Over the next few days, aside from his regular daily cultivation, Xu Zhengyang spent most of his time heading to the Soul Dueling Arena to compete.
At present, Xu Zhengyang could only enter soul duels for Soul Masters between ranks ten and twenty. His opponents generally had rather weak physiques and unstable Soul Power, and most of them used Soul Tools.
These Soul Tools came in a bewildering variety: swords and sabers for close-range attacks, guns and cannons for ranged attacks, and even some control-type and support-type Soul Tools.
In the later stages of each battle, many opponents would take out support-type Soul Tools to replenish their Soul Power immediately. Some even used low-end flying Soul Tools.
Over an entire month, Xu Zhengyang fought thirty consecutive matches and won them all, though he came close to losing several times.
These Soul Engineers also had a tremendous weakness: their combat awareness was extremely poor. Often, their bodies could not keep pace with their thoughts. They relied excessively on Soul Tools, and once their Soul Tools were countered, they themselves were threatened, or their Soul Power ran dry, they lost all ability to fight.
Xu Zhengyang could not help thinking of the Soul Master Tournament in the original novel. Although the Shrek Team had been relatively weak, with Soul Power far below their opponents', their overall tenacity and combat awareness had indeed been formidable. Perhaps these were the combat instincts that Shrek's members had honed through repeated trials of life and death.
That day, Xu Zhengyang sought out his parents.
"Dad, Mom, I plan to go out and temper myself. I feel I won't improve much by staying here in Dongyang City to cultivate."
Xu Haoyang's expression shifted slightly. "Zhengyang, I know how determined you are to become stronger, but you're only eight years old, and your Soul Power is only at rank fourteen. If you go out to temper yourself, I'm afraid it'll be fraught with danger."
"Besides, although the competitors at Dongyang City's Soul Dueling Arena are relatively weak, they're still enough for you as you are now. If you really want to become stronger, wait until you reach rank twenty before going out. It might be relatively safer then."
Xu Zhengyang shook his head. "I'm afraid I won't be able to cultivate to rank twenty until I'm eleven. I can clearly feel that my cultivation has slowed considerably compared to before I became a Soul Master. My innate limitations are still holding me back too much. Only by seeking opportunities outside might I improve quickly."
Xu Haoyang considered it before speaking. "Zhengyang, I understand your desire to go out, but I'll give you a task first. You must become a Class 1 Soul Engineer before you can leave. Otherwise, there's no need for you to go out."
Xu Zhengyang looked puzzled. "Dad, I've never thought of becoming a Soul Engineer. I feel that would only waste my time."
Xu Haoyang's expression was stern. "There's no room for discussion on this. I originally wanted to let you continue cultivating on your own for a while, but it seems your education in soul engineering can't be delayed any longer."
"Don't refuse just yet. My reason is simple. In our Sun Moon Empire, Soul Engineers are the mainstream. In particular, we don't have any truly top-tier advanced Soul Master academies here. Instead, advanced Soul Engineer academies are far more common."
"Take our Sun Moon Empire's strongest and most famous academy, the Imperial Soul Engineer Academy. To enroll, you must first be a Soul Engineer. Only the Imperial Soul Engineering Academy has the most comprehensive resources and the best knowledge. Those are what truly bear directly on your future development. If you're merely an ordinary Soul Master, you won't receive any attention at all, and your development will ultimately remain limited."
Hearing this, Xu Zhengyang immediately thought of an issue. Just as his father had said, he could skip a junior Soul Master academy, but attending an advanced Soul Master academy was unavoidable. Not only did such places have the best resources, they also had the most comprehensive knowledge. People like Xiao Hongchen had reached the Soul King realm at such a young age. Although they had piled up their cultivation with drugs, that improvement was indeed fast enough.
Not to mention Ji Juechen, who was the least like a Soul Master of all. In the end, he had still joined the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and could actually be considered a Soul Engineer, too. He simply had his own path to walk.
Besides, if he did not join the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, he would have no way to obtain those opportunities in the future, nor any way to change the situation.
Xu Haoyang continued speaking.
"Zhengyang, there's actually something even more important. Although your Martial Soul is the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear, so far, judging by its appearance, it's nothing more than a large iron rod. As for the composition of the metal that makes up your Martial Soul, I've never been able to work it out."
"And if your Martial Soul is to evolve, it will ultimately need tempering. Aside from forging Soul Tools, a Soul Engineer must also become an excellent blacksmith. Perhaps that way, you'll be able to understand your own Martial Soul better."
Xu Zhengyang thought it over carefully before speaking. "All right, Father. I'll start learning to forge Soul Tools from you tomorrow. But once I become a Class 1 Soul Engineer, I'll go out to temper myself."
Seeing how resolute Xu Zhengyang was, Xu Haoyang and his wife seemed somewhat helpless. Their son was determined to excel, and they did not know whether that was good or bad.
Early the next morning, Xu Zhengyang went out with Xu Haoyang. This time, they headed straight to Dongyang City's Soul Tool forging base, which was also overseen by the Xu Clan's Sun Radiance main family.
Only after entering the factory did Xu Zhengyang witness the Xu Clan's true strength. There were not only countless workbenches for making Soul Tools, but also all kinds of related facilities, including various forging facilities. Nearly a hundred people were grinding and engraving Soul Tools.
However, these were all relatively low-end Soul Tools. Every Soul Tool needed throughout Dongyang City and its surroundings was manufactured here. If more advanced Soul Tools were required, they had to be purchased directly from Mingdu.
"Zhengyang, although we're a branch of the Xu Clan, we still need to support ourselves. All of Dongyang City can be considered our branch's territory. Aside from members of our own family, some Soul Engineers with other surnames work here as well."
"The person with the highest Soul Power in all of Dongyang City is the head of our branch. He's also a Class 6 Soul Engineer and a Soul Sage expert. Do you know why our Xu Clan can rule the entire Sun Moon Empire?"
Xu Zhengyang thought for a moment before speaking. "Father, is it because the Xu Clan's Martial Souls include the Sun, and it accounts for an extremely high proportion of the entire clan? The Sun Martial Soul is naturally suited to forging."
Xu Haoyang nodded. "Exactly. Our Xu Clan's Sun Radiance Lineage has an exceptionally strong innate ability to control fire. We're all born master smiths. In particular, Xu Tianyuan, the head of our main family, is a Titled Douluo expert as well as a Class 9 Soul Engineer, one of the three great Class 9 Soul Engineers in the entire Sun Moon Empire."
While the two were talking, several people approached Xu Haoyang.
The man looked rather old, probably around fifty. He was thin, but exuded a powerful presence.
Xu Haoyang hurriedly brought Xu Zhengyang forward to bow. "Greetings, Clan Head."
This man was Xu Yuanxuan, the head of Dongyang City's Xu Clan.