"Your Highness, the Earl of Nuoding has come to pay his respects as arranged." Inside Xue Qinghe's residence, a maid stepped lightly into the hall, her head bowed and eyes lowered, her tone respectful and composed.
Xue Qinghe's hand froze as he reviewed the memorials. When the visiting card had reached him two days earlier, he had not known how to handle it. He had neither replied nor refused, but time waited for no one. Not refusing meant agreeing to the visit.
Recalling his loss of composure that day, he desperately wanted to find somewhere to hide.
"Have him go to the reception hall." Xue Qinghe's expression remained calm and unruffled.
"Yes, Your Highness." The maid curtsied and left.
Xue Qinghe forcibly suppressed the emotions surging in his heart and returned his gaze to the memorials. His fingers held the vermilion brush, yet he did not bring it down for a long time.
The hall was so quiet that only the faint sounds of the flickering candle flames remained. The densely packed writing before him blurred together, and no matter how he tried to concentrate, his thoughts drifted uncontrollably toward the person outside.
After an unknown length of time, he finally decided to rise and go.
As he approached the reception hall, he heard Ling Yu speaking with the maid inside-
"Has His Highness the Crown Prince been well lately?"
"Yes, my lord Earl. Very well."
"Does he have a lot to do every day?"
"My lord Earl, affairs of state have kept him somewhat busy."
"I see..."
Had anyone else asked, the maid would never have dared discuss her prince's affairs in private. But Ling Yu's relationship with Xue Qinghe was extraordinary, so she answered him.
Xue Qinghe's heart trembled. He stood outside the door for a long time before finally suppressing that faint ripple in his heart and walking inside.
"Brother Xue." Ling Yu brightened with delight. Since Xue Qinghe was willing to see him, it seemed that the matter had more or less passed from Xue Qinghe's heart.
He nodded, then signaled for the maids to leave, leaving Su Yao to stand guard outside the door.
"Xiao..." Just as Xue Qinghe was about to speak, he thought for a moment and returned to his true form instead.
"Xiao Yu, is there something you need?"
"Over the past few days, I've finished making some unranked Soul Tools for auxiliary use. I've written their uses on them. Take a look." With that, Ling Yu took some Soul Tools and their accompanying blueprints out of his Storage Soul Tool.
It's good that everything's all right. As he watched Qian Renxue leaf through the blueprints, ripples stirred in Ling Yu's heart.
Although Qian Renxue's gaze rested on the blueprints, her thoughts had long since drifted far away.
A moment later, she put the items into her Storage Soul Tool, her lips parting slightly. "Thank you for your hard work. I'll send these back to Spirit Hall later."
"All right, Sister Xue. I'll head back, then."
Qian Renxue nodded lightly. Her bearing abruptly drew inward, and in an instant, she resumed Xue Qinghe's appearance and saw Ling Yu out. Both tacitly understood that this was not the time to talk.
In the courtyard of the Soul Tool research laboratory at Heaven Dou Royal Academy-
Ning Fengzhi remained as gentle and refined as jade, an appropriately measured smile at the corners of his lips. His voice was calm and unhurried. "Xiao Yu, what have you developed this time?"
Ning Rongrong blinked her lively eyes and leaned closer curiously. She looked Ling Yu up and down, quickly noticing a strange contraption fastened around his waist.
"Brother Ling Yu, is this the new Soul Tool?"
Beside them, Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes surpassing snow and his sword Qi contained within. He merely cast a faint glance at it.
"Yes. Let me show you what it can do first."
This was a belt-shaped Soul Tool Thruster, matte dark gray throughout. It consisted of several linked plates forged from lightly patterned black iron, their edges polished smooth and rounded so that they neither dug into the wearer nor appeared bulky.
The plates were connected by several kinds of metal wire that conducted Soul Power, like the hidden network of vessels within the human body, concealed and dormant.
A piece of pale cyan flowing wind jade was set in the center of the belt. Six layers of formation patterns were carved into it, faint light flowing across them as they gave off weak but distinct Soul Power fluctuations.
Wind marrow crystals were set into the plates on either side, each bearing three layers of formation patterns.
Ling Yu activated Martial Soul Possession and used his first Soul Skill-Spiritual Detection. Nourished by a daily portion of eighty-thousand-year whale brain, the range of his Spiritual Detection had already exceeded a hundred meters.
He placed his left hand on the center of the belt and poured Soul Power into it. Light rapidly flowed through the formation patterns, and within a single breath, Ling Yu shot twenty meters forward.
Although the three had already prepared themselves, their hearts still pounded when they saw what it actually did.
"A burst of speed comparable to an agility-attack Soul Master's. On the battlefield, this practically gives you another life-saving trump card. With some improvements, could it grant the ability to fly...?"
Thoughts surged through Ning Fengzhi's mind. In this era, flight was an immense luxury. Only those with flying Soul Skills or Titled Douluo whose cultivation had reached a certain level could fly.
The next moment, Ling Yu activated the Soul Tool again and dashed back.
"This is a Tier One Soul Tool Thruster. You've seen its effects, but its Soul Power consumption isn't low either. It works as a way to leave the battlefield and save your life, though you'll need some training before you can use it proficiently." The corner of Ling Yu's mouth lifted.
"About how many days would it take to make a belt like this?" Ning Fengzhi had always been gentle and composed, but ever since Soul Tools had appeared, he often found it difficult to hide his eagerness.
"Around seven to ten days."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. That length of time fell within his expectations.
"Brother Ling Yu, could you let Rongrong play with this belt?" Ning Rongrong cautiously poked her head forward, a hint of earnest pleading in her eyes.
"Of course." Ling Yu unfastened it and handed it to Ning Rongrong. Once she had put it on, he explained, "Don't pour in too much Soul Power. Get used to the distance and the force a little at a time."
Sword Douluo walked over and indicated that he would watch over Ning Rongrong.
Ling Yu then entered the research laboratory with Ning Fengzhi.
"Does this count as a finished product?" Ning Fengzhi accepted the blueprints Ling Yu handed him and began looking through them.
"It's only tier one for now. To reach tier two, I'll need to improve it myself, but at the moment, I only have ideas. I haven't put them into practice yet."
"Then could it achieve flight?"
"We'd probably need to find formation patterns related to levitation. Besides, the thruster alone already consumes quite a bit. With levitation added, we can infer that the Soul Power consumption would be very high."
"I understand. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will step up the search." Ning Fengzhi composed his expression and nodded lightly.
"If we manage to develop it, this set of Soul Tools would also be very suitable for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Because of Heart Separation Control?" A flash of understanding passed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes.
Ling Yu was surprised. He had not expected him to grasp the key point so quickly, and he nodded.
Ning Fengzhi caught that fleeting expression and asked, "Would you like to learn it?" His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, but to Ling Yu's ears, it sounded like a demonic voice tempting him into depravity.
After hesitating for a while, Ling Yu nodded slightly.
"Take it. Just don't pass it on to anyone else." Ning Fengzhi took a handwritten copy of a secret manual from his Storage Soul Tool.
"Thank you, Uncle Ning. Then let that thruster be my gift to Rongrong." Though it was not enough to repay the favor, it showed that Ling Yu would remember it.