"What did you say to my sister?"
"What do you mean?"
"Stop playing dumb!"
Following Xiao Hongchen's gaze, Qin Chuan saw Meng Hongchen's cheeks flushed as she giggled like a silver bell.
Qin Chuan changed the subject. "Don't ask me that. Are we still going to have our match?"
"I'll ask you about it later."
Xiao Hongchen could only swallow his anger and stand before the pristine workbench.
By now, the classroom was surrounded by onlookers.
When Xuan Ziwen heard that Qin Chuan and Xiao Hongchen were going to have a Soul Engineer match, he immediately volunteered to serve as the referee. He was actually quite curious to see which of them was stronger.
Although his preconceived notions led him to believe that Xiao Hongchen had the edge, the boy had been studying Soul Tools for two years, and his grandfather was the Dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. With such constant exposure and guidance, it would be difficult for him to lose.
Qin Chuan was indeed a peerless genius, having become a Second-Class Soul Engineer in just ten days, but he was still very young.
At the same time, a screen rose from Jing Hongchen's desk, clearly showing Qin Chuan and Xiao Hongchen.
"The little rascal can't even hold back," Jing Hongchen said with a faint smile.
Jing Hongchen had deliberately arranged for Qin Chuan and his grandchildren to share a classroom. This was exactly what he had planned for.
Good competition was what drove people to improve.
Xuan Ziwen's voice came from the screen. "Second-Class Soul Engineers Qin Chuan and Xiao Hongchen, before you are a piece of Refined Iron, twenty centimeters long and ten centimeters wide. You will both use identical Diamond carving knives. Within two hours, make a Second-Class Soul Tool. Then head to the training field for a Soul Engineer match. Is that clear?"
"Understood!"
They answered in unison.
"Then let the timer begin!"
At Xuan Ziwen's command, Xiao Hongchen immediately became serious. The moment he gripped his carving knife, he already had a plan in mind.
Xiao Hongchen carved swiftly, his knife slicing through the iron like a blade through tofu. Metal shavings fluttered down like petals.
In no time, the shape of a cannon barrel began to emerge.
No wonder he's Jing Hongchen's grandson. I thought he was all talk when he mocked Huo Yuhao, but it turns out he really does have some skill. Qin Chuan thought to himself. He gripped the cold carving knife, his mind quickly working through his own plan.
Qin Chuan carved with precision, metal shavings flying like raindrops as his movements grew faster and faster.
Soon, a scale was finished and landed on the pristine workbench.
It was only five centimeters across and as thin as a cicada's wing. Qin Chuan seemed to be carving a second one, then a third, a fourth... More and more scales took shape.
Confused, Qian Renxue asked Ye Guyi, "Guyi, can you tell what kind of Soul Tool my little brother is making?"
"L..." Ye Guyi almost blurted out "Old Ancestor" by instinct. But the next moment, Qian Renxue's look startled her, and she quickly changed course. "Big Sis, I originally thought Qin Chuan was making a defensive chest plate to wear for extra protection, since they still have their Soul Engineer match afterward."
"But now it looks like Qin Chuan is making a claw glove."
"A claw glove?"
"A claw glove is basically like an ordinary glove, except it's made of metal. The Core Array is usually embedded in the palm. Once activated with Soul Power, it can multiply the user's combat strength several times, or even more than tenfold. Of course, that's only possible with Level 6 or 7 Soul Tools."
"For a Second-Class Soul Engineer like Qin Chuan, even tripling his strength would be incredible."
Only then did Qian Renxue understand what kind of Soul Tool Qin Chuan wanted to make.
Time passed second by second. At last, Xiao Hongchen and Qin Chuan set down their carving knives at the same time.
The Core Arrays were finished. It was time to assemble the parts.
No one made a sound. The only noise in the vast workshop was the clatter of parts striking one another. Nearly everyone held their breath.
Xiao Hongchen had made a small cannon, its barrel five centimeters in diameter.
Just as Ye Guyi had said, Qin Chuan had made a claw glove, sized to fit the Golden Dragon King's External Soul Bone exactly.
The two set down their Soul Tools, their foreheads slick with sweat. They glanced at each other, then turned to Xuan Ziwen and said in unison, "Finished!"
Xuan Ziwen checked the time. They had both finished in less than an hour. Qin Chuan, you really are a peerless genius!
Xiao Hongchen was secretly shocked. He had been surrounded by Soul Tools since childhood and had started studying them early. His grandfather had personally taught him, and he himself had spent years researching them to reach this speed. Was Qin Chuan some kind of monster?
That's right, Qin Chuan really was a monster—an old monster who had been Ice Sealed for ten thousand years.
Xuan Ziwen stepped forward to inspect Xiao Hongchen's Soul Cannon and nodded slightly. "A Second-Class Soul Energy Condensing Cannon. Not bad. Finishing it in such a short time is quite impressive."
"Thank you, Teacher Xuan."
At any other time, Xiao Hongchen would have been unbearably smug. But seeing six-year-old Qin Chuan make a Second-Class Soul Tool on his own and finish at the same time as him, he had already come to regard him as his greatest rival.
Xuan Ziwen walked over to Qin Chuan. The moment he picked up the claw glove, he glanced down at Qin Chuan's right hand and asked in surprise, "You made a Right Claw Glove, but... isn't it too big?"
Qin Chuan had made it to fit the Golden Dragon King's right claw, so it was exceptionally large.
"Teacher Xuan, I assume you've seen my medical report?"
Qin Chuan was a key talent whom the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was nurturing. As his homeroom teacher, Xuan Ziwen had naturally read it.
Xuan Ziwen immediately understood. He glanced at Qin Chuan's right hand once more and nodded. "I see."
Then Xuan Ziwen set down the claw glove and turned to face the two of them. "After my assessment, Qin Chuan's claw glove is also a Second-Class Soul Tool. Now, Qin Chuan and Xiao Hongchen, take your Soul Tools and head to the field for your Soul Engineer match."
The academy had a dedicated dueling arena, but Qin Chuan and Xiao Hongchen were only Second-Class Soul Engineers. Considering their young age, the match would be held on the field instead.
At the center of the lush green field was a hectare of open ground. Qin Chuan and Xiao Hongchen stood facing each other, both solemn.
Their match had drawn quite a crowd. Aside from the third-year students and the teachers, even Jing Hongchen had come.
"Hall Master, who do you think will win, Qin Chuan or Xiao Hongchen?" Lin Jiayi asked.
Jing Hongchen smiled faintly. "My grandson has just broken through Level 20, while Qin Chuan is already at Level 23. Qin Chuan has the advantage in Soul Power, but Soul Power Level isn't what will decide the match. The key lies in their Martial Souls."
"Both Soul Engineers, please get ready."
Xuan Ziwen glanced at them and saw that they were ready. Then he called out, "Soul Fighting begins!"
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