Far from Enough

As Wang Yi rose to her feet and left the reception room with the Ice Crystal Stones and the design blueprints, she prepared to recreate the Spirit Ice Barrier in the workshop.

What remained was the haggling between Ning Mingzhe and Huo Yuhao over how the profits from their cooperation would be divided. If this batch of Spirit Ice Barriers could all be sold, they were expected to bring in tens of millions of Gold Soul Coins at most.

But that was merely the beginning. The crucial point was that this technology achieved the effect of a Level 5 Invincible Barrier using only the standards of a Level 3 Soul Tool. The technological gap it demonstrated was what truly made it so enticing.

Yet by the time the negotiations came to an end, Wang Yi had returned to the reception room and announced that she had successfully recreated the Spirit Ice Barrier.

Ning Mingzhe had still failed to pry any information about Huo Yuhao's teacher from him. All he learned was that the teacher was a Soul Tool Grandmaster named Spirit Ice.

Ning Mingzhe could only helplessly hand Huo Yuhao a ring containing precious medicinal herbs and rare metals.

The entire negotiation had given him an enormous headache.

The business negotiation skills he had honed over many years had proven largely useless against a child not even eleven years old. The other party simply refused to budge, insisting that his teacher had ordered a maximum thirty-seventy split.

As an old man over eighty, was he supposed to swallow his pride and make things difficult for a child? Could this have been part of Grandmaster Spirit Ice's calculations as well? That was truly terrifying.

Still, even with only thirty percent of the profits, the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect stood to gain handsomely. What was more, they would have opportunities to continue working with Grandmaster Spirit Ice in the future.

After Huo Yuhao took his leave, the room fell silent once more.

Ning Mingzhe shook his head helplessly and looked at Wang Yi. "Elder Wang, how was it? Did you notice anything else this time?"

"Elder Mingzhe, Grandmaster Spirit Ice is truly a heaven-sent genius. The ingenuity of his design is simply breathtaking."

Excitement shone in Wang Yi's eyes, while her tone carried unconcealed amazement.

"Oh? What do you mean? Could he be a Level 9 Soul Master?"

Ning Mingzhe was intrigued. Wang Yi, who stood before him, was already a Level 8 Soul Master. Even Shrek Academy and the entire Douluo Three Kingdoms had yet to produce a Level 9 Soul Master.

"Whether Grandmaster Spirit Ice is a Level 9 Soul Master, I do not know. But his way of thinking is absolutely groundbreaking..."

Wang Yi had initially wanted to explain in detail, but then she reconsidered. Ning Mingzhe was ultimately just a merchant, while Ning Tian only knew the bare basics of Soul Tool crafting.

Wang Yi could not help but rein in her excited tone and explain in a simpler way. "Put simply, high-level Soul Engineers usually create based on existing materials. Few would actively develop new materials, because that requires tremendous luck and effort."

"But the Ice Crystal Stone used in the Spirit Ice Barrier is clearly an entirely new material. Its properties are completely different from those of existing Ice Crystal Stone. That alone is enough to prove Grandmaster Spirit Ice's extraordinary ability."

After hearing Wang Yi's explanation, Ning Tian, who had remained silent until then, spoke up.

"Aunt Wang, based on what you said, could Grandmaster Spirit Ice simply have been lucky enough to accidentally discover a way to alter the properties of Ice Crystal Stone?"

Wang Yi did not refute her. Instead, she patiently explained, "Ning Tian, in the field of Soul Tools, success never comes overnight. Grandmaster Spirit Ice merely modified the core formation of a Level 3 barrier Soul Tool, yet he was able to make it work with Ice Crystal Stone and produce the effect of a Level 5 Soul Tool. That is not something luck alone can accomplish."

She paused slightly before adding,

"Think of it this way. A blacksmith repeatedly hammers and tempers ordinary iron until it becomes tough refined steel. Grandmaster Spirit Ice must likewise have gone through countless experiments before finally finding a way to alter the properties of Ice Crystal Stone."

Of course, that was not what concerned Wang Yi the most.

When a Soul Engineer's work could be mass-produced and sold widely, it often meant that the Soul Engineer possessed even more advanced, next-generation creations.

Even merely through dismantling and recreating the Spirit Ice Barrier, she could clearly recognize that fact.

Grandmaster Spirit Ice clearly possessed Spirit Ice Barriers that approached the effects of Level 6, perhaps even Level 7 Invincible Barriers. However, how they would obtain samples from him was not something she needed to worry about. She would leave that headache to Ning Mingzhe.

Seeing Ning Tian's thoughtful expression, Ning Mingzhe smiled warmly. "Ning Tian, what did you think of that Huo Yuhao just now?"

Compared to the elusive Grandmaster Spirit Ice, Ning Mingzhe was clearly more interested in Huo Yuhao, whom he had met in person.

After all, Huo Yuhao was not even eleven, yet he already possessed such formidable physical strength. Furthermore, he would very likely enter Shrek Academy next year as well.

If it was suitable, Ning Tian and Huo Yuhao could have more contact. After all, as the sect master's only daughter, Ning Tian bore no small burden of responsibility.

Naturally, Ning Tian understood the implication behind Ning Mingzhe's words. However, she did not answer directly and merely said with a hint of helplessness,

"Third Grandpa, don't bring this up in front of Feng Mei later. Otherwise, she'll start nagging endlessly again."

Ning Tian's Soul Power Level was already nearing Level 30, and she was very confident that she would break through to the Soul Elder level before officially enrolling at Shrek Academy.

Naturally, she had her own pride. Even if, for the sake of the sect, she had to find a guardian who could accompany her for the rest of her life,

and even if that person's strength would determine not only her future standing in the sect and whether she could successfully inherit it, but also the future of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she still hoped to choose someone she genuinely liked.

As for Huo Yuhao, Ning Tian's impression of him was merely that of a shy, handsome boy.

He truly did make a favorable impression at first sight.

But for her, that was far from enough.

Hearing this, Ning Mingzhe could only shake his head. "All right, all right. Third Grandpa won't say any more. You young people should think about your own affairs yourselves."

Clearly, Wu Feng also gave him quite a headache.

However, he did not directly point out Huo Yuhao's astonishing talent.

Once they had both entered Shrek Academy, it might be more interesting for Ning Tian to discover it herself.

Ning Mingzhe had also considered that once Huo Yuhao displayed his talent at Shrek Academy, he would attract many other girls.

But what girl's status could compare with Ning Tian, the only daughter of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's sect master?