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With a man of Su Wen's importance—someone who had vanished thin air immediately after circulating those high-quality Mid-Level Soul Tools to the Imperial Family—it was impossible for Elder Yang not to suspect that Su Wen had been forcibly detained.
Even if he hadn't been seized on the spot, his tracks might have been leaked, allowing the Imperial Family to follow the trail back to him. Perhaps Su Wen would be reluctant to join the Imperial Family due to his status as a guest official of the Sun Moon Imperial Cult, but he certainly wouldn't sacrifice his life for the Cult's sake.
On the other hand, the Imperial Family wouldn't abandon the chance to recruit Su Wen just because of a minor city like Ninghai or the loss of two Soul Emperors. They would surely exhaust persuasive measures before resorting to force to extract his secrets. After all, possessing such revolutionary technology wasn't just a matter of luck; it was a manifestation of pure talent.
Elder Yang, who had witnessed Su Wen's entire learning process, felt this deeply. In just a few short months, a man with zero foundation in Soul Tools had rapidly reached a level where he could challenge the rank of High-Level engineer and develop a method to consistently produce "Divine Genius" formations. Such talent was simply inconceivable.
The more Elder Yang understood Su Wen's genius, the more he sighed in helpless frustration. "Sigh, Su Wen..." If you truly have been abducted by the Imperial Family, then the day we finally meet again, we may have no choice but to be enemies.
Radiant City.
Returning to this city, Su Wen felt a profound shift in perspective. The environment of the Sun Moon Continent was worlds apart from that of the Douluo Continent. Though both were landmasses on the same planet, they possessed starkly different styles—and this wasn't due to climate or geography.
Instead, it was a result of the differing habits of the human soul masters.
The entire Sun Moon Continent was permeated with a unique "Artistic Conception." As Su Wen focused, he identified it as a metallic essence. It was particularly heavy in the major human cities, but its epicenter was undoubtedly here, in Radiant City.
"Life on the Douluo Continent is more primitive; the impact on the natural environment is minimal. On the Sun Moon Continent, however, the human footprint is already quite pronounced."
Soul masters on the Douluo Continent did affect the environment—the shrinking size of the Star Dou Great Forest was proof of that—but it was subtle. The Sun Moon Continent was different. Because of the Soul Tool engineers, the mining of rare metals, and the industrial development of Soul Tools, the entire continent vibrated with a specific energy: an atmosphere of exploiting planetary resources to evolve and reshape the environment.
Entering Radiant City, Su Wen noticed the mood was entirely different from his last visit.
"It seems the two superpowers have wasted quite a bit of time hunting for me over the last few months."
He knew his disappearance must have left both sides frantic. This wasn't just about their own growth; it was about the terrifying prospect of their rival gaining an insurmountable edge.
The technology Su Wen possessed could be viewed as a mere trick to improve personal craftsmanship, but on a grander scale, it represented a leap forward for the entire industry. Su Wen never assumed his own thinking was the only cutting-edge logic that no one else could grasp. With so many samples out there, even if he had installed anti-tamper measures, the two superpowers—with their own High-Level and Super-Level engineers—would eventually uncover clues. Even if they had to resort to "violent" disassembly, they would extract useful information.
Walking down the streets of Radiant City, Su Wen radiated his mental strength outward, gathering snippets of interesting conversation.
"Sigh, Brother Li, has the Imperial Family invited you yet?"
"They have. They claim to be gathering elite engineers to deduce a new path for Soul Tool evolution."
"It seems Brother Ma was invited as well."
"Sigh, yes. In the past, I would have refused without a second thought. After all, so many generations of engineers failed to push the craft higher; what could we High-Level engineers possibly achieve?" The speaker, a man named Ma, shook his head and sighed. "Besides, with the current political climate, I wouldn't dare pick a side lightly."
Brother Li nodded in agreement, indicating he felt the same way.
"But... who would have thought the Imperial Family would actually provide a definitive direction this time? I simply couldn't refuse." Brother Ma's eyes shone with a sudden light—a mixture of longing and reverence.
He had been stuck at the rank of High-Level Soul Tool engineer for far too long. Seeing a glimmer of hope now was like a drowning man catching sight of a life raft. He was unwilling to let this chance slip by.
After all, his soul power wasn't a bottleneck; not only had he achieved the rank of a Title Douluo, but he was also a Rank 93 powerhouse—one of the elite on the continent. Yet his talent in Soul Tool engineering had met its limit, leaving him stranded at the threshold of becoming a Super Soul Tool engineer.
Under the current system of the Sun Moon Continent, he could progress no further. But if a new system were truly developed, he might finally break through.
The current Soul Tool technology claimed to lead all the way to Super and Pinnacle ranks, but in reality, it was a path of "morbid extension." Many engineers stuck at the High-Level rank believed their failure to advance wasn't a lack of talent, but a flaw in the system. Brother Ma was one of them.
He refused to believe his innate talent was insufficient. As a youth, his engineering rank had consistently outpaced his cultivation; he had crafted Mid-Level tools as a Soul Elder and High-Level tools as a Soul King. But those glory days were long gone. He had been worn down by the tedious "addition and subtraction" mechanics required to push High-Level power further.
The constant simplification and stacking of formations had eroded his passion, replacing his exploratory curiosity with a singular, grinding obsession for a breakthrough. Now, a path that looked at core formations from an entirely different angle—one that pursued true Ten-Thousand-Year level units—had captivated him soul and body. He knew he would devote the rest of his life to this road.
Brother Li fell silent. He, too, had received the invitation and knew exactly what "direction" Brother Ma was talking about. Unfortunately, while he was a "free man" like Ma, floating outside the two major factions, he found it much harder to sever his existing entanglements.
(End of Chapter)