After he finished speaking, Xu Tianming still made no move. Mavuika simply stepped forward herself and crouched slightly, pressing their foreheads together.
The sudden intimate gesture made Xu Tianming's heart race, but a moment later, memories that didn't belong to him suddenly appeared in his mind, growing clearer by the second.
Before long, the memories had finished synchronizing. Mavuika briskly stepped back:
"That should do it. Feel it carefully."
Just as Mavuika had said, the memories had finished synchronizing. To Xu Tianming's delight, he discovered that complete blueprints for the Chilun Vehicle had appeared in his memories, every detail crystal clear. Even an outsider like him could understand the general design at a glance.
Just then, Xuan Ziwen completed the final step of carving the Soul Guidance Array and put the carving knife away in his Storage Soul Tool.
Judging by his expression, though, he didn't seem satisfied with this engraving.
"When he was carving the Soul Guidance Array just now, he seemed to deliberately increase the pressure several times. It didn't affect the overall result, but it left a few flaws in the weapon... Strange. Given his expertise, I don't think he should have made those mistakes."
Hearing Columbina's words, Xu Tianming immediately pressed her:
"Seriously? You could even tell that he deliberately increased the pressure?"
"Mm. Under my Kuuvahki perception, those movements were obvious. And when he increased the pressure, the corner of his eye twitched noticeably. It looked a lot like Sandrone when I accidentally interrupted her while she was doing research."
Xu Tianming nodded and silently filed the matter away.
After examining the Soul Tool Sword in his hand, Xuan Ziwen glanced at Xu Tianming and Ye Guyi beside Meng Hongchen in surprise. But instead of speaking to them, he first handed the sword to Xiao Hongchen beside him:
"You watched the entire process of forging and making this Soul Tool Sword from right beside me. Tell me, what do you think of it?"
At that, Xu Tianming understood.
So Xuan Ziwen was teaching Xiao Hongchen a lesson.
But given the boy's status, why wasn't his own grandfather, Jing Hongchen, teaching him personally? Why had Xuan Ziwen been given the task instead?
Setting aside his confusion, Xu Tianming patiently waited.
At Xuan Ziwen's question, Xiao Hongchen's expression immediately turned serious. He took the Soul Tool Sword from Xuan Ziwen and examined it carefully, from tip to hilt.
Perhaps Xuan Ziwen's skill was simply too great, or perhaps Xiao Hongchen hadn't yet mastered the art of Soul Tools.
Only after examining it for a full quarter of an hour did he cautiously offer his assessment:
"This student believes the Soul Tool Sword forged by Teacher Xuan is flawless and can only be called a masterpiece!"
Xuan Ziwen's expression didn't change at all. He simply asked in an even tone:
"Are you sure?"
Faced with a teacher putting pressure on his student in the standard way,
Xiao Hongchen carefully recalled the entire forging process, along with the results of his own examination. At last, he nodded with confidence:
"Mm, I'm sure of my judgment."
Hearing Xiao Hongchen's answer, a trace of disappointment appeared in Xuan Ziwen's eyes, though he quickly concealed it.
But just as he was about to say something, Xu Tianming finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Under Meng Hongchen's surprised gaze, he stepped forward:
"Senior Brother Xuan, I may have arrived a little late, but in the time since I got here, I've already spotted at least three problems!"
Meng Hongchen's mouth fell open in surprise. Then, abruptly realizing how unbecoming she looked, she covered it with her hand.
Meng Hongchen knew better than anyone how talented her older brother was at Soul Tools. After all, their grandfather, the master of Mingde Hall, had once praised Xiao Hongchen in front of everyone, saying that his future achievements in Soul Tools would certainly be no less than his own.
Even a genius like her brother hadn't spotted anything wrong. Could this Fourth Prince really have found three whole flaws in such a short time?
Meng Hongchen had watched Xuan Ziwen's engraving just now, too, and was confident she hadn't seen anything wrong either.
Considering all that, Meng Hongchen decided this was probably just a way for the Fourth Prince to show off. Most likely, his main goal was to draw her attention!
At the thought, Meng Hongchen couldn't help finding it amusing:
So this Fourth Prince is just like those vulgar boys after all. He acts aloof on the surface, but inside, he's still quietly scheming about how to catch her eye?
But showing off like this was hardly a wise move.
Leaving aside the fact that she already had a bit of a soft spot for the Fourth Prince, even if he wanted to use someone as a backdrop to make himself look good, he shouldn't have picked her own stinking older brother!
Wasn't he practically kicking an iron plate?
Across the entire younger generation of the Sun Moon Empire, whose talent with Soul Tools could compare to her brother's?
And judging by the Fourth Prince's age, he was probably about the same age as her. (In fact, he was even younger.)
Looks like this Fourth Prince is about to embarrass himself. Given my stinking older brother's temper, he definitely won't let someone who challenges him in public off lightly... But that might actually be a good thing. If I step in at the right moment and help the Fourth Prince out of this awkward situation, he'll surely be filled with gratitude toward me!
Meng Hongchen had no ill intentions. She simply wanted Xu Tianming's body.
Her brother's response was exactly what she expected.
Xiao Hongchen stared blankly for a moment, his expression seeming to ask whether he'd heard correctly. Once he was sure his hearing hadn't failed him, he looked at the distinguished-looking Xu Tianming before him and couldn't help bursting out laughing:
"If you were trying to please me just now, then congratulations. You made me laugh."
After speaking, Xiao Hongchen rummaged in his Storage Soul Tool, took out ten Gold Soul Coins, and tossed them carelessly forward. They landed at Xu Tianming's feet:
"These ten Gold Soul Coins are your tip for making me laugh. Pick them up, then step back like a good boy, and I'll pretend nothing happened."
Though more mature than other children his age, Xiao Hongchen was still a boy not yet ten years old.
How could he keep his cool when someone clearly younger than him challenged him in the field he excelled at, right to his face?
Xu Tianming merely glanced at Xiao Hongchen and ignored him. He turned back to Xuan Ziwen:
"Senior Brother Xuan, would you like me to point out the three problems I noticed?"
To Xiao Hongchen, Xu Tianming's blatant disregard was a profound humiliation.
But just as he was about to stop holding back and blow up on the spot, Xuan Ziwen unexpectedly spoke first:
"Fine. Since you're confident, point them out."
Before you continue