"Did you replicate this?"
Xiao Hongchen looked utterly baffled. Had his nap left him muddleheaded?
"Yeah." Without turning around, Xu Cheng put away his tools and swept the shavings into a garbage bag.
"..."
Xiao Hongchen turned his head and poured soul power into it.
A pale blue light lit up and slowly traveled along the metal's etched lines. A soft halo rose from it, hovering about an inch above the surface.
"It actually worked?" Xiao Hongchen stared blankly at the metal in his hand and murmured.
"Come clean, you brat! What level soul engineer are you, really?!" Xiao Hongchen hooked an arm around Xu Cheng's neck and hollered indignantly.
He had just checked the time. His nap had only lasted ten minutes or so.
Even as a Level 3 Soul Engineer, he would need at least fifteen minutes to replicate a level 1 core formation.
Let alone Xu Cheng, who was supposedly encountering soul tools for the "first time."
"It really was my first time..."
Xu Cheng laughed and horsed around with him.
In the Holy Spirit Cult, he was the Holy Son.
To counter the God King Tang's ten-thousand-year scheme, he had no choice but to lay his plans early and bring the Holy Spirit Cult under his control. Without a group of powerful supporters, why would evil soul masters submit to a child who had yet to come of age, however extraordinary his talent might be?
So over the years, splitting off-hoodwinking-a portion of the vast Holy Spirit Cult into his own faction had never been easy for Xu Cheng. That was also why he appeared so mysterious and unfathomable before Tang Ya.
Only after entering the campus and feeling its youthful atmosphere could he barely tuck that side of himself away...
"You're not being honest, you brat!" Xiao Hongchen complained.
Xu Cheng merely smiled without explaining.
Now familiar with the process, he began connecting the nodes and crafting the metal casing.
The connecting nodes consisted of precise "conducting wires," themselves made from a special material. They were first connected to the core formation, then linked to the metal casing.
Since this was a level 1 soul tool, everything used the most basic specifications.
Once the metal was polished, the connecting circuits assembled, and the core formation embedded inside, it was finished.
A Level 1 Soul Guidance Ray.
Xu Cheng fitted it onto his arm and inspected it with satisfaction. Come to think of it, this was the first soul tool he had made himself, even if it was only level 1...
"Come on, let's try it at the shooting range."
Xu Cheng looked at Xiao Hongchen.
"It's just a level 1 soul tool. Does it even need testing?" Xiao Hongchen yawned and drawled lazily.
"It's still the first one I've made with my own hands. If you're not coming, I'll go myself."
"Like hell I believe you..."
The two headed out of the experimental area.
Bzzzt!
A humming sound rang out.
Shooting Range Eight.
Xu Cheng slowly lowered his right arm. A wisp of black annihilating substance still curled around the muzzle of the Soul Guidance Ray mounted on it.
A patch of scorched black had appeared on the moving target ahead.
It was a metal humanoid target, and the shot had struck it squarely between the brows, leaving even Xiao Hongchen stunned.
"Holy shit, that accurate?!"
Xu Cheng had gone straight for hellish difficulty, setting the humanoid target's evasion speed to level 5.
Never mind hitting the thing-even following its movements with the naked eye was an absurd feat.
Let alone...
Hitting it! And right between the fucking brows!
"Is your martial soul really the Sun?"
"Twin martial souls. Blood Eyes."
Xu Cheng held two fingers together beside the corner of his eye.
His blood-red pupils suddenly contracted, and even the area around them took on a faint reddish glow. It looked distinctly eerie.
"That's so cool! I thought your eyes were just naturally like that. Turns out they're your martial soul!" Excitement filled Xiao Hongchen's face as he leaned closer to study them.
"With eyes as your martial soul, you were practically born to use soul tools! A body martial soul-it should be a spiritual type, right? How come the Body Sect hasn't snatched you away... mmph."
"..."
Xu Cheng hurriedly clapped a hand over the boy's mouth.
"I'm from the Imperial Family. Don't go saying things like that."
"You're amazing, bro."
Even after Xu Cheng released him, Xiao Hongchen could not hide the excitement on his face.
Although Blood Eyes had "blood" in its name and sounded a little suspect, no one actually cared. After all, Nana's martial soul in the original story was a Ghost, yet she attended school as normal. No one would label you an evil soul master simply because of your martial soul...
Just then, the bell rang for the end of class. The two headed for the cafeteria, joking and roughhousing along the way.
The Sun Moon Empire's Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
With Mingde Hall backing it, it was naturally lavishly funded.
Even the cafeteria was quite luxurious. Its prices were considerably lower than those outside, and all manner of rare delicacies were listed on the menu.
"One serving of clear-stewed earth dragon claws. Oh, Cheng, what do you like to eat?"
"Barbecued Soft Bone Rabbit. I just love eating bunnies... oh, and make it extra spicy!"
The two sat in the cafeteria and began digging in.
"Brother!"
A voice rang out.
Xiao Hongchen looked up. "Oh, Meng. Who's that beside you...?"
"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Tang Ya, a close friend I just made! And the person beside you is...?"
Meng Hongchen sat opposite Xiao Hongchen with a smile, pretending to be casual.
Of course, she would never admit that she had come over because there was a handsome boy beside her brother...
Xu Cheng raised his head and took a look at Meng Hongchen, the notorious boy-crazy romantic from the original story.
Silvery-white hair spilled over her shoulders. Her pale blue eyes were just like Xiao Hongchen's, but held an added touch of girlish softness. A faint fragrance seemed to linger between her lips.
A first-rate beauty in the making. Too bad she's hopelessly lovestruck...
"My buddy, Xu Cheng!"
Xiao Hongchen hurriedly introduced him. "We're roommates."
"What a coincidence. She's my roommate too." Meng Hongchen covered her lips and chuckled.
"Then let's eat together," Xiao Hongchen said casually.
Xu Cheng and Tang Ya exchanged a glance. She glared at him before looking away, while Xu Cheng only smiled and said nothing more.
"..."
At the table.
Meng Hongchen kept searching for topics of conversation.
She complained that the Practical Control Soul Tool Department wasted time teaching them soul tool theory when a few more practical combat sessions would be far more satisfying.
The Practical Control Soul Tool Department, also called the "Martial Soul Department," focused on operating soul tools and integrating them with their users rather than researching and manufacturing them.
After another stretch of idle chatter, Meng Hongchen finally steered the conversation toward Xu Cheng.
"Hey, Xu Cheng, your eyes are so pretty. Did you dye them?"
"Mine?"
Xu Cheng paused in surprise.
"His eyes are his martial soul. He was born with them. Why would he dye them?" Oblivious to the mood, Xiao Hongchen answered for Xu Cheng.
"Is that so..." Meng Hongchen narrowed her beautiful eyes, sending a chill down Xiao Hongchen's back.
"Mmm, the food's really good today..." He buried his head and devoted himself to eating.
"Xu Cheng, are your eyes your martial soul?" Meng Hongchen's expression changed at lightning speed as she looked at Xu Cheng with a face full of tenderness.
"Yes. Blood Eyes."
Xu Cheng answered with a cheerful smile.
As for Meng Hongchen, he would naturally win her over if he could.
Since this was a gesture of goodwill from Jing Hongchen, and he was a prince of the Sun Moon Empire who had never expected to avoid the struggle for the throne, he could hardly refuse.
Besides, even if he did not win her over, he absolutely could not push her into the opposing camp's arms.
Those two dear elder brothers of his-the fourth prince, Xu Jiran, with his many supporters at court, and the crown prince, Xu Tianran, who hid his cards deep despite having lost the use of both legs-were watching him like hawks...
Before you continue