Passing by the ancient gates of Shrek Academy, Chen Fu paused and looked back. His thoughts wandered.
Chen Fu had been born in the war-torn borderlands between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire. His "adoptive" father, once a refugee, rose to fame and led survivors from both sides to found a new city from the ruins. Though the residents were diverse, the city's core identity leaned toward that of the "resisters" aligned with Star Luo. Eventually, the Star Luo government recognized the city's legitimacy and brought it into the empire's administrative system.
Chen Fu had only gained admission to Shrek Academy thanks to a recommendation letter from that city's lord. With an innate soul power of Rank 5, he entered the Soul Tool Department through special admission. Even a genius needs a platform to shine.
"I used to think you were politically tone-deaf… Never realized you'd sacrifice your entire life just to pave a path for the next generation's social mobility."
Thinking about the city's current lord, Chen Fu couldn't help but feel it was all a bit pathetic. The man had never truly earned the authority his father once held.
A minor general in a noble's estate—what a joke.
"Young Master."
A middle-aged man, slightly out of breath, arrived and greeted him quietly.
"Let's go, Uncle Fu. I'll be counting on you more from now on."
Turning away, Chen Fu followed the man known as Uncle Fu down the road.
"How did it go?"
"The shop's been fully transferred. Net total after adjustments: 180,000 gold soul coins. I trimmed off the decimals, per your request."
Uncle Fu had come to Shrek City with Chen Fu years ago. They had rented a storefront to sell Chen Fu's entry-level Soul Tools—just things he used for practice. But the absurdly high quality of the products won over a loyal customer base.
"Good. Well done."
Chen Fu nodded. After a few turns through town, they arrived at Shrek City's busiest central street.
This road served as the main conduit for both inner and outer court traffic. Naturally, it was always bustling.
Ordinarily, 180,000 gold soul coins wouldn't be enough to make a splash here.
After surveying the area, Chen Fu finally walked into a large, flower-themed building in a classical architectural style.
"Welcome! How can I help you today?"
A girl who'd been napping behind the counter perked up as soon as she noticed a customer walk in. She quickly straightened her skirt and leaned over to greet him.
"Well, look who it is! What miracle blew the library's gatekeeper out into the open today?"
Upon recognizing the visitor, the girl looked visibly shocked—this junior had been notoriously well-known back in the day.
"I heard you opened a flower shop in the commercial district, but I didn't expect you to set up here."
It was surprising, really. A prime real estate location being used to sell something as low-margin as flowers? Unexpected.
"Hehe. I like it."
She giggled but didn't explain further.
"I'm here to talk business."
"Go ahead."
She motioned him to sit and brewed tea for both of them.
"I'd like to lease part of your store to sell Soul Tools."
"Sure."
She looked a bit surprised but agreed readily.
"No rent required either. If the Academy hadn't banned it back then, you would've completely monopolized the low-grade Soul Tool market in this city." Her chubby-cheeked face lifted into a nostalgic smile.
"Then what does Senior Mo want in return?" Chen Fu chuckled.
New tech, new materials, new designs, and refined manufacturing processes—at the time, even he hadn't expected Shrek's Soul Tool market to be so underdeveloped. It was only later that he understood: even his first- and second-grade tools outperformed others' second- or third-grade ones—in both function and quality.
"Can I wish for anything?" Mo Ling leaned on her hand, eyes twinkling.
"You can make a wish. I'll do my best."
During the development of [Nirvana], Chen Fu had consulted many students about their Martial Souls. In the process, he made—and fulfilled—numerous promises. Over time, he gained the nickname: The Wishing Machine.
"Hehe. I don't ask for much. Just wondering if you can cure Martial Soul poisoning?"
She grinned at him sweetly.
"Snake-type… You've got a Blue-Scaled Snake Martial Soul?"
Soul poisoning in snake-type Martial Souls was a classic case. The Blue-Scaled Snake was a prime example.
But something didn't add up. Her big, round eyes, doughy cheeks, and slightly absent-minded expression didn't match the mutation symptoms of Blue-Scaled Snake evolution. Strange… Chen Fu thought.
"You're thinking something rude again, aren't you?"
She shot him a glare, then explained:
"When I was little, I snuck a bite of a Blue-Scaled Snake Emperor's partial core. I was saved, but it left a permanent problem—my soul power became mildly toxic. As I continue cultivating, the toxicity worsens."
That explained why she gave up pursuing cultivation after graduation. The stronger she became, the more likely she was to die from it.
Her Martial Soul was the Golden Silk Fortune Hamster—a luck-bringing treasure type with weak combat ability, but amazing fortune.
Chen Fu didn't ask why she hadn't tried traditional detox methods. Snake-type soul masters could usually control their own toxins, but clearly that didn't apply here.
"Martial Soul contamination," he realized.
He'd done plenty of research on this. Compared to the chaos of Evil Fire contamination, this snake-toxin type was much more manageable.
Martial Souls consisted of both mental and bloodline factors. In Mo Ling's case, her bloodline was infected, leading to a mismatch between the two.
There were only two solutions: purge the toxins, or amplify them to force a Martial Soul mutation.
He presented both options and waited for her choice.
Seeing Mo Ling torn, Chen Fu offered a suggestion:
"Inducing mutation takes longer, but the upper limit might be higher."
"Then let's purge it!" she smacked the table. "I want to be a pure hamster!"
…Was she trying to make things more complicated?
Chen Fu sighed internally. The detox process would involve knowledge of human anatomy—an area he had little experience with.
"Give me two months. First, I'll stabilize your cultivation. Then we'll look at removing the toxins."
With a plan forming, he offered the roadmap.
"Yay! I'm saved!"
After sending off the bouncing hamster girl, Chen Fu called Uncle Fu and Mo Ling's store staff to help modify the shop.
First, he hung his gold-lettered sign, [Lin Pavilion], right beside Mo Ling's [Lanxiang Boutique].
He wasn't worried about traffic. Even deep alleys attract customers if the wine is good enough.
He then posted a notice outside:
"Grades 1–5 Soul Tools available for sale. Custom orders for Grades 4–5 accepted. Limit: 10 clients per month."
The street was packed, and once people saw activity at Lanxiang Boutique, they gathered to see what was happening.
"So Lin Pavilion moved here, huh? Good. I never liked that flower shop anyway."
"Heard Chen Fu didn't get into the inner court. By the time the other factions realized it and tried to recruit him, he was already gone."
"Master Chen's skills are top-tier. He's finally offering Grade 4 and 5 Soul Tools!"
The crowd buzzed with gossip. Some potential buyers went straight to Uncle Fu to ask about the opening date.
Moments later, Chen Fu stared at a growing stack of order forms, rubbing his forehead.
They really do think I'm some kind of wishing machine, huh…?
"Young Master, someone from Nine Treasure City is here."
Uncle Fu approached with a slightly serious expression. Some guests could be declined, but not this one—one of their key material suppliers.
"Alright. Let's see if they want to make a wish too."
He waved a hand and sighed.
"Oh—and let those who placed custom orders know: pickups will be available next month, on schedule."
Massaging his temples, Chen Fu muttered:
"It's time to schedule development of smart tech. The low-level programming is doable, but how do we integrate Soul Spirit logic for shortcuts...?"