Discussing Forging Possibilities with Qian Duoduo

After losing to You Jie, Bei Bei became diligent once more, putting even greater effort into his cultivation. He even completely canceled his plans to study at the Soul Tool Department—originally intended to revitalize the Tang Sect—solely to ensure he had enough time for both his training and spending time with Tang Ya.

Regarding this, You Jie didn't have any particular thoughts; if his convenient older brother really wanted to date, he wasn't about to stop him.

To be able to continue dating even after taking a Scrap Iron Fist, perhaps Bei Bei had actually become stronger after You Jie left him with a red mark (or rather, a blue mark, given he was a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon).

However, mentioning the Soul Tool Department reminded You Jie that another plan he had conceived was ready to be put into action.

As everyone knew, the theme of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's was Riding Duels; the idea of dueling while speeding on a motorcycle was just too cool.

Although conducting Riding Duels on the Douluo Continent wasn't exactly realistic, when the opportunity to potentially realize such a thing was placed right in front of him, who could easily refuse?

As for whether learning to craft Soul Tools would hinder his cultivation...

For Bei Bei, it would certainly be a waste of time.

But for someone like You Jie, who had mastered all the knowledge required for a Level 5 Soul Tool Master at Shrek Academy after reading the textbooks just once, this could hardly be called a waste of time.

(Except for that guy Huo, who had to start learning by hammering iron!)

Moreover, You Jie's goals regarding Soul Tools were very clear: his primary energy was focused on Soul Propulsion Devices, followed by defensive Soul Tools.

Beyond their use in flight-type Soul Tools and Duel Runners, Soul Propulsion Devices could provide You Jie with extra mobility in the most direct way, while defensive Soul Tools were, naturally, for self-preservation.

Although for a duelist, Life Points were essentially the most useless thing, as everyone knew, only those who survived were qualified to dish out damage.

Besides, You Jie didn't lack offensive means, and he didn't think much of the offensive Soul Tools available at Shrek Academy.

With that, You Jie arrived at the small pier in the Inner Court, took out several Soul Propulsion Devices, and attached them to a small boat. He then channeled his soul power to drive the vessel, heading straight for the Outer Court at a speed several times faster than Bei Bei rowing until sparks flew.

Upon reaching the Outer Court, You Jie detached the propulsion devices, tucked them back into his storage soul tool, and sprinted toward the Outer Court's Soul Tool Department.

After a while, the massive gray building of the Soul Tool Department appeared before him.

You Jie walked into the building with practiced ease, headed straight to Experimental Zone 12 at the end of the hall, and took a token from his storage soul tool to easily unlock the heavy doors.

"Old Qian, I'm back! What about those suitable rare metals you promised?"

"You Jie, what's the rush? I'm not going to treat you like Yan Shaozhe."

Following You Jie's call, a middle-aged man with an exceptionally tall, sturdy build and hair like steel needles put down his tools with a grin and waved at You Jie.

This man was none other than Vice Dean Qian Duoduo of the Soul Tool Department. Because they both found that bastard Yan Shaozhe insufferable, combined with You Jie's keen interest in Soul Propulsion Devices and defensive Soul Tools, the two had become close friends despite their age gap.

And ever since You Jie summoned Stardust Dragon in the Inner Court that day, their relationship had warmed up even further.

"You little rascal, you always manage to come up with something new."

"You've given me a tough problem this time, though fortunately, it's not impossible to solve."

"I currently have two methods: one costs money, and the other costs time. How do you want to proceed?"

You Jie understood Qian Duoduo's answer in an instant; one involved using expensive rare metals, while the other likely involved swinging a giant hammer repeatedly.

This immediately reminded You Jie of the forging system in Douluo Dalu III, though that system became a bit incomprehensible once it reached Spirit Forging.

But simply taking concepts like Hundred-Refining or Thousand-Refining and letting this group of people at Shrek's Soul Tool Department—who believed in "miracles through brute force"—study them might actually yield some results, given their professional background.

As for using even rarer metals, while not entirely out of the question, from a cost-benefit perspective, those rare metals were better utilized for other Soul Tools, especially defensive ones, rather than just the structural frame of a Duel Runner.

Thus, You Jie pondered for a moment before speaking again:

"Let's go with the one that costs time. If we can use high-intensity forging to purify the metal and then enhance its strength, or even imbue it with entirely new properties, wouldn't the Soul Tools made from them be capable of so much more?"

"High-intensity... do you mean to say that the current forging intensity of the Soul Tool Department isn't enough?"

Hearing that You Jie had another new idea, Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up once more.

"It's not enough at all. It's just purification; it doesn't stimulate the metal's potential further."

"I heard from Brother Bei Bei that some of the Tang Sect's hidden weapons require extra forging to meet the requirements for their mechanical designs."

"Since Tang Sect hidden weapons have already proven this, why can't Soul Tools be used the same way?"

You Jie decisively used Bei Bei and the Tang Sect as a shield to present his point of view to Qian Duoduo.

"Hmm, sounds feasible. I'll take some people to test it out."

"However, what about that Duel Runner of yours..."

"That can wait. Besides, my next goal is to focus on raising my soul power level. I want to become a Soul Ancestor by the time the next tournament is held, so I have to put Soul Tools on the back burner for a bit."

You Jie shook his head. While the Duel Runner was a great thing, since the Soul Tool Department was already planning to invest energy into forging, he could wait for their results and use better-forged metals to build it later.

As for increasing his cultivation, it was partly because his training speed had improved after becoming a Soul Elder, and partly because You Jie wanted to find a suitable way to help Mu En extend his life.

Although Shrek Academy wasn't exactly a paradise, if You Jie had to choose someone to be the Sea God Pavilion Master, he certainly wouldn't choose the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult.

When it came to being disappointing, the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult never failed to disappoint; if he were to become the Sea God Pavilion Master, You Jie would likely have to flee overnight with Zhang Lexuan.

At the very least, if Mu En could live a little longer, his own development at Shrek Academy would be much more comfortable.

The target You Jie had set his sights on for this purpose was the Spirit-Devouring Evil Blade made from Life Gold.

Of course, the Spirit-Devouring Evil Blade had to be purified before it could be used, and since You Jie couldn't be 100% sure he could intercept Electrolux, he currently lacked the power to purify the blade himself.

Perhaps attempting to summon a monster that could "permanently negate effects" was a good method, but within You Jie's knowledge, the only monster capable of such a feat seemed to be Cosmic Quasar Dragon.

But that was a Level 12 monster; if brought into this world, it could probably run over the entire God Realm—Tang San included—like a speed bump, so the difficulty of summoning it was self-evident.

Furthermore, if the effects of the Life Gold itself were to be nullified, then this would be entirely meaningless.

As for using Magic Cards and Trap Cards to purify the Spirit-Devouring Evil Blade...

It is common knowledge that powerful cards come with a cost, and for You Jie, the most immediate cost is the consumption of Soul Power.

If his Soul Power were insufficient to sustain the drain required to completely nullify the negative effects of the Spirit-Devouring Evil Blade, then it would also be pointless.

You Jie could be certain that even though he was already a Soul Elder, he likely could not sustain the consumption required to purify the Spirit-Devouring Evil Blade.

Without pinning his hopes on intercepting Electrolux, You Jie had no choice but to find a way to raise his Soul Power Level.