He Really... Fixed It?!!

Inside Mingde Hall.

Jing Hongchen smiled helplessly.

He looked at the soul tool on his desk, which his granddaughter had brought to him for repairs not long ago.

Although he had known from the start that it would be futile.

He had kept a close eye on Xu Cheng throughout the past month.

An identical copy of every reference Xu Cheng consulted in the library sat on his desk. Although he had no precise data from the Experimental Area, he had been watching his work there as well.

At least, the boy seemed to be on the right track.

The only problem was his lack of strength.

Honestly, Jing Hongchen had held no hope at first. As a Level 9 Soul Engineer, he understood the difficulty better than anyone. Soul Tool Analysis alone presented a challenge as difficult as ascending to heaven for a Level 3 Soul Engineer trying to understand its principles.

Not to mention the soul engineering knowledge involved in the later stages.

Even a Level 6 Soul Engineer would most likely be at a complete loss.

But as time passed, Xu Cheng caught his attention again. Whenever his grandson mentioned Xu Cheng, he always complained that the workaholic practically lived in the laboratory and had become obsessed with his research.

That day, he had asked Lin Jiayi to retrieve the list of books Xu Cheng had borrowed recently from the library records.

The nearly hundred books on that list left him momentarily dumbfounded.

They ranged from introductory level-three soul engineering to level-seven soul engineering research.

From core arrays to connections between all kinds of intricate circuits.

And when he saw his own book, A Brief Discussion of Soul Power Sealing, on that lengthy reading list, his pupils abruptly contracted.

The boy had actually found the right direction!

After all, the fact that Xu Cheng, a mere Level 3 Soul Engineer, could identify soul power sealing as the core of this soul tool already demonstrated how terrifying his talent was.

Yet soul power sealing was something that even most of Mingde Hall's disciples, including Level 5 and Level 6 Soul Engineers, might not be able to accomplish. And this boy had actually begun studying it in depth.

The direction of his subsequent experiments had made Jing Hongchen's heart pound even harder!

The sealing links, including the conversion between level-one, level-two, and level-three soul tool output, actually seemed to be moving toward success!

At least, from his bird's-eye perspective, the direction was correct! And it was the optimal solution!

By this point, he and Elder Cheng had all but reached a conclusion.

This was no genius. This was a monster!

He was even far more outstanding than Xiao.

Had this child encountered soul tools earlier, his eldest grandson would probably have lost his position as the foremost genius long ago.

Jing Hongchen studied the dagger, filled with emotion.

It was better for the boy to let it go.

If this ended up ruining a soul engineering genius who appeared only once in a thousand years.

Then he and Elder Cheng would truly be sinners against the Sun Moon Empire.

He took the dagger in hand and idly turned it over. He was quite confident in this soul tool he had personally crafted. Ever since he had given it to his granddaughter as a birthday present on the day of her awakening at age six, it had remained by Meng's side.

Soul power surged through his palm.

He poured it into the soul tool.

What Elder Cheng had damaged back then was the sealing device. But with time so short, even he could not say exactly which part he had broken. To repair it, the first step was still to identify where the problem lay...

Jing Hongchen felt waves of resistance coming from his hand.

His brows furrowed slightly.

As the creator of this soul tool, he naturally knew that this reaction meant the core array was adapting to the user's soul power and automatically adjusting itself to the optimal soul tool level for that user.

He was a Level 9 Soul Engineer, so it would naturally adjust to its highest setting-the level of a Level 7 Soul Tool.

But the problem was...

Hadn't Elder Cheng said the fault lay in the sealing inscriptions?

Then why could it function normally?

Soon, the soul tool adjusted to level seven. Holding the dagger in a reverse grip, Jing Hongchen lightly slashed forward.

"Hum!"

The instant his soul power flowed in.

The soul tool's core lit up, and its intricate patterns abruptly sprang into operation.

Terrifying power burst from the soul tool, flashing into a long streak of light.

Under Jing Hongchen's stunned gaze.

A diagonal line appeared across the centers of the enormous metal pillars on either side ahead of him, as smooth as a knife cut.

The air seemed to freeze.

Several seconds later.

Alarms blared throughout Mingde Hall.

Their piercing sound instantly rang out both inside and outside.

Countless soul engineers immediately stopped their research, their eyes filled with horror. "Someone actually dared to attack Mingde Hall?"

A dense crowd of figures appeared outside Mingde Hall.

Lin Jiayi charged straight into the great hall with a group of people.

His urgency and anger abruptly stalled.

There stood the master of Mingde Hall, his immediate superior, staring blankly with a dagger held in a reverse grip, as though he had just swung it. Looking back, Lin Jiayi saw what appeared to be the lingering aftermath of that soul tool's power directly opposite him...

"This..."

Lin Jiayi was rather bewildered.

What was going on?

Had his superior suddenly decided to practice on his own premises?

"Phew..."

Only after a long while did Jing Hongchen come to his senses. Looking at the dagger in his hand, still looking just as it had before, he felt a wave of absurdity wash over him.

He really... fixed it?

"Hall Master..."

Lin Jiayi was growing anxious.

If they did not explain things soon, the imperial capital might send troops over.

"Tell everyone else it was an accident."

Only then did Jing Hongchen regain his composure. Hearing the commotion outside, he finally realized that he had caused a false alarm.

But when did a leader ever have to admit fault?

With a casual wave, he sent Lin Jiayi out to settle the matter.

"Yes!"

Lin Jiayi finally breathed a sigh of relief as well.

He rushed outside.

"Everything is fine! It was an accident! Something went wrong during the Hall Master's experiment. Disperse!"

A leader could never do anything wrong. As a subordinate, he understood this principle well.

Soon, the surrounding commotion subsided, layer by layer.

The soul engineers who had come to provide support also departed one after another as though nothing had happened.

Inside Mingde Hall.

Elder Cheng studied a small piece of neatly engraved metal, disbelief showing in his eyes.

"As for this dagger, I can say with absolute certainty that the damage that day was within the core array. There's no possibility of a mistake. But looking at it now, the core array does indeed show signs of modification. Could it be..."

"It was him."

Jing Hongchen's face was filled with shock, as though he still had not recovered from what had just happened.

"I've been keeping an eye on him all this time, including the books he borrowed and the data from the Experimental Area. Even then, I was astonished by the direction of his research. He actually figured it out without a teacher. I doubt even Mingde Hall's core students could have found the right direction in such a short time..."

"Look at the circuit core and the engraving of the sealing array. There's a certain immaturity to them, but that only confirms that the boy did it. After all, if a high-ranking soul engineer with an established style tried to imitate a novice's engraving, with our level of expertise, we would certainly see through the deception."

"Then there can only be one conclusion."

Cheng Baiqing's heart churned with emotion.

The two exchanged a look.

"The boy really repaired this soul tool, and it only took him a month..."

"He was born for soul tools."

At that very moment.

Even Jing Hongchen felt the urge to take him as a disciple.

It could not be helped. If he let a genius of this caliber slip away, he might never encounter another...