The Treasure Pavilion's Trade Routes

At noon, Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf had lunch with Qian Duoduo, dining on high-end nutritional meals customized by a private nutritionist.

Qian Duoduo's face was smudged with soot, his skin flushed red from the heat of the forge, and he carried the distinct, sharp scent of smoke mixed with metal. Unsurprisingly, he had spent the entire morning in the workshop crafting Soul Tool components.

Upon meeting, Qian Duoduo immediately noticed Feng Tianyu's new attire—a deep purple leather trench coat that fit perfectly without being restrictive, with gemstone ornaments at the collar that added a touch of magnificence.

Feng Tianyu's white hair draped over his shoulders, framing deep, bright amber eyes. His slightly youthful yet handsome features, set off by the leather coat, made him appear exceptionally noble.

Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up, and he teased with a tone of praise:

"Yo! Bought some new clothes, have you? Not bad, they suit you well!"

"Haha, Tianyu, you really have a bit of the flair I had in my youth. Once you grow up a bit more, you'll definitely be just like I was back then, making all the girls in every grade at Shrek Academy swoon!"

Feng Tianyu smiled without responding. If Yan Shaozhe had said that, he might have believed it, but coming from Qian Duoduo, he found it impossible to swallow.

While Yan Shaozhe was stingy and petty, he was undeniably handsome and possessed the Bright Phoenix martial soul, making him the type that girls with budding romantic interests favored.

Qian Duoduo was steady and reliable—what people called an "honest man"—which likely wasn't the most popular type.

Since Qian Duoduo had been the one to severely injure the Three-Life Wolf Ape, Feng Tianyu didn't hide the truth from him:

"Dean Qian, this coat wasn't bought. Look at the material—does it look familiar?"

Qian Duoduo raised an eyebrow and scrutinized the coat. It did indeed look familiar, and suddenly, a bolt of realization struck him:

"This deep purple leather... it's from those three wolves in the Star Dou Great Forest. You actually succeeded? You managed to craft a Teleportation Cloak?"

Feng Tianyu focused his intent and instantly teleported behind Qian Duoduo. Qian Duoduo felt a blur before his eyes, and suddenly, Feng Tianyu was gone.

It wasn't until he expanded his perception that he realized Feng Tianyu had already arrived behind him.

He took two steps forward, turned around, and looked at the coat on Feng Tianyu with burning eyes, giving him a thumbs-up:

"Impressive!"

"A skill like teleportation is something countless soul masters dream of but can never attain, yet you've manifested it through a single Soul Tool!"

"If this gets out, let's see which soul master dares to look down on us Soul Engineer types again!"

"We Soul Engineer practitioners truly have the ability to turn decay into magic!"

Feng Tianyu shook his head modestly:

"It doesn't have much to do with me. I just played a supporting role. It was mostly Grey Wolf; from design to production, Grey Wolf handled it all. It's much smarter than me and possesses world-shaking wisdom."

Grey Wolf lifted its head and curled its tail, its wolf face filled with smug pride, clearly broadcasting the expression: "This Great King is simply the best."

Qian Duoduo was genuinely amazed. There were many types of martial soul mutations, but a situation like Feng Tianyu's—where he mutated an external, sentient martial soul and proved to be a genius Soul Engineer—was truly one of a kind.

Feng Tianyu had only demonstrated the Teleportation Cloak and hadn't explained just how powerful its effects were. He shifted the topic:

"Dean Qian, I have a favor to ask of you!"

"Regarding the rare metal ores worth 1 million Gold Soul Coin that the Soul Guidance Department allocates to me each month, could I select them based on my own needs?"

"I'd like to request fewer common rare metal ores and instead purchase some that can contain spiritual power, such as Starlight Stone, Coral Crystal, Green Fluorescent Diamond..."

Qian Duoduo sat at the table, his eyes thoughtful:

"Rare metal ores that can contain spiritual power? Are you planning to craft spiritual defense Soul Tool gear?"

Feng Tianyu didn't explain, simply nodding along with Qian Duoduo's assumption:

"Something like that!"

Qian Duoduo nodded approvingly, as if he had guessed Feng Tianyu's intentions:

"Smart!"

"I'm very pleased to see you have a plan for your own cultivation. Your third soul ring came from an 8,000-year soul beast, so your fourth must be from a soul beast of at least 10,000 years."

"Absorbing a soul ring from a beast over 10,000 years old is vastly more dangerous than one under that threshold. Beyond the sheer, turbulent energy of the soul ring, there is the lingering resentment of the soul beast, which will strike the absorber's soul and cause spiritual shock."

"By crafting spiritual defense Soul Tool gear, you're already preparing for your 10,000-year soul ring. I certainly support you."

"Our Soul Guidance Department's rare metal ores actually come from the Treasure Pavilion, a chamber of commerce controlled by the academy. The Treasure Pavilion's trade routes span the entire continent; whether it's the three original empires of the Douluo Continent or the later Sun Moon Empire, you can find the footprints of the Treasure Pavilion's caravans."

"The ores you want that can contain spiritual power are definitely available at the Treasure Pavilion. Hmm... why don't you go and discuss it yourself? It's a good opportunity to broaden your connections."

Qian Duoduo pointed Feng Tianyu toward a promising path:

"The person in charge of the Treasure Pavilion is named Lin Huiqun, one of the Sea God Pavilion elders in the Inner Court. She holds a high status and is deeply respected."

"The Treasure Pavilion she manages is one of the academy's primary sources of income. In the future, if you need special rare metals, you'll inevitably have to deal with them, so you should go and introduce yourself."

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

"You were hand-picked by Mu En. Your files are in the Martial Soul Department, your studies are in the Soul Guidance Department, and you are a dual-department talent of the academy, holding the status of Core Disciple in both."

"As long as you go to the Treasure Pavilion and state your purpose, the senior management there will respect your wishes."

Feng Tianyu's eyes brightened. Going to the Treasure Pavilion to introduce himself wouldn't hurt, and there was indeed something he needed from them.

He wondered where the Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife, which wouldn't appear at the Starlight Auction House for another five years, might be right now.

The Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife was the 99th-ranked blade on the list of Ranking Engraving Knife. If not for its notorious reputation for devouring its masters, it would easily have ranked in the top 30.

What Feng Tianyu craved most was the true nature of the Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife, which was actually a piece of Gold of Life, unfortunately cursed by the life force of a Title Douluo-level Evil Soul Master who was also a Level 9 Soul Engineer.

Once the curse is lifted, the Soul-Devouring Fierce Knife can transform into the Blade of Life's Watch. Feng Tianyu possesses a Body Martial Soul; once he fuses with the Gold of Life, it will not only greatly enhance his physique but also grant his body self-regenerative capabilities.

Cultivating Twin Martial Souls inevitably leads to conflicts between the different spirits. Strengthening his physique is Feng Tianyu's solution to dealing with these martial soul conflicts.

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

Feng Tianyu expressed his gratitude:

"Many thanks for your guidance, Dean Qian. I will head to the Treasure Pavilion this afternoon."

Qian Duoduo nodded with a smile, then shared a high-grade nutritional meal with Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf. After eating, he went off to attend to his own affairs, while Feng Tianyu and Grey Wolf did not return to Studio No. 2, but instead headed toward the Treasure Pavilion.

On the way out of the Soul Guidance Department!

Feng Tianyu happened to run into the master-disciple duo of Fan Yu and He Caitou. He gave a casual nod without even offering a spare smile, then strode away with Grey Wolf in tow.

Fan Yu's expression turned ugly. Back then, he had thought about making things difficult for Feng Tianyu within the scope of his authority for the sake of his foolish yet beautiful wife, Zhou Yi.

As it turned out, he hadn't managed to trouble Feng Tianyu at all; instead, he had gotten himself demoted. He was now just an ordinary teacher in the Soul Guidance Department, no longer being groomed as the successor to the vice-dean position.

Fan Yu watched Feng Tianyu's departing back, then looked at his own disciple, He Caitou, a sense of resentment and bitterness welling up in his heart.

According to the information he had, Feng Tianyu and his mutated external Martial Soul were already capable of crafting Level 6 Soul Tools.

He was almost catching up to him. Fan Yu was currently only a Level 7 Soul Engineer, attempting to break through to Level 8. Without the Soul Guidance Department's resources for grooming a vice-dean successor, he had no idea how long it would take to truly become a Level 8 Soul Engineer.

Furthermore, his disciple, He Caitou, was still only a Level 1 Soul Engineer, struggling to reach Level 2.

Comparisons are odious!

He couldn't compete in Soul Tool technology!

He couldn't compete in soul power cultivation!

He couldn't even compete in looks!

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

He Caitou stood trembling like a cicada in winter, stealing a cautious glance at Fan Yu before quickly lowering his head, his expression filled with bitterness.

Because of his own clumsiness, his progress in learning Soul Tools was incredibly slow, leading Fan Yu to scold him more times than he could count. He had even begun to doubt whether he was suited to be a Soul Engineer at all.