It Worked!

"Yes! The patterns!"

Lin Xia's voice carried a hint of excitement.

"Think about it. They're all Soul Tools, yet a Storage Ring relies on them to stabilize space, a Flying Soul Tool uses them to generate lift, and an Attack Soul Tool uses them to gather energy... Could these patterns be the true 'language' of Soul Tools?"

"A 'Soul Power Circuit' that connects Soul Power with metal and achieves specific functions?!"

Lou Gao's eyes flew wide open, like a blast of blazing white flame erupting from a furnace!

Lou Gao's breath caught sharply, then became incredibly rapid as his chest heaved violently.

Almost fumbling in haste, he rummaged through the inconspicuous leather Storage Soul Tool at his waist and pulled out several items.

A palm-sized Communication Soul Tool for short-distance communication.

An Illumination Soul Ball that could emit a faint glow.

There was even an Amulet engraved with a protective Magic Array that could withstand low-level Soul Skills.

Lou Gao carefully held these Soul Tools together with Lin Xia's ring in his rough, broad hands, as though he were cradling priceless treasures.

His bloodshot eyes became the most precise scanners, staring fixedly at the simple or intricate Soul Power patterns of varying forms on the surface or within every Soul Tool.

Time passed bit by bit. Only Lou Gao's heavy breathing and Lin Xia's calm gaze remained in the Backyard.

Larvitar seemed to sense the gravity of the atmosphere as well. It stopped gnawing on Mineral Ore and tilted its little head at the two of them.

"Hiss..."

Lou Gao suddenly sucked in a cold breath, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement.

Lou Gao repeatedly compared the Resonance Circuit on the Communication Soul Tool, the Light Energy Conversion Pattern on the Illumination Soul Ball, the Defense Array on the Amulet, and the Space Stabilization Array on the Storage Ring...

"Different... They really are different!"

Lou Gao's voice trembled with disbelief and wild joy.

"Among the same type... Take these two most basic Illumination Balls. Though the Core Patterns differ slightly in their finer details, their overall framework and the Flow Method of their energy... are mostly the same. Their skeleton is identical!"

"But between different types... Like storage and communication, these patterns... are worlds apart! They're two entirely different 'languages'!"

Lou Gao abruptly raised his head. An unprecedented sharp gleam burst from his cloudy old eyes, so scorching that it nearly set Lin Xia ablaze!

"Sudden Enlightenment! What a Sudden Enlightenment, Xiao Xia!!"

Lou Gao's voice suddenly rose, filled with the ecstatic joy of a revelation.

"The Breakthrough Point! This is the Breakthrough Point we've been searching for! I knew it! There's nothing wrong with my Thousand Layered Tremor Gold Hand! There's nothing wrong with fusing those Rare Metals either!"

"The problem lies here! We lacked the Soul Tool Arrays that make Soul Power 'obedient' and bring metal 'to life'! These patterns are the 'soul' of Soul Tools!"

Overwhelming excitement swept through Lou Gao like a Volcanic Eruption.

Lou Gao Slapped His Thigh.

A crisp smack rang out with particular clarity in the silent Backyard, and he was so excited he nearly jumped up.

"Quick! Xiao Xia! What are we waiting for?! Let's go! To the Forge Room!"

Without another word, Lou Gao grabbed Lin Xia's arm. His grip was astonishingly strong as he turned and rushed toward the Forge Room.

He looked so anxious, as though this flash of inspiration would fly away if they delayed even a second.

"Yō Jī! Yō Jī Yō Jī!!!"

At that moment, Larvitar, which had been ignored the entire time, finally erupted in fierce displeasure!

It threw down the half-gnawed Purple Lightning Iron Ore and ran to Lin Xia's feet on its short legs. Its round head, covered in Rock Carapace, rammed hard against Lin Xia's calf as it let out an aggrieved, protesting cry.

Its scarlet Big Eyes glared accusingly at Lou Gao, while its Small Claws pointed toward the unfinished Dishes on the table and then at Lin Xia.

The meaning could not have been clearer.

It's you again, you rotten old man!

You hog my Master all day long!

You won't even let him finish his meal!

Didn't you say you'd take me out to play?!

I'm sick of gnawing on Mineral Ore!

I protest! I strongly protest!

Larvitar's ramming made Lin Xia stagger. Looking at the Little Guy's puffed-up appearance, then at the arm Lou Gao was gripping so tightly it hurt, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Only then did Lou Gao notice Larvitar. The fanaticism on his face faded slightly, though only slightly.

Lou Gao urgently waved a hand at Larvitar.

"Oh, little ancestor! Be good, hold on a little longer! Just a moment! Xiao Xia and I are about to do something important! Something enormous! Once we figure out these Soul Tool Arrays, forget taking you out to play—even finding you a whole mine to gnaw on will be no problem!"

"Si Di! Si Di! Quick, bring your junior brother's Treasured Soul Beast another two pieces... No, three pieces of the best Great Sun Essence Gold Ore! Pick the ones with the most energy!"

As he shouted to Si Di, who had rushed over at the sound, Lou Gao did not loosen his grip. He practically dragged the helpless-looking Lin Xia toward the doors of the Forge Room.

Larvitar looked at the Great Sun Essence Gold Ore Si Di brought over, then at his Master's disappearing back at the Forge Room entrance.

In the end, it let out an indignant "Yō Jī!" Hugging its newly acquired Mineral Ore, it turned its grief and anger into appetite and gnawed furiously. Yet its little eyes were filled with deep resentment toward Lou Gao's shameless old-man behavior.

Lou Gao truly deserved his reputation as a Divine Craftsman famed across the continent for his skillful hands. After seeing through the core secret of Soul Tools—the Soul Power patterns containing the rules of special power—his entire being seemed to have been ignited.

An unprecedentedly fanatical light flashed in Lou Gao's eyes, like an explorer who had discovered a new continent and could not wait to put theory into practice.

"I understand! I understand completely!"

Lou Gao acted at once, without the slightest hesitation, like the most precise instrument.

Those large, callused hands that could perform the divine technique Thousand Layered Tremor Gold Hand were exceptionally steady as they picked up the tiniest Engraving Needle.

Lin Xia held his breath as he stood to the side, his heart surging with emotion as well.

He watched Lou Gao select a Fine Iron Plate with an even texture that was easy to shape—one of the most common practice materials in the Forge Room.

Lou Gao took a deep breath. His gaze was sharp as an eagle's as he focused his Spiritual Power to the utmost, his Soul Power winding around the tip of the Engraving Needle like the finest threads.

Buzz!

The Engraving Needle made its first stroke upon the Fine Iron Plate.

A faint glow of Soul Power lit up where the Needle Tip touched the metal, accompanied by the Faint Sound of metal being carved open.

Lou Gao moved extraordinarily slowly. Every stroke contained all his concentration as he strove to perfectly replicate the Core Array pattern from the Storage Soul Tool in his memory.

The intricate, profound lines gradually spread across the Fine Iron Plate like living things.

Time quietly passed amid that concentration.

Lin Xia could clearly sense the Soul Power Fluctuation emanating from Lou Gao.

A quarter of an hour later.

At last, the final stroke was complete!

A miniature Magic Array that emitted faint Soul Power Fluctuations, with a complex structure remarkably similar to the array within a Storage Soul Tool, appeared clearly upon the Fine Iron Plate!

"It worked!"