Star Luo's Foremost Soul Engineer, a Sane Madman

Early the next morning, a luxurious carriage bearing the emblem of the Star Luo Imperial Family slowly rolled out through the palace gates and headed into Star Luo City.

Shu Yan lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and surveyed the streets outside. Every sound reached his ears clearly: the clip-clop of horse hooves, the cries of street vendors, and the laughter and chatter of passersby...

Just as Shu Yan was slightly lost in thought, Xu Jiujiu tugged on his hand and softly said,

"A Yan, I didn't explain Old Han in much detail yesterday. Let me tell you more about him today. His temperament is simply too strange—I'm afraid something unexpected might happen when the time comes."

Shu Yan came back to his senses and nodded.

Xu Jiujiu cleared her throat before speaking.

"Old Han's real name is Han Lin. He is now over eighty years old, nearly the same age as Grandmother Manyi. Not only is he an Eighth-and-a-Half-Grade Soul Engineer, but he is also a rare Titled Douluo, with a Soul Power Level of ninety-one. His martial soul is the Golden Thread Ghost Snake, a rare venomous snake. It is on the same level as the continent's well-known Jade Phosphorous Serpent martial soul, though the two have different specialties."

"In his early years, Old Han studied under an Eighth-Grade Soul Engineer who had defected from the Sun Moon Empire, inheriting that man's legacy. Later, however, for unknown reasons, he fought a great battle with his teacher and accidentally killed him. Ever since then, Old Han's personality has become unpredictable and volatile. Aside from locking himself in his room to make Soul Tools, he hardly socializes at all. Sometimes, he even becomes deranged and frequently harms people at random."

"On the other hand, don't let the fact that Old Han is a Titled Douluo fool you. In truth, his title is watered down to an absurd degree—he relied entirely on medicinal drugs to force his way up. Under such circumstances, he can barely display the combat strength of a Titled Douluo only when paired with his Soul Tools. Moreover, the drugs he took in his younger days left serious aftereffects, greatly damaging his lifespan. By now, he likely has less than ten years left..."

After Xu Jiujiu finished, Shu Yan rubbed his brow and summed it up.

"So, this Old Han is a sane madman?"

Xu Jiujiu seemed rather interested in that description and nodded in agreement.

"More or less. Old Han is a madman obsessed with Soul Tools. That is precisely why he was able to reach his current level as an Eighth-and-a-Half-Grade Soul Engineer step by step. Imperial Brother once joked with me that if Old Han went to the Sun Moon Empire for further study, he might be able to smoothly break through to Rank Nine Soul Master."

"But unfortunately, Old Han seems to despise the Sun Moon Empire. Of course, that was only a joke, so don't take it seriously!"

As she spoke, Xu Jiujiu gave a light laugh.

Shu Yan shrugged. He seemed to have already found a way to break the deadlock. A diehard Soul Tool enthusiast, huh? Wouldn't that make handling him much easier?

After Xu Jiujiu briefly recounted two more matters related to Old Han, she said nothing further. The carriage continued steadily onward and soon reached a street far quieter than those outside. Xu Jiujiu spoke again, introducing the area.

"The southern part of Star Luo City is mostly home to the Empire's powerful figures and officials, so security around here is much better than elsewhere. Even during the day, there is little noise, and very few people dare cause trouble nearby."

Shu Yan gave a quiet hum. The carriage continued forward before stopping at the deepest part of the street. Holding Xu Jiujiu in his arms, Shu Yan leaped down from the carriage. Nebula Douluo appeared behind them, and the three of them climbed the steps together before knocking on the heavy metal doors.

After a long while, the doors opened from within. A middle-aged man with somewhat messy hair poked his head out. After taking the calling card from Xu Jiujiu and opening it to examine it, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly opened the doors all the way and bowed.

"Han Xin pays his respects to Your Highness Princess, to Senior Nebula Douluo, and to this young master..."

Xu Jiujiu looked him over before saying directly,

"Take us to see Old Han. It is urgent and cannot be delayed."

Han Xin hurriedly stepped aside and said,

"Please come in, honored guests. The master only ended his seclusion yesterday and is currently resting in the residence. Please follow me."

Xu Jiujiu nodded and led the other two after Han Xin into the Han Residence.

Shu Yan inspected the surroundings, his gaze lingering briefly on several rather conspicuous decorations before moving away. He could sense that they were similar to detection Soul Tools. Nearly every part of this residence had Soul Tools with similar functions arranged throughout it. The arrangement was not particularly refined, but these Soul Tools did have some merit.

To be honest, Shu Yan knew absolutely nothing about Soul Tools. He had no interest in making them and was still at the stage of knowing how to use them but being too lazy to learn. If nothing unexpected happened, he would probably remain that way in the future.

To him, learning to make Soul Tools was nothing but a waste of time. Cultivation was already difficult for Extreme Attribute soul masters between levels thirty and seventy. If he had to divide his time further to learn Soul Tool crafting, wouldn't that be completely idiotic?

Rather than waste time making them himself, he preferred letting others make them and using them directly. It saved time and effort, and he would not lose hair. Anyway, that was his reasoning. Shu Yan could not be bothered to care whether it was right or not, nor did he care.

Upon entering the residence's rear courtyard, the surrounding vegetation grew denser. The sound of flowing water drifted over, and a small pavilion came into view. At the center of the pavilion, a white-haired old man sat in a reclining chair with his eyes closed, seemingly dozing. Even as the four arrived, the old man did not so much as lift an eyelid, as though he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Nebula Douluo snorted coldly, starlight flashing in her hand. The next instant, the reclining chair beneath the old man exploded. The old man was startled awake at once, and the expression on his face visibly turned savage. Nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—rose beneath his feet. Several enormous cannon barrels appeared at his side as terrifying Soul Power began to gather. Han Xin was so frightened that his scalp went numb, and his messy hair instantly stood on end. The next moment, he nearly instinctively performed several flips over the wall and vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a shrill cry.

"The master has gone mad again, again, again, again, again, again... Run!"

Veins bulged on Nebula Douluo's forehead. The next moment, she shouted sharply,

"You old ghost Han! Open your dog eyes and see who I am, then see who is beside me! How dare you!"

That fierce shout was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly echoing throughout the area. Han Lin abruptly snapped out of his red-eyed state. He stood there in confusion for a moment, then his pupils suddenly shrank when his gaze fell upon Nebula Douluo and Xu Jiujiu. Looking again at the nine soul rings beneath his feet and the Soul Cannon barrels at his side, poised to fire, Han Lin suddenly felt as though the sky were collapsing...