Kong Deming glanced at his disciple. "I know this question will also occur to many of those who receive the order."
Xuan Ziwen had been observing his teacher all along. When Kong Deming said this, his gaze was exceptionally firm, without the slightest regret over making such a decision.
"It is precisely because of this question that many people lack the resolve to change, even though they understand the current situation."
"But the facts are before us. Someone has to make the decision!"
"I believe the truly powerful of the future will surely be powerful Soul Masters equipped with powerful Soul Tools!"
Kong Deming did not reveal Kong Xuan and Kong Ling's talents, not even to this disciple whom he trusted deeply.
This would be his most closely guarded secret!
Understanding his teacher's intentions, Xuan Ziwen said hesitantly, "But Teacher, even if we invest more in training Soul Masters, we cannot match the Douluo Three Kingdoms in either teaching staff or educational resources."
Kong Deming sighed at this as well. "Naturally, I know all that. But change must begin little by little. I also have some plans in mind. After some time, I'll discuss them with the others in the Worship Hall before deciding whether to carry them out."
The Mingdu Soul Engineer Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, both located in Mingdu, were naturally the first to receive this order from the Worship Hall.
At that moment, in the dean's office of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, a man sat beside his desk, deep in thought.
He was short but extremely fat, and his luxurious black robe was covered in gold embroidery.
He was Jing Hongchen, dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy!
Ever since Sea God Tang San attained godhood ten thousand years ago, Shrek Academy had firmly occupied the throne as the foremost academy on the Douluo Continent.
Only one academy could pose any threat to the top position of this legendary institution, and that was the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Thus, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy held considerable standing in the Sun Moon Empire and was also its foremost academy.
Looking at the order from the Worship Hall in his hand, Jing Hongchen could not help furrowing his brows. He could not understand why Kong Deming, who had always been engrossed in research, had suddenly begun interfering in academy affairs.
Still, since an explicit order had been issued, he naturally would not go against the Worship Hall's wishes.
But he had already decided to go and get a clear answer that very day. After all, he, too, had come from the Worship Hall.
Autumn morning sunlight slanted across the courtyard, gilding the fallen leaves carpeting the ground.
The small courtyard beside the imperial palace was unusually quiet now.
Within its high walls, there was only the sound of wind, falling leaves, and the sharp whistle of a spear cutting through the air.
Kong Xuan stood in the courtyard. He was eight years old now, and his build had changed considerably from two years before.
Nourished by all kinds of nutrients, he had not only grown much taller but also become considerably sturdier, no longer as thin and frail as before.
Today, he wore an ink-blue martial outfit, its cuffs and hem embroidered with dark silver patterns that shimmered faintly with his movements.
The Atlas Spear in his hand pulsed with incandescent white light. A cold gleam shone like a star at its tip, flowing with a chilly luster beneath the autumn sun.
His movements were extremely fast, yet carried a unique rhythm, as though every inch of air the spearhead swept through had been precisely calculated.
When the spear thrust out, the maple leaves drifting through the courtyard split soundlessly, their edges as smooth as though sliced by a blade.
When the shaft swept across, its fierce wind lifted the dead leaves piled on the ground, swirling them into a golden vortex in midair.
His gaze was focused and cold. A few strands of black hair over his forehead were slightly damp with sweat, but this did not affect his movements in the slightest.
The spear moved faster and faster, until it almost became a blur of silver afterimages. The air churned in the courtyard, giving off a low hum.
Suddenly, his feet halted, and the spearhead snapped diagonally upward.
"Swish!"
The spear tip pierced a falling maple leaf with precision, pinning it in midair.
Breathing slightly harder, Kong Xuan withdrew his spear and stood still.
On a small chair nearby, Kong Ling rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in both hands, quietly watching her older brother practice his spear.
Once Kong Xuan stopped, Kong Ling hurriedly rose and ran over to him, handing him the towel she had prepared long before.
Long accustomed to this, Kong Xuan took the towel and wiped away his sweat, bringing his training to an end.
"Brother, you work far too hard. You're about to break through, yet you still insisted on practicing your spear today."
Kong Ling's voice was clear and pleasing. More than two years of life in Mingdu had dispelled much of the timidity in her tone.
Kong Xuan smiled. "I've still got a long way to go. I can't afford to slack off in cultivation!"
Having transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, he had never dared let his guard down, despite his good talent.
He had never been a pampered young master to begin with. To grow stronger, Kong Xuan could endure hardship.
"What do you mean, you've got a long way to go? If you hadn't insisted on strengthening your physique, you could have broken through to Rank 20 half a year ago!"
Two years had done nothing to change his younger sister's dependence on him.
Kong Ling was still a bro-con, and she would not even allow Kong Xuan to belittle himself.
Smiling, Kong Xuan stroked Kong Ling's head. Though their faces were identical, he was still half a head taller than her.
Kong Ling's eyes curved into crescents. Unlike many younger sisters, she did not dislike her older brother touching the territory atop her head; instead, she looked thoroughly content.
"Brother, when are you going to break through today?"
"I'll wait until Grandpa gets back. He keeps saying he wants to watch me condense my own Soul Ring."
After arriving in Mingdu and cultivating for a year and a half, Kong Xuan's Soul Power had reached Rank 20.
However, he had not rushed to break through. Instead, he continued cultivating steadily every day, strengthening his physique.
Today, half a year later, he had finally decided to break through.
Perhaps eager to see his darling grandson obtain a "God-Given Soul Ring," Kong Deming finished his research at the Worship Hall early that day and returned home at noon.
Here in central Mingdu, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, Kong Deming's courtyard was already considered quite spacious.
But for a powerhouse like him, there would have been nothing wrong with living somewhere even larger.
Beneath the courtyard, Kong Deming had specially built a cultivation chamber cast entirely from "starfall iron." Its walls were covered with intricate soul tool runes that resembled a flowing river of stars beneath the illumination of the deep-blue Soul Power lamps.
The cultivation chamber had no windows. Its only entrance was a heavy metal door.
At that moment, the "Soul-Gathering Array" in the center of the cultivation chamber had already been activated.
The silver patterns on the floor slowly lit up as though alive, forming a six-pointed star array three meters in diameter.
A fist-sized "Sun Moon Essence" floated at the array's focal point. This was a Level 9 soul tool core personally refined by Kong Deming, capable of compressing the world's primordial Qi a hundredfold.
Kong Xuan was sitting cross-legged within the array, his breakthrough already underway.
Beside him, Kong Deming and Kong Ling focused their gazes on Kong Xuan, observing his every movement throughout the breakthrough.
Kong Deming in particular was even more focused than when making a Level 9 Soul Tool, unwilling to miss a single detail.