Chapter 54: Is It Really Impossible?
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The assessment difficulty being high?
Xu Yuan didn't pay it much mind.
In the original work, these two managed to persist until the storyline began. The so-called high difficulty was likely just a way to add pressure to them.
After all, it had only been half a year—how much progress could they realistically make?
Sometimes, when stuck at a bottleneck, it was entirely possible to make no progress for half a year, though such cases were relatively rare.
However, Xu Yuan was genuinely interested in the Mecha Association's conference.
"I'll take a look first. Anyway, my progress over the past six months has been transformative—I don't need to worry," Xu Yuan decided.
---
Mecha Association
Once a desolate association, it was now bustling with activity.
Even though the event hadn't officially started, many professionals had already gathered to exchange ideas.
"Junior Xu, you're here too?" Yu Yang greeted Xu Yuan warmly upon seeing him.
Yu Yang was an outer court disciple, currently in his sixth year. He hadn't qualified for the inner court and would graduate in two and a half years.
The graduation standard for Shrek Academy's outer court was becoming a one-character battle armor master. Even if one's soul power reached level fifty, the corresponding title of Soul King at that level meant nothing without the battle armor.
For Shrek students, reaching level fifty wasn't particularly difficult. With six grades spanning eighteen years, plus their enrollment at around twelve or thirteen years old, most students would be around thirty by the time they graduated from the sixth grade. For Shrek's outer court students, becoming a Soul King by thirty was more than achievable.
Especially for those who passed every promotion assessment.
The real challenge lay in crafting the one-character battle armor.
It was both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Choosing the right direction for the battle armor was crucial. Once determined, it would make crafting the two-character battle armor easier down the line. In fact, the one-character battle armor often took the longest to complete due to its foundational importance.
Purchasing rare metals and the crafting process itself required assistance, consuming countless contribution points.
To put it into perspective, customizing a Yellow-grade mech cost over a million contribution points, while a one-character battle armor was worth far more than a Yellow-grade mech. The failure rate during crafting was extremely high, resulting in wasted Thousand Refinement metals.
A million contribution points equated to over a hundred million federal credits.
Yu Yang's battle armor was nearly complete, with only the gauntlet left to craft. As a mecha manufacturer, he had sufficient skill and had accumulated enough experience. He also had the necessary Thousand Refinement Grade One metals ready.
However, to extend his stay in the outer court for the remaining two and a half years, he hadn't completed the gauntlet yet.
Even Shrek's outer court was a great place. After all, it gathered some of the continent's most outstanding soul masters, nearly all of whom would become battle armor masters. Networking here was invaluable. Additionally, earning contribution points within Shrek was highly beneficial—whether converting them into federal credits or trading them for rare metals through the academy's associations, it was all profit.
Though there were professional associations outside the academy, the difference between societal associations and academy-exclusive ones was significant.
"Senior Yu, haven't finished your battle armor yet?"
Yu Yang's lips twitched.
"It's not that easy to craft the gauntlet."
"Senior, is there anything I should be mindful of regarding this exchange?" Xu Yuan still intended to gather some details from this senior.
After all, according to the timeline, this senior might have attended two such conferences already.
"You want to participate? Honestly, your level isn't high enough. As a second-level professional, just listen quietly to the discussions and don't try to butt in," Yu Yang rolled his eyes and spoke harshly.
"Senior, my theoretical knowledge surpasses even third-level professionals." By combining multiple professions in his cultivation, Xu Yuan had gained a deeper understanding of their interconnectedness.
"If you really want to participate, you can check out that side. That's where the main topics are discussed. Everywhere else is mostly... arguing."
Yu Yang pointed in a direction.
"Thanks, Senior. Wishing you success in completing your gauntlet soon."
Xu Yuan bid farewell and threw in a blessing for good measure.
Yu Yang rolled his eyes again.
Don't rush me—I'm trying to drag this out.
---
Xu Yuan squeezed into the crowd.
A seven-year-old child standing among teenagers naturally stood out.
Even though Xu Yuan's repeated breakthroughs in cultivation had accelerated his growth, he was only about 1.5 meters tall, with traces of childish innocence still lingering on his face. At just seven and a half years old, standing at 1.4 meters, he was hard to miss.
This was a unique aspect of Douluo Continent.
Physical development was tied to martial soul cultivation.
Seeing a child squeezing into the crowd, elder brothers and sisters kindly made way, allowing him to enter.
Xu Yuan glanced over the discussion topics hosted by several fourth-year seniors.
His eyes lit up.
Sure enough, there were topics that piqued his interest.
For instance, a debate on the necessity of nurturing battle armor as a soul master.
"Battle armor at the two-character level already possesses rudimentary spirituality. Three-character battle armor may even develop basic consciousness, achieving synchronization with the soul master's intentions."
"As everyone knows, four-character battle armor requires Heavenly Forged metal crafted by a divine craftsman. However, there's only one divine craftsman on the continent, and Heavenly Forged metal is exceedingly rare—not everyone can obtain an entire set."
"I once visited the Star Luo Empire for exchanges. Their Imperial Tutor is a four-character battle armor master, but it's said that his battle armor was nurtured and upgraded by himself."
"Therefore, I've raised this question: Can soul masters theoretically replicate this process of nurturing and upgrading three-character battle armor using their own bodies? What's the success rate? How can we improve it?"
As Xu Yuan listened to the senior's explanation, he couldn't help but internally comment.
Isn't this supposed to be a discussion about the future development of mechas?
Why is it still about battle armor?
Still, the idea of bypassing Heavenly Forging to achieve four-character battle armor was intriguing.
"Since there's a successful example, it means there's theoretical support for this path. But..." A female senior hesitated before speaking.
"But what?" The senior who posed the question leaned forward eagerly.
"But you've already provided the conditions yourself. The Imperial Tutor is a Limit Douluo, and his fusion with his three-character battle armor must have been extremely high. Yet, even so, he's the only one who succeeded. This shows that it requires extraordinary circumstances and personal compatibility. Otherwise, it's impossible." The senior continued her analysis earnestly, ignoring the eager gaze. "But remember, he's the Imperial Tutor—a Limit Douluo. Opportunities that could nurture battle armor more effectively than his are exceedingly rare on the continent, let alone matching his compatibility."
In short, exceptions were just that—exceptions. Even if replicable in theory, they weren't feasible in reality.
Many people nodded in agreement.
"If you want to bypass Heavenly Forging, why not consider other secondary professions?" Xu Yuan interjected.
A child interrupting caused surprise among the seniors.
"Little brother, you're not suggesting that mech designers somehow replicate Heavenly Forged metal, are you?" A senior teased.
But Xu Yuan responded seriously.
"Why can't it be done?"
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