Level Five Soul Tool Core!

"This guy is actually trying to inscribe the core of a fifth-grade soul tool!"

Shocked by Ling Feng's bold attempt, Ling Luocheng had initially wanted to stop him.

But when she saw his expression, that thought gradually faded.

From Ling Luocheng's perspective, Ling Feng's eyes were giving off a faint golden glow. He had stared for so long without blinking even once.

"Let him try. Let's see how far he can get."

Ling Luocheng thought as she waited quietly to the side.

Time passed second by second, yet Ling Feng remained as motionless as a statue.

Watching Ling Feng's focused expression, Ling Luocheng did not dare move about either and simply stayed by his side.

Ling Feng's movements were exceptionally precise. Several fingers steadily controlled the carving knife, preventing even the slightest trace of soul power from leaking out.

What shocked Ling Luocheng was that the patterns on the rare metal grew increasingly dense, yet Ling Feng's carving rhythm did not change in the slightest.

"He's practically a born soul engineer!"

This thought could not help but surface in Ling Luocheng's mind.

Ling Feng's first attempt took a full two hours.

Finally, when the sky outside had completely darkened, Ling Feng slowly carved the final stroke.

Like an experienced hand, he scraped out the debris within, and his movements came to a stop.

However, the first sensation that hit him was a wave of exhaustion that pierced deep into his mind.

By the time Ling Feng finished that final stroke, he nearly collapsed face-first onto the table!

"Xiaofeng, how are you?"

Only after Ling Feng had finished did Ling Luocheng finally speak softly.

"Sis, I'm fi—"

Ling Feng turned his head, but before he could finish, his vision went black and he fell into Ling Luocheng's arms.

"Xiaofeng! Wake up!"

Ling Luocheng's voice was tense, but she did not lose her composure from worry.

As she hurriedly caught Ling Feng, she grabbed his wrist and sent gentle soul power through his meridians to examine his body.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. He's just overexerted himself..."

Letting out a breath of relief, Ling Luocheng looked at Ling Feng leaning against her shoulder and could not help rolling her eyes.

"Seriously, this guy. Is the core of a fifth-grade soul tool something he can just try to make?"

"He hasn't even touched a soul tool before!"

After casually grumbling, Ling Luocheng picked Ling Feng up in her arms and carried him back to her room, gently placing him on the bed.

After removing Ling Feng's coat and shoes and tucking him beneath the blanket, Ling Luocheng looked at him a few more times. Only after confirming that he was all right did she quietly leave.

Returning to the soul tool room, Ling Luocheng set aside the core Ling Feng had just carved, picked up a fresh piece of rare metal, and sighed helplessly.

"This little guy, if he was interested in soul tools, he could've just told me. I could've asked Teacher for some first- and second-grade blueprints for him to try."

"But no, he just had to ruin the core I'd already carved halfway."

"I can only start over."

"Still, his carving technique was quite practiced, and his hands were very steady. Even those fifth- and sixth-grade soul engineers in the inner court can't manage that."

Looking at the intact piece of rare metal before her, Ling Luocheng could not help but smile bitterly.

Though her words carried regret over the half-finished core being wasted, there was not the slightest hint of blame toward Ling Feng.

What else could she do?

He was her little brother, after all. Of course she had to spoil him.

Even she could not help praising Ling Feng's technique, but she simply could not believe that Ling Feng could carve the core of a fifth-grade soul tool, even if he had only completed half of it.

"That teacher at the academy said the difficult part of making soul tools lies in carving the core. The steadier your hand during carving, the more talent you have."

"Maybe Xiaofeng really does have talent in this area?"

"Hmph, we grew up together. Why does he have talent while I don't?"

Ling Luocheng wrinkled her pretty nose, her thoughts drifting away.

Then...

The pattern went crooked.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"I knew I couldn't let my mind wander!"

"Damn Xiaofeng, just wait until you wake up and see how I deal with you!"

From evening until dawn the next morning, Ling Luocheng finally finished carving the core.

Though it still looked slightly flawed, it was passable in the end.

Watching the core in her hand emit a faint blue glow, Ling Luocheng finally let out a relieved breath.

"This should be finished now."

"Who knows what got into that teacher from the Soul Tool Department."

"I was admitted to the inner courtyard as a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department. Soul tools are only an elective for me, yet that Soul Tool Department teacher insisted that we personally carve a core."

"He even assigned the core of a Class 5 soul tool as homework!"

"Even with the blueprint, and every step of the carving process clearly marked, this is still an extremely mentally taxing task..."

Casually placing the core on the table, Ling Luocheng stood and stretched. She walked to the window and moved her body a little beneath the sunlight.

"Hmm? This is..."

Ling Luocheng had just been about to put away the core she had finished carving, intending to hand it to the Soul Tool Department teacher once classes officially began in a few days.

But she discovered that the core she had carved had gotten mixed in with the one Ling Feng had carved.

For a moment, she could not even tell them apart!

"How is that possible?!"

Only then did Ling Luocheng's expression change slightly as an almost impossible thought surfaced in her mind.

"No, that's impossible!"

"Although I really hope he can do it, how could something like this be possible?"

"Xiaofeng is carving a core for the first time, after all..."

Ling Luocheng stared fixedly at the two cores, comparing them back and forth in an attempt to find a difference.

Before long, she truly did find one.

Yet Ling Luocheng also discovered a fact that was even harder to accept!

There really was a difference between the core Ling Feng had carved and the one she had carved.

It was simply a difference in carving technique.

The patterns on Ling Feng's core were crisp and straight, with almost no flaws at all.

The core she had carved was decent enough as well, but the roughness of its patterns was obvious, lacking the same meticulous care.

In other words—

The core Ling Feng had carved was far higher in quality than Ling Luocheng's!

"Even if his carving technique is exceptional, that still doesn't prove he carved the core of a Class 5 soul tool..."

Ling Luocheng was utterly shaken.

Ignoring the exhaustion from her sleepless night, she began comparing the cores against the blueprint all over again.

When Ling Feng slowly opened his eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

The fatigue in his mind made his eyelids feel extraordinarily heavy. The emptiness in his spirit gave him the feeling that he could fall asleep and never wake again.

"I remember carving a core in Sister Luocheng's soul tool room. So how did I...?"

Ling Feng knew perfectly well that these were the symptoms of excessive spiritual power consumption, and he immediately began recalling everything that had happened yesterday.

After going over it briefly, Ling Feng roughly understood what had happened.

"The core formation on that blueprint probably wasn't low-level. It was at least for a Class 4 soul tool or higher."

With a soft sigh, Ling Feng looked around, only for the sight before him to leave him somewhat astonished!