"You guys are too ruthless." The disheveled young man struggled to pull himself out of the dirt, swaying as he stood up and spitting out the dust that had gotten into his mouth.
"Young Mistress, Miss Dugu Yan, even if you see someone falling from the sky, you don't have to shoot them with a soul tool!"
"Uh… my apologies." Dugu Yan looked at the battered Si Long and quickly took out healing pills from her soul tool.
Si Long didn't stand on ceremony, grabbing the pills and swallowing them.
Dugu Bo's low-grade healing pills weren't very effective for a Soul Sage like him far inferior to an auxiliary soul master's healing but having them was still better than nothing.
After taking the pills, Si Long recovered slightly.
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Si Long. It wasn't intentional just a reflex." Dugu Yan bowed in apology.
"It's fine." Si Long patted his chest with a dust-covered hand. "I'm thick-skinned. Today alone, I've fallen 53 times. One more hit from a level 5 soul tool doesn't make much difference."
Besides, Dugu Yan had just reached level 50 and hadn't obtained her soul ring yet, so she was still effectively a Soul Ancestor.
He, on the other hand, was a level 71 Soul Sage.
Even if he was weak for his rank, he was still a Soul Sage!
Could a Soul Ancestor's attack even break his defense?
"Mr. Si Long, what kind of soul tool were you testing?" Ning Rongrong was curious. Earlier, when talking with Lou Gao, she had heard him mention something, but Dugu Yan had dragged her away to test their new soul tools before she could ask.
"A flying soul tool. I don't know where my teacher got the idea." At this point, Si Long was full of grievances.
"Flying?"
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan exchanged glances.
In Douluo Continent, aside from a few special martial souls, only Title Douluos could fly well, maybe some auxiliary soul masters could grant temporary flight abilities too.
Like Oscar in the original story, with his weird sausage chants that let others fly for a short time.
"How's the progress? If it's already in the testing phase, there must be significant developments, right?" Ning Rongrong pressed.
"Ugh, don't even ask." Si Long shrugged. "If there were real progress, I wouldn't have fallen 53 times today."
"..."
How pitiful!
Ning Rongrong didn't know how to respond.
"What exactly is the problem?" Ning Rongrong didn't know much about soul tools, nor did she understand what kind of inspiration Lou Gao had gotten.
"It can't maintain stable flight. Using soul power to hover isn't wrong in theory."
"But…" Si Long rubbed his forehead helplessly. "The soul tool can't stay airborne for long, and it's extremely unstable in the air."
"In my opinion, this thing is completely useless. Might as well find an auxiliary soul master outside their soul skills might even grant flight."
"Unstable flight…" Ning Rongrong lowered her head in thought.
Could it be related to aerodynamics?
Like how airplanes could soar through the sky it wasn't just brute force but lift generated by airflow.
Where airflow was faster, pressure was lower; where it was slower, pressure was higher.
When a plane took off, the air beneath its wings moved faster than above, creating upward lift. The opposite happened when descending.
If Lou Gao didn't understand this, flying soul tools would inevitably face all kinds of problems.
Title Douluos?
They relied on pure soul power to force themselves into the air, usually only for short bursts. What did that have to do with aerodynamics?
"Rongrong, what are you thinking about?"
Dugu Yan noticed Ning Rongrong's dazed expression and couldn't help but ask.
"Ah!" Ning Rongrong snapped out of it and shook her head. "Just pondering the principles of flying soul tools. I might have an idea."
"By the way, Mr. Si Long, does this soul tool have a name?" Ning Rongrong noticed the wing-like apparatus on Si Long's back. Though damaged, its general shape was still visible.
"No." Si Long spread his hands. "The project isn't finished yet, so naming it isn't a priority."
"Then let's call it Wind Wings! I quite like that name."
"Normally, my teacher names the soul tools "
Before Si Long could finish, loud footsteps pounded down the stairs.
Si Long's face twisted in horror. "Young Mistress, Miss Dugu Yan, please put in a good word for me! If this keeps up, I might not survive!"
"We'll do our best. Right, Sister Yan Yan?" Ning Rongrong glanced at Dugu Yan.
"Yeah, we'll try." Dugu Yan nodded.
As they spoke, Lou Gao rushed over to the training field in a hurry.
Before he could speak, Ning Rongrong stepped forward to greet him. "Elder Lou Gao, the soul tools you gave us Sister Yan Yan and I are both very satisfied."
Lou Gao swallowed his words, his expression softening into a pleased smile.
"I'm glad you like them. To be honest, while these soul tools are decent, I'm confident I can craft even better ones in the near future."
"Of course! We have full faith in you, Elder Lou Gao." Ning Rongrong smiled slightly.
"Oh, I heard from Mr. Si Long that you're developing a flying soul tool?"
"Exactly." Lou Gao nodded. "The idea came from the Dragon Abyss Boat you gifted me. If something can swim underwater, why can't something fly in the sky? So I started designing this flying soul tool."
"However, the manufacturing process hasn't been easy." Lou Gao sighed deeply. "For some reason, once it takes off, all kinds of accidents happen. It keeps falling out of the sky inexplicably."
"A half-finished product like this is completely unusable."
Not everyone had a Soul Sage's tough physique and Martial Soul True Body. If a weaker soul master fell from high altitude, even if they didn't die, they'd be severely injured.
"Do you have any ideas, Elder Lou Gao?" Ning Rongrong continued probing.
"Not yet. I still can't figure out why the flying soul tool keeps crashing." Lou Gao sighed.
He had tried for days but couldn't stabilize the flight.
"Elder Lou Gao, what if I told you I could solve this problem?"
"What?" Lou Gao froze, then looked at her uncertainly. "Young Mistress, are you serious?"
"Yes." Ning Rongrong nodded. "Have you ever heard of aerodynamics?"
Lou Gao: "???"
What the heck is that?
"Let me rephrase." Ning Rongrong thought for a moment. "On a ground covered with fallen leaves, if a strong gust of wind blows through the middle, don't the leaves on both sides gather toward the center afterward?"
"This…"
A spark of inspiration flashed in Lou Gao's mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it yet.
Ning Rongrong continued, "They say that in areas with faster wind speeds, leaves gather toward the center quicker than in slower areas. If Elder Lou Gao's flying soul tool follows this principle, wouldn't it be able to fly?"
Lou Gao's eyes first went blank, then his face twisted in shock. His pupils contracted sharply.
"So… so that's how it works!" Lou Gao sucked in a sharp breath.
After recovering, he bowed deeply to Ning Rongrong.
The wise are teachers. At this moment, Lou Gao was utterly convinced.
Ning Rongrong didn't dodge in situations like this, avoiding the gesture would just seem hypocritical. She accepted his bow gracefully.
"Elder Lou Gao, if this soul tool succeeds, may I name it?" Ning Rongrong asked.
"If the Young Mistress is interested, of course!"
"Let's call it Wind Wings symbolizing boundless freedom."
"Wind Wings!" Lou Gao stroked his beard, his voice filled with admiration. "A fine name! Much more poetic than something like 'Flying Soul Tool.' As expected of the Young Mistress."
Soon after, Lou Gao dragged a tearful Si Long away.
But not long after
A black streak descended from the sky, landing not far from Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan.
"A guest has arrived at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Would you like to go meet them?"