Ever since the Sun Moon Empire unified the Douluo Continent and established the Federation, nearly ten thousand years had passed.
Over those ten thousand years, Soul Guidance Technology had grown like wild grass.
At that moment, Eastsea City.
The sun sank toward the sea, a red line on the horizon, while evening winds swept across the waters after a thousand sails had passed.
Golden light shimmered across the sea. The breeze scattered it into a field of glittering gold.
The salty sea breeze swept through a seaside villa, followed the stairs downward, and finally stopped at the entrance to the basement.
The door was not quite shut. A thin line of light spilled through the gap, accompanied now and then by the clanging of metal.
The pounding was rhythmic, the clangs and clatters echoing through the spacious basement.
Several luxury cars were parked outside, but nobody paid them any attention.
They were the cheapest things in the entire basement.
At the workbench, a boy of about six, with short purplish-black hair, operated a powered forging hammer. It pounded up and down at high speed, repeatedly striking a metal billet.
Although the machine could only perform Hundred Refinement, that was more than enough for Xiao Mu.
He wore an oversized work jacket. Sparks flew and landed on his goggles like a swarm of fireflies rushing to escape.
"Hundred Refinement purification, complete. Too bad this machine can't perform Thousand Refinement. Still, I can use modern techniques to manufacture alloys by hand. The wheels of time keep turning, and who would've thought that even the most basic forging still had to be done by hand?"
Xiao Mu stopped and held a palm-sized piece of metal up to the light. Its surface gleamed with a dusky blue sheen.
He set the metal down, then dragged a box out from under the workbench. It was filled with a jumble of parts. The boy took out a piece of material for a Soul Guidance Core.
He examined it under the light and only let out a breath once he was sure it was fine.
After setting the core on the workbench, Xiao Mu brought over a machine—a laser engraver he had modified. It was a little underpowered, but the most important things in engraving a Soul Guidance Array were steady Soul Power and precise carving.
Clearly, a machine could handle both.
Even with a design exclusive to Battle Armor, the array was still the same array. The final adjustments were not the Mecha Manufacturer's job, anyway.
They belonged to the Mecha Repairman.
"I just haven't awakened my Martial Soul or gained Soul Power yet. Don't underestimate my godlike talent. This little obstacle won't stop me."
The laser soon fell silent. He had finished engraving the Soul Guidance Core.
"Xiao Mu, what are you making now?"
A gentle woman's voice came from the stairwell. High heels tapped against the concrete floor as a woman in a swaying emerald-green dress approached. Tap, tap, tap...
Xiao Mu did not even look up. His hands never stopped working.
"Mom, I'm making an energy core for a mecha. I've already read most of the material on mecha manufacturing. I'm sure I can build one."
He firmly believed that the poor relied on mutations, while the rich relied on technology.
In this era, Ling Zichen clearly had a lot to say on the subject—and she would still have plenty to say ten thousand years later.
That showed technology could hold its own anywhere.
Besides, his family specialized in contract manufacturing for the Federation's military. They already had plenty of advantages.
Ye Ran came closer and got a clear look at the metal. As a Mecha Designer, she could tell he had succeeded.
Judging by the Soul Guidance Array, it was a level-three Soul Guidance Core.
Xiao Mu had studied for a long time—nearly two years—but he had started learning before he had any Soul Power.
After all, there was no Wi-Fi or short-form videos on the Douluo Continent. As a transmigrator, Xiao Mu found that worse than death. In less than a month, he had learned what it meant to be driven mad and find yourself capable of anything.
He had finished studying everything about mecha manufacturing before awakening his Martial Soul. Ye Ran felt that, compared to her son, every other genius paled into insignificance.
The talented Soul Engineers from ten thousand years ago could surely have done the same if they had had these conditions.
"Xiao Mu, get up early tomorrow. It's time for your Martial Soul Awakening. Once you have Soul Power, you'll be able to study Soul Tools more effectively."
Ye Ran reminded him, afraid the boy might forget the most important thing.
"I know."
Xiao Mu's attitude toward Soul Tools was simple: Since I'm here, I might as well learn everything first.
The nearby En Ci, a Titled Douluo, had only started learning later. Xiao Mu wanted to finish all the theory before his Martial Soul Awakening.
It wasn't as if he had anything else to do. He was nearly bored sick.
In this era, there was no way to become a god. At most, one could break through a hundred levels of Soul Power after dealing with the abyss.
True immortality was impossible.
True godhood was impossible.
Flesh was frail; machines could ascend.
Xiao Mu removed the Soul Guidance Core and examined it beneath the ceiling light. The patterns were intact, the circuit was closed, and it gave off an uncanny glow.
He nodded, then slowly injected liquid Soul Guidance medium into the groove in the core.
The metal instantly lit up with a deep blue glow that shone from within the core and spread along the engraved patterns like blood vessels.
He took a deep breath and placed the core on a precision testing instrument. He connected two wires to either end, and the numbers on the screen began to jump.
It had worked.
Ye Ran watched Xiao Mu, unable to understand why her child was so interested in Soul Guidance Technology.
Everyone else looked forward to awakening their Martial Souls. Why did her son not care at all?
Wasn't Martial Soul Awakening important?
Her own Martial Soul was the Tree of Life, the same kind of Martial Soul as Zhuang Yusen of Shrek Academy ten thousand years ago.
His father's Martial Soul wasn't bad, either. Yet the boy had no expectations at all.
"Xiao Mu, aren't you curious about what your Martial Soul will be?" she couldn't help asking.
"There's nothing to be curious about. History has proven time and again that a powerful Martial Soul can be passed down to a child from their parents, but it's only a chance. There's also a very small chance of awakening a Trash Martial Soul."
Xiao Mu did not look up. He was clearly referring to Grandmaster Yu's case.
Despite reaching only level twenty-nine, he had broken through the barrier that had held him back past the age of fifty.
He continued, "Mom, once you understand something well enough, there's no reason you can't use it.
"The greatest difference between humans and beasts is that humans use tools.
"Once people mastered fire, they could use it to drive off beasts and roast raw meat. By shaping stone tools, they could chop hard materials and dig the earth. By weaving ropes and wicker baskets, they could store supplies and tie down heavy loads.
"All of it points to the importance of tools."
After hearing him out, Ye Ran didn't argue. She knew how much each small advance in technology had done to make life easier for humanity.
From the Soul Tools used in warfare ten thousand years ago to the civilian Soul Tools now in widespread use, the age kept moving forward.
"Then remember to come eat dinner at six. Our genius Soul Engineer can't go hungry."
With that final reminder, Ye Ran turned to leave. She covered her forehead, wondering if Xiao Mu would one day do something even worse than skipping meals.
"I know."
Xiao Mu said no more and returned to his research. The armor would soon be phased out anyway, since it was incompatible with his body size.
But he knew what the so-called gods of this world were. They were not beyond challenge.
They could bleed. They could be killed.
They were only people who lived longer and were stronger.
There was nothing worth worshipping about them.
Of course, useless things weren't worth worshipping, either.
He looked at the metallic finish before him, which reflected his face.
"Knowledge is power, and I already stand on the shoulders of giants."
"I will end the era of the Sea God!"