Soul Tools Belong to the People!

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

He raised a hand, gripped Ye Luochen's arm, and then, with a quick step, began dragging him toward the main entrance.

Faced with this scene, Ye Luochen was momentarily stunned.

What was the meaning of this?

What was he doing? Was he trying to kick him out the front door?

Good grief, had that line of thinking really been vetoed by some mysterious, irresistible force, to the point where Xuan Ziwen, who had shown such high interest just a moment ago, was now preparing to expel him?

However, they had only been dragged a few steps when Xuan Ziwen's voice rang out again.

His tone was incredibly excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline:

"Quick, we must go find the Hall Master right now and tell him about this creative idea, so he can—no, not 'sooner,' we must start immediately, right this instant!"

"We must start working on the standardization and the development of the machine tools immediately to realize the assembly-line production you spoke of as soon as possible!"

Hearing Xuan Ziwen's words, Ye Luochen couldn't help but chuckle.

He then paused his steps and planted his feet firmly to stop their momentum.

"There is no need to be so impatient, Teacher Xuan."

"How can I not be?"

Xuan Ziwen's voice rang out immediately.

"Do you understand what it would mean if soul devices could be produced via an assembly line?"

"It would mean that the production of soul devices would become much simpler and more convenient," Ye Luochen said.

Hearing Ye Luochen's reply, Xuan Ziwen finally stopped in his tracks.

He turned back, his expression incredibly serious as he asked:

"I ask you, what is a soul device?"

"It is a tool crafted through soul guidance technology, using soul power as a catalyst," Ye Luochen recited the standard answer from the textbooks.

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

"That concept is far too backward. Its significance should be to promote the evolution of all human society."

"Promote the evolution of all human society?" Ye Luochen repeated, puzzled.

"Correct."

Xuan Ziwen continued.

"At the current stage, although some soul devices have entered thousands of households and begun to assist people in their daily lives and work, they have extremely strong limitations."

"First, soul devices currently must be guided by soul power, which imposes great restrictions on their use."

"Second, the high price of soul devices is a significant burden even for families with soul masters, let alone for commoner families."

"But should soul devices be this way?"

"Was the soul guidance technology that countless predecessors spent endless effort and time researching meant only to serve a small, specific group?"

"No, of course not!"

Xuan Ziwen's tone was high-pitched, his expression incredibly earnest, his temperament like a different person compared to before.

"Soul devices should be things that can enter every household, things that even ordinary people can use."

"They should be things that 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 devices!"

Listening to Xuan Ziwen's words, Ye Luochen couldn't help but be stunned.

The other man's philosophy seemed quite different from any other soul master he had met.

Yet, for some reason, a sense of inexplicable agreement rose in his heart.

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

Xuan Ziwen's voice continued.

"As long as we can achieve standardization, modularization, and assembly-line production, the price of soul devices will definitely drop significantly."

"In that case, 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 Hall Master?"

As he spoke, Xuan Ziwen exerted force on his arm again, intending to drag Ye Luochen toward the exit.

But he was brought to a dead stop by Ye Luochen.

Feeling this, Xuan Ziwen couldn't help but be stunned.

Wasn't it rumored that this kid wasn't even level forty yet?

Although he primarily focused on soul tool technology, he was still a formidable Soul Douluo-ranked soul master; how could he possibly fail to budge this boy?

However, before he could increase his strength, Ye Luochen's voice rang out:

"I understand what you mean, Teacher Xuan, but have you considered how we should persuade the Hall Master to gain his recognition and funding once we see him?"

"Are we just going to rely on our words and this soul tool shield of mine, which isn't even level three yet?"

Hearing this, Xuan Ziwen's body, which had been about to exert force, suddenly relaxed.

Then, he slowly let go of his arm.

"Indeed, I was a bit too anxious."

Stopped by Ye Luochen, Xuan Ziwen finally regained his composure.

As a senior researcher at Mingde Hall, he was all too familiar with its rules and regulations.

To establish an official research project and receive recognition and resource investment from Mingde Hall, one had to at least show them results that were already on a small scale and possessed tangible value.

A mere concept was far from enough.

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

After thinking this through, Xuan Ziwen turned his gaze back to Ye Luochen and said solemnly:

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

Ye Luochen nodded decisively.

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

Level eight, enjoying special subsidies from Mingde Hall, his skill level was absolutely at the very top tier.

Furthermore, he held the grand goal that "soul tools should belong to the people."

Under these circumstances, joining his research group was, in Ye Luochen's view, an excellent choice.

The two hit it off immediately.

Without a moment's delay, Xuan Ziwen swept everything off the table and placed the soul tool shield Ye Luochen had previously crafted onto it.

With a flick of his fingers, he began to dismantle it.

"This modular design is indeed very convenient to take apart. If it were a traditional soul tool, even I wouldn't dare to easily disassemble the core array."

"However, your design still has some obvious flaws. First is the energy link..."

The sound of intense discussion gradually filled the laboratory.

At first, as the one who proposed the concept, Ye Luochen was able to offer input in many areas.

But before long, he could barely get a word in, and it became Xuan Ziwen working away on his own.

Xuan Ziwen quickly demonstrated to Ye Luochen with actual actions what the strength of a level eight soul master truly was.

Just a few hours later, a simple stamping machine had been completed.

And, completely independent of manual operation, it successfully stamped out two first-level arrays.

"That's enough for now. Although this thing is low-level, the mental effort it consumed was no less than that of a seventh or eighth-level soul tool."

Xuan Ziwen stopped what he was doing.

"Let's go grab a bite to eat and give our brains a rest, then come back later to work on it slowly."

Ye Luochen nodded.

Throughout this day, he had first taken the second-level soul master examination, then attended a practical soul tool class, and immediately followed that up by working in Xuan Ziwen's laboratory for the entire afternoon.

His mind was indeed feeling quite exhausted.