"Dad, if your soul mecha were named using battle armor levels, roughly what level would it be?"
Su Yunlin asked.
Su Jinming pondered for a long while. "They can't really be compared. Battle armor is battle armor, and mecha is mecha. Building mecha is much simpler than building battle armor.
"Mecha is relatively faster to get started with. Battle armor is extremely difficult to make, and the user must personally participate in its creation for the battle armor to display its greatest power.
"Moreover, battle armor can raise a Spirit Master's upper limit, but its effect in war isn't ideal. After all, there are too few sets of battle armor right now. Our academy only has this many people.
"Mecha is more suitable for large-scale warfare, and the cost is also somewhat cheaper than battle armor. I plan to have my 800 brothers equip mecha."
Su Yunlin slapped his forehead. "So I have to convene another Sea God's Pavilion meeting, right? Let the academy start up the mecha project too? Our academy has been spending money like water these past few years.
"These years might be the period where Shrek Academy has spent the most money since its founding. The first Dean, Flender, might not even be able to keep his coffin lid shut."
Tang Wutong looked at Su Yunlin. "What's the story behind that?"
Su Yunlin shrugged. "Flender was a miser. The kind who wouldn't pluck a single feather from himself."
Su Jinming waved his hand. "Wait a little longer. We'll talk after I perfect the follow-up matters."
Su Yunlin nodded. Then he found Xuan Ziwen. "Tang Sect Soul Tool Hall Master, Xuan Ziwen, I have an order from Shrek Academy's Sea God's Pavilion. In view of your joining Tang Sect, the academy will allocate resources to help you break through to Titled Douluo sooner.
"The academy will also help you hunt a suitable ninth Spirit Ring. Please work even harder and become a level 9 soul engineer as quickly as possible."
Su Yunlin took out a heavy lead box from his storage-type soul tool.
Xuan Ziwen accepted it and opened it. Inside were 2 Spirit Bones—one head Spirit Bone and one torso Spirit Bone. Beside the Spirit Bones were several jade bottles. Judging by their Spirit Power fluctuations, both Spirit Bones were at the 10,000-year level. If placed in the Sun Moon Empire, they would be sold for an astronomical price!
Unlike the Douluo Continent, Spirit Bones were rare here, but great powers still had accumulated stock after many years. The Sun Moon Empire was different. Their Titled Douluo basically had no Spirit Bones, and in terms of accumulated Spirit Bones, they were inferior to the Douluo Continent.
The 2 10,000-year Spirit Bones Su Yunlin took out, if placed in an auction house in the Sun Moon Empire, would absolutely be bid up to sky-high prices. A 10,000-year head Spirit Bone might even create another level 9 soul engineer.
"These are 2 10,000-year Spirit Bones. Among them, the head Spirit Bone has an age of 40,000 years, and its Spirit Bone Ability is Focus. It can enhance your mental focus. The torso bone can increase your Spirit Power and strengthen your physique.
"These bottles contain secret pills passed down by Shrek Academy. We rarely take pills, because they affect future cultivation, but that doesn't mean we don't know how to refine them.
"These pills can increase your cultivation speed and raise your Spirit Power. However, the price is that you will never be able to reach the Super Douluo level in this lifetime."
Su Yunlin explained the uses of these items to Xuan Ziwen.
Xuan Ziwen nodded heavily. "Thank you, Shrek Academy. Thank you, Sea God's Pavilion. My talent is only at this level anyway. I can't cultivate to Super Douluo, and even reaching Titled Douluo is already very difficult.
"But I am confident that once I reach Titled Douluo, I can become a level 9 soul engineer."
Su Yunlin nodded. "After you become a level 9 soul engineer, you can join Sea God's Pavilion as a guest elder. Shrek Academy's soul tools still need a veteran soul engineer."
"Mm. Understood."
"Right, Xuan Ziwen—more accurately, Teacher Xuan—you are now also a teacher of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department. Remember to regularly go to the academy and teach classes. Most of the courses will be for inner courtyard disciples, teaching them knowledge about soul tools."
"You don't need to worry about the inner courtyard disciples being unable to learn. Anyone who can enter the inner courtyard is a genius. Their ability to accept new knowledge is far beyond ordinary talents. Just teach boldly."
Su Yunlin's approach was simple. As long as someone had value, that value had to be maximized. What a fine soul engineer. The chief researcher of the Illustrious Virtue Hall had come to Spirit City, so he could forget about leaving.
Right now, Tang Sect had already begun doing business in soul tools, selling Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons to Shrek Academy. Next, many more soul tools would circulate through Spirit City and spread to the three great empires.
Su Yunlin looked at the flourishing Tang Sect and rubbed his chin. "It won't get blown up 10,000 years later, right? Hard to say. I'll have to prepare some precautions first!"
"Son!"
Su Jinming came to Su Yunlin's side and hooked an arm around his shoulder.
"Dad, what are you doing? That expression of yours doesn't look like anything good." It was the first time Su Yunlin had seen such an ill-intentioned look on his father's face.
Su Jinming coughed. "Cough, cough. This is a little awkward. Our Shrek Academy has been spending money like water recently. Most of Shrek Academy's liquid funds have been thrown into the Soul Tool Department.
"Now there's no spare money left to support Old Xuan and me in creating more new things. More accurately, there are no liquid funds left. If we keep spending, it'll affect the academy's operation."
The corner of Su Yunlin's mouth twitched. "That's impossible, right? Our Shrek Academy is rich enough to drip oil. How could we have no money?"
Su Jinming spread his hands. "That's just how it is. There are too many things that need to be made: soul cannon forts, stationary soul cannon shells, all kinds of soul tools, and the most money-burning of all, battle armor.
"You know blacksmithing too, so you should understand that forging metal has a failure rate. Just making those pieces of battle armor consumed a large amount of rare metals. Now we still want to work on mecha. The academy's liquid funds really aren't enough."
Su Yunlin nodded. The current Shrek was no longer the same as before. The current Shrek was rapidly developing soul tools, and money was being spent faster than burning it. Right now, Shrek Academy still had no intention of selling soul tools to the other three empires.
After all, they had yet to establish a market. Shrek Academy's soul tools were not as famous as those of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, so sales would definitely not be good. Besides, most of their production was currently for internal use, equipping the whole of Spirit City.
"Looks like we need to find a sucker. Tongtong, your family?"
Tang Wutong shook her head. "My family's money is just so-so. It's not as much as Shrek Academy's. The Clear Sky Sect is a hidden sect and doesn't participate in the continent's conflicts. Their liquid funds probably aren't as much as Shrek Academy's."
Su Yunlin fell into difficulty. Who should they look for?
Tang Wutong suddenly thought of something. She poked Su Yunlin's face and revealed a wicked smile. "I thought of a sucker."
"Who?"
Tang Wutong gave an "evil" grin. "The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, wealthy enough to rival nations! Their sect is so poor that all they have left is money. And they're one of the few sects that don't oppose soul tools. They're a very suitable sucker!"
Su Yunlin suddenly understood. How had he forgotten the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? This was a true sucker. No, not that. This was a true wealthy patron. They had so much money it could scare people to death. Moreover, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Masters had treasure appraisal abilities. Their sect probably had many rare metals.
That could perfectly make up for Shrek Academy's urgent shortage of rare metals.
Su Yunlin pulled Tang Wutong along. "Let's go. We'll find Ning Tian and discuss business. Right, since we're discussing business, we have to give the other side something unforgettable. The essence Xiangxiang left behind should be able to help them reproduce the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, right? Bring it!"
Tang Wutong chuckled. "You're so bad I like it so much"
...
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