How About Teacher Takes You Out for Some Fresh Air—Look at the Little...

Larvitar seemed to understand the words "Star Sand" and "Void Stone." Its little head, which had been resting on the ground, suddenly shot up. Its scarlet Big Eyes blinked, and its tiny ears perked slightly, as though the names had sparked some peculiar interest in it.

Lin Xia also found the situation somewhat tricky, but he was even more excited.

Once the problem was clear, the direction became clear as well.

Lin Xia interjected, "Teacher, it seems the key to our next step is finding Rare Metals that contain a Space Attribute, or their powders. Companion Ore would work too!"

"Only by solving the problem of the material 'container' can the Magic Array we engrave truly unleash its power!"

Upon hearing this, Lou Gao rushed toward the secret storeroom behind the Forge Room. After rummaging through boxes and cabinets, he returned shortly afterward, carefully holding an Ebony Box the size of his palm and covered in dust.

When he opened the box, it revealed a thin layer of fine sand that shimmered with a deep, dark blue glow, as if it held specks of starlight within it—Star Sand powder, exceedingly rare and precious.

"Come, Xiao Xia! This time, we'll take it step by step!"

Sparkling Eyes flashed in Lou Gao's eyes.

"We'll use this Star Sand powder as the main material, supplemented by Mithril and Adamantite capable of carrying Soul Power. Old Man will personally shape, fuse, and forge the vessel!"

This time, Lou Gao's movements were more focused and steady. No longer rushing for quick results, he pushed the Thousand Layered Tremor Gold Hand to its limit.

The Diamond Chisel became an Engraving Needle that guided Soul Power, while the black Forging Hammer used high-frequency micro-vibrations to guide the Star Sand powder into fusing with the molten Mithril and Adamantite.

Every strike contained a profound understanding of the materials' properties, all in pursuit of a flawless foundation capable of bearing Space Power.

Lin Xia held his breath at the side, watching as the once ordinary ingot of Adamantite and Mithril gradually changed shape beneath Lou Gao's godlike craftsmanship. Within it, a galaxy seemed to flow, radiating a restrained yet mysterious spatial fluctuation.

After the vessel took shape, Lou Gao drew a deep breath and picked up the finest Soul Power Engraving Needle.

This time, Lou Gao was no longer merely seeking to replicate it. With a deeper understanding of the Magic Array's structure, he gathered his Spiritual Power and Soul Power to the utmost limit, meticulously re-engraving the Storage Magic Array's patterns onto the faintly glowing metal plate.

Each stroke resonated with the Soul Power and Star Sand powder. A faint light flowed through the patterns, as though they had come alive.

Time passed amid absolute concentration.

When the final stroke was complete, the entire Forge Room seemed to fall silent for an instant.

The palm-sized metal plate was no longer a cold, lifeless object. It radiated a gentle, stable silver-blue halo, while its intricate patterns brightened and dimmed like breathing. A distinct spatial fluctuation spread from it.

"It worked! This time... it feels completely different!"

Lou Gao's voice carried irrepressible excitement and a trace of tension.

Lin Xia's heartbeat accelerated as well.

"Teacher, hurry and try it!"

Lou Gao picked up a piece of ordinary fine iron ore and cautiously brought it close to the center of the metal plate. With a thought, he injected Soul Power. There was a flash of light, and the ore vanished without a trace!

There was no instability, no chaotic fluctuation. The Magic Array's glow remained as steady as ever.

Lou Gao closed his eyes and focused on sensing it. This time, he clearly "saw" a stable, tiny yet genuinely existing Storage Space. The piece of ore lay quietly inside.

With another thought, light flashed, and the ore instantly reappeared in his hand!

"It worked! It really worked! Hahahahaha!!"

Lou Gao could no longer contain himself. He burst into deafening laughter, tossed the ore aside, and began jumping in place like a child. His immense joy nearly burst through the Forge Room's roof.

Lou Gao forcefully patted Lin Xia on the shoulder, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"Xiao Xia! We succeeded! A real Soul Tool! Forged by our own hands!"

Lin Xia also revealed a heartfelt smile, unable to put his excitement into words.

This was not merely copying a Storage Soul Tool. They had personally achieved Soul Tool manufacturing from nothing!

However, after the joy of success faded, the following days quickly descended into a certain kind of tedium and bottleneck.

Lou Gao became completely engrossed. He was like a child who had discovered a new toy—or rather, a craftsman god who had opened Pandora's Box.

Lou Gao immediately rummaged through everything and dug out every Soul Tool the Blacksmith Association had kept hidden away, whether intact or damaged.

There were ones for short-range sound transmission, small spheres that gave off faint illumination, Amulets that could activate weak shields, and even several remnants of offensive Soul Tools.

"Replicate them! Replicate every last one!"

Lou Gao was full of heroic vigor, the flames of exploration blazing fiercely in his eyes.

Thus began the tedious replication project.

Relying on the skills of a Divine Craftsman and his increasingly profound understanding of Soul Guide Patterns, Lou Gao combined the various Rare Metal materials in the Association's stores—Star Sand powder, Mithril, Adamantite, Cold Iron, Purple Lightning Iron, Fire Crystal Stone powder...—and began manufacturing them like mad.

One Soul Tool after another, each with a different function, emerged from Lou Gao's hands: Sound Transmitters, Illumination Balls, Amulets... He even barely managed to repair a damaged offensive Magic Array, allowing it to fire a weak beam of Soul Power.

The Forge Room was piled high with Lou Gao's "masterpieces." Lights flickered, Energy Fluctuations intertwined, and the place resembled a miniature Soul Tool exhibition hall.

Every time he successfully replicated something, Lou Gao would excitedly drag Lin Xia over to demonstrate it. The immense Sense of Accomplishment left his face glowing with health.

At first, Lin Xia was also thrilled by every success, but gradually, he began to notice the problem.

They knew how it worked, but not why it worked.

They were merely copying the forms of known Magic Arrays perfectly, yet they remained as lost as if looking at flowers through fog when it came to the operating rules behind those arrays, the principles of energy conversion, and the effects produced by different combinations of patterns.

When Lou Gao finally finished replicating every type of Soul Tool he could find, even using up nearly all the suitable Rare Metal materials in the Association's inventory, the Forge Room glittered with completed products. Yet as Lin Xia looked at these "copies," a feeling of helplessness rose within him.

A Soul Tool Mech?

What it required were entirely new, complex, original Soul Tool Arrays with multiple systems working in coordination!

And right now, they had not even crossed the most basic threshold of "originality."

The Mecha's drive, transmission, defense, weapon systems... every subsystem required an original design. It was simply a towering peak with no summit in sight.

Lou Gao looked at the empty material crates by his side, then at the mountain of copies piled on the floor. His addictive fervor was finally doused somewhat, and his face showed lingering regret along with a trace of confusion in the face of the unknown.

Lou Gao rubbed his hands together. His gaze swept over the similarly thoughtful Lin Xia before finally falling on Larvitar, which was listlessly pawing at the last piece of Adamantite ore with its Small Claws.

The Little Guy had indeed been stifled lately, protesting with "Yō Jī Yō Jī" all day long.

A rare, sheepish smile appeared on Lou Gao's old, bearded face, carrying the embarrassment of having to eat his own words.

Lou Gao awkwardly cleared his throat, walked over to Lin Xia, and spoke in as "gentle" a tone as possible.

"Cough, cough... Well, Xiao Xia, look... we've made quite a few Soul Tools, but the key to this Soul Tool Mech... is that we still don't know how to draw new designs."

Lou Gao pointed at the empty material crates.

"Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Without materials, even if we want to study something new... well, it's a little hard to put into practice."

Lou Gao paused. His gaze drifted for a moment, as if recalling the warnings he had once given with such certainty. His old face reddened slightly, but he still forced himself to continue.

"Well... as your teacher recalls, there are several rich mineral deposits around Gengjin City that have been prospected but not yet mined. Perhaps... they might contain the special mineral deposits we need?"

"For example... raw Void Stone? Or other Companion Ore containing special Soul Power? Staying in the city all the time isn't a solution either..."

Lou Gao carefully watched Lin Xia's expression, lowering his voice even further. There was a hint of coaxing and reluctant concession in his tone.

"How about... Teacher takes you out prospecting again? We can treat it as taking this Little Guy out for some fresh air. Look how listless it is."