"So you're very confident in your skill with soul tools, then?"
Fan Yu rubbed his chin as he looked at Lu Yu.
"Of course. I haven't practiced making soul tools much, so I'm probably at Level 3 right now. Soul tools are useful, sure, but soul masters should still focus on cultivating soul power early on."
"Knowing how to use soul tools is enough at the early stages. Once you become a Titled Douluo, you can study them on the side and pick them up very quickly."
After hearing Lu Yu's words, the corners of Fan Yu's mouth twitched. His lips parted slightly, but he couldn't get a single word out.
That really was...
Just as Lu Yu had said, both the dean and vice dean of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department had switched over from the Martial Soul Department midway through their careers, yet they had quickly become Level 8 Soul Engineers.
In fact, the person with the highest level of skill in soul tools on the Douluo Continent right now was Qian Duoduo, a Level 8-and-a-half Soul Engineer.
But when he thought of Lu Yu's martial soul, Blue Silver Grass, Fan Yu had to suppress a mischievous grin.
"Do you think you're certain to get into the Martial Soul Department?"
"Of course. Didn't they say the winner of the New Student Competition would become a core disciple?"
"Normally, yes."
Thinking of that iron rooster, Yan Shaozhe, Fan Yu nearly lost his composure.
"Why don't we make a bet?"
"On what?"
"On whether you'll become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department after winning the New Student Competition."
"If you don't become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department, you'll have to voluntarily become a core disciple of the Soul Tool Department in your third year."
"If you do become a core disciple of the Martial Soul Department, I'll still give you the resources of a Soul Tool Department core disciple."
"Of course, I'll provide those core disciple resources in the meantime as well, provided you really can make a Level 3 Soul Tool."
Fan Yu deployed his composure and spoke to Lu Yu with an expressionless face.
Watching the faint twitching at the corners of Fan Yu's mouth, Lu Yu was having trouble keeping his own composure.
Something's wrong here. I don't get it. Didn't they say the prize for winning the New Student Competition was core disciple status? Would Shrek's higher-ups really go back on their word after I won?
Surely not? They own the largest city on the continent. How much tax revenue must they rake in? They wouldn't pinch pennies over this little bit of resources, would they?
Besides, Lu Yu had learned that Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, was the Bright Phoenix Douluo, whose martial soul was the Bright Phoenix.
The powerful figures of his generation were all around level 95, and this Yan Shaozhe even seemed to have been Shrek's leading figure in that era.
And Yan Shaozhe didn't have some major sect behind him, either. He seemed to be just another commoner genius who had spawned in some everyday corner of the Douluo Continent.
A commoner genius with the Bright Phoenix martial soul, whose cultivation stood at the pinnacle of his peers-his character didn't seem to have any problems. He shouldn't possibly be stingy over this little bit of resources.
Forget it... if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it. I'm a simple, worldly guy anyway, and I won't lose out. If something like that really happens, I'll just have to make a run for it.
As for Fan Yu, who was investing so much in him, Lu Yu could only leave him a few DLC soul tool ideas as a token gesture. He had paid for them, after all, so they were bound to be better than anything Fan Yu could puzzle out blindly on his own.
"I'm in. Come on, where do I make the Level 3 Soul Tool?"
Lu Yu gave up thinking about it.
"Then come with me."
Fan Yu led Lu Yu to a workbench with some rare metals laid out on it.
"You have one day to make a Level 3 Soul Tool. I can arrange leave from your class for you."
"Don't worry. I won't take up too much of your time."
Lu Yu activated Simulation, disguising the Blade of Life's Watch as a decent-quality carving knife.
Then he picked up an ordinary piece of rare metal and began carving rapidly.
Before long, Lu Yu had finished carving an ordinary core inscribed with a Soul Guidance Ray array.
"This should be enough, right?"
Lu Yu casually tossed the inscribed core array onto the workbench.
With a clang, the metal struck the bench, prompting instinctive cries from the soul engineers present!
Was something as delicate as a core array something you could just toss around? Wasn't he afraid of breaking it?
Fan Yu immediately picked it up.
There's nothing wrong with the lines. They were completed in one continuous flow, and the array is extremely stable. There aren't any signs of damage even after that impact... as for the production time, it's only been a little over ten minutes, hasn't it?
That's three or four times faster than an ordinary Level 3 Soul Engineer.
"Good. There's no need to make the casing. From this moment on, you're a Level 3 Soul Engineer certified by Shrek Academy."
"And starting today, both of you are core disciples of the Soul Tool Department. You can study directly under me from now on. Tian Zhen, take your junior brother and sister to claim dedicated workbenches."
"You two, come with me."
Tian Zhen took the two of them to the third floor and opened two doors.
The rooms were spacious, with workbenches, carving knives, furnaces, and forging hammers-everything they needed.
"There are voice-transmission soul tools inside. If you need anything, someone will deliver the materials."
"Are the two of you satisfied with these rooms?"
"They're fine." Lu Yu looked at the furnace and forging hammer. It seemed Shrek's understanding only went this far.
A soul tool's casing was really nothing more than a casing. Forging one was purely a waste of time, never mind making people learn forging on top of everything else.
Soul engineers already lacked enough time to cultivate. Learning forging as well was practically declaring that their own ceiling was too high.
They would be better off having a high-ranking soul engineer build a machine tool to save time.
"Here are the keys to the two Production Rooms, then."
"Oh, and make absolutely sure you don't test soul tools in your rooms. If you disturb the other soul engineers, they'll kill you."
Tian Zhen handed them the keys and playfully stuck out his tongue. It looked rather disgusting with him dressed as a man.
Lu Yu and his companion took the keys and entered their Production Room. Though the equipment was rudimentary, having a Production Room at the academy would certainly make things much more convenient.
"We don't have much time left. We still have class this afternoon. Goodbye, senior."
Lu Yu checked the time and said goodbye to Tian Zhen.
Standing by a third-floor window, Tian Zhen watched the two of them recede into the distance. His previously lively expression abruptly darkened.
"Judging by the vision shared through that soul skill just now, places with soul power caused interference. But when the Fixed Soul Cannon Shell exploded, the soul power concentration around the explosion was high too, yet the detection was still very clear."
"Judging by the results, that junior sister's soul skill must be able to overcome soul power interference by increasing its consumption."
"Then has she scanned my body?"
Tian Zhen bit his nails irritably.
Tian Zhen, whose real name was Xu Tianzhen, was the daughter of the Sun Moon Empire's former emperor. Over a decade ago, a coup had taken place in the Sun Moon Empire's imperial palace. Her father had been killed, and she had been fortunate enough to escape the palace.
With help from her father's diehard loyalists, she had assumed the name Tian Zhen and disguised herself as a man. Using her second martial soul, which she had never revealed before, she had posed as a genius and encountered Fan Yu by chance, finally joining Shrek Academy.
Her goal was to use Shrek Academy's resources to cultivate to Limit Douluo, then return to avenge her father and reclaim the throne.
By renting a home outside Shrek City and living alone, she had kept her true sex hidden all these years. Even her teacher, Fan Yu, didn't know.
If someone exposed her true identity, Shrek Academy would certainly suspect her of being a spy who had infiltrated the academy. At that point, not only would she lose access to the Soul Tool Department's resources, but her true identity would also be exposed!
As for whether exposing her true identity would bring a good or bad outcome?
Based on Xu Tianzhen's observations of Shrek Academy, this academy was wholly a nation within a nation. On the surface, it claimed to maintain neutrality and refrain from interfering in domestic affairs, but in reality, Shrek's Inspection Corps even had the authority to execute officials from various countries.
With an academy so devoted to power, the best outcome after she exposed her identity would merely be to become a pawn for Shrek Academy to use against the Sun Moon Empire.
She was a princess seeking revenge, not a traitor. Naturally, she didn't want to become Shrek Academy's pawn against the Sun Moon Empire.
Watching the two figures gradually recede into the distance, Xu Tianzhen bit through her nail.
"I have to get a definite answer about this."
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