Kong Xuan's strength was absolutely unrivaled among those of his rank.
Even though he could already defeat Spirit Engineers of the four-ring Spirit Ancestor level, with only two rings, he still felt a bit insecure.
So, even though the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was not far from the imperial palace in the center of Capital City, having Xuan Ziwen accompany him made Kong Xuan feel much more at ease.
The metal wheels of the spirit tool carriage rolled over the accumulated snow, leaving two faint tracks on the bluestone road outside the palace walls.
Kong Xuan looked out the window at the constantly receding gilded palace lanterns and the increasingly familiar sights around him; he knew he was getting closer to home.
There were no incidents along the way. Under Xuan Ziwen's escort, the two did not return home directly, as they both knew Kong Deming would not be at home at this time.
After turning a corner, the three got out of the carriage. The Hall of Worship of the Sun Moon Empire was right before them.
Compared to his home several hundred meters away, the Hall of Worship was where Kong Deming spent most of his time.
Xuan Ziwen had already changed out of the clothes he usually wore at the academy, donning a silver-white robe specially made for the Hall of Worship, with intricate spirit tool patterns embroidered on the hem, subtly fluttering with his steps.
Kong Xuan and Kong Ling followed behind him, passing through the Hall of Worship's tall, arched corridor.
The light inside the hall was not dazzling; instead, it had a soft, silver-blue hue.
Countless tiny spirit tool crystals floated on the dome, slowly revolving like stars.
On the walls on both sides, portraits of past worshipers and design blueprints of spirit tools were displayed interchangeably, each emanating faint spirit power fluctuations.
"Grandmaster Xuan!"
A Soul Engineer in a dark blue uniform saluted respectfully.
Although members of the Hall of Worship were powerful Soul Engineers of the Sun Moon Empire, not only high-level Soul Engineers worked there, but also their disciples and personnel for daily maintenance and management.
Xuan Ziwen nodded slightly, his steps unbroken.
Along the way, many people greeted him voluntarily.
Whether they were other personnel of the Hall of Worship or official members with higher cultivation, they all held great goodwill towards Xuan Ziwen, Kong Deming's disciple and a genius of the younger generation.
After turning right at the end of the corridor and walking a few steps, an old man with a ruddy complexion but a somewhat bald head approached them.
However, the patterns on his robe indicated that this old man was a ninth-rank Soul Engineer!
This time, Xuan Ziwen took the initiative to speak: "Greetings, Martial Uncle!"
Kong Xuan and Kong Ling also said in unison from behind: "Hello, Grandpa Ye."
This old man was named Ye Yulin, a worshiper of the Hall of Worship, a ninth-rank Soul Engineer, titled Starry Sky!
Looking at the approaching group, Ye Yulin's face showed a gentle smile: "Ziwen, you're back."
Then he tilted his head, looked at the two behind him, and smiled: "Are you two little ones also on holiday?"
Kong Xuan nodded: "Yes, Grandpa Ye, the semester is over, and the academy is on holiday."
Kong Xuan and Kong Ling had been brought to the Hall of Worship by Kong Deming many times over the past two years, so many people here were very familiar with them.
Ye Yulin clearly had other matters and did not linger. He said: "The Hall Master is in Laboratory Seven. If you're looking for him, just go directly."
This statement made Xuan Ziwen change his route and head straight for Laboratory Seven.
After turning past a large metal door engraved with spirit tool patterns, Xuan Ziwen finally stopped.
Ahead, a heavy spirit tool alloy door slowly opened, and an aged voice came from behind the door.
"You're here?"
Kong Deming stood before the experiment table, holding a spirit tool core emitting an icy blue light, and looked up at them with a smile in his eyes.
Evidently, with Kong Deming's mental force, he already knew who was standing at the door before it opened.
"Grandfather!"
Kong Ling cheered and ran over.
Kong Xuan remained in place; the mature soul within him prevented him from acting like his younger sister.
Xuan Ziwen smiled slightly: "Teacher, I have completed the task you gave me!"
Kong Deming glanced at his proud disciple: "You've worked hard."
However, he then frowned and added: "You must be diligent in your spirit power cultivation. If it weren't for the drag of your spirit power, you would already be an eighth-rank Soul Engineer."
He naturally did not want his disciple to go through the same hardships he had experienced.
"Teacher, don't worry, I have never slackened in my spirit power cultivation!"
"Teacher, you and your grandchildren haven't seen each other for a long time. I won't disturb you!"
With that, Xuan Ziwen quickly turned and left, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
Even though he was over thirty years old and a widely respected spirit tool genius, in front of his teacher, he was merely a student, naturally subject to his teacher's bloodline suppression.
Watching Xuan Ziwen's retreating back, Kong Deming snorted.
Then, when he turned his gaze to his grandson and granddaughter, his face immediately broke into a wide smile again.
Kong Deming patted his granddaughter's head, then looked at Kong Xuan, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes: "How was this semester?"
Before Kong Xuan could answer, Kong Ling eagerly interjected: "Big Brother is amazing! Even four-ring Spirit Engineers are no match for him..."
Once Kong Ling started speaking, she couldn't stop, seemingly wanting to recount everything that had happened to them both at the academy.
Kong Deming, however, showed no sign of annoyance, listening with a chuckle.
In fact, he knew all about these matters.
Although he hadn't personally visited the academy to see them, given Kong Deming's concern for them, Xuan Ziwen had to report everything that happened at school to him.
Only after Kong Ling finally stopped speaking did Kong Deming nod with a smile: "It seems you two had a good time at the academy and even made friends."
It was at this moment that Kong Xuan finally had a chance to interject.
"Grandfather, how is the research on battle armor progressing?"
Due to Kong Xuan's "firepower deficiency phobia," after awakening his Spirit, he had racked his brains trying to find ways to improve his strength.
Among these, battle armor was a key focus.
Transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, researching Spirit souls and battle armor seemed to be the standard procedure.
Compared to others who had to explore on their own, Kong Xuan had a significant advantage: his teacher, Yun Ming, in his sea of mental force.
Yun Ming was truly a person from ten thousand years in the future, and he himself was a Four-Word Battle Armor Master.
Although Yun Ming's chosen sub-profession back then was only a mecha designer, he was not entirely clueless about forging, manufacturing, and repair.
Under Kong Xuan's persistent coaxing, Yun Ming also spent some effort organizing his knowledge into a book, which he gave to Kong Xuan.
Finally, Kong Xuan, using the name of a divine force, handed this "precious" information to Kong Deming.
As the most powerful Soul Engineer of this era, Kong Deming was instantly captivated by battle armor, and immediately decided to halt other research and dedicate all his efforts to developing battle armor!
Afterward, Kong Deming was so busy that he rarely returned home, which could ultimately be attributed to the "information" Kong Xuan had given him.
Now, more than a year had passed, and Kong Xuan was very curious: how far had Kong Deming's research on battle armor progressed?
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