Their standing was vastly different.
He was, at most, an ordinary teacher at the academy.
As for Xuan Ziwen.
He was a Level 8 Soul Engineer, as well as the most outstanding student of the head of the Sun Moon Empire's Offering Hall. His standing within the academy was extremely high, second only to the dean and a handful of Level 9 Soul Engineers. He belonged to the academy's inner circle.
"A malfunction?"
"Let me take a look."
Xuan Ziwen walked over to the soul-testing instrument.
With just one glance, he identified the problem.
After a few adjustments, he switched off the alarm.
"So that's it."
"This isn't a malfunction. The instrument has reached its measurement limit."
"This basic instrument is meant for testing incoming students. Its maximum Spiritual Power reading is 100. Anything beyond that is outside its detection range."
"You're a teacher at a soul engineering academy, yet you don't even know something this simple?"
Tang Shan kept smiling apologetically. "I'm truly sorry. It's mainly because this is my first time encountering this situation."
But then he thought it over.
Wait.
It had reached its measurement limit?
Then that meant this new student named Chen Mo had Spiritual Power exceeding a hundred!!!
Holy shit!
Xuan Ziwen came to the same realization.
"Teacher Tang, did you just say this was a new student's entrance test?"
Tang Shan nodded woodenly.
Xuan Ziwen turned his gaze toward Chen Mo.
His eyes were brimming with excitement.
As though he were looking at some priceless treasure.
A new student who had only just enrolled.
Already had Spiritual Power exceeding a hundred. What did that mean?
Generally speaking.
An ordinary incoming student's Spiritual Power ranged from roughly 0 to 40 points.
An outstanding incoming student's Spiritual Power ranged from roughly 40 to 50 points.
A genius-level new student's Spiritual Power ranged from 50 to 80 points.
Breaking a hundred put someone squarely in the freakish, monster-level category.
After reviewing Chen Mo's other test results, Xuan Ziwen stepped forward and said, "Your name is Chen Mo, correct? Could you tell me what your martial soul is?"
"My martial soul is my eyes. Its full name is the Jade-Eyed Three-Flower Pupils."
Chen Mo answered truthfully.
"What? Your martial soul is actually a mental-attribute body martial soul!" Xuan Ziwen was greatly surprised.
Soul Masters with mental-attribute martial souls enjoyed a uniquely favorable advantage when creating soul tools.
That was because the inscribed arrays inside soul tools demanded exceptionally high Spiritual Power from Soul Masters.
A single misplaced cut would ruin the entire array.
Unfortunately, Soul Masters with a mental attribute were already scarce.
Let alone Soul Masters with mental-attribute body martial souls. Those could only be encountered by chance, never sought out at will.
Because Soul Masters with body martial souls, regardless of which country they came from.
Either joined the Body Sect willingly or were forcibly taken away by its members.
Someone like Chen Mo, who had enrolled of his own accord.
And whose body martial soul also had a mental attribute.
Was a first for him.
"Would you mind demonstrating your soul skills?" Xuan Ziwen had already made up his mind. If Chen Mo's martial soul was especially suited to researching soul tools.
He would take him as his disciple today, no matter what.
And nurture him properly.
Given time, Chen Mo would surely be able to help him research even more powerful soul tools.
"Of course."
As his words fell.
Two soul rings appeared, one purple and one black.
That top-tier soul ring combination undoubtedly left both Xuan Ziwen and Tang Shan deeply astonished.
Chen Mo looked at a small bird flying past the window.
He opened his palm, and a glimmer flashed through his eyes.
He activated his second soul skill—Spatial Interference.
After a ripple passed through space, the little blue-green bird was instantly caught in his hand.
Then he looked at Xuan Ziwen and Tang Shan and said, "Teachers, this is my second soul skill—Spatial Interference. It distorts space within a fifty-meter radius centered on me. Not only can it relocate me or other objects, it can also affect opponents. However, if I precisely lock onto a single target, its straight-line range can extend beyond a hundred and fifty meters. It can also bypass most defenses, and the skill's strength will grow as my level increases."
Listening to Chen Mo's explanation.
Tang Shan was too astonished to speak.
A ten-thousand-year soul skill could actually have such badass effects.
Yet Xuan Ziwen, standing beside him, looked utterly unmoved.
He even seemed somewhat disappointed.
Because, in his view, since Chen Mo was a Soul Master with a mental-attribute body martial soul.
His soul skills should have been particularly well suited to researching soul tools.
But now it seemed.
The boy's soul skill clearly leaned more toward combat.
What a pity. Such a pity.
He had thought he would find a suitable student.
Only to have his hopes come to nothing.
Tang Shan looked at Xuan Ziwen. "Teacher Xuan, is there anything else you'd like to ask?"
"No. Switch to another machine to test him."
Just then.
A voice came from outside the classroom.
"Chen Mo!"
"Who is Chen Mo?"
Before long, the classroom door was pushed open.
A short, stout figure hurried into the classroom, immediately fixing his gaze on Chen Mo.
With an excited expression, he said, "You're Chen Mo—the new student with Level 10 innate soul power and a mental-attribute body martial soul?"
Before you continue