"The core formation array assembly only has a few level-5 core formations engraved on it, yet its attack power is comparable to a level-6 soul tool." Xuan Ziwen stared fixedly at the arrow that had buried its head into the alloy wall. Then, as if something had suddenly clicked, he raised an eyebrow.
"So that's how it is. I understand now. When you shot that arrow with the bow just now, you only gave it an initial velocity. Then the charging formation on the core formation was triggered, using four acceleration formations to perform a second acceleration while simultaneously imbuing the arrow with the power of lightning and fire, greatly increasing its destructive force. In other words, this arrow should actually be considered a stationary soul tool. And unlike stationary soul cannons, as long as it is pre-charged, even an ordinary person without a trace of soul power can use it."
The more Xuan Ziwen thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Having ordinary people use all kinds of soul tools was exactly the direction they had been researching all along.
At this moment, the way he looked at Xu Zihuang had become burning hot and intense, forming a stark contrast to his initial coldness and impatience.
"Tell me—how did you do it?"
From beginning to end, when Yu Tianhuang was making this soul tool, he had not deliberately hidden anything from his sight. Yet even with Xuan Ziwen's ability as a level-8 soul engineer, he could not understand how that most crucial charging formation had been triggered in mid-air.
While Xuan Ziwen was asking his question, Xu Zihuang pulled the spiral arrow out of the alloy wall.
Among all known rare metals, titanium gold ranked among the very top in terms of hardness.
Although the alloy wall was hard and thick, it could not damage the arrowhead or shaft made of titanium gold in the slightest. The core formation at the tail was completely intact.
In terms of destructive power, it might not compare to a stationary soul cannon of the same level, but it could be used repeatedly.
Realizing this, Xuan Ziwen's face was filled with excitement. The power of this soul tool naturally meant nothing to him; what he cared about was the completely new concept behind it.
It might even give him some inspiration.
Xu Zihuang ran his finger over the tail feathers on the arrow's tail, looked at Xuan Ziwen, and said calmly,
"The key lies in the piece of rare metal on which the core formation is engraved."
"You mean that spherical rare metal alloy?" Xuan Ziwen reacted instantly, his excitement turning into disbelief.
"You used the special property of that rare metal alloy?"
Unlike ordinary alloys, fusing two or more rare metals would produce extremely complex changes.
Depending on the types of rare metals fused—even the ratio of fusion—the resulting new rare metal alloy would have vastly different properties. Inside Illustrious Virtue Hall, there was a research topic dedicated to fusing alloys that combined the advantages of multiple rare metals to create even higher-quality soul tools.
Unfortunately, obtaining a suitable rare metal alloy required an enormous amount of trial-and-error experimentation. Because of this, that research topic had never made much progress.
And now, Yu Tianhuang, a student from Shrek Academy, had actually utilized the properties of an alloy. How could this not shock him?
"I call the alloy formed by smelting Purple Thunder Gold and Scarlet Flame Iron 'Thunder Flame Gold'." Xu Zihuang nodded.
From the memories of his previous life, he knew that thousands of years later, many battle armors were made using this kind of rare metal alloy. That had merely given him an idea; the reason he was able to successfully smelt Thunder Flame Gold and apply it to a soul tool was mostly due to a fortunate coincidence.
Xuan Ziwen fell silent. He was obsessed with research, but that didn't mean he was completely oblivious to social cues.
Thunder Flame Gold was Yu Tianhuang's research achievement; continuing to press the matter would be inappropriate.
"Sell it to me—sell your research results to me. Name any price you want." Looking at Xu Zihuang, who had walked back to him, Xuan Ziwen said sincerely.
Xu Zihuang shook his head.
"Teacher Xuan, I'm not short of money, and I don't want to sell it. To be perfectly honest, Thunder Flame Gold isn't actually that outstanding as a rare metal alloy. I can tell you frankly that its special property has very significant limitations; it just happens to be suitable for this Thunder Fire Arrow."
Thunder Fire Arrow was the name he had given to the arrow he had just made.
Xuan Ziwen stared into Xu Zihuang's eyes for a long time, his expression changing several times, but in the end, he did not persist.
"Very well. Then I have one last question for you. Are you willing to take me as your master? If you are willing to leave Shrek Academy and join our Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, I can let you access the most core knowledge of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. And I will teach you with all my heart, raising you into the strongest soul engineer."
Just the thunder-force smelting method Yu Tianhuang had shown earlier, along with the unique talent he had displayed in engraving core formations, was already enough for him to make such a decision.
Moreover, Yu Tianhuang's foundation was clearly extremely deep, and his spirituality was exceptional. Especially the latter—that was the rarest quality of all.
He was certain that in the future, Yu Tianhuang's achievements as a soul engineer would definitely surpass any student he had ever taught.
Xu Zihuang couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Teacher Xuan, do you know what Hall Master Hongchen said to me last night? He said the same thing. The promise Hall Master Hongchen gave me was that when I can absorb a 100,000-year spirit ring, he will mobilize the core strength of Illustrious Virtue Hall to help me hunt a 100,000-year soul beast, and he will personally custom-make at least two level-9 soul tools for me."
Xuan Ziwen's pupils contracted sharply, and then he let out a soft sigh.
"Then let us leave it at that. Still, I am willing to teach you."
Just then, the laboratory door suddenly rang.
Xuan Ziwen and Xu Zihuang tacitly stopped their conversation.
Xu Zihuang turned his head toward the metal door. The door opened, and four people walked in.
Walking at the very front was a tall, burly young man, at least two meters in height, with bulging muscles comparable to He Caitou's. Even his skin was dark. In the Sun Moon Empire, dark skin had always been a symbol of nobility.
With short brown hair, his eyes were bright and full of spirit.
Behind the burly youth was a sleepy-eyed girl. She looked about seventeen or eighteen years old. Long black hair cascaded down her back, and her tender skin was as smooth and warm as mutton-fat jade, without the slightest blemish.
She yawned lazily, her natural airheaded demeanor easily catching the eye.
Beside her was another petite girl. Though only about 1.6 meters tall, she was equally delicate and lovely, looking lively and energetic.
Walking at the very back was another male student, with a slender build similar to Xu Zihuang's. He had long golden hair and deep, vivid blue eyes. He was handsome—in terms of looks, he far surpassed the burly youth in front.
Discovering that there was someone else in the laboratory besides Xuan Ziwen, all four of them looked startled. Even the sleepy black-haired girl perked up a little, fixing her gaze on Xu Zihuang.
"Teacher Xuan, who is he?"
Xuan Ziwen looked at the four who had just entered and smiled faintly.
"Ju Zi, you've come at the perfect time. This is your new junior brother; his name is Yu Tianhuang. From now on, he will also study under me. Get to know each other."
Xu Zihuang's build was already quite tall among his peers, and with his calm and steady bearing, those who didn't know him would probably really think he was already seventeen or eighteen years old.
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