"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to join, but..."
"I hope that, when we find someone who meets the requirements in the future, you will teach her diligently, young friend Ling."
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will spare no effort in providing the necessary resources." All warmth receded from Ning Fengzhi's eyes. There was not a trace of hesitation in his expression, and every word rang out with conviction.
Ling Yu raised his eyes toward Xue Ye. Seeing no objection from him, he replied, "I certainly won't betray your trust, Sect Master Ning."
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, his movements unhurried and composed, carrying a measure of approval.
Finally settled. I don't have to worry about people coveting what I have anymore. To forge iron, you have to be strong yourself, Ling Yu silently thought.
After the banquet ended, Xue Ye arranged for Ling Yu to stay in the imperial palace and be taken back to school the following morning.
"Qinghe, is there a possibility between Ke'er and him?" Seated upright on his throne in a side hall, Xue Ye asked, his gaze slightly somber.
"Why be in such a hurry, Father? Little Sister is still young, isn't she?"
"Can't you even see this?" Xue Ye's expression darkened slightly, his brows unconsciously drawing together.
"Ning Fengzhi will certainly find a way to make Ling Yu his son-in-law. That would even be the best possible future for him."
"If we do nothing, everything we've invested will go down the drain. You should know that if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect truly goes all out, its reserves run deeper than ours."
A flicker of wariness flashed through Xue Ye's eyes before his steady imperial temperament suppressed it.
"You interact with him so often. Do you know what sort of woman he likes?"
"Father, the Earl of Nuoding is obsessed with studying and cultivating. As far as I know, he even slept right in the laboratory while researching Soul Tools."
"His daily class schedule is packed, and he spends his free time in the library and laboratory as well. I heard that even when Manager Ailin of the auction house personally attended to him, he remained unmoved." Xue Qinghe sighed softly, a trace of helplessness passing across his brow.
"Not even a beauty like Ailin?"
"According to the nobles present at the time, no. They even auctioned off a catgirl then, but he never raised a bid. The auction house had given him a credit allowance."
"The more he's like that, the more likely he is to become utterly devoted once a woman breaches his defenses."
"First, see which branch of the imperial clan has a girl of a suitable age. If she's gentle and beautiful, arrange for her to be his study companion. If there aren't any, look among the nobility's descendants. Qinghe, take this seriously. Don't let someone else seize the initiative."
"Someone from a small place like the Earl of Nuoding will find it hard to resist a honey trap tailored to him. You must screen them carefully." Xue Ye softened his tone as he imparted his methods for handling people.
"Yes, Father. I will heed your instruction."
"As for Ke'er... forget it. Her talent isn't high either. Even if we arranged for her to enter the school, she wouldn't be able to attend the classes." A trace of disappointment quietly passed through the depths of Xue Ye's eyes.
"You may go." Xue Ye sighed softly, carrying a measure of weariness and helplessness, and waved Xue Qinghe away.
"Yes, Father. I take my leave."
The next day, the carriage rattled out of the imperial palace, heading toward Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"Now there's one more person being pressured to marry." Having returned to her true appearance, Qian Renxue's eyes gleamed with amusement. Her voice was cool, yet carried a hint of laughter.
These days, whenever she spent time with Ling Yu, she liked to return to her original appearance. Only then could she feel that it was real.
"Marriage alliances run throughout human history." Ling Yu's lips curved slightly in a faint, relaxed smile as he quietly looked at her.
"So, which family's girl has caught your eye?"
The moment Qian Renxue finished speaking, a hazy figure flashed through Ling Yu's mind.
"So there is someone?" Seeing his momentary hesitation, Qian Renxue also recalled Su Yao's report that day. An inexplicable feeling rose within her, and her tone shifted slightly.
Ling Yu shook his head. "You're overthinking it, Sister Xue. It's still early. I'm only ten."
"Ordinary people's ages don't apply to Soul Masters. Although you're ten, the changes brought about by your Soul Rings have already made your actual build comparable to an ordinary adult's."
"Besides, even among ordinary people, some marry and have children at twelve or thirteen."
"Do you want me to get married early that badly, Sister Xue?" Ling Yu sighed softly, looking at her helplessly.
"I was only teasing you. Don't take it seriously." Qian Renxue turned her face slightly, looking out the window. Her long lashes lowered, concealing the emotions in her eyes as she quietly hid her gaze.
After returning to school, Ling Yu resumed his usual life. During that time, Ning Fengzhi sent over a batch of discarded Soul Tools and rare metals. There was even a sword-shaped Soul Tool among them, which sent him wild with joy.
A cursory examination revealed that both its metal materials and gemstone core were of very high grades, so he could only put it away in his Storage Soul Tool for the time being.
According to Ning Fengzhi, it had been passed down from a hundred years ago. Several generations of research had only revealed its metal composition; they knew nothing else about it.
Looking at the extraordinarily complex array patterns on the core, with more than a dozen sets of point arrays alone, Ling Yu suspected it was above fourth rank. He silently grumbled, Starting straight off with something incredibly difficult-with methods this crude, how could they possibly figure anything out? How could that not crush their enthusiasm?
"The outer casing and blade of a close-combat Soul Tool form a single piece. The inner casing serves as the grip, with the array core embedded inside it."
"This dagger's outer casing is forged from mixed wind-pattern copper, with fine flowing-cloud patterns engraved on its surface. The inner casing is light cloud silver, which is extremely light, conducts Soul Power exceptionally well, has high toughness, and is not easily fractured. There are ten soul threads for conduction in total."
"The core gemstone is wind marrow crystal. The array pattern has six layers, tentatively named the Wind-Gathering Slash Array. Apart from the array eye and the array boundary enclosure, there are four layers of patterns whose functions remain unknown."
"Five sets of point arrays in total."
In the laboratory, Ling Yu organized his knowledge as he looked at the already-forged outer casing and inner casing on the table, along with a large piece of engraved wind marrow crystal.
Then he selected a polished piece of wind marrow crystal and secured it to the workbench. He activated Martial Soul Possession and his first Soul Skill, holding a diamond engraving knife in his right hand.
Soon, he entered an almost ethereal state, as though every sound around him had been shut out.
His eyes narrowed slightly, his mind entirely immersed in that tiny space. He infused Soul Power into every stroke, carefully tracing each line, not daring to deviate in the slightest.
Only absolute calm and concentration could allow him to engrave these six layers of array patterns precisely onto the gemstone, without the slightest error.
As he slowly carved the final stroke, a trace of weariness welled up within Ling Yu. Looking at the gemstone core he had carved, a sense of achievement surged through him once more, dispelling his fatigue.
He injected a little Soul Power, and the gemstone emitted a soft glow.
After assembling the outer casing, inner casing, and core, Ling Yu looked at the brand-new, exquisite pale-cyan dagger in his hand. His brow relaxed, and a genuine smile curved his lips.
Then he quickly walked outside the laboratory, injected Soul Power, and swung toward the metal test target. A pale-cyan wind blade condensed into being.
Whoosh, whoosh-clang!
The wind blade tore through the air and slammed hard into the target's surface, producing a crisp, cold metallic ring.