Douluo: The blue phoenix cries loudly, and the wind whistles through the air

The main hall of the mansion.

After some explanation, Wu Qi learned about the old man's situation.

The old man's name was Lu Mingcheng, one of the officially certified level eight Soul Masters of the Lieyang Empire. In his early years, he served in the imperial court, holding the rank of third grade, and was in charge of the Soul Master education system within the empire. Later, he was framed by his colleagues, lost his official position, and his disciples and their descendants were also implicated.

Zhao Chenggong originally worked at the Royal Academy, but was transferred to Changde Academy because of his involvement in the case.

"Little Zhao, exiling you to the frontier was actually a way to protect you. The waters of Mingdu are too deep. You've come back now and still want to participate in the Soul Master assessment? Don't you want to live?"

Lu Mingcheng had one more thing he didn't say.

If Zhao Chenggong had sought refuge with other high-ranking officials, he would certainly have been safe upon his return, and might even have enjoyed a meteoric rise in his career.

But if he does that, the other party will inevitably betray him.

Lu Mingcheng was able to remain in Mingdu largely because of his disciples and followers scattered throughout the continent. If anyone set a precedent for betrayal, these disciples and followers would surely follow suit to betray him for their own future.

At that time, it won't be a matter of whether or not to stay in Mingdu. Although they won't be killed by their political enemies, they will inevitably be used as laborers and ordered around at will in the final days of their lives.

Zhao Chenggong repeatedly explained, "My mentor, my return to Mingdu this time is thanks to this Earl."

Lu Mingcheng turned his gaze to Wu Qi.

Those aged eyes suddenly became bright and piercing, and he said, "The Empire doesn't seem to have any earls with the surname Wu, but I sense an extraordinary aura emanating from you. Are you a Title Douluo?"

There are titled experts in the palace, and Lu Mingcheng is an eighth-level soul master who has created soul tools for the titled Douluo of the empire. Therefore, he is very familiar with the aura of the titled Douluo.

Even though he was only a Soul Saint, he could still sense Wu Qi's extraordinary abilities.

He had never sensed this extraordinary aura from any other Title Douluo, which suggested that Wu Qi's strength was greater than theirs.

Wu Qi did not explain, but simply said, "I came here to acquire a batch of soul tool blueprints from you, and also to help Zhao Chenggong complete the assessment for a seventh-level soul master."

"I will leave after the matter is completed, so you two should not linger too long."

Title Douluo have extremely strong vitality. Wu Qi was able to maintain his appearance of being in his twenties, which suggests that he has exceptionally strong talent. He did not encounter any obstacles in his subsequent breakthroughs, and after breaking through to the title level, his appearance was forever frozen at this moment.

With the help of a Title Douluo powerhouse, Zhao Chenggong immediately felt more confident and said to Lu Mingcheng, "Master, would you be willing to sell blueprints for high-level soul tools?"

Lu Mingcheng wasn't particularly familiar with Zhao Chenggong, having only received guidance from him a few times. Now that he was down on his luck, and someone claiming to be his student came to visit, he naturally wanted to act warmly to show the outside world that he was still remembered.

But he didn't know Zhao Chenggong's temperament. Hearing what the latter said, he couldn't help but get angry. "High-level soul tool blueprints are the second life of a soul master. How do you expect me to explain to our ancestors if I sell out the family heirloom blueprints?"

Wu Qi remained silent, leaning back in a chair and closing his eyes to rest.

Given Lu Mingcheng's current predicament, what bargaining chips does he have left if he doesn't sell the soul tool blueprints?
Even if he is an eighth-level soul master, can he still create an eighth-order soul tool without materials and resources?

……

Finally, after Zhao Chenggong's heartfelt persuasion, Lu Mingcheng agreed to trade the blueprints for eighth- and ninth-tier soul tools in a barter transaction.

Among them, the blueprints for the eighth-order soul tool were rubbings, and with Zhao Chenggong overseeing them, it was ensured that there were no problems with the blueprints. As for the blueprints for the ninth-order soul tool, Lu Mingcheng produced the original copies.

"The lines here are too complex for me to build. If I were to make a copy of the blueprints, there would inevitably be errors. So I'll just sell you the original copy."

Compared to eighth-order soul tools, ninth-order soul tools undergo a qualitative change in power, and their crafting difficulty increases exponentially.

Just looking at the blueprints is enough to make a large number of Soul Masters' scalps tingle, let alone building them.

However, with Wu Qi's mental strength, he could see all the details clearly. He said in surprise, "This is not an offensive soul tool. You can think of it as the integrated control brain of a large soul tool."

In appearance, it resembles the chips he had seen in his previous life.

However, according to the scale on the blueprints, the chip is one meter by one meter in size, which is extremely large.

The thumb-sized chip from my previous life could not be manufactured in this world.

Ten thousand years later, if Mingdetang had the support of the chip from its previous life, the ultimate weapon it created would probably have already been put into production and launched.

In Wu Qi's view, the soul power that drives the soul tool is somewhat similar to electricity.

"What is a chip?" Lu Mingcheng asked, somewhat puzzled.

Wu Qi casually remarked, "You can think of it as the brain of a soul tool."

“A sufficiently complex and powerful soul tool cannot be operated by one person alone. With the support of this ‘brain,’ a soul tool can automatically complete multiple transformations with just one command.”

Zhao Chenggong gave a wry smile. "It seems that the ninth-tier soul tool in this design blueprint can give soul tools true life. Unfortunately, with a tier as high as ninth, no one can make it."

Seeing that Wu Qi was speaking so mysteriously, Lu Mingcheng wanted to raise the price, but Wu Qi interrupted him: "Not all soul tools can use this chip."

“Ordinary soul tools only have one form, so why bother with this? In other words, if I take this, it will be almost useless, and I will have to find other suitable ninth-order soul tool blueprints. If you raise the price like this, it won't be cost-effective for me, so I have no reason to trade with you.”

Lu Mingcheng's family is destitute, so his willingness to sell the blueprints must mean he is extremely short of money. He is not afraid that the other party will be difficult to deal with.

……

After the transaction was completed, Wu Qi and his two companions rested temporarily at a hotel in the city.

Zhao Chenggong said, "Sir, why do you value this ninth-tier soul tool so much? Even if it could be made, its weight and size mean that ordinary ninth-tier soul tools wouldn't fit inside, would they?"

Wu Qi chuckled and said, "If you can make this thing the size of a fingernail, its performance will not only not be weakened, but will be greatly enhanced. At that time, the situation will be quite different."

Zhao Chenggong shrugged and said, "My master is willing to sell this blueprint because he knows that even if he himself breaks through to the ninth level of Soul Master, it will be difficult for him to develop it."

"Your idea is good, but to study this thing, you need to be a level nine soul master. Moreover, these pipes are so tightly intersected that even a slight damage will break the circuit, or even burn out the entire soul tool."

"In my opinion, the cost of researching this is too high. The price of the materials alone is enough to deter most people. Not to mention, such a complex soul tool would require at least a dozen failures to succeed." (End of Chapter)