Once the matters regarding the Battle Armor were explained, Ye Yulin, with the assistance of Kong Deming, finished donning the full set of armor nearby.
Jing Hongchen immediately fell silent, ceasing his explanation. He, along with the group of Class 9 soul tool engineers behind him, turned their collective gaze toward Ye Yulin.
Kong Deming nodded slightly, signaling Ye Yulin to begin. He then took a few steps back and summoned his Silver Moon Divine Light Barrier to observe the Battle Armor's data from the closest possible distance.
Receiving the signal from Kong Deming, Ye Yulin's gaze sharpened. Without hesitation, his soul power instantly surged, triggering every component of the Battle Armor on his body.
The silver-white Battle Armor, which had previously only reflected a metallic luster, now erupted with a dazzling silver radiance. A terrifying fluctuation of soul power surged violently!
At this moment, Ye Yulin, who was originally only a Level 94 Titled Douluo, felt his aura skyrocket. In a mere instant, he broke through the shackles of a Super Douluo, his presence climbing toward even higher tiers!
"His level has reached Level 97! And it's still rising rapidly!"
"Soul power, constitution, and even his mental power have received a boost! The soul power stored within the Spiritual Metal is being pushed to its absolute limit! This is a miracle!"
"He's broken through to Level 98! And it's starting to stabilize!! Moreover, the frequency of the Battle Armor's soul power is synchronizing with Old Ye's; the two are beginning to show signs of fusion!"
Exclamations of shock rose one after another from the Class 9 soul tool engineers standing behind.
Witnessing this scene—which felt like an act of God—the engineers looked on with fanatical expressions. While recording data, every ounce of their remaining attention was fixed on Ye Yulin.
Meanwhile, Ye Yulin was completely immersed in the explosive surge of power within him.
Just as the sensors indicated, once the Battle Armor was activated, it seemed to form a singular entity with him. This granted him a terrifying physical and soul power enhancement!
In terms of constitution alone, he felt that he could now engage in close-quarters combat with a 100,000-year-old Soul Beast and not be disadvantaged!
As for soul power, it went without saying—it had surged directly to the level of a Level 98 Super Douluo!
Right now, setting aside the fact that his combat experience might not match the few combat-specialized Level 98 Super Douluos of the three Douluo nations, he was essentially their equal in every other metric!
At the very least, taking on some Level 97 Super Douluos would be trivial!
"Worshiper Ye, report your status."
Kong Deming, standing behind his Silver Moon Divine Light Barrier, spoke up to snap Ye Yulin out of his trance-like state.
Ye Yulin dithered for a moment, coming to his senses only after a long pause, and began to report his condition according to the pre-established protocol.
"Constitution and soul power have seen terrifying growth, but the increase in mental power isn't as high.
"Furthermore, I can feel the Battle Armor slowly merging into my body. Once the fusion is complete, my combat strength when the armor is active might increase even further.
"Aside from that..."
Ye Yulin reported his status point by point. Though he tried to suppress it, the joy in his voice was unmistakable.
Even though the Spiritual Metal used to make the Battle Armor could only be nurtured by a Titled Douluo over a long period, it drastically increased a soul master's combat power!
One must remember that the Sun Moon Empire's greatest weakness was its lack of high-end combat power!
Now, the emergence of the Battle Armor compensated for this deficiency to a massive degree!
Even if they didn't have many Titled Douluos—a pitiful number compared to the three Douluo nations—if every single one of their Titled Douluos wore a Battle Armor, they would, at a conservative estimate, all possess the strength of a Super Douluo!
Under such circumstances, the Sun Moon Empire could completely balance the scales against the high-end power of the three Douluo nations! As for mid-to-low-tier forces... Hmph, a single soul tool legion from the Sun Moon Empire could stand against five legions from the other side!
"...That concludes the full report, Elder Kong."
Ye Yulin spoke respectfully.
"Very well, I understand. For the next year, you will remain under observation. Report the status of the Battle Armor and any physical changes daily."
"Yes, Elder Kong!"
Kong Deming nodded and turned to face the group of Class 9 soul tool engineers.
Without hesitation, he began issuing orders:
"First: As of today, this laboratory is completely sealed. Aside from the researchers already assigned here, any other entry requires Class 9 clearance.
"Second: Notify every Titled Douluo in the Empire to temporarily set aside their soul power cultivation and focus entirely on nurturing Spiritual Metal. They must each produce at least six standard units.
"Third: Collect and put out rewards for information regarding high-strength alloy production methods."
Following these three orders, the Class 9 soul tool engineers nodded one after another without the slightest doubt.
Kong Deming bowed his head slightly and added, " Yuhao stays. Everyone else, out."
Immediately, the engineers dispersed. Huo Yuhao gave Meng Hongchen a reassuring look before turning his attention to Kong Deming:
"Teacher."
"Yuhao." Kong Deming's stern expression softened into one of kindness. He slowly reached out and placed a hand solemnly on Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "This succeeded because of you. The credit is yours."
"Teacher, I only provided the concept—"
"No." Kong Deming raised a hand to cut Huo Yuhao off, speaking seriously:
"Yuhao, you are a genius—a true genius.
"A flash of inspiration from you might take us years of agonizing thought to achieve.
"Without you, the 'Soul Power Joint Reinforcement Technology' might have remained nothing more than a way for us to coordinate the integration and flexibility of large-scale soul tools.
"Perhaps we would have found a way to use it eventually, but there's no telling how long that would have taken.
"Yet you, after having access to the technology for only a single day, came up with the complete concept for the Battle Armor. I must admit, I cannot match such cognitive ability.
"Therefore, the credit belongs to you.
"I have already reported this to His Majesty. He is extremely pleased. In addition to the worshiper position and Class 9 clearance, His Majesty has directly ordered the national treasury to be opened. He has awarded you a ranked carving knife, ranked 5th, named 'Soul Radiance.'
"Furthermore, he even intends to bring you closer to the Imperial Family and asked me to inquire if you are willing."
A ranked carving knife named "Soul Radiance," ranked 5th? Huo Yuhao was slightly surprised. In the Sun Moon Empire, most ranked carving knives already had masters—for instance, the 1st ranked "Silver Moon" was, if he recalled correctly, in Kong Deming's possession.
For the Sun Moon Empire to be willing to give a top-five ranked knife as a reward, on top of what Jing Hongchen mentioned... they were truly generous.
It's just...
"Teacher, what does he mean by 'bringing me closer'?"
The corners of Kong Deming's mouth curled up slightly, and a glint appeared in his eyes:
"It's exactly what you think. His Majesty intends to introduce Princess Tianzhen to you. After all, you two are of a similar age; perhaps you'll find much to talk about."
Huo Yuhao: ???
Wait... what?