"Oh?"
An Zhen raised his head.
Grandpa made a breakthrough?
An Zhen felt a surge of curiosity.
Grandpa returned to reality and went into seclusion a little over a month after Kong Deming advanced to Level 10 Soul Master. With the privilege of family ties, Jing Hongchen was naturally different from other Ninth-Level Soul Engineers. An Zhen helped him replicate many of Jing Hongchen's achievements in the Virtual World using mirroring techniques, such as some highly precise core magic arrays. Some of these arrays were so difficult that even Ninth-Level Soul Engineers, even those who developed them themselves, might not be able to replicate them successfully even once in ten attempts.
That was already an assault on a higher domain, and many of the errors involved were already only at the Titled Domain level. The level that can only be observed by mental force. But for the Virtual World, as long as there is one result, it can be replicated.
No matter how complex, a processing plant can be directly replicated or even mass-produced.
Is this breakthrough an attempt to reach Level 10 Soul Master?
This was a small part of An Zhen's inner curiosity.
And the larger portion.
It refers to the spirit tool that Grandpa himself researched.
Mechs!
The humanoid mechanical creation that was over ten meters tall and was stolen by Huo Yuhao with a starlight sapphire in the original work, and which was placed in the research institute below Mingde Field, is the direction that Jing Hongchen is researching.
Jing Hongchen's planned spirit tool is the super mecha.
Soul Guide, "soul".
It is a powerful profession that evolved from Spirit Master.
Ultimately, it all comes down to Spirit itself.
Low- to mid-level spirit tools generally possess strong versatility, but the more powerful the spirit tool, the more unique it becomes. Every Ninth-Level Soul Engineer's level nine spirit tool bears, to varying degrees, the shadow of their own spirit. To a certain extent, a spirit tool performs abilities equivalent to a spirit ability, using machinery to unleash extraordinary power, and for a Soul Guide, the extraordinary thing they understand best is undoubtedly their own spirit.
As a Titled Douluo -level powerhouse, Jing Hongchen's Spirit is naturally a top-tier Spirit, surpassing even advanced Spirits. However, compared to his grandchildren's three-legged golden toad with divine beast bloodlines and the benignly mutated Zhu Qing Ice Toad, Jing Hongchen's toad Spirit doesn't possess any special abilities. It's a well-rounded individual, dabbling in various aspects but lacking any outstanding strengths. The purpose of a Spirit Master equipping a Spirit Tool is to compensate for one's weaknesses or enhance one's strengths. Therefore, Jing Hongchen wanted to design a more comprehensive Spirit Tool.
But looking at spirit tools throughout history...
Jing Hongchen found that none of his ideas suited him.
But the Soul Guide is comprehensive. It's equipped with a variety of spirit tools for defense, attack, flight, and propulsion.
Since that's the case.
Why can't he equip his envisioned spirit tool with the spirit tool?
then.
The spirit tool, which An Zhen called a "mecha," thus appeared in Jing Hongchen's draft.
"Then let's go take a look," An Zhen said with a hint of anticipation.
Mecha Gundam, from toddlers to the elderly, what boy wouldn't like it? Even those who have never been exposed to it can fall in love with it in a very short time.
Around noon.
An Zhen arrived early at Mingde Hall's research lab with An Qiuer and Zi Ji, who were free. Next to this lab, in a highly protected room, were nutrient pods. The bodies and souls of most of the Sun Moon Empire's eight Ninth-Level Soul Engineers slumbered within them, while their consciousnesses were in the Virtual World.
An Zhen, holding a cold drink, swiped her card to enter.
A spacious area comes into view, with silver-white walls that gleam with a metallic sheen, giving it a futuristic, high-tech feel.
Upon entering, one is immediately struck by a colossal object over ten meters tall, with an unidentified silver-white metal shell. Its massive size exudes an immense sense of oppression, resembling a terrifying being in deep slumber.
"You're here." A silver-haired middle-aged man standing in front of a large computer screen gestured to An Zhen and the others. Beside him were a pair of twins who looked somewhat alike.
"Grandpa." An Zhen stepped forward, and Meng Hongchen rushed into An Zhen's arms with a smile, hugging one of An Zhen's arms with both hands.
An Zhen reflected the light on several glasses of cold drinks and handed them to Smile Meng and Jing Hongchen, asking, "What breakthrough did Grandpa talk about?"
"A groundbreaking series!" Jing Hongchen's eyes reflected the data and lines on the metal screen, his handsome face radiating undisguised excitement and exhilaration.
"Mecha series!"
This would be an achievement akin to pioneering a new era!
"A series?" An Zhen looked at the screen.
The screen displays various styles of mechs.
It wasn't like the humanoid mecha in the room, but rather had very distinctive features, such as a very large drill bit and a cannon barrel with a caliber that took up almost one-fifth of its body.
"This inspiration came from Spirit Beast," Jing Hongchen said.
Jing Hongchen pushed up his silver-rimmed glasses. "Although we often say that Spirit Scholars of levels one to ten are equivalent to Spirit Beasts of levels one to ten, and Titled Douluo is equivalent to Spirit Beasts of levels one to ten thousand, objectively speaking, under normal circumstances, except for geniuses like Xiao Zhen, human Spirit Masters are often in a relatively weak position."
"why is that?"
"Naturally, it's because of our powerful physiques and the vast energy stored within us." Zi Ji crossed her arms, a hint of arrogance on her cool face.
Especially their True Dragon, which is the epitome of power.
Jing Hongchen nodded, "Of course, just as Ms. Ziji said."
"But we humans possess the wisdom to explore."
"If the attack isn't powerful enough, then manufacture weapons."
"If your defense isn't strong enough, put on armor."
"If we don't have a strong physique and a large amount of stored energy, then we'll create one!"
As he spoke, Jing Hongchen pressed a button on the control panel.
Inside the vast testing ground, a ten-meter-tall humanoid mech with a golden shell landed.
"Xiao, come here," Jing Hongchen said.
"Hmm." Putting down his cold drink, Xiao Hongchen quickly walked to the mecha, pressed a control device on its foot, and the mecha's internal space opened. Xiao Hongchen entered, put on a special helmet and various sensory connection devices, the entrance closed, and the control device lit up with a golden light.
Golden light shone along the patterns on the entire mecha.
The terrifying mechanical constructs were activated.
Its towering stature and extraordinary energy fluctuations create a powerful sense of intimidation.
With a satisfied smile, Jing Hongchen said, "I designed this mecha myself. Its most outstanding feature is its energy conversion. It utilizes the design concept of a high-energy compression array spirit tool, which stores the equivalent of one Titled Douluo's total spirit power."
"and."
"The most crucial point is that the energy core inside can be replaced by the operator at any time, and other parts of the fuselage also have a certain energy storage effect, which is equivalent to having an extra backup energy source, making it possible to engage in long-term, sustained combat."
"Click-click-click—"
A heavy metallic scraping sound rang out.
The metal mech, as tall as a three-story building, began to move.
"I'll give it a try." An Zhen took a step forward, and in the blink of an eye, his figure appeared fifty meters away from the mecha. A look of eagerness appeared in his dark eyes. He stretched his body, and the blood and qi that had been circulating silently were awakened. Strands of invisible blood-red aura swirled around the boy, carrying an extremely special sense of heaviness, as if compressing space.
A hint of surprise flashed in Jing Hongchen's eyes, and he murmured, "That's terrifying."
It's not about marveling at the mecha, but about marveling at An Zhen's physical body.
In Jing Hongchen's perception, the seemingly tiny figure was actually like a colossal dragon of unknown size, and its terrifying aura filled him with awe.
'No wonder.' Jing Hongchen glanced at Zi Ji.
He was initially a little worried about Xiao Zhen.
Thinking about it now.
It seems that Xiaomeng is the one who should be worried.
at the same time.
Lying inside the mech, Xiao Hongchen was presented with a completely new perspective, displaying many more numerical values and images than a normal person's view.
"Warning! Warning!"
A cold, mechanical voice rang in Xiao Hongchen's ears.
"The Qi and blood activity of the Spirit Beast, which is over 100,000 years old, has been detected, exceeding the limit of mechanical detection. It is recommended to activate speed mode and evacuate."
'Pervert,' Xiao Hongchen thought to himself.
However, in that case, we can do our best.
"Boom!"
A ball of flowing golden flame rose from behind the mecha.
With a "bang".
The powerful propulsion system reached its maximum speed in the shortest time, and the massive mech shot out like a dazzling golden meteor. A sword blade with a pale golden flame replaced the mech's hand, and a flash of cold light shot out like a thunderclap.
The moment the mecha made contact with An Zhen.
An Zhen moved at a speed far exceeding that of the mecha, easily traversing the sharp blades, stepping into the void, and pushing his hands out towards the mecha's chest.
The colossal machine was forcibly brought to a stop in front of An Zhen.
"Click~"
A crack appeared on the mech's chest.
The next moment, scorching energy gathered in the mech's chest and then exploded instantly.
"Hoo~"
A clear, crisp dragon roar rang out.
An Zhen's arm transformed into a giant fiery dragon claw, forcefully pressing it against the mecha's chest. The energy impact, with its terrifying destructive power of extremely high temperature, could not cause the slightest damage; instead, it was absorbed by the fiery dragon claw and transformed into its own power.
First Soul Skill: Reflection, Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King.
A huge black figure appeared on An Zhen, enveloping him and resembling a phantom golden-eyed black dragon, forming a form similar to the Martial Soul True Body.
The illusory black dragon clashed with the massive mech. Destructive breath assaulted the mech, its sharp claws and every part of its enormous body becoming a weapon. The golden mech was equally formidable, wielding blades burning with light, an energy cannon on its chest, another massive mechanical arm, and even projectiles fired from behind. However, An Zhen was ultimately just an energy phantom, possessing defensive capabilities equivalent to a ten-thousand-year-old golden-eyed black dragon, which could be replenished at any time by its spirit power.
Two enormous creatures were locked in a fierce battle.
Within the vast space, the sounds of clashing metal and the roar of dragons echoed continuously.
quite a while.
The golden-eyed black dragon abandoned its battered golden mech.
"Very good," An Zhen commented. "In terms of mobility, it's above average among Spirit Saints with Martial Soul True Body activated, and its attack power is top-notch."
"As for defense."
An Zhen watched as Xiao Hongchen emerged from his "battered" mech, completely unharmed. "He's practically on par with the defensive Spirit Douluo piloting the Martial Soul True Body."
Although the mech looks battered and bruised, this is only the surface.
This is hard to imagine in this era, as the person driving it is merely a Spirit Emperor.
"The key is the energy conversion device." Jing Hongchen smiled, this was the result of his hard work over the past few days. "Theoretically speaking, the Spirit King is enough to pilot this mech, and even the Spirit Ancestor with the Spirit can meet the standard."
"Oh?" An Zhen's eyes showed a strange light.
Is Spirit King enough to handle it?
Even if it were set ten thousand years later in the original story, during the Dragon King Legend era, it probably wouldn't be able to achieve that.
Changing the subject, Jing Hongchen continued, "Of course, this also has some shortcomings."
"What?"
Jing Hongchen took out a mechanical metal block, about the size of a human brain, from his storage ring. The block was engraved with many complex core magic arrays.
"Other components can be produced with a level six or seven Soul Guide, but the most crucial part is this core energy device, especially the core magic array inscription. Its complexity is such that even an Eight-Ring Soul Instructor might make a mistake, and it will take a considerable amount of time to succeed. The top-notch configuration in all aspects also requires valuable rare metals. Without even considering the core device, the cost is already 1.5 times that of a level eight spirit tool."
As for the specific time, there would still be some left after building and assembling an eighth-level spirit tool from scratch. High-intensity precision work is extremely energy-consuming.
"That's normal," An Zhen said. For a Spirit King to unleash the powerful Spirit Saint abilities of a Martial Soul True Body, a considerable price must be paid.
"The cost is acceptable. No matter how complex the core magic array pattern is, as long as there is a sample, it is just a matter of spending some time for me, but it is not worth it."
There was no particular need for this type of combat capability during this period.
Jing Hongchen nodded gently.
"Therefore, based on this, after designing and creating my level 10 spirit tool, I plan to improve it. There are two directions: one is to improve it downwards, reducing the configuration in all aspects, but still allowing the previous level 6 or 7 Soul Guide to be completed independently; the other is to continue to improve it upwards, ideally to be comparable to Titled Douluo with Martial Soul True Body."
'Is this the first version of a mecha?' An Zhen thought to himself.
"There's something else," Jing Hongchen continued.
"What?"
"It's about Kong Deming." Jing Hongchen's expression became more serious. "He recently had an idea that I think is quite good. A level 10 spirit tool is fused with a spirit, which is equivalent to a natal spirit tool. Putting aside its power, there are many other aspects that are incomparable to a level 9 spirit tool. It is superior to ordinary spirit tools."
"Therefore, Kong Deming wondered if he could develop a series based on this, researching technologies that would allow other Spirit Masters, or even Spirit Kings, to achieve similar results." The Spirit Emperor can also use the mid-tier innate spirit tool.
"In this regard, he would like to request support from the Empire and you."
An Zhen:?
A dedicated Spirit tool that can be used by regular Spirit Masters?
Why does that sound so familiar?
Soul Armament?
Or perhaps, battle armor?!