Douluo Continent, Star Luo City.
In early autumn, the showers were like a rakish little thief sneaking into a lady's boudoir at night, arriving amid wind and thunder, then fleeing in a flurry of hurried footsteps. They left this ten-thousand-year-old capital muddy and hard to traverse, with water pattering from the branches of ancient trees lining its broad roads.
"Shaobing! Shaobing for sale!"
The warm red sunset spilled across the streets, and puddles reflected clouds and sky as hawkers and merchants threaded their way between carriages and horses. A short, dark-skinned man emerged from an alley, the carrying pole on his shoulder bobbing up and down. The fragrance of wheat spread through the damp air, drifting into the distance on the evening breeze.
"Crisp pears! Sweet, fragrant, crisp pears!"
A young fellow's cries followed close behind, his pushcart piled high with golden autumn pears.
As they passed each other, the two acquaintances exchanged a smile, traded freshly steamed buns for crisp pears, and agreed to share a drink at the short man's home over the weekend. His new wife would cook a few of her specialty dishes herself.
It should have been an utterly ordinary day in the old district, but the arrival of two figures made it anything but.
The woman was tall and slender, her long golden hair falling behind her in a dazzling cascade that outshone even the sunset clouds. Her skin, fairer than snow, held a faint jade-white glow. Her face was breathtaking, and every radiant glance revealed an inborn nobility and elegance. Merely strolling along, she made the worn, weathered district seem brighter.
The elderly woman accompanying her appeared to be her guard. Dressed in a scarlet gown, she swept her aged eyes over their surroundings, their sharp, stern gleam driving away the varied gazes around them. She asked quietly:
"Jiujiu, what sudden whim brought you down from your lofty station to the old district?"
Xu Jiujiu stepped lightly over a puddle, her figure swaying gracefully, and chuckled. "Grandma Manyi, it's admission season at Star Luo National Academy. I attended the entrance assessments on my imperial brother's behalf and saw an applicant to the Soul Tool Department produce a soul tool.
"The Careless Missile, a level 1 soul tool."
"That's all?"
Manyi frowned deeply. Clearly, she did not believe a mere level 1 soul tool warranted such attention from an imperial princess.
"The soul tool's level isn't the issue. Its power is." Xu Jiujiu spoke unhurriedly. "The Careless Missile's casing was made of ordinary metal, and its core array was only level 1, using the cheapest rare metal available.
"Everything about it, inside and out, practically screamed cost-cutting, yet its destructive power was no less than that of the Level 2 Piercing Cannon, renowned throughout the soul tool world for its high cost and offensive power. It was truly an eye-opener."
"A soul tool's firepower depends on its core array and metal casing. If both were unremarkable, how could it compare to the Level 2 Piercing Cannon... It seems the academy has admitted a soul engineering prodigy this year."
Hearing this, Manyi could not help clicking her tongue in wonder. Even though she was not a soul engineer, she understood the crucial point: the Careless Missile concealed a great secret.
If crude materials could produce an overpowered soul tool capable of fighting above its level, what might be possible with the most precious rare metals and an unlimited budget...
According to Xu Jiujiu, its maker was only an incoming student. Once his soul engineer level advanced further, his prospects would be boundless. The Star Luo Empire would surely gain its first domestically produced Level 9 Soul Tool and break through the Sun Moon Empire's technological barriers!
As Manyi imagined the empire's brilliant future, Xu Jiujiu doused her with a bucket of cold water. "Unfortunately, that applicant cheated.
"He hadn't expected this. He only wanted to stand out in the entrance test and receive special attention from the academy, but instead of showing his face, he ended up showing his backside.
"The actual maker is in a soul tool shop in the old district.
"The dean of the academy's Soul Tool Department personally dismantled and inspected it. The Careless Missile's secret actually lies in its metal. The metal underwent a peculiar Gold Element transformation that elevated its fundamental nature, bringing a qualitative leap to the Soul Tool.
"We're here. This is the place."
As her words fell, a soul tool shop appeared before them.
Its storefront was small, wedged between Dalang's Steamed Buns and Granny Wang's Matchmaking. A gentle glow flowed across its signboard, which bore three large characters carved in sweeping strokes like soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes.
Pin Dao Dao.
Manyi suddenly fell strangely silent, her expression freezing subtly for a second. When Xu Jiujiu saw the two wooden welcome signs standing at the entrance, her temples involuntarily tightened as well.
The Pin Jin Jin promotion is in full swing!
Pay in metal for a chance to draw an Inflation Voucher! Spend 380,000 and get 180,000 off!
The lettering was all silver hooks and iron strokes. The contents were harder to describe.
"Sorry for the trouble, Grandma Manyi, but please wait outside for a little while. I'll go in alone."
Looking at those utterly bizarre advertising slogans, Xu Jiujiu felt a faint unease. She decided to leave the hot-tempered Nebula Douluo outside and venture into the meeting alone to face Pin Dao Dao's owner.
Her high heels crossed the threshold, and Xu Jiujiu's gaze swept through the shop like a searchlight.
Small as a sparrow, it still had all its organs.
Pin Dao Dao's shelves neatly displayed all sorts of soul tools, encompassing every conventional style on the market. Melee, ranged, defensive, and detection tools blossomed in profusion, alongside oddly shaped contraptions such as mysterious cone-shaped and radish-shaped implements.
A soul tool shop with such a comprehensive selection was genuinely rare in the old district. Xu Jiujiu felt slightly more reassured.
"Hello. What can I help you with?"
A clear, bright voice came from the back of the shop. Her Highness followed it and saw a figure sitting at a metal workbench, silver-gray hair falling along both sides of his face, his matching eyes shimmering softly.
Dust motes danced as the soul guidance lamp's light fell across his fair face, tracing its handsome contours.
As an imperial princess, Xu Jiujiu was accustomed to handsome, dashing men. Court banquets never lacked elegant princes and nobles, while the academy was full of students who deliberately styled themselves to look cool and handsome. Yet Pin Dao Dao's owner still took her breath away.
He was different.
A resilience radiated from him, inside and out, like fresh green bamboo standing tall in a raging storm-something to admire from afar, not toy with. Her first impression was that even if he were so poor he wore hole-riddled underwear, he would never sell himself.
"Owner Lin Qing, an acquaintance referred me."
Quickly steadying herself, Xu Jiujiu spoke in a low voice, using the name she had obtained from the cheating applicant along with the phrase needed to buy Pin Dao Dao's hidden soul tool models.
"Do you understand the rules here?"
Lin Qing slowly rose. His exceedingly youthful face made Xu Jiujiu's eyes flicker.
"Of course. I can pay extra. In return, I want the newest products, with technology no less advanced than the Careless Missile's."
"Everyone in the old district knows that Pin Dao Dao cheats neither children nor elders."
Lin Qing revealed a supremely confident smile and produced a collection of strange soul tools as though performing a magic trick, introducing them one by one:
"The Careless Thermal Cannon, the Flirty Magnetic Chain, the Sweetheart Shield...
"Everything from level 1 to level 4. They cost twenty-five percent more than ordinary soul tools of the same level, but their tremendous power is guaranteed. Fighting one level above is a breeze. Compare them with competing products, and you're still coming out ahead.
"One thing I need to make clear beforehand: Pin Dao Dao offers a one-year warranty. Once dismantled, there are no returns or exchanges."
"A one-year warranty?" Xu Jiujiu gave Lin Qing an odd look. "If they don't break after a year of use, how am I supposed to replace them?
"Never mind. I can't be bothered with pointless chatter. I need a large quantity. Get a notebook and write this down."
"Oh, that big an order?"
At her words, Lin Qing's mighty frame jolted. He opened his little book of greed, ready for action. His view of Xu Jiujiu shifted from a noblewoman behind vermilion gates where wine and meat went to waste to a kindly, approachable rich lady. His thoughts raced, and he lifted a hand to pour his patron a cup of clear tea.
"Have some tea, miss. Moisten your throat."
"Thank you."
Xu Jiujiu nodded politely and sipped the emerald-green tea. A flavor called poverty spread across her tongue. Silently setting down the porcelain cup, she began rattling off her order like dishes on a menu:
"The Sweetheart Shield, the Happy Boomerang, the Careful Laser Beam... All six of those soul tools at level 4. Oh, and what's Pin Dao Dao's production capacity?"
"You mean I decide the quantity?" Lin Qing understood instantly.
"Mm-hmm."
"A hundred!"
"Excellent! A hundred of each!"
Hearing Lin Qing open his lion's mouth for a modest bite, Xu Jiujiu agreed without a second thought. She waved her fair hand with the air of one commanding the world. "There's no rush. Take your time. This prin... I have plenty of time. For the next year, Pin Dao Dao will do business only with me.
"This is a deposit of one million gold soul coins. Ninety percent has been converted into rare metals. Don't bother with the Inflation Voucher. Don't sully my integrity with petty favors."
"...All right. Thank you for your patronage."
Taking the heavy Storage Soul Tool, he probed inside with his spiritual power, revealing a gold card and a dazzling assortment of rare metals. There were even two pieces of high-grade material produced by the Sun Moon Empire tucked in a corner.
Since taking over the little Pin Dao Dao shop, Lin Qing had never encountered a customer generous enough to pay with Sun Moon metals. Under Star Luo Empire law, all Sun Moon metals were state-controlled commodities.
With enough money, even a millstone could make a ghost turn. Faced with this wealthy household's generosity, Lin Qing immediately became all business, selectively ignoring the title that had nearly slipped from her lips.
"My name is Xu Jiujiu. Once you finish the first batch of soul tools, deliver them straight to Star Luo National Academy. Give my name, and nothing will stand in your way."
Having finished her shopping spree, the princess was in an exceptionally lovely mood. She promptly cast out her next piece of bait.
An ultra-rich lady persona, a deliberately fumbled title, and the imperial family's surname. We've already established the beginnings of a bond. Any clever fellow would know exactly what to do!
Come crying and begging to cling to my thigh!
Princess Jiujiu had complete confidence. Within the Star Luo Empire, her thigh was certainly the thickest to cling to!
Come on, child. Pack your bedding and report to Star Luo National Academy. I guarantee you'll land a secure official post!
"Owner Lin Qing, there's something I'm personally curious about."
Before leaving Pin Dao Dao, Xu Jiujiu ultimately failed to suppress her curiosity and asked the question circling in her mind. "How old are you?"
"Eleven."
"An eleven-year-old level 4 soul engineer!? You're lying, aren't you?"
Her breath caught, and Xu Jiujiu's almond-shaped eyes went wide. From her first look at Lin Qing, she had guessed that he was young, but she had still underestimated his astounding talent.
"What do you mean? However stupid someone is, how could they still not know how to make a Level 4 Soul Tool at eleven?"
One matter was one matter, and another was another. She might indeed be his sugar mommy, but insulting his dignity cost extra!
Stabbed so blatantly, Xu Jiujiu felt her heart convulse with pain. Holding one hand over her chest, whose proportions were not to be underestimated, she stepped through Pin Dao Dao's door without forgetting one final reminder.
"Lin Qing, remember to come to Star Luo National Academy."
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