"Maybe... the research direction for mecha needs to change?"
Huo Yuhao murmured, one hand thoughtfully stroking his chin.
Hearing this, Team Leader Wang glanced at him curiously.
"Xiao Huo, got another new idea?"
Huo Yuhao nodded.
"Team Leader Wang, take me to the mecha research lab. I want to take a look."
Wang led Huo Yuhao into the area where unfinished large-scale humanoid soul tools were being stored.
Inside the spacious production facility, Huo Yuhao saw three experimental mecha, each ranging from three to five meters tall, already assembled and standing in place.
"So this is it... Team Leader Wang, is it currently possible to manufacture mecha that ordinary people can use?"
Wang shook his head.
"No. The issue lies in reducing the mental strain required to control even a slightly larger mecha like these. The problem is massive. Honestly, you'd need at least Soul King or Soul Emperor level spiritual power to operate these experimental units smoothly."
"Can I give it a try?"
Huo Yuhao asked.
Wang looked surprised.
"You? But you're still—"
He cut himself off abruptly, remembering Huo Yuhao's extraordinary talent in spiritual power—enough to make him a rank-five soul engineer while still just a three-ring Soul Elder.
"...Alright, give it a shot. With your spiritual power, you'll probably understand the control system after just one look."
Wang smiled helplessly. He had forgotten that standing before him was a true cultivation prodigy.
Huo Yuhao nodded and leapt into the cockpit of one of the mecha.
Inside the control chamber, he found a seat and sat down. As he did, the cockpit canopy slowly descended, sealing him inside.
Once the chamber was fully closed, the lights dimmed. Huo Yuhao reached up and pulled down a helmet that resembled the level-nine spiritual enhancement helmet soul tool he'd used before, then placed it on his head.
Instantly, he felt a strange sensation—like his entire body had become one with the mecha. He could command every movement with pure thought alone.
'Incredible... The research staff at Mingde Hall really are brilliant. This intelligent, fully mind-linked control system must be the result of years of development based on the large-scale humanoid soul tools.'
But ten minutes later...
Huo Yuhao stumbled out of the mecha cockpit, pale and drenched in sweat, nearly collapsing outside the chamber.
Seeing this, Team Leader Wang rushed to catch him and helped him back down to the ground.
"Xiao Huo, are you alright?"
Huo Yuhao waved a hand to signal that he didn't need help. After regaining some of his mental strength, he stood up and offered a bitter smile.
"I mean... Team Leader Wang, the rate at which it drains spiritual power is insane. I was just moving the mecha around a bit—didn't even activate the weapon systems—and I was already on the verge of collapse."
This was despite Huo Yuhao's spiritual power not only being vast in quantity, but also of a quality far beyond even most Soul Kings and Soul Emperors. Yet even so, the mental exhaustion he experienced from piloting the mecha was alarming.
"Sigh... there's no helping it. Even with your mechanical structure upgrades, implementing a full mental control system into a compact humanoid soul tool requires an enormous amount of spiritual power. Even with my eight soul rings, I can only operate this relatively low-tier mecha for about an hour before I'm spent."
"If we try to reduce the mental control component and increase manual operation, it becomes way too complex. Think about it—these mecha have countless moving parts across the entire body. Can anyone manually operate all that with just two hands? What, are we supposed to grow eight arms?"
Huo Yuhao nodded. Expecting ordinary people to use mecha was clearly impossible. Even making them practical for soul masters was a challenge. They had hit a technological ceiling.
With this in mind, he began reflecting on the direction he had considered earlier. No, not a solution—more of a concept. But maybe... just maybe, it could work.
"Team Leader Wang, maybe we really do need to change direction."
"You mean?"
Huo Yuhao rubbed his temple as he explained.
"I think the initial idea—that mecha should be like powered armor: mass-producible, standardized soul tools usable by most people—was flawed from the start. Just look at all the research bottlenecks we've hit. Even if we do manage to develop standardized mecha, their ability to boost combat power will still be limited. From a cost-efficiency perspective, powered armor is far superior."
"Instead, we should consider treating mecha as a customized tool—something designed to amplify the power of already-strong soul engineers or soul masters."
Wang's eyes lit up in realization.
"You mean... make mecha into exclusive, personalized weapons for high-level soul masters and soul engineers?"
Huo Yuhao nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
"Exactly. Starting from strong Soul Kings and Soul Emperors, all the way up to Title Douluo—we can create personalized mecha for them. We'll design them based on each user's martial soul and preferred soul tool style. Remove unnecessary components, reinforce what's essential. Completely tailor-made."
Wang's eyes gleamed with excitement. It just might work.
Why had Huo Yuhao thought of taking mecha in this direction?
Because he remembered Soul Armor. He had always felt that Soul Armor and mecha somewhat overlapped in function—but conflicted in practicality. Mecha had too high a learning curve and dragged down a soul master's cultivation speed. That's why most people preferred becoming Soul Armor masters instead of mecha pilots.
So Huo Yuhao wondered... could Soul Armor and mecha be fused? Could they be combined to create something that captured the best of both worlds?
"But... can mecha really enhance the combat power of strong soul engineers and soul masters that significantly?" Wang asked. "What if they find it easier to fight using just their own bodies?"
"Team Leader Wang, have you ever heard of forged metals?"
Wang nodded.
Some blacksmiths, through extensive tempering, could enhance a metal's quality to the point of giving it life, aura, even soul.
But the requirements for forging metals were extremely high, and the process was difficult. The resulting ultra-grade metals had few proven applications, so there weren't many forgers in the world capable of the process. Soul tools crafted with such metals were rare.
High-level soul engineers usually worked with rare metals that already displayed some of these traits, so there was no need to go through such a grueling forging process.
(End of Chapter)
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