Douluo: In an extraordinary world, with unparallel understanding!

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The Soul Engineer Tournament, hosted by the three most powerful underground factions in Sun-Moon, was ultimately a means of generating profit. 

No one would organize an event without benefits, and this tournament was no exception. 

The three major black-market factions sought to capitalize on the excitement of the Soul Dueling Tournament by leveraging its popularity to acquire large quantities of rare metals. Since gambling was prohibited in the Soul Dueling Tournament, they instead devised this Soul Engineer Tournament. 

By focusing on the craftsmanship of soul tools rather than direct combat, they ensured that the competition would not overlap with the Soul Dueling Tournament's core appeal. 

First, this allowed them to attract audiences eager for fresh entertainment after watching the battles. Second, it lured talented soul engineers from various academies, increasing the tournament's prestige and visibility. 

Even though the Douluo Three Nations lagged behind in soul tool technology, there were still so-called "geniuses" who reached the fourth or fifth rank as soul engineers by the age of twenty. Was their pride any less than that of others? Not everyone had a precise understanding of the true gap between different levels of soul tools. 

Even in the Soul Dueling Tournament, the disparity in soul tool application between contestants wasn't always apparent. 

While the soul engineers from the Sun Moon Empire clearly held an overall advantage, the Douluo Three Nations dismissed this as merely a difference in resources. 

Lacking access to many rare metals necessary for crafting high-quality soul tools, they naturally fell behind in terms of refinement and craftsmanship. 

This was the prevailing mindset among most "genius" soul engineers in the Douluo Three Nations. 

After all, for soul tools of rank six and below (excluding rank seven), the technological gap, though significant, seemed bridgeable over time through dedicated study and incremental improvements. 

At the very least, after mastering complex theories, these talented individuals didn't believe their soul tool expertise was inferior to that of the Sun Moon Empire's geniuses. 

However, they failed to realize that mastery always follows a cyclical process—complicated methods must eventually be distilled into simplicity, and from that simplicity, complexity arises again. 

The so-called geniuses of the Douluo Three Nations had yet to reach the peak of complexity in soul tool development, leaving them unaware of the importance of simplification. 

They had yet to grasp its true significance. 

Ultimately, this Soul Engineer Tournament served as a means to exploit the Douluo Three Nations. 

Of course, even some of the Sun Moon Empire's powerful factions, wealthy sects, and noble families were also targets of this profit-driven scheme. 

However, the vast number of visitors from the Douluo Three Nations, along with the participation of academy elites and sect disciples, formed the foundation ensuring the tournament would not incur losses. 

"The three major black-market factions have truly spared no expense this time! They even invited a Royal Consecrator—none other than the renowned Rank Nine Soul Engineer, Ye Yulin, to serve as the tournament's chief judge. The ultimate prize for this competition is also Ye Yulin's legendary soul tool—the Solar Divine Needle!" 

"Master Ye Yulin?!" Huo Yuhao gasped in shock as he listened to Su Yu's introduction to the tournament. 

Huo Yuhao wasn't entirely sure how many Rank Nine Soul Engineers the Sun Moon Empire possessed. Most of them were trained within either the Sun-Moon Hall or the imperial military, and regardless of their origins, they all ultimately served the empire, contributing to its research and development. 

However, many renowned Rank Nine Soul Engineers were well-known figures. 

Among the three most famous, one was Ye Yulin, who stood alongside Sun-Moon Hall's master, Jing Hongchen—Huo Yuhao's own teacher—as one of the top three Rank Nine Soul Engineers. 

Ye Yulin's Solar Divine Needle was so formidable that even Kong Deming had once wielded it in battle, enhancing its power through his own Solar Martial Soul. The weapon was incredibly destructive. On the return trip after the last Soul Dueling Tournament, Ye Yulin had severely wounded both Poison Undying and Xian Lin'er with a single charged strike from the Solar Divine Needle. 

Su Yu added, "Apparently, Ye Yulin has since upgraded the Solar Divine Needle. The new version—the Sun-Moon Divine Needle—is the grand prize for this tournament. It overcomes the original weapon's limitation of relying on daylight to maximize its power."

There was no denying that both the Solar Divine Needle and the Sun-Moon Divine Needle were incredibly well-suited for Kong Deming. 

However, Ye Yulin's martial soul was the Starry Sky, an inherently abstract power. When crafting soul tools, he naturally chose the two most representative celestial bodies—the sun and the moon—as his focus. It was a logical decision. 

Moreover, incorporating the Sun-Moon Empire's name into his creations only served to further enhance his reputation. 

Or perhaps… Kong Deming had helped Ye Yulin perfect the Solar Divine Needle and upgrade it into the Sun-Moon Divine Needle? 

After all, Kong Deming's mastery over soul tools was unmatched. The three great Rank Nine Soul Engineers didn't even include him, as if it was simply acknowledged that he was in a league of his own—a half-step Rank Ten Soul Engineer. 

"No matter how you look at it, crafting something as small as the Solar Divine Needle or the Sun-Moon Divine Needle is no simple feat. The design and construction of the core formation array must be unimaginably complex." 

But those details were insignificant. 

Su Yu glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was eager to participate, and chose not to dampen his enthusiasm. 

"To attract the most talented soul engineers, the tournament is structured into multiple elimination rounds. Each round offers rare metals as rewards." 

As long as a contestant cleared the first round, they would receive a rare metal prize. 

Advancing to the second round would grant an additional reward, and the higher a participant climbed, the more lucrative the prizes would become. 

The three major black-market factions each had their own arenas, and in the final stage, the three champions would face off in an ultimate match. Only the final victor would earn the right to claim the Rank Nine Soul Tool as a prize. 

Su Yu scanned the reward list and sighed. 

"No wonder I couldn't find any bulk rare metals while wandering around Sun-Moon these past few days. Aside from a few scattered high-grade rare metals I managed to scavenge, there was nothing substantial." 

Before the tournament began, Su Yu had thoroughly explored the bustling city of Sun-Moon, hoping to acquire rare metals in large quantities. However, his efforts had yielded only a handful of high-quality fragments rather than any major stockpiles. 

Although he retained some knowledge from the original timeline, that didn't mean he knew every detail. 

For example, he had always known that this Soul Engineer Tournament existed, but he had never fully understood its true purpose or the ripple effects it had across various industries. 

Only after investigating through Sun-Moon Hall did he realize that the entire tournament revolved around the acquisition of rare metals. 

"The grand prize for this tournament is a Rank Nine Soul Tool—but there's only one. So, are we competing together or separately?" Su Yu asked. 

Huo Yuhao thought for a moment before replying, "Yu-ge, let's compete separately, each choosing a different faction." 

"That works. It'll also be a good opportunity to see how your soul tool skills measure up in the final round." 

Su Yu nodded, thinking Huo Yuhao's idea wasn't bad at all.

Three Major Arenas: Huo Yuhao Chooses the Pingfan Alliance, Su Yu Chooses the Aodu Chamber of Commerce 

"Hm? Yu-ge, why didn't you choose the Xishui Alliance?" 

Among the three dominant underground factions, Xishui Alliance was the most powerful. 

The three factions were: Xishui Alliance, Pingfan Alliance, and Aodu Chamber of Commerce. 

The Pingfan Alliance had the most unassuming name, and its operations were equally crude—it controlled the entire underground sex industry in Sun-Moon. The Aodu Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, handled business similar to that of an assassin's guild or thieves' guild, specializing in various illegal activities. 

Although the Pingfan Alliance and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce were considered on equal footing with the Xishui Alliance, there was a clear disparity in strength. In reality, the two factions were almost allied against Xishui, standing together to resist its dominance. 

That was because Xishui Alliance ran far more sophisticated operations. Aside from human trafficking, its primary business revolved around the trade of military weapons and pharmaceuticals. 

Even their business structure revealed the power behind them. 

Whoever controlled Xishui Alliance wielded influence that was second to none. Their resources and connections made them the strongest faction by far. 

So naturally, Huo Yuhao had assumed that Su Yu would choose to compete in Xishui Alliance's arena. 

After all, Su Yu was stronger than him, so it made sense for him to take on the toughest faction, leaving Huo Yuhao to face the weaker Pingfan Alliance. But surprisingly, Su Yu didn't choose Xishui Alliance—he chose Aodu Chamber of Commerce instead. 

"Heh, I have my reasons for choosing this path. You'll understand soon enough," Su Yu said with a faint smile, not bothering to explain further. 

At the end of the day, all three factions were criminal syndicates, thriving off the darkest industries imaginable. 

The Xishui Alliance had deep ties to Evil Soul Masters, but the other two factions were just as filthy in their own ways. Since Su Yu was already entering the tournament, he figured he might as well take the opportunity to cleanse the Pingfan Alliance and Aodu Chamber of Commerce. It would be a necessary step for what was to come. 

As for Xishui Alliance—that could wait until after the finals. 

Ultimately, none of the three black-market factions would escape his grasp. 

Su Yu already planned to inform Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming about his actions. With their backing, all he needed to do was focus on wiping out these underground syndicates. 

Besides, Su Yu's own strength was more than enough to handle the situation. 

It wasn't that he couldn't deal with the aftermath—he just didn't like wasting energy on unnecessary complications. If he could get Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming to back him up and sweep the remnants away, that would save him the hassle. 

And if they despised these corrupt roots as much as he did, they might eradicate them completely after Su Yu made his move. 

After all, reforms always needed a prelude. 

Meanwhile, the Shrek Academy team had also arrived at the tournament grounds. 

"Caitou, with your skill level, making it past the early elimination rounds should be a breeze. You even have a shot at reaching the semifinals, which means the finals of your division's arena. That's more than enough for us to maneuver things to our advantage," Qian Duoduo said. 

After arriving at the venue and gaining a deeper understanding of the tournament rules, he turned to He Caitou and gave him a few words of advice. 

"And Tang Zhen, I know this isn't technically part of your mission, but I'd like to ask you to team up with Caitou for this competition." 

After all, team participation was allowed in the tournament.

Maximizing a Soul Engineer's Potential 

With one person focusing on crafting the Soul Tool and the other assisting, a soul engineer's capabilities could be pushed to their absolute limit. 

Though the Clear Sky Sect had long remained hidden from the world, its legacy—the Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, the legendary Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique, and its unparalleled blacksmithing craftsmanship—had never been lost. 

Even among their most gifted prodigies, the sect's traditional skills remained deeply ingrained. 

In the era of Soul Tools, the Clear Sky Sect didn't hold much interest in this new form of technology, yet they had still explored it to some extent. 

As for Wang Dong's strange illness, it couldn't be blamed on the Clear Sky Sect—hence why it was called a "mystery illness" in the first place. 

Regardless of their disinterest in becoming Soul Engineers, the Clear Sky Sect's blacksmithing techniques allowed them to forge metals with significantly higher success rates for Soul Tool creation. 

If they couldn't recognize and capitalize on that advantage, they would have lost the title of the world's strongest sect long ago. 

Even in seclusion, a sect still needed a source of income. The Xuanming Sect, for example, continued selling Xuanming Pills to sustain its operations. The Clear Sky Sect's business, naturally, was its blacksmithing expertise. 

With Tang Zhen in charge of forging and pre-shaping the metals, He Caitou could fully focus on crafting the best possible Soul Tool—giving him the highest chance of success in the competition. 

"Don't worry," Tang Zhen assured him. "Even I'm tempted by the rare metals offered as prizes in this tournament." 

"Much appreciated," Qian Duoduo responded with gratitude. 

Since Tang Zhen had no objections, Qian Duoduo led both Tang Zhen and He Caitou to the Xishui Alliance's competition arena. 

Tournament Arrangements 

Meanwhile, Su Yu and Huo Yuhao—both possessing exceptional Soul Engineer skills—had an official certification from Sun-Moon Hall. 

Although neither of them had bothered updating their certification to reflect their latest skills, they still carried Seventh-Rank Soul Engineer badges. 

Because of their credentials, the tournament staff quickly arranged their matches. 

The competition provided participants with enough rare metals to complete their Soul Tool crafting—a hidden benefit not openly stated in the rules. 

Of course, if a participant offended the organizers, they could forget about receiving proper resources. 

But since Su Yu and Huo Yuhao had kept a low profile and openly displayed their Sun-Moon Hall certification, they were given exceptional treatment. 

First Round: An Unexpected Gift 

"It's just the first round, so crafting a Rank 4 Soul Tool is enough," Su Yu murmured. "I didn't expect them to supply us with some Refined Soul Silver." 

Refined Soul Silver was a primary material for crafting Rank 6 Soul Tools—and in some cases, it could even be used for Rank 7 Soul Tools. 

Since they had already provided such a valuable material, Su Yu naturally wasn't going to waste it.

Precision in Soul Tool Crafting

Su Yu, with focused intent, carefully selected the most precious rare metals, placing them onto the crafting platform for smelting and forging. 

The power of the Three Great Black Markets was undeniable. Although this crafting platform wasn't on the level of the elite research labs at Sun-Moon Hall, it was already equivalent to the standard setup of a personal crafting room at the Royal Soul Engineer Academy. 

Meanwhile, He Caitou and Tang Zhen marveled at how advanced the Soul Tool crafting capabilities were in Sun-Moon. 

He Caitou, having experienced upheavals from a young age, only had surface-level knowledge of the Soul Tools of the Sun Moon Empire. His understanding had been limited by his decade-plus education at Shrek Academy.

However, now that he had seen the Soul Tool crafting platform, he realized that it was something Shrek Academy might have struggled to replicate even at great expense. 

Crafting with Rare Materials 

"This Refined Soul Silver can't go to waste. Even a Rank 4 Soul Tool shouldn't be ordinary," Su Yu thought, formulating his ideas. 

Having completed the basic forging process for the Refined Soul Silver, Su Yu drew a hand across his brow. A jade-green, transparent short sword materialized in his hand—it was the Soul Blade of Life, an iconic weapon of his. 

With steady hands, he placed the metal sphere created from Refined Soul Silver onto the crafting platform, preparing to shape it further.

Huo Yuhao's Crafting: Ice Crystal Blade 

Across from him, Huo Yuhao extended his right hand, causing icy crystal tendrils to spread across his fingers, gradually forming a sharp knife. 

This was his Ice Crystal Blade, a technique he had learned from the Ice Bear King's spirit, Xiao Bai.

While not as powerful as the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, Xiao Bai's abilities were more than sufficient to easily cut rare metals. 

Interestingly, though this wasn't one of the soul skills bestowed upon him by Xiao Bai, it was something Huo Yuhao learned independently, based on Mirror Hongchen's signature technique.

As a Soul Engineer, Huo Yuhao realized the importance of having a personal engraving tool, something uniquely suited to him. 

While Xuan Zhiwen's martial soul was also an engraving tool, Huo Yuhao saw no reason to limit himself to physical engraving tools. 

By leveraging the power of Extreme Ice and Xiao Bai's knowledge, he condensed the Ice Crystal Blade—a tool capable of extreme cutting power—and imprinted a vast number of core formations into it. With additional runes woven into the blade, his Ice Crystal Blade was on par with any renowned engraving tool.

(End of Chapter)