Douluo Continent: We agreed on a simulation, but they've come to life?

"Om..."

Lu Cheng remained calm and composed as he crafted the Level 7 fixed-position soul-guided cannon. Even though he didn't deliberately showcase any groundbreaking creations, he still attracted the attention of many examiners. After all, having gone through two simulations, although he had lost his cultivation, his proficiency with soul-guided devices remained. At this moment, when it came to theory and experience, he was truly on par with a master like Jing Hongchen.

The movements were efficient and concise, which was a unique pleasure in the eyes of many examiners.

This also drew continuous praise.

With a faint buzzing sound, Lu Cheng finally assembled the last piece of equipment. A dark black cannon appeared on the control panel, exuding a terrifying aura of destruction. This was the fixed-mount soul guide cannon, the most powerful weapon among soul guides of the same level.

While not the most difficult to manufacture among its peers, it is still quite standard, considering that ensuring the separation of the shell from the launch tube, the detonation method, range, and area all require careful consideration.

"A level 7 fixed-mount soul-guided cannon?" Lin Jiayi's eyes twitched.

He stroked the nearly 1.5-meter-long, dark cannon barrel in front of him, and with his peak eighth-level soul master's eyesight, he couldn't find the slightest flaw.

It's formulaic and lacks innovation, but every detail has been polished to an almost demanding degree. You should know that even among soul tools of the same level and quality, there are differences in the power of each soul tool crafted by different soul masters. For example, the power of a level 7 soul tool crafted by a level 7 soul master is inferior to that of a level 9 soul master, and by a significant margin.

"You pass..." After a long silence, Lin Jiayi finally uttered three words, glancing at Lu Cheng with a complicated expression. A level seven Soul Master, eighteen years old...

Gee tut.

Mingde Hall is bustling again.

"Uncle Lin, isn't there still an assessment to be conducted?" Meng Hongchen asked curiously.

"Cough cough cough, it's alright. This child is exceptionally talented, at the level of a seventh-level Soul Master. Why should we, as examiners, make things difficult for him?" Lin Jiayi stroked his beard and smiled.

"Yes, yes..." Many of the examiners around nodded in agreement.

“Then I’ll take him to the dormitory to register.”

Seeing Meng Hongchen leave, Lin Jiayi finally breathed a sigh of relief. The second test required him to use the soul tool he had made in the first test and withstand it for one minute in the hands of an examiner.

But this is a level 7 fixed-mount soul-guided cannon!!

Even they risk being injured, or even killed...

"What a promising talent! Fortunately, he is from my Sun Moon Empire," one of the examiners remarked.

"Yes, it's a pity that his talent is so terrifying, otherwise I would have tried to take him on as a disciple."

Lin Jiayi, watching Lu Cheng and Meng Hongchen chatting and laughing as they walked away, couldn't help but have a somewhat ambiguous look in his eyes. He stroked his chin and said, "If I remember correctly, Miss Meng hasn't been in a relationship before..."

……

the other side.

Downstairs in the dormitory building.

Meng Hongchen smiled and waved to Lu Cheng from a distance, "You should rest first. I'm in Mingde Hall, in Professor Bai Chen's laboratory. See you again sometime."

"..."

Lu Cheng also smiled and waved.

Turning around and stepping into the building, his heart pounded. This girl's sixth sense was terrifying. He seriously suspected that A-Meng had discovered something, but given how love-struck she was, even if she had, she wouldn't have reported it.

"call……"

He gently exhaled a breath of stale air.

Room 302, inside the dormitory.

The accommodations in the Sun Moon Empire were much more comfortable than those in Shrek Academy. At least there were no double rooms, but the rooms were clean and comfortable, with soul-guided lamps and soul-guided private bathrooms. It was no wonder that in the original story, the Sun Moon Empire invaded the original continent and quickly stabilized the places it had passed through.

Once this comfortable lifestyle system is implemented, no ordinary person can refuse it.

Lying on the soft bed, Lu Cheng pondered the purpose of his trip.

The most important thing, of course, is to find talent, and Xuan Ziwen is the first target. Fortunately, it is said that after joining Mingde Hall, one can choose their own teacher. I just heard from Meng Hongchen that it should be tomorrow...

“Xuan Ziwen has no reason to refuse me,” Lu Cheng said thoughtfully.

"As for the method of inducement... Tang Clan hidden weapon manufacturing blueprints, or constructing a blueprint for Dou Kai, given Xuan Ziwen's personality, he won't refuse me."

In that case, let's rest first.

We'll choose our mentors tomorrow.

I'll also take this opportunity to meet Ju Zi and the others, as well as Ji Juechen, Nana, and my good apprentice Ye Guyi. I wonder if that girl has joined the Ordinary Alliance yet...

Chapter 174 Xuan Ziwen: Why did you choose me? First meeting with Orange in the lab

The next day.

The Royal Soul Guidance Academy of the Sun Moon Empire begins its new school year.

Unlike the outer academy, Mingde Hall's admissions are more similar to the postgraduate system of the previous life. Students who pass the assessment can choose their own teachers. Of course, teachers can also choose whether to accept them. If they are not satisfied, they can refuse to become full-time students after the internship period with a tactful reason.

Early in the morning, a line of Mingdetang researchers stood in place, led by Lin Jiayi, their eyes sweeping over the group of students who had passed the assessment and were about to join Mingdetang.

These talents, selected from the empire's top academies, are all, without exception, top-notch soul guidance geniuses, or even prodigies.

Of course, monsters like Xiao Hongchen are extremely rare. Don't be fooled by his usual carefree and talkative narcissistic demeanor; in the field of soul tools, he is a genius that comes along only once in a century.

"Everyone, let's begin choosing our mentors," Lin Jiayi said with a smile, his hands behind his back.

However, his gaze was particularly fixed on Lu Cheng. The news had already been reported to the hall master, but unfortunately, the hall master had been busy negotiating with Shrek Academy about the list of exchange students between the two academies six months later, so he temporarily assigned him to pay more attention to Lu Cheng.

Who would you choose?

Lu Cheng wasn't particularly conspicuous among the crowd. Besides the many teachers, only Meng Hongchen knew about Lu Cheng's test results that day. The girl wasn't a gossip, so she naturally had no intention of spreading such idle talk.

The students present were all sixth-year students of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy, around seventeen or eighteen years old. Their choices were mostly based on mentors with strong abilities or extensive connections. As for Xuan Ziwen, no one actually chose him. After all, in everyone's eyes, this teacher was "mediocre" and rather boring, so naturally few people chose him.

"Another year of no harvest?" Xuan Ziwen looked at the dwindling number of students with a calm expression.

He's gotten used to it all; after all, scientific research is his top priority, and having too many disciples would just be a hassle.

Wang Shaojie, who joined the lab last year, was clearly there for Keke. Zi Mu also joined the lab because he liked Ju Zi. Among this group of guys, only Ju Zi has some talent in the soul guidance system, but she always looks sleepy and doesn't study properly. Even if we recruit another one, he'll probably just be there to coast along.

Just as Xuan Ziwen was calmly accepting all of this, a gentle voice rang out from in front of him.

Teacher Xuan Ziwen…

Lu Cheng smiled.

"Huh?" Xuan Ziwen's eyes flashed with surprise. He knew this young man all too well. The document issued yesterday specifically highlighted his almost abnormal talent. Eighteen years old, a level seven soul master, and rated S yesterday. There were few in Mingde Hall who could compare to him. Even Ma Rulong was slightly inferior.

She actually chose to join his lab?!

Could it be that this kid also likes oranges?

Otherwise, given his extremely low popularity at the Royal Academy, it's hard to believe that this obviously rising star and prodigiously talented individual would choose his laboratory.

"Teacher Xuan." It was only after Lin Jiayi reminded him that Xuan Ziwen, somewhat bewildered, led Lu Cheng toward the teaching building behind them.

"You... are you called Cheng Lu?" On the way, Xuan Ziwen finally showed some joy as he looked at the handsome young man. The level seven fixed-position soul guide cannon was a decent piece of work, and he had seen it before, but the fact that he could do it so skillfully and proficiently definitely showed that this young man had a solid foundation.

“Yes, Teacher Xuan.” Lu Cheng nodded with a smile.

"Why did you choose me?" Xuan Ziwen couldn't contain himself any longer. "I remember that the research topics I did before weren't very successful. Right now, all I have is the fully automatic soul-guided detector and the bionic technology project, which is about to be halted by the higher-ups. Logically speaking, a genius of your caliber should be working for Researcher Wu or Researcher Zhang. They have ample funding, rare metals, and even connections. But me..."

“You guessed right, I’m very interested in one of the topics you researched before,” Lu Cheng said with a smile.

"Which one?" Xuan Ziwen's eyes widened in surprise.

“Neural operating system,” Lu Cheng said, enunciating each word clearly.

"..."

Xuan Ziwen was stunned for a moment, then revealed an expression of understanding: "So you're interested in that thing. Indeed, Mingde Hall previously launched that project, investing money and manpower. I was fortunate enough to participate in it. But in recent years, Mingde Hall has gradually shifted its focus to humanoid mechs. That thing doesn't require mature operating system technology; it only needs rough skin to carry the big iron shell. So the project was shut down by the hall master."

As he spoke, a hint of regret appeared in his eyes: "Child, you have great talent, you shouldn't be putting it into this. Even if you succeed, it will be a thankless task, and the rewards will be far less than what you put in."

"Teacher Xuan, I'm just interested in this, it doesn't mean I'm going to stubbornly stick to it to the end." Lu Cheng smiled, "I'm more interested in humanoid mechs, but the current humanoid mechs are too rudimentary and can be mass-produced. I hope to create high-combat-power, high-tech mechs..."

What is the Body Sect least lacking?

Top-tier expert.

When he returns in a few years, there will probably be one or two more Limit Douluos, not to mention Super Douluos; there will be at least a handful.

The Body Sect is known for its small but elite numbers, unlike the Sun Moon Empire which can mass-produce Soul Masters like a production line. Therefore, it can only focus on its elite forces.

Ordinary soul-guided mechs might even be a burden to the Body Sect experts, who have solidified their combat power into the mechs. They dare not presume to talk about battle armor, and they cannot take too big a step, but at least they must develop a targeted "operating system" that is sufficient to support a Super Douluo-level expert.

Jing Hongchen, does Kong Deming not want to develop humanoid mecha?

No, it's because they couldn't develop an operating system that could rival their own combat power and be compatible with their strong mental strength. The fact that they invested a lot of manpower and resources back then is enough to prove that the Sun Moon Empire never looked down on this aspect; it was just a matter of temporarily suspending and shelving it.

That thing is extremely important; it's the core key linking the Soul Master and the mecha. If they're not compatible, at best, one's mental strength will be damaged, and at worst, one's brain will be destroyed, turning one into an idiot.

"Hmm...that's a good thing." Xuan Ziwen pondered for a moment, then smiled.

"I've always been quite interested in mental operating systems. I was really itching to get my hands on it when the project was halted back then. So, I could take it over and continue my research."

"Won't the academy care? After all, it's classified..." Lu Cheng forced a smile and said nonchalantly.

"No, that project is practically abandoned. Nobody cares about it. Everyone agrees that there won't be any new developments in the field of mental operating systems for at least the next hundred years. The original laboratory has been converted into..."

As Xuan Ziwen spoke, he led Lu Cheng to a huge metal door and swiped his card to enter.

Lu Cheng glanced at it seriously and then checked in.

The metal door that Huo Gua forcibly sawed open in the original story.

“They don’t seem to be here…” Xuan Ziwen scratched his head. “I was planning to introduce you two, but it’s okay. Xiao Lu, this will be your workstation from now on. Our lab conditions might be a bit tough, unlike the other big labs, we don’t have independent…”

“It’s alright, Teacher Xuan. If I were afraid of hardship, I wouldn’t have been able to get into the Imperial Academy,” Lu Cheng interrupted with a smile.

"That's good. I forgot you're from another province." Xuan Ziwen introduced him briefly, then turned and left. As for the assessment of the newly recruited disciples, he had long forgotten about it, and it really wasn't necessary.

In his eyes, what are interns? This is his senior in the lab, his future pride!

After watching Xuan Ziwen leave, Lu Cheng looked around. A familiar feeling, a familiar atmosphere…

The forging table in front of him was large enough to support the polishing of an eighth-level soul guidance array core, and the rare metals on display were also exceptionally complete. It was no wonder that Mingde Hall exuded an air of wealth and power, completely at the opposite extreme from Shrek Academy's soul guidance system.

"Since we're already here..."

Lu Cheng took out two pieces of sludge silver with great satisfaction, placed them on the polishing machine and cut them into two fingernail-sized shapes. Then, he gripped his right hand, and a green carving knife appeared in his palm. He began to carve the shape like a dragon.

Hours passed in the blink of an eye.

As afternoon approached, several figures arrived together, laughing and joking, and passed through the access control to enter the laboratory.