For the next few days, Xu Tianyang and Xu Nianshuang's cultivation tasks were packed, leaving almost no free time.
After finishing a day of cultivation, Xu Tianyang returned to his room and sat at a desk near the wooden bed. On the desk were fragments of rare metals of various colors.
The most striking among them was a thousand-year Ghost King Whale's skull—yes, the same Ghost King Whale he had eaten before.
Not only was the meat of the beast not wasted, but even its bones were repurposed.
When it came to resource development and utilization, the Douluo Continent couldn't hold a candle to the Sun Moon Empire.
This thousand-year Ghost King Whale's skull was harder than refined iron, making it excellent material for crafting spirit tools.
Obscure and complex patterns glowed with a dark red light around Xu Tianyang's pupils. His right hand held a slender, fiery-red carving knife, with which he was engraving a deep-blue piece of metal.
This carving knife, named Sunflame Carving Knife, ranked fifty-seventh on the Carving Knife List. It was a former imperial palace collection, now given to Xu Tianyang by Xu Yunxiao for his use.
His movements were swift, yet his hand was steady. Each stroke of the knife was firm and fluid, like a dragon and snake dancing, completed in one breath.
As the last metal shaving fell onto the desk, intricate patterns quietly emerged on the metal.
Xu Tianyang frowned slightly and slowly injected gentle spirit power into it. Immediately, the deep-blue metal block emitted a dazzling blue-gold light, and a soft halo transformed into a two-foot-high pillar of light. The blue halo was straight and firm, without any wavering, and the metal itself glowed with a transparent blue.
"The Tier 2 spirit power Amplification Core Array is a success." Seeing this, Xu Tianyang finally relaxed, a smile appearing on his face.
Carving a Tier 2 spirit power Amplification Core Array didn't mean he was now a Tier 2 Soul Engineer, but since he successfully engraved a Tier 2 core array, the rest would naturally follow.
Generally speaking, the ranks of a Spirit Master and a Soul Engineer were relative; it was rare for a low-tier Spirit Master to create a high-tier spirit tool, and those who could achieve this were undoubtedly geniuses.
Xu Tianyang was clearly such a genius.
Spirit Masters with spiritual attributes indeed had an innate advantage in crafting and using spirit tools.
With his Sun Pupil Spirit, his eyesight was at least several times that of an ordinary person, allowing him to avoid many unnecessary errors when engraving core arrays. And with his strong spiritual power, he could more easily memorize those complex core arrays.
The advantage of his Spirit meant that he didn't diligently practice spirit tools as much as Zui Hongchen, yet he still pushed his spirit tool skills to a level superior to him. This was talent—unreasonable talent.
After putting all the materials on the desk into his Soul Guidance Ring, Xu Tianyang stood up and stretched. His day was basically filled with the cultivation plan arranged by Xu Yunxiao, and he still had to 'work overtime' at night. He hadn't expected to be so busy even after coming to the Douluo Continent!
He shook his head with a wry smile, understanding the principle of moderation. Whether in cultivation or in crafting spirit tools, one must adhere to the principle of balancing work and rest.
After putting away the materials, he was ready to rest.
"What is this?" In a garden within the Crown Prince Residence, Xu Yunxiao looked at the strange object before him, his gaze curious as he turned to Xu Tianyang.
This morning, Xu Tianyang said he had a surprise for him and brought him, Xu Nianshuang, and Feng Tianxiang here. They then saw the strange machine in front of the small waterfall.
He was certain that with his expertise as the foremost spirit tool master of the Sun Moon Empire, he had never seen this machine before, nor was it a product of the Moonflow Empire.
This new type of machine piqued his curiosity, and he observed it with great interest.
Seeing this, Xu Tianyang sighed inwardly. While the Douluo Continent's spirit tool black technology was indeed impressive, the development in certain areas was extremely imbalanced.
For example, this simple, small hydraulic forging hammer he had made: the Sun Moon Empire had already developed flying spirit tools, yet they had no concept of machines replacing manual labor.
It hadn't yet reached the era of divine-grade mechs and Battle Armors, where every part and every piece of metal had to be personally forged.
"Father, this is a hydraulic forging hammer…"
After explaining its use in detail to the three of them, Xu Tianyang personally demonstrated how to use it to forge metal blanks, then refined them further himself, and carved several Tier 1 Soul Guidance Arrays. After confirming it worked perfectly, Xu Tianyang continued:
"With this labor-saving machine, our country's spirit tool parts can save a lot of forging time, requiring only the time for refining the metal blanks. This can accelerate the production speed of spirit tools, which I believe will be helpful for the empire's spirit tool manufacturing."
"Good, good, good!" After watching Xu Tianyang's operation, Xu Yunxiao exclaimed "good" three times, a look of excited joy on his face.
Feng Tianxiang also looked at Xu Tianyang in surprise, and Xu Nianshuang's delicate face showed an expression of admiration, which made Xu Tianyang secretly pleased.
This device might not offer significant help to the common folk, but its military benefits were tangible, capable of greatly accelerating the production speed of spirit tools.
Currently, the Sun Moon Empire and the Moonflow Empire were at war, and war was fought on logistics. How could Xu Yunxiao not be happy about something that could boost spirit tool logistics?
Although given the current situation, the Sun Moon Empire didn't necessarily need this item, as they had already conquered half of the Moonflow Empire's territory, it was always better to have more chances of victory.
"Tianxiang, have Mingde Hall send a few people to study this hydraulic forging hammer and apply it to production as quickly as possible. Speed is of the essence." Feng Tianxiang quickly departed with Xu Yunxiao's orders.
"Yang'er, you have rendered a meritorious service this time. How do you wish your father to reward you?" Xu Yunxiao asked, smiling at Xu Tianyang, in high spirits. Not only was Xu Tianyang's Spirit Master talent unparalleled, but now it seemed his talent in spirit tools was also impressive.
Truly his son, just like him!
"I wish to ask Father for a few forging masters." Xu Tianyang's eyes lit up, and thinking of Zui Hongchen's research into Spirit Forging, he immediately spoke.
Although Zui Hongchen was very talented, that was in the realm of spirit tools. Having him delve into forging would be a bit of a waste, and he was still young, so it wasn't advisable to waste too much time on other crafts.
Were there not enough geniuses on the Douluo Continent who wasted their talent by researching other crafts?
You know, like Feng Xiaotian!
Having forging masters who had been immersed in forging for many years research it would be much more effective.
"You want them to research what that boy from the Zui Hongchen family is studying, don't you?" Xu Yunxiao glanced at Xu Tianyang, immediately seeing through his son's intentions.
The entire imperial capital was under his surveillance, and Xu Tianyang's daily whereabouts were directly under his watch. How could he not be aware of his dealings with Zui Hongchen?
"You don't need to worry about this matter. Your focus should be on cultivation right now. Forging research has already been assigned to a specialized research team by your father. Everything in the empire is currently making way for the decisive battle with the Moonflow Empire."
"Many top-tier Soul Engineers and forging masters are occupied. Once everything is over, your father will increase research efforts. Hundred Forged metal has already been proven to enhance the power of spirit tools, and your father is very much looking forward to the effects of subsequent Thousand Forged, and even the Spirit Forging you mentioned as a possibility."
Xu Yunxiao spoke calmly. As the Executive Vice-Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire, the power and resources he could mobilize were far beyond what Xu Tianyang could compare to.
Upon learning of the effects of the Hundred Forged metal tested by Zui Hongchen, he decisively listed this topic as one of the Sun Moon Empire's highest-level research priorities.
After hearing Xu Yunxiao's arrangements, Xu Tianyang said no more. His father's arrangements, made from a holistic perspective, were the optimal choice for the Sun Moon Empire. Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry; pioneers always required the efforts of generations.
Just because people were assigned to research it didn't mean results would come immediately. He had long prepared for a protracted battle.
"Yang'er, you are now a quasi-Tier 2 Soul Engineer. Tell your father, what do you envision as the future of spirit tools?" Xu Yunxiao's eyes flickered, asking as if casually.
Xu Tianyang heard this and was inwardly silent. After quietly recalling the spirit tool technology currently possessed by the Sun Moon Empire, he slowly said: "Your son believes that spirit tools should ultimately focus on two directions. One is spirit tools that do not require spirit power to operate. These types of spirit tools can be widely used throughout the empire, as after all, compared to Spirit Masters, people without spirit power still constitute the majority."
Xu Yunxiao nodded almost imperceptibly, his eyes filled with surprise. Xu Tianyang's idea coincided with one of Mingde Hall's current research directions.
He hadn't expected Xu Tianyang to have such insight at such a young age.
"The other direction is primarily focused on enhancing the combat power of Spirit Masters, not through the clumsy method of using them as tools to increase combat power as is done now."
"Instead, the other direction is humanoid spirit tools, which are mechs…"
Time passed quickly. Since that day's brief discussion with Xu Yunxiao about the future trends of spirit tools, Xu Tianyang had returned to his daily strenuous cultivation.
In a flash, it was the day school started.
And Xu Yunxiao and Mu Mengyu, ten days before Xu Tianyang's school started, left the Crown Prince Residence once again.
The Sun Moon Empire's army had already breached ninety percent of the Moonflow Empire's cities, and the current three hundred thousand strong army was advancing towards the Moonflow Empire's imperial capital, Moonjade City.
The final battle between the two great empires was about to begin, and Xu Yunxiao needed to go to the front lines to personally witness this moment of unification.