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Void-etched formations have a poor cost-performance ratio.
Seeing Su Yu display such a technique, both Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen didn't believe Su Yu was just showing off.
However, they couldn't figure out his intentions.
Su Yu quickly cleared up their confusion.
Without the constraints of rare metals, every soul power circuit had to be entirely controlled by the soul master.
But it also meant there was no need to engrave on rare metals.
As long as one was familiar enough with the formation, it could theoretically be constructed in an instant.
Su Yu took about a second to build the formation, his face paling slightly.
The moment the formation was completed, it burst with light.
Su Yu poured his spiritual power into maintaining the formation at its maximum capacity.
Then, the formation fused into the Blue Silver Grass.
"He's enhancing his martial soul!"
"Can the core formations used to make soul tools really be applied this way?"
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen, two experts in soul tools, were deeply shaken!
After thinking about it carefully, it seemed possible.
A deafening roar erupted.
On the arena, debris and fragments of Blue Silver Grass flew everywhere.
The center of the explosion had turned into a wasteland, dust swirling in the air.
Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming stared at the ruined battlefield.
A moment ago, Jing Hongchen had been so shocked by Su Yu's actions that he had momentarily forgotten to intervene. However, as a Rank Nine Soul Engineer, his spiritual power was exceptional. Amid the chaotic energies of the wreckage, he sensed a lingering presence of life, allowing him to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The dust cleared.
"What..."
Jing Hongchen and Kong Deming's faces twitched at the sight before them.
Nearly all the Blue Silver Grass had been obliterated.
Even with the core formation's enhancements and Su Yu's meticulous design, it couldn't withstand the most powerful strike from the martial soul fusion technique of two advanced Soul Masters.
However, the grass had managed to absorb the majority of the blow.
In the end, what truly protected Su Yu were the layers of defensive soul tools.
Yes, it was still the soul tools.
Su Yu, after all, was a Soul Engineer.
At the last moment, he activated his defensive soul tools.
Using the same shock absorption principle, the soul tools' layered metal structures maximized the reduction of the attack's strength.
The attack, already significantly weakened by the Blue Silver Grass, was blocked by the soul tool.
This soul tool wasn't just second-grade.
It was a third-grade soul tool!
Moreover, it was the pinnacle of third-grade soul tools.
Having mastered the blueprints of numerous first and second-grade soul tools, Su Yu had naturally reached the level of a third-grade Soul Engineer.
In his spare time, he even designed his own soul tool blueprints.
This defensive soul tool was one of his creations.
Its craftsmanship was at the peak level of a third-grade Soul Engineer, and due to its construction principles, its defensive strength rivaled that of a fifth-grade defensive soul tool!
Currently, on the Douluo Continent, soul tool development had yet to fully explore structural engineering.
Research into internal mechanical structures was rare.
The Tang Sect's hidden weapons were the only ones that had perfected this field.
By combining soul tool technology with mechanical structure, Su Yu had created this powerful defensive soul tool.
Pieces of the metal shell clattered to the ground.
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen were utterly speechless.
They couldn't properly appreciate the high-level techniques used in this soul tool since it was almost entirely destroyed. Without careful examination, it would be hard to notice the finer details.
However, they could easily identify the metals used to make the soul tool.
"Is that... anti-magic crystal and refined tungsten-steel?!"
Anti-magic crystal could weaken the damage from soul power and other energy-based attacks and was highly durable in its own right.
Refined tungsten-steel was one of the rarest metals on the Douluo Continent, known for its extraordinary hardness.
These rare metals were the kind used to craft sixth-grade soul tools!
In short, while Su Yu's technology was indeed impressive, most of the soul tool's defensive power came from its expensive materials!
His peak third-grade engineering skills, combined with the mechanical structure, could at best provide fourth-grade defense.
Yet he managed to push it to level five using rare metals!
"Where did he get so many rare metals?"
As a core disciple, Su Yu had a share of rare metals available for use. Even though his status as Kong Deming's disciple doubled his already elite privileges, it was still limited.
The key issue was that Kong Deming knew that the tasks he had assigned required a massive amount of rare metals!
Given this situation, how could Su Yu possibly have surplus shares to exchange for so many anti-magic crystals and refined tungsten-steel? It was absurd!
On the arena, Su Yu made his move.
As the last bit of soul power drained from Hongchen's state, a flash of light appeared, and the three-legged golden toad vanished, revealing the figures of Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.
"Blue Silver Critical Shot!"
"Cutting Technique!"
With their soul power exhausted, the siblings had no ability to resist Su Yu and were easily knocked off the stage.
Su Yu was victorious!
Meng Hongchen had consumed too much energy and was affected by the backlash from her martial soul, falling into a deep unconsciousness.
Xiao Hongchen opened his eyes a crack, scanned the surroundings, then closed his eyes again, seemingly succumbing to unconsciousness as well.
"Dream!"
Jing Hongchen rushed forward to check on Meng Hongchen's condition.
"Wait!"
Su Yu stepped in front of the siblings and pulled out the Blue Silver Grass branches that were embedded in their bodies.
Jing Hongchen produced a pill and fed it to Meng Hongchen, using his soul power to detoxify her system.
The Zhu Jing Ice Toad, while possessing terrifying toxins, also had the potential to backfire on its host, similar to the Bi Phosphorus Snake and the Evil Fire Phoenix.
Fortunately, it wasn't a case of improper cultivation causing the backlash, and Meng Hongchen's condition quickly stabilized.
Su Yu also provided Meng Hongchen with some of his energy.
"First soul skill, Stellar Energy!"
"Second soul skill, Purple Moon Purification!"
"Can your soul skills be used on others?" Jing Hongchen was stunned, glancing at Su Yu in surprise.
Su Yu felt at a loss for words, unsure how to respond to that question.
Realizing this, Jing Hongchen changed the topic and praised Su Yu, saying, "I have to admit, that battle was truly spectacular!"
He had learned a lot from the recent fight.
Especially the idea that the core formations of soul tools could be directly applied to martial souls! This insight sparked a flood of inspiration in Jing Hongchen.
"Xiao Yu, did you make this soul tool yourself?"
Kong Deming held the severely damaged defensive soul tool created by Su Yu.
"Yes, Teacher," Su Yu replied.
Kong Deming admired the clever structure, prompting Su Yu to share his thoughts.
"I heard about a force called the Tang Sect that specializes in hidden weapons.
"They can unleash terrifying destructive power without requiring any soul power.
"Some of the top hidden weapons can even pose a threat to Title Douluo!
"I've been pondering this and can only speculate that their immense destructive power is achieved through the construction of the components.
"Their construction techniques are so impressive that I thought to integrate these methods into soul tools.
"That led to this creation."
"This soul tool is merely a preliminary application of those construction methods, but the effects are quite evident.
"Teacher, if the Tang Sect's hidden weapons are as fearsome as rumored, then the construction principles they master must be extraordinarily advanced!
"If applied to soul tools, the results would undoubtedly be terrifying!"
(End of Chapter)