Just as Dr. Jing thought the commotion was about to settle, Dr. X from the Soul Bone Department slowly stood up.
He pushed up the heavy glasses on the bridge of his nose, his eyes appearing exceptionally deep behind the reflecting lenses.
This man, usually taciturn and always buried among bone specimens and Soul Power diagrams, didn't speak loudly, yet he strangely drew everyone's attention to him.
"Since both doctors have shared their current achievements and ideas in full," Dr. X's voice was as calm as if he were stating experimental data, but every word was articulated clearly, "then I won't hold back either. Why don't I share mine as well and see what everyone thinks?"
He walked to the open space in the center of the hall. Dr. X did not release his Martial Soul; instead, he pulled a ten-year Spirit Bone from his lab coat pocket and held it in his palm.
"My ideas regarding self-condensing soul bones do indeed share similarities with Dr. Dayou's research on spirit rings."
He looked up at Dr. Dayou and gave a slight nod. "Both involve condensation using Soul Power. However, unlike a spirit ring, which is an external energy structure, a Spirit Bone requires depositing Soul Power within the human body's own bones."
He rotated the specimen in his hand. "My theory is that this process doesn't need to be completed all at once; it can be done gradually. Much like how calcium deposits in bones, Soul Power can slowly permeate and accumulate through daily Cultivation. When the time is right, mental force can be used to guide it, solidifying it completely into shape."
The hall was so quiet that the sound of the wind blowing through the treetops outside could be heard. This idea sounded even more... radical than self-condensing soul rings.
Dr. Dayou was the first to react. He frowned, his tone carrying clear uncertainty. "Isn't the risk too great? A failure on my end results, at most, in some Soul Power backlash. One's Soul Power Rank might drop slightly for a while, but it recovers after some rest. As long as one doesn't force the condensation of an overloaded spirit ring, there's basically no permanent damage."
He paused, his gaze falling on the ten-year Spirit Bone in Dr. X's hand. "If your method fails... the corresponding part would likely suffer complete necrosis, wouldn't it? Once the bone structure is destroyed by chaotic Soul Power, it's not something that can be easily repaired."
Dr. X smiled instead. He gently set down the Spirit Bone and put his hands back into his lab coat pockets. "What's so difficult about that?"
He spoke nonchalantly. "As long as it's not vital areas like the head or torso, if it's the limbs or positions corresponding to external Spirit Bones, just remove them if it fails."
"Remove them?" Dr. Da Mu couldn't help but repeat.
"Exactly." Dr. X nodded. "After all, we have Her Holiness the Pope's golden doughnut vanilla cake. With that miraculous healing Spirit Ability, a severed hand or foot can easily grow back."
"I've already conducted an experiment. I tried to force the condensation of a Spirit Bone using Soul Power, and as expected, it failed, so I decisively performed an amputation. After all, the theory was crude, and I just wanted to see if there would be any lingering effects."
"After being treated with the golden doughnut vanilla cake, the functionality of the new limb was fully restored. There are still no side effects, so the experiments can definitely continue."
He paused and added, "Furthermore, the failed bones can be used for further research—analyzing the reasons for the failure of Soul Power deposition, changes in the microscopic structure of the bone... recycling waste for research, so to speak."
These words caused many present to gasp in shock. But Dr. X seemed oblivious as he continued with his thoughts: "As for completely artificial Spirit Bones, I still need more fundamental research. Perhaps I could use some Soul Beast bones as reference samples to analyze their Soul Power conduction structures and energy storage patterns."
At this point, he suddenly turned serious. "However, this requires the assistance of the church's Executive Department. I will submit a formal application asking them to keep an eye out for suitable Soul Beast remains while on missions. But it must be explicitly instructed: do not go on a mass slaughter of Soul Beasts just to complete the task."
He looked around, and for the first time, a certain emotion appeared in his voice—a near-pious earnestness. "To do so would contradict Her Holiness the Pope's philosophy. Her Holiness has said that Soul Beasts and humans should exist in symbiosis, not merely as hunter and prey. Our research cannot be built upon the wanton slaughter of other intelligent life forms."
Dr. Dayou and Dr. Da Mu glanced at each other, seeing the same shock in each other's eyes. They had previously been too occupied with arguing over their respective paths, never imagining that Dr. X not only thought more deeply than they did but had also considered these ethical and doctrinal issues. Truly brilliant.
As expected of a man who, like them, had been personally granted the title of 'Doctor' by Pope Furina; he was indeed different.
Dr. Dayou was the first to nod, his tone gaining a touch of respect. "You're right. Research cannot be without boundaries."
"Agreed," Dr. Da Mu also voiced his approval for once. "The acquisition of Soul Beast experimental subjects must be standardized."
-
...
On the other end of the hall, Dr. Jing had no desire to pay attention to the discussion over there.
In her view, those three doctors—Dayou, Da Mu, and X—despite their different research directions, were essentially the same kind of people: extreme, fanatical, and willing to disregard everything for their theories.
By contrast, the Soul Tool Department she led was practically a haven for normal people. They didn't get into fights every other day like the others, nor did they come up with crazy ideas like 'merging with Soul Beasts' or 'amputation and regeneration.'
She sat at her workbench, where a massive blueprint was spread out. The edges of the paper were somewhat worn, but the lines upon it remained clear.
It was something Furina had personally handed to her before leaving.
Blueprints for a car.
Dr. Jing's fingers lightly traced the complex structural lines on the blueprint. internal combustion engine, transmission System, suspension, steering wheel controls... detailed notes were annotated next to every component.
Her Holiness always said these things were 'common sense from another world,' but in Dr. Jing's eyes, this was nothing short of divine wisdom.
She looked up toward a behemoth in the corner of the research room, partially covered by a dust cloth.
The metal frame was already assembled, the body was taking shape, and four wheels stood quietly on supports. In another month—at most a month—the first complete car would be able to drive out of here.
"The 'petroleum' Her Holiness spoke of has also been found," Dr. Jing whispered to herself, as if reporting to someone not present. "In the mines of Wild City, that black, viscous liquid does indeed exist. After preliminary refinement, its combustion efficiency is higher than that of coal."
She paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "Unfortunately, its current range of application is too narrow, limited only to mobile vehicles like cars. If only..."
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