"Wake up! The sun's already shining on your backside!"
Half-asleep, Chen Fu was jolted awake. She raised her hand to check the time , not even seven yet.
Her temper, usually explosive in the morning, was just about to ignite when she saw the true "Lord of Flames," and instantly calmed down.
"The experiment! Right, the experiment!"
Remembering the experiment, Chen Fu immediately became energized. She got up, washed up, and ate breakfast in one smooth motion.
"Hurry with your food. Why are you poking at it like that?"
The girl listlessly stabbed at the bread on her plate. This wasn't the result she had imagined at all.
Before long, the two of them, refreshed and full, reentered the laboratory.
"Xiaotao, just lie down in there. Relax, don't be nervous."
Following Chen Fu's instructions, Ma Xiaotao changed into a tight-fitting bodysuit and lay inside the device.
As the modules shifted and adjusted, Ma Xiaotao was positioned in the most comfortable reclining posture.
"Linking to the Throne of Technology."
[Link successful]
"Begin recording data from the Spirit Soul Analyzer."
[Information updated. Data recorded successfully]
Finally able to discard the unwieldy analyzer goggles, Chen Fu removed them, stored them in her spatial bracelet, and began operating the gradually digitized spirit martial soul.
Over the past few months, she had programmed the Throne of Technology into a more convenient soul-tool control panel.
The Throne's innate ability to manipulate physical matter made this possible.
For data storage, Chen Fu sealed one of her transparent soul rings as the core. All data generated by the Throne would be stored inside it in the form of soul power fluctuations.
As for storage capacity, that would be something future her would have to upgrade.
The "Divine Ring" described the functions of this new type of soul-tool, but it was also a label for the data soul ring she was building.
The "Divine Ring," being the first operational soul-tool programmed through the Throne, carried Chen Fu's hopes and expectations.
[Soul Power Adaptation Module Activated]
"Xiaotao, release ten percent soul power."
Upon hearing this, red flames began to rise from Ma Xiaotao's body.
[Intensity adapted. Estimation in progress… estimation complete]
"Release fifty percent."
[Device functioning normally]
"Xiaotao, full power!"
Inside the Divine Ring, Ma Xiaotao instantly turned into a ball of orange-red flame.
[Energy Conversion Program activated. Current conversion rate: 47.36. Module functioning normally]
Using energy to regulate energy , a technique capable of significantly raising material heat tolerance. The conversion rate was still low, but it was enough.
"Alright, Xiaotao. Circulate your soul power and inject it according to the mechanical prompts."
Chen Fu's voice was transmitted directly into Ma Xiaotao's mind through spiritual waves.
Thus began the long charging process, which required Ma Xiaotao to slowly fill the Divine Ring's core soul power reserves with her own.
To ensure purity of the core soul power, this process had to be slow.
Chen Fu had progressed quickly only because the Ark Core already contained soul power she had personally infused.
The charging continued until night. Ma Xiaotao came out briefly for a meal and sent a message back to the Academy.
[Estimated energy storage reached]
"Xiaotao, follow the guidance and inject spiritual power. The main event starts now."
[First Spiritual Impact prepared]
[Soul ring in designated position]
"Xiaotao, hold on. This might hurt."
…?
"Begin first spirit-soul collision!"
A sharp sting shot through her. Ma Xiaotao's face went pale. Her originally bright yellow first soul ring now showed a small glowing spot.
[Physique evaluation in progress. Begin recovery cycle. Timer: 8 minutes]
"How do you feel? The first time might be very painful, but don't worry , it gets much easier afterward."
"You're insane," Ma Xiaotao cursed silently, then ignored him and focused on stabilizing her breathing.
[Begin second spiritual injection]
[Second spirit-soul collision activated]
She couldn't hear anything , just felt as if a beam of light pierced through her. The pain was overwhelming.
But just as Chen Fu had said, the spiritual pain gradually lessened.
Was it because she was going numb?
"During the collision, the remnant soul will be gradually worn away, reducing its attachment to the host's spirit. In the end, it will be stripped off, so the pain will decrease."
As Ma Xiaotao adapted, the intervals between collisions shortened.
Time passed unnoticed , day came and went again.
[Initiating 2,023rd spirit-soul collision]
With a crack, Ma Xiaotao felt as if something shattered within her spiritual perception, followed by meaningless roars. Then suddenly, a wave of relief washed over her mind.
Tsss,
The air valve hissed as the special glass chamber opened on all sides.
Chen Fu looked at the girl before him, soaked in sweat and utterly exhausted. He was silent for a moment before speaking.
"You worked hard, Xiaotao."
He fed her a little of the special nutrient solution, then gently lifted her from the chamber and placed her onto the bed in the resting room.
"You really are insane."
The weak words crawled out of her mouth.
"Well… can I take that to mean that being insane is a compliment higher than being a genius?"
"Alright, get some sleep. When you wake up, everything will be better."
He closed the door and stood in the hall, quietly facing the Divine Ring device.
Remembering how he had once tortured himself with a crude collision machine…
Wait. Am I actually a masochist?
He quickly shook off the terrifying thought.
As the symbols on the wall lit up again, Chen Fu cleaned up a bit and went to wait at the laboratory entrance.
"Welcome back, Headmaster."
"…"
The old man's originally sour expression stiffened.
"What on earth are you doing?! Xiaotao hasn't come back for three days!"
He had felt uneasy these past days, as if something heavy was pressing on his heart.
"The experiment just finished. She's resting now. It'll be better if she explains it to you herself tomorrow."
The old man stared at him for a long time, then left without a word.
Hey… before I handed over Nirvana, wasn't he pretty warm toward me?
Chen Fu shook his head. Grumpy old man.
You'd better know your limits, brat! the grumpy old man cursed inwardly on his way home.
Quietly, the morning light returned once more.
"How are you feeling now?"
Seeing the girl stretch lazily in the sunlight, Chen Fu couldn't help but smile.
"Ah! Let me take a shower first!"
Feeling messy, the girl squeaked and ran off.
Chen Fu clicked his tongue and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
He didn't have to wait long before the refreshed girl reappeared.
Five soul rings , white, yellow, purple, purple, black , rose behind her.
"The power of my soul rings dropped by at least forty percent! But everything feels unbelievably smooth to control now!"
The white soul ring floated around her fingers with agility , every soul skill variant now came out quickly and naturally.
"When your spirit fully adapts to this soul ring and your soul power begins to permeate it, you'll enter the soul-ring nurturing stage."
Suffering was not for nothing. Surprise filled her eyes.
"Now I finally understand why you always said charging straight in with soul skills is such a stupid way to fight."
Staring at the lively white soul ring, Ma Xiaotao sighed sincerely.
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