While Bai Chen of the Douluo Era 3 was learning forging, Bai Chen of the Douluo Era 2 and his group had already crossed the border between the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Sun Moon Empire, eventually arriving at Mingdu.
Mingdu was the capital of the Sun Moon Empire.
During the second era, this city—which had no city walls—was unquestionably the number one city on the continent.
The reason it lacked walls was simple.
As a city built around soul tool technology, it possessed the most advanced soul tool defensive systems.
For example, when Du Busi once led a group of Title Douluo to assassinate Xu Tianran, it was the high-energy compression array soul tools located at the four corners of Mingdu that blocked Du Busi's self-destruction.
Each of those arrays could store the soul power of over a hundred Title Douluo.
When the four arrays worked together, it was equivalent to creating a defensive shield powered by four hundred Title Douluo worth of energy, covering the entire city.
Even the self-destruction of Du Busi—whose power approached that of an Ultimate Douluo—failed to kill a single citizen of Mingdu.
No wonder Jing Hongchen could confidently claim that Mingdu did not need city walls.
Du Busi's self-destruction was already stronger than a Level 9 fixed soul cannon shell, yet it still couldn't harm anyone inside the city.
Even if Di Tian himself had been there, he might not have been able to guarantee such protection.
However, using soul tools for defense also had a weakness.
If the defensive soul tools failed to activate in time, the city's defenses would become meaningless.
The most obvious example was the Mingdu Explosion.
That disaster was completely accidental.
Even Huo Yuhao and his companions, who were indirectly responsible, never anticipated that explosion.
Naturally, the upper leadership of the Sun Moon Empire also couldn't react quickly enough to activate the high-energy compression arrays.
As a result, Mingdu suffered unprecedented destruction during that catastrophe.
Of course, this weakness was mostly theoretical.
Under normal circumstances, such a failure was extremely unlikely.
However, none of that concerned Bai Chen and the others for now.
They hadn't come here to launch a terrorist attack, after all.
As long as they followed proper procedures, the Sun Moon Empire wouldn't make things difficult for them.
Many people believed that the Sun Moon Empire held extreme hostility toward citizens from the three original Douluo nations, and that anyone entering their territory would be killed by evil soul masters.
In reality, this was a misconception.
The Sun Moon Empire indeed disliked the forces of the original Douluo nations, but they wouldn't casually kill visitors.
This wasn't due to moral restraint.
There were three practical reasons.
First, most visitors could bring them profit.
Why had the Sun Moon Empire become the richest of the four nations?
Because they continuously made money using their advantage in soul tool technology.
Organizations like the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were among their major customers.
Unless relations between the sect and the empire completely broke down, the empire would never abandon such a valuable source of revenue.
Second, before the outbreak of war, the Holy Spirit Church had to remain a hidden ally.
Collaborating with evil soul masters was something that would provoke widespread hatred.
Before the war truly began, the Sun Moon Empire still needed to maintain the image of a legitimate power.
If they ruined their reputation too early, fewer people would travel to their territory.
It might even cause talented individuals to leave the empire.
Third, even if they wanted to take action, they wouldn't use killing, which was the most wasteful method.
Even on the eve of war in the original story, the Sun Moon Empire merely detained talented individuals from the Douluo nations rather than executing them.
The reason was simple.
A genius who had not yet grown strong was still only potential.
But if imprisoned, that genius could become a hostage, a bargaining chip to control powerful figures.
The symbolic value of a genius far exceeded their immediate worth.
Keeping them alive as leverage was always more useful than killing them.
Therefore, as long as Bai Chen's group didn't do anything reckless, they didn't need to worry about safety here.
The Sun Moon Empire had previously accepted talents from the Douluo nations.
A classic example was Xuan Ziwens, the future chief researcher of the Mingde Hall, who originally came from the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Under the leadership of Hua Tianyu and Ning Jingchen, Bai Chen's group entered the city and headed straight toward the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Since they had come here to learn technology, this was naturally the best place.
If Shrek Academy had been the number one academy for ten thousand years, then the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was undoubtedly the eternal number two.
They had never surpassed Shrek.
But compared to other academies, the gap between them was overwhelming.
After all, the academy's true core was actually Mingde Hall, the Sun Moon Empire's top soul tool research workshop.
As long as Mingde Hall existed, the academy would never lack top research talent.
Its teaching resources remained the strongest among all soul engineer academies in the empire.
After reporting their identities to the gate guards, a middle-aged man soon came out to greet them.
Smiling, he cupped his hands politely.
"What brings the Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to our academy?"
Ning Jingchen answered concisely:
"Take us to see your Dean. We have business to discuss."
"Oh…"
The man—Lin Jiayi—quietly glanced at Ning Tian and Bai Chen, then nodded with a smile.
"Understood. The dean happens to be free right now. Please follow me."
He had heard of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Although the sect no longer held the supreme status it once had thousands of years ago, it was still a top-tier sect with immense wealth.
Moreover, their core members were support-type soul masters who relied heavily on soul tools.
If not for the sect's close relationship with Shrek Academy, Jing Hongchen would have long tried to recruit them.
Regardless of their exact purpose, treating them as honored guests was certainly the correct choice.
Led by Lin Jiayi, the group entered the academy and soon arrived at Jing Hongchen's office.
"Dean, I've brought them."
"Come in."
After receiving permission, Lin Jiayi pushed open the door and led Bai Chen and the others inside.
Jing Hongchen pushed aside the documents on his desk and asked with a smiling expression:
"Sect Master Ning, what brings you here today?"
Ning Jingchen spoke directly.
"I want my daughter—and her attendant—to enroll in your academy."
"…Hmm."
Jing Hongchen frowned slightly, pretending to look troubled.
"Sect Master Ning, you may not know this, but recently the anti-outsider sentiment in our empire has grown quite strong."
"Your request…"
"I'm afraid it might be difficult to arrange."