After finishing his explanation of the energy storage array, Lou Gao moved on to another object, a massive metal plate roughly two meters square.
The surface of the plate was no longer smooth. Instead, it was densely etched with countless intersecting grooves. These grooves were as thin as strands of hair, yet together they formed an incomparably complex, multi-layered three-dimensional network.
At several key nodes on the metal plate, smaller Void Stone fragments that had undergone special processing were embedded.
Visible to the naked eye, soul power light resembling flowing blue electric currents raced rapidly through the network of grooves, transmitting from one node to another, forming a dynamic, glowing web of energy.
Lou Gao picked up a fist-sized block of ordinary refined iron and gently placed it onto one of the nodes.
Instantly, a faint blue glow lit up across the surface of the iron block, as if it had been "activated."
"This!"
Lou Gao slapped the metal plate hard, producing a dull echo.
"The linking array! I got the idea from those patterns on the edges of the Void Stone that connect different stardust streams! See this energy flow?"
"It can link different soul tool components together like blood vessels! Energy circulates through this network with almost no loss! In the future, a mecha's arms, legs, and weapons will all receive energy instantly through this network, no more operating independently!"
After Lou Gao finished his explanation, Lin Xia was utterly shaken.
"Teacher… this…"
Lin Xia's voice was slightly hoarse. His throat bobbed as the overwhelming impact left him momentarily unable to find the right words.
"This is practically… creation itself!"
Lin Xia finally managed to say it, his eyes blazing with pure awe and admiration.
The concepts that had once existed only on blueprints were being hammered, etched, and assembled into reality by this rough yet meticulous old man in the most domineering, unreasonable way imaginable!
The soul guidance mecha was no longer a distant fantasy, it was a steel body within reach!
Lou Gao stroked his messy beard smugly, savoring his disciple's unfiltered shock as if it were the highest praise imaginable.
He slapped the nearest metal plate etched with complex circuits, producing another dull thud.
"Heh, see that? I told you, those ancient arrays were just copying nature's homework! With the real thing right in front of us, how could we not figure it out?"
After the initial shock subsided, Lin Xia forcibly calmed his surging emotions, and a very realistic problem surfaced in his mind.
His gaze shifted away from the glowing soul-powered devices and landed on the piles of ordinary refined iron and tungsten steel stacked nearby as test base materials.
Although these materials could light up and move under the activation of soul guidance arrays, their inherent fragility and poor energy conductivity were clearly insufficient to support a truly powerful combat machine.
"Teacher."
Lin Xia's voice returned to a calm, probing tone.
"These things… are astonishing. But to truly assemble them into one whole… the most critical bottleneck is still the materials, isn't it?"
The smugness on Lou Gao's face was instantly replaced by a troubled expression.
"Sigh, as far as soul guidance arrays go, I've finally found the path! I've already got several improvement ideas in my head!"
Then his tone shifted, and he pointed at the experimental devices with a hint of helplessness.
"But look at this stuff! Refined iron? Tungsten steel? Even with a bit of secret silver or refined gold added, how much soul power impact can they withstand? Can they survive real combat collisions?"
"The spatial energy and compressed soul power provided by the Void Stone are absurdly domineering! And that's not even mentioning the mecha you want, it has to endure hits, deliver blows, and transmit and amplify soul skill power! And you expect these 'mortal metals' to handle that?"
Lou Gao shook his head violently, his beard swinging.
"No! Not even close! It's like putting a wooden scabbard on a peerless divine sword! No matter how exquisite the soul guidance array is, without a sufficiently powerful carrier, it's just a fragile paper lantern, poke it once and it shatters!"
"What we're lacking now is real sinew, bone, and skin! Top-tier ores capable of bearing this kind of power! For example—"
Lou Gao's gaze grew deep and fervent.
"For example, the Void Stone we excavated—it's the undisputed choice for the core power source!"
"But we still need matching framework and armor materials, materials tough enough to withstand the tearing of spatial force, capable of perfectly conducting soul power, and preferably possessing their own special attributes!"
"In short, we're short on all kinds of top-grade mineral deposits."
Lin Xia nodded in understanding. This was exactly what he had been thinking.
For a soul guidance mecha, the core was the "soul" driven by soul guidance arrays but an indestructible "body" was just as indispensable.
Just as Lin Xia was about to ask whether his teacher had specific target ores in mind—
Lou Gao suddenly seemed to remember something and sharply turned his head. His blazing eyes swept over Lin Xia and then to Larvitar at his feet, who had already regained its vitality and was curiously pawing at a discarded piece of scrap metal.
"Oh, right!"
Lou Gao's tone carried a hint of concern.
"I was so caught up in the excitement I almost forgot. You and this little guy—have you both fully recovered? That violent energy from the Void Stone wasn't a joke. It scared the hell out of me back then."
Hearing this, Lin Xia smiled lightly. He stretched his body, and a faint black-rock sheen flickered beneath his skin before vanishing.
"Don't worry, Teacher. Everything has completely stabilized. Not only have we recovered, we even gained something from the ordeal."
"Oh? And what fortune would that be?"
Lou Gao raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
Larvitar learning new moves was something he had long grown accustomed to.
"Larvitar and I both comprehended a new move."
Lin Xia stated this fact calmly, even though it carried enormous significance for him personally.
"Hm, comprehended a new move? That's a good thing…"
Lou Gao nodded subconsciously, stroking his beard, a gratified smile appearing on his face, the kind an elder shows when pleased by a junior's progress.
Larvitar was a little monster anyway. Out of eight moves, only one counted as a Soul Skill, what was so strange about learning another one?
Lou Gao had even started thinking about asking what the move was later, to see whether it could be applied to mech design.
However, that thought lasted less than half a second.
Lou Gao's hand froze mid-stroke.
The smile on his face instantly solidified. His eyes widened abruptly, as if struck by lightning!
"W-Wait… wait!"
Lou Gao suddenly stepped forward, nearly shoving his face right up to Lin Xia's. His voice shot up sharply, filled with disbelief.
"What did you just say?! You… and Larvitar… both comprehended it?!"
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared fixedly at Lin Xia.
"You mean… you yourself?! You also comprehended a move?!"
"Yes, Teacher."
Lin Xia nodded firmly, meeting his teacher's shocked gaze.
"It's called Thunder Punch."
Lin Xia extended his right hand. With a shift of thought, his Soul Power began circulating along that peculiar route—
Zzzzt!
Several thin yet unmistakably clear arcs of purple lightning instantly wrapped around his fist, crackling and leaping, giving off a faint scent of scorching air and static electricity.
Although it was far less violent than when Larvitar used it, this was undeniably real
Authentic lightning power driven by Soul Power.
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