First Encounter with Soul Tools: Hell Difficulty—Please Bookmark, Recommend, Vote, and Tip

The old scholar raised his head, adjusted the crystal glasses on his nose, and gave Qin Fang a thoughtful look. He said nothing more and resumed his tedious lecture.

"Regarding the patterns of Soul Tools, this section is of utmost importance. Let's go over it."

Throughout the entire third grade, nearly everyone except Qin Fang was distracted. Even the students who had initially listened attentively began whispering among themselves when they saw that the old scholar was not maintaining discipline.

Qin Fang alone took notes earnestly, afraid of missing anything.

Those of the Undead Department were born with powerful Spiritual Power and possessed a unique advantage in crafting Soul Tools. Qin Fang did not want to waste this Talent.

The four hours of afternoon classes quickly came to an end amid the students' laughter and playful chatter.

The old scholar swept his gaze around the room, pointed at Qin Fang, and said sternly, "You. Starting tomorrow, report to my laboratory. Where is it? Ask your homeroom teacher."

After saying that briefly, the old scholar grabbed his thick books, placed them into his Storage Soul Tool, and left.

Qin Fang was somewhat confused. Ah, what was going on?

Just then, the third-grade homeroom teacher pushed open the door and entered from outside.

He was a burly middle-aged man whose clothes seemed barely able to contain his explosive muscles. He resembled a bear-type soul beast.

Two yellow Soul Rings and one purple Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet. The pressure of a level thirty-eight Soul Elder bore down on the students as he looked at them coldly, a trace of disappointment in his eyes. "Perhaps you do not realize just how great an opportunity you just lost."

"He is a sixth-level researcher of Mingde Hall, specially invited by the academy to serve as the Dean of Soul Engineering. If he chose you, you could even enter Sun Moon Royal Empire Academy without an examination."

"And what were you doing? Whispering nonstop, passing notes, and some of you were even sitting on your desks. What were you trying to do, fly to the heavens?"

The moment he said this, all the students present were stunned, their eyes filled with shock.

The third-grade class monitor had always considered herself exceptionally talented. She stood up, pursed her lips, and said stubbornly, with a hint of reproach, "Teacher, why didn't you tell us earlier?"

The homeroom teacher snorted. "Tell you earlier? What were you all doing earlier? In the entire class, who could listen patiently for four hours like Qin Fang?"

"One of the prerequisites for becoming an outstanding Soul Engineer is concentration. Your concentration is far too poor, so naturally you were not chosen. Reflect on yourselves properly."

"Qin Fang, come with me. I'll take you to Researcher Chen's laboratory."

Third Grade Class One fell silent, as regret and self-reproach flowed through the classroom.

The homeroom teacher's expression was unpleasant. However, when he saw that not a single student had been selected from the six parallel third-grade classes, a smile suddenly appeared on his lips, and he unconsciously straightened his back.

Before long, led by his homeroom teacher, Qin Fang arrived at the southeastern corner of the Affiliated Elementary Academy, where a brand-new Soul Tool laboratory had recently been constructed.

From the outside, it looked like an ordinary building with nothing remarkable about it. Yet the moment Qin Fang entered, he was mildly astonished.

It was an enormous laboratory. Its metallic silver walls and floor tiles were smooth as mirrors, and beneath the white lights, the room was bright as day without a single dark corner.

Thirty Operation Tables stood in the laboratory. Seven or eight three- and four-star researchers were bent over their work, carefully and intently carving the Soul Tools in their hands.

The unused Operation Tables were neatly arranged with all kinds of advanced instruments and carving knives, as though awaiting their owners.

On the southern side of the laboratory was a separate small laboratory. It belonged exclusively to the Dean of Soul Engineering and was his private domain.

Qin Fang looked around and saw more than eighty students like himself in the laboratory, most of them from higher grades. After all, the older one was, the stronger one's concentration tended to be.

Every one of these students looked nervous and at a loss. None of them dared to chat, making the atmosphere rather stifling.

Qin Fang spotted the uneasy Ju Zi, waved to her, and smiled. "Senior Ju Zi."

Ju Zi had been worrying about whether she would ultimately be allowed to stay when she heard Qin Fang's childish call. She could not help following his gaze.

"Ah, junior Qin Fang, you were selected too."

That surprised Ju Zi somewhat. It seemed this little fellow was quite diligent in his studies as well. Looking again, Qin Fang was probably the youngest student among them.

Qin Fang rubbed his nose and said proudly, "Wasn't that only natural?"

Ju Zi wanted to say something else, but a Fifth Level Researcher not far away deliberately coughed, signaling for them to be quiet.

Tap, tap, tap. The old scholar pushed open the door to his private laboratory, adjusted his glasses, glanced around, and said, "My laboratory still has twenty-two student positions available."

"As for the test, it is very simple. Within one month, without seeking help from an instructor, personally craft a First-Level Soul Tool core and place it before me. That will count as passing the test, and you may remain. If you fail to complete it, you will be eliminated."

As soon as those words were spoken, even the higher-grade students could not help but smile bitterly.

This was the core of a First-Level Soul Tool. One had to know that once someone could craft a Soul Tool core, they had essentially completed the forging of that Soul Tool and could advance to become a First-Level Soul Engineer.

Third- and fourth-graders nominally began studying Soul Tool courses, but they only learned basic theoretical knowledge from books and had no practical courses.

Only in fifth and sixth grade would students with outstanding performance be selected by instructors and taught Soul Tool crafting hands-on. The rest, whose performance was not especially outstanding but whose families were wealthy, could purchase materials themselves to craft Soul Tools and receive guidance from instructors.

As for those from ordinary families without money, like Qin Fang, they could only become Soul Engineer apprentices after graduation and slowly come into contact with Soul Tools.

That was only normal. After all, even the Sun Moon Royal Empire could not afford the materials required for so many students to craft Soul Tools.

Of the more than eighty students present, at least sixty had never even come into contact with materials used to craft Soul Tools.

"Xiao Li, distribute a palm-sized piece of First-Level Silver Spirit Metal to each person. It may not be taken out during the one-month period and can only be worked on here."

After the old scholar finished speaking, he returned to his private laboratory and no longer paid attention to the matter.

The Fifth Level Researcher who had deliberately coughed earlier was dressed in a white robe. He took eighty-three pieces of Silver Spirit Metal from his Storage Soul Tool and handed them one by one to the selected students.

"Everyone has an individual storage cabinet to prevent damage. During this period, you may stay in the laboratory every day. You have one month. Work hard, everyone."

Qin Fang stared at the Silver Spirit Metal in his hand, on the verge of tears.

Ah, he had only just entered the third grade. He had not even studied the most basic Soul Tool courses yet. And now he was supposed to start working directly? With a one-month deadline? Wasn't this hell difficulty? Among this group of students, perhaps only Ju Zi remained calm. She had long since advanced to become a Level 2 Soul Engineer. If not for the level restriction, she might already have become a Level 3 Soul Engineer.

This test, crafting the core of a First-Level Soul Tool, truly was not difficult for her.

Ju Zi immediately found an Operation Table at random and began working skillfully. She lit the furnace and started by refining the impurities from the Silver Spirit Metal.

The old scholar's students could not help but glance her way as they watched Ju Zi work. It seemed they would soon have another junior sister.

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