After agreeing on the gathering time for tomorrow morning, Xu Zihuang and Ke Ke parted ways at the entrance of the sixth-grade teaching building No. 2.
Ke Ke was busy rushing to finish a batch of soul tools to sell in Mingdu tomorrow, so she left first and headed to the Mingde Hall.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy offered many privileges to outstanding students. For example, students admitted to Mingde Hall could receive a free quota of rare metals every month, and the soul tools made from these rare metals belonged entirely to the students themselves.
If Ke Ke hadn't recently emptied all her savings to gather the precious materials needed to make a level-five invincible barrier, leaving her without even enough money for daily expenses, she actually wouldn't have been willing to do this.
After all, for a soul engineer, rare metals were far more attractive than money.
Some rare metals cannot simply be measured by monetary value.
Rare metals were hard currency at any time, while having money did not necessarily mean one could buy those particularly precious rare metals.
This is also illustrated from the side, the astonishing money-making ability of soul engineers. A level-five soul engineer like Ke Ke could casually make a few soul tools to sell and earn a considerable income.
However, using this income to purchase rare metals to support practice in making higher-level soul tools often felt stretched thin.
Although soul engineers were a wealthy group, their usual expenses were also enormous.
The clear and bright soul guidance lamps dotted both sides of the campus path. Xu Zihuang walked slowly toward the dormitory building. There weren't many sixth-grade students at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy to begin with, and since the official holiday started tomorrow, many students without research projects had already left the academy early.
As a result, he didn't encounter a single person on his way.
After returning to the dormitory, Xu Zihuang did not immediately start meditating and cultivating. Instead, he went to the balcony, overlooking the brightly lit Mingdu in the distance, his face showing contemplation.
With his current identity, he couldn't openly take action in Mingdu, but it was still possible for him to secretly learn about the situation in the Sun Moon Empire.
For example, the sensitive issue of the current heir to the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family.
Because of his existence, Jing Hongchen had not sided with Xu Tianran as early as in his memories from his previous life.
The struggle for the throne among the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family was still ongoing.
The one with the loudest support was naturally the current Crown Prince Xu Tianran, but the Third Prince's power was not much weaker than Xu Tianran's, and several other princes were also banding together for warmth.
The rivalry among the three major underground forces entrenched in Mingdu's underworld was a microcosm of this imperial succession struggle.
These three major underground forces were: the Sunset Water Alliance, supported by the Holy Spirit Church, the Ordinary Alliance, controlled by the top noble classes of the Sun Moon Empire, and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce, with a military background.
Wherever there were people, there would be an underworld. This was true whether in the Heaven Dou, Star Luo, or Sun Moon Empires.
The reason these underground forces could thrive for so long was precisely because of the support from the big figures behind them.
Xu Zihuang knew of at least two. The Sunset Water Alliance had grown strong thanks to Xu Tianran's help, and in turn, this Sunset Water Alliance, controlled by the Holy Spirit Church, would definitely support Xu Tianran's ascension. As for the Third Prince, he had deep connections in the Sun Moon Empire's military, so the Aodu Chamber of Commerce would undoubtedly stand on his side.
As for the Ordinary Alliance, the interests involved within were even more complicated.
The main purpose of Xu Zihuang's trip around Mingdu this time was to gather information on these matters.
While his thoughts were racing in his mind, a knock sounded on the dormitory door.
He knowingly closed the crystal French windows and curtains on the balcony edge, then walked to the door and opened it.
Standing at the door were Fan Yu and He Caitou.
Half a year had passed, and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had gradually relaxed its vigilance toward them. Although Xu Zihuang and He Caitou had improved considerably in their soul engineering abilities, the speed of their improvement was ultimately within an acceptable range for the academy.
For gatherings like this, where the three of them met in the dormitory to talk, the academy's higher-ups still wouldn't go so far as to install special soul tools for surveillance.
Of course, even if they wanted to, Xu Zihuang would discover it in advance.
"Teacher Fan Yu, Senior Brother He, please come in." Xu Zihuang invited the two inside. He Caitou, who entered last, cautiously closed the door behind him.
Fan Yu solemnly asked Xu Zihuang, "How is Tianhuang doing?"
Xu Zihuang nodded, then took out a stack of drawn blueprints from his storage soul tool. These were the design blueprints he had copied while observing other soul engineers making soul tools in Mingde Hall using his Golden Eyes martial soul.
His powerful mental strength and the innate ability granted by the Golden Eyes martial soul allowed him to remember the production steps and details of those soul tools without the slightest error. It didn't take much time to draw them out again when he returned to the dormitory.
There were seven complete blueprints in total, mainly recording close-combat soul tools. This was also the research direction he focused on in the field of soul engineering.
"These are the complete design blueprints I memorised over the past six months. I think they should be of some help to the development of the academy's soul tool department."
Each of the seven blueprints recorded the production method of a level-seven soul tool. These might save Shrek Academy decades of research in soul tools, but catching up to Mingde Hall's most advanced soul guidance technology was still unrealistic.
Handing these over to Shrek Academy didn't burden him psychologically. Having received so many benefits from Shrek Academy, he naturally had to give something in return, while also showing a bit of his sense of belonging to Shrek Academy.
Fan Yu almost impatiently began flipping through the blueprints, the excitement in his eyes growing stronger.
"Some help? These are complete production methods for seven different level-seven soul tools!"
The value of these seven blueprints to Shrek Academy's soul tool department even surpassed that of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
He Caitou was excited but also somewhat embarrassed as he rubbed his big bald head.
He didn't have Xu Zihuang's kind of ability. Although he had personally witnessed the production of a level-seven stationary soul cannon shell before, he couldn't replicate it.
Then Xu Zihuang took out another blueprint from his storage soul tool.
"Teacher Fan Yu, when you send the blueprints back to the academy, please also give one to Ning Tian for me."
"Alright." Fan Yu looked at Xu Zihuang with a smile for a moment before readily agreeing.
These blueprints were all provided by Yu Tianhuang, so such a request was perfectly reasonable.
"No time to delay. I'll go send these blueprints back through the academy's secret channel right now."
With that, Fan Yu hurriedly left. Only Xu Zihuang and He Caitou remained in the dormitory.
He Caitou looked at Xu Zihuang and grinned honestly. "Tianhuang, it seems you really care a lot about junior sister Ning Tian."
However, at that moment, Xu Zihuang's gaze became exceptionally deep and indifferent. He moved his lips.
"Imperial Brother, what are you talking about?"
Xu Zihuang's voice, transmitted through soul power, rang in his ears. The confusion in He Caitou's eyes instantly vanished, and he stared at Xu Zihuang in silence for a long time.
He realised that not only was his talent far inferior to this imperial younger brother, but even in mindset and enlightenment, they were not on the same level.
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