Chapter 607: The First Dao Soldier

The entire Black Giant race was still immersed in the joy of racial evolution and expansion, and Jie Ming, after collecting incense divine power for several months, began his next step.

He stood in the center of the laboratory, in front of him was a giant metal table, on which all the materials refined this time were neatly arranged. The most important was a broken Tier 6 Black Giant core.

This was something he had specifically recovered from the battlefield; those Black Giants who died in the war had shattered cores and broken souls, unable to be revived. Using them as the soul base for Dao Soldiers was much faster than cultivating from scratch.

Besides this, Jie Ming had also prepared various metals with special properties.

Cold iron, red copper, meteorite steel, void silver...

Each came from a different plane, each possessing unique attributes.

Heat resistant, corrosion resistant, some could store energy, some could conduct mental power, and some were simply strong enough.

Beside them was a pile of high-energy crystal cores that looked like crystals, each containing massive amounts of pure energy, emitting surging energy fluctuations. Looking at these materials, Jie Ming thought for a moment, and then took a test tube from the magic array beside him.

Pale golden droplets were suspended quietly in the crystal bottle, golden threads faintly visible through the bottle wall.

It was exactly Di Liu Jiang.

Over these years, Jie Ming had saved up some more, finally managing to gather a small bottle.

"Hmm... let me think, depending on the nature of the main metal, the Dao Soldiers refined will have different specificities."

Jie Ming looked at these materials, feeling a bit of choice paralysis.

Cold iron is for killing, red copper is for defense, meteorite steel is for sturdiness, void silver is for agility.

Jie Ming looked at those metals, countless possibilities of combinations flashing through his mind.

In the end, he chose refined gold.

After all, it was the first time refining a Dao Soldier, and Jie Ming felt it was safer to be cautious, getting familiar with the technology first.

Since that was the case, it was better to choose refined gold, which had wider versatility and stronger carrying capacity, as the first choice of material.

Besides, refined gold was a conceptual material created by the cultivation civilization, and its compatibility with the Dao Soldier system should be the highest.

Jie Ming snapped his fingers, the magic array beside him lit up, and soon, a piece of refined gold the size of a person was teleported from the warehouse.

Reaching out to touch the surface of the refined gold, Jie Ming felt the texture of "eternity."

As a conceptual material, the most precious thing about refined gold wasn't its hardness or its energy resistance, but its essence carrying the concepts of "eternity" and "indestructibility."

Using refined gold as the main body of a Dao Soldier meant that from the moment this Dao Soldier was born, it possessed the characteristic of never decaying.

Although it was a fairly basic material, in fact, even until now, this characteristic wasn't outdated.

"You're it."

Jie Ming placed this large piece of refined gold in the center of the metal table and began the first Dao Soldier refining.

Because it was the first time, he didn't do anything fancy, honestly following the most basic template.

Alchemy unfolded, and the refined gold melted slowly under the action of mental power, flowing on the metal table like a pool of golden liquid.

Jie Ming controlled its form, stretching, shaping, and solidifying it bit by bit.

A humanoid body gradually took shape, twelve feet tall, golden all over, the muscle lines smooth and full of power.

Inside the body, he completely reproduced the body structure of the Black Giant leader, Rong Shan.

Those micro-structures he had repeatedly studied, dismantled, and understood over the past few decades: energy absorption network, elemental conversion circuit, soul stabilization layer... all were precisely carved into every inch of the refined gold body at this moment.

Jie Ming transplanted all the optimal structures Rong Shan had evolved into a brand-new shell.

"Next... is the magic array."

Golden light shone between his brows, Jie Ming raised his hand, and under the manipulation of alchemy, mental power turned into countless fine threads, carving on the surface and inside the refined gold body simultaneously.

The most basic, of course, was the Incense God Dao resonance array, which could allow this Dao Soldier to connect to the Incense God Dao network, share incense power, and receive Jie Ming's orders.

Besides this, he additionally configured two sets of arrays: Li Huo Extinction Divine Light, used for long-range attacks; and Gui Xu Armor, used for defense. The carving of the magic array was extremely time-consuming.

Every rune had to be precise enough, and it had to be ensured that the various rune connections of the array matched the Dao Soldier's appearance without affecting the various structures inside the Dao Soldier's body.

Jie Ming's mental power operated at high speed with the blessing of the Fate System, constantly correcting his mistakes in practice.

When the last rune was written, a layer of faint golden light lit up on the surface of the refined gold body, then hid into the body.

Jie Ming took out the broken core and placed it inside.

That broken Tier 6 Black Giant core was embedded in the center of the body's chest cavity.

The remnant soul slept in the core, weak and quiet.

Jie Ming's mental power probed in, forcibly waking up that remnant soul.

It is blank, chaotic, possessing only the most instinctual consciousness.

Theoretically, such a remnant soul, after being forcibly awakened, would completely vanish before long.

Then, the Dao Soldier system was activated.

Outside the laboratory, that massive array covering the entire East District plain lit up simultaneously.

One hundred and eight rune pillars released a silvery-white light, illuminating the entire sky as if it were broad daylight.

Jie Ming sat cross-legged in the center of the array, his hands forming seals, his spiritual power merging into one with the Dao Soldier system.

The refined gold body floated up, suspended in mid-air, and the remnant soul within the core began to fluctuate violently.

"Fusion, begin."

Jie Ming mobilized all the incense divine power he had accumulated over this period.

That power, condensed from the faith of ten billion believers, was slowly injected into the refined gold body under the guidance of his spiritual power.

The incense divine power not only stabilized the state of the remnant soul but also, under the guidance of the Dao Soldier system, acted as a reconciling agent, fusing the refined gold, the core, and the remnant soul into a single whole.

An energy channel was established between the body and the core, a spiritual connection was established between the core and the remnant soul, and a sensory circuit was established between the remnant soul and the body. The incense divine power flowed slowly within the body, recombining with the remnant soul to construct a soul that was completely subordinate to the Incense Dao.

Soon, a complete Dao Soldier had taken shape.

But this was only the first step.

Next came the long process of nourishment.

This process requires time, and the longer the time, the stronger the Dao Soldier's combat power becomes.

Jie Ming was not in a hurry; after all, he was not lacking in combat power at the current stage, and he had plenty of time to wait.

Moreover, he could also give it a helping hand.

Jie Ming took out that bottle of Di Liu Jiang and unscrewed the cap.

Pale golden droplets drifted out from the bottle, tracing a graceful arc in the air before landing on the center of the refined gold Dao Soldier's brow.

The moment the droplets merged, the refined gold body trembled violently.

Then, those tightly closed eyes opened.

Although the gaze still carried a hint of chaos and confusion, it also possessed a certain degree of spirituality, opening like a newborn infant seeing the world for the first time.

Those eyes were pale gold, with countless fine points of light flowing deep within the pupils.

It looked at Jie Ming, its gaze filled with awe, reliance, and an indescribable sense of intimacy.

"Looks good. How is your state of consciousness? Can you speak?"

It turned its head, looked at Jie Ming, and spoke for the first time, its voice low and gentle: "Master."

Jie Ming was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

The effect of the Di Liu Jiang was indeed excellent.

The greatest feature of this item is not strengthening power, but bestowing spirituality.

Ordinary Dao Soldiers can only mechanically execute orders, while a Dao Soldier that has used Di Liu Jiang possesses a higher ceiling, and even... possesses the ability to cultivate independently.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing life." The Dao Soldier rose and respectfully knelt on one knee before Jie Ming.

Jie Ming waved his hand: "Get up. It seems you are in good condition, so let's go perform the tests first."

"Yes!"

The Dao Soldier followed Jie Ming as he left, and the two soon arrived at the testing ground.

"Come, first item: basic capabilities. Let me see your levels in various aspects."

Jie Ming operated the light screen to the side a few times, and various detection arrays immediately rose around the Dao Soldier.

The Dao Soldier raised its right hand and threw a punch.

It did not use any energy, relying on pure physical strength.

The force of the punch stirred up a gale in the laboratory, causing the defensive runes on the walls to hum.

Jie Ming glanced at the monitoring data.

Power output: Level 6.

"Compared to a Black Giant of the same level, it is slightly lower." Jie Ming began recording various data on the side.

However, considering that this Dao Soldier had just been born and still had huge room for growth, this result was perfectly acceptable.

"Then the second item: special abilities. Come, try the two modification spells I added for you."

Upon hearing this, the Dao Soldier raised its left hand, and a ball of blinding red light condensed in its palm.

Li Huo Mie Jue Divine Light.

Jie Ming narrowed his eyes; the monitored energy output was... peak Level 6, approaching Level 7.

The Dao Soldier then activated the Gui Xu Armor, and an invisible light shield enveloped its entire body.

The defensive strength was also peak Level 6.

"Not bad, it seems there are no issues with the arrays I installed."

Third item: Black Giant talent.

The color of the Dao Soldier's body surface gradually turned black, which meant it began to devour light and absorb heat.

Jie Ming continuously adjusted the testing arrays on the side to monitor the state of its body.

"Energy absorption ability intact, time manipulation ability intact, physical resistance intact... It seems it has perfectly inherited the racial talent of the Black Giants. And because it simulated the body structure of a Melting Mountain, it has a complete soul stabilization layer within." Jie Ming nodded repeatedly.

This meant that as the nourishment time increased, the Dao Soldier would automatically advance to Level 7 without any external intervention.

"Then we can proceed to the fourth item: recovery ability test."

Jie Ming had the Dao Soldier sever one of its arms; the severed arm turned into golden liquid, flowed back to the shoulder, and re-condensed into an arm, moving freely.

"According to the books, after a Dao Soldier merges with the Dao Soldier system, unless the Incense Dao collapses, it is in a sense an immortal existence..."

Recalling these contents, Jie Ming had an even bolder idea: "Try it, see if you can self-destruct your core."

The refined gold Dao Soldier nodded silently and, without hesitation, allowed its own core to collapse.

Its body also disintegrated instantly, turning into countless golden points of light that dissipated into the air.

But Jie Ming sensed through the Incense Dao that those points of light had not disappeared; they had been absorbed by the faith network of the Incense Dao.

A moment later, the points of light re-condensed in the center of the laboratory, and the refined gold Dao Soldier appeared in its original spot, completely unharmed, reborn from the Incense Dao network. "Hmm... it consumed quite a bit of incense divine power, and that is only because it is already within the system of the Incense Dao, so all the lost power was perfectly recovered." Jie Ming sensed the consumption of the incense divine power reserves collected during this period.

"If it were to die while fighting outside, the consumption of incense divine power would likely be greater, but all in all, it can indeed be fully resurrected to a certain extent."

This means that as long as the Incense Dao still exists, this Dao Soldier is truly immortal in the literal sense.

The fifth item is permission expansion.

Jie Ming granted some of his own permissions to the Dao Soldier.

The Dao Soldier's eyes became more vivid, and it began to actively call upon the subsystems of the Incense Dao: the Fate System and the cross-space energy transmission system. It could even sense the state of every individual in the entire Black Giant community.

"But there are too few subsystems right now, so I can't see any special features for the time being." Jie Ming thought, rubbing his chin, then his gaze held some anticipation. "Next is the final item."

"Come, let's try it." Jie Ming transmitted the introductory mental cultivation method of the Body Refining Technique to the Dao Soldier through the spiritual connection.

The Dao Soldier closed its eyes, and a moment later, the energy within its body began to circulate according to the path of the Body Refining Technique.

It was not like the Black Giants, who relied on the instinctual energy flow of arrays naturally inscribed in their cores, but rather conscious, precise guidance.

In other words, it was cultivating.

Consciously cultivating.

Jie Ming took a deep breath, suppressing the ecstasy in his heart.

This means that this Dao Soldier has truly broken free from the limitations of a traditional cannon-fodder unit; it does not need him to worry, as it will become stronger on its own.

It will cultivate the Body Refining Technique, accumulate energy, and raise its level.

It will be like Melting Mountain, advancing from Level 6 to Level 7, or even higher.

Jie Ming stood in the center of the laboratory, looking at the refined gold Dao Soldier with its vivid eyes, and nodded with satisfaction.