Luo Can's words precisely struck at the Ice Jade Scorpion's weak point.
Its crystal-clear eyes flickered with uncertain light, and after a long while, it spoke with some suspicion:
"You really... can help me survive the Heavenly Tribulation?"
"Of course," Luo Can said with certainty. "If you don't believe me, ask Xiong Da. It spent its Hundred Thousand Years Heavenly Tribulation here."
The Ice Jade Scorpion turned its head and looked at the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear beside it.
Xiong Dahan nodded his huge head naively. "I did survive the tribulation here. And there was no pressure."
"Then..." The Ice Jade Scorpion pondered for a moment, its tail hook swaying gently, "What do you want me to do for you?"
Luo Can smiled slightly, "It's simple, join my Fate Defying Valley."
"Impossible." Ice Jade Scorpion refused without hesitation. "I still need to guard the clan for Lord Ice Empress. Change your terms."
Luo Can continued to deliver information at a leisurely pace:
"But you can't go back now. After all, this place... is Ten Thousand Years."
"Varied--"
Ice Jade Scorpion froze completely.
"This... this can't be possible!"
"Scorpion, it's true," Xiong Da added in a deep voice. "I also come from Ten Thousand Years in the future. I was brought to this era by the boss using special methods."
"Hmm..."
The Little Scorpion slowly lowered its head, the light beneath its crystalline shell dimming slightly. The image of the Ice Empress flashed through its mind, along with her solemn words of entrustment before her departure—
"Protect my people."
But now... there's no going back.
Just as it was wallowing in despair, Luo Can spoke again, throwing out an even more tempting offer:
"I can also let you see Ice Empress."
"Real?!"
The Ice Jade Scorpion suddenly raised its head, its crystal eyes flashing with surprise.
"Mm." Luo Can nodded.
The Ice Jade Scorpion then slowly crawled across the ice and stopped in front of Luo Can.
"I can join the Fate Defying Valley," it said earnestly, "But only after I meet Ice Empress."
Luo Can extended his hand and made a fist. "Of course."
The Little Scorpion extended its icy pincers and gently touched Luo Can's fist. The touch was icy cold and hard, like touching a piece of fine Crystal.
"Then it's settled."
Luo Can withdrew his hand and looked at Xiong Da: "Take it to get familiar with the surroundings and arrange a place for it to stay."
"Well, leave it to me, boss." Xiong Dahan nodded, stretched out his huge paw, and placed it flat in front of the Ice Jade Scorpion.
Ice Jade Scorpion hesitated for a moment before climbing up. Its size appeared exceptionally small in Xiong Da's palm, like a delicate work of art.
Watching the bear and scorpion gradually disappear into the distance, Luo Can's lips curled into a smile.
I managed to swindle another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Not a bad deal.
[Ding! This Fishing has ended. Overall rating: Good+. Reward: 15,000 Points ]
[ Points: 600500]
Fishing time expired. Luo Can put away his fishing rod and glanced at his system Points.
"We're still 400,000 units away from the upgrade... we need to speed things up."
He stroked his chin, lost in thought.
It seems we'll have to resort to the " Decomposition Method " again.
Morning light bathed the valley.
Under Luo Can's orders, Qian Renxue took Ji Juechen away from the Fate Defying Valley and sent him to the Fate Defying Pavilion to wait for Dugu Bo to come and meet him.
Afterwards, she and Ju Zi brought the prototype of the first-generation Soul Tool Mecha back to the valley from the Soul Tool Hall.
In the clearing in the valley.
Ju Zi excitedly pulled Luo Can out of the disciple's courtyard. The four younger disciples, seeing this, curiously followed behind them.
The group arrived at the center of the open space and saw Qian Renxue hammering and banging on a huge metal object, her eyes full of excitement.
It was a silver-gray mecha nearly five meters tall, with smooth lines and a mechanical beauty. A huge power drive core was embedded in its chest, its surface covered with a specially made soul-guiding crystal that emitted a pale blue halo.
Below the chest is a fully enclosed cockpit with tightly closed doors, its surface engraved with fine protective runes.
The mecha is equipped with two retractable Level 4 Soul Guidance Cannon on its arms, a soul power shield generator on its right hand, and a triple-mounted Soul Guidance Ray emitter on its left. It also has two pairs of folding propulsion wings on its back, which are currently folded up on both sides of the fuselage.
The armor is thick and sturdy, with obvious cushioning structures at the joints, clearly taking into account both flexibility and protection in actual combat.
Qian Renxue was lying on one of the Soul Tool Cannon, carefully studying the Soul Tool Patterns on the cannon. When she saw Luo Can arrive, she jumped down lightly, her face flushed with excitement.
"Husband, this thing is really awesome!" She patted the mecha's lower leg armor, which made a dull metallic sound.
"Hmm." Luo Can nodded with a smile, walked around the mecha, and carefully observed every detail. " Ju Zi, has its power been tested?"
"We just finished debugging today, and haven't had time to test it yet," Ju Zi said, adjusting her glasses.
Just then, the four young apprentices arrived.
Ye Lingling, Dugu Yan, Tang Ya, and Xiao Xiao —four little heads huddled together, looking up at the enormous metal giant with wide, staring eyes.
"Master... Master..." Xiao Xiao stammered, her mouth agape. "What... what is this?"
" Soul Tool Mecha," Luo Can explained with a smile, "Combat machines powered by Soul Tool Technology."
He glanced at Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan, a mischievous glint in his eyes:
"Interested in... testing this big guy?"
Ye Lingling's eyes lit up, and she almost instantly raised her hand:
"Think!"
Dugu Yan rubbed her hands together, her face clearly saying, "I want to play."
"Okay, there's a chance for everyone." Luo Can nodded with a smile. "Then let Lingling go into the cockpit first."
"Yes!"
Ye Lingling responded and ran to the foot of the mecha, starting to climb up using both hands and feet. Seeing this, Qian Renxue smiled and helped her up, leading her to the cockpit entrance.
Under Ju Zi's guidance, Ye Lingling quickly became familiar with the operating procedures. They were not complicated, mainly involving mental connection and basic action commands. The little girl learned very quickly and mastered most of them in less than fifteen minutes.
The cockpit doors slowly closed.
Ju Zi returned to Luo Can's side and began explaining the detailed parameters of the mecha:
"This prototype is designed for Spirit Master from Soul Grandmaster to Soul Elder. Its core driver incorporates a High-Energy Soul Power Crystal, which minimizes the pilot's soul power consumption."
"Its main weapons are two Level 4 Energy-Gathering Soul Cannon, which can be fired instantly or charged to full power. At full power, their power is comparable to that of Level 5 Soul Cannon."
"Although it's a weakened version of that 'original' Soul Tool Mecha, its output capability far surpasses that of a typical Power Attack System Spirit King. Moreover, its endurance is very strong; it can fight continuously for half an hour at full energy."
As she explained, Ye Lingling began to control the mecha.
At first, it was just simple raising of hands and feet, and the movements were a bit stiff, but soon, the mecha's movements became smooth and natural, running, jumping, turning, and even briefly hovering at low altitude.
The usually quiet and well-behaved little girl was now like a frolicking husky, controlling the five-meter-tall metal giant as it ran around in the open space, having a great time.
Especially after receiving Luo Can's "attack test" order, Ye Lingling excitedly operated the mecha, aiming the two Soul Tool Cannon at a distant, uninhabited area.
Boom boom boom--!
A beam of soul power shot out, blasting hundreds of charred craters of varying sizes into the ground. Smoke and dust filled the air, and the aftershocks of the energy shook the surrounding trees.
Dugu Yan was watching from the sidelines, stared wide-eyed and stomped her feet in envy. Even Tang Ya and Xiao Xiao showed expressions of longing, as if they wanted to try it too.
If Ye Lingling hadn't exhausted her mental energy and crawled out of the cockpit with a pale face, she probably could have played for another half an hour.
"Master... Master..." she gasped for breath, but her eyes sparkled, "It's so... fun..."
"Rest if you're tired." Luo Can rubbed her head and looked at Dugu Yan, who was already impatient. "Next, Yanzi."
"I'm here--!"
Dugu Yan cheered and practically leaped into the cockpit.
Watching "Husky Goose" start to frolic, Luo Can smiled helplessly and turned to ask Ju Zi:
"If the design is finalized and mass production is desired... how many units can be produced per month?"