"I've already taught you the specific steps. Hurry up and learn them so you can take over Lin Pavilion sooner."
After carefully teaching Ning Tian how to operate the Machine Tool Soul Tool, Chen Fu completely let go and left her to tinker with it as she pleased.
Even ordinary people could mold a machine tool by hand, let alone him, with his Martial Soul's support for focused fine control. Besides, the precision required for Soul Tool Machine Tools capable of handling Level Five Soul Tools and below was not particularly high, and the Soul Tool circuit engravings that needed designing were few. Making them took no effort at all.
As for the precision issue of the Soul Tool Machine Tool, Ning Tian would have to discover that herself. When she realized she needed greater precision, it would mean her Soul Tool technology had undergone a qualitative leap.
When people understood what they needed, technology would continue to advance.
"You're clearly squeezing every last drop out of me, a child laborer!"
Though she said that, Ning Tian's hands never stopped operating the machine tool to shape materials. She could now more or less feel the joy of "using tools to make tools" and "building greatness from the small."
When a Level Nine Soul Engineer made a Level Nine Soul Tool cannon, one could call them impressive.
When a Low-level Soul Master used an energy core to create and activate a Level Nine Soul Tool cannon, one could call him insane.
But what about ordinary people with no Soul Power?
She hurriedly shook those terrifying thoughts from her head. Whatever—her Nine Treasures Glazed Sect would benefit enormously from the development of Soul Tools.
"Oh, right, Teacher, I'm a little curious..."
Chen Fu, who had been staring at his Youlan Data Divine Ring in thought, looked up at Ning Tian.
"Can you make a Level Nine Soul Tool?"
After all, Level Nine Soul Engineers had always been monopolized by the Sun Moon Empire.
"First, tell me what you understand a Level Nine Soul Tool to be."
Whenever Chen Fu answered someone's question, he first asked for their definition and understanding of the matter, then responded according to the actual circumstances.
"Uh..."
At the mention of a Level Nine Soul Tool, images of all kinds of cannons immediately flashed through Ning Tian's mind.
"Various highly destructive weapons with enormous power and energy consumption, right?"
Chen Fu summarized it for Ning Tian. Inspired by his disciple, Fan Yu had now become an eighth-level Soul Engineer and was working toward Level Nine by absorbing Ark's energy-storage technology to increase a cannon's power, but his only true specialty was still making cannons.
"Without Ark, could you, a one-ring Soul Master, make a Level Three Soul Tool?"
"The energy consumption can't keep up, right? If Energy Technology isn't updated and you keep treating yourselves as the core, then this path was wrong from the very beginning."
Chen Fu spread out the data model again and explained it to Ning Tian while multitasking.
"A Soul Tool that only a Titled Douluo can control is called a Level Nine Soul Tool—what genius came up with that classification?"
"Look at this set of data. What's the difference between a Level One Soul Tool ceremonial cannon and that Level Nine Soul Tool cannon the idiot at the academy is designing?"
I'm reporting you for badmouthing my grandteacher behind his back! Ning Tian grumbled inwardly in an extremely tiny voice.
Two Soul Tool models, one simple and one complex, were placed before Ning Tian. She knew Teacher was testing her again.
"Setting aside the complicated material processes and design layout, that Level Nine Soul Tool merely increases the upper limit of energy output within what its materials can bear. Its technical structure itself hasn't progressed..."
Ning Tian quickly searched through the knowledge in her mind, combined it with the models, and gave her answer.
"It would be strange if it had progressed. Level Nine Soul Engineers are everywhere in the Sun Moon Empire, yet the upper limit of Soul Tool development has basically stagnated for nearly a century. Do you know why?"
Chen Fu had obtained quite a bit of intelligence on the Sun Moon Empire from both the academy and Long Xiaoyao.
"Because they don't have a Peerless Douluo. They don't even have a Super Douluo above level 95." Ning Tian had her own intelligence channels as well.
"Teacher means that a Soul Engineer's cultivation restricts the development of Soul Tool technology?"
"Then do you think I'm restricted?"
Thinking of Teacher's series of Soul Tool technical theories that made her scalp tingle just looking at them, Ning Tian felt as though her mind had been opened.
"Uh... then doesn't that mean Teacher is already Level Nine..."
"I've never made a Level Nine cannon, so I'm not."
Chen Fu objected. A Soul Engineer without a Level Nine Soul Tool cannon did not deserve to become a Level Nine Soul Engineer.
Watching Ning Tian leave after being dismissed, brimming with energy as she went back to wrestling with the Soul Tool Machine Tool, Chen Fu opened a new data model with one hand and muttered inwardly:
"Forging a divine artifact with mortal power? Sorry, but it seems I've already gotten ahead."
The new model rapidly simplified and became modular in Chen Fu's hand. Many complicated stages were even removed at the cost of performance.
"The main issue of material compatibility is basically solved. I'll modify one production line and cover Shrek City in the early phase. It'll also work perfectly with the [Ascension] plan."
Looking at the eyeglasses model gradually simplifying before him, Chen Fu fell into thought.
"I'll have the academy and Nine Treasures City handle the frame. I only need to make the core chip. I really don't have that much time to waste on such trivial matters. It'll also give Teacher Fan Yu a break, so he doesn't keep narrowing his own path."
After finalizing the plan, Chen Fu instructed Uncle Fu to handle it. Chen Fu generally did not want to touch all that messy business of factional trade.
"What Soul Tool is this?"
On the academy's side, Uncle Fu asked Ma Xiaotao to go to the Soul Tool Academy and speak with Fan Yu.
"Chen Fu named this the Battle Soul Instrument. It can record and analyze objects."
Ma Xiaotao demonstrated the operating steps to Fan Yu, then signaled for him to try it himself.
Curious, he put on the highly technological-looking Battle Soul Instrument, which took the form of goggles.
[Target: Female human (editable)] [Martial Soul: fire-attribute Beast Martial Soul (editable)] [Soul Power Level: sixth tier (editable)] [Soul Skills: no records, none currently (editable)]
"It can send messages within a certain range as a communication tool. It can also edit one's own information into the Battle Soul Instrument database, then copy that data to one's friends, including but not limited to a Soul Master's name, level, Soul Skills, and knowledge of various plants, minerals, and Soul Beasts. Moreover, Chen Fu has reduced its cost to under one thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"...This..."
Fan Yu found it somewhat unbelievable. If a Titled Douluo passed his knowledge to his descendants, he could almost indirectly create a knowledgeable Low-level Soul Master.
"Can it be analyzed?"
Fan Yu knew it was wishful thinking, but his curiosity toward the unknown still made him ask.
"If Teacher wants the academy to go bankrupt, then you can launch this project. Those were Chen Fu's exact words. The Battle Soul Instrument's core component is this card, named [Soul Core]."
Taking the Battle Soul Instrument from Fan Yu, Ma Xiaotao removed a square chip of unknown metal, two centimeters on each side, from its inner compartment.
"All the Soul Tool programs contained in the Battle Soul Instrument's framework exist to serve this card."
The large seal inscription of the character [qilin] dispelled Fan Yu's thoughts of analyzing it. Over the past three or four years, the Soul Tool Academy had gathered the strength of all its teachers and students, yet they had only successfully analyzed one of Chen Fu's Soul Tools—and that one had not borne the [qilin] seal inscription.
Anything with the [qilin] seal inscription had Soul Tool circuits layered over one another inside it. Some even shared a single circuit and operated through staggered intervals... They could barely understand such things even without a seal, let alone with a self-destruct seal whose cost of trial and error was extraordinarily high.
In terms of strength, Fan Yu was certain he could slap that little thing to death. But in terms of technology, ever since Chen Fu had fashioned [Ark], freed from the restrictions of Soul Power, he had reached a level the academy could not comprehend.
"How would the cooperation work?"
"Chen Fu provides the [Soul Core], while the academy is responsible for manufacturing the Battle Soul Instruments."
Although Chen Fu's approach was intended to reduce the computational burden on Youlan, the Technology Throne, it had to be said...
"What a clever fellow."
Fan Yu rubbed the chip in his hand and remarked with a smile.
Thanks to Po Bing and reader ending in 3179 for the monthly tickets, and thanks to all my good brothers for your support.
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