Too Unfair

Deep within Illustrious Virtue Hall, inside an underground laboratory with the highest level of secrecy.

The Sun Moon Empire's three greatest Soul Engineers—Kong Deming, Ye Yulin, and Jing Hongchen—had gathered together.

Yet these three influential figures, each capable of shaking the continent, were now staring intently at the white-haired youth at the workbench like three inexperienced apprentices.

The youth looked serious and focused, without the slightest trace of nervousness. The carving knife in his hand danced up and down, every movement flowing with effortless naturalness, as though he had crafted this Soul Guide Device countless times in both mind and hand and knew it by heart.

Compared to his ease at the workbench, the three below were far less composed. Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin, who normally cared greatly about their bearing, were now dumbfounded, their jaws practically dropping to the floor.

"Old Ye, am I dreaming? Pinch me..." Jing Hongchen muttered, staring fixedly ahead.

Slap!

The crisp sound of a slap rang especially loudly through the quiet laboratory. Ye Yulin gave Jing Hongchen a solid smack across the face.

"Damn it! Was that revenge?!" Jing Hongchen covered his face, glaring furiously and incredulously at his rival beside him.

Ye Yulin rubbed his palm and took a deep breath. "Does it hurt? If it hurts, then it means we're not dreaming..."

"You bastard—"

"Quiet." Kong Deming, standing at the front, spoke faintly. His eyes remained fixed on Ye Chenxing at the workbench. Anyone familiar with Kong Deming would have realized that he had entered the focused state he only displayed while researching Soul Guide Devices.

At the moment, they were testing Ye Chenxing's Soul Engineer rank.

After Elder Kong learned that Ye Chenxing not only possessed heaven-defying Martial Soul talent, but also astonishing talent in High-Altitude Soul Guide Devices, he had been both shocked and delighted. He immediately arranged this top-secret Soul Engineer rank test and had Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin, his two disappointing disciples, witness it as well.

After the results of the previous examination had been leaked, Jing Hongchen conducted a major investigation among his subordinates and removed nearly all spies. However, Ye Chenxing's information was simply too important, so this time, he had not entrusted the work to anyone else and personally assisted Ye Chenxing.

At this moment, four Soul Guide Devices emitting faint glimmers had already been neatly arranged on the table before Ye Chenxing.

In other words, the core formation he was currently carving had reached the level of a fifth-grade Soul Guide Device!

The advantages of his Ultimate Fire Martial Soul made refining and processing rare metals far easier for him than for ordinary Soul Engineers, greatly increasing both his production efficiency and speed. Even so, the sight before them was enough to overturn common sense.

For an ordinary Soul Engineer, being able to craft across ranks, surpassing their own Soul Master rank by one major realm, already qualified them as rare talent.

But Ye Chenxing? He was merely a Great Spirit Master, yet he had already begun crafting fifth-grade Soul Guide Devices!

What made the two Rank Nine Soul Engineers' scalps tingle even more was that Ye Chenxing had selected five completely different rare metals for these five tests!

One had to know that when carving core formations, a Soul Engineer needed an extremely deep understanding of the properties and characteristics of the metal being used. If someone devoted themselves day and night to studying a single kind of metal, they might indeed perform exceptionally when carving core formations into that particular metal.

But Ye Chenxing clearly did not belong to that category. Every time he changed metals and carved a formation, he completed it in one smooth motion, without the slightest awkwardness or pause. Even Jing Hongchen could not help feeling ashamed after silently comparing that precision and speed to his own.

When it came to carving low-grade core formations, even he, a Rank Nine Soul Engineer, had no confidence that he could surpass Ye Chenxing.

Beside him, Ye Yulin kept muttering, "Inconceivable. Truly inconceivable. How could such a genius exist in this world..."

At this point, Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin had completely discarded their previous prejudice that "this child is merely a genius at High-Altitude Detection Soul Guide Devices."

How was this being specialized in one field? This was a freaking all-rounder!

As Ye Chenxing's hand movements continued to shift, the shock in their eyes grew even deeper.

That was because they discovered that the core formation Ye Chenxing was constructing was not only exquisitely complex in structure, but followed an entirely unfamiliar layout!

Though Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin were both Rank Nine Soul Engineers, they could only barely make out the formation's general classification. What puzzled them was that every core formation Ye Chenxing created was primarily support-type.

Looking at the four completed products of varying shapes on the table, both men were utterly baffled and could not guess their specific functions at all.

But they understood clearly that Ye Chenxing was not the sort of person who only put on a show to attract attention. Since he was not showing off and was instead carving steadily step by step, he had definitely created valuable Soul Guide Devices!

Only Kong Deming, standing at the very front, seemed to have noticed something amid the chaotic formation lines. He stared closely at the intricate pathways while nodding repeatedly in puzzlement.

At this moment, Ye Chenxing had completely immersed himself in a wonderful state.

It was the state of "fervor" for the field of Soul Guide Devices that Archer had brought him. In this state, he could cast aside all external distractions and maintain absolute focus and extreme precision.

With the carving knife's final light and flawless stroke, metal shavings drifted down, and the core formation's final line was completed perfectly.

Ye Chenxing set down the laboratory's specialized carving knife and raised a hand to wipe away the fine beads of sweat on his forehead. Even with the support of Ultimate Fire and the Heroic Spirit Template, continuously crafting four Soul Guide Devices before immediately making a fifth-grade one had greatly drained both his spiritual power and physical strength.

"Whew... finally finished." Ye Chenxing let out a long breath.

Hearing the youth's sigh, Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin below could not help exchanging glances, their mouths twitching.

Thinking back to when they had been Great Spirit Masters, they had already been immensely satisfied to make a third-grade Soul Guide Device. Yet Ye Chenxing had crossed three major realms and was even crafting them consecutively?!

Although Ye Chenxing's Martial Soul talent might have been on par with his current Soul Engineer talent, Jing Hongchen was, after all, a Soul Engineer. Just as Soul Masters discriminated against Soul Engineers, the shock his Dual-Ultimate Martial Soul had brought him had not been as great as imagined.

But now it was completely different. As the saying went, you never knew pain until the stone hit you. Today, in the field of Soul Guide Devices they were proudest of, they had been battered beyond recognition!

That gap, that impact, was a thousand, ten thousand times greater than the shock of Dual-Ultimate Martial Souls!

But reality would not change even slightly just because they had been dealt a blow. Before they could recover, they watched in horror as Ye Chenxing's hand naturally reached for the sixth piece of rare metal on the table!

Damn it! He's still going?!

The two dignified Rank Nine Soul Engineers could not suppress a dark hope in their hearts—Fail! Hurry up and fail! If this kid keeps going so smoothly, then we've spent half our lives living like dogs!

Yet Ye Chenxing paid no attention to their tortured expressions and remained fully focused. Meanwhile, Elder Kong seemed to have entered the same mysterious state as Ye Chenxing. Even his breathing subtly matched the rise and fall of the carving knife as he stared unblinkingly at the metal.

Then, a dazzling scene unfolded!

As Ye Chenxing reached the most intricate stage of carving, his wrist suddenly jerked. The carving knife that had been dancing at his fingertips instantly flipped. With a ding, he drove the laboratory carving knife backward into the unfinished Soul Guide Device!

What was he doing? Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin rose to their feet at the same time. When their eyes met, each saw the other's confusion.

Had he run out of inspiration? Was he throwing a tantrum and quitting?

But the child had not paused even once just now. It did not seem like it.

Before they could figure it out, Ye Chenxing's actions gave them the answer. His left hand suddenly exerted force. Accompanied by a low crack of bones, light flashed from his left palm, and his fingers transformed into sharp dark-golden claws!

The moment that cold, violent, ultimate sharpness capable of tearing apart everything appeared, the pupils of Kong Deming and the other two contracted violently.

An External Soul Bone?!

With the experience of these three great figures standing at the peak of the continent, they recognized it at a glance—a Palm-Type External Soul Bone, something extraordinarily rare!

Though they could not identify what kind of soul beast it came from, an External Soul Bone was a true treasure, worth even more than a Rank Nine Soul Guide Device.

Just how many secrets does this child have?! Such terrifying talent, and such incredible fortune too...

This was far too unfair!

Jing Hongchen swallowed hard and secretly leaned toward Ye Yulin, lowering his voice. "Old Ye... do you think this kid might be the reincarnation of some god?"

Ye Yulin nodded stiffly, rarely offering no rebuttal. "I think... it's very possible."

Ye Chenxing directly used those dark-golden claws as a blade, carving into the metal with wild yet precise movements. Amid flying sparks, formation patterns rapidly took shape. However, at the final moment before the formation was about to close, his movements abruptly stopped.

It was clearly unfinished.

This had to be the end now, right?

Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin stared intently at Ye Chenxing's movements. Only after seeing him retract the Soul Bone into his palm did they finally let out a breath of relief inwardly.

Thank heavens, he finally stopped.

If he had truly allowed a Great Spirit Master to create a sixth-grade core formation in one go, neither of them would have had the face to keep living. They might as well dig a hole and bury themselves on the spot.

"You've worked hard." Kong Deming smiled and nodded, stepping forward.

Upon hearing Elder Kong's voice, the fervor in Ye Chenxing's eyes gradually faded, and he withdrew from that special state of absolute focus.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the half-finished product beneath his hands, and shook his head regretfully. "What a pity, Elder Kong. My soul power is exhausted. Still, it can barely be used now."

"..."

The relief on Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin's faces instantly froze, and their mouths twitched wildly.

So after all that, it was not that his technique had reached its limit? His soul power simply had not kept up?!

Kong Deming ignored the two men beside him, who had been thoroughly devastated. Instead, he carefully picked up the first five completed products Ye Chenxing had made and examined them closely.

His aged fingers gently traced the intricate patterns across them as he murmured, "Without question, these five components contain core formations from first grade to fifth grade. However, in this old man's view, they are probably not meant to be used separately, but combined together, correct?"

"Elder Kong has sharp eyes!" Ye Chenxing's eyes lit up as he praised him sincerely.

Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen and Ye Yulin, who ranked last and second-to-last in Soul Guide Device talent within this little classroom that represented the Sun Moon Empire's highest academic level, finally came to a sudden realization.

A Combined Soul Guide Device?

It was not as though no one in Illustrious Virtue Hall had tried this concept before. However, the soul power conflicts between multiple core formations were extremely difficult to resolve, causing the final results to be greatly compromised. It often required tremendous effort for little gain and was less practical than a complete standalone Soul Guide Device.

"In that case, show this old man its complete form." Kong Deming's eyes brimmed with anticipation.

"Alright."

Ye Chenxing took a deep breath, and his hands rapidly assembled the components on the table. Accompanied by a series of crisp, pleasing click-clack sounds of precision mechanisms engaging, the five seemingly unrelated parts were swiftly fitted and embedded together.

In merely a dozen breaths, a strange device with a heavy metallic texture and an extraordinarily intricate, precise structure stood steadily on the floor.

The natives of Douluo Continent had never seen such a thing, but if a modern person from Azure Star had been present, they would have recognized it at once—it was a miniature CNC machine tool!

Ye Chenxing patted the cold metal casing and began his introduction. "Elder Kong, Hall Master, Elder Ye. I call it—the [Soul-Control Tool Machine]. This machine can automatically mass-produce standardized Soul Guide Device components.

"In other words, as long as I design the conductive pathways of the core formation in advance and input them into the machine, then aside from final assembly, it can handle the entire automated production process for a specific Soul Guide Device!"

"It only needs soul power."

As he spoke, Ye Chenxing inserted a fully charged Milk Bottle Soul Guide Device into one of its grooves.

Ding—

With a crisp prompt, the metal beast instantly awoke! Amid a rhythmic mechanical hum, the internal conductive arrays began operating at full speed. The metal mechanical arms moved like tireless skilled workers, smoothly cutting, polishing, and carving a rough piece of metal. It looked exactly as though someone inside was rapidly crafting a Soul Guide Device!

"What a pity..." Ye Chenxing sighed as he looked at the automatically operating tool machine. "The most crucial sixth-grade section—the module used to automatically inscribe core formations—cannot be completed yet because the sixth-grade Soul Guide Device I'm using is still incomplete. So for now, it can only produce first-grade through fourth-grade Soul Guide Devices."

"In my theoretical design, once this kind of machine is fully developed, it should be able to work downward compatibly and mass-produce Soul Guide Devices one major rank below its own."

Silence.

The laboratory first fell into deathly silence.

"Holy... shit..."

Ye Yulin and Jing Hongchen's minds were completely blank. A Soul Guide Device that could automatically produce Soul Guide Devices by itself?!

The next second, they both pounced on the operating Soul-Control Tool Machine without the slightest regard for their image. They studied it closely, terrified of missing even the smallest detail. Jing Hongchen carefully watched it weld, refine, cut, assemble, and carve core formations as though he were admiring a work of art in a museum.

They spared no praise and occasionally even let out infatuated chuckles, making goosebumps rise all over Ye Chenxing's body.