"This—this ordinary iron cage can actually block a Lightning Tribulation, and seven strikes at that!" Qian Renxue was astonished. "It's just an ordinary cage. How could it possibly withstand a Soul Beast's Lightning Tribulation, let alone seven whole strikes? Even a Limit Douluo would be nine parts dead and one part alive after taking those seven bolts. How can an ordinary iron cage like this withstand a Lightning Tribulation?"
Kong Bo explained the principles behind the Faraday Cage to Qian Renxue, then asked her a question in return. "Has Spirit Hall never thought of making an iron cage like this to shield against lightning?"
"Why would Spirit Hall think of that?" Qian Renxue asked, baffled.
"That's your problem." Kong Bo said, "I remember the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan existed back when you were in Spirit Hall, and it was an extremely powerful force. That's right, isn't it?"
Qian Renxue replied, "That's right. At the time, besides Spirit Hall, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was one of the three strongest sects. Their attacks were also primarily based on lightning. What's the problem?"
"Since you had to face a hypothetical enemy that relied mainly on lightning, Spirit Hall should have done plenty of research on lightning-type Martial Souls, right? So why didn't you study the principles behind lightning? The climate on the Douluo Continent isn't much different from that of my Sun Moon Empire. You get thunderstorms too, don't you?"
Hearing Kong Bo ask this, Qian Renxue answered, "We do. Lightning sometimes damages our Spirit Hall Branches, and our main headquarters naturally has to allocate funds for repairs."
Kong Bo gave a disdainful snort. "Then here's the question: Spirit Hall has thunderstorms, and you've got a hypothetical enemy like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect right outside your door. Why didn't you properly study the principles of lightning? Research brings results. Maybe you could have developed all kinds of devices to defend against lightning. Then Spirit Hall could have kept the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect firmly in check, couldn't it?"
Qian Renxue didn't understand Kong Bo's reasoning. "Spirit Hall has stronger Soul Masters. We can still suppress the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, can't we? Your Sun Moon Empire's Soul Masters are weaker, so you have to do more research."
"All right, all right." Kong Bo shrugged. "Our Soul Masters in the Sun Moon Empire aren't as strong as those in Spirit Hall, so we have to research these things more." It was the best explanation he could think of.
"You're right. Since the Sun Moon Empire isn't Spirit Hall, and you're willing to approach the problem from the perspective of lightning itself, you should be able to come up with better ways to counter lightning attacks than Spirit Hall..." Qian Renxue sighed. "Maybe Spirit Hall really has relied too much on powerful Soul Masters to solve every problem. When the gods threw their support behind that bastard Tang San without holding back, Spirit Hall couldn't cope. Maybe your way of thinking really is better. Perhaps it was the environment in your Sun Moon Empire that shaped your ideas."
Even then, Qian Renxue's opinion of Kong Bo was still extremely high. Kong Bo was quick-witted and kept his word. In their dealings, Kong Bo was clearly the one in the stronger position, yet he was still willing to honor their agreement, and he had even helped Qian Renxue and Ye Guyi improve their techniques.
But later... Qian Renxue was inside Kong Bo's mind, so she could see everything he did. Kong Bo made no effort to hide either his actions or his thoughts. She had watched clearly as he ordered the Evil Emperor to capture Evil Soul Masters, then personally set about radically altering them. She saw how he cut apart the Evil Soul Masters and their corresponding Soul Beasts, then pieced the two together. The sight had been horrifying.
A thousand years ago, when she was in Spirit Hall, she had seen Evil Soul Masters before. When Spirit Hall captured them, they were generally used to train young Soul Masters in real combat. Those scenes had been bloody and brutal too.
But what was Kong Bo doing? It was beyond anything Qian Renxue could comprehend. He stitched Evil Soul Masters together with Soul Beasts, then used the Spirit Condenser to extract their spiritual power for computation. That turned the Evil Soul Master into a mindless puppet. Next, Kong Bo inserted a control core designed by Electrolux, completing the puppet. Then he took it to the Underground Soul Fighting Arena for experiments.
In addition to that experiment, Kong Bo was researching a drug to strengthen muscles, and he was testing it on Evil Soul Masters as well. According to Kong Bo, for Soul Masters who relied primarily on close combat and had Beast Martial Souls, their muscles not only provided their Soul Power during battle, but also bore its strain. In other words, the muscles of Beast Martial Soul Soul Masters could be considered both an engine and a container for Soul Power.
Kong Bo made a hypothesis: if a drug could strengthen the muscles of Beast Martial Soul Soul Masters, it could make them more powerful in battle. Then he began researching the idea, came up with several different formulas, and started testing them on Evil Soul Masters.
These experiments terrified Qian Renxue. It was true that everyone despised Evil Soul Masters, but what Kong Bo did to them? It was beyond the bounds of humanity. Kong Bo called them "specimens"—a term that itself was practically inhuman.
And the more Qian Renxue learned about Kong Bo, the better she understood his character. He was extraordinarily clever and had an astonishing ability to learn, but he acted without restraint and recognized no boundaries. His experiments were the clearest example. In Kong Bo's eyes, no moral taboo existed. The things he cared about were experimentation, analysis, and thought; the knowledge he gained in the process; and how to use that knowledge to become stronger.
This way of thinking was extremely "Evil Soul Master"-like. After all, it meant improving one's strength by any means necessary. But Kong Bo had defended himself with perfect confidence: "Has Spirit Hall never used Evil Soul Masters this way? That's your problem. This is the only way to truly investigate the nature of Soul Masters and how Soul Power works. My inventions and my theories will definitely surpass that idiot Yu Xiaogang's!"
What bothered Qian Renxue even more was Kong Bo's unprecedented arrogance. He looked down on all human Soul Masters and gods alike. In his eyes, humanity's distinction as the most intelligent of all creatures lay in its ability to think. Soul Masters who fought without using their brains, relying instead on powerful Martial Souls, and gods who fought by wielding powerful divine power were no different from beasts. Their battles were no different from beasts tearing into their prey.
Before you continue