Sima Lanxiao, the representative of the Star Luo Empire's official delegation and also the empire's Minister of Foreign Affairs, currently had a somewhat stiff expression.
This starkly contrasted with the faint smile on Cai Yue'er's face.
Having just witnessed Xu Yuan's strength, to be honest, Sima Lanxiao couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
Taking advantage of this exchange opportunity, the Monster Academy planned to hold a showdown with Shrek Academy—a plan long decided by the Star Luo Empire's royal family.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sima Lanxiao was well aware of the caliber of "monsters" produced by the Monster Academy, which is why he had absolute confidence in them.
However, after seeing Xu Yuan's display of power, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt.
Still, thinking about that prodigy, he managed to steady himself.
After all, that individual was the most outstanding genius in the history of the Monster Academy—and perhaps even the entire Star Luo Empire.
The soul-guided train had been bombed, and the Star Luo Empire's officials quickly responded by arranging special cars to transport the members of Shrek Academy. Other members of the delegation were also provided with vehicles to take them to various cities.
Sitting inside the soul-guided car, Xu Yuan gazed out the window with a sense of nostalgia.
The Douluo Continent was bustling, with nearly full mechanization and automation. Steel structures dominated everywhere. In contrast, the Star Luo Continent felt far more primitive. Outside the car window, forests and lakes stretched endlessly, and the air was crystal clear.
Since they were traveling by car, the journey was slower than a soul-guided train. It took Xu Yuan and the others two and a half days to reach Star Luo City. If they had taken a soul-guided train, it might have only taken a day and a half—or even less if using the advanced technology of the Douluo Continent's trains.
---
Star Luo City
Upon arriving at this unfamiliar city, while the others were still confused, Xu Yuan and Tang Wulin had already begun shopping around the city, visiting various rare metal shops to select materials.
Indeed, there was a significant difference compared to the Douluo Continent. Upon entering one shop, Xu Yuan quickly noticed that at least a third of the metals on display were unfamiliar to him, and a small portion were ones he'd heard of but never seen.
"These, these, and these—pack them all up for me," Xu Yuan said as he made bulk purchases. After completing his selection of rare metals, he pulled out a piece of Jade Silver with a fusion rate of 90%, leaving the shopkeeper slightly puzzled.
A single piece of Jade Silver was enough to buy almost half the store's stock of rare metals.
Repeating this process, Xu Yuan went on a spree across more than ten shops in Star Luo City.
Meanwhile, Tang Wulin was doing something similar, though he wasn't using Jade Silver with a 90% fusion rate.
Compared to Xu Yuan, Tang Wulin's efficiency in fusion forging was much lower. The final fusion rate depended heavily on luck and his state during the forging process.
"This haul was quite fruitful," Xu Yuan thought with satisfaction as he reviewed the rare metals he had acquired.
One such metal was Gold Crystal, a rare material native to the Star Luo Continent. It possessed the unique property of amplifying all forms of energy, stacking nine times with each layer increasing the effect by approximately 1%. After nine layers, the total amplification reached 30%. Additionally, it was incredibly hard and highly compatible with other metals.
This metal could be incorporated into Xu Yuan's mech.
As for battle armor, Xu Yuan had no immediate plans to integrate Golden Crystals into it.
For his battle armor, Xu Yuan intended to use Qingming Iron and Gold Essence, two rare metals that complemented each other. When fully alloyed together, their combined amplification effect could nearly double.
Gold Crystal, being a standalone metal, already provided a 30% amplification. After fusion forging or spirit forging, its properties could potentially increase further, reaching 50% or more. However, it would be difficult to achieve doubling effects when fused with another metal.
Nevertheless, some Gold Crystals could be added to the mech's energy conversion system.
In addition to Gold Crystals, Xu Yuan acquired seven other rare metals that he had never encountered before, all unique to the Star Luo Continent.
"Rare metals are formed under various extraordinary conditions and possess unique characteristics. This world is vast, and the types of rare metals are incredibly diverse. Beyond the Douluo Continent, there's the Star Luo Continent and the Tian Dou Continent. Beyond those three continents lies an endless ocean, and beyond the planet Douluo itself, who knows how many other stars exist? Any kind of special metal could potentially exist."
While this was true, for now, Xu Yuan could only search for rare metals within the confines of Planet Douluo, and even then, only within the three continents. Therefore, he had to approach this task with seriousness.
The Douluo Continent was relatively familiar, but the rare metals of the Star Luo Continent were something he absolutely needed to acquire in bulk.
"I should visit Lin Yuhan soon. Aside from the rare metal output from the exclusive veins near her city and the abundance of meteorites, her teacher's position as Vice President of the Blacksmith Association will undoubtedly be of great assistance to me."
---
Day Three in Star Luo City
Today was the day the Star Luo royal family hosted the delegation. Shrek Academy's group had also received an invitation from the royal family.
After dressing up, Xu Yuan wore the same suit he had worn on the ocean liner. In the evening, he waited in the lobby of the Star Luo Grand Hotel. Under the royal family's arranged transportation, he arrived at the palace.
The ceremony itself was somewhat tedious, and Xu Yuan didn't pay much attention to it.
He glanced around and spotted a young girl not far behind the Star Luo Emperor, staring intently at him.
The girl had a mischievous look in her eyes, her gaze wavering as if she were plotting something.
When she noticed Xu Yuan looking at her, she flashed her little fangs and giggled.
"This must be Dai Yun'er," Xu Yuan thought.
Suddenly, a ripple of spiritual force approached him, and Xu Yuan's gaze sharpened.
Using his powerful spiritual power, he intercepted Dai Yun'er's spiritual force and pulled her into an illusion.
It wasn't a dream space but rather a hallucination technique taught to him by Yao Yao.
With his formidable spiritual power, his illusions were exceptionally 'high-level.'
Dai Yun'er sensed that something was off, but her playful nature drove her to continue with her plan.
Seemingly satisfied with the results, she burst into uncontrollable giggles.
At this point, she finally realized something was wrong.
Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianling, who was delivering a speech, frowned slightly, sighed inwardly, paused briefly, and then continued his welcoming speech in a cheerful tone.
Dai Yun'er clapped her hand over her mouth, looked around nervously, and saw her elder brothers staring at her. Feeling embarrassed, she awkwardly shrank back.
She glared at Xu Yuan, grinding her teeth.
"That guy… how infuriating!"
"But his illusion technique is so advanced—he actually managed to trap someone like me, who possesses the Spirit Eye martial soul, without me even realizing it."
Dai Yun'er's expression grew serious.
She glanced at the people surrounding Xu Yuan and, judging by his youthful appearance, knew he was part of the most special group within the Douluo Continent's delegation—the representatives from Shrek Academy. They were also their competitors in the upcoming Young Soul Masters Tournament.
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