With Chen Fu having fully grasped the process and data for producing [Soul Core]s, one day was basically only enough for him to make a single one.
But Chen Fu only needed to make one. The remaining repetitive work could be handed over to [Youlan], once she had gathered all the production data.
He only needed to regularly seek out those two Humanoid Power Banks who occasionally appeared at the shop to provide energy. Production efficiency would increase by at least a hundredfold.
"What? Did you finish the task?"
After handing most of the data verification required for the [Ascension] plan to [Youlan], Chen Fu finally had a little time to rest.
He brewed a cup of tea for the girl and pushed it in front of her.
"Teacher Fan Yu agreed. Actually, it would have been easier if you'd gone to Xuan Zi."
She drained the tea in one gulp, then snatched the small teapot from Chen Fu's hand and poured herself another cup.
"You... used Space Soul Tool Material to make a teapot? Isn't that a little extravagant?"
As Ma Xiaotao poured, she noticed that the little teapot's capacity was somewhat unusual.
"Haha, it's a custom version. If you like it, I'll give it to you."
"Xuan Zi doesn't understand any of this. He only knows how to haggle with me. What a pain."
Chen Fu took a palm-sized Crimson Metal Box from his space ring. The lively patterns on its surface resembled rising flames.
"What good thing is this now?"
Ma Xiaotao casually tucked Chen Fu's exquisitely crafted personal teapot into her pocket, but her gaze was immediately drawn to the flaming box.
This color scheme perfectly suited her taste.
"A custom Battle Soul Instrument, codenamed [Crimson Phoenix]. It has permission to connect to the [Youlan] database."
He personally opened the box and put the custom single-piece Battle Soul Instrument, engraved with fiery bird patterns, onto Ma Xiaotao.
Her orange-red eyes behind the Phoenix Gold Thread Pattern on the lenses possessed a unique beauty.
"Does it look good?"
Seeing the boy staring blankly, the girl asked with a smile.
"...A gift for your seventeenth birthday. Do you like it?"
Chen Fu quickly came back to his senses and changed the subject.
"Of course I like it!"
The girl became visibly excited.
"Chen Fu, I have some good news to share with you!"
"Mm, go ahead."
"Those Soul Saints from the inner courtyard who talked behind your back were all beaten flat by me last week!"
That was ancient history. Why were you holding such a grudge? How many years had it been?
Back then, Chen Fu had slaughtered his way through the Unlimited Individual Soul Fighting Assessment with Soul Tools, only to be mocked by the Traditional Soul Masters of the inner courtyard. If Ma Xiaotao had not mentioned it, Chen Fu would have nearly forgotten about it.
"All the Energy Storage Rings have been refined. As a level sixty-three Soul Emperor, you really bullied those Soul Saints by going all out with your Soul Power."
After breaking through to Soul Emperor and receiving the boost of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, Ma Xiaotao's soul strength had increased considerably. During this time, Chen Fu had gradually purified all four of her remaining Soul Rings with the [Divine Ring] Soul Tool.
After chatting with the girl for a while longer, Chen Fu handed Ma Xiaotao the production blueprints for the Battle Soul Instrument body and asked her to deliver a message on her way back.
Watching the girl's retreating figure, Chen Fu smiled silently.
"Consider it an extra safeguard. Little Blue, execute the [Banished Immortal] plan."
[Task Bar updated. Current computation allocation: 89%]
Before long, a new type of Soul Tool rose to prominence in Shrek City.
"Boss, how do you use this Soul Tool?" A man picked up a pair of glasses, unsure what to make of them. Whenever he had free time, he liked to browse Lin Pavilion. If he was lucky, he could find delicate, practical little devices crafted by Master Chen Fu.
Although most of the recent items had been made by Master Chen Fu's apprentices and were far inferior in quality, there were still plenty of interesting creations.
"Sir, you can put them on and give them a try."
Uncle Fu was handling the reception nearby. Whenever the shop was not too busy, he liked to serve customers personally.
Hearing this, the man put on the Battle Soul Instrument under Uncle Fu's guidance.
"Holy shit! Unbelievable!"
Wearing the Battle Soul Instrument, the man looked around at the items in the shop, exclaiming nonstop.
"Fuck, this plant actually has chronic toxins. I used to eat it like a vegetable every day!"
"Those damn bastards actually put a Soul Tool price evaluation chart in here!"
"Shopkeeper, how much? I'll take them all!"
"Sorry, each person may purchase at most three pairs. One pair costs two thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"Then give me three!"
Uncle Fu accepted the Gold Soul Coins and instructed the Shop Assistant to prepare them.
Similar scenes were unfolding at Soul Tool shops of all sizes throughout Shrek City.
Chen Fu had essentially worked for free to keep the material cost of a basic Battle Soul Instrument below one thousand Gold Soul Coins, but the downstream shops still had to account for labor costs.
Rapidly spreading the Battle Soul Instrument throughout the city would be of major help to Chen Fu's subsequent plans.
Soon, the Soul Masters who bought Battle Soul Instruments discovered that their use was not limited to Shrek City. However, once outside the city, many functions became unavailable, leaving only the basic recording and analysis functions. Even so, they were already extremely useful for safe travel.
Within Shrek City, Chen Fu freely shared the "elementary knowledge" in the [Youlan] database. Moreover, any data recorded by Battle Soul Instrument users would be copied by [Youlan] whenever they were within [Youlan]'s coverage range.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Whenever the Battle Soul Instrument edited information or conducted recording and analysis, it slightly consumed the user's Spiritual Power and Soul Power. That consumed energy would replenish [Youlan]'s Data Divine Ring in a certain proportion, allowing it to steadily grow.
In the laboratory, Chen Fu felt the Data Divine Ring growing stronger by the day, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"The research and development costs of the Battle Soul Instrument cannot be covered by just a few thousand Gold Soul Coins. Adding a little energy consumption can count as interest."
With that thought, Chen Fu felt much better.
As for whether others could crack it, Chen Fu had never cared. If anything, he was full of anticipation.
If someone could truly break through the technical barrier of the real core, the [Soul Core], using crude equipment, Chen Fu would only feel that the path was never solitary.
Based on his estimate of the total Spiritual Power of the two Peerless Douluo, Mu En and Old Dragon, using current Traditional Soul Engineer theory to decipher the [Soul Core] would require roughly ten Fan Yus continuously attempting trial and error for twenty years. With the anti-deciphering [lin] character seal added, that time would grow geometrically.
As the saying went in Chen Fu's previous life, everyone knew the mass-energy equation, yet few countries could actually build a nuclear bomb.
From the moment [Ark] black technology was created, Chen Fu and Traditional Level Nine Soul Engineers had stood on the same starting line.
The objective existence of [Youlan], the Technology Throne, also gave him the sharpest sword to cut through every obstacle in the path of technological development, invincible and unstoppable.
The scientific outlook he possessed from his previous life allowed him to always grasp the core of technological advancement—energy!
Whether it was Soul Power, Spiritual Power, or the soul itself, Chen Fu was attempting to turn them into energy sources and build all his research around that.
Based on [Ark], [Nirvana], [Emerald], [Divine Ring], [Youlan], [Crimson Phoenix], as well as the ongoing [Ascension] and [Banished Immortal], were all probing the limits of Soul Power, Spiritual Power, and the soul.
Chen Fu admitted that sometimes he felt he was going mad. At times, he could even hear intermittent whispers within the boundless void. On one hand, this was because his Spiritual Perception was growing stronger, which Chen Fu guessed was related to [Youlan]'s increasingly expanding Data Divine Ring. On the other hand... perhaps unknown beings were watching him, and there was more than one.
"Perhaps this is what they call 'divinity'?"
As more and more Soul Masters in Shrek City began using Battle Soul Instruments, the azure Data Divine Ring underwent a strange change.
"Feed upon the breath of ten thousand people, devour the essence of sun and moon, nurture my soul and spirit..."
A faint, gentle golden light enveloped the contemplative Chen Fu, while a sacred and solemn aura flowed around him.
Then Chen Fu opened his eyes with a livid expression and looked at the fifth Soul Ring on his body.
Soul Ring Self-Derivation Project, postponed!
Thanks to Lei Jin for the monthly ticket, and thanks to my good brothers for your support.
Before you continue