Douluo: Two brothers in douluo (completed)

Li Si did not disappoint Qing Hongchen. His success rate in crafting Level 1 soul tools was nearly 100%.

Even a Level 3 Soul Engineer couldn't guarantee such a high success rate!

Watching Li Si work, Qing Hongchen marveled at his smooth and precise movements, which seemed like a work of art.

He couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Truly, a genius was worthy of being called a genius!

"In terms of Level 1 soul tools, you've reached the pinnacle. Even I can't claim to be much better than you! Excellent!"

Qing Hongchen praised him without hesitation. The student he had taken a liking to not only met his expectations but also gave him a pleasant surprise.

"Thank you for the compliment, Instructor Qing," Li Si replied humbly.

With his soul power and mental strength, crafting a Level 1 soul tool was effortless for him.

If he knew the knowledge and principles behind Level 7 or 8 soul tools, he could probably craft them too, given his current strength.

However, one must take things step by step. Skipping the basics to aim for the advanced was not Li Si's style.

"No need to be so modest! I rarely praise anyone, so just take it," Qing Hongchen said matter-of-factly.

"Here, take this—it's the knowledge for Level 2 soul tools. Study it carefully. If you need any materials, just take them; no need to ask for approval."

After saying this, Qing Hongchen retrieved a book from his storage soul tool and handed it to Li Si.

With a genius like Li Si, there was no need to teach him much. Providing him with key knowledge points and marking areas to focus on was enough.

Too much guidance could actually hinder a genius's creativity, which would do more harm than good.

Qing Hongchen's goal was to nurture a Level 9 Soul Engineer, not another Level 7 like himself.

"Thank you, Instructor Qing!" Li Si said, bowing in gratitude.

Qing Hongchen valued him so highly that it left Li Si feeling a little embarrassed.

Free access to soul tool knowledge and materials was unheard of for anyone else!

Qing Hongchen nodded in satisfaction. Though he often claimed not to care for formalities, on the Sun-Moon Continent, few people dared to forgo showing him respect.

A Level 7 Soul Engineer was no weakling!

Compared to Soul Sages on the Douluo Continent, Level 7 Soul Engineers on the Sun-Moon Continent held even greater prestige.

Not only were Level 7 Soul Engineers as strong as Soul Saints, but the soul tools they created were also incredibly powerful.

"By the way, while studying soul tool knowledge, don't neglect your soul power cultivation. To become a top-tier Soul Engineer, a high soul power level is fundamental!

Without sufficient soul power, no matter how talented you are, it's nearly impossible to craft soul tools of higher levels," Qing Hongchen reminded him gravely.

Without enough soul power, both the engraving of inscriptions and the powering of the tools were limited.

At present, there was no technology for storing soul power.

Many geniuses were stuck at a bottleneck due to insufficient soul power, unable to progress further in their lifetimes.

Thus, soul power was the foundation for Soul Engineers.

While Soul Engineers didn't rely on martial souls as much, soul power was indispensable.

"Understood, Instructor," Li Si replied earnestly.

"Haha, no need to rush. You're still young and full of potential," Qing Hongchen said, patting Li Si's shoulder.

As he turned to leave, Qing Hongchen seemed to remember something. His eyes lit up as he said,

"That silver-haired girlfriend of yours—she has great talent in soul tools. If she's willing, she's welcome to come to me with any questions."

"As for the other one…"

At this, Qing Hongchen's expression twitched. If not for Li Si's influence, he might have already expelled Xiao Wu.

The girl had zero talent for soul tools!

It wasn't a matter of insufficient soul power or mental strength—she simply had no aptitude at all!

That said, her combat abilities were quite strong, which was a shame.

"The other one… let her be," Qing Hongchen sighed and left.

Li Si: "???"

His mind was filled with question marks. What had Xiao Wu done to make a Level 7 Soul Engineer sigh like that?

Could it be that Xiao Wu's talent was so poor it was hopeless?

Actually, yes—it wasn't even about poor talent. Xiao Wu simply had no talent!

This was what made it so frustrating.

Despite passing the entrance assessments, she just couldn't grasp the subject. What could anyone do about that?

"Judging by Instructor Qing's reaction, Gu Yuena's talent must be extraordinary," Li Si thought to himself.

He didn't need to guess—she was the Silver Dragon King, after all.

During the entrance assessments, she had probably held back.

The cultivation of Soul Engineers was different from that of Soul Masters. After being assigned a mentor, students usually worked independently unless they needed help.

After all, mentors were busy with their own research and didn't have much time to teach.

Most mentors only taught the basics and then left students to their own devices. Gu Yuena was no exception, so she spent most of her time researching in her private workshop.

Li Si, however, was different. During the entrance exam, he had demonstrated exceptional talent for soul tools.

After just three days of study, he could craft a Level 1 soul tool on his own. How could Qing Hongchen not be thrilled?

This was the potential of a Level 9 Soul Engineer!

A Level 9 Soul Engineer was the backbone of the empire.

Even emperors had to treat them with utmost respect.

There were fewer than five Level 9 soul tools on the entire Sun-Moon Continent, underscoring the rarity and value of Level 9 Soul Engineers.

To qualify as a Level 9 Soul Engineer, one had to independently craft three Level 9 soul tools.

If someone crafted just one Level 9 soul tool by chance, they would be considered a quasi-Level 9 Soul Engineer—a step above Level 8 but not quite Level 9.

Such cases were relatively common.

Li Si had forgotten the standards for becoming a Level 9 Soul Engineer in the far future, but the current requirements remained stringent.

A Level 9 Soul Engineer was the apex of power on the Sun-Moon Continent!

After putting away the Level 2 soul tool manual, Li Si glanced at the Level 1 soul tool on the table.

Since Qing Hongchen hadn't asked for it to be turned in, it was now Li Si's to keep.

The soul tool was only palm-sized and resembled a chest guard.

Its purpose was purely defensive.

By injecting soul power, it could generate an "Invincible Shield" capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Soul Master.

Even a Grandmaster would need to go all out to break through its defenses.

However, the shield's duration was brief—only one second.

Afterward, the soul tool would be destroyed, making it a one-time-use item.

For Li Si, such a soul tool was utterly useless; his physical strength alone surpassed the shield's defensive capability.

(End of chapter)