The Treasure Pavilion's Trade Routes

At noon, Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf had lunch with Qian Duoduo. They ate high-end nutritional meals specially prepared by a private nutritionist.

There was some soot on Qian Duoduo's face, his skin was reddened from the heat, and he carried a distinctive scent of smoke and metal. As expected, he had spent the entire morning forging Soul Tools in the workshop.

When they met, Qian Duoduo immediately noticed Feng Tianyu's new clothes. The deep-purple leather trench coat fitted him closely without being restrictive, while the gemstone decoration beside the collar added a touch of splendor.

Feng Tianyu's white hair draped over his shoulders, and his amber eyes were deep and bright. His somewhat youthful yet handsome features, enhanced by the leather trench coat, made him appear exceptionally noble.

Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up as he praised him in a teasing tone:

"Yo! Bought new clothes? Not bad, they suit you perfectly!"

"Haha, Tianyu, you really do have a bit of my style from when I was young. Once you grow a little older, you'll definitely be just like I was back then, able to make girls from every grade at Shrek Academy fall for you!"

Feng Tianyu merely smiled without replying. If Yan Shaozhe had said that, he might have believed it, but coming from Qian Duoduo, he simply could not.

Although Yan Shaozhe was stingy and miserly, he truly was handsome. With his Bright Phoenix Martial Soul, he was exactly the sort of man young girls with awakening hearts would like.

Qian Duoduo was steady and dependable—the type commonly called an honest man. He was probably not the popular sort.

Qian Duoduo had been the one to severely injure that Three-Life Wolf Ape back then, so Feng Tianyu did not hide anything from him.

"Dean Qian, this trench coat wasn't bought. Take a look at the material. Doesn't it seem familiar?"

Qian Duoduo raised his brows and carefully examined the trench coat on Feng Tianyu. It did look somewhat familiar. Then, a flash of realization struck his mind.

"This deep-purple leather... it's from those three wolf apes in the Star Dou Great Forest. You really succeeded? You made the Teleportation Cloak?"

With a thought, Feng Tianyu instantly teleported behind Qian Duoduo. Qian Duoduo only felt his vision blur before Feng Tianyu vanished from in front of him.

Only after extending his senses did he discover that Feng Tianyu had already appeared behind him.

He took two steps forward and turned around, staring intensely at Feng Tianyu's trench coat. He could not help giving him a thumbs-up.

"Awesome!"

"Teleportation is a skill countless Soul Masters dream of but can never obtain, yet you manifested it with a single Soul Tool!"

"If word gets out, let's see which Soul Master still dares look down on us Soul Engineers!"

"We Soul Engineers have the ability to turn decay into miracles!"

Feng Tianyu modestly shook his head.

"It didn't have much to do with me. I only helped out at the side. Grey Wolf handled everything, from design to production. It's much smarter than I am and possesses astonishing wisdom."

Grey Wolf raised its head and cocked its tail, its wolfish face full of smug pride. Its expression practically said, "This king is amazing."

Qian Duoduo was genuinely astonished. There were many kinds of Martial Soul mutations, but one like Feng Tianyu's—a detached Martial Soul that possessed intelligence and could even be called a Soul Engineer prodigy—was truly unprecedented.

Feng Tianyu had only demonstrated the Teleportation Cloak and did not explain just how powerful its effects were. He changed the subject.

"Dean Qian, there's something I'd like to ask of you."

"Could I select the rare metal ores allocated to me each month by the Soul Guidance Department, worth one million Gold Soul Coins, based on my own needs?"

"I'd like to take less of the ordinary rare metal ores and instead purchase some that can contain spiritual power, such as Starlight Stone, Coral Crystal, and Green Fluorescent Diamond..."

Qian Duoduo sat down at the table, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Rare metal ores that can contain spiritual power... Are you planning to make spiritual defense Soul Tools?"

Feng Tianyu did not explain and simply went along with Qian Duoduo's assumption.

"More or less."

Qian Duoduo nodded approvingly, as though he had guessed Feng Tianyu's intentions.

"Smart!"

"I'm very pleased to see that you have a plan for your cultivation. Your third Soul Ring came from an eight-thousand-year soul beast, so your fourth Soul Ring must come from a soul beast at least ten thousand years old."

"Absorbing a Soul Ring from a soul beast over ten thousand years old is completely different in danger from absorbing one below ten thousand years. The Soul Ring's energy is vast and turbulent, but more importantly, the soul beast's lingering resentment will assault the absorber's soul and cause spiritual shock."

"By making spiritual defense Soul Tools, you're already preparing to absorb a Soul Ring over ten thousand years old. Of course I support you."

"The rare metal ores of our Soul Guidance Department actually come from Treasure Pavilion, a merchant association controlled by the academy. Treasure Pavilion's trade routes span the continent. Whether in the three original empires of Douluo Continent or the later Sun Moon Empire, Treasure Pavilion caravans can be found everywhere."

"Treasure Pavilion can definitely acquire the rare metal ores you want that can contain spiritual power. Hmm... go speak with them yourself. It will also help you broaden your connections."

Qian Duoduo pointed Feng Tianyu toward a clear path.

"The person in control of Treasure Pavilion is named Lin Huiqun. She is one of the elders of Sea God Pavilion in the Inner Court, with lofty status and great respect."

"The Treasure Pavilion she controls is also one of the academy's main sources of income. If you need any special rare metals in the future, you'll inevitably have to deal with Treasure Pavilion. It's about time you went and introduced yourself."

A smile appeared on Qian Duoduo's rugged, resolute face.

"You were personally selected by Mu En. Your records are in the Martial Soul Department, while your studies and cultivation are in the Soul Guidance Department. You are a dual-department talent of the academy and hold the status of a core disciple in both departments."

"As long as you go to Treasure Pavilion and state your purpose, its higher-ups will respect your wishes."

Feng Tianyu's eyes shone. Going to Treasure Pavilion to make some connections would not hurt him, and he really did have use for Treasure Pavilion.

That Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife, which would not appear at the Starlight Auction House until five years later—he wondered where it was now.

The Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife was the ninety-ninth Ranking Engraving Knife. If not for its infamous reputation of devouring its master, placing it among the top thirty Ranking Engraving Knives would not have been a problem at all.

What Feng Tianyu desperately wanted was the Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife's true form. It was actually a piece of Gold of Life, though it had been cursed with a life-sacrificing curse by an Evil Soul Master who was a Titled Douluo at the level of a ninth-level Soul Engineer.

As long as the curse was removed, the Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife could become the Blade of Life's Watch. Feng Tianyu possessed a body Martial Soul, and once he fused with the Gold of Life, it would not only greatly strengthen his physique, but also grant it self-healing abilities.

Cultivating Twin Martial Souls meant inevitably facing conflicts between different Martial Souls. Strengthening his physique was Feng Tianyu's solution to those conflicts.

With connections in Treasure Pavilion, finding the whereabouts of the Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife should become much easier.

Feng Tianyu thanked him.

"Thank you for the guidance, Dean Qian. I'll visit Treasure Pavilion this afternoon."

Qian Duoduo nodded with a smile. He then ate the high-end nutritional meal with Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf. After eating, he went to handle his own affairs, while Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf did not return to Studio No. 2 and instead headed for Treasure Pavilion.

On the road out of the Soul Guidance Department!

Feng Tianyu happened to run into Fan Yu and his disciple He Caitou. He casually nodded, without even offering an extra smile, then strode away with Grey Wolf.

Fan Yu's expression turned ugly. Back then, he had wanted to make things difficult for Feng Tianyu within the limits of his authority, all for his foolish yet beautiful wife, Zhou Yi.

Yet he had failed to trouble Feng Tianyu and instead gotten himself demoted. He was now merely an ordinary teacher in the Soul Guidance Department and was no longer being groomed as the successor to the vice dean.

Fan Yu looked at Feng Tianyu's departing back, then at his disciple He Caitou, and a surge of resentment and bitterness rose within him.

According to the information he knew, Feng Tianyu and his mutated detached Martial Soul were already capable of making sixth-level Soul Tools.

They were nearly catching up to him. Fan Yu was only a seventh-level Soul Engineer now and was attempting to break through to the eighth level. Without the Soul Guidance Department's resources for grooming him as the vice dean's successor, no one knew how long it would take before he could truly become an eighth-level Soul Engineer.

And his disciple He Caitou was still only a first-level Soul Engineer, working hard to become a Level-Two Soul Engineer.

Comparisons truly drove people mad!

He could not compare in Soul Tool techniques!

He could not compare in Soul Power cultivation!

He could not compare in looks either!

He Caitou's charcoal-black appearance, compared to the handsome and upright Feng Tianyu, was like heaven and earth.

He Caitou stood silent as a cicada in winter. He cautiously glanced at Fan Yu before quickly lowering his head again, his expression full of bitterness.

Because of his clumsiness and slow progress in learning Soul Tools, Fan Yu had scolded him countless times. He had even begun to doubt himself, wondering whether he was truly unsuited to becoming a Soul Engineer.