In the seventh laboratory beneath the Worship Hall, Kong Deming's expression grew serious at Kong Xuan's question.
"Based on the information you provided, ten Level 9 Soul Engineers from the Worship Hall conducted joint research."
"The design drawings for the Battle Armor were extremely detailed. They could even be called finished designs."
"But this is technology passed down from the Divine Realm, after all. Fully mastering it and putting it into production will require some exploration and experimentation."
As he spoke, Kong Deming's eyes seemed to shine.
All of this demonstrated the feasibility of Battle Armor. Once they produced it, it would undoubtedly be an epoch-making creation in the history of Soul Tools.
"Then it looks like the research into Battle Armor has been going very smoothly!"
Excitement involuntarily appeared on Kong Xuan's face as well. He thought to himself that his plan really was feasible.
Although even Four-Word Battle Armor could not help him defeat a god-level powerhouse, the emergence of Battle Armor could increase his strength on the Douluo Continent.
It would give him a greater sense of security before he had fully developed.
But at Kong Xuan's words, Kong Deming shook his head, instantly wiping the excitement from Kong Xuan's face.
"It hasn't been as smooth as you imagine."
Kong Deming sighed. "Design, forging, manufacturing, and repair-the four stages involved in Battle Armor. Right now, the most important and most difficult one for us is forging!"
"Currently, Soul Tools are mostly made through casting, using machinery to press metal into the required shapes according to molds."
"The advantages of casting are that it saves labor and allows for large-scale production."
"But making Battle Armor places very high demands on the metal. Even One-Word Battle Armor requires Thousand Refinement metals."
Kong Deming's words plunged Kong Xuan into thought. He had not expected the research into Battle Armor to have stalled at forging.
Just then, his teacher Yun Ming's voice sounded in his mind. "Machinery can never replace human effort. Metals have life, too. Only through constant experimentation and drawing conclusions can blacksmiths master the properties of different metals. This truly isn't something that can be accomplished in a single bound."
Somewhat unwilling to accept this, Kong Xuan asked, "Teacher, do you not have a better method either?"
Yun Ming chuckled. "Your teacher isn't a blacksmith. I've already written down all the theoretical knowledge I know and given it to you."
Kong Xuan gritted his teeth, a trace of irritation instantly entering his mood.
He also knew there was nothing to be done about it. After all, several thousand years of development still stood between them and the actual emergence of Battle Armor.
But just as Kong Xuan was worrying over the development of Battle Armor in this era, Kong Deming's next words instantly opened a new avenue of thought for him.
"Just as the information stated, so-called Thousand Refinement doesn't simply mean striking the metal a thousand times. It requires communicating with the metal and forging it according to its properties!"
"Half a year ago, we invited a blacksmith from the Heavenly Soul Empire. Through his research, although we still can't perform Thousand Refinement, we've already achieved a major breakthrough!"
Kong Deming extended his right hand, and a perfectly square, silvery-white block suddenly appeared on his empty palm.
Kong Xuan focused his gaze, his powerful vision instantly picking out details an ordinary person would struggle to notice.
For example, the patterns on this piece of metal differed from those of the rare metals he had seen before.
Furthermore, he could actually sense a peculiar vitality within it, as though this piece of metal truly possessed life.
A keen light flashed in Kong Xuan's eyes. He had not expected such a turn of events.
The Sun Moon Empire was much like a society that had achieved industrialization. Crafts such as blacksmithing had largely been replaced by machinery.
But the original Douluo Three Kingdoms were different. They still retained traditional blacksmiths who possessed extensive skills in manual forging. They were indeed more likely to achieve Thousand Refinement.
Just as with their homeroom teacher Ren Jun, poaching talent from the original Douluo Three Kingdoms was indeed the simplest and most effective way to obtain the people the Sun Moon Empire lacked.
Kong Xuan could not help asking, "Does that mean it won't be long before we can achieve Thousand Refinement and make One-Word Battle Armor?"
But Kong Deming shook his head. "Not that quickly. Right now, we've only mastered the basic properties of a single metal."
"Still, this already counts as a breakthrough. Going forward, we can certainly master the properties of other metals through constant experimentation using similar methods."
"According to my plan, we should be able to produce One-Word Battle Armor within four or five years!"
Four or five years!
Hearing that figure, Kong Xuan could not help feeling anticipation.
He thought that if they could finish manufacturing One-Word Battle Armor before the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament, he would be able to give every academy a surprise during the competition!
In fact, when he saw that piece of living metal in Kong Deming's hand, Kong Xuan knew that if he learned forging himself, the process might become even shorter.
His vision, enhanced by the Chongming Bird, could even observe the flow of vitality within the metal. He was practically a born blacksmith.
But this world had no blacksmithing legacy. If Kong Xuan wanted to achieve Thousand Refinement, or even the subsequent Spirit Forging, he could only explore on his own.
That would naturally take time and effort, so Kong Xuan ultimately abandoned the idea.
Improving his own strength still took priority. Right now, he would not divert cultivation time to forging.
Besides, he could afford to wait four or five years.
And even without Battle Armor, he was confident he could claim the final victory in the Soul Fighting Tournament!
The dawn light was faint, and the thin mist on the outskirts of the Jingyang Mountain Range had yet to disperse when three figures quietly entered this land inhabited by Soul Beasts.
Kong Deming walked at the front, dark-silver Soul Tool patterns embroidered on his bright yellow robe.
With every step he took, barely perceptible ripples of Soul Power spread across the ground.
This was Kong Deming's unique detection method, allowing him to sense fluctuations of Soul Power within a radius of ten thousand li in advance.
Kong Ling followed behind Kong Deming. Today, she wore a close-fitting black outfit that allowed for easy movement, the ends of her hair tied with a silver ribbon. Her eyes were full of anticipation.
Kong Xuan walked at the rear, the Atlas Spear already in his hand. Even with a Level 9 Soul Engineer like Kong Deming present, Kong Xuan's gaze constantly swept the surrounding dense forest. His spiritual perception had long since spread out, guarding against any possible danger.
"Grandpa, what Soul Beast are we hunting for my Second Soul Ring? You can tell me now, can't you?"
Kong Ling looked at the tall figure ahead, her eyes filled with curiosity.
The three of them had come to the Jingyang Mountain Range today precisely to obtain Kong Ling's second Soul Ring.
Before the holidays began, Kong Ling's Soul Power had already broken through to rank twenty.
After another month of consolidation, Kong Deming had brought her to the Jingyang Mountain Range today for Soul Hunting.
Faced with the dangerous Jingyang Mountain Range, Kong Ling was not nervous in the slightest.
Although many powerful Soul Beasts lived here, none of them could threaten Kong Deming.
In response to Kong Ling's question, Kong Deming did not act mysterious and say, "You'll know when the time comes," as he had before.
Without turning back, he sensed the Soul Power fluctuations within his detection range and said, "The Sun Martial Soul, or rather, the Blazing Sun Martial Soul, is the inherited Martial Soul of the Sun Moon Empire. After ten thousand years of exploration, some suitable Soul Skills have been identified."
"But Ling'er's Second Soul Skill will be at the thousand-year level. The previous Soul Skill configurations are no longer suitable for you."
"For your Second Soul Skill, Grandpa has chosen the Blazing Sun Cage!"