The moment the attendant saw the gold card, the smile on his face became even brighter. He took it cautiously, and when he saw the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda pattern on the corner, he couldn't stop grinning.
"Please wait a moment; I will wrap it up for you right away."
After speaking, he swiped the card efficiently and placed the Crimson Fire carving knife into a small box.
"Being brothers, it's in the heart..."
Ning Cong clenched his fist and struck his chest, as if his whole body were shining with brilliant golden light.
"Thanks." Lu Cheng was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up slowly. The two looked at each other, as if reaching a silent understanding in that moment.
"Let's go."
After leaving the spirit tool shop, the other areas of Shrek City were bustling. For many people who had just entered the city, it was both a money pit and a paradise on earth, but it didn't hold much attraction for the two of them. Ning Cong had been influenced by what he saw and heard since childhood; although the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was a camel that had grown thin, it was still a sect in the Douluo Continent whose wealth could rival an empire. As for Lu Cheng, nothing was more important than improving his strength...
Therefore, the two turned around and headed back to the academy.
"Where are we going?" Ning Cong was stunned.
He originally thought Lu Cheng was going back to the dormitory, but judging by this route... it seemed to be the Soul Tool Department academy? Why come here?
Lu Cheng stopped his footsteps. In front of him was a dark gray building five or six stories high. This was the territory of the Soul Tool Department. Because the development of the Soul Tool Department started late, even though it had Xian Liner and the Sea Gods Pavilion Elder Song Yunzhi, it still appeared modest. Compared to the magnificent and golden headquarters of the Martial Soul Department, it was clearly more focused on research and practical work.
"Let's go; I'll still need to trouble you to pay inside." Lu Cheng looked up at the building quietly, then turned to look at the bewildered Ning Cong beside him.
"You want to rent operating equipment?" The latter suddenly realized, a look of contemplation appearing in his eyes.
"Correct." Lu Cheng nodded with a smile.
It wasn't just Disciples of the Soul Tool Department who could enter here; many operating tables on the first floor could be rented by academy Disciples, though the price was calculated by the hour, costing at least a hundred gold martial soul coins a day.
Ning Cong nodded slightly. At the administrator's desk, he deposited enough money into Lu Cheng's card to stay here day and night without rest for more than three years.
The smile on Lu Cheng's face became even brighter.
"Alright, wait for me a moment..."
Lu Cheng fiddled with the operating equipment casually. It was much simpler than the equipment in the Sun Moon Empire, but it was enough to make most devices.
The operating table consisted of two parts. A metal fixing table, where one could carve spirit tool core formations, and a metal grinder, used to polish spirit tool shells and parts.
Lu Cheng hesitated for a moment, then took a piece of ordinary dark metal from a rack nearby, fixed it on the metal table, and then took out the Crimson Fire carving knife, carving the spirit tool core formation with fluid movements.
Ning Cong watched from the side, somewhat bewildered. This guy... was actually already a Level 1 Soul Engineer? It looked quite professional… At least it didn't look like he was just carving randomly.
Half an hour later.
Just like a veteran soul engineer who had done this countless times, as the Crimson Fire Blade left the dark metal, the patterns carved onto it slowly lit up with a pale red light, and a fiery red pattern even rose upward.
"This is... it succeeded?" Ning Cong said in astonishment.
"Mm." Lu Cheng wiped the Crimson Fire Blade gently with a rag, his expression calm.
"You are a soul engineer?" Ning Cong asked, somewhat surprised.
Logically speaking, Lu Cheng came from a poor family and only had his Martial Soul awakening at the age of eight; how could he have the money to learn how to make spirit tools?
"The library has basic teaching on spiritual tools..."
Lu Cheng smiled.
Ning Cong's eyes slowly widened. "Don't tell me... this is your first time experimenting?"
"I suppose so."
Lu Cheng pondered for a moment, then took out a book titled [Detailed Explanation of Level 3 Martial Soul Ray Production] from his bosom. While reading it, he operated the metal grinder nearby and began to make the shell.
Only Ning Cong was left standing there in a daze.
A few minutes later.
Lu Cheng took off his goggles and gloves, threw the newly assembled dark red long metal tube to Ning Cong, and said in a calm tone, "Go to the shooting range and test its power."
"Ah?"
Ning Cong took it in a panic and followed Lu Cheng with a confused face, like a follower.
Shooting range.
Boom!
Accompanied by a roaring sound, at the muzzle of the dark red metal tube resting on Ning Cong's shoulder, a scorching, dazzling red ray pierced straight through the metal target in front, leaving a melted hole, with crimson liquid metal slowly dripping down.
"This target is an ordinary Level 4 defensive spirit tool... How could it be penetrated?!" Ning Cong's eyes were dull. "Is this really a Level 3 Martial Soul ray?"
"I modified it a bit and incorporated a fire crystal... Here, I bought it at a shop in Shrek City today." Lu Cheng opened his palm, a fiery red crystal clamped between his two fingers. He flicked it up gently and caught it in his hand again.
This was a gain from his simulated memories.
The evolved version of spirit tools was battle armor, and the core of the latter lay in the evolution of metal, which meant allowing the metal to possess its own life through forging. To put it more bluntly, it was letting the metal possess its own "attribute."
Lu Cheng couldn't forge metal in the short term, so he used a "shortcut" to change the Martial Soul ray from the most basic process of compressing, gathering, and firing Soul Power into allowing Soul Power to be amplified by the fire attribute, then compressed, gathered, and erupted.
It was just like a pea passing through a torchwood.
This thing wasn't actually too novel in the Sun Moon Empire, and it would be seen on the competition field in a few years. However, in this wasteland of spirit tools on the Douluo Continent, it counted as an innovation.
Therefore, its power was enough to increase by one level.
Outside the training grounds.
Yan Shaozhe and Du Weilun stood on the second floor, quietly watching the two through a glass window.
"Dean, this is definitely a top-tier genius! I see that he already has the intention to develop towards the Soul Tool Department. If... we don't recruit him soon, I'm afraid there will be trouble." Du Weilun said with an eager look.
But compared to his impatience, Yan Shaozhe appeared calm and unhurried.
"What's the panic? The Inner Court already has one fire-attribute Genius. As long as there are no mishaps in the future, she will definitely reach the pinnacle of the continent. That girl Lexuan also has an extremely strong aptitude; my Martial Soul Department has long been full of talent."
Du Weilun wanted to speak but hesitated.
"Forget it, I will observe him carefully again. If he is truly enough to make the academy pay attention, then he should perform well in the freshman competition. Nowadays, Shrek Academy is least lacking in geniuses... Hehe."
Yan Shaozhe adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and revealed a smile.
"Yes." Du Weilun nodded slightly upon hearing this.
But he was also somewhat bewildered. The Martial Soul Department... actually thought there were too many geniuses? What on earth was the dean thinking?
And Yan Shaozhe was also somewhat bewildered. For some reason, seeing this scene of the youth, he had an urge to rush up and strangle him. This natural sense of opposition made it almost impossible for him to restrain his expression of disgust toward him... yet he searched his mind countless times and had never seen this guy before.
Notes:
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