Although no Soul Power continued to strike the connection point, the damage it caused was irreversible.
The entire Core Array was still on the verge of shattering.
There was no way to repair it.
What's more, he knew—
But just because he had no way to fix it didn't mean no one else did. Sure enough, once this step was complete, Ran Yuming spoke up again.
"Clean up the broken inscriptions."
"Widen the third and fourth lines a little."
"Scrape away those broken inscriptions and redraw new ones underneath."
"Adjust the inscription that guides the flow."
"..."
"Use the slanted blade to widen the area beside the last Soul Guide Circuit connection point by a hair. Extend the final inscription a little farther, too."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Su Luoheng reacted.
The carving knife flashed in his hand as he began modifying the lines, following Elder Ran's instructions.
Although he couldn't figure out what his teacher was trying to accomplish, he still held on to a glimmer of hope and decided to give it a try. After all, the result couldn't be any worse than it was now.
His hands danced like butterflies flitting through blossoms.
Gradually, the Core Array that had been tottering on the brink of collapse stabilized.
Meanwhile, Ran Yuming watched intently.
Time ticked by, one second at a time.
A moment later, Su Luoheng set down his carving knife.
When he made the final cut, Su Luoheng finally let out a long breath and casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.
With the Soul Guide Circuits and inscriptions fully adjusted, the Core Array in his hands had changed beyond recognition. It looked like a ragged piece of cloth patched up in several places, with none of its former elegance or beauty. Still, he could feel that strange aura, and silver light occasionally flashed across it.
Was it... really fixed?
But... could he actually use this thing?
He still regarded the Core Array before him with suspicion. After all, he had completely changed so many of its lines.
So, still unsure, he turned his head. "Teacher, will this really work?"
Ran Yuming saw his disciple's misgivings and said with an easy smile, "Why not try pouring in some Soul Power and see?"
Su Luoheng nodded.
He was certainly going to give it a try. He had spent half the day putting this thing together, after all. He wouldn't be satisfied if he didn't test it.
But first, he needed to take precautions.
There was no guarantee this thing wouldn't suddenly explode.
At the thought, Su Luoheng glanced at the Ice Crystal Bracer on his right wrist, finally finding a sliver of reassurance.
Seeing this, Ran Yuming couldn't help but laugh.
They were testing a Soul Guidance Array, not going to war. Did he really need to be this careful?
"All right, get serious. With me here, nothing will go wrong!"
"Mm."
Su Luoheng grinned.
Then he stopped fooling around and began carefully channeling Soul Power into the Core Array, watching it closely every moment.
He really was worried it might explode.
Not because he was afraid of getting caught in the blast, but because he didn't want it to give out before the Soul Power had finished circulating.
At the very least, it had to hold together until the test was over.
Success seemed unlikely, but he still held on to a glimmer of hope.
Soul Power slowly flowed into the Core Array.
The Soul Guide Circuits on its surface lit up once more. The metal block looked ugly, but the process went more smoothly than expected. Activation traveled down from the first circuit without a single pause. When it reached the final Soul Guide Circuit, the gentle radiance rose into a beam of light. The beam stood straight and firm, without the slightest quiver. The entire metal block glowed silver-white.
This scene marked the Soul Tool's completion!
"It... succeeded?!"
Su Luoheng stared at the sight, first stunned, then widening his eyes in disbelief.
It worked even like this?
But... that meant I really did succeed?
If that was the case, was he now a Level 2 Soul Engineer?
Su Luoheng was still a little dazed. He rubbed his head in a fog, a bright, delighted smile spreading across his face.
A while later.
Su Luoheng finally came back to himself.
He knew that successfully completing the Core Array for a Level 2 Soul Tool had everything to do with his teacher. If Teacher Ran hadn't guided him through those few cuts, this Core Array would have been ruined long ago.
But why had changing all the inscriptions still allowed him to successfully make the same kind of Level 2 Array?
Its operation just now had proved that it was still the Core Array of a short sword. Su Luoheng was certain of that.
At the thought, he looked at Ran Yuming.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Su Luoheng asked, "Teacher, how did you do it?"
Ran Yuming answered with a question. "Do you know why you failed before?"
"I don't."
Su Luoheng thought it over, then shook his head. Even now, he couldn't understand it. There had been nothing wrong with the Array he'd carved, so why had it failed?
And yet his teacher had made so many changes and still succeeded.
"Your lines were perfectly fine, but you overlooked the properties of the metal."
"The properties of the metal?" Su Luoheng furrowed his brow, still confused.
Ran Yuming continued, "Luoheng, your First Soul Skill really is well suited to a Soul Engineer. The convenience Analysis provides lets you carve a Core Array with ease. But that's precisely why you fell into a trap in your thinking.
"The Core Array itself was fine, but when carving it, you still need to make subtle adjustments based on the actual circumstances.
"Analysis only gave you one method for carving a Core Array out of a particular metal. But the same Core Array can be carried by different materials. For example, the Core Array in your hands uses Mithril. If you insist on carving it using the method for Heavy Iron, do you think it would work?"
At that, Su Luoheng fell into thought.
"Luoheng..."
Ran Yuming paused, stepped forward, and patted him on the shoulder. In a meaningful tone, he said, "Your First Soul Skill correctly analyzes the Core Array, but you can't just copy it blindly. A Core Array isn't necessarily set in stone. You have to learn to make suitable changes according to the material in front of you and incorporate your own understanding of Soul Tools. Just like I did earlier—didn't adjusting the inscriptions let it function normally?"
Once he was done speaking, Ran Yuming stepped aside and leisurely sipped his tea.
His deep gaze occasionally settled on the bewildered boy, giving Su Luoheng plenty of time to digest his lesson.
Some truths sank in more deeply when you discovered them yourself than when someone simply pointed them out.
He believed Su Luoheng would figure it out.
At the same time, Su Luoheng sank into thought.
He lowered his head, fingers tapping lightly on the table. His gaze was puzzled, his lips pressed together as he carefully turned over each of Ran Yuming's words.
A trap in his thinking?
Had he gotten his ideas wrong?
At the thought, Su Luoheng took the metal block in his palm and examined it.
How had his teacher succeeded?
He had only made the changes Elder Ran had instructed. He had never closely examined it before.
Studying the reworked Soul Guide inscriptions, he noticed that the Soul Guide lines now had two additional guiding circuits, and the inscriptions had been extended a little. There was also...
Su Luoheng compared them one by one with the "standard answer."
As he examined the Array, he also recalled all the problems he'd encountered when he first tried making the Soul Tool.
He compared it with the successful piece in his hands.
Gradually, he seemed to catch a spark of inspiration. After peeling back the layers over several rounds, the key point Ran Yuming had mentioned began to come into focus in his mind.
Analysis and imitation.
What changed and what stayed the same in a Soul Tool.
Array lines and carving materials.
Su Luoheng thought of a great many things all at once.
"The Core Array needs to change... Does that mean I shouldn't use my First Soul Skill?"
"No... That's not what Teacher means."
"Use it appropriately and incorporate my own understanding?"
"Could it be..."
Su Luoheng murmured under his breath. Suddenly, inspiration flashed through him as he realized something.
"That's it!"
A glimmer of light flashed through his bewildered eyes!
So that was it!
At that moment, it was as if a revelation had struck him. His confusion vanished in an instant, and he finally understood what Ran Yuming had really meant!
There was nothing wrong with his First Soul Skill, Analysis.
It was his advantage, not the reason he'd failed.
Teacher Ran was saying that Su Luoheng had been using it incorrectly—or rather, he hadn't grasped the true purpose of his First Soul Skill.
The greatest help his First Soul Skill could offer a Soul Engineer was insight into Soul Guide inscriptions.
An ordinary Soul Engineer needed a great deal of time to master Soul Guide inscriptions. But Su Luoheng, with his ability to analyze, was different. With the help of his Soul Skill, mastering Soul Guide inscriptions was simple; he only needed a little practice to use them with ease. Other Soul Engineers couldn't hope to match that.
A Soul Engineer needed a great deal of time to master inscriptions, but Su Luoheng could skip that stage.
So, in Ran Yuming's view, Su Luoheng had used his First Soul Skill too crudely, too superficially, and wastefully, applying it only to analyze Soul Tools and reproduce their Arrays as a whole. He had even been missing the point entirely, failing to understand the true purpose of his analytical ability.
Su Luoheng needed to master the essential properties of a Core Array: its Soul Guide inscriptions.
Soul Guide inscriptions were the foundation of every Core Array. Once he mastered all of them, wouldn't making Soul Tools become a breeze? He wouldn't even have to limit himself to imitation. He could use the inscriptions to create Soul Tools of his own!
That was the right way to use his First Soul Skill.
It was also the real reason Ran Yuming valued Su Luoheng so highly.
"Analysis..."
"So this is what Analysis is really for!"
At last, Su Luoheng saw the light, his eyes growing ever brighter!
He understood now. He understood everything.
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