The next day, under everyone's watchful eyes, Xu Tianxi emerged from his single room and followed Jing Hongchen to the entrance exam site.
"Tianxi, you already know the requirements. This is just a formality, so feel free to do whatever you want," Jing Hongchen said, patting Xu Tianxi's shoulder, reassuring him not to feel pressured and to relax.
Xu Tianxi hummed in acknowledgment and walked over to the metal workbench in the center of the area. He picked up a standard engraving knife with his right hand and pulled a piece of metal towards him with his left. With practiced ease, he began to work on the rare metal. The blade in his hand glinted coldly as he carved the patterns of a magic array, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Lin Jiayi exclaimed in surprise, "Dean, he's incredibly fast! It seems like he's going straight for a Tier 2 Soul Guided Device."
Jing Hongchen's gaze remained fixed, and he murmured, "His technique doesn't look like someone who can only engrave Tier 2 Soul Guided core arrays..."
"You mean..."
"There aren't enough materials on the table; it might limit his performance."
Half an hour later, Xu Tianxi hammered and shaped, completing the molding, casting, quenching, and grinding of the Soul Guided Device's outer shell on the workbench. The onlookers were dazzled, their eyes gradually narrowing into slits.
They were very familiar with this object: a Fixed Soul Cannon Shell and its launcher, and a Tier 2 one at that!
"My Soul Guided Device is ready," Xu Tianxi said, raising the loaded Tier 2 Fixed Soul Cannon and waving it at Lin Jiayi as a greeting.
"Dean, this..." Lin Jiayi's forehead broke out in a cold sweat as he looked at Jing Hongchen with a troubled expression.
Never before in the entrance examinations had anyone created a Tier 2 Fixed Soul Cannon Shell, especially not in just half an hour! They had given them a full day!
Among the three major types of Soul Guided Devices, Fixed Soul Guided Devices were the most powerful and the most expensive. The difficulty of producing a Tier 2 Fixed Soul Cannon Shell was higher than many Tier 3 Soul Guided Devices!
Moreover, the power of this thing was far more terrifying than the attacks of most Tier 4 Soul Guided Devices. One shot could instantly kill a hundred-year Soul Beast, and even weaker thousand-year Soul Beasts would be sent straight to the King of Hell. What was the point of an assessment then?
"Proceed with the assessment as usual," Jing Hongchen ordered with his eyes closed. He now probably understood why Xu Tianxi's senior martial uncle had acquired so many Fixed Soul Cannon Shells.
The obsessive look in this child's eyes when he was making the cannon shell didn't seem fake, and his technique was astonishingly skilled, far exceeding the level of a Tier 2 Soul Engineer. He must have made Tier 3 or higher Fixed Soul Cannon Shells before.
Even a Tier 3 Soul Engineer would have to be extremely cautious when making a Tier 2 Fixed Soul Cannon Shell, as one wrong step would mean starting all over again. Yet, Xu Tianxi's movements were as fluid as flowing clouds, indicating that his skill was top-tier even among Tier 3 Soul Engineers.
His talent in Soul Guided Devices was definitely no less than Xiao's!
"Awoo~!"
The hundred-year earth wolf used for the assessment was released from its cage, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at Xu Tianxi.
Xu Tianxi flashed backward, set up the rocket launcher-like cannon, and pressed the button. A cannon shell with a high-temperature effect shot out with a trail of fire.
Boom!
The cannon shell exploded with a shockwave. The hundred-year earth wolf painlessly departed amidst the light and heat, leaving behind a hundred-year Soul Ring.
"Don't waste it, quickly collect it," Jing Hongchen ordered upon seeing this.
Lin Jiayi immediately went down and collected the hundred-year Soul Ring with a special Soul Guided Device capable of storing Soul Rings.
"Excellent, perfectly passed!"
Jing Hongchen led the applause, looking at Xu Tianxi meaningfully and praising, "Your talent is enough to directly enter the fourth year. Do you want to join a class directly, or start from the first year?"
"I haven't even taken the certification exams, and I haven't learned various knowledge yet. Of course, I'll start from the basics of the first year. A tall building starts from solid ground, after all," Xu Tianxi said with a smile.
Jing Hongchen hummed in agreement. "Good! Then from now on, you'll report to the first-year class. Director Lin and I will closely follow your studies throughout. As long as you can pass the certification exams of sufficient levels, I'll grant you special permission to skip grades at any time. I look forward to you breaking the record set by Xiao."
"Oh, Xiao, did you see Tianxi's strength? You should feel a sense of urgency... Hey Xiao, what's wrong?"
Xu Tianxi looked over and saw that Xiao Hongchen, who had been fine just moments ago, now had an extremely solemn expression, his brows tightly furrowed, as if lost in thought.
Meng Hongchen covered her face and pushed Xiao Hongchen aside, waving her hand and chuckling awkwardly, "It's nothing, nothing. He didn't sleep well last night. He'll be fine after he gets some more sleep."
Jing Hongchen and Xu Tianxi gently nodded, both tacitly choosing not to acknowledge it.
Young people are under a lot of pressure, understandable.
"By the way, young Xu, do you have any other requests? Feel free to ask."
"As for requests... I plan to use my mother's surname for a while. You can just call me Kong Tianxi. I'd appreciate it if you, Dean, could keep it a secret for me."
"Why?"
"I have a few acquaintances in the former three kingdoms, and I want to give them a surprise in a couple of years."
"I was truly foolish, absolutely."
Xiao Hongchen raised his dull eyes and continued, "I only knew that Xu Tianxi hadn't passed the certifications and could only make simple Soul Guided Devices. I never expected him to specialize in the most difficult to produce Fixed Soul Cannon Shells, and with such astonishing skill!"
"From the spirited look in his eyes when he was making the cannon shells, I can tell this guy is a seasoned expert. Forget Tier 2 Fixed Soul Cannon Shells, he's probably even tried making Tier 3, or even Tier 4 ones!"
Meng Hongchen asked curiously, "Why are you so sure?"
"Heh! As the number one genius of the Sun Moon Empire for a thousand years, I understand that unique arrogance of a genius too well. People like us love to challenge limits! He definitely wouldn't be content with idleness; he must have challenged Tier 4 Fixed Soul Cannon Shells!"
Xiao Hongchen said with absolute certainty, his eyebrows dancing.
Meng Hongchen looked around at their current location and asked, puzzled,
"So this is why you dragged me to the roof of the first-year classroom to eavesdrop on their class? Sneaking around isn't really a genius's style, is it?"
"Ahem, ahem, ahem, wasn't I just trying to understand him better? Geniuses need encouragement too, that's how they progress faster."
Xiao Hongchen lightly coughed a few times, then his face filled with emotion, and he sighed deeply.
"Meng, you don't know how lonely I've been at the academy these past few years. It's rare to finally see a genius who might catch up to me. I'm just too excited."
Meng Hongchen turned her head away from him, silently reminding him, "Little Xu has finished his self-introduction. Director Lin has gone up to substitute."
"Huh? Director Lin is actually going to teach a class? That's rare. But it won't be another bunch of boring nonsense that makes you want to fall asleep, will it?"
"...I think you're right."
Meng Hongchen looked at Lin Jiayi, who was writing "From a long-term perspective, will Soul Engineers completely replace Soul Masters?" on the blackboard, and couldn't help but sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead.
These old fogeys just loved to ramble on. They wouldn't teach anything truly useful. Wouldn't explaining some high-end Soul Guided Devices be better than this?
"Students, today I'm here to discuss the future development trends of Soul Guided Devices with you. Our academy has always believed that once Soul Guided technology develops to a sufficiently high level, that is, when Soul Guided Devices can be used without injecting Soul Power, the profession of Soul Master will be replaced and disappear into the long river of history."
"However, there is also a completely different voice in academia. They believe that the development of Soul Masters is also of paramount importance. For today's topic, please feel free to express your thoughts, students. I, an old fogey, will listen attentively, taking it as an opportunity to hear your young ideas."
On the podium, Lin Jiayi, enjoying the admiring gazes of many students, finished his opening remarks with measured cadence. The students below immediately began chattering, offering their opinions.
"I believe Soul Guided Devices are all-purpose. A Soul Master's Soul Skills are at most nine, how can that compare to the variety of Soul Guided Devices?"
"I, on the other hand, think the importance of Soul Master cultivation shouldn't be overlooked. Sometimes you might even get unexpected Soul Skills."
"How many gifted Soul Masters are there in our Sun Moon Empire? If you want unique Soul Skills, you need a powerful Martial Soul."
"Researching Soul Guided Devices consumes a lot of energy, leaving little energy for Martial Soul cultivation. I think the two cannot be achieved simultaneously; one can only cultivate as a Soul Engineer. Don't forget that a Soul Engineer can turn a Soul Master of the same level into a hornet's nest if they keep their distance..."
"In a one-on-one fight, a powerful Soul Master might be able to defeat a Soul Engineer, but in an organized battle, a Soul Guided army can blow an equally sized Soul Master army sky high, unless the opposing side has Title Douluo-level powerhouses arrayed..."
"..."
All sorts of noisy sounds entered Lin Jiayi's ears. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and his gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Xu Tianxi, who had remained silent the entire time.
The Dean had specifically emphasized teaching according to aptitude. He needed to first understand Xu Tianxi's views on Soul Guided Devices.
"Everyone's speeches have been very meaningful, but I still want to hear more voices. Kong Tianxi, do you have any unique insights?"
When the director spoke, the classroom instantly fell silent. All the students silently cast attentive glances, anticipating the temporary transfer student's opinion.
"My understanding of Soul Guided Devices is still very shallow, but in my personal opinion... I believe that neither pure Soul Masters nor pure Soul Engineers are the ultimate direction of historical development."
Xu Tianxi, who had been silently pondering the technology tree of the Douluo Continent over ten thousand years and summarizing the theoretical knowledge of Soul Guided Devices, was not flustered by being suddenly called upon. He unhurriedly stood up, gazing at Lin Jiayi, and slowly said:
"I believe that from the perspective of optimal individual development, one should base themselves on their personal Martial Soul abilities, combining Soul Guided Devices with their Martial Soul or the Soul Master themselves, complementing weaknesses or enhancing strengths, to reach the peak of individual power."
"In my view, developing Soul Guided Devices and Soul Master abilities are not inherently contradictory. It's just that in the original three kingdoms, they generally looked down on the role of Soul Guided Devices, while here, the power of individual Soul Masters is somewhat insufficient, leading many people to fall into the misconception that 'Soul Guided Devices and Soul Masters are incompatible.'"
"As for the military level, I know nothing about armies, so I won't comment, lest I make a fool of myself."
In a nutshell: Soul Masters and Soul Guided Devices are not incompatible.