Second-Order Soul Tool: Air-Locking Cube

"Very good." Ice Empress nodded with satisfaction. "Only an Ultimate attribute can suppress another Ultimate attribute, and an Ultimate attribute Martial Soul is not so easy to find. At your current level, almost no one can pierce your defense. Considering that this soul skill of yours is a five-thousand-year one, even a Soul Grandmaster would find it difficult to break through your defense."

"However, Ultimate Ice has one issue," Snow Empress added from the side. "While Ultimate Ice certainly possesses excellent defensive power and powerful control capabilities, it is not particularly outstanding in terms of offense. There is, however, a way to significantly enhance the offensive power of Ultimate Ice. Since you possess the Ultimate Ice attribute, if you absorb an Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone, you could learn a soul skill called Ice Explosion. It allows the user to manipulate ice-attribute soul power to detonate, causing massive damage."

"So it's Ice Explosion," Kong Bo said. "That just means finding a way to trigger an ice soul power explosion, right? Can't you do it, Sister Ice Empress? If you know how, you could demonstrate it for me and then teach me, couldn't you?"

"Me? I don't know how." Upon hearing Xu Tianran's question, Ice Empress shook her head hurriedly. "Ice Explosion is innate to our race, but I... I really don't know how to do it." Ice Empress smiled sheepishly at this moment.

"A soul skill is just a different form of circulation," Kong Bo said. "How about this, Sister Ice Empress? I'll give you a few soul guidance devices. Could you find an Ice Jade Scorpion and use these instruments to record their soul power circulation paths, then bring them back? I can study them."

"You can study this?" Ice Empress looked at Kong Bo in surprise.

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" Kong Bo said. "Things like this are always worth a try."

"Fine, Kong Bo, you always come up with new tricks," Ice Empress said. "You go prepare the soul guidance devices, and I'll go record it."

Ice Empress headed to the Far North. After Kong Bo advanced to a Great Soul Master, there were still many things to do; upgrading his Moon Shuttles was one of them. As a Soul Master, Kong Bo could only operate two Moon Shuttles, but now that he had advanced to a Great Soul Master, he could control four. Kong Bo planned to upgrade the original two first, then forge two more second-tier Moon Shuttles.

After finishing the upgrades, Kong Bo thought to himself, Upgrading the Moon Shuttles and then using them as my advancement soul guidance devices is a bit too boring. I need to come up with something creative. I've got it! I'll make this!

The second-tier soul guidance device Kong Bo wanted to make was called the "Air-Locking Cube." It was a control-type soul guidance device, one of the magical items Kong Bo had modified from Dottore. When Dottore ambushed Columbina, he had used this "Air-Locking Cube" to trap her.

Kong Bo spent another day fully grasping the principles of the "Air-Locking Cube." Once he had designed the schematic, he prepared to take the second-tier soul guidance master exam. For this assessment, he would have to find Lin Jiayi again.

"Director Lin, hello." One morning, Kong Bo knocked on the door of Lin Jiayi's office. "I am here to take the qualification certification for a second-tier soul guidance master. I wonder if you have time now?"

"Oh, Kong Bo, you're here to test for second-tier soul guidance master? I'll take you to the exam right now!" Lin Jiayi said. "Are you going to use the Moon Shuttles this time? Did you succeed in upgrading them?"

Kong Bo replied, "Director, as you said, the most important thing for a soul guidance master is design, and I can't just rely on the Moon Shuttles forever. The upgrade was successful, but I don't intend to use the Moon Shuttles for this exam."

As he spoke, Kong Bo took a triangular object out of his storage bracelet. With a thought, the object transformed into four Moon Shuttles, which began to dance around his body.

"Oh my, you really did upgrade them into second-tier soul guidance devices." Lin Jiayi sensed the soul power energy of each Moon Shuttle. "You aren't planning to use these for the exam?"

"No, Director," Kong Bo said. "As a soul guidance master, I must bring out something new to be worthy of the title. A soul guidance master is a person, not just a machine that manufactures soul guidance devices."

"Exactly, very well said." The two had arrived at the testing grounds by then. After Lin Jiayi swiped his card, they entered. "Kong Bo, what kind of soul guidance device are you testing?"

Kong Bo replied, "It is a control-type soul guidance device designed to trap people in one place. Director, my current abilities are mainly focused on offense and defense, so I lack control. I intend to use this soul guidance device to make up for that deficiency."

Although Kong Bo's second soul skill was of the Ultimate Ice attribute, "Frost Moon Protection" was a defensive skill and naturally lacked control capabilities. Kong Bo felt he needed a soul guidance device to compensate for this.

"Is it a control-type device?" Lin Jiayi pressed a few buttons, and a metal door opened, revealing a four-wheeled cart the size of a small mannequin, equipped with a drill.

Lin Jiayi introduced it: "This is our device for testing control-type soul guidance devices. The drill on top can simulate the attacks of soul masters at different levels. You just need to use your device to restrain it; if it fails to break through your device within a certain amount of time, you pass. I will input soul power into this dummy and adjust its attack intensity. Once you are ready, just use your device to cover it."

"Yes, Director."

After Lin Jiayi adjusted the soul guidance dummy, Kong Bo took out a small silver sphere. After infusing it with soul power, he threw it toward the dummy. The sphere expanded in mid-air into a silver-white light barrier, encasing the dummy.

"Director, I am ready," Kong Bo said.

"Good." Lin Jiayi nodded and pressed the remote control. "This dummy's strength is now equivalent to a level 21 Soul Master. Its drill will now attack your device with the full force of a level 21 Soul Master. If you can hold out for two minutes, you pass."

The dummy's drill began to bore into the soul power barrier generated by the Air-Locking Cube, but the barrier remained unmoved. After nearly two minutes of drilling, the containment barrier remained completely intact.

Lin Jiayi nodded with satisfaction. "Congratulations, Kong Bo. Your device has passed the test. It is a second-tier soul guidance device, which proves you have become a second-tier soul guidance master."

At this moment, Kong Bo said, "Director, since you have time, I would like to test the limits of this device. Would that be alright?"

"Of course," Lin Jiayi said. He pressed the remote control a few times, increasing the dummy's attack intensity. It wasn't until it reached level 26 that the soul barrier was finally pierced.