Kong Bo heard Yang Qing's curses but didn't get angry. Instead, he tilted his head. "Oh my, if you Evil Soul Masters call me a devil and a lunatic, should I be happy? It's an endorsement of my research results."
"An endorsement? You devil!" Yang Qing shouted. "Zandik, kill me! Hurry up and kill me!"
"Oh." Kong Bo shook his head. "Quite the opposite. If an experimental subject dies too soon, all my expectations come to nothing. Then I won't obtain the knowledge I'm seeking, and that would be terribly disappointing."
Then Kong Bo said, "Oh, where were we? Right. We've finished talking about the good things, so let me tell you about the cost of modifying your body—or rather, what I want from you. Now that you're much stronger, naturally I'll need to collect some payment."
Kong Bo pointed at a device shaped like a spire. At its base, several cables connected to two enormous tanks. "Look, that's a Spirit Condenser, a Soul Tool that provides computing power. Basically, it simulates a hot brain. But every machine needs fuel to run. I don't want much—just your computing power. Besides, a Soul Master as obsessed with fighting as you has no use for his brain anyway."
"You can't do this..." Yang Qing hadn't finished speaking when Kong Bo pressed a button. Yang Qing felt as if his brain had been torn apart. He was like a lone boat trapped in a whirlpool. Before long, he stopped screaming and passed out.
Kong Bo shook his head. "Sigh, why did I get so little computing power? Looks like I should keep him stored long-term in a nutrient solution, so he can provide a steady stream of computing power."
"Kid, take things one bite at a time," Electrolux said. "But I'll give you this: you're one ruthless bastard. Tsk, tsk, tsk, you actually thought of stitching humans and Soul Beasts together. That must've been your own idea, right?"
Kong Bo nodded. "Yes, Elder Yi. Mr. Dottore's research notes and findings were from another world. Different worlds have different laws, so I naturally couldn't just copy his work wholesale."
"Mm, you're a scholar," Electrolux praised him. "Next, it's time for me to teach you something. Start making the control core and self-destruct device."
The control core was one of Electrolux's research achievements. After coming to this world, Kong Bo wasn't the only one who had to learn; Electrolux did too. The control core, for example, was a product of combining his experience as a necromancer creating undead servants with Soul Guidance Technology from the Douluo World. However, this control core was a very rudimentary version. It could only make its subject instinctively throw punches in battle.
As Kong Bo put it, "That's enough. We can take it to the Underground Soul Fighting Arena for testing. Elder Yi, please continue researching the control core. As for me, I'll look into drugs for reinforcing the body. This kind of really esoteric stuff isn't my strong suit. I prefer to study things that are more tangible."
When the Evil Emperor returned, Kong Bo asked her, "How did it go? Did you get that Soul Master named Skaven under control?"
The Evil Emperor nodded. "He's under control. I made a Seed of Spirit and planted it in his mind. From now on, he'll report to his superiors, and before long, he'll ask for manpower to maintain order at the Underground Soul Fighting Arena or serve as contestants." The Evil Emperor was a powerful Soul Beast with a Mental Attribute, and her strength was equal to that of a Limit Douluo. Controlling a Soul Sage was naturally easy for her.
"Is there anything else you need me to do?" the Evil Emperor asked.
"There is," the Evil Emperor said. "Sister Evil Emperor, could you visit Xu Tianyuan for me? Tell him you want to enter some contestants in the Underground Soul Fighting Arena and ask him for a few admission passes from the Aodu Chamber of Commerce—some for Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors."
"All right, I understand."
When someone as powerful as the Evil Emperor went to see Xu Tianyuan, he naturally received her in person, fawning over her with one "Your Excellency, Evil Emperor" after another. "May I ask what brings Your Excellency the Evil Emperor here?" The Evil Emperor explained that she wanted a few admission passes for the Underground Soul Fighting Arena, for contestants at the Soul Elder and Soul Ancestor levels.
"Of course. I'll arrange them for you right away, Your Excellency. For little things like this in the future, you can just send someone to An Litong," Xu Tianyuan said. Then he pulled several Soul Guidance Cards out of his desk and handed them to the Evil Emperor.
The next afternoon, Kong Bo and the Evil Emperor returned to the Underground Soul Fighting Arena. This time, however, they weren't there to compete, but to test their experimental results. Ye Guyi was competing that day too, and she spotted Kong Bo sitting in the stands from her private box.
Ye Guyi let out a sigh of relief. "So Kong Bo really is still alive. Senior, I... I wasn't worried about him. It's not a bad thing for the enemies of the Evil Soul Masters to have one more survivor of their clutches, is it? All right, Senior, I understand."
The host announced the start of the match, and two Soul Masters appeared in the arena. It was a battle between Soul Ancestors in the 41-to-45 level range. One was a Level 42 Soul Master whose Martial Soul was a Skeleton Warrior. The other was a Level 42 Bloodthirsty Mad Bear Soul Master, though he wore a mask. What puzzled the audience even more was that even with his Martial Soul not possessed, his hands were sharp bear claws—and beneath his clothes, his arms were covered in shaggy fur.
Ye Guyi seemed to hear something then, and her expression changed. "Senior, you... what did you say? That isn't human? And it isn't a Soul Beast either? You can sense the aura of both humans and Soul Beasts? You mean... someone put a Soul Master and a Soul Beast together—or stitched them together? How could anyone have a method like that? How did he... even think of it? You mean Kong Bo and the others made this thing? The Evil Soul Masters who tried to ambush them? How could something like this exist? He... isn't even an Evil Soul Master."
The audience was only curious, but some members of the Xishui Alliance were baffled. One of them reported it to Skaven, who had already been planted with a Seed of Mind and placed under the Evil Emperor's control. "You're overthinking it. How could this possibly be one of our Xishui Alliance members? You're reading too much into it!"
Then the match began. After boosting his strength, the Skeleton Warrior Soul Master warily watched the Bloodthirsty Mad Bear Soul Master opposite him.
The Soul Master on the other side let out a roar. His Soul Power instinctively flared, and he charged at the Skeleton Warrior Soul Master, swinging his bear claws. The Skeleton Soul Master hurriedly raised his two-handed sword to block the attack.
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