What do you mean "you get it after one look"?!

After a barbecue, Cao Longyan officially embarked on his dual path of martial soul and soul guidance cultivation.

The first thing he had to do was truly step into the field of soul guidance and test his talent in this area.

After all, he had never come into contact with soul tools before, so he couldn't help but feel a bit uncertain.

The soul guidance testing area was exceptionally quiet in the early morning; when Cao Longyan pushed the door open, there were only two figures in the entire training area.

His teacher, Fan Yu, and his fellow disciple, He Caitou.

Cao Longyan gave an awkward smile.

The Soul Guidance Department really was sparsely populated; it was deathly quiet...

In such a large testing area, there were only two people, and that was half of the department's members—and that count included the Dean and Vice Dean. If you didn't count them, the Soul Guidance Department could be said to have perfect attendance every single day!

However, he felt a sense of trepidation in his heart.

If he had no talent for soul guidance, it would be a disgrace to his status as a core disciple of the Soul Guidance Department, and he would be unable to effectively leverage soul tools to strengthen the forces of Rakshasa Street.

He didn't want to rely entirely on others, constantly having to look at their expressions to get things done; that was not what he, Cao Longyan, wanted!

"Longyan, you're here."

"Greetings, Teacher Fan Yu, and Senior Brother He."

Cao Longyan exchanged greetings with the two, who were in the middle of soul guidance instruction and practice. Not wanting to disturb them further, he walked lightly to an empty spot in the corner and sat down, his gaze falling quietly on their workbench as he silently observed the entire process of them crafting a soul tool.

Every movement of the carving knife, every injection of soul power, and all the core arrays used by Fan Yu while instructing He Caitou were clearly etched into his mind.

With Cao Longyan's current spiritual power, which was comparable to the peak of the Soul Emperor realm, these things were naturally a breeze.

Moreover, he felt the entire production process was exceptionally smooth and the steps clear, with not a single obscure or difficult part. Plus, since He Caitou had completed the work quite smoothly under Fan Yu's guidance without taking much time, he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just the production of an entry-level first-class soul tool.

Little did he know, what Fan Yu had been focused on guiding He Caitou to craft just now was already a second-class soul tool!

"Alright, this second-class defensive soul tool is finished. Caitou, look at what you've done; your soul power injection was still too impatient, and the joints aren't tight enough."

Fan Yu picked up the finished product from He Caitou's hands, his tone carrying a hint of instruction.

He Caitou scratched his head, a look of honest guilt appearing on his face.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Fan Yu. I'll try again; I'll definitely do better next time."

He had been practicing soul tool crafting diligently for three years, yet he could only barely manage to produce a qualified second-class soul tool, and despite putting his heart into every attempt, he still inevitably made mistakes.

Is this a second-class soul tool? It doesn't seem that hard. Should I give it a try?

Cao Longyan slowly stood up, walked over to Fan Yu, and pointed to an empty workbench nearby, his tone indifferent.

"Teacher Fan Yu, may I use that workbench?"

Fan Yu looked up, sizing Cao Longyan up and down, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.

He didn't know Cao Longyan's true identity; he had only received orders from Dean Xian Lin'er to grant this young man the status of a core disciple, but she had never mentioned him having any foundation in soul guidance.

In Fan Yu's view, this was likely some young master from a Sea God Pavilion elder, using connections to experience life in the Soul Guidance Department, not someone genuinely interested in learning soul tools.

Despite his doubts, Fan Yu nodded.

"Safety first, Longyan. Don't get yourself hurt."

He didn't expect Cao Longyan to produce anything; he would be thankful enough if the boy didn't cause trouble.

He Caitou, standing to the side, also stopped what he was doing and looked at Cao Longyan with a confused expression, his eyes full of bewilderment.

He remembered clearly that when Cao Longyan invited him to join Rakshasa Street that day, he had never mentioned knowing soul guidance. He had seemed to have absolutely no foundation, so why was he jumping straight into crafting now?

He Caitou muttered to himself, finding it increasingly difficult to understand this young man with heaven-defying talent.

Cao Longyan ignored their strange reactions, walked straight to the workbench, skillfully arranged the materials, picked up the carving knife, and began to work.

Fan Yu caught a glimpse of this scene, shook his head helplessly, and prayed silently in his heart.

Please, don't let anything go wrong! I must keep a close eye on him!

He Caitou also leaned in, arms crossed, his expression complex.

His logic told him Cao Longyan couldn't do it, but his intuition told him he could.

But the next second, the expressions on both their faces froze instantly, their pupils constricted, and they were left completely stunned in place.

They saw the carving knife in Cao Longyan's hand spinning at high speed, his fingertips wreathed in faint soul power, precisely carving patterns onto the material. Every stroke's force and angle were exactly the same as what He Caitou had just used, perhaps even more precise and fluid.

His movements were calm and unhurried, without a hint of clumsiness; one couldn't tell at all that it was his first time.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Longyan stopped his carving knife.

He picked up the soul tool he had crafted, blew the residual dust off it, and handed it to Fan Yu.

"Teacher Fan Yu, I'm done. Take a look and see if it's the same."

Fan Yu set aside his contempt, reached out to take the soul tool from Cao Longyan's hand, and examined it carefully.

This second-class defensive soul tool was of even higher quality than the one He Caitou had just crafted!

He Caitou also leaned in, and when he saw the soul tool Cao Longyan had made, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung open, unable to close.

Fan Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and asked in a voice that trembled slightly.

"You... you've studied this before?"

In his eyes, Cao Longyan was definitely not a novice, and this certainly wasn't his first time crafting a Level 2 defensive soul tool.

Hearing this, a faint, mischievous smirk tugged at the corners of Cao Longyan's mouth. He shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of humble-bragging that made people want to smack him.

"Not at all. I've never touched soul tools before. I just watched you make one, thought the steps were quite simple, and decided to give it a try. I didn't expect it to actually work."

"BOOM!"

This sentence exploded in the minds of Fan Yu and He Caitou like a thunderclap, shattering their composure and forcing them to cry out in unison.

"What do you mean you learned it just by looking at it once?!"

The soul tool in Fan Yu's hand nearly dropped to the floor. He stared at Cao Longyan, his eyes filled with disbelief, which then rapidly shifted into wild ecstasy.

He finally understood why Dean Xian Lin'er and Vice Dean Qian Duoduo had broken the rules to grant this youth the status of a core disciple of the Soul Guidance Department, and why they valued him so highly.

However, little did he know, he was simply overthinking it...

Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo had no idea, nor had they ever entertained such a thought...

This was no pampered young master here to experience life; this was clearly a once-in-a-millennium soul guidance genius!

This was the fortune of the Soul Guidance Department, and even more so, the fortune of Shrek!

As for He Caitou, he had already slumped onto the floor with a look of utter despair. His eyes were hollow, his fingers traced circles on the ground, and he muttered to himself.

"It's over, it's over. My three years of bitter training can't even compare to one glance from Longyan... The gap is just too huge. Is there even any point in me continuing to train?"

He had originally thought he possessed some talent in soul guidance, but in front of Cao Longyan, his three years of effort were simply not worth mentioning. This feeling of being crushed in every aspect made him completely doubt his life.

Watching their reactions, Cao Longyan's inner apprehension completely dissipated, replaced by an awkward smile.

It seemed he possessed heaven-defying talent in the field of soul guidance.

However, it appeared he had caused trouble, having ground someone's self-confidence into the dirt.

Sigh, it looks like I'll have to help him regain his confidence later. If I had known, I wouldn't have shown off; I've really brought this upon myself... I have to fill the hole I dug myself...

In this way, his path of dual cultivation could proceed smoothly. In the future, not only would he continue to break through in terms of martial spirits, but he could also leverage the power of soul tools to rapidly expand Rakshasa Street.

Perhaps, he could even craft that soul tool from the Legend of the Dragon King capable of destroying everything: the Level 12 God-Slaying Fixed Soul Guidance Shell!