Darkgold Nebula

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

Fan Yu was sitting at the 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, Fan Yu's expression became extraordinarily colorful.

What was this?

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

Fan Yu set down the Soul Guidance Core Array in his hand, looked Xuan Xiao over from head to toe, and asked.

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

Xuan Xiao immediately grinned.

Move 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 merely talking about what he had eaten for breakfast.

"I may not have mentioned it to Teacher Zhou before, but I'm already a Level-Three Soul Engineer."

Bang!

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

Zhou Yi looked at him as though she had seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open, and she could not close it for a long while.

"What did you say?!"

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

A Level-Three Soul Engineer?

A twelve-year-old Level-Three Soul Engineer?

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

For an ordinary person, reaching the threshold of a Level-One Soul Engineer at twelve already counted as impressive talent.

Yet this kid had just said he was already a Level-Three Soul Engineer?

What kind of fucking monster was this?!

Seeing their stunned expressions, Xuan Xiao secretly felt delighted, though he maintained a calm and detached look 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 out for a moment, then suddenly snapped back to his senses. He grabbed the Soul Guidance Core Array from the table and tossed it aside before striding out.

"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 and turned to run in another direction, her high heels striking the floor in rapid taps.

Fan Yu led Xuan Xiao briskly toward the classroom area of the Soul Guidance Department. The 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. Once he did, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Soul Guidance engraving knives were fucking expensive.

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

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

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

Over ten million!

His entire fortune was only a few hundred thousand. It was not even enough for a fraction of the price.

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

The note contained eight words—equivalent to a Transcendent Divine Artifact of Douluo.

A Transcendent Divine Artifact!

That was a Transcendent Divine Artifact!

There had only been a handful of Transcendent Divine Artifacts throughout the history of the God Realm on Douluo Continent!

More than ten million Deviation Points for a Transcendent Divine Artifact was an incredibly worthwhile deal.

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 among the many engraving knives.

It was an entirely dark-gold engraving knife, its blade marked with silvery-white cloud patterns. Under the lights, it gave off a faint sheen, understated yet exquisite.

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 would be usable even for a Level Ten Soul Engineer.

Xuan Xiao gritted his teeth and pressed purchase.

Fifty thousand Deviation Points hurt, but it was a necessary investment. You had to spend money to make money.

A faint flash passed, and the engraving knife appeared inside his Storage Ring.

Fan Yu led him into a spacious Soul Guidance Laboratory filled with various experimental equipment and materials.

The walls were covered in design diagrams for various Soul Guidance Core Arrays. Racks held neatly arranged metals and Soul Guidance crystals, while the air carried a faint scent of metal and ore.

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

"You may use any materials here as you please."

Xuan Xiao did not stand on ceremony. He strode to the experimental table, sat down, and took out 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 and sleek, its dark-gold metallic surface radiating a restrained luster. The silvery-white cloud patterns upon it seemed to drift slowly beneath the light. It was too beautiful to look like a tool—more like a work of art.

Xuan Xiao had given it a name—Darkgold Nebula.

When Fan Yu saw the engraving knife, his eyes went wide.

His gaze locked tightly onto it, his pupils expanding slightly. His Adam's apple bobbed, and even his breathing became rapid.

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

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

It might even rank higher!

As the director of the Soul Guidance Department, he had seen countless engraving knives, but never had one given him such a powerful shock.

It was like a swordsman seeing a peerless blade or a painter seeing a divine brush. He was utterly captivated.

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

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

It was a Soul Bone from a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear over one hundred thousand years old!

And it was not an ordinary Soul Bone, but the most refined part of it, 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?

This was far too extravagant!

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

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

Just where had this kid come from?

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

Just how terrifying was the force behind him?

While Xuan Xiao displayed his skills in the Soul Guidance Department, another spectacle was unfolding in Shrek Square.

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

The whip was as thick as a little finger, covered in tiny barbs. It gleamed dark green beneath the sunlight, and merely looking at it made one's flesh ache.

"Students, your Teacher Zhou Yi is here!"

"Zhou Yi" moved with Mysterious Step, thorny whip in hand and a faint smile on her face, walking step by step toward the students who were running.

When the Class One students saw "Zhou Yi" arrive, their pupils shrank, and their pace instinctively quickened considerably.

They had just heard from other informed students about Zhou Yi's notorious reputation. This teacher was famous for being ruthless and keeping her word.

If she caught them slipping, the consequences would definitely be unbearable.

Even the few who had been secretly slacking off until earlier began accelerating now, running for their lives, terrified that the woman holding the thorny whip would catch them.

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