Soul Guidance Devices

After the Soul Master Tournament ended, life suddenly slowed down.

It was not laziness, nor was it slacking off, but a heavy, steady rhythm. Like a blade that had just been tempered, quietly resting on its rack, waiting for the heat to seep in bit by bit, waiting for its edge to settle in silence.

Every day, Huo Yuhao, Qian Ren Jun, and Qian Ren Duo cultivated under Qian Daoliu's guidance. The old man remained as he always was, sitting cross-legged in the beam of sunlight deep within the Main Hall, his silver hair hanging loose and his white robes spotless.

Whenever he spoke, his voice was as calm as if he were discussing what to eat that day, yet every word was as precise as a ruler, measuring every deviation in their soul power circulation and pointing out every flaw in their use of soul skills.

Sometimes, he personally exchanged a few moves with them, using only ten percent of his strength. Yet that ten percent, in his hands, felt like an entire mountain crashing down. Even when all three attacked together, they could not last ten breaths. Every time, they were beaten so badly they could barely find their teeth, then climbed back up, dusted themselves off, and went again.

Qian Daoliu never mocked them, nor did he comfort them. He only said, "Get up," when they fell, and, "Again," when they climbed back to their feet.

There were no unnecessary words.

Wang Qiu'er trained with Golden Crocodile Douluo instead. The old man was immensely pleased with her, calling her "girl" all day long, the smile lines on his face growing deeper by several creases. But that did not stop him from sending Wang Qiu'er flying whenever they clashed through pure strength.

Whenever she had free time, Wang Qiu'er would come find Huo Yuhao and the others. The four of them would wander around Spirit City together, eating, drinking, and watching the bustle.

Qian Ren Duo loved taking them to the barbecue shop in eastern Spirit City. Its owner was an ordinary man retired from the Star Luo Empire army, and his grilling skills surpassed even those of people who used martial souls.

Qian Ren Jun always ordered several skewers of absurdly spicy meat, then sweated all over while stubbornly insisting, "Not spicy. Not spicy at all."

Huo Yuhao would occasionally borrow the owner's grill to show off by grilling a couple of fish. After tasting them, the owner kept pestering him to teach him.

Wang Qiu'er was very quiet when she ate, chewing one small bite at a time. Her long golden hair fell beside her face, making her look like a painting.

Sitting beside her, Huo Yuhao would sometimes secretly glance at her. He watched her cheeks puff slightly as she ate, her brows knit faintly when something was too spicy, and the flash of panic in her eyes when she occasionally looked up and met his gaze.

Then they would both look away at the same time, pretending nothing had happened.

The days passed like that, one after another.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

That night, Huo Yuhao was meditating.

His soul power circulated slowly through his body, while the Sea of Spirit was as calm as a mirror. Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress were both asleep, and even the Snow Empress was unusually quiet. In the entire Sea of Spirit, only the Eye of Eternity hung silently from the vault above, as motionless as ever.

Then—

"Yuhao! Yuhao!"

Skydream Iceworm's startled cry exploded through the Sea of Spirit.

Huo Yuhao's consciousness instantly sank into the Sea of Spirit. Above the golden sea, Skydream Iceworm was balancing something on its head, bouncing about in excitement. On its plump white head rested a thick... book?

"What is it, Brother Skydream?" Huo Yuhao's spiritual form appeared before it.

"Look, look!" Skydream Iceworm pushed the thing toward him with its head, its voice full of pride. "Today, just now, the Eye of Eternity spat it out! It landed right on my head!"

Huo Yuhao froze for a moment.

The Eye of Eternity?

He raised his head toward the vault above. That rose-gold vertical eye hung there quietly, no different from usual, completely motionless. It was as though nothing had happened moments ago.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at what Skydream Iceworm had handed him.

It was a book.

A very thick book, made of paper, with a hard beast-hide cover. Several large words were written on its cover—

Introductory Guide to Soul Guidance Devices

The author's name was rather strange: Sun and Moon.

Huo Yuhao opened to the first page.

His pupils contracted slightly.

This was a handwritten book. The writing was neat and meticulous, every stroke filled with care. The very first sentence stunned him—

"Soul Guidance Devices are tools powered by soul power and driven through core arrays to achieve a variety of functions. Unlike traditional Soul Masters, who rely on martial souls in battle, soul engineers rely on the manufacture and use of Soul Guidance Devices."

Soul Guidance Devices.

An entirely new concept.

Huo Yuhao continued reading.

The book divided Soul Guidance Devices into five major categories: daily-life Soul Guidance Devices, offensive Soul Guidance Devices, defensive Soul Guidance Devices, information-gathering Soul Guidance Devices, and auxiliary Soul Guidance Devices.

Daily-life Soul Guidance Devices were used to make everyday life more convenient, such as for lighting, heating, and storage.

Offensive Soul Guidance Devices were used in battle and could release soul power attacks. Their strength depended on the soul engineer's rank and the quality of the Soul Guidance Device.

Defensive Soul Guidance Devices were used for protection. They could form soul power barriers to withstand attacks.

Information-gathering Soul Guidance Devices were used for detection, communication, and recording.

Auxiliary Soul Guidance Devices provided Soul Masters with various benefits, including flying Soul Guidance Devices, amplification Soul Guidance Devices, soul power milk bottles, and more.

Each category contained further detailed classifications and explanations.

The more Huo Yuhao read, the more engrossed he became.

There were similar things in this era as well. He had seen storage Soul Guidance Devices before, such as the storage ring on Qian Renxue's hand. But those only possessed the most basic storage function. Compared to the things described in this book, they were crude as toys.

Offensive Soul Guidance Devices could release soul power attacks? Their might could rival a Soul Master's soul skills?

Defensive Soul Guidance Devices could form barriers? They could block a full-force strike from a Soul Master of the same rank?

Information-gathering Soul Guidance Devices could detect events a hundred li away? They could transmit voices across a thousand li?

Auxiliary Soul Guidance Devices could raise a Soul Master's combat ability, endurance, and every other aspect by several levels?

If these things truly existed—

Huo Yuhao did not dare continue imagining it.

He turned page after page, reading word by word, afraid of missing even the smallest detail. He did not know how much time passed before he finally reached the last page.

He closed the book, shut his eyes, and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, light shone in his eyes.

"Brother Skydream," he said.

"Hm?"

"This book... is a treasure."

Skydream Iceworm blinked. "A treasure? More of a treasure than me?"

Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes at it.

He merely looked at the thick book and the name on its cover—

Sun and Moon.

Who was that?

Why was his book inside the Eye of Eternity?

Why had the Eye of Eternity spat it out?

He did not know.

But he had a faint feeling that this book would change many things.

From then on, the Eye of Eternity spat out a book every day.

On the first day, Applications of Metals. It covered the properties, melting points, hardness, and soul power conductivity of various metals, as well as how to create superior alloys through different proportions.

On the second day, <Basic Explanation of Soul Guidance Device Core Arrays>. It covered the principles, structure, and drawing methods of arrays, as well as how arrays could transform soul power into various functions.

On the third day, Art of Crafting Soul Guidance Device Casings. It covered casing design, casting, polishing, and how to embed arrays into casings without affecting their functions.

On the fourth day, Combining Soul Guidance Devices and Mechanics. It covered how mechanical components such as gears, levers, and springs functioned in Soul Guidance Devices, as well as how to combine soul power drives with mechanical transmission.

On the fifth day, Grading Guide to Soul Guidance Devices. It covered the ranking system for soul engineers, the range of abilities corresponding to each rank, and how ranks were assessed through examinations.

On the sixth day, Principles of Soul Power Conduction. It covered the efficiency of soul power transmission through different materials, how to reduce losses, and how to increase conversion rates.

On the seventh day, <Design and Manufacture of Offensive Soul Guidance Devices>...

Every day, Skydream Iceworm would be struck on the head by a book. It took less than ten days for it to go from excitement, to complaining, to numb resignation.

"Here it comes again, here it comes again!" It swam over with a new book balanced on its head. "Yuhao, your book!"

Huo Yuhao took the book, opened it, and immersed himself in its contents.

The days continued to pass, one after another.

During the day, he trained with Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun, polishing his soul power and honing his techniques under Qian Daoliu's guidance. Wang Qiu'er would occasionally join them, and the four would spar, eat, and wander around together.

At night, he entered the Sea of Spirit, holding the books that fell from the sky one after another and reading with insatiable hunger.

From vagueness to clarity.

From ignorance to understanding.

An entirely new world slowly unfolded before his eyes.

Soul Guidance Devices.

It was a world unlike that of martial souls. In this world, the source of power was not merely martial souls, but also craftsmanship and wisdom.

The books described the soul engineer ranking system in detail: from Rank One to Rank Ten. Each rank corresponded to the highest-grade Soul Guidance Device one could manufacture, as well as the array knowledge and crafting skills one needed to master.

A Rank One soul engineer could create Rank One Soul Guidance Devices, with power equivalent to that of a Soul Warrior to a Grand Soul Master.

A Rank Two soul engineer could create Rank Two Soul Guidance Devices, with power equivalent to that of a Grand Soul Master to a Soul Elder.

Rank Three...

Rank Four...

Rank Five...

All the way to Rank Ten.

Soul Guidance Devices created by Rank Ten soul engineers possessed power sufficient to rival God Rank beings.

Huo Yuhao's heart pounded with shock.

If these things could truly be made, if this knowledge could truly be realized—

Would the era of Soul Masters be overturned?

He did not know.

But he had a faint feeling that these things would change this era.

It was another late night.

Huo Yuhao closed that day's book and rubbed the space between his brows.

Dozens of thick books were piled up in the Sea of Spirit. They were stacked neatly there, every one of them flipped through, read, and committed to memory by him. The corners of some had curled, while the edges of others had frayed from being turned so often.

Skydream Iceworm slept soundly nearby, its chubby body rising and falling. It occasionally smacked its lips, though no one knew what it was dreaming about. The Ice Empress, in her scorpion form, lay not far away. She occasionally opened her eyes to glance at him, then closed them again and continued sleeping. The Snow Empress walked over, glanced at the books, and said blandly, "You certainly are studious."

He did not respond to her. He simply looked at that pile of books, at the densely packed words and diagrams, while countless images surfaced in his mind.

Metal purification techniques told him how to turn an ordinary piece of iron into refined steel tougher than certain rare metals.

The core arrays of offensive Soul Guidance Devices were like an intricate web of lines and nodes. Every line had its purpose, and every node had its meaning.

The energy circuits of defensive Soul Guidance Devices resembled winding rivers, with soul power flowing within them to form an invisible barrier.

Soul power conduction optimization plans told him how to achieve the greatest effect with the least amount of soul power.

Could he make Soul Guidance Devices?

He did not know.

But he wanted to try.

Above the Sea of Spirit's vault, the Eye of Eternity still hung quietly.