"By the way, Hall Master Jing."
Kong Deming spoke suddenly: "Last time, my Enshrinement Hall sent two Enshrinements to the Spirit Transmission Pagoda in Shrek City to attempt to bring back that Master Skydream, but the mission resulted in one death and one injury.
"The injured one has since voluntarily stepped down to the second line and resigned from his position as an Enshrinement due to damage to his foundation.
"This has left two vacancies in my Enshrinement Hall.
"One of those seats, I have decided to give to Yuhao once he becomes a Soul King. What do you think?"
The words were phrased as a question, but the tone was definitive.
Clearly, this wasn't a request for an opinion, but an announcement.
"It shall be as Elder Kong decides." Jing Hongchen bowed slightly, without a hint of dissatisfaction.
Was this just a carrot on a stick? No. Given Huo Yuhao's talent, becoming a Soul King was only two or three years away. Jing Hongchen's intuition told him that if Huo Yuhao weren't so young right now, Kong Deming would want to hand the seat to him immediately.
As for whether this would cause dissatisfaction among others...
Please, this was Kong Deming!
Nowadays, the Emperor's health was gradually failing, and his appearances at court were becoming rarer. Most state affairs were delegated to Crown Prince Xu Tianran and the Enshrinement Kong Deming.
In the imperial court, no one dared to oppose him.
That was the absolute prestige of Kong Deming in the Sun Moon Empire.
"Good..."
Kong Deming spoke calmly and began to walk away. Jing Hongchen respectfully watched him leave, but suddenly, Kong Deming paused and looked back at him:
"The direct line of the Hongchen family is small, but the branch families are quite numerous. Most have chosen to take root in various factions... If I may be blunt, Hall Master Jing, placing an extra bet indeed increases one's chances of winning, but instead of gambling, it is better to be the house.
"The child Yuhao will certainly become a member of my Enshrinement Hall, but I still have one other vacant Enshrinement seat..."
After giving Jing Hongchen a long, deep look, Kong Deming turned and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Jing Hongchen stood frozen on the spot. The Hall Master of the Illustrious Virtue Hall and Dean of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Engineer Academy actually felt a sense of relief at this moment.
This was both a warning and an invitation!
To put it simply, the Hongchen family could now fully latch onto the unshakable "thick thigh" that was the Enshrinement Hall!
"Mmm... I need to get Xiao back! Tell him to stop bothering Yuhao and Meng!
"If they 'make a life' (get pregnant), then so be it. It's just the Soul Master Competition; is that more important than the continuity of my Hongchen family?"
Since Meng and Yuhao were already on such good terms, it was just a matter of sooner or later. It didn't matter!
Jing Hongchen made a swift decision, planning to find any excuse to keep Xiao away. Hmm... maybe he should prepare some "supplements" (aphrodisiacs) for Yuhao and Meng?
Jing Hongchen fell into a moment of hesitation.
...
Although he had promised Miss Meng a grilled fish feast for dinner, out of a certain sense of guilt, Huo Yuhao personally cooked a big lunch for her as well.
Of course, the "third wheel" was taken away halfway through by Jing Hongchen, under the pretext of assisting with an experiment.
No one knew how a Level 52 Soul King was supposed to assist a Titled Douluo with an experiment, and no one dared to ask. In short, he was hauled off.
Suddenly, only Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen were left in the dormitory.
"Yuhao~ what's the plan for later?"
Meng Hongchen narrowed her eyes slightly, her arms hooked around Huo Yuhao's neck, unreservedly pressing against him as she pulled him into her embrace.
Huo Yuhao, having grown accustomed to this, sighed softly and replied: "I'll head to the lab for a bit, then go to the library. Didn't Teacher say he had some materials to give me?"
Meng Hongchen's movements paused. Her eyes looked at Huo Yuhao gloomily: "The library? To see that Ju Zi again?"
"Uh..." Huo Yuhao was instantly speechless.
"Alright, it's not like I'm forbidding you from going... just remember to come back early. You still owe me dinner!"
Meng Hongchen spoke with unusual magnanimity.
If you grip too tight, you might lose your hold entirely. She wasn't in a rush to "eat" him yet, and she believed the girl on the other side wasn't that desperate either. So, no rush.
"Mmm, don't worry, I'll be back before dinner." Gently extricating himself from Miss Meng's warm embrace, Huo Yuhao grabbed his things and left the dormitory under her watchful gaze.
In truth, while testing the soul-powered armor that morning, Huo Yuhao had felt the gazes of Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen.
Though he hadn't listened closely to their conversation, it was likely related to him.
Perhaps a surprise?
...
A short while later, Huo Yuhao left the lab and arrived at the entrance of a private study room on the second floor of the academy library.
It had to be said that the focus of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Engineer Academy was truly different from Shrek Academy.
One focused on the path of Soul Tools—valuing knowledge—so buildings like libraries and laboratories were highly emphasized.
The other focused on the path of Martial Souls—the pursuit of individual power—with more emphasis on Mimicry environments, various cultivation rooms, and soul dueling arenas.
To provide students with a quiet environment, the study rooms on the second floor of the library were designed for only two to three people and had excellent soundproofing.
Swiping his card to reveal his Class 9 authorization, Huo Yuhao walked in, sat down, and pulled the file folder Jing Hongchen had given him from his storage soul tool.
"Project 0-14, 'Humanoid Concept Soul Tool'..."
Huo Yuhao read the contents of the file softly.
That was it. This was the humanoid soul tool located beneath the Illustrious Virtue Hall—the one he had stolen in his previous life. From the initial concept to R&D, to all the soul tool technology it contained!
One could say the folder in his hands contained all of the Sun Moon Empire's most cutting-edge soul tool technology!
"This is truly a grand gift..."
In his previous life, a mature humanoid soul tool had also fallen into his hands and provided significant help. However, possessing it and using it was one thing; Huo Yuhao hadn't possessed the actual technology behind it.
But now, he had the full data! And it was the most mature data available!
"If I replace the materials with Thousand-Forging metals... it's feasible."
Due to material limitations, when researching the humanoid soul tool, the Class 9 engineers of the Sun Moon Empire had taken alternative paths, using various methods to reduce the machine's reliance on high-end materials.
Huo Yuhao could borrow these techniques and pair them with Thousand-Forging metals...
A "Mecha" was entirely possible!
"It seems Xiao's vision might be realized sooner than expected?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled softly. Simultaneously, his mind naturally began to contemplate how to "reasonably" propagate Thousand-Forging within the Sun Moon Empire.
If all went as expected, the emergence of Thousand-Forging would surely trigger another revolution in the empire's soul tool technology!
(Note: From this chapter onward, the protagonist's age will be slightly blurred. For the sake of the story, please assume he is of legal age.)