“Yes.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged and immediately returned to the pile of metal from before. He didn’t pick titanium anymore, but chose iron instead, which was the most normal metal. It was a typical metal that was rarely used even when forging a soul tool’s shell. Iron was typically used for molds, and people rarely used it directly for forging soul tools.

The Darkgolden Terrorclaw appeared once again, and chopped off piece after piece of iron. From Xuan Ziwen’s perspective, Huo Yuhao’s methods of creating soul tools were extremely special and unique.

Huo Yuhao could use his hands to knead a metal as tough as titanium, and even knead it into a perfect sphere – it was needless to say what he could do with iron.

Huo Yuhao quickly converted the iron pieces in his hands into the desired shapes. He used the carving knife after kneading the iron to carve them into the precise shapes and forms that he wanted.

If the time Huo Yuhao needed to create the formation arrays was considered quick, then the speed at which he was working now could only be described as frighteningly fast, almost to the point where Xuan Ziwen’s eyes couldn’t distinguish his movements. Huo Yuhao would subtly shift and tilt his body from time to time during his work, intentionally blocking off Xuan Ziwen’s line of sight. When Xuan Ziwen changed his own position to continue watching, several metal pieces would already have been swiftly completed, and Xuan Ziwen never got a chance to witness what Huo Yuhao did during that time.

Xuan Ziwen could gradually discern some clues, however. Huo Yuhao wasn’t just carving and sculpting the iron pieces when he was making the shell – he looked like he was engraving something on their surface, while piece after piece of arrow-shaped metal sticks were incorporated within that emanated soft metal clanging sounds from time to time.

“Crack, crack, clang, clang…” A series of crisp metallic sounds could be heard, and a iron box that was roughly one foot long, three inches wide and two inches thick appeared before Xuan Ziwen. The formation array that Huo Yuhao had designed before had already been infused inside. Despite his extraordinary memory, Xuan Ziwen couldn’t remember much, as Huo Yuhao’s forging speed was simply too fast, and he had intentionally blocked off his vision at times. He could feel that Huo Yuhao’s soul tool was extremely fine and exquisite, especially for a shell formed by iron. He even felt a little eager to discover what it could do.

“You’re done?” Xuan Ziwen asked Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao nodded and pressed down on its surface with his right hand, as if he were making some final touches.

“Alright. Show me what this consumable can do.” Xuan Ziwen muttered indifferently.

Huo Yuhao wasted no words, stepping out from behind the lab desk and moving into the soul tool testing area. Every large laboratory would have a soul tool testing area, which was used to test completed soul tools. Of course, the testing area had a limit to how much it could take, and soul tools that were too powerful couldn’t be used here.

Huo Yuhao raised the rectangular box in his hands and pointed at the alloy wall more than fifty meters away, which was two meters thick. He pressed with his fingers, and Xuan Ziwen only heard a buzzing sound.  

A series of ear-piercing explosive sounds could be heard from fifty meters away, and metal powder erupted from the alloy wall.  

The iron box in Huo Yuhao’s hands groaned and shattered into pieces with a splat. Huo Yuhao pressed his hands inwards, and the broken soul tool in his hands was immediately kneaded into a metal sphere with his Mysterious Jade Hands.

Any soul engineer below Class 4 probably wouldn’t understand what Huo Yuhao had done. However, Xuan Ziwen wasn’t a soul engineer below Class 4! The Illustrious Virtue Hall had given him special subsidies, and he was also one of the Illustrious Virtue Hall’s research consultants. He was also a special teacher in the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and he was a Class 8 soul engineer. He couldn’t be more clear about what Huo Yuhao did in that instant.

Xuan Ziwen’s eyes sparkled like the stars in the night sky, and he immediately gave his feedback. “Class 4 soul tool, name unknown. If better original materials were used, its offensive abilities would be close to a Class 5 soul tool – no, more accurately put, this should be considered a stationary soul tool that doesn’t come with explosive projectiles. It’s very difficult for soul barriers to defend against this, and its speed can rival that of a soul ray, while its force is far superior. What’s more outstanding is the fact that this soul tool has impressive extensibility. Wait – when you fired that shot, you only pressed a button on the soul tool, and you didn’t inject any soul power? I understand now. You used the Charge array to infuse soul power, to activate the entire soul tool when you were placing the entire formation array inside. Ingenious! What an ingenious plan! In other words, even normal people can use this soul tool as long as it’s completely charged. However, how can the overall discharge system be so small? There’s something about this soul tool’s shell, and you must have included elements that I don’t understand.”

Huo Yuhao was filled with awe as he listened to Xuan Ziwen’s analysis – every statement was right on point. There indeed was something within the shell. The shell’s structure was so compact and sophisticated that it could rival even the formation array inside. This was the most important feature of the entire soul tool – the formation array was nothing much, but this shell was Huo Yuhao’s secret.

This soul tool had a name that shook the entire Continent ten thousand years ago – Zhuge Divine Crossbow. Tang San, the person that established the Tang Sect, was its inventor. However, the Zhuge Divine Crossbow that Huo Yuhao had just forged was a soul tool that incorporated the Zhuge Divine Crossbow’s principles and structures.

Even though he had had the Zhuge Divine Crossbow’s original blueprint, Huo Yuhao had had to study it for more than half a year before finally completing this creation. Even Fan Yu didn’t know this soul tool’s actual structure, as this was the first soul tool that he had created for the Tang Sect. Just as Xuan Ziwen said, the Zhuge Divine Crossbow’s force wasn’t that formidable, but its authentic extensibility and that normal people could also use it could be considered exemplary and extraordinary features – it could even be said to be something that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had been pursuing for a long time.

The number-one research topic pursued by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was how they could enable normal people to use soul tools. This research topic focused on empirical principles, and not how soul tools were made or how they operated.

Xuan Ziwen grabbed Huo Yuhao’s hands and said, “Tell me right now, how did you do that? How did you create such an impressive soul tool? No, sorry, I’m too excited. Sell it to me – sell your research to me. You can name any price you want. How about that?”

Huo Yuhao’s impression of Xuan Ziwen became a little better as he watched Xuan Ziwen’s exhilaration. He could feel that Xuan Ziwen was the kind of person that would give everything he had for his research, and these kinds of people were usually purer, and didn’t have too many ulterior motives.

“Teacher Xuan, I’m here for your guidance. Did I pass the assessment?”

“Of course you’ve passed. Are you selling this soul tool? Even though its empirical principles may not be enough to solve the problem, it will be able to give great inspiration… Wait, I don’t know your name yet.”

Huo Yuhao sounded a little exasperated, and replied, “My name is Huo Yuhao.”

“Alright, alright. Huo Yuhao, tell me – can you tell me your research findings?” Xuan Ziwen asked eagerly.

Huo Yuhao shook his head without hesitation. “I’m sorry, teacher Xuan, I can’t sell it to you. I’m sure you’re aware of the competition between the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and Shrek Academy. More importantly, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy belongs to the Sun Moon Empire. You should understand how frightening it could be if soul tools that could be used by normal people were eventually dispersed to the military.”

Xuan Ziwen’s brows creased tightly and said, “That means you’re not willing to sell?”

Huo Yuhao replied with a resolute and uncompromising tone, “No, I’m not. You don’t look like a belligerent, so do you really want to use my research to incite conflict and war? Even if it’s for assistance, I belong to the Star Luo Empire, and I cannot give my research findings to the Sun Moon Empire.”

Xuan Ziwen’s facial expressions changed continuously as he said. “Aren’t you afraid of me doing something to you because of your research?”

Huo Yuhao smiled plainly and answered, “You probably wouldn’t have told me that if you did harbor any such intentions. Furthermore, Shrek Academy can’t be so easily bullied and pushed around by others. Even though your cultivation is much higher than mine, I have a ten percent chance of taking you down with me at this distance – do you believe me?”

Xuan Ziwen didn’t explode in a fit of fury like Huo Yuhao imagined he would. Instead, Xuan Ziwen had a look of genuine sincerity and said, “Alright, then tell me – what will it take for you to share your research findings with me? How about I give everything I have to teach and mentor you? I will use my own research findings in exchange for yours. You have to know that my latest research findings are extraordinarily impressive, and one of them is controlling soul tools from a distance. This is something that only I can do within the entire Illustrious Virtue Hall. Even though it’s a Class 8 soul tool, people have touted it to be the Class 9 soul tool among Class 8 soul tools.”

Huo Yuhao still shook his head with a calm expression on his face. He didn’t know that if Jing Hongchen, the Hallmaster of the Virtuous Hall, heard Xuan Ziwen’s words, he probably would have vomited blood.

“Don’t you understand?” Xuan Ziwen could tell that Huo Yuhao disregarded his own research findings, and immediately grew furious.

Huo Yuhao said plainly, “I don’t really understand, teacher Xuan. However, I can tell that your research findings are more suitable for the national military, and not so much for personal use. However, I’m not a soldier. As for reconnaissance abilities, do have a look.”

Huo Yuhao’s eyes glowed as he spoke. Pale golden light flowed out, and his Spiritual Detection immediately landed on Xuan Ziwen’s body.

Three-dimensional images immediately appeared in Xuan Ziwen’s mind. He felt his body quiver vigorously as he could clearly feel everything within five hundred meters around him. Everything, including things outside the laboratory, were all part of this mystical detection ability.

Huo Yuhao didn’t give him much time to experience it, and he withdrew his soul skill as soon as he activated it. He was still gazing calmly at Xuan Ziwen. He revealed his abilities because he had a faint feeling that he could make a breakthrough with this teacher Xuan. This breakthrough would be immeasurably beneficial for both Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect.