Without wasting any words, Xu Jie took Xu Zhengyang and left the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, heading straight for a certain place outside Mingdu.
This is a very heavily guarded military camp, completely surrounded for several kilometers. It is under constant surveillance by soul-guided instruments, leaving no blind spots. Soul-guided cannons are also mounted inside the camp. Anyone who approaches without prior notification will be immediately apprehended.
Xu Jie led Xu Zhengyang through four rounds of checks before arriving at a huge camp. The entire camp looked somewhat like a tent, and also somewhat like a special Soul Tool. It had extremely strong defensive capabilities and extremely strong mobility.
After the two entered the military camp, only one person was sitting in the center of the camp. This person was wearing armor and was studying a Soul Tool in his hand. He was none other than Prince Xu Tianyuan, the head of the Sun Radiance Lineage.
Xu Tianyuan seemed a little puzzled by Xu Jie's arrival. " Xu Jie, aren't you at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy? What brings you to my military camp today?"
Xu Jie, leading Xu Zhengyang, hurriedly bowed and said, "Patriarch, we have come here on a special occasion that may change the landscape of our Sun Radiance Lineage lineage, and even the entire Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Tianyuan, who had initially looked down on Xu Jie, now became somewhat serious. He knew Xu Jie's character well, and Xu Jie was someone he had personally mentored. At such a young age, Xu Jie had not only reached the Soul Sage level but was also already Level 6 Soul Engineer. He was sure to be a top talent in the Sun Radiance Lineage in the future.
Moreover, Xu Jie is currently the head teacher of Class 1 at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. The situation of Class 1 is well known. If some geniuses can be discovered and brought into the Sun Radiance Lineage and the army, Xu Jie will have a bright future.
"Just say what's on your mind. What's the special matter?"
Xu Jie quickly took out the pistol that Xu Zhengyang had made from his Soul Tool and held it out with both hands.
With a wave of his hand, Xu Jie Xu Tianyuan's pistol was already in Xu Tianyuan's hand.
Xu Tianyuan initially showed a hint of disdain for the pistol. After all, he was a true Level 9 Soul Engineer, a prince of the Sun Moon Empire, and the commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion. He was one of the highest-ranking people in the empire. What hadn't he seen? He had even seen quite a few Level 9 Soul Tool.
But just a few breaths later, Xu Tianyuan's expression changed drastically, because this Soul Tool was completely different from all the Soul Tool he had ever encountered. It didn't have any Soul Power input settings and looked very rudimentary. This Soul Tool seemed to be made by a level three or four Soul Engineer, but it was also a bit puzzling.
Xu Jie quickly said, "Patriarch, this is Soul Tool that Zhengyang recently researched. It's different from the Soul Tool we usually see. It doesn't require Soul Master to inject Soul Power to use; even ordinary people can use it."
Xu Tianyuan's brows furrowed immediately. " Xu Jie, do you even know what you're saying? If Soul Tool can be used without Soul Master, then you should know the significance of this thing to the Soul Master World, to us Soul Engineer, and to the entire Sun Moon Empire."
"This will bring about earth-shattering changes to the entire world of Sun Moon Soul Engineer, and may even alter the very structure of the world."
Xu Jie quickly said, "Patriarch, this is absolutely true. If you don't believe me, you can have Zhengyang demonstrate it once. I've already confirmed the effect."
Without hesitation, Xu Tianyuan waved his hand, and the pistol was in Xu Zhengyang's hand.
"Use this Soul Tool to attack me. I want to test its power."
Xu Zhengyang took the pistol, skillfully cocked it, and pulled the trigger at Xu Tianyuan. With a loud bang, a bullet flew out and headed straight for Xu Tianyuan's face.
Xu Tianyuan, who was initially somewhat indifferent, now dared not be careless, after all, he was Titled Douluo powerhouse who had seen all kinds of Soul Tool.
However, amidst the crisp gunshot, Xu Tianyuan did not sense any fluctuations in Xu Zhengyang's Soul Power. Instead, he felt Soul Power fluctuations within his Soul Tool, and even a hint of an explosion.
This bullet was extremely fast, heading straight for Xu Tianyuan's face. Judging by its power, it was at least equivalent to the strike of Soul Ancestor. If it was launched unexpectedly, its destructive power would be even greater.
As the bullet approached Xu Tianyuan's body, it was blocked by a terrifying aura. Xu Tianyuan himself reached out and forcefully pinched the bullet fired by Xu Zhengyang with two fingers.
The bullet grazed and collided with Xu Tianyuan's fingers, emitting a flash of light, but quickly stopped.
Xu Tianyuan looked at the bullet that had been squeezed and deformed in his palm, and his whole demeanor became even more serious. This pistol was not Soul Tool in the traditional sense, nor did it rely on Soul Power to attack. Instead, it relied on an iron ball similar to a bullet to attack. This method of attack was completely different from the Soul Tool of the past.
With his strength Titled Douluo, he carefully studied the bullet and quickly understood the principle behind it all, especially when he caught the spent cartridge that flew out of the pistol, which seemed to contain remnants of the original formation.
"It's a pretty interesting design. It can definitely catch people off guard, and even ordinary people can use it. Moreover, it's not too complicated to make; any level three or Level 4 Soul Engineer can basically make it."
"It's a pity that the power is still too weak. If it could achieve the attack power of Level 7 Soul Tool, it would definitely be the greatest invention in the history of Soul Tool."
Xu Zhengyang quickly said, "Patriarch, this pistol is the first one I've ever made. I'm only Level 3 Soul Engineer right now, and I still have a lot to learn."
"Actually, I've considered it. If we follow the principle of bullet explosion and engrave more precise and powerful arrays on the cartridge case, use harder and tougher metals for the cartridge case and bullet, and even engrave explosive or touch-sensitive arrays on the bullet, the power can definitely be greatly increased."
"Moreover, according to my plan, the size of the bullet can be changed. The bullet I made this time has a diameter of 5.8 millimeters and a length of about 30 millimeters, with an effective range of only 100 meters. But if I make it larger according to the principles of a pistol, the bullet diameter could be two to three centimeters, or even larger, which would greatly increase its power."
"However, if the bullets are made larger, the requirements for Soul Engineer will be even higher, especially if explosive or armor-piercing formations are added to the bullet head. This will have various different effects, and could even silently kill enemies a kilometer away."
The two directions Xu Zhengyang mentioned are actually just two different research directions for rifles and artillery shells. A rifle is essentially an enlarged version of a pistol, with a similar overall structure and principle, but the bullets are larger and have higher power and accuracy.
As for the shells, the main focus should be on the bullet warhead. If the diameter can be made to 30 to 50 centimeters and a large number of explosive formations can be inscribed inside, the power will be much greater than that of gunpowder.
Xu Zhengyang used the Soul Power Touch Explosion principle to make the pistol this time, which seems to be much better than gunpowder, and it doesn't even produce smoke or other chemical reactions.
Xu Tianyuan instantly understood the meaning of Xu Zhengyang's words. Just as Xu Zhengyang said, Xu Zhengyang was only Level 3 Soul Engineer at the moment, and his strength in carving formations and refining them was limited. If a high-level Soul Engineer were to handle it, this pistol would have endless development potential and could even change the course of the war.
If possible, it may even be possible to create super-large weapons comparable to Level 9 Soul Cannon in the future, and they would be very easy to use, requiring no special abilities from the user.
In fact, this has been the pursuit of the Sun Moon Empire for many years. Although the empire has extremely strong capabilities in making Soul Tool, the overall strength of Soul Master is relatively weak, and there have not been many top-level Soul Master. Therefore, there are still some limitations when making top-level Soul Tool.
Using Soul Tool also requires Soul Master, and if the Soul Master's strength is insufficient, the power of a high-level Soul Tool cannot be brought into play. However, if a high-level Soul Tool is made according to the principle of a pistol, then a high-level Soul Master is not needed at all, which completely eliminates the deficiency of insufficient Soul Engineer.
After several minutes, Xu Tianyuan, who was initially a little surprised, became increasingly serious. The theory of pistols was completely different from that of traditional Soul Tool, but its impact on future wars might even surpass that of traditional Soul Tool. Even ordinary people who had not awakened Innate Soul Power could have the power to change the battlefield situation by using weapons, and could even quickly equip armies on a large scale.
The Sun Moon Empire has been preparing for war for many years, but the demand for Soul Master in the Soul Engineer Legion is too high, and the overall number of Soul Master is seriously insufficient. The development of pistols can change this situation.
At this moment, Xu Tianyuan appeared somewhat nervous, yet unusually serious. "Very good, Xu Zhengyang. Providing our Sun Radiance Lineage with a pistol-type Soul Tool at the first opportunity, and offering a completely new theory for Soul Tool manufacturing, is a tremendous contribution to our Sun Radiance Lineage. What are your requirements?"
Xu Zhengyang quickly bowed and said, "Patriarch, as a member of the Xu Clan, I have no demands. However, this pistol is of great importance. If it falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, it may weaken our family's strength and even affect our Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Tianyuan nodded. "By the way, you didn't let any outsiders know about the pistol manufacturing, did you?"
Xu Zhengyang pulled out a stack of blueprints from his person. "Patriarch, apart from the three of us, no one else has seen the pistol, nor has anyone seen its blueprints. Not even anyone from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy knows anything about it."
Xu Tianyuan took the blueprints. "Very good. This matter must not be leaked to anyone except the three of us, not even the teachers of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy has many factions and is ultimately too complicated."
"Are you sure you don't have any requests? Whether it's resources, elixirs, or even obtaining a top-tier Soul Ring in the future, I can fulfill your needs."
Xu Zhengyang shook his head. "Thank you, Patriarch. I did all this for the sake of the Sun Radiance Lineage; I have no other needs."
Xu Tianyuan smiled and said, "Since you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you. From today onwards, as the head of the Sun Radiance Lineage, I bestow upon you the status of a direct core disciple. From now on, you are a true member of the royal family. You can apply for and use any resources of the Sun Radiance Lineage, and you can also participate in all the actions of the Sun Radiance Lineage."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhengyang was stunned. This was an incredible gift. Someone like Xu Zhengyang, a member of a collateral branch, would never be included in the Sun Moon Empire Imperial Family. Now, Xu Tianyuan had bestowed upon him the status of a direct core disciple. This was an unparalleled honor for any member of a collateral branch, and it could even change their status within the Sun Moon Empire.
"Thank you, Patriarch. I will definitely work hard to contribute to the Sun Radiance Lineage in the future and will never let you down."
Xu Tianyuan nodded. " Xu Zhengyang, I actually have high hopes for you. Even your ability to become Xuan Ziwen's student was arranged by me."
"Over the past few years, you have performed exceptionally well at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. You are the most outstanding disciple among the younger generation of our Xu Clan and have come into the spotlight of many. However, you also have many enemies who are targeting you."
"But don't worry, these people can't interfere with the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy for the time being. Especially since you will be a core disciple of the Sun Radiance Lineage in the future, even if these people want to target you, they will have to bear the wrath of my Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion."