Generally speaking, Soul Engineer students took their level exams by making a Soul Tool to meet the requirements. The Soul Tool they planned to use in battle was something they built separately, taking much longer to finish.
But Kong Bo had no intention of doing that. He didn't care about the efficiency of taking the exam; he only cared about the quality of his Soul Tool. His Moon Shuttle in particular was no ordinary Soul Tool. He would control it directly with his Three Moons Martial Soul.
The materials for a Soul Tool like this, which bordered on a "lifebound Soul Tool," were very expensive. The control arrays inside the Moon Shuttle especially required an alloy made by fusing two different kinds of rare metal. Kong Deming had personally taught Kong Bo how to smelt that alloy.
Compared with other Soul Engineers, Kong Bo's Moon Shuttle was taking an exceptionally long time to make. First, he spent nearly a week drawing up the complete designs for all eight Moon Shuttles. Then he spent a day crafting the first one, and another day making the second.
By Kong Bo's calculations, there were eight Moon Shuttles in all. At the Soul Master level, he could control two. For every major level he advanced, he could control two more. Of course, each time he advanced a major level, the Moon Shuttles he already controlled would also need to be upgraded.
For example, at the Soul Master level, each of Kong Bo's Moon Shuttles had a power of one, and he could control two, for a total power of 1 × 2. At the Soul Grandmaster level, he would need to upgrade them. Each Moon Shuttle's power could then rise to two or three, making the total 2 × 4 or 3 × 4. At the Soul Elder level, it would be 4 × 6 or 6 × 6, with six Moon Shuttles. And so on. With every major level, the combined power of the Moon Shuttles would increase geometrically.
Once the two Moon Shuttles were finished, Kong Bo summoned his Three Moons Martial Soul and imprinted them with its mark. Then he held out his right hand and clenched his fist. The two Flying Shuttles folded into a Mechanical Triangle roughly thirty centimeters to a side, making them easy to carry. If he ran into a fight, he could simply take them out of his Storage Bracelet.
"Your Moon Shuttle is wonderfully ingenious," Kong Deming said. "Come, let your great-grandfather see how powerful it is."
Kong Bo summoned his Three Moons Martial Soul. Three moons began circling around him. Then he took the Mechanical Triangle out of his Storage Bracelet, and it immediately resonated with his Martial Soul.
Kong Deming nodded with satisfaction. "Good. It seems that, in its design, your Soul Tool can hold its own against your great-grandfather's Silver Moon Divine Light Shield. And there's something else I want to praise you for, grandson: you prepare thoroughly before making a Soul Tool, and you take its design seriously. That's excellent. If your crafting skills are good but you have no ideas of your own, then you're just a dull Soul Engineer. You have to put your soul into it."
"You're right, Grandpa," Kong Bo said.
"Come on, let me see what this genius design of yours can do in a fight," Kong Deming said.
Kong Bo focused his thoughts, channeling the Soul Power of his Three Moons Martial Soul into the triangle. The Mechanical Triangle transformed into two Moon Shuttles. Then, using his Martial Soul as an intermediary, Kong Bo controlled them through his Three Moons Martial Soul, sending the pale-blue shuttles flying through the air at various speeds.
Using a Martial Soul to control a Soul Tool not only protected him from Mental Interference, but also improved transmission efficiency. When a Soul Engineer made a Soul Tool that resonated with their Martial Soul and then controlled it with that Martial Soul, it was as natural as moving a limb.
"So they're two flying swords," Kong Deming said. "My dear great-grandson, you'll be very popular with the girls when you compete in Soul Fighting."
"I'm more concerned with how well the Soul Tool performs in battle," Kong Bo said. "Grandpa, take a look at this too!" He pointed toward a target. The two Moon Shuttles fired pale-blue Soul Guidance Rays and hit it.
"They can even function as Soul Guidance Cannons? Hahahaha, this Soul Tool is incredible!" Kong Deming's grin was impossible to suppress. "Go find your academy's director tomorrow and take the exam. He's in charge of the students' Soul Engineer level assessments."
"Yes, Grandpa," Kong Bo replied.
"Kong Bo." Kong Deming gently patted his head. "I heard you spent every day at school recently drawing the designs for these Flying Shuttles. You're still a child. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Children ought to be happy and carefree. There's no need to push yourself so hard."
"You're right, great-grandfather," Kong Bo said.
There was nothing he could do about it. Kong Bo's soul belonged to an adult, and spending every day with children left him with little in common with them. Reading about Soul Tools or studying the memories Dottore had left in his mind was far more interesting.
I'm only six. It wouldn't be right to go looking for pretty girls yet, would it? Kong Bo thought. When I'm older, I can make a point of saying I'm fond of beautiful women. Otherwise, I'll go mad myself. I may be trying to become Dottore, but I can't go completely insane like the Doctor.
There was one more function of the Moon Shuttle that Kong Bo hadn't told Kong Deming about: it could shrink down and serve as an engraving knife. Compared with wielding a knife by hand, his Moon Shuttle could resonate with his Three Moons Martial Soul, allowing him to work with far greater precision. It was practically a Douluo Continent version of a photolithography machine.
After spending two days making his Soul Tool, Kong Bo went to school with his backpack on the third day. He headed straight to Director Lin Jiayi's office and knocked. A middle-aged man's voice came from within. "Come in." Kong Bo opened the door and entered the office. A short, stout, middle-aged man was seated at his desk, reviewing documents. He was Lin Jiayi, the director of studies at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
Lin Jiayi set down his pen and looked up. "Well, Kong Bo, what can I do for you?"
"Hello, Director." Kong Bo bowed respectfully to Lin Jiayi. "I'd like to take the exam for a first-tier Soul Engineer. I heard you're in charge of that."
"You... you want to take the first-tier Soul Engineer exam?" Lin Jiayi stared at Kong Bo in astonishment. "You've only just started at the academy, and you already want to take the exam? Your big brother Xiao Hongchen didn't take it until he was at Soul Power level fifteen."
"Yes," Kong Bo replied. "My great-grandfather taught me some things when I was little, and I found them pretty interesting, so I kept listening. Then I drew up some designs myself and showed them to him. He gave me advice on how to improve them, and now I've made something."
"Good. Then let's see how your Soul Tool turned out. Heh, the Sun River's waves are always lapping at the shore!" Lin Jiayi rose from his chair, ready to take Kong Bo to the Soul Tool testing grounds.
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