It’s all starting from nothing.
It’s all difficult.
However, Mu Yuan wanted to do the latter.
Instead of playing catch-up on the road ahead, it would be better to blaze a new trail and develop a new system.
Otherwise, we will always be throttled by the Sun Moon Empire’s technology.
The spirit tool technology might seem to be progressing, but in reality, it is always being remotely controlled by them.
On the contrary, only by pioneering new technologies that the Sun Moon Empire does not possess can we potentially use them as leverage to balance against the Sun Moon side.
Whether it’s exchanging technology or learning through exchange, there would be a chance to grasp a bit of the initiative.
As for the Battle Armor technology of later generations, Mu Yuan was not confident he could develop it.
Even given several decades, he wouldn’t dare guarantee he could create a one-word Battle Armor.
How could this entire system be something one person could just develop on a whim?
Mu Yuan’s idea was very simple: if he couldn’t make Battle Armor, he would make Battle Armor weapons.
He would only craft the parts that fuse with a Spirit Master—for example, he could prepare weapons for himself that reinforced his own arms.
The most critical thing was to have the characteristics of Battle Armor—fusion.
To fuse with the Spirit Master, and in essence, to fuse with the Spirit Master’s Spirit, providing a boost to the Spirit Master at the most fundamental level.
Strictly speaking, the key to achieving this should be a breakthrough in forging.
Of course, while it falls under forging, modern Soul Engineers develop as generalists.
Even forging and shaping are mandatory courses for blacksmiths, so it is fair to say this is a breakthrough in the spirit tool field.
“Forging, thousand-refining—the possibility of making a breakthrough in this direction should be quite high.”
At this moment, Mu Yuan, holding a piece of sinking silver, woke from his deep contemplation.
He threw the sinking silver into the furnace in front of him.
After heating it until it was glowing red, he took it out and placed it on the forging table, swinging his hammer with one hand to begin tempering it a thousand times.
Ten hammer strikes, a hundred, a thousand.
Thousand-refining is not something that can be completed in just a thousand strikes.
At least Mu Yuan had not grasped the knack yet; for now, he could only rely on quantity to pile up the results.
With every hammer strike, he tried to adjust to different angles as much as possible to experience the changes in the metal.
He recorded the effect produced by the hammer on every single spot.
“Failed.”
In the end, looking at the sinking silver in front of him that had shrunk by a circle and cracked in the middle from his hammering, Mu Yuan couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
“I could try using my blood essence; perhaps blood essence could help awaken the spirituality within the rare metal, but that must wait until I have honed my forging techniques to perfection.”
Mu Yuan’s own blood essence was not a bottomless pit.
Using it for forging would inevitably reduce the time he could spend on his daily blood essence cultivation.
It could be tried, but not now.
He heated the sinking silver again and tried forging a few more times.
A flash of light flickered on Mu Yuan’s wrist, and he habitually flipped his hand, but nothing appeared.
He looked at his left hand and revealed a wry smile.
The sinking silver was used up.
In this era, rare metals are genuine strategic resources with extremely high value.
It’s fine in the Sun Moon Empire; there are many ways to purchase rare metals because the Sun Moon Empire possesses the technology to mine them.
The Douluo Three Kingdoms have neither discovered rare metal veins nor do they possess the capability to mine them.
Therefore, the rare metals in the Douluo Three Kingdoms are almost all smuggled from the Sun Moon Empire.
Even if the value of each piece only doubles, it is considered a bargain.
Leaving his room, Mu Yuan arrived outside Wei Na’s room.
He knocked on the door.
“Senior Sister, are you there?”
“Little Yuan?
Is something the matter?”
A gentle voice came from inside the room.
As the door opened, a fragrant breeze wafted over Mu Yuan.
Wei Na was wearing a goose-yellow dress.
With only slight adornment, a trace of confusion flashed across her stunningly beautiful face.
“Senior Sister, I have to trouble you again.
I would like to purchase some more rare metals.” Mu Yuan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Since he started learning about spirit tools, whether it was rare metals, spirit tool blueprints, or even investigating information about the spirit devouring engraving knife, he had been troubling Wei Na.
Coming here again this time, he also felt a bit embarrassed.
But his cultivation could not be neglected, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Wei Na for help.
Wei Na didn’t show the slightest rejection; instead, she appeared very willing to help.
“Junior Brother, you are willing to learn about spirit tools; Senior Sister is too happy to be bothered, how could I find it troublesome?”
Wei Na said softly, “In this era, accepting spirit tools is the general trend.
There must be Soul Engineers within the Sect.
Since you are willing to learn, Senior Sister will certainly do her best to help you.”
As a princess of the Heavenly Soul Empire, the ideas she had been taught since childhood regarding devotion to the royal family and the Empire had a significant influence on her.
However, after so many years in the Body Sect, she also genuinely identified with the Sect and did not want the Sect to be eliminated by the era in the future because it rejected spirit tools at this time.
Therefore, she was willing to help Mu Yuan purchase rare metals at a low price through the royal family’s channels.
“Purchasing rare metals is no problem, but why is your consumption rate of rare metals so fast, Junior Brother?” Wei Na changed the subject and asked with some confusion.
Mu Yuan’s rare metals all came from her, so she was naturally aware of how astonishing Mu Yuan’s consumption of rare metals was.
This was already five times the consumption of the Soul Engineers trained by the royal family.
Mu Yuan said helplessly, “I am trying to make a breakthrough in forging, using better materials to enhance the effects of spirit tools.”
He did not hide it.
Upon hearing this, Wei Na frowned.
However, she still did not deny Mu Yuan’s approach.
In the Douluo Three Kingdoms, many Soul Engineers had similar training.
Relying on the advantages of Spirit Master cultivation here, they strove for perfection in physical labor like forging, seeking to use the quality of materials to catch up for the deficiencies in core arrays and manufacturing techniques.
It was just that Mu Yuan’s consumption was still too high.
“So, was that batch of sinking silver all ruined during forging?”
“About half, I suppose.”
“Only half?
Then what about the sinking silver that wasn’t ruined?”
“Of course, I used it to engrave core arrays,” Mu Yuan said.
“Do you still have enough gold coins?
Let me help you deal with the spirit tools you’ve made.” Wei Na reached out her hand.
Mu Yuan did not stand on ceremony and handed over the storage bracelet containing the dozen or so second-grade spirit tools he had made.
Wei Na injected her Soul Power into it, inspected it, and was quite satisfied.
“Looking at it this way, the overall yield rate is not low, and the quality is also considered top-tier.”
Wei Na nodded with satisfaction.
After some thought, she said to Mu Yuan, “The Empire has limited rare metals.
If you insist on practicing forging, Senior Sister can help you ask those royal blacksmiths if they can hand over the blanks for the spirit tools they are making for you to forge.”
Hearing this, Mu Yuan was quite pleasantly surprised.
“Really?”
“Naturally, it is true.
In fact, many blacksmiths don’t really like forging; they just want to spend more time on the research and engraving of spirit tool arrays,” Wei Na said.
“After all, spirit tool arrays are the foundation of a Soul Engineer.”