Chapter 28: Soul Examiner

Kai Nieji could hardly believe it; five minutes hadn't even passed, and Lei En had already refused.

Given his wealth and status, he rarely appears in person to recruit newcomers to the Mechanical Guild.

It was just a coincidence today; near the Violet House he heard a friend mention Lei En's soul test, a talent rarely seen in years, so he was suddenly moved by a love for talent and, abandoning his current affairs, rushed over immediately.

Moreover, the terms he offered were far higher than those for ordinary mechanics, so he expected an easy capture, but was surprised to be rejected.

Kai Nieji suddenly smiled and said, "Lei En, if you think these terms are insufficient, we can discuss further; there's no need to decide so hastily."

He thought Lei En was using retreat to advance, hoping to obtain higher benefits.

Lei En shook his head, "Mr. Kai Nieji, I'm not bargaining with you. The terms you offered are already excellent; as a young man from a civilian background, I cannot ask for more."

"A house, wealth, status—these are all what I want. I believe a mechanic can provide all of this and let me enter the upper class."

"I am personally very interested in mechanical technology and have some insights of my own."

"A mechanic is an excellent transcendent profession, stronger than most occupations, with broad development prospects."

"To be honest, I also really want to become a mechanic."

"However, a mechanic has a fatal flaw."

Lei En spoke candidly about his view of mechanics, and Kai Nieji listened attentively, though his expression was not pleasant; when he heard the last sentence, he instinctively asked, "What flaw?"

"It is not a Wizard," Lei En said calmly.

Kai Nieji was stunned, then immediately understood Lei En's meaning; this reason left him speechless.

Mechanics enjoy all the benefits, and Wizards have them too.

In terms of status, this is the Oriense Empire, where the highest rulers are a group of Holy Soul Wizards.

In terms of strength, Wizards are absolutely stronger than mechanics at lower ranks; even if a mechanic's power surges later, they may only be able to stand on equal footing with a Wizard, not necessarily surpass them.

Regarding wealth, this is the mechanic's greatest advantage, but Wizards are not lacking in this regard either; they also have many money‑making opportunities.

For a young person aspiring to greater power, the allure of a Wizard far exceeds that of a mechanic.

Kai Nieji recalled that when he was young, he also dreamed of becoming a Wizard, but his talent wasn't top‑tier, and he couldn't resist the Mechanical Guild's tempting terms, so he took the path of a mechanic.

In the deep quiet of night, he once speculated: if he had become a Wizard back then, what would he be like now?

He didn't know the answer.

But the young man before him knew, because he was clear about what he wanted, which is why he rejected so decisively.

Kai Nieji's expression turned complex; after a few seconds of silence he sighed and said, "Very well, it seems you have indeed thought this through clearly; I won't force you. However, you rejected me today, and even if you later wish to change your mind, such a good opportunity and terms won't arise again."

"I understand, thank you, Mr. Kai Nieji, for bringing me here."

Lei En, without lingering, opened the door, got out of the car, and stood by the roadside to wave goodbye to the other party.

Before the car started, Kai Nieji suddenly rolled down the window and said, "Keep my business card; if you encounter trouble later, bring it to me, and perhaps I can help you once."

As soon as the words finished, the car accelerated away.

Lei En examined the gold‑foil business card in his hand, thought its cost must be high and certainly wouldn't be discarded casually, nodded, and slipped it into his pocket.

He turned his head and looked around; a massive Demon Soul Market lay before him.

It is located in the southern part of the Silver Star District, and the Demon Soul Market occupies most of the street.

From time to time, indistinct roars echo from some corner of the street, and a foul smell drifts out of the roadside gutter.

Lei En rubbed his nose, feeling a bit uneasy.

The odor carried a strong metallic scent, reminding him of a slaughterhouse.

He hadn't forgotten the dispute mark on him, so he dared not wander recklessly, lest he encounter Luo Xi's followers; he had originally intended to return to his apartment, but didn't want Kai Nieji to know his address, so he changed course to the Demon Soul Market.

Lei En thought it over and decided to still stroll around the Demon Soul Market; he figured he wouldn't be that unlucky to encounter an evil god follower on his first outing.

"Since I'm already here, there's nothing to do if I go back so early."

The Demon Soul Market is a massive canopy, over a dozen meters high, covering tens of thousands of square meters; the ground is divided into tidy stalls, and people wander between them, casually viewing the goods for sale. Its overall layout resembles the flower‑and‑bird market of a previous life.

The only difference is that it sells not ornamental plants, fish, or birds, but a variety of exotic creatures!

Lei En stepped into the market and at first glance saw a large iron cage ahead.

The iron cage stood six or seven meters tall, built from steel bars as thick as arms, and contained a massive serpent. Its body was thicker than an adult's waist, covered in fine dark‑green scales, coiled around the cage's central pillar for a dozen or so turns, estimated to be over twelve meters long—truly astonishing.

However, the most striking feature was a pair of broad wings attached to the upper half of its body.

"Feathered Serpent!"

Lei En had read about such a creature in books.

If its wings were fully spread, they'd exceed ten meters, but the cramped iron cage forced them to fold, causing great discomfort.

A thick steel cable passed through its neck, binding it to a central pillar weighing several tons, preventing escape. It occasionally spat venom, spraying translucent wind blades at the onlookers outside the cage, leaving white streaks on the steel bars.

"Sss…"

Lei En opened his Soul Eye to observe the feathered serpent.

Feathered serpents are a type of demon beast, not uncommon, but one this large is extremely rare.

"Indeed, this is a Mid-stage demon beast."

Whether demon beasts or other non‑sentient creatures, they have no concrete ranks.

People roughly classify their tiers based on strength and experience, then match them to transcendent ranks—from Initial to High, with anything above being Legendary.

When a transcendent merges a demon soul, they can usually only fuse a soul of the same tier; crossing tiers is almost impossible to succeed.

Merging a lower‑tier demon soul is possible, but few do so because the boost to a transcendent's power is limited.

In Lei En's eyes, he intuitively saw the soul and could precisely gauge the feathered serpent's strength.

Its soul was clearly stronger than that of an Initial transcendent, as if it had undergone two soul metamorphoses, comparable to a Mid-stage transcendent; if finely classified, its power matches that of a Fifth‑tier transcendent.

"Mid-stage feathered serpent, it has four Soul Elements."

Lei En moved closer to the cage, enhancing his soul perception of the feathered serpent, and quickly obtained information on the four Soul Elements.

Two Arcane Elements: one can manipulate the atmosphere to form wind blades that cut targets; the other creates a whirlwind around the user to speed flight and can also attack nearby foes.

A Physique Element, allowing the body to recover quickly when injured.

The final Element surprised Lei En: it was a Supernatural Element that grants an Affinity Element for the Wind Element, boosting the power of wind spells and strengthening his resistance to wind spells!

"This feathered serpent is truly rare; it actually has Wind Element affinity!"

Lei En silently praised it, noting that all Elements related to affinity belong to the Supernatural category, and any spirit soul bearing such an Element instantly multiplies its value severalfold.

Wind Element affinity is an excellent key Element for both Wizards and blood‑sourced warlocks.

A Wizard can use this feathered serpent to advance into an Elemental Envoy, while a warlock can add an elemental bloodline to himself.

However, until the feathered serpent is killed and its spirit soul extracted, no one knows it possesses Wind Element affinity—except Lei En.

Lei En felt a spark of inspiration, thinking he could use his Soul Eye to profit from the price difference.

There are generally two transaction methods in the spirit soul market.

One involves trading living beings, the other trading dead items.

Trading living beings, like this feathered serpent, means the seller cannot be sure which Elements it has; it may possess several powerful Elements or only one or two ordinary Elements, and the price gap can be enormous, sometimes exceeding several hundred times.

To be safe, many sellers choose not to kill it, offering a relatively average price that at least avoids a loss.

After purchase, the buyer can kill it on the spot and extract the spirit soul; regardless of the soul's quality or the number of Elements, the seller is no longer involved.

This method carries great uncertainty, but it is a forced choice.

Since spirit souls are hard to preserve, even when contained in a Soul Stone, from the moment they are extracted after death their power continuously dissipates; the Soul Stone can only slow this process, not preserve it long‑term.

Trading dead items means selling Soul Stones directly.

The spirit soul inside a Soul Stone is more transparent than when alive; at least the number of Elements can be seen, and experienced Transcendents can, by observing the Elements, discern their function, strength, category, and assign names to them.

The trade of Soul Stones gave rise to a popular profession called Soul Appraiser.

Some top‑tier Soul Appraiser Masters can even determine a living being's spirit soul Elements by observing its traits, with high accuracy.

Lei En felt a surge of excitement, believing his Soul Eye makes him better than any Soul Appraiser Master.

He looked at the price tag beneath the feathered serpent's iron cage, which read 800 Gold Shields!

"So expensive!"

Lei En felt helpless, realizing he had taken it for granted.

A Mid‑stage feathered serpent, even without the Wind Element affinity Element, is worth about 500 Gold Shields; now it's priced at 800, clearly a Soul Appraiser saw its extraordinariness, though not entirely certain.

Of course, the serpent's price surely exceeds 800 Gold Shields; just the Wind Element affinity alone can double its value.

Lei En felt his wallet; his total assets now amount to only 360 Gold Shields. Where could he get 800 Gold Shields?

"Should I borrow?" Lei En immediately thought of Viola and Kaineji, but quickly dismissed the idea. He had just met those two today; why would they lend him money? 800 Gold Shields isn't a small sum; he might be turned away as soon as he asked.

"Forget it, I'll look at something else," Lei En said, shaking his head and turning away.