Level 3 Soul Engineer

"They kicked you out? Gu Yuena, are you going back, or would you like to come meet my Soul Tool teacher?"

Mu Xuanheng regretted asking as soon as the words left his mouth, but he also felt it was the right thing to do.

"Meet your teacher." Her tone was flat, without a hint of emotion.

Mu Xuanheng led the way.

The Soul Tool Department was luxurious, and Fan Yu's workshop was even more so.

All kinds of Soul Tools filled the place.

"You're here, little junior brother. As it happens, I have a new idea and need your help putting it into practice." He Caitou greeted Mu Xuanheng warmly.

Mu Xuanheng called back just as loudly, "All right, Senior Brother He. I'll be right there."

"Ah, Master, it looks like little junior brother brought a female classmate with him."

"Hm?" Fan Yu, who was engraving a Core Array, curiously poked his head out. "Is he finally coming around?"

"Teacher, my teacher's wife kicked me out. My classmate here is in a similar situation, so I brought her over to have a look."

Fan Yu stopped engraving. "What a promising talent! What's your name, classmate? Are you interested in Soul Tools? Would you like to learn about them from me?"

His reaction was even more exaggerated than when he'd first met Mu Xuanheng. Fan Yu's eyes were practically glowing.

Gu Yuena looked at Mu Xuanheng, wanting to see how he would react.

Mu Xuanheng was also watching her reaction.

"Teacher, shouldn't you test her first? What if she doesn't meet your requirements?"

Fan Yu said, "How could that be? I've already sensed her spiritual power. It's even stronger than yours."

"Do you agree? I'm Fan Yu, an Level 8 Soul Engineer, and the husband of your teacher Zhou Yi." Fan Yu introduced himself. Worried he might not have caught Gu Yuena's interest, he went on to tell her how Soul Tools were the future.

"You're Mu Xuanheng's teacher, right?"

The completely unrelated question left the enthusiastic Fan Yu momentarily stunned. "Yes. I'm his teacher in Soul Tools."

"Then I'll join."

Fan Yu was genuinely delighted. He even found time to give Mu Xuanheng a thumbs-up. "You did well, bringing me such a promising student."

"Xuanheng is already a Level 1 Soul Engineer. You can ask him whenever there's something you don't understand. But don't listen to him when he gets into some of his stranger ideas. He's the only one who can make sense of that stuff."

He was referring to Mu Xuanheng's attempt to set aside Soul Power and develop an entirely different technological system.

It had been crushed by the Soul Guidance Technology that was already well established.

Mu Xuanheng lamented his lack of knowledge. Newton, Einstein, Maxwell—I've let you down.

He hadn't managed to kick-start an industrial revolution on Douluo Continent.

Gu Yuena started learning Soul Guidance Technology from scratch, and Mu Xuanheng was given the task of teaching her.

He was responsible for covering the basics.

Things like quenching and forging materials.

"With you around, can't I skip learning all this? If I need something forged, I can just ask you, right?" Gu Yuena asked.

Mu Xuanheng also explained why. Unlike in the era of Douluo III, Soul Guidance Technology wasn't something every student studied at the time.

Every Soul Engineer had to learn all the techniques.

Gu Yuena blinked. "Why do we have to do things the same way as everyone else? You can handle the forging, and I'll do the design. We can work together on the construction."

She didn't offer any further theoretical explanation.

Mu Xuanheng took out a small fan. It had not a trace of Soul Power, yet its blades still spun.

"This is what I want."

"You can teach me."

"All right."

After making an appearance and getting acquainted with the teacher, they headed off to eat.

As it happened, they ran into Huo Yuhao, who was there for a test.

Huo Yuhao would most likely become their junior brother, but that wasn't something they cared much about.

Eating was what mattered.

"What do you want to eat?"

Gu Yuena said, "I have money."

"Don't waste it. My card doesn't cost me anything." Mu Xuanheng had gotten his own card from Xuan Zi.

Whenever he spent money, it went on Xuan Zi's credit. He might as well take advantage of it.

They both had big appetites, so there was no need to hold back.

Even an ordinary place could have its problems.

The cafeteria was the easiest place to run into people you didn't want to see.

"Xuanheng, I wanted to apologize to you. Huh?" Xu Sanshi spotted Mu Xuanheng from a distance, but only noticed the problem when he got closer.

The silver-haired girl hadn't just happened to sit beside Mu Xuanheng.

The two of them had come to eat together.

Xu Sanshi sat down nearby and gritted his teeth. "No matter what, Nannan refuses to eat with me. This guy's just started school and he's already hooked up with a girl. Talk about fast."

Bei Bei said, "Maybe they're just ordinary friends."

Xu Sanshi said, "Do you believe that yourself? No way. I'm going to show off my relationship too."

They could see Mu Xuanheng, and Mu Xuanheng could see them just as easily.

"Want me to introduce my friends?"

"You mean those two from just now?"

The three of them knew one another. The other two pulled him aside.

After hearing Xu Sanshi's apology, Mu Xuanheng said, "Oh, that? You don't have to apologize. I can't hide my talent even if I wanted to."

Unlike Huo Yuhao, he had no Soul Skills that could conceal anything.

His orange Soul Ring would be visible to everyone.

Once the apology was out of the way, Xu Sanshi started teasing him. "You little rascal, who's this? You were gone for a month and came back with a girl—and she's gorgeous, too."

"Didn't I just introduce her to you?"

"Gu Yuena, my classmate. We're eating together because our Martial Souls are close to one another, among other things."

He could explain all he liked. Whether they believed him was another matter.

He took Gu Yuena back to Fan Yu's workshop, and they began a new project.

"By the way, Huo Yuhao is going to be your junior brother. He Caitou is teaching him the basics."

Gu Yuena learned incredibly quickly. In just half a month, she had mastered the basics and become a Level 1 Soul Engineer.

Her talent shocked all of Shrek, and her outstanding performance with her Martial Soul made her a dual-track talent.

The two complemented one another, and her understanding of Soul Tools improved by leaps and bounds.

The affairs of the new student classes had little to do with them.

Huo Yuhao was still the class monitor.

Huo Yuhao hadn't stepped forward at Shrek Square, so he hadn't earned much respect. The quality of his Soul Rings, as it appeared to others, only made them trust him less.

Meanwhile, the more respected Mu Xuanheng had never once shown his strength in front of everyone.

He and Gu Yuena spent much of their time in Fan Yu's workshop.

With Fan Yu's guidance, two months later, Mu Xuanheng was already preparing for the Level 3 Soul Engineer examination.

Gu Yuena sat nearby, watching Mu Xuanheng take the test.

When Mu Xuanheng broke into a sweat, she used elemental power to conjure a stream of water and gently wipe it away. When he reached out, she handed him the tool he needed.

He was focused on the test, and she was focused on watching him take it.

The admiration in her movements and eyes was subtle, but hard to resist.

With little effort, Mu Xuanheng became a Level 3 Soul Engineer.

"Congratulations."

A Level 3 Soul Engineer who wasn't even twelve yet had a bright future ahead.

He Caitou, sitting nearby, was even more envious.

"My junior brother and sister are really talented."

Fan Yu could only tell him to work harder.

Even more astonishingly, Gu Yuena had already begun her Level 2 test.

It was Mu Xuanheng's turn to do what Gu Yuena had just done for him, and her test was soon completed without a hitch.

Fan Yu couldn't help praising them both.

They were the future of Soul Tools.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

"The new student assessment is coming up soon. Do you two have teammates?"

Fan Yu wasn't worried about their abilities at all. In fact, he thought they might take the top two spots in the outer courtyard.

The new student assessment required them to form teams of three, though.