Chapter 14: Soul Guidance Device: Lathe, Who Can't Copy Homework?
Huo Yuhao was brought to the experimental area, where exclusive soul guidance device workstations were set up for crafting soul guidance devices.
On the soul guidance device console, a list of basic metals filled the screen. Without much hesitation, he quickly selected them one after another—hard steel, shock iron, purple copper, and several more in quick succession.
Watching this scene, Lin Jiayi and Shi Xuan couldn't help twitching at the corners of their eyes.
Normally, the core formation of a level 1 soul guidance device would use at most two types of metal. Yet this kid had just chosen so many different kinds—what in the world was he planning?
Out of trust, neither of them spoke up, simply waiting to see what he would do. They were curious to see what surprise this boy might bring next.
Yuhao, however, was already lost in his world, paying no attention to the two of them. His goal was to create something that could greatly accelerate the manufacturing of soul guidance devices.
Yes—what he wanted to make was a soul guidance device: a lathe, a device that could significantly improve the shaping of metal materials.
This idea had been brewing in his mind for quite some time. He couldn't understand why, despite the advanced development of soul guidance devices, most soul engineers still chose to forge metals manually, as if the technology had been deliberately locked away. Was this the influence of the Clear Sky Sect's philosophy?
In the Dragon King Era, ten thousand years from now, soul forging and heavenly forging indeed had unique value—but right now, there was no need to cling to such outdated smithing traditions. The Sun Moon Empire did have water forging, but its efficiency was still painfully low.
Yuhao had a feeling that his new creation might spark a small-scale revolution in soul guidance device manufacturing.
Of course, he would only be providing the idea, the basic theory, and a workable prototype. As for perfecting its functions and making it more versatile, that would be the job of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. If they weren't blind, they would surely invest in this project.
In his Ice Silkworm True Body, Yuhao's spiritual attributes were tripled, and his mental energy consumption greatly reduced. With Spiritual Detection sharing, he could see every microscopic detail while inscribing the core arrays. The various metals he had selected—hard steel, shock iron, purple copper—were soon processed into core formations with different functions.
Forging with a hammer? Please. Even without a lathe, he would rather shape the metals directly with spiritual force than waste time striking iron.
Five whole hours passed as he successively inscribed the core plate array, core execution unit array, support and structural operation array, and auxiliary core array.
Even with triple mental strength, creating four top-grade first-rank core formations left him deeply exhausted.
But it wasn't over yet—he still needed to make the arrays work together as a unified system. Only then would today's test be truly complete.
Two more hours later, Yuhao finally finished his work. His head felt heavy, and he nearly collapsed on the spot—fortunately, Lin Jiayi caught him in time.
Looking at the sleeping boy in his arms and the astonishing creation before him, Lin Jiayi was momentarily speechless.
"Shi Xuan! Hurry, test the function of this soul guidance device!"
Shi Xuan didn't dare delay. As a level 5 soul engineer, he could instantly tell that this massive device was extraordinary. If not for the current limitations of core array technology, its impact would have been even more earth-shaking.
"Director, the test is complete. This soul guidance device is groundbreaking."
Lin Jiayi didn't even seem to hear him. All he could think about was getting this masterpiece to Jing Hongchen as soon as possible.
"Give that kid full marks—for both theory and practical crafting! And award him the Level 1 Soul Engineer badge. According to academy standards, give him double—no, triple—triple-the reward!"
"Yes!"
Shi Xuan couldn't hide his excitement. Who would have thought that a student from his class would one day produce such a revolutionary talent?
Storing the lathe inside a storage soul guidance device, Lin Jiayi wasted no time—he delivered Yuhao back to his dormitory and then rushed straight to the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Bang!
The loud crash of a kicked door echoed through the hall. Dean Jing Hongchen, who had been leisurely sipping tea, spat it out in shock, staring at the flustered Lin Jiayi, veins bulging on his forehead.
"If you don't have something important, I'll make sure you spend the next month cleaning the academy's toilets!"
Ignoring the dean's threat, Lin Jiayi pulled out Yuhao's creation and placed it right in the middle of the room.
"Dean, in just one month, from knowing nothing about soul guidance devices, Yuhao has gone on to create this!"
He even removed his glasses in an uncharacteristically dramatic gesture.
"Dean, you'll never guess how many core arrays this thing has. You'll never guess what it can do!"
Jing Hongchen's interest was piqued.
A piece of work from that boy? In just a month, he had gone from a complete novice to crafting a level 1 soul guidance device on his own—and judging by Lin Jiayi's expression, this one was no ordinary piece.
"Let me see."
After inspecting it, the calmness in the dean's eyes gave way to genuine surprise and awe.
"A genius design. This will completely change how we process metals for soul guidance devices. It's several times faster than water forging, and it can shape metals with ease."
"This was made by Yuhao?"
Jing Hongchen could tell that the machine could only handle basic metals and wasn't yet fully functional in all aspects. But so what? The concept was already here, and copying designs was something the Illustrious Virtue Hall excelled at.
"Yes. At first, I thought he was just showing off when he started making multiple core arrays, but then he gave me this. Who knew he would come up with such a big surprise?"
"Dean, the structure isn't complicated. Why do you think we never thought of this before?"
Jing Hongchen didn't have an answer. His mindset had always been that water forging and traditional smithing were good enough for metal processing. He had simply never considered something like this.
"Alright. Since he's now a Level 1 Soul Engineer, double his rewards. Announce to the academy that his monthly metal quota will be unlimited. I want to see what else he can create."
"Once we've assessed its value, I'll see to it that the Illustrations Virtue Hall officially acquires the rights to study it—and I'll make sure the boy is rewarded for it."
"If he can also break the record for advancing to Level 2 Soul Engineer, I'll take him in as my final disciple."
Lin Jiayi was puzzled. "Dean… is there something wrong with Yuhao's identity?"
Jing Hongchen shook his head with a smile. "The Star Luo Empire side has confirmed—everything is exactly as he said. Nothing suspicious."
"Then why not take him as your disciple now? What if someone else snatches him first?"
The dean stored the lathe away before replying.
"It's not the right time yet. Besides, how do you know the boy doesn't have the same idea as I do?"
(End of Chapter)