After Huo Yuhao finished the ten rounds of combat, the terrifying score of 1435 spread throughout the academy within a single afternoon, causing the students to discuss it animatedly:
"There's a transfer student in Class One of the second year. He treats the Soul Guidance Device ray gun like an extension of his arm; not a single shot went astray across ten rounds of combat."
"To only lose 15 points in a grading examination where scoring is extremely strict—what kind of monster is he?"
"If my score was half of his, I would have passed the exam!"
"The points he earned in one Second-rank Soul Tool Master examination are more than what I've accumulated in three years."
"Before the competition started, he was chatting and laughing with Miss Meng. Sigh, can I trade faces with him?"
"He broke the record, everyone! Are you missing the main point?"
"Xiao Hongchen finally has a rival. He still wanted to stab me in the back before I graduate? I think he'll have enough trouble protecting himself!"
After finishing the examination, Huo Yuhao casually had dinner with his senior brothers, senior sisters, and Feng Tingting.
Afterward, he returned to the Library alone, sat in his usual spot, and glanced at the points on his score sheet:
Score Points: 14350. Top of the leaderboard: 10000. Record Break Bonus: 20000. Total: 44350 points.
Additionally, a reward for holding the top spot: 10000 Gold Soul Coins per month.
Securing first place and breaking the record—this should count as a satisfactory report card for the teachers, right?
As for this many points and Gold Soul Coins, they were purely an unexpected bonus.
Huo Yuhao recalled the complex emotions he sensed from Xiao Hongchen after the exam—joy, yearning, and a slight trace of apprehension.
He couldn't quite decipher the thought process of this Senior Brother.
After dinner, the senior brothers and sisters all had urgent matters to attend to and left quickly. Feng Tingting also needed to return to edit and rush her manuscript, so she didn't have much time for a long chat.
Tomorrow was Saturday. He could always run into his senior brothers and sisters at the teachers' office, and he could ask them then about any recommended pills.
Besides pills, the most crucial thing was to review the assessment and identify his own shortcomings.
Under the extreme state combining Mental Detection, Mental Sharing, and Mind Reading, he could almost always find the optimal solution for shooting.
With the absolute first-strike advantage provided by simulated invisibility, he could unleash power from his long-range Soul Guidance Devices that others could never match.
However, the flaws were too obvious: his cultivation was too low. Even if he forcibly used a Third-rank long-range Soul Guidance Device, his combat strength remained limited.
The Spiritual Eye lacked direct offensive output methods, and his self-preservation was poor; he was like a glazed cannon.
These were all issues of cultivation level and rank. Huo Yuhao shook his head, intending to settle down and continue studying.
But after a short while, he noticed a problem:
As his fame thoroughly spread across the academy, the classmates in this study room, who previously only stole glances at him intentionally or unintentionally, were no longer satisfied with whispering discussions.
The senior sisters and junior sisters were simply too enthusiastic!
After all, a naturally gifted Soul Engineer genius was exceptionally rare.
They frequently came in small groups of two or three to ask questions, leaving Huo Yuhao overwhelmed and severely slowing down his study efficiency.
This situation improved after he put up a sign that read, "Studying, Do Not Disturb."
The male students didn't approach to ask questions or get closer, but their reactions were also quite interesting.
Wherever Huo Yuhao's eyes swept, the male students in that area would erupt with immense envy mixed with a slight hint of jealousy.
The Chaos Qi condensed from these emotions even caused Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness to expand slightly.
...
The next day, Saturday, at the Tranquility Hall.
This time, besides the three of the Hongchen lineage (Huo Yuhao and the two Mengs), Feng Yu was also present.
Upon seeing Huo Yuhao arrive, Jing Hongchen told Feng Yu, who was reporting on the progress of a sealing project, to wait.
"Yuhao, I watched the recording of yesterday's examination. Your performance was excellent."
Jing Hongchen praised, "You broke the record left by that person back then; you truly brought great honor to your teacher!"
Meng Hongchen asked with confusion:
"Grandfather, you haven't even announced that you've taken a disciple. How could he bring you honor if others don't know he is your student?"
"And why wouldn't you announce taking a disciple? I don't recall you being someone who cared about empty fame."
Jing Hongchen smiled without answering, merely handing Huo Yuhao a Sun Moon Bank savings card containing one million Gold Soul Coins—this was his small reward.
A gift from an elder must not be refused. Huo Yuhao respectfully accepted it.
"Senior Sister Meng, Senior Brother Xiao, do you have any good pills to recommend?"
Huo Yuhao held the points exchange manual and asked them for advice. Professional matters required professional consultation.
The senior brother and sister were both Rank 49 at only fifteen years old, meaning they had rich experience with consuming pills. Since they were current students, they were certainly familiar with the pills in the manual.
"Yuhao, you've asked the right people.", Xiao Hongchen put down his book, walked over, and chuckled.
"You must exchange for the spirit nurturing pill! It costs exactly 40,000 points for one, and only the top five on the top three ranking lists for leveling up can exchange for it."
Huo Yuhao was puzzled:
"Senior Brother Xiao, does it have any special properties? Why is it so expensive?"
"I see the Xuanshui Pill in the manual is only 10,000 points each."
The two Xuanshui Pills that Feng Bujue bought for Huo Yuhao previously cost one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.
Roughly calculating the exchange rate, one spirit nurturing pill was worth at least two hundred thousand on the open market.
"If this pill appeared at an auction outside the academy, you wouldn't be able to get it for less than several hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins," Xiao Hongchen explained eagerly.
"The spirit nurturing pill is a foundational and nurturing type of pill; its effect requires a long period to manifest."
"For Spirit Masters below the Spirit Ancestor rank, it has the effect of nurturing spirit and forging the body. Specifically, a Spirit Master below Rank 30 who consumes it can advance one to two Soul Power ranks."
"The remaining medicinal power will be slowly released before Rank 40 Soul Power, resulting in accelerated cultivation and body conditioning effects."
"Many talented new students, upon entering the academy, frantically prepare for the grading examinations just to save up enough points to exchange for it."
"But the points awarded for the First-Rank Soul Engineer examination are too few. Usually, people only manage to exchange for it after passing the Third-rank Soul Tool Master examination."
"So, Junior Brother, you are truly a heaven-blessed genius!"
Huo Yuhao glanced at the eagerly attentive Xiao Hongchen. Senior Brother Xiao, you weren't like this before.
"Senior Brother Xiao, is there something you need my help with?"
"You truly cannot hide anything from Junior Brother," Xiao Hongchen said excitedly, "Junior Brother, I've disliked Ma Rulong for a long time."
"He previously said that as long as he's in the academy for one day, there is no chance for me, Xiao Hongchen, to rise."
"Junior Brother, Ma Rulong has bullied and oppressed me to this extent. Can you tolerate it?"
Meng Hongchen covered her face, unable to watch. Brother, your expression is truly something else!
If Ma Rulong really dared to say that, wouldn't his grandfather skin him alive?
"No, I cannot," Huo Yuhao shook his head. "So?"
Xiao Hongchen continued, "I challenged Ma Rulong to a duel several times before, but regrettably lost each time. I invite you to join me in fighting him a few days from now!"
Regrettably lost? Huo Yuhao doubted it. He looked closely at Xiao Hongchen's expression and hesitated slightly:
"Senior Brother Xiao, isn't it a bit against martial ethics for us to fight two against one?"
"He is a Sixth-Rank Soul Engineer!" Xiao Hongchen huffed. "If you help me this time, I owe you a favor, how about that?"
Huo Yuhao did not hesitate this time: "A Senior Brother's matter is my matter. If we talk about favors between us martial brothers, it becomes too distant!"
If his plan to improve his current output intensity proceeds smoothly, he would indeed need an ally.
Seeing that Xiao Hongchen had finished his request, Meng Hongchen quickly raised her hand:
"Junior Brother, I also have a small favor I'd like to ask you to help with!"
"Senior Sister Meng, what is it?"
"Secret!"
Meng Hongchen blinked her eyes and whispered, "Let's set a time, hmm, Monday morning, I'll come to the Library to find you then!"
After a brief exchange, the three returned to their respective seats to study.
During this time, besides asking Jing Hongchen a few questions and communicating with his fellow martial brothers, there were no other incidents.
When self-study ended, Feng Yu walked into the office holding a file folder. Seeing Jing Hongchen testing Huo Yuhao, he didn't speak to disturb them.
Huo Yuhao answered fluently, and even when the questions involved fields he hadn't studied yet, he could attempt to answer based on his own understanding.
Jing Hongchen nodded in satisfaction, "Your theoretical knowledge has already reached the level of a Third-rank Soul Tool Master. In a few more months, you'll probably approach that of a Fourth-Rank Soul Engineer."
"However, theory is ultimately just on paper. Do you understand what I mean?"
Huo Yuhao nodded seriously, "Theory that cannot be put into practice is ultimately just armchair strategy and castles in the air."
"According to the Academy's student training manual, only Fourth-Rank Soul Engineers are assigned mentors. Following a mentor into a project group allows one to broaden horizons while cultivating practical hands-on ability."
Jing Hongchen pointed at Feng Yu and said:
"I plan to let you join a project group early, following your Senior Brother Feng's project to accumulate experience."
Being arranged into a group right after receiving the Second-rank Soul Tool Master certificate was setting a precedent for the teachers; even Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen hadn't received such treatment back then.
Feng Yu lowered his gaze and muttered internally. For him, guiding the Junior Brother was just a matter of convenience.
Jing Hongchen continued, "The project your Senior Brother Feng is working on has spent a lot of money but hasn't yielded results, so it will be shelved soon."
"Coincidentally, Mingde Hall has recovered a sum of funds, and he has already prepared his proposal report."
"You go assist him for a while. Only when his new project is fully underway will you officially join the group to study."
Huo Yuhao said, "I will follow the Teacher's arrangements."
Jing Hongchen said, "Good. The three of you go eat at the faculty canteen first. Yuhao, after you finish eating, go to Experimental Building No. 14 to find your Senior Brother Feng."
"I need to keep him behind to discuss something."
"Yes!"
After the three left the office, Feng Yu placed the file folder on the desk:
"Teacher, this is intelligence delivered by the Second-rank Merchant Guild directly under Mingde Hall."
Jing Hongchen returned to his seat, glanced at the submissive Feng Yu, who only stared at his own toes, then tore open the anti-counterfeit strip and began reading seriously.
The intelligence report was very professional.
The first sentence was the conclusion: Huo Yuhao is the illegitimate son of the White Tiger Duke. Due to suppression by the Duchess, he left the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and headed to Shrek City.
Below this was the detailed investigation process. Jing Hongchen went straight to the data:
In Star Luo City, over the past 6-8 years, the recorded number of people who awakened a Martial Soul was 384,529, among whom 41 awakened the Main Body Martial Soul.
Only two awakened an eye-type Martial Soul. One was named Huo Yuhao, with an Innate Soul Power of level one. From birth until age eleven, he lived in the servant quarters with his birth mother, Huo Yun'er.
Huo Yun'er passed away when Huo Yuhao was ten.
The other person was named Li Zhe, whose Innate Soul Power is unknown. He awakened one year before Huo Yuhao and was taken away by a mysterious person; his entire family relocated without a trace...
"There are no issues with this intelligence report. Feng Yu, remember to go to the Review Office later to sign the confidentiality agreement that has already been drafted."
Feng Yu gave a wry smile:
"Teacher, I haven't read the intelligence."
The Teacher values the Junior Brother so highly, demanding such thorough investigation—this is precisely a sign of valuing him.
After Jing Hongchen carefully read through the intelligence once, he reached out and tapped lightly, and Soul Power surged out.
The stack of intelligence quickly combusted into a small fireball within an extremely small space with a 'bang'.
A moment later, it turned into a small pile of black ash.
Doing this served two purposes: one was to protect Huo Yuhao's self-esteem.
The other was that although the origin of Huo Yuhao might not remain secret for long, keeping it confined to him for now was most appropriate.
Although the Empire was vast, there were still factions vying for influence within it.
Allowing people with ulterior motives to know too early would only stir up unnecessary trouble.
He calmly waved his hand at Feng Yu:
"Go, and remember to sign the confidentiality agreement. You, as the Senior Brother, must take responsibility."
After Feng Yu bowed and left, Jing Hongchen tapped his index finger on the desk.
Since that was the case, perhaps when that project encounters difficulty next time, he could ask Yuhao for some help.
...The experimental equipment had mostly been moved, leaving only a few samples for external display.
Huo Yuhao picked up a level six research sample, couldn't make sense of it, and asked curiously:
"Senior Brother Feng, what exactly was the project you are shelving?"
Since this project was about to be shelved and a new one would seamlessly follow in a few days, Feng Yu appeared very relaxed:
"It's normal that you can't understand, Junior Brother. This project is actually a sub-project of a new type of Ninth-rank Soul Guidance Device."
"Do you remember our Eldest Senior Martial Brother?"
Seeing Huo Yuhao nod, Feng Yu continued, "His name is Xu Wenhan, he's from a collateral branch of the Imperial Family. He is a Ninth-rank Soul Engineer and one of the leading experts in the field of linked Soul Guidance Devices, which gives him extremely high prestige in the military."
"My project is a branch of linked Soul Guidance Devices: the Laminar Flow Output Soul Guidance Device."
"What is laminar flow?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Feng Yu explained, "It's a state of water flow. In a laminar flow state, the water flow is stable, orderly, and layered, with no interference between layers."
"Therefore, it has extremely high predictability and causes very low energy loss during the output process."
"The function of the Laminar Flow Output Soul Guidance Device is to output Soul Power in a laminar flow form, reducing the integration pressure on linked Soul Guidance Devices."
"The project requirement was to create an eight-rank Soul Guidance Device, but unfortunately, after burning through all the money, we only managed to produce a level six finished product."
"How much money did it cost?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
"Over forty-eight million Gold Soul Coins." Feng Yu looked at Huo Yuhao's shocked expression and explained, "This project has a military background, so the funding was quite substantial."
"Ahem, although it's called the most useless level six Soul Guidance Device by outsiders, according to procedure, all level four to six samples must be recorded and shelved together."
"If you're interested, Yuhao, Senior Brother will give you a level three one. Take this one to play with; it's quite interesting."
Feng Yu felt quite awkward that his own creation could only be given away as a plaything.
Huo Yuhao took the level three Laminar Flow Output Soul Guidance Device and casually placed it into his storage ring. Then he asked the question that concerned him:
"Senior Brother, among mid-grade Soul Guidance Devices, are there any with great power and fast projectile flight speed?"
It turned out his fear of insufficient firepower had flared up. Feng Yu nodded in understanding. If he had Huo Yuhao's accuracy, he would also want a super weapon.
"My next research project is the level eight Super Piercing Cannon."
"The Piercing Cannon belongs to the Soul Guidance Device ray category. It fits your requirements well; it is one of the long-range Soul Guidance Devices with extremely strong single-target penetration and destructive power."
"But if you're talking about the strongest single-target penetration and destructive power, it should be its other branch."
Feng Yu, who had just finished his proposal report, certainly didn't lack relevant books. He took one out of his storage ring, flipped it open, and handed it to Huo Yuhao: "Take a look for yourself."
Huo Yuhao looked closely and his eyes widened:
The Piercing Cannon branch: live ammunition soul tool sniper rifle.
Characteristics:
Invincible penetration, ignores most defenses of the same rank (Case: One shot shattered three layers of same-rank soul tool shields).
Extremely long range, capable of ultra-long-range precision strikes, far surpassing conventional soul tool cannons.
Instantaneous hit, ray speed is extremely fast, almost no flight time, difficult to react to.
Siege artifact, devastating effect against city walls, fortresses, and heavily armored targets.
Good heavens, a Soul Guidance Device used for siege? If this hit a person, wouldn't it leave them bruised and battered?
Huo Yuhao swallowed hard.
Feng Yu saw he had finished reading the introduction and asked, "Yuhao, why don't you think about what the price would be for such a perfect output Soul Guidance Device?"
Huo Yuhao analyzed rationally:
"First, highly concentrated Soul Power explodes inside the Soul Guidance Device. No matter how good the metal used, its lifespan will probably be very limited."
"Second, the Piercing Cannon itself consumes a large total amount of Soul Power. This live ammunition soul tool sniper rifle probably consumes even more."
Feng Yu clapped his hands and added:
"The live ammunition soul tool sniper rifle is known as the most Soul Power-consuming among same-rank long-range Soul Guidance Devices."
"The total Soul Power of an ordinary level forty-six Spirit Ancestor isn't even enough to charge a level four live ammunition soul tool sniper rifle once."
"The most crucial point is that it can basically only be fired once; the core formation array will be melted and destroyed."
"All these difficulties are almost impossible to solve. I heard that decades ago, a stubborn sixth-year student in the Academy chose it as his graduation project."
"He couldn't even produce a qualified level five finished product and nearly failed to graduate!"
Saturday night.
Huo Yuhao finally returned to his loyal single dorm room.
Although he intended to research the live ammunition soul tool sniper rifle, it wasn't something to rush. He needed to join a team first, then slowly research it.
The most urgent matter at hand was to improve his cultivation.
It had been almost twenty days since he enrolled. He only returned to his dorm to shower and change clothes, and the bedroom, unventilated for a long time, had a strange smell.
After opening the window, Huo Yuhao sat on the bed, took out a small porcelain bottle, and poured the pills into his hand.
A wisp of misty aura permeated the pills. He sniffed lightly, detecting the scent of plants deep within a forest, which was refreshing.
These were the spirit nurturing pills he had exchanged for on the way.
These pills were for strengthening the foundation and cultivating the origin. Their medicinal properties were gentle and wouldn't harm his fundamental essence; otherwise, the conditions for acquiring them wouldn't have been so strict.
A month ago, after merging with the Ice Empress's Spirit Ring, his Soul Power naturally reached Rank 23. Now, he had already progressed a considerable distance within Rank 23.
He could try to use the medicinal power of the spirit nurturing pill to break through to Rank 25 Soul Power.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged and threw the spirit nurturing pill into his mouth.
A rich medicinal power flowed through his limbs and bones, integrating into his meridians, pushing his Soul Power to surge through his veins.
But more of it transformed into light green life force, nourishing his entire body.
After a night of meditation, his Soul Power broke through to Rank 25!
Huo Yuhao felt the significantly stronger Soul Power within him. If he were to face the previous ten rounds of battles in his current state, it would likely be much easier.
Huo Yuhao, who had planned to go to Tranquility Hall for self-study, was notified by Feng Yu that it was temporarily canceled: Jing Hongchen's project encountered an unexpected situation, and he was working overtime to handle it.
Feng Yu also told Huo Yuhao to visit him at his new laboratory next Wednesday.
With his plans disrupted, Huo Yuhao simply disassembled the Rank 3 laminar flow output spirit tool that Feng Yu had given him and thoroughly researched it.
After roughly understanding the technical Ideas (thought process) and organizing it, he put it aside.
It was indeed a rather interesting little gadget.
Sunday evening, in the Library, Huo Yuhao had just finished dinner and was sitting in his seat, deep in thought:
"Senior Brother Feng, a peak Rank 7 Soul Engineer, can take an Rank 8 Super Penetrating Cannon as a research project."
"Then what kind of project would Teacher, an outstanding Rank 9 Soul Engineer, have in hand?"
After some imagining and longing, Huo Yuhao was about to start working when he suddenly noticed a gaze that had been fixed on him for a long time.
That person was Wang Shaojie!
More than ten days ago, Wang Shaojie had originally intended to cram for the Rank 4 Soul Engineer theoretical knowledge exam at the Library.
But after Hu Mei's best friend mentioned Huo Yuhao, and he heard Huo Yuhao say, "If you simp hard enough, you'll get everything in the end," he spent several consecutive days intensely simping for Hu Mei.
As a result, the Rank 4 Soul Engineer qualification exam naturally went down the drain.
He didn't pass the exam, and he annoyed Hu Mei with his simping, so naturally, he didn't get any good treatment from her.
Having failed in both career and romance, he sat in his seat, staring at Huo Yuhao.
He now realized, could Huo Yuhao have fabricated those words, instigating him to become a simp?
Watching him make a fool of himself from behind?!
After all, Huo Yuhao's intense dedication to studying couldn't be faked.
How could he have time to simp for so many people and accumulate those so-called 'emotional scriptures'?
But Wang Shaojie had no evidence, and Huo Yuhao was already making a name for himself in the academy. He even heard that Teacher Feng took good care of him.
Wang Shaojie couldn't make a move.
He could only spy on Huo Yuhao, trying to find evidence that Huo Yuhao had tricked him into being a simp!
Anyway, he had already messed up this exam, couldn't focus on studying, and Hu Mei was annoyed with him. Monitoring Huo Yuhao's studies seemed rather interesting.
He kept watching for an entire day.
Damn it, this guy spent the whole day reading during the day and cultivating Soul Power on his cushion at night. Forget about girls, he barely interacted with anyone!
Wang Shaojie complained, twisting his old back from sitting all day. Just as he was about to leave, a dazzling presence suddenly opened the door to the self-study room.
It was a girl in a white dress.
Her white hair seemed to shimmer, her perfect face was like a top-tier white moonlight, and her blue, watery eyes were captivating, with eyelashes fluttering like small brushes.
Seeing many people looking over, Meng Hongchen thought she had disturbed their self-study. She blinked playfully and nodded in apology.
Wang Shaojie looked at Meng Hongchen's smile and felt like a vampire who had been cooped up in a dark room for too long, finally being bathed in brilliant sunlight.
He felt purified.
He had to admit, he liked beautiful women.
But he knew his place; he would only simp for, no, pursue girls like Hu Mei, who were only somewhat famous within a single grade.
For a beautiful girl like Meng Hongchen, who possessed both top-tier looks and talent, he felt he only deserved to hide in a dark corner and observe from afar.
Hmph!
Wang Shaojie glanced at Huo Yuhao, who was still buried in his studies. What was the use of just studying hard?
If he didn't even know how to appreciate beauty, what good were all his knowledge and cultivation?
Suddenly, Wang Shaojie's expression froze. He saw Meng Hongchen actually walking towards Huo Yuhao.
He had a bad premonition!
Meng Hongchen stood gracefully behind Huo Yuhao. Seeing that his study session had ended, she patted his shoulder:
"Still studying? I came to find you!"
In Meng Hongchen's eyes, this was nothing. Huo Yuhao was her Junior Brother, so what was the big deal about patting his shoulder?
But through Wang Shaojie's thick filter of 'ice queen beauty,' he felt the sky had collapsed.
He had never heard before that Meng Hongchen would be so intimate with any boy other than her brother.
Huo Yuhao turned his head, paused slightly, and then spoke naturally:
"Miss Meng. Oh! We had an appointment."
Meng Hongchen snorted:
"Hmph, it seems if I didn't come to find you myself, you probably would have forgotten. Come with me!"
Wang Shaojie watched helplessly as Meng Hongchen led Huo Yuhao away.
He looked at their retreating figures, filled with shock.
He understood!
So the rumors circulating in the academy about Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen being close were true!
A hint of admiration flashed in Wang Shaojie's eyes.
So Huo Yuhao wasn't not simping; he had long since transcended the realm of simping for many and chosen to simp for the highest difficulty target.
He automatically dismissed the possibility of Meng Hongchen being the proactive one. In his opinion, if Meng Hongchen liked someone, couldn't she just snap her fingers?
So it must have been Huo Yuhao simping for Meng Hongchen!
He truly lived up to his reputation as the man who could compile so many emotional scriptures. No wonder he could confidently teach him how to please Hu Mei.
It seems my cultivation is too low and shallow; my simping was not up to par.
Wang Shaojie felt he had found a new direction, and he was no longer decadent or confused.
He was ready to regroup and continue being Hu Mei's simp!
But before that, he wanted to follow Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen to see how far Huo Yuhao had gotten with his Simping Techniques.
...
In the dorm area, Meng Hongchen and Huo Yuhao walked side by side. Meng Hongchen asked, puzzled:
"Junior Brother, why was that person following us, and then stopped following?"
Huo Yuhao was also at a loss. He then recounted the entire incident of Wang Shaojie coming to cause trouble and how he had teased him.
Meng Hongchen's eyes widened:
"Junior Brother, you're too mischievous!"
Mischievous? Then what's with your excited expression?
Huo Yuhao believed that having sold grilled fish and read people's minds in Shrek City, he had seen countless individuals.
But if he didn't rely on the audience's ability, he really couldn't tell what Meng Hongchen was thinking!
"Never mind, we're at the dorm. Let's ignore him."
"Junior Brother, come in with me. I'll show you something interesting."
Meng Hongchen smiled a little shyly:
"This really couldn't be done without your Mental Detection."
Meng Hongchen asked strangely, "Otherwise? Don't you think they are very cute and interesting?"
Huo Yuhao looked at the various figurines displayed on the wooden shelf in the luxurious single dormitory living room of Meng Hongchen, feeling a bit disappointed.
He thought it was some interesting Soul Guidance Device, sigh!
Huo Yuhao's eyes moved, sensing that these figurines were not simple, and he activated Mental Detection to scan them.
Good heavens, using various rare metals worth hundreds of thousands of Gold Soul Coins per jin to make figurines?
There were figurines of various Soul Beasts, beautiful girls, Xiao Hongchen, and, well, a few teachers, all embedded with dense core magic arrays.
These figurines were not just simple toys; they had meticulous mechanical joint structures and were things into which Meng Hongchen freely integrated core magic arrays.
Huo Yuhao tried to deduce the function of these core magic arrays and concluded that the figurines could move.
On the living room table were also those few Starlight Sapphires, top-tier materials for storage rings; were they carved like this to serve as eyes for the figurines?
Although they were only the size of beans, they would cost hundreds of thousands of Gold Soul Coins each outside, right?
Rich, knows how to have fun!
Senior Sister Meng truly lives up to her reputation as the academy's famous rich lady. The value of the rare metals alone on this wall might exceed eight figures.
If he didn't have the vice card of the dean, he wouldn't be able to move even if he saw these things.
Huo Yuhao said, "Senior Sister Meng, what exactly did you want to see me for?"
Meng Hongchen said, "Doesn't your Mental Detection resist a certain level of interference?"
"I want to ask you to share your Mental Detection so I can try using it as the main material for crafting figurines."
As she spoke, Meng Hongchen took out a brick-sized piece of Martial Soul-Nourishing Cast Iron from her storage bracelet, and Huo Yuhao immediately understood the situation.
Martial Soul-Nourishing Cast Iron was a rare metal commonly used on the outer shells of high-level Soul Guidance Devices.
It was extremely hard in texture and was characterized by a stable energy field within it.
The larger the volume, the stronger the internal energy field, and consequently, the stronger its ability to block various forms of energy detection and intrusion.
Therefore, inscribing core magic arrays on it was extremely difficult.
Hard texture and resistant to detection? Then wouldn't it be excellent for use as solid ammunition?
Huo Yuhao nodded thoughtfully, his two yellow Spirit Rings rose, and he directly shared his Mental Detection with Meng Hongchen.
Although Martial Soul-Nourishing Cast Iron had these characteristics, this piece was not very large after all.
His Martial Soul cultivation was probably already at the Soul King level, so the influence on his Mental Detection would not be very significant.
Meng Hongchen first poured a glass of water for Huo Yuhao, then picked up the few Starlight Sapphires on the table, and turned to go into another room:
"Hehe, Junior Brother, you stay on the sofa and read a book. Don't use your Mental Detection to scan my inscription room, okay!"
Can't scan the inscription room? Huo Yuhao didn't scan anywhere; he took out a book from his storage ring and immediately entered a flow state.
For him, where he read didn't matter.
When deeply focused on one thing, time always passes quickly, and in a flash, it was afternoon.
In the inscription room, Meng Hongchen carefully placed the Starlight Sapphires into the eyes of the small figurine.
Then she took out "Soul Guidance Device Genius," flipped to the picture where Huo Yuhao aimed the gun that day, and compared it with the figurine.
Hmm, although it had undergone artistic processing and lacked some of its Martial Soul,
it was still very cute.
Meng Hongchen walked out of the inscription room, smiling cheerfully, "Junior Brother, the figurine is done!"
"How was the effect of the Mental Detection?" Huo Yuhao put down his book and asked casually.
"The effect was excellent, I'm very satisfied!"
"Where is it? Let me see."
"That won't do; I'll show you later."
Meng Hongchen smiled a little shyly, "Thanks for the trouble today; let me treat you to a meal at the faculty canteen, okay?"
Huo Yuhao readily agreed and left the dormitory with Meng Hongchen.
On the way to the canteen, Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen ran into Wang Shaojie again.
This guy was squatting at the entrance of the dormitory area, looking at the two of them heading to the canteen together with a look of shock, muttering:
"A true man should be like this!"
Huo Yuhao was also quite surprised and activated his mind-reading ability to scan him.
Not only did he not sense obvious malice from Wang Shaojie, but there was even a strong sense of admiration.
Why admire me?
Did he fail to get his Fourth-Rank Soul Engineer certificate and envy me for ranking first on the Second-Rank list?
This way, it makes sense.
Huo Yuhao thought to himself,'So that's how it is.'
After eating, just as the two were about to part ways, Meng Hongchen finally revealed her true motive and asked the question that had been bothering her:
"Junior Brother, what is the second Spirit Ability of your Spiritual Eyes?"
What is Senior Sister Meng trying to test?
He had promised the teacher not to reveal the Ice Empress's Martial Soul.
Huo Yuhao replied with a natural smile, "Senior Sister Meng, my second Spirit Ability is called Divine Soul Integration, originating from the Extreme North Soul Beast, the Phantom Ice Butterfly."
"This Spirit Ability allows me to integrate my Mental Power into my Soul Power to a certain extent, improving my Soul Power control capability."
"Combined with my Martial Soul, the derived ability is to distort various surrounding energies, which can achieve an effect similar to the Ice Silkworm's simulation."
Everything Huo Yuhao said was true, but this derived ability was quite useless and imprecise; if he really used it, it could only achieve a mosaic-like effect,
rather than the divine simulation seen on the field that day.
Meng Hongchen nodded in sudden realization, but her sixth sense told her that Huo Yuhao was definitely hiding something!
... On Wednesday, Huo Yuhao reported to Feng Yu's laboratory as scheduled.
Feng Yu's laboratory team naturally included more than just Huo Yuhao; there were seven other students or assistants.
It was unclear if it was due to too many females, but among the team members, only Huo Yuhao and another boy sitting at a workstation were male; the rest were all girls.
That boy was tall and slightly taller than Huo Yuhao, with long golden hair draped over his shoulders, a high nose bridge, and he was sizing up Huo Yuhao with a look of surprise.
Work hadn't officially started yet. The girls were gathered together, chatting about something unknown, and as soon as Huo Yuhao entered, he attracted their attention:
"Is this Huo Yuhao who knocked Xiao Hongchen down from first place on the Second-Rank list?"
"Ke Ke, you were right, he really came!"
"I heard he doesn't have any faction tag on him; sisters who are interested can make a move."
"I heard he spends all his time in the Library, so wouldn't it be easy to win him over with a little trick?"
Among the six girls, a particularly petite-looking young lady walked up to Huo Yuhao with bright eyes and extended her hand:
"Hello, Yuhao, I'm Ke Ke. Please take care of me in the future!"
Huo Yuhao had powerful Mental Power, and his perception was equally strong; even their hushed teasing, he could hear.
But he chose to ignore it: "Senior Sister, please take care of me."
Feng Yu did not mention Huo Yuhao's status as a Hall Master's disciple. After introducing him to the other team members, he pulled him aside:
"Senior Brother Feng Bujue's Soul Power broke through level 50 three or four days ago. He has already set off to hunt Sea Soul Beasts along the western coast. We'll treat everyone to a meal when he returns."
Huo Yuhao was surprised, "Why didn't he tell me?"
"He said you might have been busy with exams those two days and didn't want to disturb you,"
Feng Yu said, handing him a thick stack of materials:
"I don't recommend researching Soul Guidance Device sniper rifles, but if you are truly interested, you must first master the data on these two-to-four-rank piercing cannons."
"After all, their technical cores are very similar.'"
"Also, next week's Tranquility Hall self-study session is canceled again. The teachers and others have encountered problems that cannot be solved immediately.'"
"Right, you need to be prepared for immediate support these few days."
Huo Yuhao was a bit confused: "Senior Brother Feng can't even get involved, so what use am I?"
Feng Yu said meaningfully, "I can't get involved, but you have Mental Detection
Although Huo Yuhao kept the matter of providing support at any time in mind, it didn't affect his daily studies.
Since joining the team, his study rhythm had changed.
He studied in the morning, joined the team in the afternoon to engrave core arrays and conduct experiments, had flexible time in the evening, and cultivated all night long. His days were very fulfilling.
...
Star Dou Great Forest, outer region.
Inside a cave, purple poisonous gas continuously seeped out.
Tang Yin, with two yellow and one purple Spirit Ring behind him, was tattered all over, with only a belt intact around his waist, covered in the bloodstains of countless Soul Beasts.
He stood at the cave entrance, observing with cold eyes. When the poisonous gas gradually subsided, he ventured inside to investigate.
Following his gaze, a purple Spirit Ring floated out from within, bringing with it large patches of white Spirit Rings pushing their way out.
Even in death, they couldn't find peace.
Tang Yin frowned, bent at the waist, and cautiously entered the cave, holding his Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
Among hundreds of Man-faced Demon Spider corpses, each the size of a washbasin and ten years old, lay the corpse of a thousand-year Man-faced Demon Spider.
At this moment, these Man-faced Demon Spider corpses were still emitting sizzling corrosive sounds.
Tang Yin, with practiced ease, pushed aside the thousand-year Man-faced Demon Spider's corpse. After searching for a moment, his expression turned angry:
"Two months have almost passed. I've killed over a dozen ten-thousand-year Man-faced Demon Spiders, hundreds of thousand-year Man-faced Demon Spiders, and tens of thousands of hundred-year Man-faced Demon Spiders..."
"The Man-faced Demon Spiders outside the Star Dou Great Forest's mixed zone are almost extinct. Can't a single Eight Spider Lances drop?"
"world Will, how dare you deceive me like this?"
After a torrent of curses, Tang Yin quickly calmed down.
He expressionlessly dismembered the nest of Man-faced Demon Spider corpses that had just reached ten years of age.
After piling the Man-faced Demon Spider corpses into a small mound, Tang Yin finally felt something different!
No!
Tang Yin's movements paused, and he abruptly pulled out the item from inside this ten-year Man-faced Demon Spider corpse.
This item was only the size of a palm, with eight slender spider legs connected by a disc-shaped bone structure.
It's back! It's back!
Tang Yin was overjoyed; an External Soul Bone had actually dropped!
Even if its age was only ten years, the growth potential of an External Soul Bone was immeasurable!
Ten thousand years ago, he had repeatedly relied on the Eight Spider Lances to turn danger into safety, transforming divine opponents like the Thousand Ton Ant Emperor Three Brothers, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, and even Rakshasa God Bibi Dong.
All into nourishment.
Tang Yin burst into laughter.
He understood.
He had to find, control, and then command the Son of Destiny.
But this clone wasn't limited to just that. He could also walk the path to godhood again.
With the Eight Spider Lances and the information about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well in his mind, no matter what difficulties he faced in the future, they wouldn't be able to stop him!
Can't find the Son of Destiny?
No matter.
The Son of Destiny would eventually make a name for themselves on the main continent. He should still try to use Wang Dong as a card, after all, half of Little Seven's separated soul was in her Sea of Consciousness.
Even if he couldn't trap the Son of Destiny with Little Seven, it didn't matter; the potential of this clone was already top-notch.
When the time came, he would beat the Son of Destiny to their knees, drag them to the Qiankun Asking Love Valley, contact his main body, and kill the Son of Destiny hundreds of times.
Once the Son of Destiny's Divine Soul collapsed, wouldn't they be brainwashable?
Tang Yin glanced outside the cave entrance, took out beast-repelling powder from his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, and found dry branches to conceal it.
Finally, he held the new Eight Spider Lances and walked deeper into the cave.
This Man-faced Demon Spider nest was already a place many Soul Beasts dared not come to. With these preparations, absorbing a ten-year Soul Bone would certainly be safe.
After absorbing the Eight Spider Lances, Tang Yin immediately left the border of this mixed outer region at full speed.
He hadn't walked many steps when he heard a cackling, arrogant laugh.
He stopped, held his breath, and hid behind a large tree to peer out.
He saw a black-robed figure whose Soul Power surged, their voice filled with excitement:
"I never thought that I, Death Messenger, would absorb such a heaven-defying Spirit Ability! This continent will finally have a place for me!"
Evil Soul Master?
Tang Yin frowned and thought, 'Evil Soul Masters are so rampant? What are the Spirit Masters of this world doing?'
I even ran into one while hunting for a Spirit Ring.
Despite his dislike, Tang Yin still went around him.
Tang Yin thought to himself, 'I'm not being cowardly. The rampant spread of Evil Soul Masters is inseparable from the indulgence of the world.'
Not to mention, hunting Evil Soul Masters isn't my task.
I only took a month's leave before, and I didn't expect to almost wipe out all Man-faced Demon Spiders under ten thousand years in the Star Dou Great Forest just to get the Eight Spider Lances.
This location should be very far from the Academy now.
I must rush back to the Academy!
...
Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Level 8 Piercing Cannon Laboratory.
Huo Yuhao held the core array that had melted after firing a single solid projectile, lost in thought:
The Soul Power compression technique was completely implemented within the Soul Guidance Device. According to experimental data and calculation results, the heat indeed exploded.
A heat dissipation core array is needed.
However, the internal space of the Soul Guidance Device is limited. It would be great if the heat dissipation core array could be embedded with the high-pressure core array.
Let's try it. Huo Yuhao picked up a new rare metal base material and took out the Level 6 carving knife Soul Guidance Device, Ice Shard, given by Meng Hongchen.
High-speed calculations and thoughts ran in his mind in real-time. Each stroke he made did not follow the standard core array engraving methods he had learned.
Yet, it precisely matched his calculation results.
A quarter of an hour later, Huo Yuhao attempted to inject Soul Power into this Level 2 high-pressure core array, which was embedded with a Level 2 heat dissipation core array.
Buzz!
The core array lit up, and Soul Power was rapidly compressed. Strangely, he didn't feel the core array in his hand getting very hot.
Huo Yuhao evaluated in his mind:
It succeeded, but the effect isn't ideal.
The balance is a bit off. The temperature of the high-pressure Soul Power being suppressed to this extent will definitely affect its power. There's still room for optimization and improvement.
Feng Yu routinely inspected the research progress of his team members.
Of course, the task he assigned to Huo Yuhao was to conduct his own desired research within the project framework, and to ask directly if he didn't understand anything.
Feng Yu knew clearly that the project could proceed thanks to Huo Yuhao's standing in the teacher's heart.
Feng Yu stood beside Huo Yuhao, observed the core array in his hand for a moment, and asked:
"Yuhao, when did you learn the Temperature Difference Embedded Engraving Method? This is considered a difficult engraving method even among intermediate Soul Engineers."
"Temperature Difference Embedded Engraving Method?" Huo Yuhao asked, puzzled. "Does it need a special name?"
"Isn't it just about calculating the carving knife's landing point in real-time in your mind?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao immediately felt Feng Yu contribute a large amount of Chaos Qi to him.
Feng Yu carefully looked at Huo Yuhao's expression, then took the core array to examine it seriously, and finally broke down.
Although the technique was slightly immature and the details weren't perfect, the embedded method was subtly taking shape.
Is it really okay for me to intrude into a genius's world like this?
Could it be that my graduation project, which took me several months to polish when I was a Sixth-Rank Soul Tool Master, only saves my Junior Brother an afternoon tea's worth of time?
Seeing that Feng Yu seemed a bit off, Huo Yuhao quickly waved his hand in front of him:
"Teacher Feng, Teacher Feng, what's wrong? That Temperature Difference Embedded Engraving Method sounds very impressive. It will definitely help me reduce a lot of workload."
"Oh, right, I found that our project team hasn't collected any experimental data related to soul guidance sniper rifles. Teacher Feng, do you know where I can find it?"
Feng Yu said tiredly:
"soul guidance sniper rifles are difficult to design experiments for to obtain relevant data. Their lower limit is very high, but their upper limit is too low, so related research has been shelved."
"Decades ago, a graduate student researched it, I think. You can just look it up in the Library's document management system."