["Spirit tools?"]
Lin Lang's words made Yu Xiaogang pause for a moment. He subconsciously touched the storage soul tool around his waist.
["That's right. Spirit tools."]
["Young Sect Master, you may not know this because you haven't had much contact with them. In reality, spirit tools aren't limited to storage soul tools."]
Lin Lang explained.
["Once, while traveling across the continent, I saw several auctions selling spirit tools with special functions."]
["For example, there are carriages that don't require animals and can be driven purely by spirit power."]
["There are also ships that can sail across the sea."]
["Besides those, I realized why that object seemed familiar earlier. I once saw a spirit tool that could also produce flames."]
["Although the flame was only strong enough to light cigarettes and similar things, there's no doubt that it was capable of producing fire."]
Hearing Lin Lang's explanation, Yu Xiaogang was somewhat surprised.
He genuinely hadn't known that spirit tools came in forms other than storage soul tools.
Until now, he had always thought that spirit tools were simply items used for storage.
But now…
["Carriages powered by spirit power, ships powered by spirit power, and devices capable of producing flames…"]
So the technology of Douluo Continent was actually quite advanced?
["Then where do these spirit tools come from?"]
Yu Xiaogang asked curiously.
If spirit tools had developed to the point of being used in carriages and ships, why had he rarely encountered other types of spirit tools during all his years of living on the continent?
Why were there no records of them in the library of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect?
["Uh… If I remember correctly, spirit tools seem to be creations from an extremely ancient era."]
["The spirit tools currently used by people on Douluo Continent are basically items occasionally excavated from underground or discovered in other ancient ruins."]
Lin Lang thought for a moment before answering.
["Excavated? Good grief! So spirit tools are considered antiques here on Douluo Continent?"]
Yu Xiaogang was genuinely astonished.
Who would have thought that what people dug out from underground wouldn't be ancient weapons, armor, or ornaments, but high-tech products that seemed as though they belonged to the future?
Could it be that the civilization of Douluo Continent had actually regressed?
["It's also possible that a great war caused the entire continent to fall back into a primitive state, and the survivors failed to preserve the knowledge and technology behind these spirit tools."]
Yu Xiaogang suddenly had a thought.
When technology reached a certain level, a devastating war could completely destroy civilization.
If the conflict became severe enough, it wouldn't be impossible for both sides to perish together.
["I originally thought Douluo Continent was simply a world where technology had never developed."]
["But now it seems that it might actually be a world where civilization restarted after a great war?"]
Yu Xiaogang thought about it with great interest.
This was an unexpected discovery.
If he had to start from scratch and develop the technology tree step by step by himself, heaven knew how long it would take.
But if Douluo Continent had once possessed a highly developed "pre-civilization," things would be completely different.
He could first conduct some archaeological research and determine how far the technology of this ancient civilization had progressed. If there were useful technologies, he could learn from them and improve upon them.
If nothing else, Yu Xiaogang was particularly interested in the technology behind storage soul tools.
For Yu Xiaogang, obtaining a storage soul tool was relatively easy. After all, he was the Young Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects.
But for an ordinary person, they might never even have the chance to see one in their entire lifetime.
Even among Spirit Masters, not everyone possessed a storage soul tool.
For example, Yu Xiaogang had once met a lone Spirit Saint who didn't have one. Whenever he traveled, he had no choice but to carry his luggage with him.
If Yu Xiaogang could master the technology for manufacturing storage soul tools and find a way to reduce their production costs, making a fortune would be easy.
["So, Uncle Lin, since spirit tools are so miraculous, has no one ever tried to dismantle one and study it in order to reproduce the technology?"]
Yu Xiaogang asked.
["Of course people have tried."]
["I've attended many treasure exhibitions and auctions, and I've seen plenty of people buy spirit tools specifically so they could take them home, dismantle them, and try to reproduce them for profit."]
["Unfortunately, almost all spirit tools share one characteristic: once they are dismantled, they become nothing more than a pile of scrap metal."]
["And no matter how carefully you take them apart, a dismantled spirit tool can never be restored."]
["In the end, the only valuable things left might be the gemstones or jade embedded within them. But compared to the price of the spirit tool itself, that's still an enormous loss."]
["Over time, people simply came to accept that spirit tools could be used, but never dismantled."]
Lin Lang explained.
Years ago, he had once seen a wealthy blacksmith become fascinated with spirit tools.
The man had spent a fortune purchasing one, only to dismantle it and discover that he couldn't understand its structure at all.
Afterward, he couldn't even put the spirit tool back together.
In the end, he could only watch helplessly as his money went down the drain.
["I see."]
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
He hadn't expected the anti-theft mechanisms of this ancient "pre-civilization" to be so advanced.
There were actually built-in safeguards that prevented people from reverse-engineering their creations.
["If possible, I should learn this kind of technology as well."]
For a researcher, having someone copy their work without permission and use it for profit was extremely unpleasant.
Of course, in a world like Douluo Continent, where strength was respected above all else, someone like Yu Xiaogang—backed by one of the Upper Three Sects—could simply issue an order forbidding others from copying his inventions.
The effect would undoubtedly be significant.
But unless absolutely necessary, it was better not to rely on such forceful methods.
In that case, a technology like the ancient civilization's method of installing safeguards would be extremely practical.
However…
["Uncle Lin, you said that after a spirit tool is dismantled, perhaps only the gemstones and jade embedded within it retain some value."]
["Could it be that every spirit tool has gemstones or jade embedded in it?"]
Yu Xiaogang suddenly thought of something.
This was a very important question.
If all spirit tools from the "pre-civilization" contained gemstones or jade, it could prove that these materials were essential components in the construction of spirit tools.
["Let me think…"]
["It seems that really is the case."]
["At least, all the spirit tools I've seen were like that."]
Lin Lang thought for a moment before nodding.
["Understood. Thank you, Uncle Lin, for answering all my questions."]
Yu Xiaogang thanked Lin Lang.
He then removed the storage soul tool he was wearing.
The storage soul tool he carried with him was a belt that he had used for many years.
When he had chosen his storage soul tool back then, the enormous collection of glittering belts in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had nearly blinded him.
Some were embroidered with magnificent dragons and phoenixes, while others were covered in countless gemstones.
Wearing one of those storage soul tools would have been even more troublesome than simply carrying luggage.
After searching through the collection for a while, Yu Xiaogang had finally chosen a belt with a simple design and subdued color.
Unlike the extravagant ones, this belt had only a single gemstone embedded in it.
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