Experimental Subject No. 1

The next day, Xiao Hongchen was summoned by Jing Hongchen.

The two walked through Mingde Hall's corridors and finally stopped in front of a massive metal door.

The door was about five meters tall and more than three meters wide. Its surface was covered in complex array patterns. By its specifications alone, it was already beyond the scope of an ordinary Soul Tool.

Jing Hongchen clasped his hands behind his back and turned to look at Xiao Hongchen.

"Guess what's inside?"

Jing Hongchen had been summoned by Kong Deming the day before and given a stern dressing-down, but he had also learned about the invention of the Sealed Milk Bottle and Xiao Hongchen's ingenious idea for a Humanoid Soul Tool.

With the Sealed Milk Bottle, there would be no problem supplying energy to Experimental Subject No. 1. That left only the question of how to control it.

He estimated that only a spiritual-type Soul Master at the Titled Douluo level or above could operate it. He had been at his wits' end, but then his grandson suddenly awakened a spiritual-type Martial Soul. It was like finding a village after stumbling through dark willows.

His concept was the complete opposite of Xiao Hongchen's.

He wanted the Humanoid Soul Tool to play a decisive role on the battlefield. Naturally, the bigger it was, the greater the intimidation it would inspire.

His grandson's idea of shrinking it down into armor, on the other hand, focused more on bringing out an individual's strengths.

It simply hadn't occurred to him how formidable a team of Soul Engineers would be if every member was equipped with a compact Humanoid Soul Tool.

He had brought Xiao Hongchen along to see what suggestions he might have for this enormous machine and to let him get familiar with it. After all, he would be the one operating it later.

Xiao Hongchen looked over the door, his expression unchanged.

"Mingde Hall's ultimate research project?"

Jing Hongchen laughed heartily.

"That's right. This is the result of decades of research at Mingde Hall. It was already here before I became its master."

He turned back and entered a string of numbers into the keypad beside the door, his voice steady.

"See for yourself."

The massive metal door slowly opened, its deep rumble echoing down the corridor.

Beyond it lay a laboratory more than a hundred meters in diameter and thirty meters high.

At the center of the laboratory stood a gigantic humanoid metal construct, fully fifteen meters tall. Its immense body was made entirely of metal. It looked a little crude, but its overall structure was complete.

Its chest was open, and something like a seat could be seen inside.

Even though Xiao Hongchen had been prepared, he was still stunned when he stood at its feet.

The thing was fifteen meters tall. Standing beside its feet, he truly felt like an ant.

If he could operate this thing, he'd gladly be emperor.

It was just a little ugly, but it wasn't even a finished prototype yet. The exterior could be dealt with later.

"How is it, Xiao?" Jing Hongchen strolled over to his side. "How does it compare to your Battle Armor? The key is, Experimental Subject No. 1 is almost complete, while your Battle Armor is still just an idea."

"It's pretty impressive."

Xiao Hongchen nodded. He meant it.

He quietly extended his Spiritual Power and carefully sensed how the arrays were arranged across Experimental Subject No. 1.

He paused in surprise. There were thousands of Core Arrays.

Their level of intricacy far exceeded his expectations, and he had never even heard of the designs behind many of them. Just scanning over them, he could sense the terrifying density of energy they contained.

He estimated that if this thing were truly completed, it would probably be no weaker than a Level-Ten Soul Tool.

"Any thoughts?"

"Thoughts..." Xiao Hongchen withdrew his Spiritual Power and considered it. "None, really. Just finish it step by step. As for the size, I think it could be even bigger. The bigger it is, the more intimidating it'll be. And I'm confident I can operate it."

He paused, then pulled a piece of Thousand-Refined Red Gold Copper he had forged the day before from his sleeve and handed it to Jing Hongchen.

"But there is something I'd like you to look at, Grandpa. It's about the materials."

Jing Hongchen took it and turned it over in his hand, raising his brows slightly.

"Its hardness and malleability are both far greater than ordinary red gold copper. How did you do it?"

Xiao Hongchen briefly described his attempt in Xuan Ziwen's laboratory the previous day.

Jing Hongchen fell silent for a moment.

His expression was exactly the same as Xuan Ziwen's after hearing the story the day before. Then something he could barely restrain slowly welled up in his eyes.

He looked at Xiao Hongchen again, his gaze burning more intensely.

"Xiao, can you refine large quantities of metal to this level of purity?" He gripped the piece of red gold copper, lowering his voice. "If the Core Arrays in Experimental Subject No. 1 could be carved from this metal, we could reduce their size by at least thirty percent, and their strength would improve by a whole order of magnitude."

"That would be difficult." Xiao Hongchen cut him off, his tone even. "Grandpa, I have to keep up with my cultivation, and Thousand Refinement takes quite a bit out of me. I also have to prioritize the Battle Armor research. I can only provide a limited amount for Experimental Subject No. 1, so I'm afraid I can't meet your expectations."

Jing Hongchen realized he had gotten carried away. He coughed and reined in his excitement.

"Then keep your focus on cultivation first. You mustn't put the cart before the horse."

"It's not quite that simple," Xiao Hongchen said. "Research on Experimental Subject No. 1 matters, too. What I can promise now is at least twenty kilograms of Thousand-Refined metal a week. As my cultivation improves, I'll keep increasing the amount."

"Twenty kilograms a week..."

Jing Hongchen furrowed his brows slightly. Given the size of Experimental Subject No. 1, twenty kilograms was a drop in the ocean. Still, some was better than none. Besides, no one else could produce metal of this purity.

"All right." He nodded.

Xiao Hongchen took out a blueprint he had prepared in advance and handed it over.

"There's one more thing, Grandpa. I hope the Experimental Subject No. 1 I operate from now on will look like this."

Just as he had done for Xuan Ziwen, Xiao Hongchen showed Jing Hongchen his ideal design for Experimental Subject No. 1's appearance.

Jing Hongchen glanced at the blueprint and agreed at once. The exterior's appearance wouldn't have much effect on its performance, and his grandson's design was quite impressive. So the appearance of Experimental Subject No. 1, which had been in development for decades, was settled just like that.

He looked at the open cockpit and asked,

"Want to climb in and take a look?"

Xiao Hongchen answered with action. He sprang up, using the protruding structures on Experimental Subject No. 1 as footholds, and scrambled up to its chest in a few quick bounds before climbing inside.

The interior was more spacious than it looked from the outside. A seat was installed in the center, with array panels densely packed on either side.

Xiao Hongchen sat down and pressed the button beside him. The cockpit entrance slowly sealed shut, the low rumble of the metal door closing echoing through the cabin.

The screen before him lit up, unfolding a panoramic view of the outside. The entire laboratory came clearly into view.

Xiao Hongchen stared at the most prominent Core Array node before him and tentatively fed a wisp of Spiritual Power into it.

Just one second later, he severed the connection.

In that second, he had experienced what true devouring felt like. The array was a bottomless pit. His Spiritual Power poured into it and was instantly drained by a huge amount.

But during that same second, he had felt as though he had become Experimental Subject No. 1 itself.

The fifteen-meter metal giant had felt like an extension of his own body. The sensation lasted only a second, but it left a deep impression on him.

At some point, Jing Hongchen had climbed up as well. He opened the cockpit.

"The drain was much heavier than I expected. With my current reserves of Spiritual Power, I'd be lucky if I could make it move even once."

"Good thing you cut the connection quickly." Jing Hongchen interrupted him, lowering his voice. "The previous test subject was a Level 8 Soul Engineer. He activated it for a little over ten seconds before passing out. He nearly became a vegetable and spent three months in bed before he recovered."

"What level are you even? Do you know what you were doing just now?"

"...Sorry, sorry." Xiao Hongchen rubbed the back of his head, sounding genuinely sheepish. "Grandpa, I was curious. Once I sat inside, I couldn't help wanting to try it."

"Don't do it again."