Chapter 58: Taking Private… Personal Photos of Xian Lin'er
Once the matters at the Sea God Pavilion were settled, Xian Lin'er took Ye Chen back to the Soul Tool Department in the outer court.
"Teacher, I already know how to engrave core arrays, but I'm still not good at crafting the outer shell of the soul tool. Could you teach me that today~?" Ye Chen asked proactively.
"Of course, Xiao Chen. You're my darling student—whatever you want to learn, Teacher will teach you~" Xian Lin'er immediately agreed with a smile.
Ye Chen's talent was extraordinary, and he was exceedingly bright.
She didn't plan to assign him formal lessons, preferring to let him study freely.
She believed that if he ever ran into a true challenge, he would naturally ask. If she intervened too much, she might disrupt his thought process or interfere with his inspiration.
...
Inside the forging room.
Ye Chen sat at his station while Xian Lin'er stood behind him. Bending down slightly, she reached around him, her soft curves pressing snugly against his back.
"Mm, like this… yes, like that…"
Her hands gently guided his as her soft voice tickled his ear, her warm breath brushing against his cheek now and then.
The faint fragrance from her body filled Ye Chen's nose, making his face flush red.
He found himself distracted, unable to focus on learning, his thoughts wandering far from forging...
"Focus, don't get distracted."
Sensing his flustered mind, Xian Lin'er lightly pinched his hand and scolded gently, her cheeks glowing pink.
Normally, she would never behave this way—but this kind of teaching was a good excuse to grow closer to Ye Chen, so she let it happen.
Besides, teasing Ye Chen like this was unexpectedly fun.
Little innocent boys were far too adorable~ she truly liked him that way.
"O-oh…"
Ye Chen quickly snapped back to focus and obediently resumed working.
After a while, Xian Lin'er turned and left the room, letting him practice freely.
...
...
One hour later.
Ye Chen looked at the delicate silver cube sitting on the table before him, completely satisfied.
With a full set of materials and a detailed blueprint, the finished Flowlight Image Box was finally complete.
It had gone so smoothly because the soul tool itself was relatively simple—its only function was to record images, essentially to take photos.
The silver cube resembled an old-fashioned camera from his previous world—no screen, just a lens.
The core array inside functioned as a "light sensor."
Of course, the underlying principle differed entirely from modern science, as this was a world built on soul power. Ye Chen didn't fully understand the mechanics—and he didn't care to figure them out either.
He only needed to build and use it.
The photo printing process required special paper.
Ye Chen lifted the camera, aimed it at the experiment table, and pressed the shutter.
Click—
A flash of light lit the room.
Click click click—
Moments later, a small hard paper photo slid out from the side.
Every stage—exposure, coloring, and printing—was handled by the soul array itself. All Ye Chen had to do was feed in the proper material.
He picked up the printed photo and examined it closely.
The image clarity was striking—crystal clear, ultra-high definition, with balanced color and accurate detail, almost identical to what the human eye saw.
Though he couldn't edit or retouch the image, the people he photographed were all naturally stunning—each of them eclipsed even the most "perfect" celebrities from his past life.
It was truly a dimensional gap in beauty.
"As expected of a design from the Universal Blueprint. Excellent, excellent~" Ye Chen was very pleased with his first completed soul tool.
His current combat power already rivaled a Soul Emperor, and offensive soul tools below Level 6 were useless to him—he could crush them with his bare hands.
But lifestyle-type soul tools could enrich his life in ways far more enjoyable.
This world offered very little entertainment—or rather, to Ye Chen the transmigrator, it felt devoid of it.
Everyone else had long grown accustomed to it.
If Ye Chen could create new inventions, he would not only make his own life more interesting but could also bring something refreshing to this world.
For instance, with his Flowlight Image Box. Once it spread around, soul masters would fight to buy it. Its price could easily rival that of a Level 3 or 4 soul tool—or even higher.
If possible, Ye Chen planned to sell the blueprint to Shrek Academy.
After all, the academy had well-equipped crafting facilities. While not fully automated, they could still achieve mass production and reduce costs significantly.
The Soul Tool Department generated its vast wealth by selling soul tools, earning enormous profits.
In this world, there were no "anti-monopoly" laws—whoever could dominate the market reaped endless gain. Profit margins reached twice the cost, and high-level tools could sell for four or five times more. It was pure profit.
If Ye Chen sold a design and took just ten percent in royalties, he would already be swimming in riches.
Thinking of this, he became eager to share his "new invention" with Xian Lin'er.
...
"Xiao Chen, did you run into trouble?"
Xian Lin'er was busy with her own research when she saw Ye Chen walking over, holding a metal box. Thinking he had hit a difficulty, she quickly asked out of concern.
Ye Chen was her precious gem of a student. She would gladly pause her own work to support him.
His talent was so monstrous that she even felt a premonition...
Ye Chen might surpass her in just a few years.
"Teacher, this is the soul tool I just finished making. I call it the Flowlight Image Box. What do you think~?"
Ye Chen stepped closer and gave a simple explanation of the tool's function.
"It can record images? How did you come up with something like this?" Xian Lin'er asked curiously.
Lifestyle-type soul tools were notoriously difficult to make. They were far more complex than battle-type ones.
Combat tools only needed to enhance attack or explosion strength.
Lifestyle tools, however, required intricate multi-step systems, making them tedious and impractical—hardly anyone wanted to craft them.
Who would have thought Ye Chen's first completed soul tool would belong to that category?
"Teacher, I think life shouldn't be just about fighting and cultivating. There are many beautiful things worth remembering. If we can preserve them, they'll serve as memories for the future." Ye Chen grinned.
"Xiao Chen, what a profound perspective…"
Xian Lin'er was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected someone so young to possess such an outlook on life.
"Teacher, let me take a few photos of you~"
Ye Chen raised the camera and gestured for her to pose.
"Huh… right now? Maybe I should change into something nicer first…"
Xian Lin'er glanced at her clothes, hesitating slightly.
"No need, Teacher. You're already as beautiful as a fairy—no matter what you wear, you look perfect~" Ye Chen praised without restraint.
"You cheeky little brat, where did you learn to be so smooth-tongued?" Xian Lin'er gave him a playful sideways glance, her eyes filled with teasing amusement.
Though her tone was scolding, her smile was radiant—she clearly enjoyed the praise.
Click—
The flash flickered, capturing the scene in perfect stillness.
(END CHAPTER)
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