[Holy Spirit Continent Section] [Eighteenth Strongest-Lingxiao] [Gender: Female] [Martial Soul: Brain, an intelligence-type body martial soul] [Affiliation: Holy Spirit Continent · Soul Guidance Temple · Chief Research Officer] [Soul Power Level: Rank 93 Titled Douluo] [Soul Rings: Six red, three gold!] [Abilities: With the Brain martial soul, her wisdom reached the divine. At three, she could read a thousand volumes; at ten, she had exhausted the texts of her age. Yet her cultivation progressed with agonizing slowness. Only at forty did she become a Titled Douluo, after which she could not advance a single step-until her lord imparted the foundational theories of soul tools!] [Amid despair, she glimpsed the Great Dao and dedicated her everything to soul guidance technology. Researching tirelessly day and night, she led her team of soul engineers toward boundless advancement, even casting aside the shackles of flesh to transform her entire body into a soul guidance body!] [Her heart was replaced with an Energy-Gathering Core, her bones recast in soul guidance alloy, and her meridians converted into energy circuits. Beneath her flesh lay a precision array of 3,600 miniature soul guidance components!] [Her body carried nineteen Class 15 fixed-charge miniature Godslaying Soul Cannons and was covered in a Class 15 soul guidance defensive layer, capable of taking a two-million-year soul beast's full-power strike head-on. She alone was a moving fortress!] [Combat Assessment: With a Rank 93 body, her combat strength rivaled a two-million-year soul beast. Firing at full power, she could bombard a First-Level God to death in a frontal confrontation!] [Signature Soul Skill: Godslaying Volley·Ten Thousand Cannons as One] [Summary: A living monument to the Holy Spirit Continent's soul guidance technology. Talent had locked her ceiling in place, but it could not lock the continent's ceiling!] [Reward: All soul guidance components throughout her body comprehensively upgraded; all nineteen Godslaying Soul Cannons advanced to Class 16; Energy-Gathering Core capacity expanded!]
As the Heavenly Screen descended, two pillars of its light fell from the Nine Heavens!
One ended atop the Heavenly-Flame Mountain Range.
A vast scarlet-gold bird rested quietly on the summit, crystalline flames flowing slowly around her.
The instant the golden radiance entered her body-
Boom!
Deep within her feathers, a dormant spark of fire abruptly ignited!
This was no external flame, but a fire of origin burning from the deepest reaches of her bloodline, from the very source of the Ancient Fire Phoenix.
The scarlet-gold color of her plumage faded layer by layer, replaced by an almost transparent, crystalline gold.
Every feather was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet liquid sunlight surged within it.
Her bloodline broke through its limit and evolved once more!
Atop the mountain, the enormous bird slowly spread her wings.
She neither cried out nor took flight.
She merely stretched her feathers.
The sea of clouds for ten thousand miles turned the color of blazing fire, as though a corner of the firmament had been set alight, lingering long afterward.
A rare glimmer of delighted surprise shone in the phoenix's eyes.
At last, a clear cry rang across the heavens.
"The Heavenly Screen's reward actually raised my bloodline's ceiling! It broke through my original bloodline!"
"It seems my path of cultivation hasn't reached its end!"
"Perhaps I can become a God King too... the first soul beast to stand beside the Holy Spirit God King!"
Her clear, ringing cries echoed throughout the Heavenly-Flame Mountain Range, brimming with irrepressible joy.
The other pillar of light ended in the deepest reaches of the Soul Guidance Temple.
Inside a spotless laboratory, a silver-haired woman stood quietly at its center.
She looked barely past twenty, her features composed. Only her eyes were unfathomably deep, as though they held the blueprints of the entire Holy Spirit Continent.
Golden light descended.
Hum-
All 3,600 miniature soul guidance components throughout her body vibrated simultaneously, like a chorus of ultimate precision!
The Energy-Gathering Core at her heart expanded with a thunderous surge, immense energy rushing through her circuits and throughout her body.
Across the barrels of her nineteen Godslaying Soul Cannons, the engraved patterns transformed inch by inch.
The mechanisms of the cannons began rotating on their own, and deep-blue Class 16 patterns lit up deep within their bores.
The defensive layer covering her body silently restructured itself. Its luster grew subdued, yet its solidity had more than doubled.
The silver-haired woman lowered her head and examined her hand.
Her fingertips curled slightly, and a faint, deep-blue muzzle glow flashed and vanished.
The faintest ripple passed through her eyes before they grew calm again.
"The reward actually upgraded Class 15 straight to Class 16. It's saved us who knows how many years of research!"
"The continent's overall strength can rise another step as well."
Then she turned toward the assistant behind her.
"Next, remove the components from my body."
"Once they're removed, with your grounding, you can reverse-engineer them and unravel the entire process of advancing from Class 15 to Class 16."
The assistant's expression changed sharply, their voice trembling.
"But-removing them for research could very well damage these soul tools!"
"If they're damaged, we'll never be able to reinstall them in your body!"
"Every component in your body was specially tested and suits only you. No other soul tools are compatible. You'll malfunction, or even... die!"
Lingxiao's expression did not waver in the slightest.
"What's there to fear about death?"
"The only things I care about are these soul tools. They can transform the hopes of those who have ordinary talent yet want to grow stronger."
"So... begin."
She paused and looked toward the Heavenly Screen, a trace of coldness emerging in the depths of her eyes.
"Besides, we may someday have to attack that Douluo Continent that mocks us every day."
"Once we can produce our own Class 16 soul tools-perfect. We'll use them to test their power in actual combat."
With that, she lay back on the laboratory table, her expression calm.
"Do it."
The Holy Spirit Temple.
Watching the two transforming figures of light on the Heavenly Screen, the gathered powerhouses nodded in approval.
Dragon God Hamo laughed heartily.
"That little bird's doing well! She's making us proud!"
"Looks like all that time helping her cultivate wasn't wasted!"
Holy Eye Muse gazed at the Heavenly Screen, her eyes filled with admiration.
"This woman is impressive too. To think she'd go this far for our continent's soul tools."
"She's mad enough, all right!"
Holy Thunder·Rey stood with his hands behind his back, his tone carrying a rare solemnity.
"I know this woman."
"In terms of talent as a soul master, she's unremarkable. But when it comes to researching soul tools, she stands unrivaled under heaven!"
"Her contributions have been indispensable to the rapid advancement of our continent's soul guidance technology!"
"Someone like that has my respect."
On the throne, Lin Yan took it all in and gently swirled his teacup.
"This woman is no ordinary person."
"Good, very good."
"If the opportunity arises, I should meet her."
As he said this, a subtle trace of surprise actually stirred in his heart.
He remembered instructing Rey and the others fifty thousand years ago to vigorously develop soul guidance technology.
Then he had fallen into slumber once more.
Fifty thousand years had passed in a flash.
When he awoke, soul tools had actually developed all the way to Class 15.
After all, this was a field in which even he had never personally paved the way.
To him, that pace of development was truly unexpected.
The way this world had quietly grown while he slept was better than he had envisioned.
As expected of a soul master whose martial soul was her brain.
This was a true intellectual, turning theory into reality.
Unlike that blowhard Yu Xiaogang, who researched all sorts of theories with about as much practical value as dog shit.
Beside him, Holy War Gaia had no time for reflection. He rubbed his hands together, his blazing gaze fixed in the direction of the Douluo Section.
"Now, let's see how the Douluo Continent tries to smear us next!"
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