A holographic projection of deep blue light flowed slowly in midair. Gu La gazed intently at the three-dimensional meridian map suspended before him.
At the moment the grand circulation completed, three illusory soul rings suddenly flared around the virtual figure, pulsating with energy like molten lava.
"Soul power circulation system activated."
Rotom's electronic voice rang out as two streams of blue and red energy surged along the Eight Extraordinary Meridians in the projection. But just as they were about to touch the soul rings, the crimson halo suddenly erupted with repelling ripples, violently scattering the torrent of soul power.
The mechanical arm left a trail of afterimages as it moved across the data screen. Rotom's display showed a troubled emoticon: (︵`)
"After twenty-three simulations, it has been determined that over 97% of soul rings possess a one-way energy valve and lack the conditions for circulation. They cannot form a conventional cultivation technique. It is recommended to redefine the topology of the soul power circuit."
"As for the meridian reconstruction, insufficient data makes further calculations impossible."
Gu La stroked his chin, the newly grown stubble catching the sunlight as shadows from the trees danced across his sharply defined profile.
Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Rotom's floating body, tapping its sensor on top with emphasis: "Just tell me the result."
"Ow, ow, ow, Rotom!"
The spherical body spun three times in the air before stabilizing, switching to a serious blue interface:
"After 238 simulations, the new cultivation technique shows a soul power conversion efficiency 3.38 times that of the Mysterious Heaven Technique, a soul power recovery speed 2.2 times faster, and a soul power quality 1.24 times higher. Estimated data related to the trainer's transformation into ultimate fire will change accordingly. Additional attribute enhancement coefficients…"
"More than double the original."
Even with Gu La's vast knowledge, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
This was the power of science—or rather, the charm of big data analysis and artificial intelligence. It bypassed countless hours of painstaking work, delivering results that would have taken millennia to calculate.
After some thought, Gu La assigned another task to Rotom.
"Establish a task: deduce a cultivation method for blood essence."
"Understood, Rotom~"
This time, Rotom's response lacked enthusiasm. Without sufficient data on blood essence, the task might take years of calculations, requiring constant trial and error—a complete start from scratch.
Gu La paid no mind to Rotom's low mood. He hadn't created Rotom just to let it sit idle.
"Next, calculate and design development routes for three soul skills: Gravity Mastery, Lava Immortal Body, and Master of the Earth. Hmm, create an exercise plan for everyone. From now on, you'll supervise their training."
Chin resting in his hand, Gu La pondered whether he should add an electric shock mechanism to Rotom.
"No, Rotom is already electric-type. It can emit electrical attacks, making it perfectly suited as a supervisor."
While Gu La was mulling over adding more responsibilities to Rotom, the machine was already on the verge of collapsing under the workload.
"Capitalist! This is Pokémon abuse!"
Rotom's display exploded with red lightning symbols of protest, yet its body honestly projected dense rows of calculation formulas: "Estimated completion time: 2 years, 3 months, 16 hours…"
"All right."
Gu La reluctantly set aside his thoughts. "That's enough for now. Let's focus on completing these tasks first."
"Understood, Rotom~"
Rotom spun excitedly in circles.
Xiao Wu observed everything closely, poking Rotom's cool metallic shell curiously. "Is everything it said true? Is it really that powerful?"
"Of course, Rotom~" Rotom proudly responded.
(><)
"So what exactly can you do?"
"I can…"
"Boring. Do you have any fun features?"
"Rotom stores hundreds of millions of songs, tens of millions of novels, and millions of movies and TV series to keep the trainer in a relaxed mood."
"What are movies and TV series? Show me. Wait, what's this Runaway Bride of the Tyrant CEO cultivation manual? Open it up."
Gu La pressed his temples, which throbbed painfully, and forced out a command through gritted teeth: "Delete… Never mind, modify the entertainment library. Adjust the content based on Douluo Continent knowledge."
"Also, Xiao Wu's daily entertainment time must be limited. She can only access entertainment after completing her training."
Gu La was all too familiar with the allure of the internet. Though Rotom wasn't connected online, the stored content consisted of works humans had meticulously crafted to exploit human psychology—highly addictive material that could easily corrode one's willpower. Given Xiao Wu's naturally lazy tendencies, restrictions had to be put in place beforehand.
"A separate entertainment section has been established for Miss Xiao Wu, Rotom~"
Rotom's display suddenly turned into pink heart symbols. Its highly intelligent thought processes had already discerned Xiao Wu's special place in the trainer's heart.
Amidst Xiao Wu's startled cry of "Oh my," the holographic projection switched, and Titanic began playing on the wall.
A massive soul-guided cruise ship cleaved through the waves as Jack and Rose embraced atop the back of a colossal Titan Ape named Nick…
Filled with absurd AI-generated nonsense and awkward visuals, the scene nonetheless captivated Xiao Wu's attention.
A vein throbbed on Gu La's temple, but seeing Xiao Wu's bright smile, he ultimately didn't intervene.
He wheeled himself away, leaving behind the sound of the girl's silver bell-like laughter mingling with the theme song of Soul Beast Adventure (Douluo Pokemon?) playing from Rotom.
A faint, almost imperceptible curve formed on Gu La's lips. Unbeknownst to him, Rotom was secretly hiding a document titled How to Strengthen Relationships with Human Women in an encrypted partition—a small act of rebellion it had learned from studying Emotional Intelligence.
…
On the other side, Ning Rongrong returned to the sect with Ning Fengzhi. Ning Fengzhi immediately went into seclusion to cultivate, striving to reach mastery as soon as possible and begin the evolution of his martial soul.
Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, sought out Sword Douluo, who practiced swordsmanship daily.
"Grandpa Sword, I want to learn real sword techniques."
Ning Rongrong's voice rang out clearly through the mountain mist, startling bamboo leaves into falling softly.
Chen Xin paused, his hand gripping a withered branch.
"You want to learn swordsmanship? It'll be tough. Are you sure this isn't just a passing whim?"
When the elder turned around, his eyes held both anticipation and affection.
The young girl took half a step forward, her delicate feet stepping into a puddle: "I'm not afraid of hard work. Grandpa, teach me swordsmanship!"
Though she hadn't faced suppression from Flender, Ning Rongrong still inevitably compared herself to Oscar after learning of his innate full soul power. Upon hearing that Oscar was working to master staff intent, she refused to fall behind. Especially given that her talent was already a level lower, she couldn't allow the reputation of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to be tarnished under her watch.
"All right, all right, all right!"
Sword Douluo burst into hearty laughter, his voice echoing through the mountains. "Since you're so determined, Rongrong, Grandpa Sword will fulfill your wish."
He was delighted not only because his swordsmanship would have a successor but also because he was proud to see the granddaughter he'd watched grow up maturing.
"In swordsmanship, the most important thing is the foundation. Every advanced sword technique evolves from basic forms. The more proficient you are in foundational techniques, the fewer openings there will be in your future swordplay."
"First, follow me and practice the basics. Build a solid foundation."
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