Heart of Ice and Snow

"Clang, clang, clang..."

A series of crisp, rhythmic hammering sounds rang out through the spacious Testing Area.

Xian Lin'er and the others could not help but focus their gazes on Huo Yuhao.

He held a heavy forging hammer in his hand, and every strike landed with absolute precision on the silver-white rare metal atop the workbench.

With each rise and fall of the hammer, the rare metal changed shape at a visible rate.

The internal structure of rare metals was never completely stable. This was true of every kind of rare metal.

Therefore, when crafting Soul Tool components, a Soul Engineer had to carefully observe the subtle changes in the metal during the forging process at all times in order to achieve the desired result.

Yet Huo Yuhao's movements overturned common sense. Every hammer blow he delivered was decisive and steady, with almost no hesitation or pause for observation.

Even more surprisingly, he did not begin by making the Soul Tool's most crucial array. Instead, he started with the relatively simple outer shell.

Even Xian Lin'er, despite her extensive experience, would never have dared to attempt such a method lightly.

For Soul Engineers, the standard process of crafting a Soul Tool was always to meticulously carve the Core Array first, then construct the shell according to the array's size and requirements.

After all, even for high-tier Soul Tools, crafting the shell was far less difficult than creating the Core Array.

The precision and complexity of the Core Array were what determined a Soul Tool's quality and rank.

Before long, amid increasingly crisp and rapid sounds of metal being hammered and shaved away, the metal block was finally shaped into an exquisitely formed snowflake.

After finishing the shell, Huo Yuhao merely stretched his body slightly. The pale golden gleam in his eyes grew brighter as his right hand switched to holding an exquisite carving knife.

With a flick of his wrist, the carving knife seemed to come alive under his control, dancing across the snowflake-shaped metal with astonishing speed and precision.

Fine metal shavings continuously peeled away beneath the blade, while a complex and profound Core Array took shape at a staggering pace.

The entire process flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest pause.

About half a quarter-hour later, Huo Yuhao stopped.

He picked up the snowflake-shaped Soul Tool and slowly injected his Soul Power into it.

Buzz—

A circle of crystal-clear blue radiance immediately spread from the Soul Tool, gently enveloping Huo Yuhao's body.

From the beginning of the forging to its final completion, the entire crafting process had taken only a quarter-hour.

Xian Lin'er unconsciously took the Soul Tool from Huo Yuhao's hand and examined it carefully.

She had to admit that although it was merely a third-tier Soul Guidance Shield, Huo Yuhao had crafted it as though he were sculpting a beautiful work of art.

That smoothness and precision were likely beyond even her own ability to achieve.

She even noticed that while she recognized the basic structure of the lines forming the Core Array, many of the details seemed to have undergone ingenious improvements, making them seemingly more efficient.

When she thought of herself at his age, let alone a third-tier Soul Tool, she probably could not even carve the simplest first-tier Core Array without making it crooked.

Then she recalled Huo Yuhao's earlier claim that he had been "self-taught." Xian Lin'er, the dean of the Soul Guidance Department, could not help feeling her face heat up.

"Teacher, is something wrong?"

Huo Yuhao looked at Xian Lin'er, whose expression was complicated and seemed somewhat shaken, and smiled slightly.

In his previous life, he had received his second-tier Soul Engineer badge at the age of twelve. Now that he had displayed the abilities of a third-tier Soul Engineer, it should not have been too shocking, right?

Xian Lin'er was brought back to her senses by Huo Yuhao calling her "Teacher."

She coughed twice to conceal the shock in her heart, then spoke solemnly.

"Yuhao, the Soul Tool you made is excellent. I will apply for a third-tier Soul Engineer badge for you afterward.

"As for the rare metal quota you applied for earlier, I will approve it for you as soon as possible."

As she spoke, she handed the Soul Tool back to Huo Yuhao.

After receiving it, Huo Yuhao turned and walked over to Xiao Xiao.

The petite girl was still immersed in Huo Yuhao's dazzling crafting process when his sudden approach startled her. Her body shrank back slightly, and clear confusion appeared in her emerald-green eyes.

"V-Vice Class Monitor, is something the matter?" Xiao Xiao's voice carried obvious nervousness.

"Xiao Xiao, I've named this Soul Tool Heart of Ice and Snow."

With a gentle smile, Huo Yuhao stuffed the Soul Tool into Xiao Xiao's hands without giving her a chance to refuse.

"It contains three Core Arrays: automatic activation, shielding, and storage. I optimized this Soul Tool, so with your current cultivation, you should be able to use it as well."

The distinctive chill of the Soul Tool spread across her palm. Xiao Xiao lowered her head to look at the exquisite snowflake, then looked up at the smiling Huo Yuhao before her. Her little head felt dizzy for a moment.

Is this... a token of affection?

A lovely blush swiftly spread across her cheeks. Her fingers unconsciously stroked the Soul Tool's icy, smooth surface as she said softly, "Yuhao, I'll cherish it."

Huo Yuhao seemed entirely unaware of Xiao Xiao's shy and adorable appearance. Instead, he bent down slightly, leaned close to her ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Xiao Xiao, you have Twin Martial Souls. Your daily cultivation time may already be insufficient, so don't distract yourself by wasting time at the Soul Guidance Department. For you, learning how to use Soul Tools is already enough."

"Consider this Soul Tool a little gift from me for accompanying me here this time."

Xiao Xiao's face instantly turned from red to pale. So it was not a token of affection.

A tremendous sense of loss surged through her heart, but she was even more curious about how the Vice Class Monitor knew that she had Twin Martial Souls.

And just now, he had been so close to her. His words had brushed against her ear, along with the sensation of his warm breath.

Xiao Xiao unconsciously rubbed her thighs lightly.

Ning Tian watched the "intimate" pair before her and frowned.

Could it be that Huo Yuhao actually liked petite, adorable girls? Should she consider changing her style as well?

Wu Feng, standing beside Ning Tian, let out a disdainful snort in her heart.

Sure enough, this Huo Yuhao was a scumbag who toyed with girls' feelings.

First, he had provoked the Young Mistress, and now he was flirting with Xiao Xiao.

Hmph, the Young Mistress should finally see his true colors now!

Xian Lin'er watched the somewhat ambiguous scene before her, and doubts rose in her heart as well.

The extraordinarily gifted disciple she had just taken in was not some frivolous man who liked to chase after every pretty girl, was he?