After giving the pistol and related blueprints to Xu Tianyuan, Xu Jie and Xu Zhengyang left the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion.
After returning to the academy, Xu Zhengyang resumed his daily studies and training.
Teacher Xuan Ziwen's teaching is indeed excellent. In a short period of time, Xu Zhengyang's understanding of Soul Tool has become more and more profound. However, the way the other students look at Xu Zhengyang has also changed to some extent.
The two girls, Ju Zi and He He, looked even more admiring, while Zi Mu and Wang Shaojie's eyes showed a hint of apprehension, even fear.
Xu Zhengyang didn't intend to associate with these people too much, nor did he care about their attitudes. Even with the most beautiful Ju Zi, it was just a normal interaction.
Ju Zi is the future Crown Princess, so the relationship is very important. If you're not careful, you could get dragged into a lot of trouble.
The learning process was rather uneventful, with steady improvement in knowledge of Soul Tool, but the team's training became more arduous and diverse.
Soon, a little over half of the third year had passed, and Xu Zhengyang's Soul Power Level had reached level 44. One level of Soul Power was achieved because he reached the peak of level 42 when he absorbed the Soul Ring, and broke through to level 43 in less than a month after returning. The other level of Soul Power was improved through several months of continuous meditation.
That day, the entire team did not train; instead, they all stayed in the office.
Inside the office, the seven main players and seven substitutes sat in two rows, while several school leaders sat in the main seats, including Lin Jiayi, the director of teaching affairs, Jing Hongchen, the dean, and Ma Rufeng, the team leader.
Surprisingly, it was Jing Hongchen who spoke first.
"Dear students, I have witnessed your hard work and training over the years. Now it is time for you to show your strength. In just one month, it will be this year's Soul Master Tournament. You are the strongest team in the history of the competition, so I hope you will give it your all, show your true strength, and demonstrate the advantages of our Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool."
Team captain Ma Rulong quickly said, "Don't worry, Dean, we will definitely strive to win the championship and defeat Shrek Academy."
Everyone else spoke at the same time, "Don't worry, Dean, we will definitely do our best to win the championship."
Jing Hongchen looked at the crowd with satisfaction. "Very good. Ma Rufeng will be in charge of handling all matters related to this competition. He will protect your safety. Of course, if you have any questions, you can ask them now."
Everyone glanced at their teammates, their eyes filled with hope.
Just then, Xu Zhengyang suddenly spoke.
"Dean, I have a small suggestion regarding this Soul Master Tournament."
Although Jing Hongchen had little contact with Xu Zhengyang, she was clearly aware of Xu Zhengyang's strength and status.
" Xu Zhengyang, speak your mind. We're all on the same side here, and our goal is to defeat Shrek Academy."
Xu Zhengyang said, "Dean, although our team is very strong, especially our captain, whose strength I greatly admire, we absolutely cannot underestimate Shrek Academy. Shrek Academy has always been the pinnacle of the Douluo Continent, the champion for so many years without ever losing the title. I think we should make more detailed preparations."
Everyone was puzzled upon hearing this, even Jing Hongchen was completely confused. The academy had provided a lot of resources for this Soul Master Tournament. Not only did everyone train hard, but the academy also provided all the precious metals needed when making Soul Tool.
Currently, Ma Rulong is the only Soul Emperor and the only Level 6 Soul Engineer in the entire team. However, with his strength, he is already equipped with multiple Level 7 Soul Tool Level 7 Soul Tool, all of which he personally crafted.
Of the remaining personnel, apart from Xu Zhengyang, everyone else was Soul King and Level 5 Soul Engineer.
Xu Zhengyang was the Soul Ancestor, and only a Level 3 Soul Engineer. But even so, no one in the team dared to underestimate Xu Zhengyang. In terms of combat power alone, Xu Zhengyang was second only to Ma Rulong.
Especially in the past year, in addition to the various training sessions arranged by Ma Rufeng and led by Ma Rulong, many training methods were proposed by Xu Zhengyang. Although they were somewhat torturous and extremely dangerous, it was precisely because of this that the team's strength was unprecedented.
Not only did everyone's physical fitness improve significantly, but their use of Soul Tool also became more flexible, and even their adaptability improved considerably. Xu Zhengyang had suggested taking the team to the Soul Beast Forest for more than a month of training, and they were going deep into the Jingyang Mountain Range to train without any support.
Several members of the team nearly died in the mouths of the Soul Beast. If it weren't for Ma Rulong and Xu Zhengyang's quick reactions, at least three of the fourteen main and reserve members would have perished, or at least been severely injured.
But it was precisely because of Xu Zhengyang's suggestions, coupled with his Xu Zhengyang abilities, that everyone became more united than ever before. Even as a substitute, Xu Zhengyang enjoyed high prestige within the team.
Everyone even assumed that Xu Zhengyang would be the next captain of the Soul Master Tournament after this Soul Master Tournament ended.
Even Jing Hongchen nodded upon hearing Xu Zhengyang's words.
" Xu Zhengyang, please elaborate on the more detailed preparations you mentioned."
Xu Zhengyang said, "Dean, based on the past performance of the Shrek Academy team members, the highest level they can reach is Soul Emperor, and there's even a possibility of Soul Sage. Moreover, all of them are at least Soul King."
"Furthermore, based on past combat experience, the Shrek Team members are extremely experienced and highly adaptable, which is why we have suffered repeated defeats."
"Given this situation, I suggest preparing in advance a control Soul Tool capable of limiting Soul Sage- level experts. That way, no matter if a top-tier Soul Emperor or Soul Sage appears at Shrek, we can effectively restrict them."
Jing Hongchen pondered for a moment, "That's no problem. Our academy has quite a few level-seven control Soul Tool in stock. Ma Rufeng, go and collect them after the meeting."
But Xu Zhengyang did not stop.
"Dean, the Soul Master Tournament is inherently dangerous, even deadly. Many have perished in each Soul Master Tournament. For the safety of all team members and to achieve final victory, I suggest we rearm everyone."
"First, everyone must wear Level 7 Soul Tool Armor, and this armor must be able to activate autonomously, ensuring survival in critical moments of sudden danger. Additionally, each person must wear at least two Invincible Shield."
"Secondly, everyone should wear Level 6 Soul Tool: Ring of Teleportation. This will not only enrich our tactics but also save our lives in critical moments."
"Third, each person will be equipped with two level-six Soul Cannon, two Paralysis Ray, two Disintegration Ray, and two Freezing Ray. In addition, each person will carry at least five level-six soul-guided high-explosive shells, level-six soul-guided scorching shells, and level-six Soul Tool Elemental Bomb —these items can be kept in reserve for critical moments."
Fourth, everyone must carry at least five Milk Bottle and two level-five healing Soul Tool.
Upon hearing Xu Zhengyang's words, everyone's lips twitched. It no longer seemed like they were participating in Soul Master Tournament, but rather like they were going to war. It could be said that if all these things were fully equipped, everyone would be armed to the teeth, but the cost would be extremely high.
It's important to know that a Level 6 Soul Tool would cost hundreds of thousands of Gold Soul Coin even in the Sun Moon Empire, and its value would increase several times over in the Douluo Continent.
If everything Xu Zhengyang mentioned were prepared, it would cost at least tens of millions of Gold Soul Coin, and that would be assuming fourteen people were armed simultaneously.
Of course, everyone was also puzzled. Xu Zhengyang was known for his strong combat power, precisely because he was not afraid of death and had experienced countless life-and-death trials. Why did he look so afraid of death now?
Xu Zhengyang didn't care about the looks of the crowd at all. He knew very well that when the Soul Master Tournament reached its crucial moment, both sides would go crazy and deaths and crippling would be very common.
In the first Soul Master Tournament in the original novel, three unlucky members of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Engineer team were killed on the spot, especially Ma Xiaotao, who was a true top-tier Soul Emperor. If she had really started killing, it's unknown how many Sun Moon Team would have survived.
Although he was strong and experienced in combat, he wouldn't have much of a chance against Ma Xiaotao. Ma Xiaotao had reached a terrifying level of 68 and possessed the special flames of the Dark Phoenix. In terms of combat power, she could even be compared to an ordinary Soul Sage.
Team leader Ma Rufeng looked embarrassed.
"Dean, Xu Zhengyang may be a bit reckless, but what he said makes sense. If we can equip ourselves with these things, the team's strength will definitely improve significantly, and we'll definitely be able to fight Shrek Academy."
Jing Hongchen seemed a little helpless. " Ma Rufeng, these things add up to tens of millions of Gold Soul Coin. Even I need to hold a meeting to make a decision."
Xu Zhengyang pursed his lips. "Our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy may not have much else, but it has a lot of top-tier Soul Engineer. As long as we provide the right materials, all the Level 8 Soul Engineer can help us make it. It can be completed in a few days at most. The raw materials are much cheaper than the finished product."
Ma Rulong quickly chimed in, "That makes sense. With so many advanced Soul Engineer at our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, how could we possibly lack Soul Tool?"
Jing Hongchen remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Yes, Xu Zhengyang's suggestion is excellent. I will arrange for personnel to prepare as soon as possible."
Xu Zhengyang continued, "Dean, I have a few other suggestions."
Even though Jing Hongchen was extremely well-mannered, his face looked rather unpleasant at this moment.
" Xu Zhengyang, we're just an academy, and this is just a Soul Master Tournament. We can't bring out the entire Illustrious Virtue Hall just to win, can we?"
Xu Zhengyang quickly interjected, "That's not the case. I'm not talking about expenses this time, but about something that could make a fortune."
"With so many advanced Soul Engineer in our school, they must produce some defective products during the manufacturing process. These things may appear usable on the surface, but due to issues with the array inscription, they have certain flaws, or because of the limited number of uses, they don't meet the standards of our finished products."
"But if we take these things to the Starlight Auction House of the Star Luo Empire, we might be able to make a fortune. Wouldn't that make back all the Soul Tool we prepared this time?"
Jing Hongchen's face flushed with anger. "Nonsense! Our Sun Moon Empire is renowned throughout the world for the quality of its Soul Tool. How could such a defective product possibly enter the market? How could it possibly be auctioned off? Wouldn't this ruin the reputation of our Sun Moon Empire?"
Xu Zhengyang seemed a bit speechless. "Dean, we're not allies with the Star Luo Empire. Star Luo Empire we need to worry about after-sales service when selling Soul Tool to them? Besides, as long as we insist that there was nothing wrong with the items we sold, and that the damage and scrapping were caused by their use, can they hold us accountable?"
Jing Hongchen's lips twitched slightly. He was well aware of the current situation of the Sun Moon Empire. The entire Sun Moon Empire was secretly preparing for war, which cost a huge amount of money. Moreover, there were indeed many defective products among the top-level Soul Tool. However, there was no other way to deal with these products except to scrap them and re-forge them. This required a lot of time and energy from advanced Soul Engineer.
Selling these defective products to the Star Luo Empire through auctions would not only generate a huge profit, but could also sow the seeds of future problems for the Star Luo Empire.
However, in front of so many people, Jing Hongchen obviously didn't want to give anyone cause for criticism. He couldn't very well say in front of so many people that he sold defective products to the Star Luo Empire.
"Nonsense, don't make such suggestions again. Ma Rufeng, come with me. We need to discuss the specific details of participating in the Soul Master Tournament."
Xu Zhengyang ----