Bracer Prototype

Inside the Shrek City Soul Tool laboratory, Mu Guiyun kept his gaze locked firmly on the shimmering golden metal armguard on his right arm, his heart pounding with such joy that he could barely contain it.

As his fingertips carefully traced the surface of the armor, the sensation of it feeling like an extension of his own body made it impossible for Mu Guiyun to suppress his excitement any longer:

"Hahaha! I finally did it!"

After countless days and nights of effort, Mu Guiyun had finally poured his heart and soul into successfully crafting his first piece of soul armor.

Although it was currently just a prototype and only a Level 4 device, it was a life-bound Soul Tool fused with Mu Guiyun's own metal element origin, holding infinite potential for future upgrades.

The core of this armguard was the right arm bone of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, and building upon that soul bone, Mu Guiyun had incorporated a massive amount of top-tier rare metal—Gold Crystal—to carve the main structure.

This armguard contained a total of thirty-two Soul Power Circulation Reflux Array, far exceeding the scope of a standard Level 4 Soul Tool.

In addition to the four mainstream arrays—the Soul Power Energy Storage Array, Soul Power Compression Array, Output Armor-Piercing Array, and Elemental Conversion Array—Mu Guiyun had added a Soul Power Circulation Reflux Array to significantly enhance its endurance.

The remaining twenty-seven small auxiliary arrays were layered and interwoven, providing not only defense, amplification, and repair, but also linking with Mu Guiyun's Dark Gold Terrorclaw to elevate his armor-piercing capabilities to a new level.

With such a luxurious configuration, even some Level 7 Soul Tools could not compare.

Relying on the metal affinity granted by his Art of Metal Control, this Soul Tool had now perfectly fused with Mu Guiyun's Martial Soul Avatar armor, truly becoming a part of his body.

"It's time to give you a name. Let's call you Gilded Langxiao."

Caressing the smooth metal surface, Mu Guiyun focused his mind, and in an instant, Gilded Langxiao melted into his body and vanished.

"Time for a break. This period has absolutely exhausted me."

Mu Guiyun stretched, then stood up and left the laboratory.

Eight full months had passed since the Soul Hunting Squad returned from the Star Dou Great Forest.

Over these eight months, Mu Guiyun had not slacked off for a single moment; he had to develop his Thunder Control Technique while honing his combat skills under the guidance of Zhang Lexuan, getting beaten black and blue in new ways every day.

The same went for his Soul Tool research, with at least two days a week dedicated to theory, and even his rare afternoon leisure time spent developing his Gilded Langxiao.

Even his rest was replaced by meditation and cultivation.

His schedule was packed to the brim.

Fortunately, hard work pays off; having just turned eleven, Mu Guiyun's Soul Power Level had already reached a terrifying Level 38!

Even his Thunder Control Technique had seen a major breakthrough; while still a distance away from the Ultimate Thunder, the future was at least promising.

Walking quietly along the outer courtyard path, Mu Guiyun enjoyed this rare moment of rest.

Suddenly, a voice full of surprise shattered the tranquility.

"Mu Guiyun?!"

Hearing someone call his name, Mu Guiyun instinctively turned his head to look back, only to see Tang Ya, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, looking at him with eyes full of joy.

"Tang Ya?"

"It really is you!"

Tang Ya hopped over to Mu Guiyun and teased, "I haven't seen you in so long, I thought you'd become a meal for some soul beast!"

If you have nothing nice to say, keep talking.

Tang Ya's words left Mu Guiyun speechless; it was truly fitting for someone who could say "That's great" in such a tone.

"I've been cultivating lately, so I haven't been going to class."

Mu Guiyun gave a vague laugh, his gaze sweeping over Tang Ya. Noticing her rather unusual attire, his expression turned strange.

"Speaking of which, why are you dressed like that?"

Tang Ya was currently wearing a maid outfit, a pink bow hanging at her chest, her jade-like legs tightly wrapped in white silk, making them look even straighter and longer, and she was wearing a pair of small black leather shoes.

"Hehe, I changed jobs, and there are some small requirements for the uniform."

Tang Ya smiled sheepishly. Although this outfit was a bit embarrassing, the pay was high—fifteen Gold Soul Coin every month—which was undoubtedly a huge sum for her right now.

Thinking of Gold Soul Coin, Tang Ya's eyes darted around, and her pretty face immediately shifted into a wronged expression, looking pitiful. "Since you've been back for so long, why haven't you come to class to see me? Do you still have me as a friend in your heart?"

Oh ho, acting now, are we?

Such clumsy acting naturally couldn't fool Mu Guiyun, so he sighed helplessly. "Stop putting on an act. Tell the truth, are you out of money for food again?"

Seeing her little scheme ruthlessly exposed, Tang Ya's face flushed red, and she stammered, "Well... things have been a little tight in my pockets lately, hehehe!"

"You wouldn't want to see your good friend starve on the street, right?"

After saying this, Tang Ya grabbed Mu Guiyun's arm and hugged it, looking at him with expectant eyes.

"When are your pockets ever not tight!"

Mu Guiyun laughed helplessly, reached into his pocket and rummaged for a long time, finally pulling out a gleaming Gold Soul Coin. He tossed it up and chuckled, "Here, that's all I've got. Is it enough to treat you to a meal?"

"Enough, enough!"

Tang Ya nodded her little head vigorously, grabbed Mu Guiyun, and excitedly headed toward Shrek City.

"I know a small restaurant; the food is quite good and the price isn't expensive!"

Letting Tang Ya drag him along, Mu Guiyun glanced at her outfit from behind and said with a strange tone, "Don't you want to go back and change? You're going to wear that maid outfit?"

"Hmm... food is more important! Hurry up, or there won't be any seats left!"

Not long after, the two stopped in front of an inconspicuous little restaurant on Shrek Pedestrian Street.

"Look, it's right here!"

Pointing at the bustling restaurant before them, Tang Ya whispered an explanation, fearing that Mu Guiyun might look down on the environment: "Don't let the average decor fool you; the food here is actually quite good!"

"If you really can't stand it, we could always set up a table outside."

"Am I really that pretentious in your eyes?"

Mu Guiyun gestured to himself with a speechless expression before walking into the restaurant first.

The restaurant was not large, covering about fifty square meters, with six tables inside that were already packed with customers.

The cramped space and simple decor were exactly like the hole-in-the-wall eateries hidden in the old alleys and streets from Mu Guiyun's past life.

At this moment, only one young girl was busy inside. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, with an ordinary appearance that would make her impossible to pick out in a crowd.

Upon seeing Mu Guiyun, she quickly set down what she was holding and smiled lightly: "Welcome, what would you like to order, sir?"

Before Mu Guiyun could speak, the girl noticed Tang Ya, who had just caught up, and let out an instinctive, joyful exclamation: "Eh, Xiao Ya?"

"Hello, Sister Ke En!"