Chapter 41 Black Mystic has also started stealing techniques? Nonsense! I'm doing this to criticize!
Meanwhile, in the dark world...
It wasn't just ordinary Soul Masters who showed extreme importance to the upcoming "Battle Armor Lesson"; even the major forces in the underworld were doing the same.
...
Deep within the imperial palace of the Star Luo Empire.
Emperor Xu Jiawei did not sit on the dragon throne, but stood in front of the large desk in the imperial study.
Behind him were the twenty most elite royal soul masters of the Star Luo Empire.
"Is everything ready?"
Xu Jiawei's voice was deep and serious: "This is a specific production course, which is very important."
"I don't care what methods you use, you must engrave every word spoken and every scene shown by Teacher Zhou Yi of Bai Shijie into my mind!"
"This concerns the future of my Star Luo Empire. Anyone who dares to falter at this crucial moment will not be spared by me!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The twenty retainers responded in unison, having already set up rows of the highest-grade recording soul tools, and even prepared three sets of backup energy cores.
...
Shrek Academy, Faculty Office.
The office, usually filled with the sounds of teaching and discussions, was now deathly silent.
At this moment, teachers like Mu Jin and Wang Yan completely disregarded their image as "role models for teachers".
They held all sorts of recording soul tools in their hands, without even blinking.
"Quick, quick, turn the resolution up to the highest!" Wang Yan muttered to himself as he adjusted the instrument in his hands. "This is a golden opportunity. If we can learn how to manufacture Dou Kai, that would be awesome!"
Even Zhou Yi, sitting in the corner of the dark world, looked like a guilty thief.
She had previously mocked the "self" in the white world quite a bit, saying things like "misleading the younger generation" and "ignoring the immensity of heaven and earth."
Now that the crucial moment has arrived, she wants to learn, but she's also afraid of being laughed at by her colleagues.
So, she secretly took out a small recording device and hid it behind a pile of lesson plans, pretending to be preparing a lesson, but in reality, she kept her eyes glued to the sky.
"Hmph... I'm doing this for the sake of the entire Shrek Academy..."
She muttered stubbornly, but her fingers pressed the record button harder than anyone else's.
In reality, nobody had time to care about her.
At this critical juncture, it's a waste of time for anyone to even glance at others.
...
Outside the college, in a secluded corner of a restaurant.
"Gulp."
Xuanzi took a big gulp of wine, then looked around furtively to make sure no one was around before pulling out a stack of crumpled draft paper and a worn-out pen from his pocket.
"Ahem... I didn't mean to steal your skills..."
While making excuses for himself, Xuanzi laid out paper and pen: "I'm doing this to criticize! Yes, in order to better criticize the crooked ways of that world, I must first understand it!"
He said this, but his serious, even somewhat devout expression had already betrayed his inner desire for battle armor technology.
...
Inside the Sea God Pavilion.
Moon's eyes burned with an intense intensity.
"Lin'er, Duoduo."
Moon's voice trembled slightly from nervousness: "It's starting... The real stuff is coming! You all need to study hard, especially the basic theories!"
"Even if we can't make it right now, as long as we understand the principles, the future holds endless possibilities!"
Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er, who were standing below, exchanged a glance and nodded bitterly.
They really wanted to reply with, "It's very difficult."
But seeing how excited Moon was, they dared not say it.
I had no choice but to obediently agree.
"We'll try our best..."
...
Sun and Moon Empire, Mingde Hall.
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen personally oversaw the operation, while hundreds of senior researchers sat around a huge display screen, each with a thick notebook and sophisticated drawing tools in front of them.
"Remember!" Kong Deming's voice echoed in the empty hall, "We don't need to understand everything, just write it down! Write down every detail! Every symbol! Not even a single punctuation mark can be missed!"
"Yes, Master!"
...
Amidst the tense atmosphere of the entire continent frantically "preparing for exams," the celestial screen finally began to rotate again.
The scene shifts from the playground to a spacious and bright first-grade classroom.
Zhou Yi stood on the podium, looking at the students below who were still somewhat excited, and gestured for them to calm down.
"Okay, calm down. Have some water and settle down."
"What I'm about to say will determine how far you can go in the future. If anyone gets distracted, don't come crying to me later if you can't build battle armor."
Once the students had quieted down a bit, Zhou Yi turned around, picked up the chalk, and wrote twelve large characters on the blackboard with vigorous strokes—
Blacksmith, Designer, Craftsman, Repairman.
After finishing writing, she turned around and tapped the blackboard.
"These are the four core professions in the Battle Armor crafting system; none can be missing."
"First and foremost, the blacksmith. This is the foundation. Battle armor needs to withstand extremely strong soul power impacts and external strikes; ordinary metals are simply inadequate. Only 'special metals' that have been refined through countless hammerings by a blacksmith, impurities removed, and imbued with spirituality, can serve as the raw materials for battle armor."
"Secondly, the designers. Every Soul Master's Martial Soul, Soul Skills, and fighting style are unique. Designers must tailor-make the most suitable Battle Armor blueprints based on these characteristics. This includes the layout of the core magic array, the connection method of the joints, the aerodynamic design of the appearance, and so on."
"Third, the craftsmen. These are essentially the traditional Soul Masters. They are responsible for turning blueprints into physical objects, inscribing core magic arrays on metal, and performing precise assembly. This is the part that tests both skill and patience the most."
"Finally, the repairman. Battle armor is a weapon of war, and it will inevitably wear and tear. The repairman needs to ensure that the battle armor is always in optimal condition, repairing minor cracks and adjusting the energy circuits."
Upon hearing this, the Soul Masters of the Underworld suddenly realized what was going on.
I see!
No wonder they were so confused before. It turns out that the Battle Armor is not just a soul tool, but a huge and sophisticated industrial system!
Immediately afterwards, Zhou Yi's expression turned serious.
"I know what you're thinking. You might think that as long as you pay the best blacksmiths and designers to do it for you, everything will be fine."
"Wrong! Utterly wrong!"
"Battle armor is a part of your body, an extension of your martial spirit! It needs to have an extremely high 'compatibility' with you!"
"If all the processes are outsourced, then even if this battle armor is made to perfection, it's just a cold tool, completely incapable of resonating with your soul! Forget about unleashing the armor's true combat power; even a simple possession attempt might fail due to a rejection reaction!"
"Therefore, as the masters of the battle armor, you must participate in at least one, or even more, of these four stages!"
These words struck like a thunderbolt in the minds of the Soul Masters of the Underworld.
So... compatibility is also important?
It turns out that it's not simply a matter of "buying equipment," but rather "making equipment" yourself?
This was undoubtedly a huge shock to the mindset of the underworld soul masters who were used to the idea that "soul tools are just purchased tools".
After explaining the basic concepts, Zhou Yi did not stop.
She took a piece of metal with a faint blue luster from her storage soul tool and placed it on the lectern.
"Look, this is a piece of 'thousand-times-forged' deep silver. Its internal structure has undergone a qualitative change, and its conductivity of soul power is ten times that of ordinary deep silver. Only a true blacksmith can forge metal of this level."
[Then, she pulled out several large sheets of paper from under the podium, unfolded them, and pasted them onto the blackboard.]
"And this is one of the discarded drafts I used when designing the One-Word Battle Armor. Although it has some flaws, the basic structure and circuitry are all there."
"A designer's job is to transform the ideas in their mind into drawings that are accurate to the micrometer."
"You can't do it right now, but you can look at the diagram to get a general idea."
The moment I saw those drawings.
The underworld is in complete uproar!
drawing!
Those are genuine battle armor design blueprints!
Although Zhou Yi called it a "scrap manuscript," in the eyes of experts in the underworld, it was a priceless treasure, a key to unlocking a new world!
"Take a picture quickly! Quickly!"
"Zoom in! Make sure you get a clear shot of every single line!"
"Hand-drawing group! Immediately copy! Not a single mistake is allowed!"
Countless flashes lit up every corner of the dark world, and all the recording soul tools were running at full speed.
Even Xuanzi, who had been hiding in the corner, didn't care about saving face anymore. He jumped up from his seat and scribbled rapidly on the paper with his worn-out pen, as if he wanted to gouge out his eyeballs and stick them to the sky.
(End of chapter)