Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

"An Yin."

After hesitating for a long time, Xu Cheng finally spoke.

In the next moment, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows in the corner of the experimental area.

"Your Highness, the Holy Son..."

The shadow, as thick as ink, quickly gathered, transforming from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, forming a faint silhouette.

This was one of the branch leaders of the Holy Spirit Cult in the surrounding towns, a Soul Sage whose martial soul was a shadow. Although his strength was relatively weak compared to other Soul Sages of the same level, he was elusive, especially at night, capable of traveling thousands of miles in a single night.

Xu Cheng had kept him by his side, primarily for communication purposes.

"Take this letter to the border between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Find Huo Qing, the commander of the fourth battalion of the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Corps, and deliver it to her. If anyone stops you, just mention my name."

"Yes..."

An Yin, completely concealed under a black robe, his face and expression hidden, responded in a hoarse, straightforward voice.

Then, like a pool of ink, he slowly faded back into the shadows...

The Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Corps was one of the four elite corps of the Sun Moon Empire, second only to the Royal Soul Engineer Corps. Each corps commander was a level 9 soul engineer, and the commander of the Fire Phoenix Corps, Huo Feng Douluo, was one of them.

The maid left by Xu Cheng's mother served as the commander of one of the four battalions under this corps. Each battalion commander was a level 8 soul engineer, representing the core strength of the entire corps.

Although she was just a battalion commander, each battalion was equipped with at least four hundred soul engineers, all of whom were elite among elites. It was said that the lowest level among them was at least the fifth rank, with many at the sixth and seventh ranks, showcasing their formidable strength.

Xu Cheng had only seen her once when he was still in swaddling clothes, shortly after his transmigration. In the more than ten years since, he had never seen her again.

But they had maintained correspondence.

At the very least, she seemed to care deeply for him, sending him many resources every year, some of which would have been a significant expense even for a level 8 soul engineer like her...

So, at least for now, she seemed to treat him with the care of a family elder.

As for Ju Zi, Xu Cheng pursed his lips slightly.

He had only asked Huo Qing to keep an eye out, just in case. If they happened to cross paths, he could intercept her early.

Even if they didn't meet, according to the original story, Ju Zi would eventually come to the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy to study under Xuan Ziwen. He just needed to stay at the academy and wait for her...

After all, she wouldn't be able to escape.

"Let's get to work!"

Xu Cheng shook off his thoughts, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.

He took out the dagger Meng Hongchen had given him earlier in the day from his storage soul tool and placed it on the workbench.

After securing it in place, he began the analysis.

As for why he was so eager, there was a purpose behind it.

What he lacked most at the moment was official backing. Jing Hongchen, Elder Kong, or Elder Cheng, who taught history, could all serve this purpose. By analyzing a level 7 soul tool core and showcasing his monstrous talent, he could gain their attention.

He was certain that Elder Cheng had been observing his recent performance, and Jing Hongchen was no exception. Almost everyone around him was Jing Hongchen's "person"—his homeroom teacher Lin Jiayi, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen...

But they had all held back, likely still hesitating and struggling with their decision.

After all, his identity was extremely sensitive. Approaching him would mean choosing a side, and these old foxes, with their sharp political instincts, were well aware of that.

Even this level 7 soul tool might very well be a test from Jing Hongchen.

Although Meng Hongchen hadn't revealed how the soul tool had been damaged, the fact that a level 7 soul tool crafted by a level 9 soul engineer, the head of the Mingde Hall, one of the top figures in soul tool research in the Sun Moon Empire, for his own granddaughter, could be broken by a Soul Grandmaster who hadn't even reached the Soul Elder level, spoke volumes...

"..."

After a long while, Xu Cheng finally let out a deep breath.

Sweat dripped from his forehead. Even with the system's cheat-like "Analysis Mastery," analyzing this level 7 soul tool was anything but easy.

His spiritual power had been nearly drained, even somewhat overused.

He missed Tian Meng for the nth time...

Suddenly, a towel gently wiped the sweat from his forehead. Xu Cheng glanced to the side and saw Na Na, her eyes filled with concern.

They exchanged a smile, and things didn't seem so bad after all. At least he had someone by his side...

Xu Cheng took a light breath and continued his research.

The analysis was complete, but the challenges ahead were still numerous.

This was his first time encountering a level 7 soul tool, and the precision of its core formation far exceeded his expectations. On a metal disc no larger than a plate, there were densely packed runes.

It wasn't just the structure of a level 3 soul tool. It included the power composition of level 1 to level 7 soul tools, how to better allow the user to control it, and how to complete the detection and sealing of higher-level soul tools, which would gradually unlock as the user's strength increased...

It made Xu Cheng's scalp tingle.

It was like a high school graduate being handed a doctoral thesis. The amount of soul tool knowledge involved was overwhelming...

Even a level 5 or 6 soul engineer from the Mingde Hall might not be able to recreate it.

This made Xu Cheng somewhat doubt his earlier assumption. Was this really just a test?

What kind of test was this?!

But Xu Cheng didn't give up. Instead, he buried himself in the library and the experimental area, researching day and night...

...

Mingde Hall.

This was a spacious hall, with walls, floors, and ceilings all gleaming with a metallic sheen, resembling a metal fortress. Above the entrance hung a plaque with the words "Mingde Hall" written in bold characters.

"You're saying... there was a mistake?" Jing Hongchen, sitting in the secondary seat, opened his mouth wide in disbelief as he looked at Elder Cheng, who was seated in the main seat with a bitter smile.

"Yes, I originally intended to only tamper with the level 4 soul tool components in Xiao Meng's soul tool. Repairing it would have only required successfully modifying the level 4 soul tool. But... I mistakenly replaced a component that linked all the levels. As a result, to get the soul tool functioning again, the entire thing needs to be rebuilt from scratch. It's equivalent to... starting from zero."

The old man shook his head helplessly.

The main issue was that neither of them wanted Xu Cheng to discover the tampering, so even Meng Hongchen was kept in the dark. Everything had been done in an instant, silently, during class.

Thus, even though he was a level 9 soul engineer, he hadn't been able to control the extent of the changes...

"This..."

Jing Hongchen quickly tried to comfort him. "This matter was ultimately my idea. I wanted to test the kid and see what level he was really at. I even troubled you to intervene... Besides, even if this attempt fails, the kid will probably give up on his own once he realizes he can't figure it out..."

Elder Cheng shook his head.

"Actually, I'm quite interested in him as well. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to your proposal."

"I'm also very curious about this prince..."

"Coincidentally, there's still a month left before the academy's final exams. We'll have another opportunity to observe him then."

"That's all we can do for now..."

(End of Chapter)