The high-price acquisition strategy proved remarkably effective. At present, Dragon Phoenix Hall's supply of medicinal herbs hadn't suffered much impact.
More than a month passed quickly. During this time, two matters became the talk of the Federation:
Shrek students being beaten up by a six-year-old child.
The open hostility between Shrek Academy and Dragon Phoenix Hall.
These two incidents were hotly debated, drawing immense public attention and often mentioned in discussions.
Shrek Academy's reputation had taken a blow. Its teaching quality was questioned, with many believing that the title of "Number One Academy on the Continent" should change hands.
Five Shrek outer court students had been utterly crushed by a six-year-old from Sun Moon Royal Academy—beaten without the slightest chance to fight back. It was nothing short of a joke.
This was supposed to be the continent's top academy?
Plenty wanted to argue in Shrek's defense, but every time this incident was raised, they were left speechless. It was an undeniable fact.
Those who once took pride in studying at Shrek were infuriated, all racking their brains on how to cleanse the academy's disgrace.
Shrek Academy itself didn't ignore the ridicule—it mobilized its connections to suppress comments on the StarNet, while also devising strategies to retaliate. The lost dignity had to be reclaimed.
While some worried, others rejoiced. Xu Lin, for one, had taken perfect advantage of the situation.
First, he flaunted the incident before the Federation's Ministry of Education, successfully securing more resources for Sun Moon Royal Academy.
Then, he vigorously promoted the story, shaping public opinion to believe Shrek was inferior to Sun Moon Royal Academy, thereby boosting his school's influence.
On top of that, Xu Lin pulled every possible string, manipulating the situation in countless ways.
Yunze, however, paid no attention to such matters. He spent nearly the entire month inside Dragon Phoenix Hall, rarely going out.
In that month, he progressed both in cultivation and in his studies of soul tool formations.
His soul power rose by one rank, reaching Level 32. He had also fully researched the formations needed to build several ninth-rank soul tools.
Inside the tenth-floor workshop, in the mecha zone, Yunze controlled mechanical arms to assemble the components together.
Each piece had simplified eighth-rank formations inscribed. Once fully assembled, the mecha would take shape.
After putting together several large components, Yunze switched from the mechanical arms to manual assembly for the smaller, intricate pieces.
Since the design was his own, he knew precisely where every part should go. The process was orderly and efficient.
Ditian, Bear Lord, and Bi Ji stood nearby, watching with curiosity and anticipation.
Wan Yao Wang and Zi Ji weren't present—they were still in the Star Dou Great Forest, protecting Gu Yuena as she absorbed the Golden Dragon King's bloodline. She hadn't completed the process yet.
Yunze alternated between assembling large parts with the arms and small parts by hand, repeating the cycle over and over.
Even though his operations were smooth and flawless, the work still took more than six hours.
At last, a massive ape-shaped mecha took form. Its whole body gleamed with dazzling gold, its eyes glowing dark red.
The mecha stood nearly ten meters tall. If the workshop's ceiling hadn't been broken open and raised another eight meters, the construct wouldn't even fit inside.
Its proportions were modeled after real simian soul beasts—thick limbs, a blocky torso, a slightly hunched spine—each part perfectly coordinated.
On the backs of its enormous palms were sharp, cone-shaped metallic spikes. A single punch would pierce through steel plating.
"Looks good," Ditian praised. In terms of appearance, there was nothing to criticize. The mecha was truly impressive.
Bear Lord and Bi Ji both inspected it from top to bottom, smiling in approval. The mecha looked outstanding.
Yunze gazed at the black mecha for a while, then picked up a black spirit soul orb from the table and approached.
Behind him, phoenix wings unfolded, gently flapping to lift him into the air until he hovered at the mecha's abdomen.
A red button appeared in his hand. With a press, the blocky metal plates at the mecha's abdomen split apart, slowly revealing a cubic energy chamber.
The cube was half a meter per side, fully transparent, containing a viscous energy substance—somewhere between liquid and gas—flowing slowly within.
Ditian, Bi Ji, and Bear Lord all fixed their eyes nervously on Yunze, afraid something might go wrong in the next step.
Calmly, Yunze opened the black spirit soul orb. A burst of black light surged forth, carrying powerful energy fluctuations.
Instantly, a protective shield formed in front of Yunze, blocking the energy shockwaves from harming him.
Naturally, the one who acted was Ditian.
"Roar!" A simian soul beast burst out of the orb, landing atop the mecha's head. It leapt about energetically, letting out excited howls.
The ape was just over a meter tall—a shrunken version—with golden fur and thick limbs, radiating raw strength.
Its eyes were also dark red. The mecha's eyes had been modeled after its.
It was a Vajra Ape—a top-tier simian soul beast, famed for its overwhelming defense and power. Among ape-type beasts, it ranked within the top five.
Normally, Vajra Apes were violent and unruly, sharing the arrogance and belligerence common to monkey-type soul beasts.
But after being thoroughly disciplined these past weeks, it had become docile before Yunze and Ditian—no longer daring to act out.
"Hou hou!" The more-than-forty-thousand-year Vajra Ape displayed surprising intelligence. As it roared, it waved its arms, playfully greeting Yunze and the others like a mischievous monkey.
"Go inside. From now on, this will be your body," Yunze said with a smile, pointing at the cubic energy chamber.
The Vajra Ape already knew about this arrangement. Not only did it not resist, it even seemed excited—hopping about, full of monkeyish antics.
It jumped into the energy chamber. The internal energy clearly felt comfortable to it—it blinked its big eyes, grabbed at the flowing energy curiously, exploring with its hands.
Yunze pressed the button again. The energy chamber slowly retracted, the abdominal metal plates sealing shut.
The soul entered, and a small formation inside activated. The Vajra Ape's soul began linking with the mecha.
Yunze withdrew to Ditian's side. Together with the others, he observed the mecha.
For a few minutes, the mecha remained motionless. Then, its eyes suddenly blazed red, and its body stirred slightly.
Seeing this, Ditian, Bi Ji, and Bear Lord all brightened with joy, their tense nerves easing.
A mechanical voice echoed. The ape mecha's movements grew broader—it bent its arms, rotated its head, and even took steps forward.
The sensation of this new body felt marvelous to the Vajra Ape, filling it with excitement. It bent its legs, preparing to leap.
Ditian acted swiftly, restraining it with his mighty cultivation. If it jumped even once, the roof would collapse.
(End of Chapter)