Terrifying Power, Absolutely Must Not Be Mass-Produced!!

Deep within the Blacksmith Association was a dedicated Weapon Testing Ground, built to be incomparably sturdy.

Lou Gao brought Lin Xia to an area specifically for testing weapon power. Ahead stood several dummies fitted with Fine Iron target plates of varying thicknesses.

Lou Gao handed the dark, gleaming work of art to Lin Xia.

"Come, Xiao Xia. Let me see just how powerful this weapon really is!"

Lin Xia took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement and nervousness at firing a real gun for the first time.

Recalling knowledge from his previous life, he gripped the gun with both hands and assumed a standard firing stance, aiming at a dummy some thirty paces away that wore a one-inch-thick Fine Iron target plate.

His index finger pulled the Trigger!

Bang—!

A crisp, ear-splitting gunshot echoed through the testing ground!

Almost at the same instant as the shot, a crisp ding rang out from the distant target plate, sparks flying everywhere!

A clear small hole appeared at the center of the target!

The Bullet had pierced through an inch of Fine Iron!

"Good!"

Seeing the result, Lou Gao let out a cry of praise. He had never expected this Little Guy to truly unleash such tremendous power!

"The Penetration Power is decent! With this force, even an ordinary Soul Ancestor—or even a Soul King—would have a hard time taking one head-on without using a defensive Soul Skill!"

"Xiao Xia, switch to my Thunder Fire Bullet! Shoot the three-inch plate in the middle!"

Excitement and anticipation gleamed in Lou Gao's eyes.

Lin Xia loaded the "improved" Bullet, its warhead glinting a purplish red.

The moment it entered his hand, he could feel that this Bullet was heavier, and it seemed to contain faint fluctuations of lightning Energy.

Lin Xia raised the gun and aimed again. This time, he clearly felt an unusual pressure.

Boom—!!!

The instant he pulled the Trigger, there was no longer a crisp gunshot, but a muffled thunderous roar!

A dazzling burst of red light erupted from the muzzle, mixed with fine Purple Arc sparks!

An immense recoil far exceeding the previous one surged through him, numbing both of Lin Xia's arms. Had his Physical Body not been so strong, the gun would nearly have flown from his grasp!

At the same time, thirty paces away—

Boom—!!!

An even greater explosion rang out!

Rather than merely being pierced by a small hole as before, the three-inch-thick Fine Iron target plate was blown open around the point of impact, leaving an irregular hole the size of a bowl!

The edges of the hole had melted and radiated High Temperature. Strands of Purple Arc still danced and flickered around the Hole!

The pungent smell of Sulfur mixed with ozone spread through the air!

The entire Training Ground fell silent.

Holding the slightly hot Handgun, Lin Xia stared blankly at the smoking, crackling hole in the distance.

Lou Gao, meanwhile, split into a broad grin. His thick beard trembled with excitement as he stared at the hole and the muzzle, his eyes erupting with fanatical brilliance.

"It worked! Hahahaha! It worked! Thunder and fire combined! Armor-piercing, fortification-breaking! Good! With this power, even a Soul Emperor caught unprepared would lose a layer of skin!"

Lou Gao snatched the gun from Lin Xia's hand and carefully inspected the Barrel and every component as though caressing a lover, muttering to himself.

"Mm... the Barrel temperature is too high... need to add some Cold Iron... the Fire Crystal Powder ratio can be adjusted a little more..."

Clearly, the Divine Craftsman's mind had already immersed itself in how to further optimize his modified creation.

Lin Xia did not particularly care that Lou Gao had taken the Handgun. Instead, he was plunged into deep shock. After all, this was only a Handgun!

If they later forged Rifles, Sniper Rifles, or even cannons—

Lin Xia did not dare imagine what the landscape of this continent would become.

However, as Lou Gao repeatedly inspected the gun body and considered improvements, the fanatical smile on his face faltered slightly, and his brows unconsciously furrowed.

A problem that had flashed through his mind while forging and assembling it now resurfaced clearly after witnessing this astonishing power.

Lou Gao stopped stroking the Barrel and looked up at Lin Xia, who was still calming himself. The excitement in his eyes was replaced by a trace of worry as he asked in a deep voice:

"Xiao Xia, this Handgun... its power truly is astonishing! This Old Man dares say that, with enough materials, anyone below Soul Saint who takes a shot unprepared would be severely injured even if they survived! But..."

Lou Gao weighed the heavy firearm in his hand, his tone turning serious.

"The power is great, but the difficulty of forging it... is far too high! Look at these parts—every piece interlocks, and the dimensional precision required is extremely demanding. As for the internal Rifling, this Old Man has to use a Diamond Chisel and special techniques to chisel it out bit by bit."

"Not to mention the apprentices and ordinary Blacksmiths in the Association—even Si Long, Si Di, and the others would never be able to independently make a qualified set in a short time without this Old Man teaching them hands-on!"

"This thing... simply cannot be mass-produced! Do you have any good method that would let more people learn to make it? Or simplify the process?"

"Mass production?"

Upon hearing those words, a term nearly sprang to Lin Xia's lips on instinct—"Machine Tools!" Assembly lines, standardization, interchangeable parts... Concepts of industrialization from his previous life instantly churned through his mind.

Yet just as the thought was about to leave his mouth, an icy chill seized his heart like a venomous snake!

Lin Xia's pupils suddenly contracted!

Mass production?

Weapons that ordinary people could use... weapons capable of threatening or even killing Soul Masters?

Countless scenes flashed through Lin Xia's mind in an instant.

How could this be a good solution to the problem?

This was clearly the key to opening Pandora's Box!

It was a death warrant that would push the entire Blacksmith Association, and even all ordinary people who might acquire such weapons, into an abyss of eternal damnation!

Cold sweat instantly soaked Lin Xia's back.

Lin Xia abruptly swallowed the words that were about to leave his mouth. His expression became exceptionally grave, even carrying a trace of lingering fear.

After taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. He fixed Lou Gao with a blazing gaze, his voice low and clear, carrying an unprecedented seriousness.

"Teacher! I may have a method! But it absolutely cannot be mass-produced!"

Lou Gao was taken aback by Lin Xia's sudden, unequivocal attitude, and the confusion on his face deepened.

"Why? Such a good thing..."

"Teacher!"

Lin Xia raised his voice slightly, interrupting him with a warning edge.

"Have you forgotten? This world is ultimately ruled by Soul Masters! Power is their privilege, their foundation, and the basis upon which they maintain their rule!"

Lin Xia pointed at the Handgun, speaking each word as though a Heavy Hammer were striking Lou Gao's heart.

"If we truly produce large numbers of these weapons, allowing ordinary people to easily, secretly, and from afar threaten or even kill Soul Masters... have you considered the consequences?"

The excitement and confusion on Lou Gao's face instantly froze.

Lin Xia's words were like a basin of ice water, ruthlessly dousing him awake from the heights of his technical fervor and instantly dragging him back into cold reality.

Lou Gao was, after all, a Divine Craftsman who had lived for decades. He had seen the shifting tides of the continent and had personally suffered the oppression of local Spirit Hall forces.

He instantly understood Lin Xia's unspoken meaning.

Once this weapon spread...

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