Being stared at "cordially" by all the Titled Douluo of the Hall of Enshrinement was an experience Jing Hongchen never wanted to repeat.
Thus, under the friendly exchange between Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen, Huo Yuhao successfully gained another teacher.
Kong Deming turned to look at Xu Tianran, who had remained seated in his wheelchair with a peaceful gaze throughout the encounter.
"Crown Prince, this is my student," Kong Deming said calmly. He seemed to be merely stating a fact, but to Xu Tianran, it was a warning.
This was a warning from the Pillar of the State to a Crown Prince who had not yet ascended to the throne!
His thoughts swirling, Xu Tianran forced a smile and slightly arched his hands: "Congratulations to Elder Kong on finding such a rare talent."
If Huo Yuhao were only Jing Hongchen's disciple, Xu Tianran could use any number of methods to deal with him—whether neutralizing a threat or recruiting him for his own use.
But now, with Kong Deming as a backer, Huo Yuhao was truly untouchable.
Given the trust his father, the Emperor, placed in Kong Deming, if he were to anger this elder, his very position as Crown Prince might be put in jeopardy...
Kong Deming looked at Xu Tianran with a steady gaze: "Thank you, Crown Prince."
Then, Kong Deming turned to Jing Hongchen. "Starting tomorrow, bring this child with you to the laboratory."
"Yes," Jing Hongchen nodded, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief.
Having his student also become Kong Deming's student didn't seem like a bad thing. Although the Hongchen family was deeply rooted in the Sun Moon Empire and appeared immensely prestigious, it actually rested entirely on his shoulders. He walked on thin ice, fearing that one wrong step would lead to ruin.
But now... it seemed he could use his student to bind the Hongchen family to the Hall of Enshrinement...
Jing Hongchen's mind suddenly cleared.
He had hidden news of Huo Yuhao before because he feared others would snatch such a genius away. But now that Huo Yuhao had been taken as a student by Kong Deming, there was no longer any need to worry about internal persecution within the Sun Moon Empire...
This student of his truly was his lucky star!
"That will be all for now," Kong Deming said to the crowd. He then turned to Huo Yuhao: "Yuhao, if I give you one night, how many of those special components for the 'artificial soul ring device' can you manufacture?"
"Teacher, how many do you need?"
"At least... 1,000."
Kong Deming's plan was simple: promote artificial soul rings nationwide first, and then, during that process, put all effort into researching the secret technique for fusing soul tools into soul rings.
Since a secret technique for fusing soul tools into martial souls already existed, combined with past experimental data, the research time wouldn't be too long if Huo Yuhao's previous hypothesis held true.
If they couldn't figure it out... they would simply issue a statement claiming their "artificial soul ring devices" were purchased from the Spirit Transmission Pagoda but were defective, and that it was all a conspiracy by the Spirit Transmission Pagoda and the three Douluo empires!
In short, they would shift the blame, suppress potential issues for now, and then... launch a war to seize working "artificial soul ring devices" from the cities of the three Douluo empires. This was their only option.
Don't be fooled by the back-and-forth skirmishes currently happening on the border; in reality, that was merely a deliberate play by the Sun Moon Empire.
In terms of pure military might, the Sun Moon Empire could be said to crush the three Douluo empires. However, regarding the most critical top-tier combat power, the Sun Moon Empire was no match for them.
The root cause... was Shrek Academy.
Kong Deming sighed inwardly and looked at Huo Yuhao with a hint of anticipation, waiting for his reply.
"1,000? I haven't tried repeatedly making a single component like that... Can I apply for several Rank 6 'soul power storage devices'? My soul power is a bit insufficient."
"Granted," Kong Deming waved his hand, immediately approving the request.
"Then there should be no problem. I will hand the components to you tomorrow."
"Good! Good child! Here, take this." Kong Deming handed a token to Huo Yuhao with the character "Kong" on the front and "Enshrinement" on the back.
"This is my token. It allows you to mobilize the metal reserves of the Hall of Enshrinement to a certain extent. For metals below Rank 6, as long as you aren't selling them, you can use them as you wish."
Kong Deming clearly held Huo Yuhao in high regard.
Huo Yuhao was slightly surprised, then took the token and said seriously: "Thank you, Teacher."
Kong Deming shook his head gently and said calmly: "This is the treatment a genius deserves. Child... you are the future of the Sun Moon Empire. Work hard..."
"Yes, Teacher."
Don't worry, I will let the Sun Moon Empire flatten the three Douluo empires... it is a necessary step.
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered slightly as he added that last line in his heart.
...
The next day.
As expected, Huo Yuhao completed his task of 1,000 components. Kong Deming was overjoyed and immediately arranged for Huo Yuhao to join the "Soul Ring as Soul Tool Carrier" task force as an assistant.
Well, he was called an assistant, but he was more of an observer-student.
Seeing the experiments had just begun, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and used his "unfamiliarity with secret techniques" as a reason to ask Kong Deming for the current "Soul Tool Fusion with Martial Soul" technique.
Kong Deming had no suspicions and handed it over directly. After all, nearly every Titled Douluo in the Sun Moon Empire had a copy; it wasn't a major secret. Furthermore, using it required a soul tool engineer rank matching one's cultivation level, otherwise it was useless.
Finding a quiet place, Huo Yuhao set aside the "Soul Tool Fusion Method" given to him by Kong Deming. He then pulled out a book with slightly yellowed pages titled "The Method of Ring Insetting."
The former was the Sun Moon Empire's unique "Soul Tool Fusion Method," a secret technique for merging soul tools into one's martial soul.
The latter was an unexpected gift brought to Huo Yuhao by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
A month ago, Ning Tian—whose cultivation had broken through to two rings at Rank 23—and the noble lady he had met once before came to visit. While discussing the "artificial soul ring" business, they had brought him this.
Legend had it that ten thousand years ago, when Tang San was only a teenager, the Martial Soul Hall still existed, and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was still the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
The sect had a Titled Douluo with the title of "Sword" who could temporarily fuse his soul rings into his martial soul to gain immense power. This secret technique, named "The Method of Ring Insetting," had been passed down.
By reading this technique, Huo Yuhao gained a lot of inspiration.
For example, the reason only 9th-rank soul tool engineers could perform the "Soul Tool Fusion Method" was partly due to insufficient cultivation and control over soul power. One mistake could harm the martial soul.
If anything happened to a martial soul, the lightest consequence was a loss of cultivation; if it were serious, one might lose their cultivation entirely and become a cripple.
Only by becoming a Titled Douluo and a 9th-rank soul tool engineer, with sufficient understanding of both soul tools and one's own martial soul, could one ensure success 100% of the time.