Shui Bing'er listened quietly, giving a soft "Mm" now and then. She tried to keep her expression cool, but those ice-blue eyes of hers gave her away.
Deep in her eyes, a gentle light shimmered, and a faint smile—one she herself had yet to notice—quietly crept onto her lips.
She had meant to act a little more indifferent. After all, she was the aloof, proud heir to the Ice Phoenix, the one who kept everyone at arm's length.
But when it came to this little brat, who was more than a head shorter than she was and yet always managed to stir her feelings, all her pretenses crumbled in an instant.
"Xiaochun." At last, she couldn't help interrupting Ning Xiaochun's endless chatter. Her voice held a trace of helplessness, along with a tenderness she hadn't even realized was there.
"You came to see me three days early just to tell me all this?"
Ning Xiaochun blinked his big eyes. Seeing how Shui Bing'er was trying to keep her pretty face stern, he suddenly grinned mischievously. "Of course not! Mostly, I just... missed you, Bing'er!"
Shui Bing'er's heart leaped, and an uncontrollable blush spread across her cheeks.
She turned her head away, pretending to look at an Ice-Ling Flower Tree by the roadside. Her voice deliberately cool, she said, "What a silver tongue. If there's nothing else, I'm going back to cultivate."
As she spoke, she made to pull her hand free from Ning Xiaochun's grasp.
"Hey, no, no! Bing'er! I was joking! I really do need you for something! Something serious!" Ning Xiaochun hurriedly tightened his grip on her hand, his little face instantly turning solemn.
"It's really important! I need your help!"
Shui Bing'er stopped and turned to look at him suspiciously. "What is it?"
Ning Xiaochun lowered his voice mysteriously. "Come with me and you'll see! I promise you'll be amazed!"
Looking at his pretentious air of mystery, Shui Bing'er was puzzled, but a trace of curiosity rose in her as well.
She hesitated, then finally nodded and let Ning Xiaochun lead her onto the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's luxurious carriage.
The carriage didn't head for the sect's residence in Heaven Dou City. Instead, it passed through several streets and left the city gates, following a secluded road toward a hidden estate belonging to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect on the outskirts.
About half an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of an estate surrounded by tall walls, with elite guards posted at the entrance.
"We're here!" Ning Xiaochun jumped down first, then turned around eagerly, intending to help Shui Bing'er out.
Shui Bing'er ignored his outstretched hand and leaped lightly to the ground. Her gaze swept over the heavily guarded estate, and a flicker of puzzlement crossed her eyes. "This is...?"
"This is the Soul Tool Research Institute I just founded!" Ning Xiaochun puffed out his little chest, a hint of pride on his face. "Come on, Bing'er. I'll show you around!"
He took Shui Bing'er through several rounds of security checks and into the estate.
The moment she stepped inside, Shui Bing'er was stunned by the sight before her.
Several enormous awnings had been set up in the spacious courtyard. Beneath them, dozens of craftsmen and Soul Masters in matching work clothes were busily working, completely absorbed in their tasks.
Some were using precision tools to engrave complex patterns onto metal plates on huge workbenches. Others were gathered around a massive blueprint, arguing over something.
Still others controlled the flames of Soul Power furnaces as they hammered glowing-hot metal blocks. Clanging rang out in waves, and the air was thick with the smell of metal and machine oil.
On the largest workbench in the center stood several objects that had already taken rough shape, their surfaces gleaming with a metallic sheen—a strangely shaped metal sphere that seemed to be made up of countless precision gears.
There was also a silver metal tube about two meters long, covered in intricate patterns, and an armor piece that looked like a breastplate, with several dazzling soul crystals set into its edges.
"What... are they making?" Shui Bing'er asked, looking at the bustling yet orderly scene.
Though she wasn't from one of the top aristocratic families, she was still well-traveled. Yet she had never seen anything like such a large, professional... smithy. No, this looked more like some kind of research facility she'd never encountered before.
"Making Soul Tools, of course!" Ning Xiaochun replied matter-of-factly. He led Shui Bing'er to the largest blueprint and pointed at its densely packed lines and annotations.
"Look, Bing'er. These are all Soul Tool designs I came up with!"
Shui Bing'er looked down. The huge blueprint showed several devices she had never seen before, each with an extremely complex structure.
Beside them, neat handwriting listed their names and parameters:
"Soul Power Baby Bottle: Stores its user's Soul Power for emergency use by themselves or others in battle. Maximum capacity depends on the quality of its core soul crystal."
"Fixed Soul Tool Cannonball: Uses compressed Soul Power at its core and can be launched over a long distance by a firing device. Its power is immense, comparable to a high-level Soul Master's full-strength attack."
"Red Dust Protection: A portable Defensive Soul Tool. Once activated, it forms an all-around Soul Power shield that can withstand several attacks below the Soul Douluo level."
"Sun-Moon Divine Needle: A long-range attack Soul Tool. It locks onto a target with spiritual power and fires a high-speed penetrating Soul Power needle. It is silent and extremely difficult to defend against."
One strange, powerful-sounding name after another caught Shui Bing'er's eye. The more she read, the more startled and astonished she became.
She wasn't a Soul Tool expert, but she knew enough to recognize what she was seeing.
Some parts of these designs still seemed crude and idealistic, but their core principles and concepts completely overturned her understanding of Soul Tools!
In her understanding, and that of the vast majority of Soul Masters on the continent, Soul Tools were no more than little conveniences for daily life, used for things like lighting, heating, and storage.
Combat Soul Tools had long since been lost. Even the few that remained were mostly useless trinkets, with limited power and cumbersome operation.
But the things described in these designs... a Soul Power Baby Bottle could store Soul Power, which meant a huge increase in endurance during prolonged battles!
The Fixed Soul Tool Cannonball, according to that description of its terrifying power, was practically a mobile cannon!
Red Dust Protection could give fragile Support System Soul Masters much-needed defense! And the Sun-Moon Divine Needle... silent, long-range sniping... it was an assassin's and hunter's ultimate weapon!
If... if these Soul Tools could really be made...
Shui Bing'er didn't dare continue that thought. She raised her head and looked at the boy beside her, who was gazing up at her expectantly. For the first time, her ice-blue eyes showed genuine astonishment—and a trace of admiration she herself had yet to notice.
"You... designed all of these?" Her voice came out a little dry.
"Hehe, I came up with most of them, then worked with a few elders in the sect who study ancient runes and Soul Tool theory to refine the designs."
Ning Xiaochun scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "But they're still only theoretical for now. The manufacturing process for many core components isn't mature, and Soul Power transmission isn't efficient enough... That's why I wanted to ask you for help, Bing'er!"
"Me?" Shui Bing'er was taken aback. "How could I help? I don't know the first thing about Soul Tools."
Before you continue