Darkgold Nebula

Within the Soul Guidance Department, Zhou Yi took Xuan Xiao straight to Fan Yu.

Fan Yu was sitting at a workbench, studying a Soul Guidance Core Array in his hand. When he saw his wife bring in an unfamiliar student, he could not help but freeze.

Zhou Yi explained the situation in a few words. After hearing her out, Fan Yu's expression became incredibly colorful.

What was this supposed to be?

His wife was snatching meat from under her superior's nose?

Fan Yu set down the Soul Guidance Core Array in his hand, gave Xuan Xiao a once-over, and asked.

"Have you studied Soul Tools before? Or do you have any foundation in them?"

Xuan Xiao immediately grinned.

Step aside. Time to show off.

He cleared his throat, a confident smile appearing on his face. His tone was as casual as if he were simply talking about what he had eaten for breakfast.

"Perhaps I never mentioned this to Teacher Zhou before, but I'm already a third-rank Soul Engineer."

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the Soul Guidance Core Array in Fan Yu's hand fell onto the table, bounced twice across the surface, and rolled to the edge.

Zhou Yi stared at him as though she had seen a ghost, her eyes wide and round, her mouth slightly open and unable to close for a long while.

"What did you say?!"

Their voices erupted almost simultaneously, making the windows throughout the entire Soul Guidance Laboratory hum.

A third-rank Soul Engineer?

A twelve-year-old third-rank Soul Engineer?

One had to know that advancing as a Soul Engineer was even more difficult than advancing as a Soul Master. Not only did it require sufficient Soul Power, but also extensive theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

For most people, reaching the threshold of a first-rank Soul Engineer at the age of twelve already counted as decent talent.

Yet this kid had just said he was already a third-rank Soul Engineer?

What kind of fucking monster was that?!

Seeing their shocked expressions, Xuan Xiao secretly reveled in it, though he maintained a calm and detached appearance on the surface.

"Do you have materials?"

He asked it as casually as if he were asking whether the cafeteria had meat today.

Fan Yu blanked for a moment before abruptly coming to his senses. He grabbed the Soul Guidance Core Array from the table and tossed it aside, then strode toward the door.

"Come with me! Xiao Yi, notify the two deans immediately!"

His voice was filled with barely concealed excitement, and he walked so fast that he seemed to be running.

Zhou Yi answered him, turned, and ran in the opposite direction. Her high heels struck the floor in a rapid clatter.

Fan Yu led Xuan Xiao briskly toward the classroom area of the Soul Guidance Department. Teachers and students they encountered along the way could not help casting curious looks at their hurried appearance.

As he walked, Xuan Xiao browsed the engraving knife options in the System Shop.

You never knew until you looked.

Soul Guidance engraving knives were fucking expensive.

Even the cheapest ordinary ones cost several thousand Deviation Points, while anything slightly better cost over ten thousand.

As for the top-tier engraving knives, their prices were utterly outrageous.

When he saw one priced at over ten million, he nearly bit his tongue off.

Over ten million!

All his current assets combined only amounted to a few hundred thousand, not even enough for a fraction of it.

But when he saw the note attached to that engraving knife, he suddenly felt that it was absurdly cheap.

The note contained eight words—equivalent to a Douluo super divine artifact.

A super divine artifact!

That was a super divine artifact!

There had only been a handful of super divine artifacts throughout the entire history of the Douluo Continent's God Realm!

Exchanging over ten million Deviation Points for a super divine artifact was an incredible bargain.

But no matter how cheap it was, he still could not afford it.

Xuan Xiao sighed and continued scrolling. In the end, he selected one engraving knife from among the many options.

It was an entirely dark-gold engraving knife, its blade decorated with silver-white cloud patterns. Under the lights, it glimmered faintly, understated yet refined.

It cost fifty thousand Deviation Points, enough to last him for a long time.

More importantly, its quality was good enough. According to the system's rating, it could be used all the way up to the level of a tenth-rank Soul Engineer.

Xuan Xiao gritted his teeth and tapped purchase.

Fifty thousand Deviation Points pained him, but it was a necessary investment. You had to bait the hook to catch the fish.

A faint flash of light passed by, and the engraving knife appeared within his storage ring.

Fan Yu brought him to a spacious Soul Guidance Laboratory filled with all kinds of experimental equipment and materials.

The walls were covered with design blueprints for various Soul Guidance Core Arrays. Shelves were neatly stocked with metal materials and Soul Guidance crystals, while a faint scent of metal and ore permeated the air.

Fan Yu pointed at the Soul Guidance experiment table in the center, his tone carrying a trace of pride.

"You may use any of the materials here as you wish."

Xuan Xiao did not stand on ceremony. He strode to the experiment table, sat down, and took a jade box from his storage ring.

The jade box was emerald green throughout, its surface carved with exquisite patterns. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary item.

With a click, the jade box opened, revealing the dark-gold engraving knife inside.

The blade was slender, its lines smooth. Its dark-gold metallic surface gleamed with restrained luster, while the silver-white cloud patterns upon it seemed to flow slowly beneath the lights. It was so beautiful that it looked less like a tool and more like a work of art.

Xuan Xiao had given it a name—Darkgold Nebula.

The moment Fan Yu saw that engraving knife, his eyes went wide.

His gaze locked firmly onto the knife, his pupils dilating slightly as his Adam's apple bobbed. Even his breathing became hurried.

The blade was dark gold, adorned with silver-white cloud patterns.

He was certain that this engraving knife could absolutely rank among the top five Ranked Engraving Knives!

It might even rank higher!

As the head of the Soul Guidance Department, he had seen countless engraving knives, yet none had ever given him such a powerful shock.

It felt like a swordsman seeing a peerless blade, or a painter discovering a divine brush. He was completely drawn in.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, Mu En observed the scene with his spiritual power. When he saw that engraving knife, the corner of his mouth twitched as well.

With his discerning eye, he could naturally recognize the material of that engraving knife.

It was a Soul Bone from a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear that had surpassed one hundred thousand years!

And it was not an ordinary Soul Bone, but the most refined portion, polished through some extraordinarily brilliant method.

What kind of sane person used a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear Soul Bone over one hundred thousand years old to make an engraving knife?

That was way too extravagant!

More importantly, who could even forge it? Not even the Sun Moon Empire had such capability!

A storm raged in Mu En's heart, and he became even more curious about Xuan Xiao's identity.

Just what was this kid's background?

Not only did he possess heaven-defying cultivation talent, he also had an engraving knife of this caliber, and he was a third-rank Soul Engineer?

Just how terrifying was the force behind him?

While Xuan Xiao was displaying his skills in the Soul Guidance Department, a good show was also unfolding at Shrek Square.

Another "Zhou Yi" stood at the edge of the square. With a casual summons, a thorny whip appeared in her hand.

The whip was as thick as a pinky finger and covered in tiny barbs. It gave off a dark-green sheen beneath the sunlight, making one's flesh ache just from looking at it.

"Students, your Teacher Zhou Yi is here!"

"Zhou Yi" employed the Mysterious Step, thorny whip in hand and a faint smile on her face, as she walked step by step toward the students who were running.

When the students of Class One saw "Zhou Yi" arrive, their pupils contracted, and their pace unconsciously quickened.

They had just heard from several informed students about Zhou Yi's infamous reputation. This teacher was known for being ruthless and always following through on her words.

If she caught them slacking, their fate would definitely be miserable.

Even those who had been secretly loafing around began accelerating now, running for their lives in terror of being caught by the woman wielding the thorny whip.

For a time, the running speed across the square increased dramatically, and everyone looked as though they were fleeing for their lives.