Xiao Hongchen got serious.
He acknowledged Zhang Wei's strength.
He saw Zhang Wei's Spirit Tools: a pair of gauntlets, a Spirit propulsion device, plus the energy gathering effect.
With such a simple Spirit Tool configuration, he could actually unleash such terrifying bursts of power.
On his body, one hundred and eight Spirit Cannon ports were ready.
Among them, nine main cannons, which were also the only nine Level 5 Spirit Cannons he currently possessed, all fired at Zhang Wei's second punch.
"Haha, don't fight me like that!"
Zhang Wei laughed loudly and directly threw another punch.
Simultaneously, the propulsion device activated, pushing him towards Xiao Hongchen's flank.
Xiao Hongchen quickly adjusted his cannon ports.
However, Zhang Wei changed direction again, directly closing in right in front of him.
"Repulsion Ring!"
A white metal sphere appeared in front of Xiao Hongchen's chest. The metal sphere exploded, releasing a white ring of light that expanded outwards, forcibly pushing Zhang Wei away to a distance of twenty meters.
Zhang Wei was momentarily stunned.
His combat experience was truly insufficient.
Xiao Hongchen's terrifying firepower coverage finally descended.
Zhang Wei dodged and weaved within the barrage.
A white Spirit Power shield flowed over the surface of his body, allowing him to barely withstand the bombardment of ordinary Level 4 Spirit Cannons.
"Why is his Third Spirit Skill so strong?" Nana was puzzled.
Su Ming explained to her.
"His will transformed, so his Third Spirit Skill was also enhanced."
"That's too exaggerated," Nana exclaimed in amazement.
"This is the Body Martial Soul. Once you find the right direction, you can quickly form an overwhelming advantage. Your Martial Soul is the same. As long as you continuously delve into the direction of 'Nothingness', perhaps one day you can reach the state of being everywhere."
Nana just thought Su Ming was joking.
How could that possibly be achieved?
Zhang Wei's fighting didn't have any other highlights.
Only pure brute force and eruptions.
In front of a talented Level 5 Spirit Engineer like Xiao Hongchen, he was led by the nose and ultimately defeated.
"Still a bit lacking."
"You just don't understand Spirit Tools well enough," Xiao Hongchen said.
He was being uncharacteristically modest for once.
His victory was also thanks to Zhang Wei's lack of understanding of Spirit Tools, actually thinking that simply charging right up to a Fortress Spirit Engineer would counter them.
Defensive Spirit Tools like the Repulsion Ring weren't circulated in the three Douluo empires, but in Mingde Hall, they were a required subject for Spirit Engineers.
Moreover, even if Xiao Hongchen couldn't activate the Repulsion Ring in time, he also had trigger-type Spirit Tools on his person.
He hadn't been a Spirit King for long and only had nine Level 5 Spirit Cannons. It wasn't that he was slow at making Level 5 Spirit Cannons, but that he had to upgrade his defence system first.
Su Ming helped Zhang Wei back to the rest area.
"Nana, it's your turn."
Nana took a deep breath; the pressure was a bit high.
She realised she didn't seem to be as strong as Zhang Wei.
In just one day, the changes brought by Zhang Wei's transformation were too great.
This change instantly reversed Nana's original mindset of thinking she had someone weaker to set her off.
Oh no, she had become the sidekick!
The fight went as expected. Nana's performance was good, but not as shocking as Zhang Wei's.
The sound of the tiger's roar still echoed in everyone's ears.
The Spirit Engineers present all had strong mental power to begin with, yet they were still affected. One could imagine how intense that impact was.
After Jing Hongchen obtained the recording from the training ground, he studied it immediately and was also shocked by Zhang Wei's performance.
"It's actually a will-type Martial Soul. Courage, it actually has such an effect."
It appears to be a Body Type, but is actually still a mental-type Martial Soul.
Indeed, in Zhang Wei's hands, this Courage Martial Soul possessed a mental attribute.
It's just that the mental proficiency here isn't about the grade or quantity of mental power, but the quality – an exaggerated quality!
"No phantom, no Second Awakening." Jing Hongchen smiled wryly.
None!
"Are Body Martial Souls just this exaggerated?"
He couldn't help but want to research Body Martial Souls a bit, too.
However, thinking of the Body Sect's overbearing and aggressive nature, he still backed down.
"Nana has also shown obvious changes, fundamentally different from her previous changes within the academy. This shows that Body Martial Souls still require the correct cultivation method; otherwise, even if the Martial Soul is excellent, it cannot be excavated."
Jing Hongchen compared Nana's performance with the records he investigated from within the academy.
From this, he directly felt the intricacies of the Martial Soul Department's cultivation.
It was definitely not just blindly raising Spirit Power.
A flash of inspiration crossed his mind.
"I think I misunderstood."
"Was Su Can's request for me to change the tradition of Spirit Engineers not to give Spirit Engineers more time to study Spirit Tools?"
"Did he want Spirit Engineers to have more time to excavate their Martial Souls?"
Jing Hongchen's gaze flickered rapidly as he pondered the benefits these two directions could bring.
He was surprised to discover that if there were truly reasonable guidance and efficient cultivation, using the saved time to excavate Martial Soul abilities offered a higher cost-performance ratio.
With the matters of the Body Sect and the Blacksmith Association settled for now, Su Ming finally relaxed.
"Next is preparing for the Soul Fighting Grand Prix."
Sea of Consciousness.
"Elder Yi, I'll leave the theoretical deductions regarding forging to you next."
Let's put forging aside for now; I'm afraid the Soul Fighting Grand Prix might misunderstand.
Shrek Academy.
Sea God Pavilion.
Many people gathered around Mu En.
The Pavilion Elders wore expressions of grief.
Even Xuan Zi was nearby, his gaze currently numb, his entire body gaunt and emaciated.
For over half a year without touching chicken legs or any greasy food, Xuan Zi felt like each day was a year.
However, the effect was obvious. He was now beginning to grow numb and was slowly adapting to this life.
"In the end, I still couldn't wait."
Mu En's breath was very weak, his voice only audible to the few people around him.
Bei Bei knelt, kneeling and leaning over Mu En's bedside, crying bitterly.
"Ancestor, it's all my fault, I was wrong!"
He regretted provoking the Body Sect back then, which led to Du Busi coming to their door and consuming Mu En's already limited vitality.
"Bei Bei, no need to blame yourself. My time was already short; these things were bound to happen sooner or later."
Mu En had the others leave and spoke with Bei Bei alone for a long time.
After Bei Bei, it was Xuan Zi.
"Xuan Zi, do you know the heavy responsibility on your shoulders?"
"I know."
"Mm, continue with the previous pace, slowly mastering your Martial Soul. Don't let the Martial Soul's instincts control you. When you feel the timing is appropriate, I will lend you a hand. At that time, you will be the academy's new guardian deity."
Xuan Zi left, and next was Yan Shaozhe.
"Shaozhe, remember, Huo Yuhao is the key. He cannot be given to the Body Sect. If you truly cannot contend, return to the Sea God Pavilion and seek the help of the Golden Ancient Tree. Tree Elder will respond to you."
"Yes, Teacher."
"..."
"Duoduo, the academy's Martial Soul Department has already declined. I have ordered Xuan Zi to enter closed-door cultivation, and Shaozhe must lead the team to Star Luo City. In the coming months, develop the Spirit Tool Department with all your strength. I hope that when the next Limit Douluo appears, the academy will have a true Level 9 Spirit Engineer."
"..."
After giving his final instructions one by one, Mu En closed his eyes and passed away peacefully.
***
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(Chapter 173 - End)