Second Level

"My soul power is still too low..." Su Luoheng nodded, looking slightly disappointed.

"You should think about how young you are!"

Hearing this, Ran Yuming couldn't help but roll his eyes and laugh as he scolded, "If any of the other students in class had your level of soul power at the age of nine, they'd probably laugh themselves awake from a dream!"

"If this is considered low, what does that say about everyone else in the class?"

"Hehe~"

Upon hearing this, Su Luoheng scratched his head awkwardly. "I just—"

*Gurgle gurgle~*

Before he could finish, his stomach made a loud protest.

Ran Yuming's voice abruptly stopped. He was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Meanwhile, Su Luoheng awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Earlier, while analyzing the soul tool, he had consumed quite a bit of both soul power and physical energy. Now, an hour had passed, and it was already midday, so it was perfectly normal for his stomach to grumble.

But the timing...

Su Luoheng coughed twice and pretended nothing had happened. "Teacher, please continue."

"Haha, let's leave it at that for today. We can continue discussing the soul tool this afternoon. Come on, let's go eat. I'll take you to get something good!"

"Something good?"

At the mention of good food, Su Luoheng's spirits lifted immediately.

"Is the teacher treating?"

"Of course! Today, I'll cover it. Eat as much as you want!"

With that, he beckoned Su Luoheng to leave the laboratory and head toward the cafeteria.

Ran Yuming certainly kept his word.

He took Su Luoheng to the top floor of the restaurant, and soon, a table full of dishes was served.

The ingredients used in these dishes were quite rare. If an ordinary person ate them regularly, it would strengthen their body. For a soul master, it could even provide a slight boost in power.

Su Luoheng ate with great appetite.

Whether or not it boosted his power didn't matter for now — the taste was undeniably delicious.

After lunch, Su Luoheng didn't return to the lab.

He still had classes in the afternoon.

Although Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy primarily focused on soul engineering, recent research had increasingly emphasized the soul master's personal abilities. For instance, in Su Luoheng's second-year curriculum, aside from soul engineering classes, there were also courses focused on improving physical fitness and other aspects of soul master training.

Ran Yuming placed particular importance on foundational soul master training, so he made sure not to disrupt the daily learning schedule.

Thus, the second-level soul tool study could be postponed until all classes were finished — there was no rush.

...

Back in the lab, Ran Yuming fell into deep thought.

"Su Luoheng..."

He was debating whether or not to bet on Su Luoheng. Originally, he had planned to wait until Su Luoheng reached Soul Grandmaster before making a decision.

But today, Su Luoheng's performance had left him particularly satisfied.

This time, he was genuinely moved.

The students he'd taken in before were far inferior to Su Luoheng at this age. Furthermore, with Su Luoheng's unique martial soul and soul skills, Ran Yuming was exceptionally optimistic about the future of this last disciple.

Both his soul master and soul engineer talents were outstanding.

As long as he was carefully nurtured, he had a great chance of breaking into that realm!

The realm that every soul engineer dreams of reaching.

Although Ran Yuming himself had no hope of reaching it in this lifetime, he could still achieve it through passing on his legacy.

"Analyzing the soul tool, huh..."

Still hesitant, a gleam flashed in Ran Yuming's eyes, and he murmured to himself, "Such a unique ability is certainly worth a try."

"Luoheng, don't disappoint your teacher."  

He finally made a decision: he would fully commit to nurturing Su Luoheng. With his talent, Su Luoheng was more than qualified to receive personal guidance. What heights could Su Luoheng reach in the future under his mentorship? A glimmer of anticipation flickered in Ran Yuming's eyes.

...

Time quickly passed, and it was now the afternoon.

In the sixth-grade teaching building, Lab 7.

As soon as class ended, Su Luoheng rushed to the lab as quickly as he could. Ran Yuming, who had been waiting for a while, wasted no time continuing the lecture from the morning.

"Luoheng, there were a few small issues with your theory from this morning. Let me go over it with you again."

"Yes, Teacher."

Upon hearing this, Su Luoheng nodded, feeling eager.

The large lecture from his teacher earlier that morning had already benefited him greatly, and now with one-on-one guidance, he was sure to learn even more.

"Your understanding of the core array for a second-level soul tool is very good, possibly even better than some formal second-level soul engineers. However, your theoretical approach is still based on first-level soul tools."

...

With that, Ran Yuming began his formal instruction.

Over the afternoon, he had already compiled Su Luoheng's mistakes. Su Luoheng had a solid grasp of the second-level soul tool, so Ran Yuming didn't need to worry about the general direction. Instead, he focused on the structural combinations where Su Luoheng was weak.

As for other issues, they would be addressed after the experiment.

This one-on-one session allowed Su Luoheng to more directly experience Ran Yuming's teaching abilities. Every point was incredibly precise and cut straight to the core, giving Su Luoheng that "sudden clarity" feeling.

Concepts about the second-level soul tool that had been somewhat unclear to Su Luoheng were becoming more and more understandable under Ran Yuming's guidance.

By the end, Su Luoheng could even identify problems on his own, without needing prompts from his teacher.

This wasn't something just any teacher could accomplish.

Even though Su Luoheng's first soul skill gave him the ability to analyze and comprehend core arrays, and he had mastered no fewer than twenty second-level core arrays, according to Ran Yuming, he had only grasped the form and not the essence.

Compared to first-level soul tools, second-level tools demanded much stricter core array structures. Simply analyzing them once wasn't enough to truly master them. To perfectly manifest them, it was necessary to integrate soul tool knowledge as a whole. However, with guidance from a master, this process could be greatly accelerated.

There was no doubt that Ran Yuming was precisely that kind of master.

If even a well-read figure like him couldn't be considered a great teacher, then there might not be a single one in the entire Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.

Half an hour later.

Having greatly benefited from the lesson, Su Luoheng's face lit up with realization, thinking, "Every time I failed at a critical moment when forging a second-level soul tool, it wasn't just due to a lack of soul power — there were also problems in this area."

Now, after Ran Yuming's guidance, Su Luoheng was eager to try again.

"Teacher, I think I understand now."

"Then go ahead and try."

"With your soul power now at level 17, you can try making a second-level soul tool again."

Ran Yuming smiled calmly and pointed to the nearby experiment table, which had already been set up with metal materials. In fact, even if Su Luoheng hadn't brought it up, Ran Yuming would have asked him to give it a try.

The issues they had addressed so far were all theoretical.

The study of soul tools couldn't be confined to theoretical discussion. Practical operation was necessary to identify more issues.

"Alright."

Su Luoheng nodded and walked over to the experiment table.

On the table were more than a dozen different metals suitable for inscribing core arrays at his current stage. After a brief selection, he picked up a piece of mithril to carry the second-level core array.

Mithril was relatively soft, making it easier to engrave and increasing the success rate.

••••

I am using Soul Engineer while its Clear Translation is Soul Guidance Master so tell if Which one is you think is better?