He paused, then continued:
"But not the kind of Humanoid Soul Tool being researched now, which you have to enter ahead of time and which has a fixed form. What I want is a living Soul Tool, one that can be equipped at will, appearing when summoned and disappearing when dismissed."
Kong Deming didn't interrupt. He just listened quietly.
"The Humanoid Soul Tool currently being researched does have military applications, but it has one fundamental flaw: it's universal—or, in other words, designed for the majority."
"I believe a truly top-tier Humanoid Soul Tool should be customized for each Soul Master. More than that, the Soul Master must participate in its creation from start to finish."
"Why?" Kong Deming asked, his tone even, as if testing him.
"Because only by participating personally can the tool and its user form a genuine bond," Xiao Hongchen replied at once. "A tool made by someone else is still an external object. It'll always feel a little off when you use it. Only one you make yourself can be driven as you please, without any barrier between you."
He looked at Kong Deming.
"And the most crucial step is to make the metal recognize its master. The Soul Tool must remember its owner's Spiritual Power imprint, so that from then on, it responds only to its master's call and can be equipped in an instant, rather than requiring the user to enter it and make adjustments every time."
Xiao Hongchen paused, then stated his conclusion:
"I call this kind of Humanoid Soul Tool Battle Armor."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Kong Deming sat behind his desk, his fingers resting on its edge. He didn't move, only watched Xiao Hongchen as if digesting his words.
"Battle Armor? But we already have Soul Tool Armor. As you can see, though, it can barely raise someone's strength by one major rank. In a real fight, I'm afraid it wouldn't be a match for an opponent one rank higher."
"That's because the materials aren't good enough. With better metal, combined with the key technologies used in Humanoid Soul Tools, it could achieve much better results."
"Existing rare metals have almost no spirituality," Xiao Hongchen continued. "For Battle Armor to truly integrate with the body and be summoned at any time, the metal must reach an extremely high degree of purity. It must possess life, able to manifest in response to its master's thoughts."
He paused.
"And in this regard, I have an innate advantage. My Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul is naturally adept at manipulating metal. I can skip the process of repeated hammering usually needed to purify it, and use my Martial Soul's power to refine the metal directly, giving it spirituality—or bringing it close to that point."
After listening, Kong Deming lightly tapped the edge of the desk with one finger and spoke.
"That would be difficult, I'm afraid. I've never heard of a blacksmith giving metal a spirit, and naturally spiritual metal has almost never appeared. Can you really make metal reach that state? There have been plenty of Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul users in the Hongchen Family over the past several thousand years, but not one of them managed it."
"I'm different from my ancestors. I have Twin Martial Souls, and my Spiritual Power is far stronger than theirs. Naturally, I might be able to do it."
Of course, this was just Xiao Hongchen's excuse. His Brain Martial Soul did give him far greater Spiritual Power than an ordinary person, and it helped a little with imbuing metal with life, but it wasn't the key.
The key was the Blade of Life's Watch at the center of his forehead. If he transferred some of the life force within the Gold of Life into metal purified by the Three-Legged Golden Toad, there was a chance he could give it life. But Xiao Hongchen naturally wasn't going to say that.
Kong Deming paused slightly.
"Twin Martial Souls?"
He looked at Xiao Hongchen, his brow slowly furrowing. He'd heard from Jing Hongchen about this grandson: a metal-type Martial Soul, the Three-Legged Golden Toad, and outstanding talent. But this was the first time he'd heard about a Second Martial Soul.
"What Martial Soul?"
Xiao Hongchen said nothing more. Two pitch-black Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.
His Spiritual Power spread outward like a rising tide, and the air in the room trembled faintly.
Xiao Hongchen opened his eyes, his expression unchanged.
"The Brain Martial Soul. It's spirit-type."
For the first time, Kong Deming sat up straight behind his desk. He realized that Xiao Hongchen's Spiritual Power was already on the verge of reaching the tangible-yet-intangible realm. Combined with Soul Power that fluctuated at the Soul King level despite his having only two Soul Rings, there was no doubt.
He glanced at Xuan Ziwen, who looked just as astonished. Apparently, he'd only just found out too.
Kong Deming inwardly scoffed.
That damn Jing Hongchen.
Twin Martial Souls, one metal-type and one spirit-type—he'd kept a talent like this hidden away. Did he really think that a Soul Engineer as close to Level 10 as Kong Deming was less qualified than Xuan Ziwen to teach the boy?
Next time he saw that fellow, he'd make sure to settle the score.
He swallowed his irritation and looked back at Xiao Hongchen, his tone once again even.
"Metal manipulation and purification, with Spiritual Power driving the system..." he murmured, as if working something out. "The two hardest hurdles you mentioned for Battle Armor might actually be solvable in your case."
He paused, a note of genuine admiration in his voice.
"Jing Hongchen has raised himself a fine grandson."
Xiao Hongchen didn't follow that line of conversation. He simply asked:
"So, Elder Kong, do you think my idea could be realized at this stage?"
Though Xiao Hongchen spoke with confidence, he knew the truth well enough.
He'd only read Legend of the Dragon King once in his previous life, and hadn't read a single fanfiction about Douluo III. To be honest, his understanding of Battle Armor was only skin-deep. He could sketch out the general idea, but he couldn't provide an actual design.
Then again, if Battle Armor really wasn't feasible, he'd have to go back to Mingde Hall and build that ten-meter-tall mecha.
Hmm, that didn't sound too bad either.
Kong Deming didn't answer immediately. He stayed silent for a moment, as if carefully weighing the matter.
"I've never heard of metal with a life of its own, but one thing is certain: if you can truly give metal independent consciousness, Battle Armor is entirely feasible," he finally said, his tone firm. "At least for you, it absolutely is."
Xiao Hongchen's eyes lit up at once.
"But don't get excited just yet." Kong Deming raised a hand, his tone turning serious. "We're still researching Humanoid Soul Tool technology. Battle Armor would be a huge step beyond that, and every hurdle in between is a serious challenge."
He held out his fingers and counted them off one by one.
"There's no precedent to refer to for making metal recognize its master and reside inside a Soul Master's body."
He looked at Xiao Hongchen, his tone steady.
"Without clearing that crucial hurdle, Battle Armor is nothing but empty talk. Besides, although your Spiritual Power is sufficient, we still haven't fully developed the mental control system needed to freely operate a Humanoid Soul Tool."
After listening, Xiao Hongchen didn't lose heart. Instead, his expression grew more intent.
"Then we'll have to start with the Humanoid Soul Tool and work our way up, step by step."
"Exactly." Kong Deming nodded. "If the foundation isn't solid, there's no point in building the tower higher."
He picked up the worn manuscript again and pushed it toward Xiao Hongchen.
"Study this thoroughly first. It contains years of my research experience with Humanoid Soul Tools, and it'll be directly useful to you."
Xiao Hongchen picked up the manuscript and leafed through it. The pages were densely covered in handwritten calculations. It was a priceless treasure—worth far more than even half the value of a Level 9 Soul Tool.
Hearing this, Xuan Ziwen's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.
He knew the weight of Elder Kong's manuscript. Xuan Ziwen had asked to borrow it before, but Kong Deming had never agreed—not once.
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