Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

Kong Tianxu believed that the pill formula he had come up with was already the best it could be, but Kong Deming wanted to refine it even further. He took very small amounts and tried it dozens of times, constantly adjusting and refining it according to the different properties of the rare and precious medicinal materials, taking the essence and discarding the dross.

After everything was adjusted, the refined essence was then blended together to create the final batch of pills that combined almost all the rare and precious materials brought back.

At the beginning, Kong Deming was able to easily refine the pills using only his own strength and the power of the alchemy furnace.

However, as time went on, the essence of those rare and precious herbs was fully activated. Coupled with the mutual enhancement of the mixed medicinal formulas, the power that erupted became greater and greater. Even Kong Deming's peak level nine alchemy furnace could not withstand it and had to rely on his own soul power to maintain it.

Unlike the Qiankun Creation Pill, the pill formula developed by Kong Tianxu does not release any medicinal fragrance during the refining process. The medicinal power is completely locked within the pill, which is why this pill is called the Sun and Moon Soul Nourishing Pill. The pill's soul is contained within, which not only maximizes the medicinal power but also has a nourishing effect from the inside out. Soul Masters of any level can absorb it without worrying about the medicinal effect being too strong.

The essence of sixty-nine kinds of rare and precious materials was refined over a full eighty-one days. Finally, only when Kong Tianxu activated his destructive divine nature did the intense medicinal properties within the alchemy furnaces completely submit and condense into form.

In the end, only nine pills were successfully formed.

Its effects were even greater than those of the Qiankun Creation Pill. After Kong Deming consumed it, he only digested a portion of its medicinal power before his soul power cultivation directly surged to level 96, fulfilling his long-cherished wish. He was even poised to break through to level 97 at any moment. Cain, on the other hand, also leaped from a mid-level Soul Master to a level 50 Quasi-Soul King.

Kong Tianxu sealed away the remaining seven, and no one else, including himself, used them.

The aura of the Love-Sickness Heartbreak Red within him had not yet fully integrated with him. If he were to directly enhance his cultivation through the pills from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in a short period of time, the effect would be greatly reduced. Moreover, the effect of this kind of pill is best the first time it is taken, and he wanted to use it at a crucial moment.

It felt like we were back at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, with cultivation, soul master training, and discussions and practices about alchemy interspersed throughout.

Kong Tianxu felt that a year had passed in the blink of an eye. Accompanied by the white wake-up service of Xue Di and the black night of Cain, he was touched, expanded, and squeezed by a kind of silky feeling that was either slightly cool or warm, and then suddenly burst open, turning into a kind of mottled between black and white.

……

one year later

In silence, Kong Tianxu's left hand, wielding a turquoise-glowing carving knife of the Creature Judgment, and his right hand, wielding the Golden Scale Sacred Sigh, traced a perfect closed loop on the diamond-like gold before him.

The metal dust that had just been stirred up was instantly compacted by an invisible force field, and the crisscrossing golden threads between the indigo patterns reflected a natural cyan-gold luster.

Chapter 156 Kong Tianxu, Level 8 Soul Master

It was still the same Mingde Hall testing room that had once rivaled Xiao Hongchen, but now only Kong Tianxu stood in the center of the room.

"Master Kong, is the carving knife in Tianxu's hand a new one you made? It cuts diamonds and refined gold so easily. Breaking through, this is probably the best carving knife I've ever seen, even better than my Morning Star." Ye Yulin murmured in amazement.

Ye Yulin's astonishment was genuine. Diamond Gold is extremely famous among rare metals, but it is not only because of its luxurious soul power conduction and its ability to amplify soul power fluctuations to the first level of any soul tool beyond the ninth level. Its name "diamond" also gives a glimpse into the fact that this rare metal has terrifying hardness.

Due to the dense refractive structure inside diamonds and refined gold, it is extremely difficult for even a level nine soul master to carve them with a carving knife.

Without strong soul power and a sufficiently hard carving knife, it's impossible to leave any mark on it.

But at this moment, right under his gaze, the emerald green carving knife in Kong Tianxu's hand tumbled up and down, actually carving the diamond and refined gold into powder that flew everywhere.

It's important to know that Ye Yulin's carving knife, "Morning Star," is ranked among the top five on the carving knife list. Forged from meteorite iron, its greatest characteristic is its ability to break through hard surfaces. Because of her expertise in various high-altitude soul tools, Ye Yulin often uses high-strength rare metals as the outer shell of her soul tools, making a carving knife with strong breaking capabilities particularly important.

However, Kong Tianxu wielded the Life Judgment Carving Knife on the diamond and refined gold with a speed that was even faster than when he manipulated the Morning Star.

Besides him, there were several elderly men in traditional Chinese clothing observing from the sidelines. Although the number was small, they were all very representative.

Needless to say, Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall, Xu Guozhong, a member of the royal family, and of course, several core members of the Sun Moon military.

The reason we are gathered here today is to confirm the technology exchange for the Soul Guidance Gun. The formal handover of this research result has been delayed for a long time due to the attacks on Crown Prince Xu Tianran, Kong Tianxu's return to the country with the momentum of winning the competition, and the suspected merger between the Holy Spirit Cult and the Hall of Offering. Finally, it was finalized on the eve of Kong Tianxu's departure.

"It has nothing to do with me, it's just a little bit of luck on Xu'er's part."

Faced with Ye Yulin's sincere praise, Kong Deming simply smiled and responded with a faint remark. However, not only Ye Yulin, but everyone present wore an expression of disbelief.

Those qualified to attend this observation session were all level nine soul masters, each with their own unique style and focus. Ye Yulin was focused on the carving knife in Kong Tianxu's hand, while others were more impressed by Kong Tianxu's unparalleled skill in using two carving knives simultaneously, and—

His level of spiritual mentorship is high.

Kong Tianxu's fingers moved with lightning speed, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Even the auxiliary arm of Mingde Hall's top-tier soul tool manufacturing platform could not keep up with his speed.

In a short while, a delicately structured baby bottle, its entire body shimmering with a blue halo, took shape.

The level nine soul masters possess such discerning eyes that even without acquiring it, they could sense the balance embodied in the flowing lines of this milk bottle—an indescribable sense of equilibrium.

It was as if this was not a soul tool at all, but a piece of metal, a metal with the exact same texture and density.

Every part of the bottle feels the same, whether it's the texture, the curves, or anything else. This feeling is really peculiar.

Moreover, and most importantly, this baby bottle is a level seven product.

Storage soul tools and baby bottles have always been known as the most complex soul tools to make at the same level, and sealed baby bottles are even more so, and also have the highest material requirements at the same level.

Because it needs to store a huge amount of soul power, and cannot allow the soul power to leak out, nor can it cause an explosion after compression, this places extremely high demands on the core magic array and its materials.

The difficulty of making a level 7 milk bottle is even greater than that of an ordinary level 8 soul tool. It takes at least a level 8 soul tool master to make it. The highest level of a milk bottle is only level 7. The only criterion for judging anything higher is stability.

The stability of the level seven milk bottle made by Kong Tianxu is astonishing even under the strict evaluation standards of many level nine soul masters. Even if he used some characteristics of the carving knife, it absolutely means that he is already a level eight soul master.

A fifteen-year-old level eight Soul Master!

Looking up, Kong Tianxu's expression remained unchanged, but he clearly showed satisfaction.

Of all the level-seven soul tools he created, this was undoubtedly the most satisfying. The meticulous engraving even cleverly guided the extremely subtle metallic properties within the diamond-like gold, achieving a near-perfect soul power circuit.

He placed the milk bottle on the groove of the soul-guided gun in front of him and gently pushed it. The level 7 milk bottle was perfectly embedded in the mechanical mechanism at the rear of the soul-guided gun. This time, he did not load any bullets, but fired it in the air. The pure soul power produced a heart-palpitating muffled sound under the compression of several core magic arrays.

There was no need to look; Jing Hongchen's reaction had already told Kong Tianxu the result of this test launch.

"Excellent! Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!"

The head of Mingde Hall, whose face was usually dark, was now noticeably flushed, and his voice was full of excitement as he took the lead in clapping.

Based on the prototype of the soul guide gun left by Kong Tianxu and his experience of observing the entire production process, the Sun Moon Empire now has the full capability to mass-produce it. Xu Guoyi has even promised him that Mingde Hall will be the first to take the plunge and reap the benefits of the results.

This will greatly promote the development of Mingdetang. As the biggest beneficiary, he was naturally extremely excited and filled with gratitude towards His Majesty the Emperor.

Xu Guozhong stood up, shook hands with Kong Tianxu warmly, and his deep-set eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

“Prince Tianxu, I am Xu Guozhong, representing His Majesty. Thank you for your contributions to the Empire. As you said, starting today, the Master of Hongchen Hall and I will deploy the mental shielding devices you designed in Mingde Hall and surrounding key areas. The promotion of the image soul guide device will also be gradually rolled out.”

Kong Tianxu looked at the tall, thin old man with dark skin in front of him. The man was obviously a member of the royal family. However, ever since Xu Guoyi usurped the throne and Xu Tianni, the most powerful figure in the royal family, died suddenly, the concept of dark skin color among the royal family members was gradually fading away by the current royal line.

Moreover, he also knew that Xu Guozhong was of royal blood, but he was one of the traitors who participated in the usurpation of the throne and was deeply favored by the current emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.

He made a point of mentioning his princely status, probably because he felt that any other identity would be overshadowed by his own.

Kong Tianxu chuckled inwardly, but showed no sign of it on his face. His two hands, one white and one black, clasped together, their bond stronger than gold.

"Prince Guozhong, you flatter me. I have already taken over the jurisdiction of Warehouse No. 1 in Mingdu. We are currently inventorying the materials and soul tools inside. I wonder about the rest..."

"Cough..." Xu Guozhong's face twitched slightly, and his heart ached again. It was impossible for the royal family to take the Soul Guidance Gun technology from Kong Tianxu without paying a price.

The previously mentioned mental shielding device and image-based soul tool were merely appetizers. The former was specially developed by Kong Tianxu to prevent Huo Yuhao from detecting and stealing soul tool technology after arriving at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. The latter, on the other hand, was in preparation for the next Continental Elite Youth Advanced Soul Master Competition.

If Huo Yuhao dares to resort to blatant cheating tactics like eight-person team battles, he has his own ways to ruin Shrek Academy's reputation in front of countless viewers across the continent.

Of course, he was involved in both technologies, and once they were fully rolled out, he would naturally receive a small share of the profits.

Beyond these two, the main course consisted of the largest military warehouse in Mingdu, containing rare metals, and a considerable number of high-level soul tools.

That super warehouse was previously under Xu Guozhong's jurisdiction. Although Xu Guoyi gave him compensation, it was still not enough to cover the losses he had suffered. Not to mention, he had to cover the bad debts from the buying and selling of rare metals in the warehouse over the years, which was a huge financial drain.

While Xu Guozhong was still in a daze, another military commander approached Kong Tianxu and started chatting with him.

Watching everyone step forward to greet Kong Tianxu warmly, Fire Phoenix Douluo Luanfeng shook her head helplessly, glanced at the composed Kong Deming beside her, and subtly reminded him:

"Master Kong, His Majesty has recently made many concessions to your research, but he is ruthless and his style of doing things is to endure and then strike a fatal blow. This may not be what he really wants. Although our strength is absolutely dominant in Mingdu, the Xu family still dominates the whole country. We still need to be cautious in our actions."

“It’s alright,” Kong Deming smiled. “I only recently realized that many things that seem difficult to understand actually have a very simple solution.”

His tone was calm, but Luanfeng keenly sensed that the ethereal, moon-like quality that her elder brother, who was her contemporary, once possessed seemed to have settled down and become... more profound and simple.

A thought flashed through her mind like lightning.

……

As Luanfeng suspected, Xu Guoyi was indeed not in a very good mood.

He was reading through the memorial presented by the glorious Grand Duke who guarded the northern frontier.

"Reduce tribute by half? It's just an excuse to establish an independent duchy. How dare you ask me for that."

Xu Guoyi snorted coldly, closed the memorial in front of him, and spoke in an ambiguous tone, making it unclear whether he was referring to the Brilliant Duke or someone else.

“In this matter, we will only gain more, Father.”

Xu Tianran put down the book in his hand and skillfully handed Xu Guoyi the fragrant tea he had personally prepared.

The tea used in the Imperial Palace of the Sun and Moon Empire is extremely refined. It is made from carefully selected high-mountain tea leaves, semi-fermented, and then processed using a special secret method. The annual production is very limited, and only the royal family can possess a small quantity.

The faint aroma of tea lingered in the air, and Xu Guoyi's emotions calmed down. He nodded in satisfaction, seemingly waiting for something.

"No matter how powerful the Kong family is, their influence is limited to high-level Soul Masters. Our empire has a vast territory, and most commoners and lower-level Soul Masters and Soul Instructors are very loyal to us. It's just that we can't gather a strong enough counterforce like Elder Kong did in a short period of time."

“However, they seem to have realized this recently.” Xu Tianran hesitated before continuing.

"Hmm? Oh, go on." Xu Guoyi had become somewhat immune to Xu Tianran's occasional nitpicking about the Kong family, but Kong Tianxu's asking price for the Soul Guidance Gun was truly outrageous, and Kong Deming's lack of response made him somewhat dissatisfied.

He believed that as an emperor, although he had been taking necessary countermeasures, he had been tolerant of the Kong family on the surface. He never expected that Kong Tianxu would be so unruly.

Moreover, what Xu Tianran said this time also aroused his interest.

“Yes, Father.” Xu Tianran’s expression shifted. “Through the plan I told you last time to sow discord within the Holy Spirit Cult, my men have gained the trust of the Holy Spirit Cult’s leader, Zhongli Wu. According to him, the Holy Spirit Cult seems to be actively whitewashing itself through various means to increase its influence among the people. In some remote areas, there are even cases where people only know the Holy Spirit Cult and not the Empire. It was Kong Tianxu who was pushing this initiative within the Holy Spirit Cult…”

Xu Guoyi listened quietly without saying a word.

He had certainly heard about what Xu Tianran was talking about. Over the past year, some of the generals from various regions who went to Mingdu to report on their duties and change garrisons had also reported this situation.

"It seems Confucius finally wants to become a sage? Hmm?" He finally reacted, raising an eyebrow with an inscrutable expression.

“Father, I believe this is actually an opportunity for us to further utilize the Holy Spirit Cult.”

Xu Tianran seized the opportunity and formally revealed his plan:

"Evil Soul Masters are inherently unruly and difficult to tame. Kong Tianxu's attempt to forcibly reform the Holy Spirit Cult has already aroused dissatisfaction among a considerable number of evil Soul Masters, including Ye Xishui. I have secretly made some concessions for them, which has already influenced them to some extent. As for the Soul Masters within the Empire, they may not be very loyal to Elder Kong. The reforms he initiated upon his return have already caused discontent among many. No matter how deep the Kong family's foundation is, it can never surpass ours. What he can give, we can give even more. I have already tried to contact some of them, and their wavering is quite obvious. Some who are already wavering, such as Jing Hongchen, could very well become our moles."

He glanced at Xu Guoyi and added:

"Of course, for a ninth-level Soul Master like this, we still need to use Father Emperor's name to persuade them."

"Your Majesty's idea is to divide them into two factions from within, with us in the middle as the strongest force, so that they can check and balance each other. Only in this way can we ensure that the Xu family's empire will prosper forever and be as glorious as the sun and moon. I ask for your approval, Father Emperor."

"Since its rise to power, the Kong family has protected my Sun and Moon Imperial Family for three thousand years. Three thousand years, perhaps people's hearts will always change."

Chapter 157 First Embrace, The Ring of the Black Domain and the Even More Powerful Ji Juechen

Xu Guoyi remained silent for a long time, tapping his knuckles lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne, before finally nodding slowly.

"Let's do as you say."