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"I understand, but I still think our Sun Moon Empire has a shot at winning the championship."
Kong Deming wasn't overly concerned with victory or defeat.
Su Yu's confidence was a positive sign.
As for accompanying him to oversee things, Kong Deming didn't hesitate too long.
"Alright, I'll go with you to Star Luo City."
Shrek's Gluttonous Douluo was indeed a force to be reckoned with.
Kong Deming had previously assumed the negative reputation of the Gluttonous Douluo was exaggerated. It wasn't until his encounter in the Heavenly Soul Empire that he realized the rumors were indeed true.
Even though Kong Deming's strength was comparable to an Ultimate Douluo, it was only comparable—not genuinely on par.
Under normal circumstances, he might not even be able to best a level ninety-eight Gluttonous Douluo.
Yet, in this confrontation, Kong Deming managed to kill a Shrek Inner Court disciple under the Gluttonous Douluo's protection.
This naturally triggered an intense pursuit.
Even after Kong Deming had retreated to the Sun Moon Empire's borders, and despite the Sun Moon army's cannons threatening him, the Gluttonous Douluo pressed forward relentlessly.
This very action prompted the prepped soul-guided cannons of the Sun Moon army to fire in response.
A massive barrage of soul-guided cannonfire rained down on the Star Luo forces.
War was imminent.
The Sun Moon Empire gained a clear advantage.
If not for the approaching Soul Master Tournament and the need to ensure the safety of their delegations headed to Star Luo City, the Sun Moon forces likely wouldn't have considered a ceasefire.
Su Yu was unaware of all this, but knowing his teacher agreed to accompany him to Star Luo City put his mind at ease.
"Teacher, here is the rune technique I developed myself."
Su Yu handed over his rune method to Kong Deming.
Kong Deming was a soul engineer closest to the tenth level, a top expert in constructing core arrays across the continent.
Giving him the rune method meant it could be perfected as swiftly as possible.
This would allow Su Yu to refine his runes to their peak potential.
Once inscribed, the runes could take effect at all times.
However, as spiritual power increased, the runes' effects could become negligible.
Conversely, if the more advanced runes were crafted ahead of his current spiritual threshold, the effects would be accelerated.
Similar to Jing Hongchen, Kong Deming, after learning of the rune method, refrained from rushing to share it publicly.
The rune technique could have a tremendous impact on the entire soul engineering system.
It was clear that, if this technique spread, soul tools would enter a period of rapid development.
But there was a caveat.
Making contributions was good, but securing one's own interests had to come first.
During the final month, Su Yu continued to prepare actively.
First was the upgrading of his soul tools.
During his last battle with the Laughing and Dream Hongchen siblings, Su Yu was still using second-tier soul tools. Although he'd reached the peak of third-tier soul engineering by then, time constraints prevented him from producing a complete third-tier set.
Now, as a fourth-tier soul engineer, he planned to upgrade all the tools he might use in combat to fourth-tier.
During this time, Kong Deming helped him perfect the rune structure.
The Condense and Gather runes made significant strides.
They not only increased the concentration and efficiency of spiritual training but also provided the soul power augmentation that Su Yu had long desired.
Likewise,
Perfecting his cultivation technique was another monumental task.
Su Yu shared the concept of this technique with Kong Deming.
Such a large-scale project naturally warranted the establishment of an official program at the Mingde Hall.
Although it pertained to soul power cultivation, it involved a great deal of soul engineering knowledge, justifying its study at Mingde Hall.
In a mere month, the results were indeed gradual.
The course on construction methods has only recently completed the initial selection phase. Its teaching direction, objectives, and plans have yet to be fully refined.
To officially launch this course, we'll need to wait until the next semester.
The research project on cultivation techniques, however, was established quite swiftly, thanks to the support of Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen. Both funding and the setup of a dedicated lab were expedited.
However, recruiting researchers and conducting preliminary theoretical studies on the project's objectives also takes time.
After a month, only the first steps had been made.
"Yuhao, you won't need to participate in this tournament."
Huo Yuhao was only at the twentieth rank, and despite possessing the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion martial soul, his contributions were still limited.
Especially since he lacked a martial soul fusion technique.
Perhaps Huo Yuhao could overpower a typical Soul Elder, but the other members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy team could achieve the same.
"Understood."
Huo Yuhao had recently entered a critical stage of study and had no desire to travel.
The soul tool theories at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had captivated him.
Thanks to his foundation over the past eight months, it took him only a single month to reach the stage where he could attempt crafting a third-tier soul tool.
Jing Hongchen had already expressed an interest in taking Huo Yuhao as his apprentice.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao declined, citing that he already had a teacher, but Jing Hongchen clearly hadn't given up.
"Su Yu, with the three of us working together in this competition, we'll definitely take first place!"
Xiao Hongchen was full of confidence.
Not long ago, he successfully opened his spiritual sea.
While he hadn't started etching runes yet, with the creation of his spiritual sea, he found it easier to control his spiritual power.
Moreover, incorporating Jing Hongchen's latest research, he integrated fusion-type soul tool technology into his fifth-tier soul cannon.
This had significantly boosted his strength.
"Let's go!"
Brimming with confidence, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Su Yu joined the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy delegation, departing from Mingdu for the Star Luo Empire.
Kong Deming followed in secret, staying out of sight.
Star Luo Empire.
Inside a dark, damp cave, an intense battle raged.
Amidst terrifying explosions and agonized screams, an elder's furious shouts could be heard.
With his martial soul activated, Xuanzi unleashed terrifying soul power, scattering the explosion's smoke and dust.
The scene was utter devastation.
A nauseating stench filled the air.
Severed limbs and even fragments of organs were strewn about.
The cute, lively students from before now lay motionless, with only a few still barely clinging to life.
"You scum!"
As he roared, one of the bodies suddenly began to expand.
The soul power within it erupted.
Boom!
"Elder Xuan!"
Xuanzi unleashed his soul power to shield against the explosion from the corpse.
The corpse puppets of the Reaper's Messenger continued to advance, detonating one by one to hinder Xuanzi's pursuit.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the Reaper's Messenger grabbed a nearby student and escaped through a hidden passage.
Xu Sanshi!
"Wang Yan, look after them—I'm going to save Sanshi."
The passage had been left as an escape route by the Reaper's Messenger.
Moving swiftly, Xuanzi maneuvered through the tunnel at top speed.
At the tunnel's exit, twelve corpse puppets knelt on the ground.
"My corpse puppets, stay behind to cover my escape!"
(End of Chapter)