Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

Night fell.

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

The experimental area was still brightly lit.

Especially on the lower floors, which were packed to the brim.

"They... aren't going to the welcome party?" Xu Cheng's mouth twitched.

Judging by the school uniforms, at least half of the people here, over three hundred, were first-year freshmen.

"It's normal. Everyone wants to be the grind king, secretly grinding for a semester, then stunning everyone," Xiao Hongchen waved his hand dismissively. "Believe it or not, many of them were joking this morning, saying whoever grinds is a loser and definitely going to the welcome party to check out the girls. But now, here they are, all gathered here by coincidence..."

"What's there to grind for, really..." Xu Cheng frowned.

"You have no right to say that. I can see it now—you're the biggest grind king in the entire first year!" Xiao Hongchen scoffed.

As he spoke, Xiao Hongchen walked up to a metal door, flipped his hand, and pulled out a silver-white card.

"Ding, Level 3 card, identity: Xiao Hongchen, verification passed!"

"Buzz!"

The metal door slowly opened.

It was a simple elevator.

The two stepped inside.

The interior wasn't entirely metal; there was also a layer of glass. As the metal elevator rose, Xu Cheng could clearly see the view expanding. The bustling experimental area below was reflected in his crimson eyes.

Among them, a few students glanced at him, their eyes filled with envy...

During class earlier.

Lin Jiayi had mentioned that Level 1 and 2 soul engineers could only experiment on the first floor. Of course, the equipment there was more than sufficient for their needs.

Above that, the second floor was for Level 3 to 4 soul engineers.

As for Level 5 and above, most were graduates. Similar to universities in his previous life, they joined a Mingde Hall instructor's lab for research and no longer needed to come to the experimental building...

"Buzz!"

With a metallic sound.

The door opened.

In his field of vision, compared to the crowded first floor, this place felt much more spacious.

Moreover, the experimental areas seemed to be sealed off with metal partitions, making it impossible to see inside from the outside. The privacy was well-maintained, and the space was noticeably more spacious.

Walking up to a workstation.

Xu Cheng examined it, feeling the texture of the metal. Clearly, just in terms of hardness, it was more than a step above the workstations on the first floor. The metal molds and circuit materials were also of higher quality.

"Here, Level 1 soul tools. These core formations were all carved by me when I first enrolled. As per your request, they're the most... basic ones, including long-range and close-combat soul tools."

"As for fixed soul tools, the lowest level is Level 3. Space-type and milk bottle core formations are the same..."

Xiao Hongchen waved his hand.

Seven or eight metal cores appeared on the workstation.

"Thanks, Xiao."

Xu Cheng nodded.

"No big deal. If there's nothing else, I'm off to the welcome party..." Xiao Hongchen casually waved and left.

Xu Cheng turned his attention to the workstation.

You can't become a master overnight. Even with his extraordinary mental strength and the [Analysis] skill, he needed to start from the basics. After understanding the operational principles of these fundamental formations, he could steadily progress.

Besides, the pressure was self-imposed.

The final boss, Tang San, though seemingly omnipotent in the divine realm, was actually heavily constrained.

At least before Destruction died, he didn't dare act too recklessly. Otherwise, in Douluo Dalu II, his schemes wouldn't have been so subtle, often carried out through the hands of the Haotian Sect's Da Ming and Er Ming...

There were still three or four years before the plot began, so there was plenty of time.

"Let's get to work!"

Xu Cheng rolled up his sleeves and got to it.

First, he picked up a piece of metal and began analyzing...

"Soul Sword, Level 1 close-combat soul tool. The user injects soul power into the handle, activating the core formation to unleash power far beyond that of an ordinary soul master. Moderate difficulty to use."

"Soul Ray, Level 1 long-range soul tool. Inject soul power to fire a beam of annihilating energy in a straight line, capable of piercing through enemy defenses."

"..."

After who knows how long.

Xu Cheng stopped and examined the soul tools on the workstation.

All crafted by his own hands.

Although they were the most basic Level 1 soul tools, the sense of accomplishment was immense.

"Long-range soul tools are greatly limited in power due to their range..."

Xu Cheng picked up a long-range soul cannon, casually fiddling with it.

Why were long-range soul tools inferior to close-combat ones at the same level?

The principle of energy conservation applied in this world as well. Close-combat soul tools were designed for close-quarters combat, while long-range soul tools needed to project that energy outward. As the distance increased, the power diminished...

If you pressed the cannon barrel against the enemy's face and fired, the power would be similar to that of a close-combat tool.

During the earlier analysis.

Xu Cheng had clearly seen.

In the core formation, long-range soul tools had one more rune than close-combat ones. That rune was what distinguished the two: projection.

This rune wasn't complicated, but its length determined the maximum range.

It was necessary to find the optimal balance between energy output and range. Even a slight deviation would render the soul tool unusable.

Perhaps this was why most people needed over a year to advance to Level 1 soul tools...

Only someone with Xu Cheng's mental strength and analytical abilities could accomplish this so easily.

As for further research, Xu Cheng wasn't interested.

Regarding tracking and targeting technology.

It likely involved modifications to the "projection" rune. At least for now, there wasn't much to be gleaned from these Level 1 soul tools...

"Master."

A soft voice sounded from beside him.

Xu Cheng jumped in surprise.

"Nana... when did you get here?"

"Probably right after your classmate left?" Beside Xu Cheng stood a tall, beautiful girl with wheat-colored skin and a ponytail. She smiled as she deftly cleaned up the metal shavings and put the instruments back in place.

"Ah, you really are... a ghost," Xu Cheng sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Five years ago, when he became the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult, the first thing he did was save Nana.

In the original story, her mother had awakened a ghost martial soul. While hunting for a spirit ring, they encountered the Holy Spirit Cult. Due to her martial soul, the cult tried to recruit her, but she refused. The local branch leader then brainwashed and controlled her. However, because of her father, her mother would occasionally break free from the control. The cult then ordered her mother to kill her father, hoping to sever her emotional ties completely.

But after killing her father, her mother woke up and committed suicide out of love...

Unfortunately.

By the time Xu Cheng arrived, it was already too late.

The branch leader had taken her parents' souls.

All that was left was a terrified little girl, crying over her parents' corpses.

Afterward, all Xu Cheng could do was release her parents' souls and take the little girl under his wing...

(End of Chapter)