Inside Shrek's Soul Tool Laboratory, Mu Guiyun's gaze was fixed on the gleaming golden metal armguard on his right arm. His heart thumped with joy.
His fingertips carefully traced the surface. The sensation was as if it had become one with him, and Mu Guiyun could no longer hold back his excitement.
"Hahaha! I finally did it!"
After countless days and nights, Mu Guiyun had finally poured all his effort into successfully crafting his first piece of Soul Tool Armor.
Though it was still only a prototype, and only Level 4 at that, as a Soul Tool fused with the source of Mu Guiyun's Gold Element, it had limitless potential for future upgrades.
At the heart of this armguard was the right arm bone of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear. On top of the Spirit Bone, Mu Guiyun had also added a large amount of top-grade rare metal—Gold Crystal—to craft its main body.
The armguard also contained thirty-two Soul Guidance Arrays, far beyond the scope of a Level 4 Soul Tool.
Besides 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, greatly extending its endurance.
The remaining twenty-seven small auxiliary arrays were interwoven in layers. They not only provided multiple functions, including defense, enhancement, and repair, but could also work in tandem with Mu Guiyun's Dark Gold Terrorclaw, further boosting its armor-piercing power.
With such an extravagant configuration, it could rival even some Level 7 Soul Tools.
Thanks to the metal affinity granted by the Art of Metal Control, this Soul Tool had now fused perfectly with Mu Guiyun's Martial Soul Avatar armor, truly becoming a part of his body.
"It's about time I gave you a name. I'll call you Gilded Langxiao."
Mu Guiyun stroked the smooth metal surface. Then he focused his mind, and in an instant, Gilded Langxiao melted into his body and vanished.
"It's about time I got some rest. I've been worn to the bone lately."
Mu Guiyun stretched, then got up and left the laboratory.
A full eight months had passed since the Soul Hunting Squad returned from the Star Dou Great Forest.
For these past eight months, Mu Guiyun had never let up for a moment. He had to develop the Thunder Control Technique and, under Zhang Lexuan's guidance, hone his combat skills—getting beaten up in a different way every day.
The same went for Soul Tools. He had to spend at least two days a week on theory, and even his rare afternoons of leisure were devoted to developing his Gilded Langxiao.
Even his rest had been replaced by meditative cultivation.
His schedule was packed to the brim.
Fortunately, hard work paid off. Not long after celebrating his eleventh birthday, Mu Guiyun's Soul Power Level had already reached a terrifying thirty-eight!
His Thunder Control Technique had also made great strides. Though he was still a long way from Ultimate Lightning, at least the future looked promising.
Walking quietly along a path in the outer courtyard, Mu Guiyun savored this rare moment of rest.
Suddenly, a voice brimming with delight shattered the quiet.
"Mu Guiyun?!"
Hearing someone call his name, Mu Guiyun instinctively turned around. Tang Ya, whom he hadn't seen in ages, was gazing at him with delight.
"Tang Ya?"
"It really is you!"
Tang Ya bounced over to Mu Guiyun and teased, "It's been so long, I thought you'd become some Soul Beast's dinner!"
If you can talk, why not say a little more?
Tang Ya's words left Mu Guiyun speechless. She really was the sort of person who could say "That's great!" with a straight face.
"I've been cultivating lately, so I haven't been going to class."
Mu Guiyun gave a vague answer, then looked Tang Ya up and down. When he noticed that her outfit was clearly out of the ordinary, his expression turned a little strange.
"By the way, why are you dressed like that?"
Tang Ya was wearing a maid outfit, with a pink bow hanging at her chest. White stockings clung tightly to her jade-white legs, making them look even longer and straighter, and she had a pair of little black leather shoes on her feet.
"Hehe, I changed jobs, and they have some requirements for what I wear."
Tang Ya smiled sheepishly. The outfit was a little embarrassing, but at least the pay was good: a full fifteen Gold Soul Coins a month. For her, that was a fortune.
At the thought of Gold Soul Coins, Tang Ya's eyes darted about. Her pretty face shifted into a wounded expression, and she pleaded pitifully, "You've been back for so long. How come you haven't come to see me in class? Am I even still your friend?"
Oh? So she knows how to act now?
Her clumsy performance naturally couldn't fool Mu Guiyun. He could only reply helplessly, "Stop putting on an act. Be honest—are you short on food money again?"
When her little scheme was mercilessly exposed, Tang Ya's face flushed. She stammered, "Well... I've been just a tiny bit short on cash lately. Hehehe!"
"You wouldn't want to see your good friend starve to death in the street, would you?"
As she spoke, Tang Ya pulled Mu Guiyun's arm into her embrace and gazed at him expectantly.
"When aren't you short on cash?"
Mu Guiyun smiled helplessly. He reached into his pocket and rummaged around for a while, then pulled out a glittering Gold Soul Coin and held it up with a grin. "Here, this is all I've got. Is it enough to treat you to a meal?"
"It's enough, it's enough!"
Tang Ya nodded her little head repeatedly, grabbed Mu Guiyun, and hurried toward Shrek City.
"I know a little restaurant where the food's really good and the prices aren't high!"
Letting Tang Ya tug him along, Mu Guiyun glanced at her clothes and asked in an odd tone, "Aren't you going back to change? You're going to eat in that maid outfit?"
"Um... eating comes first! Hurry up, or there won't be any seats left!"
Before long, the two stopped in front of an unassuming little restaurant on Shrek Pedestrian Street.
"Here, this is the place!"
Pointing at the packed restaurant in front of them, Tang Ya was afraid Mu Guiyun might turn up his nose at the surroundings, so she explained quietly, "Don't be put off by the plain decor. The food's really good!"
"If you really can't stand it, we can set up a table outside."
"Do I seem that fussy to you?"
Mu Guiyun gestured toward himself with a helpless expression, then walked into the restaurant first.
The restaurant was small, about fifty square meters, with six tables inside. They were all occupied.
The cramped space and shabby decor were just like the hole-in-the-wall eateries tucked away in old alleys from Mu Guiyun's memories of his previous life.
Only one young woman was busy inside. She looked about sixteen or seventeen, with an unremarkable face—the sort that would be impossible to pick out of a crowd.
As soon as she saw Mu Guiyun, she set down what she was doing and greeted him with a smile. "Welcome! What would you like to eat, sir?"
Before Mu Guiyun could answer, the young woman noticed Tang Ya coming in behind him and let out a delighted cry. "Oh, Xiaoya?"
"Hello, Sister Ke En!"