Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already past noon. Lin Xiao put away the core array he had finished inscribing and walked out of the Soul Guidance Testing Area with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.
Although he had seemingly stumbled upon something extraordinary, Lin Xiao had no intention of revealing it to anyone.
Even among ninth-level soul tools, materials like this alloy with entirely new properties were rare. Lin Xiao knew exactly what kind of storm his discovery would cause if it were known to others, and he could also imagine the benefits that would come to the soul engineer who first discovered such an alloy.
But at the same time, he was well aware that with his current cultivation level, he was far from capable of handling such immense wealth.
Having grown up in the Holy Spirit Cult, he never hesitated to assume the worst of others. Not to mention that he was already an evil soul master, reviled by all. Even if he were a saint, in the face of such enviable riches, there would never be a shortage of people willing to take risks.
He could continue his research in secret, but revealing it to others? That was out of the question until he had the strength to match it.
It was noon, and the number of soul engineers sparring near the arena had dwindled. Only a few scattered students remained around the more secluded arenas, showing no signs of heading off to rest.
Boom—
Boom—
The sound of soul guidance cannons rang out from the arena, causing Lin Xiao to suddenly pause.
The sound of soul guidance cannons was nothing unusual here, but as a third-level soul engineer, Lin Xiao could tell there was something different about these particular shots.
The person who fired these attacks wasn't using the standard soul tools of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and the technique used to inscribe the arrays was also unusual.
Moreover, to unleash several attacks in such quick succession, their ability to control soul tools was undeniably impressive.
Lin Xiao often came to the Soul Guidance Testing Area, yet he had never heard of such an outstanding soul engineer appearing.
Curious, he glanced over, and his gaze froze.
On an arena not far from him, two children around eleven or twelve years old were engaged in a back-and-forth duel. The boy, dressed in golden robes, had an air of ease about him, as if his opponent wasn't posing much of a challenge.
On the other side was a girl in snow-white clothing. Her fighting style resembled that of a control-system soul engineer, but the way she seamlessly transitioned between soul tools was even more skillful than the senior control-system students.
And Lin Xiao wasn't unfamiliar with her.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he turned his attention back to the boy. Seeing how he effortlessly wielded multiple soul guidance cannons without any strain, Lin Xiao quickly deduced who he was.
Soul masters had excellent memories, so even though they had only met once, Lin Xiao recognized the girl on the arena as Meng Hongchen, the granddaughter of Jing Hongchen. Her opponent wasn't hard to guess either.
No wonder Lin Xiao had noticed something off about the earlier sounds. The attacks had come from Xiao Hongchen, Jing Hongchen's grandson. With his Three-Legged Golden Toad martial soul, he was born with the ability to control metal. The attacks he had just launched weren't from true soul guidance cannons but from soul tools temporarily constructed using his martial soul and soul guidance arrays.
So, they had already enrolled in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
"You've been watching for a while. Want to come up and have a go?"
As Lin Xiao was lost in thought, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, the siblings, stopped their sparring. Xiao Hongchen looked at Lin Xiao below the arena and raised his chin.
Meng Hongchen also glanced at Lin Xiao, staring at him for a moment as if suddenly recalling something. She took two steps back, hiding behind Xiao Hongchen.
"No thanks. Maybe another time," Lin Xiao said with a laugh, turning to walk away.
Xiao Hongchen didn't press further, watching Lin Xiao's figure disappear before turning to his sister with a hint of suspicion.
"Meng, you usually can't take your eyes off a good-looking guy. What's with you today?"
Meng Hongchen's face flushed slightly, and she punched Xiao Hongchen lightly.
"Grandpa told me to stay away from him."
"Stay away from him?" Xiao Hongchen glanced curiously in the direction Lin Xiao had gone. "Why?"
"I don't know," Meng Hongchen shook her head. "Grandpa just said he's dangerous."
"Did Grandpa really say that?" Xiao Hongchen didn't seem to take it seriously. "If I get the chance, I'd like to see just how dangerous he is."
"By the way, speaking of Grandpa, why hasn't he shown up yet? It's so late. Is he off researching some soul tool again? He could at least send someone over."
As he spoke, Xiao Hongchen jumped off the arena, looking into the distance.
On the other side, Lin Xiao wasn't too surprised by running into the Hongchen siblings. As long as they were at the academy, it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed.
Right now, he was hurrying back to his dormitory. The Soul Guidance Testing Area was too crowded and exposed. He hadn't had a chance to closely examine the alloy he had created that morning. The dormitory was much quieter. Although the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had plenty of hidden sentries, they wouldn't casually spy on students' dorms.
However, when he pushed open the door to his room, his heart skipped a beat.
Silently closing the door, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to meditate anymore?" A sinister voice suddenly sounded in Lin Xiao's ear.
"Teacher." Lin Xiao stood up, feigning surprise. "Compared to that method, meditation is indeed much slower, but it's still better than doing nothing."
The figure of Nightmare Douluo slowly materialized, staring at Lin Xiao for a moment without commenting further.
"Teacher, why are you at the academy at this hour? Didn't you say the academy's defenses were tight…?"
"Hmph, this time, Jing Hongchen personally invited me in."
Lin Xiao raised his head slightly. "Teacher, is the Holy Spirit Cult collaborating with Illustrious Virtue Hall again?"
Lin Xiao's question seemed to strike a nerve, and Nightmare Douluo's expression darkened instantly.
"It's not good news this time. A shipment of materials being transported from the west to the capital was intercepted."
"So, Jing Hongchen wants the Holy Spirit Cult to help investigate…?" Lin Xiao followed Nightmare Douluo's words but quickly realized something was off.
Illustrious Virtue Hall wasn't just the inner court of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy; it was the soul tool research institution for the entire Sun Moon Empire. If something went wrong, asking the imperial family for help would be far more practical than turning to the Holy Spirit Cult. Why would they suddenly invite someone from the Holy Spirit Cult to Illustrious Virtue Hall unless…
"Teacher, this shipment… was it taken by evil soul masters?"
Lin Xiao asked hesitantly.
"I knew you'd guess it," Nightmare Douluo said, glancing at Lin Xiao. "You're right. Just two nights ago, not far from the capital, someone posing as an evil soul master stole something from Illustrious Virtue Hall."