Cheng Ying felt relieved relieved that he hadn't chosen to go congratulate Tang Chen first and forgotten to comfort Dugu Bo.
He could even imagine it: if he had done that, Dugu Bo, standing alone amidst the ruins, holding his broken microscope, would have looked at the three of them from afar with a lonely and desolate expression.
The two of them were only fifteen years old at the most formative stage of their personalities. Perhaps a moment like that could have cast a long shadow over Dugu Bo's entire life, gradually turning his character dark or even extreme.
The saying "A teacher for a day, a father for life" isn't just about the disciple's respect toward the teacher it also serves to remind teachers that they should treat their students as if they were their own children.
Dugu Bo didn't cry for long. In the original story, anyone who could become a Title Douluo might have moments of weakness, but their willpower was unshakable. With Cheng Ying's comfort, his emotions eventually stabilized. Though it was unrealistic to expect him to suddenly like his junior brother, at the very least, he no longer viewed him as an enemy who had stolen away his master's attention.
"When the shop is rebuilt, I'll make you a new microscope," Cheng Ying said apologetically as he looked at the broken instrument in Dugu Bo's hands.
"There's no need. I'll fix this one myself." Dugu Bo shook his head, his expression returning to its usual calm, stoic state.
Seeing this, Cheng Ying was slightly reassured. But at that moment, a large formation of soul masters arrived and surrounded Cheng Ying's small building—or more accurately, surrounded a meteor crater…
All the nearby buildings had been affected, and Cheng Ying's home was the hardest hit. The scene of the black dragon crashing down from the sky had been witnessed by nearly the entire Heaven Dou City. Even though the soul power fluctuations hadn't been strong, the destructive force was undeniable.
In the royal palace, Prince Xue Ye had been handling state affairs when he received word. Thinking Cheng Ying had been attacked, he immediately rushed over with his men—only to be greeted by the sight of that terrifying circular crater.
"Brother Cheng, what happened here?" The crowd parted, revealing Prince Xue Ye riding up on horseback. This was actually the first time Cheng Ying had seen someone riding a horse in this world, and his eyes couldn't help but drift toward the bare horse's back—no saddle, no stirrups.
"Looks like soul masters don't have much need for horseback riding, so saddles and stirrups haven't been invented yet… Let alone horseshoes." These were Cheng Ying's thoughts, but aloud, he replied calmly:
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Just now, my disciple was testing a newly created soul skill. We didn't anticipate its power… and accidentally destroyed my home."
Even Prince Xue Ye couldn't help raising his eyebrows at this. He had ridden here at full speed on his prized thousand-year warhorse, only to find the incident was due to a disciple testing a soul skill?
Still, the sheer power of that soul skill was astonishing… But since it was Cheng Ying's disciple, there was no need to be surprised. Someone worthy of the title "Great Sage" naturally would have a disciple like that.
"I'm glad you're alright, Brother Cheng. Since your home is now gone, why not temporarily move into the palace?" Xue Ye offered.
But Cheng Ying shook his head. "There's no need for the royal palace. As you can see, the things my disciple and I are researching are far too dangerous. If something like this happened inside the palace, it wouldn't end well."
Xue Ye imagined the palace being struck by a falling meteor and couldn't help but nod in agreement. "In that case, forget the palace. But your previous residence did seem somewhat unworthy of your status. Someone, purchase the surrounding properties for Brother Cheng. Rebuild his residence—the Sage's Manor—at the highest specifications, equivalent to a duke's estate."
Over the years, Xue Ye had received many benefits from Cheng Ying and was naturally happy to show goodwill now.
This time, Cheng Ying didn't refuse. Instead, he began to think. A more modern building would be better. The previous two-story home had become quite cramped with four people plus classrooms and laboratories.
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness. But may I ask—how tall is the highest point of the royal palace?"
Xue Ye was momentarily taken aback but quickly understood the implication. In Heaven Dou City, no building was allowed to be taller than the palace. This rule wasn't written in law, but anyone who violated it was just asking for trouble.
It's common sense—if there's a building taller than the palace in the capital, who's really the emperor?
Of course, no one had violated the rule, not only out of respect but because it wasn't feasible. The palace was that tall because it had a massive base. Like the pyramids—tall because of their wide and stable foundations.
According to the system of the Heaven Dou Empire, even if you used the maximum allowable size of a duke's estate, it would be impossible to build something that tall. But since Cheng Ying had asked, it likely meant he did have a way to achieve greater building heights.
"The Heaven Dou royal palace is 169 meters tall. As long as you don't exceed that, Brother Cheng, feel free to build as you please. I'm quite curious to see what kind of miracle structure you'll create," Xue Ye said with a smile.
"One hundred sixty-nine meters, huh…" Cheng Ying did a quick conversion and looked at the stone-brick palace structure. Judging from its size, he came to a conclusion—this continent's material science must have unlocked some kind of black-tech. There's no way ordinary bricks could support that height. The bricks at the bottom would've been crushed.
"That height should be enough. Those masons I've had working lately have done a good job. Time to have them direct the construction of a skyscraper and really hone their skills." Cheng Ying estimated that, with the level of craftsmanship his team had shown while building bridges and roads, constructing a 100-meter-tall building shouldn't be a problem.
"Then let me offer my congratulations in advance, Brother Cheng!" As Xue Ye spoke, he had already bought the deeds for several neighboring properties and handed them to Cheng Ying.
The previous owners all agreed to sell immediately when they heard it was for the Great Sage. One part was out of respect, and the other was because Cheng Ying's compensation had always been more than generous. Even for royal city land, there was no loss.
After Xue Ye and his men left, Cheng Ying brought his group out of the royal city and back to a manor in the countryside. Most of his industry was based here, including his cement plant and steelworks.
Calling it a "steelworks" might be a bit much, but since he had already advanced his tech tree to the point of converter steelmaking, Cheng Ying could proudly say his factory could outclass every blacksmith in Heaven Dou City. Compared to repeatedly hammering metal, this method of pouring molten steel was orders of magnitude more efficient.
The "miracle building" he was planning to construct would be made of reinforced concrete one of the most significant revolutions in human architectural history. It vastly increased building height per unit area, making true skyscrapers a reality.