Xuan Ziwen's interest was immediately piqued by the title of the thesis. He quickly grabbed the paper and began to read it carefully.
Xiao Hongchen beside him was not too concerned. Wang Lin had already discussed the application of the Soul Guide Machine with him while researching it.
From his perspective, the part about the rail-based Soul-Powered Vehicles indeed had great prospects, but this prospect was based on the premise that the Sun Moon Empire could unify the continent.
"Wang Lin, you've been contemplating this part of the content?"
Xuan Ziwen, who had roughly finished the paper, looked up. His ideal was to research more powerful, practical, and innovative Soul Tools.
Wang Lin's mention of mass transit using rail-based Soul-Powered Vehicles perfectly aligned with his ideal, truly realizing the concept of making Soul Tools serve the people.
This undoubtedly provided a new way of thinking for the civilian application of Soul Tools.
"Of course, Teacher Xuan. This should be the future of Soul Tools," Wang Lin nodded. He knew what Xuan Ziwen was excited about. He was merely proposing the concept of rail transport prematurely.
With the advent of the Soul Guide Machine, the emergence of rail transport was inevitable, but they would take many detours in the process.
What Wang Lin had done and would continue to do was to convert the technological crystallization of his past life into Soul Tool technology, and then, acting as a guide, propose mature concepts to point the Soul Engineers of this world in the right direction.
As for becoming a pure researcher, Wang Lin hadn't considered it. He was realistic about his own abilities, knowing he wasn't cut out for it, and any achievements he could think of were merely borrowing the ideas of others.
The technical research should be left to pure researchers like Xuan Ziwen.
"Excellent. Your proposal for the rail-based Soul-Powered Vehicle is an inevitable future trend."
As an eight-rank Soul Engineer, Xuan Ziwen could already envision a future where railways covered the entire continent, and steel Soul-Powered Vehicles, like fierce beasts, traversed the land.
Thinking this, Xuan Ziwen's eyes sparkled. He grabbed Wang Lin's hand again.
"Wang Lin, how about taking me as your Master? If you become my disciple, I will directly take you into the Mingde Hall for study and dedicate all my resources to teaching you, ensuring you reach the Nine-Rank Soul Engineer level..."
"Uh..." Wang Lin was dumbfounded. Didn't Xuan Ziwen know his identity? He wanted to take him as a disciple after only a brief conversation.
"Teacher Xuan is indeed capable of that." Xiao Hongchen also spoke up at this moment. Although Xuan Ziwen was currently only an eight-rank Soul Engineer, that was only due to the restriction of his soul power level.
Based solely on the remote monitoring Soul Tool technology Xuan Ziwen had researched, once his soul power cultivation broke through, the Mingde Hall would personally arrange for someone to take him soul hunting, and he would subsequently be promoted to a Nine-Rank Soul Engineer. This was a certainty.
"The apprenticeship isn't necessary. I'll simply follow you to study in the future, and I'll share any ideas I have." Wang Lin shook his head. He was clear about his own identity.
Studying under Xuan Ziwen was fine, but an apprenticeship was not. Xuan Ziwen was a pure researcher. There was no need to drag him into these messy affairs.
Wang Lin wasn't Huo Yuhao. Since he was already enrolled in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, there was no need to deceive Xuan Ziwen. It was better to let Xuan Ziwen focus on his research at the academy.
"Teacher Xuan, please help me submit this thesis for review. Wang Lin just returned, so I'll take him for a tour first."
Xiao Hongchen also knew Wang Lin's identity. Seeing that Xuan Ziwen still had something to say, he quickly pulled Wang Lin away, winking at him.
Without waiting for Xuan Ziwen's reply, he pulled Wang Lin out of the classroom.
Xuan Ziwen held the thesis for a moment, then shook his head, sat down at his desk, and continued to study Wang Lin's paper.
Outside the laboratory,
Xiao Hongchen pulled Wang Lin downstairs, walking a good distance until they reached the edge of the central lake in the academy.
It was currently class time, so there weren't many people by the lake, only a few scattered individuals. Even so, Xiao Hongchen looked around seriously for a while.
Only then did he speak in a low voice close to Wang Lin's ear.
"I couldn't say it just now, Wang Lin. Be careful. That Ju Zi is someone from the Palace."
Seeing Xiao Hongchen's serious demeanor, Wang Lin smiled and nodded: "Don't worry about that. My family told me."
Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief: "As long as you know."
"It's not busy now. How about we go exchange that soul bone?"
Sitting by the lake, Xiao Hongchen looked at the sparkling surface of the water and suddenly suggested.
"You're not busy, but that doesn't mean your grandfather isn't."
Wang Lin shook his head and told Xiao Hongchen about the morning's events.
"An exchange student program, huh? How about you come with me to Shrek Academy? Oh, Little Meng is going too."
Xiao Hongchen suddenly suggested when he heard this.
"Already decided internally? Worthy of being the grandson of the Hall Master."
Wang Lin teased. Xiao Hongchen immediately punched Wang Lin: "You guy, you still haven't said if you're going or not!"
"Of course I'm not going."
In Xiao Hongchen's expectant gaze, Wang Lin cruelly refused.
"Why?"
"No reason. I'm actually very puzzled why you want to go."
Wang Lin shook his head. Xiao Hongchen explained: "Shrek Academy far surpasses the Sun Moon Academy in Soul Master instruction. Of course, I want to go study there."
"That's just bragging." Wang Lin waved his hand and said faintly.
"Although your Martial Soul mutated to include divine beast bloodline, its essence is still the traditional Golden Toad Martial Soul of the Hongchen family. Why do you believe Shrek Academy's research on the Golden Toad Martial Soul is superior to your own family's?
Also, the path of the Soul Master has already reached its peak over the past ten thousand years. Do you really believe Shrek Academy has cultivated so many powerhouses because they teach well?"
"Is that not true?" Xiao Hongchen seemed confused by Wang Lin's implication.
"Of course not. Let me ask you, what is the admission standard for Shrek Academy's Inner Court?" Wang Lin asked next.
"Uh, only recruiting monsters?"
Xiao Hongchen hadn't participated in the Shrek Academy Inner Court admission assessment, so he only knew the academy's perpetual public slogan.
"So, Little Xiao, don't you understand? Shrek Academy's model has always been to recruit a batch of the most top-tier geniuses, and then proclaim that they teach well and cultivate well. Isn't that just showing off for no reason?"
Wang Lin shook his head as he spoke. "A monster is a monster, regardless of where they are."
Setting aside the past ten thousand years, just look at the generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters that later included Huo Yuhao. Besides Jiang Nanann, whose talent was slightly weaker.
Which one of the others wasn't monstrous? Even the seemingly weakest Xiao Xiao could use two Martial Souls simultaneously.
"My advice is don't go. If you must, cultivate under me. I can guarantee that the training methods will be the same as Shrek Academy's."
Wang Lin sincerely didn't want Xiao Hongchen to waste his talent by running off to Shrek Academy. Running with weights—it wasn't like he couldn't take Xiao Hongchen along for a run.
"I still want to go see." Xiao Hongchen clenched his fist, clearly having not extinguished the idea of going to Shrek Academy.