Plotting Against the Tang Sect

"Hm? You've already finished inscribing the Core Array?"

Xian Lin'er was startled.

She had been busy thinking about how to persuade the senior elders of the Sea God Pavilion. In the moment she had taken her eyes off him, the little fellow had actually finished a First-Rank Core Array?

"Here, let your senior sister take a look."

Xian Lin'er took the Core Array Shen Yichen handed her.

After examining it, she let out an involuntary breath. Just as she'd thought—how could a child make a First-Rank Core Array on his first encounter with Soul Tools?

"Junior brother, a Core Array isn't made of flat lines. It's three-dimensional. Not only do you have to get the shapes of the lines right, but the depth of each cut matters too."

"Oh..." Shen Yichen nodded. "Then I'll try again."

To make sure he got it right, Shen Yichen took apart the Soul Tool Senior Sister Xian Lin'er had just made and copied the model bit by bit.

Bei Bei couldn't be bothered fiddling with the piece of metal in his own hands anymore. He craned his neck to watch Shen Yichen.

Shen Yichen's hand was unbelievably steady as he held the carving knife. He controlled precisely when to cut deeper and when to cut shallower, without the slightest error.

The growth brought by the three attributes of Mind, Constitution, and Skill wasn't limited to combat!

An increase in Mind improved his comprehension, creativity, and imagination.

An increase in Constitution gave him more stamina and Soul Power when making Soul Tools.

An increase in Skill improved his control over his body even more directly.

With the three combined into one, copying a Soul Tool's Core Array from a model was a piece of cake.

Bei Bei looked at the little white-haired dumpling as though he were an alien.

Are you even human?

As a Soul Master, you beat me so badly I couldn't tell north from south, without even using your Martial Soul or Soul Skills.

And now you're showing unprecedented talent as a Soul Engineer...

Before Bei Bei had finished marveling, Shen Yichen had already completed his second Core Array.

"Try injecting Soul Power into it!" Xian Lin'er said.

Shen Yichen did as she said.

Hum~

The inscribed lines lit up in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, they gave off a pearly white glow.

"It worked!"

Shen Yichen planted his hands on his hips. "As expected of me. That wasn't so hard!"

Xian Lin'er opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but still couldn't bring herself to say it.

Even their usually open-minded teacher wouldn't agree to let their junior brother follow the path of a Soul Engineer.

But the thought of a Soul Tool Department genius about to be buried in obscurity made her miserable...

Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy · Illustrious Virtue Hall

Tap, tap, tap~

A rhythmic knock sounded at the door.

"Enter." Jing Hongchen pulled himself away from the official documents covering his desk and looked up.

A middle-aged man opened the door and entered the office.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Hall Master, we've found a lead on the matter you entrusted to us!"

The matter I entrusted to them?

Jing Hongchen was taken aback. He'd had so many things piled up lately that he'd forgotten what he had asked them to do.

"Yes, we've found information about the Tang Sect."

The Tang Sect. Oh, the Tang Sect!

Jing Hongchen had nearly forgotten that he had sent people to gather information on the Tang Sect.

"Hall Master, the Tang Sect exists in name only now. According to what we found, there are only three people left: the Tang Sect Master and his young wife, and their nine-year-old daughter."

"Only three people left?" Jing Hongchen frowned in surprise.

The God King Tang was hanging high above in the heavens. Couldn't he see the Tang Sect's decline?

Or did the God King Tang care only about Shrek, and not the Tang Sect?

"Yes. Our people even thought they'd found the wrong place. After all, no matter what, the Tang Sect is a legendary sect."

The middle-aged man also sighed with emotion. "By the way, Hall Master, I also heard a rumor that because the Tang Sect's base is in a prosperous part of Heaven Dou City, it seems others have set their sights on it."

Jing Hongchen stood and paced back and forth, his brows tightly furrowed.

Shrek had the Sea God's Light. That was a trump card they had already confirmed. But the Tang Sect... could it have a trump card of its own?

"Here's what we'll do. Pick a few loyal children and see if you can get them into the Tang Sect. Have them take the opportunity to send the Tang Sect's secret techniques back to Illustrious Virtue Hall."

The Mysterious Heaven Skill, which could cultivate innate Soul Power, was simply too tempting.

Even if it couldn't produce innate full Soul Power, as long as it could let children without Soul Power cultivate innate level-one Soul Power, it could provide the empire with a great many talented people!

Now, even if the God King Tang never took his eyes off the continent, his attention should be focused mainly on Shrek and the Body Sect.

Fortune favored the bold, while the timid starved.

"Yes, Hall Master!"

After receiving his orders, the middle-aged man didn't leave immediately. Instead, he looked embarrassed. "Hall Master, what if they simply refuse to accept our students?"

"Hm?"

They've fallen that far, and they still won't take in new members?

But seeing the man's embarrassed expression, Jing Hongchen came to his senses. True enough, if the Tang Sect hadn't hoarded its treasures and kept them hidden away, it wouldn't have ended up in its current state.

"If they won't accept them, then... send a Soul Saint to infiltrate Heaven Dou City. Whether by force or by trade, either approach is worth trying..."

At most, this was a spare move on the board. If it worked, everyone would be happy; if it failed, that was only to be expected.

"Choose carefully. They must be loyal enough not to give either of us up if something goes wrong!"

"Yes, Hall Master!"

After the middle-aged man left, Jing Hongchen sat down and resumed working through the documents.

But...

After only a short while, he grew too restless to sit still and stood up again.

Did the God King Tang really not care about the Tang Sect?

Compared with Shrek, the Tang Sect was the sect he had built with his own hands!

That didn't seem right...

The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became, and the more his courage failed him.

No! I still need to pass the risk on to someone else!

He opened the Diary Chat Group.

[Soul Engineer: Do you know about the Tang Sect?]

[Du Busi: What bullshit are you spouting?!]

[Huo Yun'er: Who hasn't heard of the Tang Sect? Even if someone hadn't known about it before, surely they would after getting a Diary?]

Jing Hongchen's old face fell.

Huo Yun'er has gotten Du Busi to back her, and now she's talking tough!

A mere little Soul Scholar... tsk!

[Great Sage Equal to Heaven: Bringing up the Tang Sect out of nowhere, little old man? Do you have something in mind?]

Wherever there was excitement, Shen Yichen was sure to be there.

Seeing Shen Yichen pop up, Jing Hongchen smiled. This child speaks his mind, but he's very much to my liking.

[Soul Engineer: Yes, Great Sage.]

How did one pass the risk on? Make the matter bigger!

[Soul Engineer: I do have an idea. The Tang Sect has a divine technique like the Mysterious Heaven Skill. Tell me, could we get our hands on it?]

[Soul Engineer: I hear the Tang Sect is down to just two or three cats, big and small.]

[Du Busi: We can! Why couldn't we!]

Du Busi replied instantly.

Having seen the Sea God's Light firsthand, Du Busi no longer dared to get on the Sea God's bad side.

But if someone else wanted to try it, he was more than happy to see it.

What? If they got the Mysterious Heaven Skill, wouldn't the Sun Moon Empire's next generation take off?

Du Busi's answer was that he might not even survive this generation, so why the hell should he care about the next?