"Meng..." Xiao Hongchen's face was all scrunched up as he earnestly tried to persuade his sister to turn back toward shore.
"Get lost!"
"Right away..."
Xu Cheng looked at Xiao Hongchen beside him, whose eyes were wide as saucers. Terrified that someone would root up his precious cabbage, yet not daring to stop the cabbage herself, he could only pull faces at Xu Cheng instead.
He smiled helplessly.
Still, he did not refuse, taking the pale blue dagger.
He swept it with his spiritual power, only to be blocked by a mysterious force, unable to advance an inch.
This was a Level 3 Soul Tool?
Surprise appeared on Xu Cheng's face. That anti-detection measure alone was absolutely beyond what a Level 3 Soul Tool should possess.
Generally speaking, Soul Masters only added anti-detection measures to Level 6 or Level 7 Soul Tools and above to prevent their Core Arrays from being exposed. Such measures either triggered an explosion upon probing or destroyed the tool upon disassembly.
Since Jing Hongchen had made this for his granddaughter, it naturally could not be the former. Otherwise, an accidental disassembly would turn into quite the spectacle.
That left only the second option: while blocking Spiritual Detection, it would immediately activate a self-destruction protocol upon detecting an attempt to dismantle it, damaging the Core Array...
"This Soul Tool isn't Level 3, is it?" Xu Cheng asked thoughtfully.
"Huh..."
Xiao Hongchen darted forward, staring at Xu Cheng in astonishment.
"You actually figured that out?"
"..."
Expressionless, Meng Hongchen reached out and pushed Xiao Hongchen's face aside.
"So, Cheng, can you fix it?"
"I can't guarantee it. I'll have to ask Xiao what's going on," Xu Cheng said.
"Ahem. This Soul Tool is actually an Adaptive Soul Tool. If I remember correctly, its array core is Level 7. In other words, for anyone below a Level 7 Soul Engineer, it can adjust according to the user's strength, maxing out as a Level 7 Soul Tool. Naturally, its Core Array is also extremely complicated. Grandpa said it falls into the Level 7 Core category."
Xiao Hongchen shook his head.
A Soul Tool of this caliber was beyond even a "number one genius" like him to repair. They would probably have to find his grandfather, or someone else at least a Level 8 Soul Engineer, to fix it.
Meng Hongchen: "..."
Her beautiful pale blue eyes shot Xiao Hongchen a vicious glare.
No wonder her brother had kept his mouth shut and acted as though nothing was wrong when he discovered she wanted Xu Cheng to repair her damaged Soul Tool.
He wanted to watch Xu Cheng fall flat on his face...
Xiao Hongchen looked thoroughly wronged.
He and Xu Cheng got along well; they were roommates and buddies. He knew his sister had a weakness for handsome faces, and he would not interfere with whom she liked. His little prank was purely some horseplay between friends...
"Sorry, Cheng. I'd better take it to Grandpa." Meng Hongchen's head drooped.
But as Xu Cheng examined the dagger, he slowly said, "Let me try."
"...Huh???"
Meng Hongchen's beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Xu Cheng in disbelief.
Did I trigger some kind of keyword?
A man must never say he can't?
This was a Level 7 Soul Tool! Was that something you could just casually try fixing?
"Don't worry. If I break it, I'll replace it for you." Xu Cheng raised his head with a warm smile.
"Oh... okay."
Meng Hongchen's little face flushed, and she looked around, pretending to be nonchalant.
It was a good thing, really. With Xu Cheng's abilities, he certainly would not be able to unravel a Level 7 Soul Tool. It would take him a long time, giving her more opportunities to spend time with him.
Besides, he really was so handsome...
"There's an auction today. How about taking some time off to check it out, you king of the grind?"
Xiao Hongchen changed the subject.
"An auction?"
"The Sun Moon Auction House. It has official backing, and it's the largest and most reputable auction house in all of Mingdu. There are plenty of good things there. Even you are bound to find something that catches your eye," Xiao Hongchen explained.
"Sure. Let's make a trip there, then." Xu Cheng nodded.
Riding in a Mechanical Drive Vehicle, the three arrived in the busiest part of Mingdu.
Tall buildings rose in every direction.
Xu Cheng surveyed the surroundings. He had grown up in the imperial palace, then awakened his Martial Soul at six. With the help of Zhongli Wu, leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, he had managed to leave. Afterward, he had busied himself in the towns around Mingdu, reorganizing the Holy Spirit Cult's branches and building up his own forces.
This was his first time coming here in all his life...
Xiao Hongchen took the lead, bringing the other two through the auction house's main entrance.
Xu Cheng studied the surrounding buildings.
They were tall buildings, but they still differed noticeably from those in his previous life.
They let in no light and had no glass. Each looked like an enormous metal box turned upside down, with the contours of its floors meticulously carved out inside.
Made entirely of metal, they had a substantial, solid look.
Xiao Hongchen led them straight to a private room.
With the ease of long familiarity, he reclined leisurely on the sofa and started eating the fruit laid out on the table.
"Sit! Make yourself at home!"
"Grandpa holds shares in this auction house. Cheng, your dad controls a big chunk of it too. Come to think of it, you look pretty unfamiliar with the place... never been here before?"
"Never."
Xu Cheng picked up some grapes and ate a couple. They were surprisingly sweet.
Come to think of it, although his father in this life had been neither warm nor cold toward him since his mother's death, he had not neglected him either. At least he had not been bullied half to death like someone in a certain Duke's Mansion. His days in the imperial palace before turning six had been quite comfortable...
As they chatted.
A beautiful attendant in a purple dress switched on the screen opposite the sofa.
Like a curtain of light, it displayed the auction room.
There was a platform as white as jade, seemingly intended for displaying the auction items.
Apart from that, there was no one in sight.
Xu Cheng's attention, however, settled on the Light-Guiding Screen.
In the original story, it had first appeared at an auction house in the Star Luo Empire's capital. According to the attendant's explanation, it had been imported from the Sun Moon Empire and powered by small pieces of ore, without needing a Soul Master to stand there acting as a generator.
Perhaps...
Xu Cheng bit through a chilled grape, enjoying the burst of flavor across his tongue.
Perhaps... he could make something like movies.
What was the key to waging an information war?
Infiltration that seeped in unnoticed!
Why had the Great American Empire's distinctive superhero culture and beacon of freedom civilization sunk so deeply into people's hearts over all those years? Wasn't it precisely because of those radiant figures on the screen?
The younger generation, especially, was more receptive to new things.
Most importantly, he wanted everyone to know the God King Tang's true face. Expressing it through film and art would also make it easier for ordinary people to accept...
This kind of infiltration seeped silently into the bones and was difficult to detect.
As for production costs...
Technology was only difficult while the breakthrough remained out of reach. Once achieved, it could become dirt cheap.
The Star Luo Empire paid high prices only because technology had it by the throat. For those in the Sun Moon Empire who possessed that technology, the cost was practically nothing.
As for raw materials, the screen was not an issue, and energy ore was not scarce either.
Besides, even without ore to power it, couldn't they just stick a Soul Master there and run it on manpower?
"Honored guests, the auction is about to begin..."
The purple-clad attendant spoke softly.
Xu Cheng slowly raised his head.
On the screen.
An elderly man's figure slowly appeared.
Before you continue