Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

"Evil Soul Master!"

……

Pushing open the door to the research lab, several elderly men who were busy in front of a huge silver-white soul guidance platform stopped what they were doing. Kong Deming instantly felt several burning gazes directed at him.

What's wrong with all these people, young and old, today? Kong Deming chuckled inwardly; he had a rough idea of ​​what it was about, but he remained outwardly calm. He habitually glanced around and spotted two people who shouldn't have been there.

"Your Majesty, who is this?" Kong Deming gave a slight greeting, looking at the young man in white beside Xu Guoyi with some confusion.

The young man in white looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was dressed very simply, with bright, piercing eyes and dark skin that shone with a healthy glow. He looked nine-tenths like Xu Guoyi in front of him, and his gentle demeanor was tinged with a hint of authority.

"No need for such formalities, Elder Kong," Xu Guoyi waved his hand and smiled, "Naturally, I haven't met Elder Kong yet."

"Xu Tianran has met Master Kong."

As soon as Xu Guoyi finished speaking, he bowed respectfully to Kong Deming.

"So it's His Highness the Crown Prince."

Kong Deming nodded to Xu Tianran. Given his status, being second only to the emperor in the Sun Moon Empire was beneath him; only Xu Guoyi commanded any respect from him. Even the crown prince, before truly ascending to the throne, was no different from an ordinary person in Kong Deming's eyes.

Xu Guoyi clapped his hands and laughed:

"Lord Kong, I came here today to inspect the progress of the high-energy compression array. On the way, I received some news, so I came to congratulate you. You probably don't know, but Tianxu completed the inscription of six techniques on a piece of metal in just one minute during the entrance examination. Although I am not proficient in soul tools, I know what an astonishing talent this is. With Tianxu's aptitude, he will surely become another pillar of our Sun Moon Sect within twenty years."

The elders exchanged glances, all sharing the shock in each other's eyes. Although Ye Yulin had given them a heads-up, it wasn't entirely accurate. Six-sided carving completed in one minute, and on a single piece of metal?

Even Confucius, who held the record for over a hundred years, only managed to complete it just before the deadline. This is definitely the skill level of a high-level Soul Master. How old is that child?

"Your Majesty flatters me."

Kong Deming said calmly, but the smile that gradually widened at the corners of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.

Given his control over the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, he actually learned of this news a little earlier than Xu Guoyi. But in front of so many old buddies, he couldn't help but reveal his pride.

Seeing that the other party was in a good mood, Xu Guoyi gestured to Xu Tianran to strike while the iron was hot. Xu Tianran, being very perceptive, immediately stepped forward and said:

"Master Kong, Tianzhen will be turning twelve soon. We would like to take this opportunity to host a banquet at our villa outside Mingdu, and invite you and little brother Tianxu to get together. I wonder if you would do us the honor of joining us, Master Kong?"

Is this paving the way for the Crown Prince? But Xu'er is probably not so easy to win over.

Kong Deming remained noncommittal, then smiled and said, "In that case, I will first present a congratulatory gift to Little Innocent."

Xu Guoyi's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Could it be a high-energy compression array..."

Nodding, Kong Deming inserted his key into the preheated soul guidance node, and the other six level-nine soul masters followed suit. The light that had been steadily surrounding the high-energy compression array suddenly intensified, and the dome of the research lab slowly opened.

Then, a terrifying, seven-colored beam of light shot into the sky, heading straight for the distant mountain peak!

……

It wasn't until late at night that Xu Guoyi, accompanied by Kong Deming, left the royal research institute located in the far suburbs. He declined Kong's usual attempts to persuade him to stay and strode back to his carriage with invigorated steps.

Looking at Kong Deming's steady figure through the car window, Xu Guoyi's eyes flashed with envy. He finally stopped suppressing his physical weakness, and his face suddenly turned ashen.

Xu Tianran immediately poured his pure soul power into his body and said urgently, "Father, your illness has relapsed. I will go and ask Zhong Gongfeng to treat you."

The Zhong Gongfeng he mentioned refers to a healing-type Gongfeng in the Imperial Palace, who is also the only healing-type Title Douluo in the Sun Moon Empire. His title is Chunhui, and he is known as Chunhui for one to three years.

After coughing a few times with difficulty, Xu Guoyi waved his hand, gesturing for Xu Tianran to sit down next to him.

He took out a crimson pill from the storage ring in his left hand, which was inlaid with a large ruby. With the other person's help, he mixed it with a blood-red drink and drank it down. His complexion immediately improved. Only then did he slowly speak:

“Tianran, you are the Crown Prince. Your every move is being watched. You have to be mindful of the consequences. Last time, Zhong Gongfeng only came for a few days. If you bring him here again, who knows what kind of rumors will spread among the imperial clan. Those insatiable ingrates, they all wish I would die sooner, hmph!”

It seemed the pill was working; Xu Guoyi gradually regained his spirits, and his voice became much stronger. But then he sighed:

"Twenty years... Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't live to see that time. I'll leave Kong Tianxu to you. Take advantage of this banquet to cultivate your relationship with him. Such a young genius should be mostly focused on cultivation and relatively simple-minded, but since he was trained by Master Kong, don't treat him like a fool. Make good use of him, and the great cause of unifying the continent will surely be accomplished in your hands."

"As for Elder Kong, his loyalty is beyond doubt. The fact that he voluntarily relinquished his title as the First Soul Instructor to secretly develop the high-energy compression array back then already proves his integrity. You just need to keep an eye on his research direction..."

Xu Guoyi kept rambling on, and Xu Tianran nodded obediently in agreement, a thoughtful look occasionally flashing in his eyes. But whether he truly listened or not, only he knew…

As soon as Kong Deming returned to the research lab, several level-nine soul masters surrounded him, each eagerly offering their services. At their level, all they wanted was to pass on their life's work, and Kong Tianxu was naturally the best candidate.

Clap his hands to signal everyone to be quiet, and Kong Deming said, "Everyone has a chance, so don't rush. The participants for today's class have already been selected."

"Who is it?" everyone asked in unison.

"Could it be Xiao Jingzi? That chubby kid is always up to no good, don't let him corrupt the child," said Old Su, who had the worst temper.

“One of my disciples,” Kong Deming said with a slight smile.

……

Opening his eyes, he sensed the purple aura in the distance to the east. Even without the so-called Purple Demon Eye, the faint purple energy from the horizon still brought Kong Tianxu a sense of enlightenment as his martial soul absorbed it on its own.

After several hours of meditation, Kong Tianxu's breakthrough in cultivation yesterday has been fully consolidated. He can feel that since acquiring his fourth soul ring, his cultivation speed has risen to a new level.

This is why he was so eager to acquire his fourth spirit ring a few months ago.

Chapter 40 Xuan Ziwen and the Conflict of Soul Guidance Ideology

Although he didn't have any problem with insufficient number of soul skills at lower levels compared to other soul masters, his Silver Dragon Martial Soul alone granted him three innate abilities, and his first soul skill, Mad Demon Lightning Flash, second soul skill, Solar Storm, and third soul skill, Frosty Snow Seal, were all extremely powerful attack and control skills.

In addition, his second spirit body granted him domain abilities and physical talents. Even Soul Saint-level Soul Masters, in terms of the sheer number of Soul Skills, cannot compare to him.

However, if a Soul Master remains stuck at a bottleneck for an extended period, their Soul Power cultivation speed will not improve.

The stronger the soul power, the more primordial energy of heaven and earth it draws upon when circulating within the body. By further enhancing one's own power and adding soul skills, one can undoubtedly absorb stronger soul rings. However, the loss in cultivation speed is greater for the most talented soul masters. This is why Yu Xiaogang's ten core competitive advantages of his martial soul have gradually been forgotten over the past few thousand years.

Kong Tianxu slowly inhaled and exhaled, regulating the soul power within his body. A layer of warm, gentle energy emanated from his body, and the shimmering jade-like color in his eyes gradually faded.

Standing with his hands behind his back, he was only twelve years old, yet he already showed signs of becoming a master.

The classroom for freshmen class was already packed ten minutes before the morning bell rang. The room was unusually quiet; not a single student dared to make a sound. It seemed yesterday's test had indeed intimidated these self-important soul-guiding geniuses to some extent.

Since there was no specific seating arrangement, Kong Tianxu, Cain, and Xu Tianzhen still sat together.

Cain occasionally rubbed the crimson moon on his fingertips, his gaze always gently fixed on Kong Tianxu; while Xu Tianzhen, who was radiant yesterday, was unusually quiet today, even deliberately avoiding eye contact with Kong Tianxu.

The bell rang, and a young teacher who looked to be in his thirties walked into the classroom right on time. He had a slightly hard look between his brows and a very indifferent appearance.

"It seems that there aren't always level nine soul masters teaching classes," Kong Tianxu thought to himself. However, the other party's next words stopped him in his tracks as he pulled out a book to start self-studying.

"My name is Xuan Ziwen, and I will be giving the lesson today. I'm very pressed for time, so my first question is, can anyone tell me what a soul tool is?"

Xuan Ziwen? Kong Tianxu sat up straight in surprise.

Of course he knew this person. Xuan Ziwen originally came from the Heavenly Soul Empire, having moved to the Sun Moon Empire with his parents. He was also an undisputed genius of soul guidance. Several important technologies in the original work, such as the sealed milk bottle and the interference missile that could break through the linked soul guidance array of the Limit Douluo level, were all developed by him later.

In Kong Tianxu's eyes, when it comes to soul guidance talent, apart from his grandfather, the chief researcher of Mingde Hall who possesses the strength of an eighth-level soul guide is the only one in the original work.

At the same time, he was also one of Kong Deming's disciples, but because he had not yet reached the ninth level, he was unable to enter the Hall of Offerings, so Kong Tianxu had never met him.

Xuan Ziwen had barely finished speaking when he fixed his gaze on Kong Tianxu, but Kong Tianxu showed no intention of responding. In his eyes, soul tools were ultimately just tools; the true power lay in one's own martial soul.

Even if soul tools were to develop for another ten thousand years, could they still rival the power of a single thought of a God-King?

Xu Tianzhen, who was beside him, became lively again. She raised her hand and, without waiting for Xuan Ziwen to call on her, recited Ye Yulin's lecture from yesterday word for word:

"It is a tool guided by the soul power of the soul master. It can be a weapon or other tools that help people live and work."

This was considered the standard answer, and the students were amazed by her memory. Xu Tianzhen's mood improved as she saw that she was one step ahead, except for the obvious disapproval shown by the commoner whom Kong Tianxu had noticed earlier.

However, Xuan Ziwen shook his head after hearing her words.

“Kong Tianxu, tell me,” he asked, turning his head.

So his name is Kong Tianxu? Some students whispered among themselves. Kong Tianxu and Cain, who hadn't participated in the physical test, had already become the second most talked-about figures in the class due to their outstanding appearances and mysterious performance during the entrance exam.

It should be noted that of the forty people who remained in Class One, less than ten were considered to have passed the assessment. Although not many people noticed Kong Tianxu's outstanding speed of one minute, it was not uncommon.

When suddenly called out, Kong Tianxu pondered for a moment before speaking: "The so-called soul guide device is a tool that is driven by soul power and can help human development."

"That's right!" Xuan Ziwen's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in praise, thinking to himself: I didn't expect that the children of the Confucius family would have such insight at such a young age.

He then addressed the others seriously:

"Tianxu is right. What is a soul tool? Soul tools have nothing to do with soul masters. The significance of the existence and progress of soul tools lies in promoting the evolution of human society."

"In other words, the research on soul tools is to better promote the evolution of human society and make humans a more powerful existence. I have always firmly believed that in the near future, humans will be able to conquer any race, or even other worlds outside our world, through soul tools. One day, even humans without a trace of soul power will be able to hunt down 100,000-year-old soul beasts through soul tools."

“Even now, without considering top-tier Soul Masters, I dare say that the Sun Moon Empire could completely defeat the three original Douluo Continent nations and unify the continent through its absolute advantage in Soul Tools. This is already a difference in civilization.” Xuan Ziwen’s words had a somewhat shocking tone.

But Kong Tianxu knew that he was not wrong. In the original story, if it weren't for the interference of Tang San and Huo Yuhao, the rising stars of the continent, the Sun Moon Empire would have reduced the original three kingdoms to only one city after turning against the Holy Spirit Cult midway.

The unification of the continent is just one final step away.

Unfortunately, in the end, it turned out that the strongest Soul Masters were still far superior to Soul Instructors. Tang Shenwang even disregarded the rules of the God Realm and personally intervened, forcing the Sun Moon Empire to agree to the absurd demand of changing its name to Tian Dou.

But now that I've come into this world, everything will inevitably be different.

Xuan Ziwen was still enthusiastically sharing his views. When he said that soul tools should focus on being suitable for ordinary people rather than pursuing higher power, the student whom Kong Tianxu had been paying close attention to finally couldn't help but stand up and refute him:

"No! The significance of soul tools lies in their ability to be adapted to stronger soul masters and unleash greater power!"

The class fell silent. Xuan Ziwen frowned; he was a little angry, not because he felt offended, but because of a conflict of ideas.

"What's your name?"

Looking at the intensely focused young man, Kong Tianxu already knew who he was.

Chapter 41 Class Monitor, Provocation

The most obsessive genius destroyer of the younger generation of Mingdetang in the future—

"Ye Nongfeng," the young man introduced himself, showing no fear on his face.

"Student Ye, let me emphasize this again: the development of soul tools can only truly promote epoch-making progress for humanity when they become accessible to the general public. The absurd logic that a more powerful soul tool requires a more powerful soul master to use it has already led to a bottleneck in soul tool research. I hope you will give up as soon as possible. Otherwise, please leave the classroom and don't waste my time any more."

Xuan Ziwen's expression was displeased; he wouldn't normally be so rude. But as a researcher dedicated to promoting the democratization of soul guidance, he detested students who advocated extreme theories about soul guidance, and Ye Nongfeng had simply walked into his line of fire.

"Is what you say necessarily correct?" Ye Nongfeng retorted stubbornly, refusing to back down.

Seeing the atmosphere visibly stiffen, Kong Tianxu frowned slightly. Xuan Ziwen was indeed too self-serving, and Ye Nongfeng was also a troublemaker.

He cleared his throat and spoke at the opportune moment:

"Student Ye, I think you misunderstood Teacher Xuan's meaning. Teacher Xuan is not denying the value of developing more powerful soul tools, but rather emphasizing that soul tools should be studied for their wider application based on their promotion to the public. Please sit down and let Teacher Xuan continue the lesson."

Ye Nongfeng glanced at him and actually sat down as instructed.

So obedient? Kong Tianxu was surprised; he had only just begun.