The moment he closed the door, Xiao Hongchen leaned against it and let out a long breath.
His younger sister, who spent every day with him, hadn't noticed anything strange. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that he had taken over this body, he had to live well, carving out a completely different life for the original owner—and for himself.
After leaning against the door for a moment to collect himself, Xiao Hongchen turned and walked toward the metal workbench in the middle of the room.
His fingertips brushed over the metal parts on the table, and the original owner's memories of making Soul Tools surged into his mind.
Delicate workmanship, precise calculations, and an unparalleled understanding of Soul Tool construction—these were the fruits of the original owner's more than ten years of experience, and now they had become his assets too.
Xiao Hongchen picked up an unfinished Soul Tool blueprint. It showed a Level 4 Soul Tool called a Milk Bottle, which had long been considered the most difficult Soul Tool of its level to make. It demanded extremely high levels of Spiritual Power and materials.
The original owner's Spiritual Power hadn't been exceptional, so he had failed to make a Milk Bottle several times. Once, he had managed to make a half-finished one, but it exploded after it had stored a full charge of Soul Power. Without the protection of the Level 6 trigger-type Soul Tool, Wall of Tenacity, on his body, he would most likely have been badly injured.
But things were different now. A confident glint flashed in Xiao Hongchen's eyes as he picked up his carving knife and began to carve the core.
Unlike before, he now had the support of the Brain Martial Soul, and his Spiritual Power far surpassed that of an ordinary Level 4 Soul Engineer. Making a Soul Tool above his level was child's play.
The carving knife seemed alive in his hand. Every cut was perfectly placed, and the once-solid piece of rare metal gradually took the shape of a three-dimensional Core Array.
Before he knew it, the sky outside had darkened. The room held nothing but the faint sound of the carving knife gliding across metal.
With a soft click, he completed the final line. A delicate Level 4 Milk Bottle, glowing with a pale blue light, rested on the table.
Xiao Hongchen picked up the Milk Bottle and fed Soul Power into its core energy-gathering array. The Milk Bottle immediately released a gentle energy. Before long, it had filled completely with Soul Power and was ready to absorb it normally.
"It worked." A genuine smile lifted Xiao Hongchen's lips. This was the first Soul Tool he had made with his own hands since transmigrating, and it proved one thing beyond doubt: with the support of Twin Martial Souls, his skill at making Soul Tools had far surpassed what it had been before.
Xiao Hongchen set down the Milk Bottle and rolled his slightly sore wrist. Then he suddenly remembered something important: he needed to confirm what he looked like. That was crucial to the beautiful future he envisioned for himself.
He hurried to a corner of the room, where a full-length mirror stood.
The mirror reflected a boy of about thirteen. His build was tall and well-proportioned, and his soft, silver-white hair fell over his forehead, framing handsome, composed features.
What drew the eye most were his rare heterochromatic eyes—his left was a tranquil icy blue, while his right was a cold emerald green. The corners tilted up slightly, but rather than seeming sharp, they gave him an air of effortless ease. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips—not warm, nor ostentatious, as if there were precious few things in this world that could truly interest him.
"...This face is pretty good, if I do say so myself." Xiao Hongchen raised a hand and gently touched the mirror. His fingertips met the cold glass, and the boy in the reflection made the same gesture.
Xiao Hongchen tilted his head and studied his new body carefully. His skin was fair, his frame well-proportioned, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Though he was only thirteen, he already showed signs of the tall, graceful figure he would grow into.
His hands were especially striking, with long, slender fingers that looked well cared for. Years of gripping carving knives and making Soul Tools hadn't left a mark on them.
"Just as I thought." Xiao Hongchen swept a hand through his hair and murmured to himself, his lips unconsciously curving upward.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open.
"Brother, aren't you going to bed yet? Grandpa asked me to call you—" Meng Hongchen stopped halfway through her sentence.
Her eyes widened as she stared at Xiao Hongchen standing before the full-length mirror, one hand on his hip while the other elegantly swept through his hair. He was striking an unmistakably narcissistic pose, and she froze.
Xiao Hongchen's body stiffened at once. He hadn't had time to hide his self-satisfied expression in the mirror, and it was still frozen on his face. He slowly turned around and met his sister's wide blue eyes, full of shock and bemusement.
The air seemed to freeze for two seconds. The room fell so quiet that only the Soul Tool fan hummed softly.
"...Meng? Why did you come in without knocking?" Xiao Hongchen quickly lowered the hand he'd been running through his hair and tried to put on his usual aloof genius expression, but the tips of his ears turned faintly red despite himself.
Meng Hongchen blinked, then let out an involuntary snort of laughter. She hurriedly covered her mouth with a hand, but her shoulders still trembled.
"B-Brother, were you just... admiring yourself in the mirror?" she asked, barely containing her laughter. "I've never seen you like this before. Posing in front of a mirror so... expertly?"
Xiao Hongchen's embarrassment flashed across his face when she called him out, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. Clearing his throat, he said with feigned seriousness:
"Don't be ridiculous. I was just checking my physical condition. I was unconscious for a whole week, after all. Who knows whether I might have been left with some lingering effects? Checking my appearance and complexion is a perfectly normal self-examination for a Soul Master."
"Oh? Is that so?" Meng Hongchen drew out the words, her icy blue eyes curving into crescents.
Xiao Hongchen: "..."
Seeing her brother at a loss for words only made Meng Hongchen laugh harder. She skipped into the room and closed the door behind her. Her long silver hair swayed gently with the movement, and the bow in it reflected the light adorably.
"All right, I won't tease you anymore. Grandpa heard you'd woken up and was very happy. He asked me to bring you over for dinner. He said you'd been unconscious for so long, so you must be weak and need a good meal."
As she spoke, she came up beside Xiao Hongchen, rose onto her tiptoes, and gently smoothed the silver-white hair he'd messed up earlier. Her movements were easy and affectionate.
Xiao Hongchen coughed, then reached out and ruffled the top of Meng Hongchen's head, mussing up her soft silver hair too.
"Let's go see Grandpa. And don't tell him what happened just now, or I won't make Soul Tools for you anymore."
Meng Hongchen stuck out her tongue, grinned, and tugged him toward the door by his sleeve.
"Got it, got it! My genius big brother cares about his reputation more than anything."
They left the room one after the other, and Meng Hongchen continued muttering under her breath, "Now that I think about it, you really do seem a little different since you woke up... More... adorable?"
Xiao Hongchen pretended not to hear her, but the corners of his mouth still twitched upward.
Looks like he'd better lock the door before admiring himself at home from now on.
Before you continue