"Teacher, I'm only a level-one soul engineer, barely capable of crafting level-two soul tools. How could I represent the academy in the Soul Dueling Tournament?"
Lin Xiao felt a sense of relief. It seemed Jing Hongchen knew better than to let an evil soul master like him appear openly in the tournament arena. Still, he offered some comforting words to Lin Jiayi.
"You can't say that. Otherwise, none of the close-combat students could participate in the tournament," Lin Jiayi said, his expression still sour. "This is a rare opportunity for real combat experience. It's such a pity you can't take part."
Lin Jiayi continued to ramble, but Lin Xiao just smiled and watched him quietly. When Lin Jiayi first took him as a disciple, it was likely tied to Jing Hongchen's arrangement for him to enter the academy. But even if Lin Jiayi had other motives, his care for Lin Xiao since becoming his teacher was undeniable. Having grown up in the scheming environment of the Holy Ghost Church, Lin Xiao rarely encountered someone who treated him this way.
As for crafting soul tools, without Nightmare Douluo's restrictions holding him back, he would likely be even more adept than before.
"Fine, since it's the Hall Master's decision, there's not much I can say," Lin Jiayi said, turning back to him. "But even though you can't participate in the tournament, I've secured another practical opportunity for you."
Lin Xiao felt a bit helpless. Truth be told, he didn't lack combat skills. But this was Lin Jiayi's kindness, so he went along and asked, "Teacher, what kind of opportunity?"
"The academy once had an idea to design a soul tool that could compensate for all the weaknesses of a soul engineer, even one capable of countering any opponent to some extent."
"But soul masters' abilities are so varied that achieving this requires extremely complex designs and places high demands on a soul engineer's control."
"Unable to achieve that, the academy settled for a less ambitious goal: designing a soul tool that could adapt to all environments. The original plan was gradually abandoned."
Lin Xiao listened quietly until this point, realizing that the soul tool Lin Jiayi was describing was likely the precursor to the all-terrain soul tool of the future.
"Was it successful?" he asked.
"No," Lin Jiayi shook his head. "Though we made significant progress, it wasn't a success. However, the Hall Master didn't abandon the original plans entirely and drew inspiration from them, leading to a new research direction."
"You don't need to delve too deeply into this. You'll understand more if you enter the Illustrious Virtue Hall later. What I'm talking about now is only slightly related to that."
As he spoke, Lin Jiayi touched his storage soul tool, and with a loud "boom," a massive object appeared before Lin Xiao. "I have a semi-finished product here. In a few days, would you like to go out with me to test its power?"
It wasn't exactly accurate to call it a massive object. It resembled a mechanical arm, but its length exceeded that of an adult's height, so it wasn't small by any means.
"Teacher, what is this?"
"Try it out," Lin Jiayi said, gesturing for Lin Xiao to step forward.
Lin Xiao didn't hesitate. He extended his right hand and slowly infused his soul power into it. Instantly, he sensed dozens of soul tool arrays, with over ten core arrays alone.
He had seen a similar mechanical arm soul tool on Fan Yu before, but Fan Yu's was far inferior to the one Lin Jiayi presented. It wasn't just the size; the intricacy of this one far surpassed Fan Yu's.
Moreover, its surface had several ports with active soul tool arrays. Lin Xiao guessed Lin Jiayi had prepared additional components for it.
He began to understand why Lin Jiayi wanted him to test this soul tool. Only a soul master with exceptional mental strength like himself could attempt to control something so large and precise.
Lin Xiao's gaze lingered on the mechanical arm, its length surpassing his own body, which felt somewhat odd.
No, if this mechanical arm was designed for human operation, it would indeed be strange. But what if it wasn't meant for a human, but rather to be attached to a larger body?
In a flash, Lin Xiao pieced together many things. Perhaps this wasn't just a mechanical arm or a semi-finished product as Lin Jiayi claimed, but a component—a humanoid soul tool's arm.
"Come on, see if you can make it move," Lin Jiayi said with a smile.
At his words, Lin Xiao focused his mind, and the mechanical arm slowly lifted in response to his thoughts. Contrary to his expectations, despite the numerous soul tool arrays, controlling it was surprisingly easy, likely due to an additional energy-charging soul tool inside.
Lin Jiayi quickly looked at Lin Xiao, seeing his calm expression, and his eyes lit up with excitement. "As expected, I knew your mental strength could handle this soul tool. How's the mental strain?"
"It's manageable for now, but if you add components, I won't be able to sustain it for long."
"Sigh," Lin Jiayi let out a long breath. "Put it down for now. It's always been like this. Ever since this soul tool was created, I've been trying to simplify its arrays, but this is the best I've managed so far."
"Don't be discouraged, Teacher. Soul tool technology is constantly evolving. The first soul tool on the Douluo Continent was likely far cruder than what we have now. The Sun Moon Empire's current advancements are the result of steady accumulation."
As Lin Xiao spoke, his eyes never left the mechanical arm.
While the other three empires struggled to produce even top-tier basic soul cannons, the Sun Moon Empire was already researching what amounted to piloted mechas. The gap was undeniable.
"Now you're the one comforting me. Don't worry, your teacher has faced far greater challenges in soul tool development than this," Lin Jiayi said, storing the mechanical arm away. "Forget it. You just got back; I shouldn't be taxing your mind like this."
"Go rest for now. The academy won't start for a few days. Once I've made arrangements, I'll take you out. I'll teach you how to make the most of soul tools in the wild."
"Alright, Teacher." Lin Xiao nodded and didn't linger. Soon, the soul tool research lab was left with only Lin Jiayi, frowning at a pile of blueprints.
Returning to his dorm after a long absence, Lin Xiao noticed a thin layer of dust, indicating no one had entered in his absence.
He wasn't in a hurry to clean. Raising his head slightly, a translucent shadow emerged from his body and silently merged into the wall.
Staring at the now-unremarkable wall, Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes, then tidied up a bit and quietly waited for night to fall.