After He Caitou left, Fan Yu closed the door and led Zhou Sichen over to the crafting platform where he usually produced soul tools.
Fan Yu said directly, "Sichen, even though you've already demonstrated your soul tool proficiency, I'd still like to see you personally craft something. It doesn't have to be too complex—just something that could be completed within half a day."
"All the materials here are at your disposal. Take whatever catches your eye—don't hold back."
Zhou Sichen smiled slightly at that. Crafting a soul tool was typically a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. For a Class 3 Soul Engineer, creating a Class 3 soul tool from start to finish usually took at least a full month.
If the core array involved was particularly complex, the time and difficulty would increase exponentially.
The reason Zhou Sichen could craft things so quickly was mainly due to his spiritual power being far above his level—and now, he also possessed the "god-tier" ability of Spiritual Detection.
After giving it some thought, Zhou Sichen decided not to waste any time.
"Teacher Fan Yu, crafting a soul tool here would be a bit time-consuming. I'll just show you one of my previous works."
As he spoke, he took out the Class 4 soul tool sword he had crafted for his sister, Ye Guyi—the Holy Sword of Light.
The sword was four feet three inches long, with a hilt length of one foot four inches. It was double-edged, and embedded in its hilt was a radiant pearl exuding a gentle light aura.
Fan Yu raised his eyebrows upon seeing it. "You made this?"
Zhou Sichen nodded. "This was one of my first works after becoming a Class 4 Soul Engineer. If you'd like to further assess my crafting ability, I can use your materials to upgrade it here."
Fan Yu, however, was already captivated by the Holy Sword of Light.
He no longer had any doubts about Zhou Sichen's skill. The craftsmanship and design of this sword already surpassed that of most Class 4 Soul Engineers.
Even a Class 5 Soul Engineer might not be able to match this level of refinement.
If evaluated by standard grading—Perfect, Excellent, Passable, Poor, or Scrap—this sword was bordering on Perfect.
From the core soul tool array to the choice and harmony of materials, Fan Yu couldn't spot a single flaw.
What astonished him the most was that this was made when Zhou Sichen had just reached Class 4?
Without another word, Fan Yu retrieved a finely crafted brocade box from his storage soul tool and placed it on the table.
Zhou Sichen put away the Holy Sword and stepped closer.
Fan Yu said, "This is Dean Qian Duoduo's List-Carving Blade, ranked seventy-eighth. Its name is Blazing Sun (Zhi Yang)."
As he spoke, Fan Yu opened the brocade box. Inside lay a golden carving blade that looked as if it were made from fire itself.
It resembled a dancing flame, its craftsmanship refined and ancient. The blade was exquisitely smooth, and a faint heat could be felt radiating from it.
Zhou Sichen raised an eyebrow. "So this is a List-Carving Blade…"
Seeing Zhou Sichen's clear interest, Fan Yu smiled and explained, "Blazing Sun contains the essence of solar fire. It was forged from Sunfire Essence Ore combined with rare auxiliary materials. After being passed down through thirty-two previous owners, it has reached its current state."
"Any core array inscribed using Blazing Sun will naturally benefit from its unique properties. Its heat can be controlled entirely by the user, greatly improving efficiency. Additionally, arrays engraved with it will carry a trace of solar essence, which grants a chance to self-repair minor damage by absorbing sunlight."
"However, while using it, you must also be cautious. If you can't fully control the heat, not only will the carving fail, but you could also be seriously injured."
Even Zhou Sichen couldn't help but marvel at such a powerful and mystical tool.
And this was just rank seventy-eight? What about the ones even higher on the list?
Suddenly, Zhou Sichen recalled the ninety-ninth ranked List-Carving Blade—a blade he was determined to obtain.
Because that blade was actually made from Life Gold.
If he could acquire that Life Gold, then Yi Lao wouldn't have to worry about the dissipation of his final strand of divine consciousness.
But that was a matter for the future. There was still over a year left until the appearance of the Devouring Spirit Blade, ranked ninety-ninth. No need to rush.
Fan Yu continued, "You can try using it. If it doesn't affect you and you're able to control it, you can use it to inscribe your next core array."
Zhou Sichen nodded and, recalling Fan Yu's warning, summoned his martial soul: the Book of Contracts.
The golden, divine tome appeared in his right hand, and under Fan Yu's stunned gaze, three pitch-black ten-thousand-year soul rings rose around him.
Fan Yu had heard the rumors of Zhou Sichen's miraculous power, but witnessing it in person—it was utterly shocking.
Three ten-thousand-year soul rings, such a young prodigy, and an unparalleled level of skill in soul tools—it was beyond imagination.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Fan Yu would never have believed someone like this could exist.
Zhou Sichen was already used to being stared at in awe. Calmly, he activated his first soul ring.
As the ring lit up, the Book of Contracts slowly flipped open to its first page, from which a glowing orb of ice jade energy flew out and merged into Zhou Sichen's body.
His appearance began to change—his black ponytail turning into long, flowing ice-blue hair. The warm, noble young man now looked like an ice crystal prince.
The entire lab's temperature dropped sharply. Fortunately, Zhou Sichen consciously restrained the power—otherwise, the lab would have been frozen solid.
He had merged with Ah Da, the source of Ultimate Ice, its power flowing through his slender, pale fingertips.
Zhou Sichen reached out and grasped the Blazing Sun blade.
No matter how scorching the heat it possessed, under the suppression of Ultimate Ice, it felt no more threatening than a gentle warmth.
Zhou Sichen spun the blade between his fingers like a pen, twirling it gracefully. Though he had only just picked it up, the carving blade responded to him as if it had already acknowledged him as its master—dancing in his hands like a flame sprite.
The key difference between List-Carving Blades and ordinary carving tools wasn't just their special properties—it was that each one had a soul.
Blazing Sun's soul seemed to recognize a kindred spirit—someone who could both complement and contain it—and joyfully offered itself to its new master.
Watching all of this unfold, Fan Yu was filled with admiration—and a twinge of jealousy.
He'd borrowed this blade from Dean Qian for quite some time, and never had he experienced such resonance.
Fan Yu couldn't help but sigh emotionally. "Sichen, you were born to be a Soul Engineer. The blade has already accepted you."
Zhou Sichen smiled. "Then I think it's time I upgraded this Holy Sword of Light."
****
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