Soul Tools Should Belong to the People!

Just as Ye Luochen's thoughts churned, Xuan Ziwen moved.

With a raise of his hand, he grabbed Ye Luochen's arm. Then, taking a step forward, he began dragging Ye Luochen toward the door.

Ye Luochen froze at the sight.

What did this mean?

What was he doing? Was he going to throw him out the door?

Good grief, had this way of thinking really been rejected by some mysterious, irresistible force? Xuan Ziwen had shown such intense interest just moments ago, yet now he was directly preparing to drive him out?

But after dragging him only a few steps, Xuan Ziwen spoke again.

His tone was incredibly excited, as though he had been injected with stimulants.

"Quick, let's go find the Hallmaster right now and tell him about this creative idea. Let him as soon as possible..."

"No, not as soon as possible. We need to start immediately, right now!"

"We must immediately begin establishing standards and developing manufacturing machinery, so we can realize the assembly-line production you described as soon as possible!"

Hearing Xuan Ziwen's words, Ye Luochen could not help but laugh.

Then he stopped abruptly, forcefully halting himself.

"There's no need to be so anxious, Teacher Xuan."

"How can I not be anxious?"

Xuan Ziwen's voice immediately rang out.

"Do you understand what it would mean if Soul Tools could be mass-produced on an assembly line?"

"It would mean that Soul Tool production would become simpler and more convenient," Ye Luochen said.

Only then did Xuan Ziwen truly stop walking.

He turned around and asked with an incomparably serious expression,

"Tell me, what is a Soul Tool?"

"It is a device manufactured through Soul Guidance technology, with Soul Power serving as its guide."

Ye Luochen recited the textbook's standard answer.

However, Xuan Ziwen shook his head in disappointment upon hearing it.

"That notion is far too outdated. Its purpose should be to advance the evolution of all human society."

"Advance the evolution of all human society?" Ye Luochen repeated doubtfully.

"That's right."

Xuan Ziwen continued.

"At present, although some Soul Tools have entered countless homes and begun assisting people in their lives and work, they still have severe limitations."

"First, Soul Tools currently require Soul Power as a guide, which greatly restricts their use."

"Second, the high price of Soul Tools is a considerable burden even for families with Soul Masters, let alone ordinary households."

"But should Soul Tools really be like this?"

"Was the Soul Guidance technology developed through the countless efforts and time of innumerable predecessors really meant to serve only a small number of specific groups?"

"No, of course not!"

Xuan Ziwen's tone was impassioned, his expression incomparably serious. He seemed like a completely different person from before.

Soul Tools ought to enter every household, allowing ordinary people to use them as well.

They ought to serve the broad masses of the people!

"This is my ultimate research goal."

"I want everyone in this world to be able to use Soul Tools!"

Listening to Xuan Ziwen, Ye Luochen could not help but pause.

The other man's ideals seemed quite different from those of the other Soul Engineers Ye Luochen had met.

Yet for some reason, a strange sense of agreement rose within him.

"Ye Luochen, do you understand? The concept you mentioned can absolutely accelerate the realization of this goal."

Xuan Ziwen continued speaking.

"As long as we can achieve standardized, modular, assembly-line production, the price of Soul Tools will definitely drop drastically."

"If that happens, more people will be able to afford them, and more people will be able to enjoy the convenience brought by Soul Guidance technology!"

"So what are you waiting for? Why aren't you coming with me to see the Hallmaster?"

As he spoke, Xuan Ziwen exerted force through his arm again, intending to drag Ye Luochen outside.

But Ye Luochen forcibly stopped in place.

Xuan Ziwen could not help but freeze upon feeling this.

Wasn't this kid supposedly still below level forty?

Although he specialized in Soul Guidance technology, he still possessed the Soul Power Level of a Soul Douluo. How could he actually fail to drag this kid along?

But before he could exert more force, Ye Luochen spoke.

"I understand what you mean, but Teacher Xuan, have you considered how we would persuade the Hallmaster after meeting him? How would we earn his approval and funding?"

"Would we rely only on our words and this Soul Guidance barrier of mine that isn't even third grade yet?"

At those words, Xuan Ziwen's body, which had been about to exert force, immediately relaxed.

Then he slowly released Ye Luochen's arm.

"Indeed, I was a little too hasty."

Only after Ye Luochen stopped him did Xuan Ziwen regain his composure.

As a senior researcher of Mingde Hall, he was thoroughly familiar with its rules and regulations.

To establish an official research project and gain Mingde Hall's approval and investment of resources,

they would at the very least need to show Mingde Hall results that had already taken some form and demonstrated value.

A mere concept was nowhere near enough.

Otherwise, if Mingde Hall heavily funded every person and every wildly imaginative idea, it would have gone bankrupt and collapsed long ago.

After thinking this through, Xuan Ziwen looked at Ye Luochen again and said seriously,

"Ye Luochen, are you willing to join my laboratory and work with me to turn this concept into reality?"

Ye Luochen nodded without hesitation.

Through their interactions over this period, he had already learned Xuan Ziwen's rank.

Rank eight, with the special allowance granted by Mingde Hall. His ability was undoubtedly among the very best.

Moreover, he possessed the grand goal that "Soul Tools should belong to the people."

Under such circumstances, joining his research group was undoubtedly an excellent choice in Ye Luochen's eyes.

The two immediately hit it off.

Without wasting a moment, Xuan Ziwen swept everything off the table, then placed the Soul Guidance barrier Ye Luochen had made earlier on it.

With a movement of his fingers, he dismantled it.

"This modular design really is extremely convenient to disassemble. If it were a traditional Soul Tool, even I wouldn't dare casually dismantle its core formation."

"However, your design still has obvious shortcomings. First is the energy pathway..."

The sound of intense discussion gradually filled the laboratory.

At first, as the one who had proposed the concept, Ye Luochen could still offer suggestions in many areas.

But before long, he could barely get a word in and became little more than a spectator while Xuan Ziwen worked alone.

Xuan Ziwen soon demonstrated through his actions exactly what the capability of an eighth-grade Soul Engineer looked like.

Only a few hours later, a simple Stamping Machine Tool had been completed.

Moreover, without any manual intervention whatsoever, it successfully stamped out two first-grade formations.

"Alright, we'll stop here for now. This thing may be low-grade, but the mental effort it consumes is no less than that of seventh- or eighth-grade Soul Tools."

Xuan Ziwen stopped what he was doing.

"Let's eat first and rest our minds while we're at it. We can come back later and work on it slowly."

Ye Luochen nodded.

Over the course of the day, he had first taken the second-grade Soul Engineer assessment, then attended Soul Guidance Combat Class, and afterward spent the entire afternoon working in Xuan Ziwen's laboratory.

His mind was indeed somewhat exhausted.