Experimental Subject No. 1

The next day, Jing Hongchen summoned Xiao Hongchen.

The two walked through the corridors of Mingde Hall, eventually stopping before a massive metal door.

The door stood about five meters high and over three meters wide, its surface densely covered in complex array patterns. In terms of specifications alone, this door was already beyond the reach of ordinary soul tools.

Jing Hongchen stood with his hands behind his back, turned his head, and glanced at Xiao Hongchen.

"Guess what's inside?"

Jing Hongchen had been summoned by Kong Deming yesterday to be lectured, but through that, he had learned of the invention of the Sealed Milk Bottle and Xiao Hongchen's ingenious concept for a Humanoid Soul Tool.

With the Sealed Milk Bottle, the energy supply for his Experimental Subject No. 1 was no longer an issue; the only remaining problem was the matter of control.

He had estimated that at least a Title Douluo-level spirit-type Soul Engineer would be required to operate it. He had been at his wit's end, but his grandson had suddenly awakened a spirit-type martial soul—it was as if he had found a new path through the darkness.

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

He wanted the Humanoid Soul Tool to play a decisive role on the battlefield; naturally, the larger it was, the greater the deterrent force it would project.

His grandson's idea of shrinking it into armor focused more on maximizing individual advantages.

However, he hadn't considered how formidable a team of Soul Engineers, all equipped with small-scale Humanoid Soul Tools, would be.

He brought Xiao Hongchen here today to see if he had any suggestions for this behemoth, and to let him familiarize himself with it, as it would eventually be handed over to him anyway.

Xiao Hongchen examined the door, his expression calm.

"The ultimate research product of Mingde Hall?"

Jing Hongchen laughed heartily.

"Spot on. This is the result of decades of research at Mingde Hall; it existed long before I became the Hall Master."

He turned back, entered a string of numbers into the keypad beside the door, and said steadily:

"Prepare to be amazed."

The heavy metal door opened slowly, a low, rumbling sound echoing through the corridor.

Inside was a laboratory, over a hundred meters in diameter and thirty meters high.

In the center of the laboratory stood a massive humanoid metal construct, reaching a height of fifteen meters. Its enormous body was cast entirely from metal; while it looked somewhat crude, the overall structure was complete.

The chest area was open, revealing what appeared to be a seat inside.

Even though Xiao Hongchen had mentally prepared himself, the moment he stood at its feet, he was still struck with awe.

This thing was fifteen meters tall; standing at its feet, he truly felt like an ant.

If he could pilot this thing, he would be willing to become an emperor.

It was a bit ugly, but it wasn't even a prototype yet; the exterior shell could be dealt with later.

"How is it, Xiao?" Jing Hongchen paced to his side. "How does it compare to your Battle Armor? The key is that Experimental Subject No. 1 is nearly finished, while your Battle Armor is still stuck in the conceptual stage."

"It is indeed quite impressive."

Xiao Hongchen nodded, and he meant it.

He quietly spread his spiritual power outward, carefully sensing the distribution of the arrays on Experimental Subject No. 1.

He paused slightly; there were thousands of core arrays.

Moreover, the precision far exceeded his expectations, and a significant portion of the array structures were ones he had never heard of. Just by scanning them, he could feel the terrifying energy density contained within.

He calculated in his mind that if this thing were truly completed, it would likely be no less powerful than a Level 10 soul tool.

"Any thoughts?"

"As for thoughts..." Xiao Hongchen withdrew his spiritual power and thought for a moment. "I have no particular thoughts; just follow the plan and complete it step by step. As for the size, I actually think it could be even larger—the bigger it is, the stronger the deterrent. I am also confident regarding the control aspect."

He paused, reached into his sleeve, pulled out a piece of Thousand-Refined Red Gold Copper he had forged yesterday, and handed it to Jing Hongchen.

"However, regarding the materials, Grandfather, take a look at this."

Jing Hongchen took it, examined it in his hand, and his brows lifted slightly.

"The hardness and ductility are significantly higher than ordinary Red Gold Copper. How did you do this?"

Xiao Hongchen gave a rough explanation of his attempt in Xuan Ziwen's laboratory yesterday.

Jing Hongchen fell silent for a moment after listening.

His expression was identical to the one Xuan Ziwen had worn the day before. Then, something irrepressible began to well up from the depths of his eyes.

He looked at Xiao Hongchen again, his gaze burning with intensity.

"Xiao, can you purify metal to this level in large quantities?" He squeezed the piece of Red Gold Copper in his hand, his voice dropping an octave. "If the core arrays of Experimental Subject No. 1 could be carved using this metal, the volume could be reduced by at least thirty percent, and the strength would see a qualitative leap."

"It is difficult." Xiao Hongchen interrupted him, his tone steady. "Grandfather, I must prioritize my cultivation, and the consumption for Thousand-Refining is not small. I also have to prioritize the research on the Battle Armor. The amount I can provide for Experimental Subject No. 1 is limited; I fear I cannot meet your expectations."

Jing Hongchen realized he had lost his composure, coughed, and suppressed his emotions.

"Then you should still prioritize your cultivation; you must not put the cart before the horse."

"It won't come to that," Xiao Hongchen said. "The research on Experimental Subject No. 1 is equally important. What I can guarantee for now is providing at least twenty kilograms of Thousand-Refined metal per week. As my cultivation improves, the quantity will continue to increase."

"Twenty kilograms per week..."

Jing Hongchen frowned slightly. Given the sheer mass of Experimental Subject No. 1, twenty kilograms was truly a drop in the bucket, but having something was better than nothing—especially since no one else could produce metal of this purity.

"Fine." He nodded.

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

"There is one more thing, Grandfather. I hope that the Experimental Subject No. 1 I pilot will look like this."

Just as he had provided to Xuan Ziwen, Xiao Hongchen presented Jing Hongchen with the appearance he envisioned for Experimental Subject No. 1.

Jing Hongchen glanced at the blueprint and agreed. The appearance of the outer shell had little impact on performance, and since the design his grandson provided was quite dashing, the look of the Experimental Subject No. 1, which had been in development for decades, was settled just like that.

He looked at the open cockpit and spoke up.

"Want to go up and take a look?"

Xiao Hongchen answered with action, leaping up and stepping on the protruding structures of Experimental Subject No. 1, climbing to the chest cavity in a few swift movements before vaulting inside.

The space within was more spacious than it appeared from the outside, with a seat installed in the center and dense arrays of magic circle panels arranged on both sides.

Xiao Hongchen sat down in the seat and pressed the button beside him; the cockpit entrance slowly sealed shut, the low hum of the metal door closing echoing within the cabin.

The screen in front of him lit up, unfolding a panoramic view of the exterior, and the full scope of the laboratory was laid out clearly before him.

Xiao Hongchen stared at the most prominent core magic circle node in front of him and tentatively injected a wisp of spiritual power into it.

He severed the connection after only a second.

In that one second, he experienced what true devouring felt like. The magic circle was like a bottomless pit; as his spiritual power surged in, a large portion was instantly drained away.

Yet, in that same second, he felt as if he had become Experimental Subject No. 1 itself.

The fifteen-meter-tall metal giant felt like an extension of his own body. That sensation lasted only a second, but it left a deep mark on his heart.

Jing Hongchen had arrived at some point and opened the cabin door.

"The consumption is far greater than I anticipated. With my current spiritual power reserves, being able to move it even an inch would count as a success."

"It's a good thing you cut it off quickly." Jing Hongchen interrupted him, his voice dropping an octave. "The previous tester was an eighth-level Soul Engineer; he activated it for over ten seconds and fell into a coma immediately. He nearly became a vegetable and had to lie in bed for three months to recover."

"What level are you? Do you have any idea what you were doing just now?"

"...Sorry, sorry." Xiao Hongchen rubbed the back of his head, his tone carrying a genuine sense of guilt. "Grandfather, I was just curious. Once I sat inside, I couldn't help but want to try."

"Don't let it happen again."