Chapter 15: The Spark of Genius
When Xiao Qiang mentioned that great strength could attract female soul beasts, Tianmeng couldn't help but think of Biji's attitude toward Di Tian among the fierce beasts.
Even though Biji and Di Tian never made their relationship explicit, some things didn't need to be spelled out. Anyone with a bit of intelligence could see what was really going on.
Tianmeng had lived in the Star Dou Great Forest for a long time. Naturally, he had observed a great deal—although, at the time, he hadn't bothered to pay attention. But now, after Xiao Qiang's comment, a switch flipped in his mind, and he understood.
Combining this insight with Bingdi's clear disdain for his lack of strength, Tianmeng's thoughts suddenly became focused.
Bingdi looked down on him because he was weak. So if he became stronger—strong enough to surpass even Di Tian…
No, maybe he didn't even need to reach Di Tian's level. As long as he could overpower Bingdi, wouldn't that be enough to change how she saw him?
With this newfound idea taking root, Tianmeng no longer resisted the concept of becoming a soul engineer. In fact, in this Love Continent—where emotions ruled above all—he truly wanted to become one, all to win Bingdi's heart.
Laziness might have been his nature, an instinct developed over countless years of idle drifting, but in this continent where love could change everything, even deep-rooted instincts could be rewritten.
"Don't worry, Xiao Qiang. Leave the soul tools to me. I'll make you the greatest soul engineer genius this continent has ever seen," Tianmeng said with conviction.
"The greatest soul engineer genius on the continent? Yes! Brother Tianmeng, why didn't I think of that? You're so smart!"
"Ah?" Tianmeng blinked, confused by Xiao Qiang's sudden praise.
But Xiao Qiang didn't seem to notice Tianmeng's confusion and continued excitedly, "If I become the number one genius in the history of soul engineering, then the entire Sun-Moon Empire's resources will lean toward me. With a nation backing me, my cultivation speed will skyrocket."
"Becoming a Titled Douluo would be the minimum! I estimate I could reach the level of an Ultimate Douluo within thirty to forty years. With the advanced soul tool technology of the Sun-Moon Empire, plus the benefits I can see with my eyes… Brother Tianmeng, the success rate of your god-making project will increase significantly!"
"I mean, the fact that you could think of so much from just becoming a soul engineer—Brother Tianmeng, you really are amazing! A million-year-old soul beast is truly different!"
Is that really what I was thinking? That was Tianmeng's first thought. But then he saw the admiration in Xiao Qiang's eyes.
"Well… I have lived for a million years, after all. The God-making Project is the fruit of my painstaking effort, so of course, I need to think long-term. But don't feel discouraged. You're the one I've chosen. You have excellent potential in every aspect. See? I barely said a thing, and you already understood. That alone makes me very pleased."
"Alright, just leave the soul tools to me. You focus on your cultivation. Once you reach Titled Douluo, you can explore them yourself. Don't waste time for now." Tianmeng declared in Xiao Qiang's spiritual sea with a far-sighted expression.
"Okay, Brother Tianmeng!"
Watching as Tianmeng took control of his body, madly reading through soul tool books and absorbing the recorded knowledge, while simultaneously simulating various soul tool designs in the spiritual sea, Xiao Qiang felt relieved. The plan had worked perfectly. He once again affirmed that their dynamic—the bond between him and Tianmeng—was the ideal form of cooperation.
Whether it was studying digestive techniques before or developing soul tools now, both stemmed from Tianmeng's own desires—gently guided and amplified by Xiao Qiang's words.
The digestive method had come from Tianmeng's yearning for tasty food, aided by Xiao Qiang's praise.
Now, the soul engineering path was born from Tianmeng's yearning for Bingdi, enhanced again by Xiao Qiang's carefully placed compliments.
Desires that originated from within Tianmeng would fully unlock his potential, pushing him to work with passion and purpose in soul engineering, giving Xiao Qiang the best chance to master the craft quickly.
Xiao Qiang understood that Tianmeng would help with certain tasks even if asked directly—especially if they related to the God-making Project. But he also knew the crucial difference between "trying hard" and "working hard."
Trying hard could be achieved by gritting one's teeth. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't rare either. At least three out of ten people could do it. Grit your teeth, persist, don't think too much. But when truly unexpected problems arose, that kind of effort often hit its limit.
Working hard, however, was a different beast entirely.
When working hard, a person would use everything at their disposal—heart, brain, willpower—to overcome obstacles, no matter the cost. That was the kind of effort that led to true breakthroughs.
And when effort stemmed from one's own desire, success was almost inevitable.
If Tianmeng had been directly asked to study soul tools, he probably would have given up the moment he hit a wall. Maybe he would've tossed the device aside, taken a nap to think about it later, or handed it off to Xiao Qiang entirely.
But now, things had changed.
Now, if he hit a roadblock, he would picture Bingdi's future admiring gaze, or remember the lies he told Xiao Qiang about being a genius in soul tools. For pride, for love, and for a better future, he would grit his teeth and press on—no matter the difficulty.
Only when Tianmeng pushed himself to the extreme could Xiao Qiang's grand plans have their best chance of success.
Xiao Qiang was fourteen years old now. Although the original work mentioned that reaching second-level soul engineer status by twelve was already considered a rare genius in the Sun-Moon Empire, that evaluation had come from Shrek Academy.
And Shrek had also said the Sun-Moon Empire had only three ninth-level soul engineers.
But what was the reality?
That group from Shrek, overly proud of themselves, were not reliable sources at all.
A twelve-year-old second-level soul engineer was a genius, sure—but that kind of genius only stood out in underdeveloped areas. In large cities, a twelve-year-old second-level engineer was merely "good." Only a third-level soul engineer at that age could be called a true genius.
And in elite places like the imperial capital, even that wasn't enough. A twelve-year-old third-level soul engineer would still only be considered "excellent"—not yet a peerless talent.
Now that Xiao Qiang was already fourteen, if he wanted to attract the kind of resources that could help him leap to soul power level seven in a short time, he couldn't settle for being just a genius.
He had to become a peerless genius.
Only by reaching that level could he be eligible to meet with the upper echelons of the Sun-Moon Empire—the only ones who could offer medicinal support strong enough to boost his soul power to level seven quickly, without causing serious harm or long-term stagnation.
"The time is tight, and the task is heavy," Xiao Qiang muttered, clenching his fist in determination.