New Ideas for Battle

After wandering around Mingde Hall, it was already noon, but Xiao Hongchen did not leave.

After finishing a simple but fairly generous lunch delivered by the Mingde Hall staff in the laboratory's lounge, Xiao Hongchen immediately threw himself into his next task.

He was going to upgrade his specialty: a system for large-scale Soul Cannon bombardments.

He had already been able to control nearly eighty fourth-level Soul Cannons at once, but that was still far from the firepower suppression he envisioned.

Now that his Spiritual Power had increased dramatically, he estimated that he could control over a hundred Soul Cannons simultaneously, at least half of them fifth-level. This only strengthened his resolve to upgrade the arrays. His task now was to gradually upgrade the fourth-level Soul Guidance Arrays in his Soul Cannons to fifth-level ones.

For the entire afternoon, Xiao Hongchen was immersed in the laboratory. Using the Dark Gold Profound Blade as a tool, and combining the Three-Legged Golden Toad Martial Soul's extreme affinity for metal with the accelerated computational power granted by his Brain Martial Soul, he was completely absorbed in the world of soul guidance.

His school uniform was soaked with sweat, but he barely noticed. With every stroke of the carving knife, his control over the metal grew more precise.

Only when darkness had completely fallen outside and the Soul Guidance Lamps in the laboratory lit up automatically did Xiao Hongchen finally stop carving and let out a long breath.

"That's enough for today..."

In the short span of that afternoon, five fifth-level Soul Cannon Core Arrays, each glimmering faintly, had been neatly arranged on the workbench before him.

"Th-this is all your work from just one afternoon?" Xuan Ziwen had noticed Xiao Hongchen finish and walked over. He was once again stunned, disbelief written all over his face. Making Soul Guidance Core Arrays consumed immense amounts of Spiritual Power and Soul Power.

"Five fifth-level Core Arrays, with a hundred percent success rate, and each one more precisely crafted than the standard template. Xiao Hongchen, that speed and control of yours are practically cheating!"

Xiao Hongchen wiped the sweat from his forehead, a proud smile tugging at his lips. "What's so hard about that? I just followed the instructions. There's nothing innovative about it. Teacher, don't forget what they call me outside."

Xuan Ziwen opened his mouth, then closed it again. In the end, all he could do was sigh. "The Sun Moon Empire's number-one genius? You really are a monster, kid."

"A monster?" Xiao Hongchen raised an eyebrow. "I think your standards are just too low, Teacher Xuan."

"All right, enough joking around." Xuan Ziwen waved a hand, his expression returning to its usual seriousness, though a hint of expectation crept into his voice. "Even if you've used up a lot of energy this afternoon, you're still not allowed to be late tomorrow morning."

"Got it, Teacher Xuan." Xiao Hongchen flicked his hand. With a slight ripple of Soul Power, he precisely stored the five Core Arrays in his Storage Soul Tool. Then he bowed respectfully to his teacher.

With that, he did not linger. He turned and headed for the laboratory door. The Dark Gold Profound Blade spun deftly between his fingers before disappearing into his sleeve.

By the time he left Mingde Hall, darkness had completely settled in. The family's Soul Tool Vehicle was still waiting quietly at the academy gates.

When he returned to the Hongchen Family estate, the steward, Pin Hongchen, was already waiting at the entrance. As soon as he saw Xiao Hongchen return, he stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Young master, you're back. The first batch of rare metals has all been delivered to your room and sorted according to your instructions. Most of them are on the list, but a few metals will arrive two days late because of supply issues."

A trace of satisfaction flashed in Xiao Hongchen's eyes, and he nodded. "Thanks for the effort, Uncle Pin."

After dinner with his grandfather and younger sister, Xiao Hongchen gathered all the metal powder in his room into his Storage Soul Tool belt and went alone to the estate's rear courtyard.

The night air was cool as water. Bright moonlight spilled across the empty courtyard, and the neatly trimmed plants all around seemed especially still beneath its glow.

Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath and brushed a hand over his Soul Tool belt. With a faint hum of Soul Power, the various rare-metal powders appeared in neat rows before him.

He released both of his Martial Souls, and his First and Third Soul Skills lit up in succession.

His First Soul Skill, "Metal Control," greatly enhanced his affinity for metal and the precision of his control. His Third Soul Skill, "Gold Solidification," allowed him to instantly shape metal into any form.

Driven by his powerful Spiritual Power, the metal chunks on the ground rapidly broke apart into fine powder. Countless flecks of metal rose like obedient fireflies, slowly circling and dancing around him.

Xiao Hongchen was curious to test the limits of his current ability.

He kept taking more metal out of his Storage Soul Tool and turning it all into powder, gathering it together. Only when he felt a distinct strain on his Spiritual Power did he let all the powder fall back to the ground.

Using only his First and Third Soul Skills, he could currently control around five cubic meters of metal with reasonable stability. If he was merely wrapping something or crushing it, he could handle more, but in actual combat, he would need speed and precision, so the amount he could control would be considerably smaller.

Controlling the metal powder on the ground was much easier.

Xiao Hongchen swung his right hand forward. A metal torrent several times larger than before surged out at once, rushing like a tide toward a huge boulder and completely engulfing it.

"Sand Binding Coffin." He slowly curled his fingers, uttering the four words with a dramatic air. As soon as he finished speaking, the boulder wrapped in metal powder seemed to be crushed by an enormous hand. It instantly crumbled to dust, which pattered across the ground.

Xiao Hongchen raised his brows in satisfaction and opened his hand. The metal powder slid off the rubble like the ebbing tide, gathering again at his feet.

"But brute force alone isn't enough." He spoke to himself as he casually guided a small stream of metal powder out of the torrent. It quickly condensed in midair into a slender needle, which shot into a distant tree trunk and sank deep into the wood. Next, he split off another stream and, in the blink of an eye, wove it into a fine metal net. It opened and closed in midair, moving as nimbly as a part of his own body.

After that, Xiao Hongchen tested a new tactic: while using the metal torrent to sweep over an opponent, he would suddenly extend countless sharp metal spikes from within it, launching a surprise attack.

He also tested another use: forming a layer of hard metal around himself as an Absolute Defense. Under this defense, even a high-level Soul King of the Power Attack System could not break through. And that was without even considering how he could extend metal spikes from inside to counterattack.

There were simply too many ways to use metal control. He could only explore them bit by bit later. From the afternoon until now, the intense drain on his Spiritual Power had never let up. Even with his talent and physique, he was deeply exhausted.

Xiao Hongchen stretched his slightly sore body and turned toward the main house.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, a servant hurried over and bowed respectfully.

"Young master, you're back. The hot water is ready, and the master has prepared a medicinal bath for you. Please come with me."

Xiao Hongchen nodded and followed the servant to the bathhouse. The Hongchen Family was wealthy enough to rival a nation; in the original story, they had effortlessly spent one hundred and fifty million to buy the Snow Empress Embryo. The support they gave him and his sister, Meng Hongchen, was even more lavish.

When he opened the door, steam carrying a faint medicinal fragrance washed over him. The wide jade bath was filled with amber-colored liquid, with many precious spirit herbs floating on its surface.

He took off his clothes and slowly sank into the bath.

The warm medicinal liquid enveloped him at once. Stinging pain and soothing comfort mingled, quickly easing the fatigue brought on by the afternoon's intense Spiritual Power expenditure. The slight ache in his body also gradually faded under the medicine's nourishing effects.

Xiao Hongchen leaned against the edge of the bath, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.

"I gained quite a bit today..."

He had become Xuan Ziwen's personal disciple, found a way to upgrade the fifth-level arrays, and successfully completed his first metal-control experiment. He would keep getting stronger, one step at a time.

After his medicinal bath, Xiao Hongchen returned to his bedroom. The moment he lay down, a deep wave of exhaustion swept over him. He had barely stopped for a moment since dawn.

His consciousness quickly sank into darkness.