This top-tier level-six defensive soul tool could simultaneously defend against physical and energy attacks.
This made it far superior to the typical level-six soul shield of the same grade. Soul shields were among the most common defensive soul tools, generally divided into two types: one for defending against physical attacks and another for defending against energy attacks.
However, the level-six defensive soul tool crafted by Xu Zihuang not only combined the strengths of both but could also reflect or refract energy attacks within its capacity.
Just moments ago, the Mysterious Turtle's innate soul skill, Mysterious Water Ice Seal, had been redirected by him in this manner. Comparatively, refracting energy attacks consumed less of the user's soul power. However, directly reflecting an energy attack head-on would significantly increase the soul power consumption.
This ability originated from an innate soul skill of the Mirror Shadow Beast. When the Mirror Shadow Beast used this soul skill, its silvery-white scales would shimmer with a faint blue glow. Thus, Xu Zihuang named this level-six defensive soul tool the Mirror of Youlan.
To create this Mirror of Youlan, Xu Zihuang had closely observed the Mirror Shadow Beast's soul power fluctuations and the changes in its mirror-like scales during the activation of this soul skill.
Naturally, he didn't need to travel to the northern regions of the continent to find a Mirror Shadow Beast. Shrek Academy's Beast Dueling Arena housed one, though the captive Mirror Shadow Beast only had a cultivation of a little over a thousand years. Even so, this thousand-year Mirror Shadow Beast had been painstakingly tracked and captured by Elder Gong in the northern continent.
Ten thousand years ago, the secret of Oscar's sixth soul skill, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils, had somehow spread among the soul master community. After all, many people were aware of it, not just the original Shrek Seven Devils, who were close to Oscar, and the teachers of Shrek Academy, but also Haote, the Snow Soul Demon Bear soul master who had once helped Oscar hunt a ten-thousand-year Mirror Shadow Beast.
Because of this, a wave of hunting Mirror Shadow Beasts swept through the soul master world.
To this day, Mirror Shadow Beasts were even rarer than Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears. It was likely that no Mirror Shadow Beast with a cultivation exceeding ten thousand years existed on the entire continent.
The Mirror of Youlan was independently designed and crafted by Xu Zihuang. Every component, including the critical core array, was made by his own hands. While its pure defensive power might not match that of a level-six Invincible Shield, its versatility was far greater. As for which was superior, opinions varied.
Some time ago, when Xu Zihuang successfully created the Mirror of Youlan, Fan Yu's reaction was even more shocked than when he saw the longsword Shark Fang. To independently design and craft a top-tier level-six defensive soul tool with effects comparable to an Invincible Shield, something even seasoned level-seven soul engineers might struggle to achieve, was astounding.
How could Fan Yu not be shaken?
Although Yu Tianhuang's research direction differed from He Caitou's, Fan Yu was certain that Yu Tianhuang's talent in soul tool crafting far surpassed He Caitou's.
As Elder Mu had previously stated, Yu Tianhuang was the most promising genius from the original Douluo Continent to break through and become a level-ten soul engineer.
The only pity was that the materials required to craft the Mirror of Youlan were too demanding, making it difficult to replicate. Otherwise, Fan Yu could have applied to produce a batch within Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department and promoted it across the three empires of the original Douluo Continent.
His goal wasn't the immense profits hidden within but simply to advance the development of soul tool technology in the three empires of the original Douluo Continent. The Mirror of Youlan, crafted by Yu Tianhuang, embodied many of his own concepts. These ideas and approaches could often spark the creation of entirely new soul tools.
This was also why Fan Yu admired Yu Tianhuang so much. Innovation and open-minded thinking were exceptionally rare qualities for a soul engineer.
Standing close to Xu Zihuang, Xu Sanshi instinctively followed the path of the refracted black icy current with his gaze, only to see Beibei, Tang Ya, and Jiang Nannan approaching.
He sprang to his feet and rushed toward the trio with large strides. The gloom on his face instantly transformed into a fawning and ingratiating expression.
"Don't be afraid, Nannan. I'll protect you!" Xu Sanshi, that shameless guy, shouted, releasing his Mysterious Underworld Turtle Shield martial soul. At the same time, he subtly gave Xu Zihuang a thumbs-up, secretly thrilled.
Yu Tianhuang had clearly noticed Jiang Nannan and the others approaching and deliberately refracted the Mysterious Turtle's Mysterious Water Ice Seal in their direction, creating an opportunity for him to show off.
"This shameless guy never misses a chance," Beibei, ever refined and gentle, said with a slight curve of his lips.
Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan walked side by side behind him, chatting softly.
Although Jiang Nannan was a grade above Tang Ya, they were actually the same age. Like Xu Sanshi, both had entered Shrek Academy at a very young age.
Shrek Academy's Outer Court required students to be no older than twelve and have a soul power level of at least fifteen. As long as the cultivation was sufficient, early admission was permitted.
Their backgrounds were similar, and both were kind-hearted, though their personalities differed. Now that they had both entered the Inner Court, they naturally grew close.
However, before Xu Sanshi could reach them, Tang Ya acted first. It wasn't that she intended to ruin Xu Sanshi's moment, but her hands were itching to test the ice and fire resistance granted by her Crimson Flame Thorn Right Arm Bone.
Tang Ya raised her fair right hand, and blue soul power glowed in her palm. Strands of blue-black Blue Silver Grass surged forth, forming a wall of Blue Silver Grass in front of the trio.
Immediately after, the front of her right arm turned crimson, and a scorching aura swept out. The crimson light instantly extended to the blue-black Blue Silver Grass wall.
When the black icy current collided with the Blue Silver Grass wall wrapped in crimson light, a sizzling sound erupted, and white mist rose. The scorching heat and the cold clashed, neutralizing each other.
The Blue Silver Grass wall, which Tang Ya had always feared would be vulnerable to extreme heat or cold, remained completely intact. However, a thin layer of ice crystals inevitably formed on its surface.
Under her control, the flames on the Blue Silver Grass wall flared up again. The ice crystals shattered, and the wall dispersed, reverting to individual strands of Blue Silver Grass that she recalled.
This was another enhancement brought by her ten-thousand-year Crimson Flame Thorn Right Arm Bone: ice and fire resistance. Now, ice and fire soul skills of the same level as her cultivation could only damage her Blue Silver Grass martial soul if their attributes surpassed those of the Crimson Flame Thorn.
Of course, the Crimson Flame Thorn itself wasn't particularly powerful, and many ice- or fire-attribute soul beasts and martial souls outclassed it. The Mysterious Turtle was one such example.
But compared to before, her Blue Silver Grass martial soul was no longer so fragile against ice- and fire-attribute soul skills. This greatly compensated for the weaknesses of her Blue Silver Grass martial soul, not to mention that the Crimson Flame Thorn Right Arm Bone also granted her a powerful area-of-effect attack soul skill.
In truth, any suitable ten-thousand-year soul bone could provide a tremendous boost to a soul master.
Not everyone had Xu Zihuang's profound foundation. For Xu Zihuang, ordinary ten-thousand-year soul bones were burdens, but for regular soul masters, they were priceless treasures.
Watching Tang Ya cheerfully recall her Blue Silver Grass, Xu Sanshi froze in place, his face darkening, his mind filled with question marks.
What the heck? The opportunity Tianhuang worked so hard to create for me was ruined just like that?
Beibei gave him a helpless look, then walked past him with Tang Ya to approach Xu Zihuang.
Xu Sanshi awkwardly turned to Jiang Nannan.
"Nannan—"
"Hmph." Jiang Nannan glared at Xu Sanshi with disdain, but considering the special circumstances that night, she refrained from lashing out. Coming from a common background, her experience and connections were far inferior to the others, but her emotional intelligence was still sharp.
Xu Sanshi, the quintessential bootlicking turtle guy, lived up to his Mysterious Underworld Turtle Shield soul master reputation. Despite Jiang Nannan's cold attitude, he acted as if he'd received a great favor, grinning shamelessly as he trailed behind her.
If not for the lingering frost on Jiang Nannan's pretty face, he probably would've pushed his luck even further.
Meanwhile, Tang Ya's eyes sparkled as she examined the longsword Shark Fang and the Mirror of Youlan in Xu Zihuang's hands. They had actually seen Xu Zihuang and Xu Sanshi's battle from afar, witnessing the power of these two top-tier soul tools in full.
"Tianhuang, did you make both of these soul tools?" Tang Ya's smile faded slightly as she asked seriously.
Xu Zihuang nodded matter-of-factly.
"This longsword is called Shark Fang, and this wristguard-shaped soul tool is called the Mirror of Youlan. They're a level-six close-combat soul tool and a level-six defensive soul tool, respectively."
"Mirror of Youlan? That's a beautiful name," Tang Ya said, her lips parting slightly in a delicate smile, her gaze lingering on the Mirror of Youlan.
It was human nature to appreciate beautiful things. The Mirror of Youlan, crafted by Xu Zihuang, was exquisitely refined, luxurious yet understated. The silvery-white mirror surface shimmered with a faint blue glow, evoking a sense of depth and serene solitude.
Beibei, however, was focused on something else: Yu Tianhuang had become a level-six soul engineer.
A fourteen-year-old level-six soul engineer would be a history-making achievement even in the Sun Moon Empire. Ever since meeting Yu Tianhuang, Beibei felt constantly humbled.
Yu Tianhuang was too perfect in every way, so perfect that Beibei sometimes felt inferior by comparison.
If Tianhuang could join the Tang Sect, Xiao Ya's dream might…
A thought flashed through Beibei's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. For Yu Tianhuang, the Tang Sect held no appeal whatsoever.
Reviving the Tang Sect relied heavily on soul tools. For now, it seemed they could only depend on Huo Yuhao.
At this point, Tang Ya finally tore her gaze away, smiling brightly at Xu Zihuang.
"This Mirror of Youlan is probably meant for Junior Ning Tian, right?"
Xu Zihuang nodded slightly, storing both the Shark Fang and the Mirror of Youlan in his storage soul tool.
"Senior Xiao Ya, if there's a chance in the future, I can make some suitable soul tools for you too."
"Great, great!" Tang Ya nodded eagerly, her beautiful eyes narrowing into crescent moons, her black ponytail swaying playfully. The scene felt reminiscent of when Xu Zihuang had helped her capture a thousand-year Earth Burrowing Demon Spider in the Star Dou Forest. But now, Tang Ya was nearly an adult, and Xu Zihuang's physique had changed dramatically over the past three years. She could no longer throw herself at him as carefree as she had back then.
Noticing Jiang Nannan's envious gaze, Xu Zihuang added, "Senior Jiang, Senior Xu, and Senior Beibei, the same goes for you. If you need anything, just come to me."
Jiang Nannan smiled at Xu Zihuang, unable to hide the delight in her eyes. Her soft, charming demeanor left Xu Sanshi momentarily stunned.
Then, as if realizing something, Jiang Nannan hesitated before saying, "The materials for such high-level soul tools must be expensive, right?"
Despite her delicate appearance, she was fiercely proud at her core. For the sake of their friendship, she could accept Yu Tianhuang crafting a soul tool for her, but she would insist on covering the material costs herself.
Snapping back to reality, Xu Sanshi blurted out, "I'll buy them for you!"
With Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan's gentle demeanor vanished. Her brows furrowed, and she snapped, "Get lost!"
"Uh…" Seeing Jiang Nannan's strong reaction, Xu Sanshi obediently lowered his head, his eyes filled with grievance but no trace of resentment.
At that moment, Beibei smiled and mediated, "It's getting late. Let's hurry and set off."
Beibei's words softened Jiang Nannan's expression.
Xu Sanshi and Beibei exchanged a glance, as if to say, Thanks for having my back, bro.
Though Tang Ya usually seemed carefree, she understood Jiang Nannan's feelings. Her own ten-thousand-year Crimson Flame Thorn Right Arm Bone had been acquired with Beibei's help. It took Ning Tian's persistent persuasion and the pressure of the Inner Court assessment for her to reluctantly accept it.
With Jiang Nannan's strong dislike for Xu Sanshi, Tang Ya knew she'd react the same way in her shoes.
Tang Ya approached Jiang Nannan and said softly, "Nannan, the high cost of advanced soul tools mostly comes from the difficulty of crafting them. Unless it's a particularly special soul tool, the material costs are probably less than a tenth of the total price."
Hearing this, Jiang Nannan felt reassured. While the cost was still significant for her, it was within her means. From the million gold soul coins awarded to the champions of the previous Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, she had received several tens of thousands. Plus, as an Inner Court disciple, each Monitor mission came with a substantial stipend.
Instead of taking a boat, the group used flying soul tools to leave Sea God Island.
Ever since Xu Zihuang and the others' encounter with the Death Envoy Bandit Group, Inner Court disciples were uniformly equipped with certain soul tools, including flying soul tools.
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