One Million Gold Soul Coins

"Making Soul Tools really is a money pit..." Chu Feng muttered, speechless.

Still, the good news was that any business that burned through money was bound to be highly profitable. He could start by making some low-tier Soul Tools to sell, then use the proceeds to buy higher-tier materials.

Like pills, Soul Tools had a high barrier to entry, but they were also hugely profitable. The net profit on a single Soul Tool exceeded 70 percent, sometimes even more.

If Chu Feng devoted himself to the Soul Tool business, he was confident he could earn one million Gold Soul Coins in a month.

As for working with Shrek Academy, Chu Feng had no interest whatsoever.

Shrek students were certainly strong, but their main focus was Martial Souls. When it came to Soul Engineering, Shrek Academy's students couldn't even measure up to the unaffiliated Soul Engineers outside. They were a sorry bunch.

With such an extraordinary inheritance, all Chu Feng needed was enough starting capital. Once he had that, he could raise more investment down the line. He was confident he could build the strongest Soul Engineer academy on the entire continent himself!

As for passing on his Soul Engineer inheritance, if he came across students with a talent for Soul Engineering, Chu Feng naturally wouldn't keep it to himself. After all, his main path of development was still Martial Souls, and Soul Tools were an unexpected bonus. He knew the difference between his "own son" and his "godson."

The peaceful days passed one after another. Chu Feng diligently attended classes and cultivated, rarely causing trouble.

But as Chu Feng's fame grew, his hamburgers became an instant sensation, with demand far outstripping supply. Even after he raised the price of each one to ten Gold Soul Coins, the number of people placing orders still far exceeded his expectations.

Of course, even more people called him a heartless profiteer... but Chu Feng didn't care in the slightest.

As for Huo Yuhao, he simply focused on cultivating in silence. Chu Feng had compensated him with fifty Gold Soul Coins back then, enough to cover half a year's living expenses. And with the pressure Zhou Yi was putting on him, Huo Yuhao now cultivated twenty-five hours a day. He didn't have time to go out and sell grilled fish at all...

It was a day off.

Chu Feng was cultivating when someone suddenly shoved open the dormitory door.

"Chu Feng, Chu Feng! Great news, great news!" Wang Dong burst in from outside, practically flying through the door, her face beaming.

"What happened? What's got you so excited?" Chu Feng slowly opened his eyes, reined in the chill around him, and asked calmly.

"Remember how you told me to sell the 'hamburger' recipe? Several big trading firms came to me. They got into a fight, and in the end, one of them made an astronomical offer!"

"Guess what their final offer was?"

Wang Dong gestured wildly as she spoke, then held back the answer, smiling as she asked.

"Cut the suspense and tell me," Chu Feng said, exasperated.

"You're no fun..."

Wang Dong's lips drooped, but she went on anyway. "In the end, Dou Ling Trading Firm bought your recipe for one million Gold Soul Coins. They also promised to give you a five-percent share of the profits every month."

"Dou Ling Trading Firm... That belongs to the imperial family of the Dou Ling Empire, right?" Chu Feng raised an eyebrow. He'd guessed his recipe might be popular, but he hadn't expected even Dou Ling Trading Firm to be tempted. In the end, not only had he sold it for one million Gold Soul Coins, but he'd also secured a share of the profits.

The Gold Soul Coins were actually secondary. The profit share was the real prize, and it was five percent, too. If the hamburgers caught on, even five percent could bring in hundreds of thousands of coins a month.

"Hehe, that's right~"

"You might not know how popular your hamburgers are now. I gave the sample you made me to the people in charge of those trading firms, and every single one of them was practically drooling!"

Wang Dong chuckled, clearly in a great mood.

Then Wang Dong took out a Storage Soul Tool ring and reluctantly handed it to Chu Feng. "The one million Gold Soul Coins are all in here. The other side gave you this Storage Soul Tool, too. It has a one-cubic-meter space and is worth at least fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"What, do you want a share of the profits too?"

Chu Feng noticed Wang Dong's reluctance and asked with a teasing smile. He was also a little curious.

Wasn't Wang Dong from the Clear Sky Sect? Was she short on money?

"You can't expect the horse to run without giving it some grass..." Wang Dong turned her head slightly, looking a little bashful.

When she was little and living in the Clear Sky Sect, she only had to ask for whatever she wanted. She'd never had to think about Gold Soul Coins. When she left the Clear Sky Sect, she'd brought only ten or twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins, thinking that would be enough to enjoy herself for quite a while. But it wasn't until she went to Shrek City this time to handle things for Chu Feng that she realized how outrageously expensive everything was outside.

It was enough to drive a person mad comparing herself to others. Chu Feng could casually sell a recipe and get one million Gold Soul Coins, while whenever she wanted something nice, she had to write home and ask for money. Just thinking about it made her feel useless...

Anyway, Chu Feng was so rich now, and she'd done so much for him, all with her own money. Even if he didn't compensate her, he could at least give her a little something...

"All right, then. You can have all of it." Hearing that, Chu Feng said nothing more and shoved the entire Storage Soul Tool ring into Wang Dong's hands.

"Uh... what do you mean by that?" Wang Dong was completely stunned, unable to process what was happening.

"Whenever I need something, you're the one who goes and buys it. What would I do with so many Gold Soul Coins?" Chu Feng explained, sounding as if he truly didn't care.

"Then aren't you afraid I'll just keep it all for myself...?" The sudden trust caught Wang Dong off guard, and a faint blush appeared on her little face.

"Would you dare?"

Chu Feng glanced at Wang Dong and gave a disdainful smile.

"Ahhh! Chu Feng, you jerk!" Wang Dong gritted her teeth and stormed off, all her warm feelings vanishing in an instant.

"Jerk Chu Feng, all you ever do is pick on me! I'll spend every last coin, and then we'll see how you like it!" Wang Dong thought viciously.

"Come back."

Chu Feng called out to Wang Dong.

"What else do you want?!"

Wang Dong turned around and glared at Chu Feng, her eyes full of resentment.

"Now that we have money, go buy these." Chu Feng handed her a list, his tone still calm and utterly emotionless.

"What's this...?" Wang Dong puffed out her cheeks and picked it up curiously. The moment she looked at it, she froze. The list was packed with materials, some of which she'd never even heard of, but she could tell at a glance that they were expensive. She was also taking some basic theory courses in Soul Engineering, so she naturally knew that these were all materials for making Soul Tools.

"Y-you... When did you secretly become a Soul Engineer behind my back?!" Wang Dong's eyes widened in disbelief.

It was one thing for Chu Feng to be strong, but he was a Soul Engineer too! That was absurd!

Chu Feng spent every day either cultivating or attending classes. Wang Dong had seen it with her own eyes. He hadn't even gone to any Soul Engineer classes, so how could he possibly be a Soul Engineer?!

"Enough nonsense. Hurry up and go. Why are you asking so many questions?" Chu Feng snapped.

How could he explain this? Should he say he'd suddenly had an epiphany overnight and become the greatest theoretical Soul Engineer on the continent?

Even a dog wouldn't believe that.

"Oh... Fine, I'll go. Why are you being so fierce?" Wang Dong puffed out her cheeks and trotted out of the dormitory. But her curiosity about Chu Feng had been roused again, and it gnawed at her. She really wanted to know who this mysterious guy was. Not only was he powerful, but he even knew his way around Soul Tools...

After Wang Dong left, Chu Feng fell into deep thought.

Most of the materials he'd bought this time were for engraving Core Arrays. After all, making Soul Tools required specialized machinery, such as presses, forging hammers, strengthening molds, and so on. Each required special equipment, and such equipment was expensive, starting at several million Gold Soul Coins. Only some larger academies had it.

But the most important part of a Soul Tool was still its Core Array, which accounted for 90 percent of the total cost. The remaining 10 percent went toward the shell.

He could engrave the Core Array himself. As for the shell, he only needed to draw up a design and find a factory to make it. There was no need for him to produce it himself.

As long as you mastered the technology, no matter what you did, it was a business that made money hand over fist.

One million Gold Soul Coins might seem like a lot for the "hamburger" recipe, but once he could mass-produce Soul Tools, he'd practically be a walking money-printing machine. He wouldn't even need a month to earn one million Gold Soul Coins.

Besides, his ambitions went far beyond that. There would be plenty of places to spend money in the future. One million Gold Soul Coins might not even be enough to make a ripple.