After bidding Chen Fu farewell, Ma Xiaotao hurried toward the inner courtyard. She could not wait to share this good news with Xuan Zi and the others.
Since people on the continent revealed their Soul Rings whenever they fought, the changes to Ma Xiaotao's Soul Rings could not be concealed at all. Chen Fu therefore told her that only the academy's old fogeys needed to know; it would be best not to expose it to anyone else.
Technological gaps also required time to accumulate.
Chen Fu did not want to hand Shrek Academy his core [Ark] technology directly. There was a little selfishness mixed into that decision.
Sea God Lake, Sea God Pavilion.
"Xuan Zi, I'm back!"
The moment Ma Xiaotao stepped onto the island, she saw the old man who had sensed her arrival early and come to wait for her.
"Mm. What have you been doing these past few days?"
The old man regained his usual bearing, his voice calm and broad-minded.
"First, where's Mu En? I'll explain it to both of you at once, or you'll get angry by yourself."
"What?!" The old man had already begun imagining all sorts of things—and getting angry.
"No need to look. I'm here."
Without a sound, the old man in a wheelchair appeared beside them.
He was also curious about this. The moment Ma Xiaotao entered the inner courtyard, he had turned his attention toward her.
"Look."
Five Soul Rings—white, yellow, purple, purple, and black—silently appeared behind Ma Xiaotao.
"That little bastard! I'll go chop him up right now!" Seeing the white Soul Ring, Xuan Zi froze for a moment before a sharp pain pierced his chest.
No wonder he had felt so unsettled these past few days. That little bastard had actually dared to do something rotten without making a sound!
"Calm down, Xuan Zi."
With a lift of his hand, the old man in the wheelchair suppressed the pressure produced by Xuan Zi's emotional fluctuations. Though he was shocked as well, he still wanted to hear what Ma Xiaotao had to say next.
A Soul Ring degrading in rank—after searching through every Shrek secret record in his mind, he had never heard of such a thing.
Even the Explode Ring Melt Ring used by the Great Sumeru Hammer, which had dominated an era ten thousand years ago, merely damaged Soul Rings temporarily. Their ranks never changed.
"See? I told you you'd get angry for no reason." Ma Xiaotao smiled and rolled her eyes at Xuan Zi. Though he was only flustered because he cared, his constant overreactions were quite troublesome.
"Take another look at this white ring. Do you notice anything different?"
The white Soul Ring manifested in Ma Xiaotao's hand in the form of various rays.
Seeing that the white Soul Ring was clearly unusual, the two fell into thought. When Xuan Zi looked toward Mu En, the latter nodded.
The two of them knew that Soul Rings contained the lingering souls of Soul Beasts. Sea God Pavilion's hidden archives held a secret: their ancestor Tang San's wife had once sacrificed herself, yet she had ultimately come back to life.
He silently sensed his own Soul Rings. Though he knew there were "Alien Souls" inside them, even Mu En, whose Soul Power cultivation had already reached its peak, could not detect the slightest abnormality.
How long had it been? That boy had already come up with something else that left old men like them utterly baffled.
The air seemed to freeze. An invisible giant hand silently clenched around Ma Xiaotao's heart. The fear of death suddenly surged through her. She instinctively wanted to resist, but then realized that two superpowerful experts were standing right beside her.
Xuan Zi quietly watched Mu En assume an attacking stance. He was waiting for the result as well.
Boom!
Towering flames blazed fiercely in their eyes.
Mu En withdrew his threat. His test had yielded its result.
The two clearly saw that Ma Xiaotao had sensed the danger and immediately realized she should not resist, but at the very instant she sensed the danger, that white Soul Ring had already responded.
"A Soul Ring protecting its master..."
Ma Xiaotao came to her senses as well. She soothed the agitated Soul Ring, her heart full of astonishment.
The phenomenon of protecting one's master only appeared during sacrifices, yet it had now appeared here.
"Can you reveal the experiment you conducted?"
"I came back precisely to explain that."
Ma Xiaotao then explained Chen Fu's recent "Three Uses and Two Additions" conclusions regarding Soul Rings to the two of them in full detail.
"Madman."
After a long silence, Mu En gave his assessment.
"Give him a batch of resources. I hope to see results within half a year."
Mu En set the tone. He now felt that their Soul Tool Academy did not have enough people to keep up with the little fellow alone.
He could now deeply understand the meaning behind the phrase, "Soul Tools are not merely swords, spears, and staves."
That first-generation [Divine Ring] Essence Soul Counteractor alone sounded simple in principle, but they simply could not miniaturize or refine it. And the proportion-control program that constantly maintained rapid changes sounded utterly incomprehensible.
Furthermore, the Great Sumeru Hammer had actually received a crude evaluation from that boy!
Yet the theoretical upper limit of Energy Storage Ring technology was indeed extremely high.
As for the final Melting Ring, it was simply another extreme altogether!
Why had no one brought up the theory of Soul Ring Attachment before? Such an enormous Soul Beast only yielded one tiny ring in the end. What a waste! It ought to be preserved as a family heirloom!
While Shrek High-level muttered to themselves, Chen Fu encountered a difficult problem on his end.
"How do I divide a soul?"
In Chen Fu's original plan, after the Energy Storage Ring cleared away the lingering soul, it would split off a small portion from the soul and merge it into the Soul Ring, directly bypassing the initial "adaptation" stage.
But Chen Fu ultimately had to compromise. Cutting away part of Spiritual Power merely meant sleeping for a few days, but the soul represented one's consciousness to a certain degree. This was not something he could just cut apart.
Thus, the special materials Chen Fu had originally collected, materials capable of exerting a weak influence on souls, went unused.
Since he could not lay a hand on the soul, Soul Ring Attachment had only two possible paths left. There were no other branches.
"How do I guide a soul into a Soul Ring?"
Since souls could not be divided, he would continue refining Soul Ring Engraving technology.
Chen Fu had no ability to interfere with souls, but just as he had once said, "You don't need fire-attributed Soul Power to make fire." Using tools to control tools, using the small to control the great—that was the charm of technology.
Another month passed in a daze. Chen Fu had developed several ideas regarding soul materials and was about to begin designing blueprints.
"Young Master."
Uncle Fu, who had come to submit orders, called softly.
"Mm. Is there anything else?"
Chen Fu nodded and roughly browsed the order's contents. Seeing that several more suckers had sent him materials, the impatience in his heart immediately vanished.
"The Sect Master from Nine Treasures City says he has come to visit. He is waiting outside."
Chen Fu straightened his clothes and calculated the time in his mind. Without realizing it, four months had already passed.
"Sect Master Ning, it has been a long time. What can I do for you?"
Unless necessary, Chen Fu always spoke plainly.
"I do have a request this time. I hope little brother Chen will consider it."
Ning Yi had long investigated Chen Fu's circumstances. He had also exchanged information with Shrek Academy's higher-ups during this period and knew some of Chen Fu's details. That was why he had specifically come to see him when Chen Fu updated the orders today.
"Mm, Sect Master Ning, please speak. I'll do my best to agree."
Nine Treasures City was Chen Fu's main source of research materials. Though it had now become merely one of several sources, he would still agree to Ning Yi's request if he could.
"I heard that Brother Chen is a Teacher at Shrek's Soul Tool Academy?"
"Mm, that is true."
"I wonder if Brother Chen would be willing to take my daughter as a disciple?"
Ning Yi had already heard that Chen Fu held a nominal post without teaching classes. He did not teach, but that did not mean he could not accept disciples.
Ning Yi had originally planned to ask Fan Yu whether his daughter had the talent to become a Soul Engineer. However, he learned from a friend that the Dean of the Soul Tool Academy was leading a large group of people in a fight to the death with a Soul Tool—and that Soul Tool was merely Chen Fu's trial work from three years ago.
Later, he used his connections to find Xuan Zi and ask about the specific circumstances, including the dazzling [Nirvana] Soul Tool Ma Xiaotao always wore around her neck. It turned out that all of it was Chen Fu's handiwork.
After gathering the information, Ning Yi could not help but marvel. Apart from Soul Power cultivation and destructive power, Chen Fu alone could beat the Soul Tool Academy senseless with nothing but his technical skills.
With a clearly superior Soul Engineer standing right before him, Ning Yi naturally wanted to find his child a formidable Teacher.
"Has Ning Tian encountered Soul Tool knowledge before?"
"She is currently studying the fundamentals."
The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had always attached considerable importance to Soul Tools.
"Let her come once she finishes the fundamentals. I'll find time to compile a set of teaching materials."
Before you continue