"Ding! Congratulations, host, on taking in the homeless Ju Zi. Reward: [First-Generation Artificial Intelligence] soul tool core formation design!"
Xu Cheng's pupils abruptly contracted.
Artificial intelligence! This was artificial intelligence!
This was the very thing Xu Cheng had been yearning for all along.
Especially since he came from a later age and knew just how terrifying it could be.
With artificial intelligence, he could accomplish so much in his future missile research!
And when it came to mecha research, Iron Man's J.A.R.V.I.S. had left him practically drooling in his previous life.
Even basic artificial intelligence would have an enormous impact on the entire world of soul engineers!
Xu Cheng glanced at the girl sitting beside him in the soul tool car, repeatedly nodding off.
A gleam of delight entered his eyes.
What a lucky charm.
Sun Moon Imperial Academy.
After dispatching members of the Holy Spirit Cult to handle Ju Zi's enrollment procedures,
and instructing Nana to arrange Ju Zi's accommodation,
he hurried to Mingde Hall, unable to wait any longer.
Ever since becoming Elder Cheng's disciple, he no longer needed to use the Experiment Building. Instead, he worked in Elder Cheng's own laboratory in Mingde Hall.
Xu Cheng held the badge on his chest against the scanner beside the laboratory entrance. With a beep, the metal doors slowly slid apart.
He walked inside.
Rare metals of every kind lay casually piled on either side. High-grade instruments and advanced soul tool core formations that could not even be bought on the market were everywhere here. Every visit left him marveling at Elder Cheng's wealth.
An underground laboratory spanning thousands of square meters was something very few people could afford in the imperial capital, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
Elder Cheng was absent at the moment, perhaps having gone to teach.
Without wasting time, Xu Cheng took out the artificial intelligence core array blueprints and placed them on the instrument bench.
He began using his analysis mastery ability...
Two hours later.
Xu Cheng slowly raised his head, his eyes brimming with delight.
During the final assessment, he had technically "programmed" the arrangement of the core arrays, using an ounce of force to move a thousand pounds and create that astonishing spectacle.
Strictly speaking, however, that had not had the slightest thing to do with artificial intelligence.
He had merely applied programming principles from his previous life to core arrays, allowing them to operate through simple formation mechanisms.
As for this Elementary Artificial Intelligence Formation Design, Xu Cheng was more inclined to call it an [Attachment-Type Formation].
Pairing it with other advanced soul tools, for instance, would absolutely mark a moment worthy of going down in the history of soul tools!
"I'll study it further once Teacher gets here."
Xu Cheng stretched.
Ultimately, he was still too weak. Only by handing a devastating weapon like this to his teacher could he bring its effects to their fullest potential.
His plans for future missiles... perhaps they were not so far off after all.
He walked out of the Experiment Building.
It was currently the holiday break.
With another ten days or so before classes resumed, the campus was visibly deserted.
Xu Cheng headed straight for his dormitory, intending to catch up on sleep.
Several figures blocked his way.
Xu Cheng looked up.
There were six of them in total, all middle-aged men in their thirties or forties, wearing standard military armor.
Xu Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
Two Soul Emperors and six Soul Kings.
The middle-aged man in the lead strode up to Xu Cheng, flashed a token before him, and curled his lips into a sneer. "Imperial Family Inspection Team. Your Highness, Eleventh Prince, come with us..."
Xu Cheng's thoughts raced.
Clearly, they had come specifically for him.
Everyone knew that the current head of the Imperial Family Inspection Team favored the Fourth Prince. But targeting him so openly was rather brazen...
The middle-aged man smiled. "Your Highness, Eleventh Prince, you are suspected of deliberately harming a member of the Imperial Family. Come with us and assist our investigation."
As he spoke, he had already taken out a pair of Golden Handcuffs, and the fluctuations of soul power around him grew markedly stronger.
Clearly, the moment Xu Cheng dared resist, he would face a storm of attacks from all six men.
"So you're here over Wang Shaojie. Surely you know he insulted my mother, a consort of the reigning emperor? As a prince, am I not even allowed to fight back?"
Xu Cheng spoke with narrowed eyes.
"Heh. Our Imperial Family Inspection Team exists precisely to police members of the Imperial Family. It was established to prevent the Imperial Family from harboring criminals and evildoers. Wang Shaojie is a member of our Imperial Family. Even if he deserved to die, it was not your place to punish him..."
The man wore an air of righteous indignation.
"Even a prince has no right to kill someone on his own authority! We will arrest you and take you back to be judged by His Majesty!"
Xu Cheng curled his lip.
His words sounded sweeter than a song.
Judged by His Majesty?
What a joke.
By the time the emperor learned of this, he would probably already be at death's door-or dead in an interrogation chamber.
Once he died, Crown Prince Xu Tianran would be the only person left at court who could compete with the Fourth Prince for the imperial throne.
But with Xu Tianran's crippled legs, unless he won over the Holy Spirit Cult or pulled off some extraordinary maneuver, the Fourth Prince's succession would be all but assured. With Xu Cheng dead, the Old Emperor could not possibly kill another son over the matter. At most, he would impose a harsh overhaul on the entire Imperial Family Inspection Team. That would be all.
Sacrifice these few men in exchange for the imperial throne.
Whether the Fourth Prince had ordered this or a few idiots had taken it upon themselves,
it had already happened...
Besides, even taking a step back,
what these men were doing amounted, at most, to using public authority to settle a private grudge. It certainly did not violate the rules.
These were rules laid down by the previous emperor.
The Imperial Family Inspection Team was led by an authoritative figure within the Sun Moon Empire's Imperial Family.
Above, it could investigate the emperor; below, it could interrogate imperial relatives.
Its authority was considerable.
Although these people lacked the courage to investigate the emperor, they genuinely had the right to do so.
Naturally, that applied all the more to a prince like him...
He waved a hand.
He stopped An Ying, who was about to emerge from his shadow.
Xu Cheng held out both hands.
A smile crept across his lips.
He would enter this game.
Who was the mantis and who was the oriole waiting behind it remained to be seen.
Click, click. The Golden Handcuffs instantly locked around Xu Cheng's wrists.
A powerful restraining force immediately spread from the handcuffs, and Xu Cheng felt all the soul power in his body seal shut.
His expression remained unchanged.
"May I ask your name?"
Xu Cheng asked with a smile.
"My name is Xu Mochen. Your Highness, Eleventh Prince, make sure you remember it..."
Xu Mochen grinned as well.
His father was the prince in charge of the Imperial Clan and wielded immense power. He himself was also a true, direct-line member of the Imperial Family.
As for Wang Shaojie, everyone knew he was merely an excuse.
Their real objective was to use it to take Xu Cheng into custody.
Brazen beyond belief?
Heh. With the Fourth Prince backing him and proper grounds for his actions, what could anyone do, even if the people behind Xu Cheng showed up?
Could they actually kill him?
What a joke!
With a smile still on his lips, Xu Cheng cooperatively followed Xu Mochen's men out of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, boarded a luxurious soul tool car, and headed toward central Mingdu.
Just moments earlier, he had secretly notified Nana to send word to his teacher, the master of Mingde Hall, and the Holy Spirit Cult...
He would enter the game himself and draw out a weakness in the Fourth Prince.
He just did not know whether that scheming bastard Xu Tianran would get involved...
Before you continue