"Relax, there is a high probability I won't even step onto the field."
Huo Yuhao calmly shattered Xiao Hongchen's fantasies.
"Not stepping onto the field? Why?"
"Which of my two teachers do you think would want me to go out there and take risks? Even with a referee present, it's not impossible for a contestant to die by accident.
"Neither of my two teachers would allow that possibility. The reason they gave me a slot is probably because they're afraid I'll get moldy researching in the laboratory all day and want me to go out and clear my head.
"In other words, you guys are going there to compete, while I'm going there for a vacation. Stepping onto the field... is most likely impossible."
"Isn't this—"
Xiao Hongchen was speechless, his expression shifting rapidly.
Wait, my 'cheat code' is for display only?! What the hell!!!
"Alright, anyway, I'm not good at fighting and don't have much combat power. It wouldn't matter if I played or not; you can just carry the whole team when the time comes."
Ji Juechen, hearing Huo Yuhao say he had no combat power: "..."
Xiao Hongchen, hearing Huo Yuhao say he would carry the whole team: "..."
In the past, Xiao Hongchen would have felt he was invincible and the world's greatest genius, but after spending so many years with Huo Yuhao, his arrogance had been mostly ground away.
Heh... no combat power? Just listen to him talk.
The guy literally uses mental power to knead Class 7 alloys like they're dough, and occasionally uses mental power as a carving knife to craft Class 5 soul tools...
And you call this 'no combat power'?!
Xiao Hongchen was at a loss for words and didn't want to speak at all.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Hongchen asked tentatively:
"Don't you want everyone to know your name? To let everyone know exactly how amazing you are?"
Xiao Hongchen couldn't quite understand Huo Yuhao's introverted personality.
"And then? After I'm famous, use my name to run advertisements?"
Huo Yuhao joked, but suddenly, his train of thought paused. A brilliant idea flashed through his mind.
That's right! The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition can be used for advertising!
Huo Yuhao's eyes brightened as his perspective shifted.
He had been wondering how to "reasonably" introduce the "Soul Slasher" and spread the "Energy Storage Ring · Magic Cultivation." He hadn't expected to find a viable path through a joke.
Fate is truly unpredictable.
Composing his thoughts, Huo Yuhao returned to the topic:
"Anyway, stop trying to persuade me; it's useless."
"You—"
"Yuhao!!!" A young girl's voice called out from outside the lab, cutting off Xiao Hongchen just as he was about to say more.
"Sister Meng?"
Before he could ask Meng Hongchen why she was there, she grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm, pulled him out of the lab, and pulled him into a hug. She then deployed her flying soul tool and soared into the sky, leaving the two men in the lab staring at each other.
Ji Juechen remained silent for a moment, then looked at Xiao Hongchen:
"A duel?"
The sword-obsessed Ji Juechen has challenged you to a battle.
...
The flying soul tool Meng Hongchen wore was custom-made by a certain someone; its pure speed was comparable to an average Class 8 soul tool of the Sun Moon Empire.
In just a few moments, the two arrived outside a laboratory somewhere in the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Huo Yuhao, who had been tossed around during the flight, had barely regained his footing when Meng Hongchen took his hand and led him inside.
"Sorry Yuhao, I didn't explain just now. Grandfather and the others asked me to find you. They seemed very urgent."
As they walked, Meng Hongchen explained.
Taking the soul tool elevator, the two soon arrived inside the laboratory.
As they entered, Huo Yuhao saw a figure behind soul-insulating glass, slowly donning a suit of armor piece by piece.
With just one glance, Huo Yuhao recognized what the person was wearing—it was "Battle Armor"!
Furthermore, it was a full set of Battle Armor made from "Spiritual Metal"!
And the person standing by as an assistant, constantly fine-tuning the Battle Armor, was none other than one of Huo Yuhao's "angel investors," Kong Deming.
The person being fitted with the Battle Armor was one of the Sun Moon Empire's three greatest soul tool engineers, the Star Sky Douluo, Ye Yulin.
I didn't expect them to actually take my suggestion. And so quickly?
Yes, it was his suggestion.
More than half a year ago, after Huo Yuhao successfully mastered the production of "Thousand-Forging" Battle Armor, he didn't stop his research due to material limitations. Instead, he decisively handed over the production concepts of "Thousand-Forging" Battle Armor to Kong Deming and provided hypotheses regarding "Spirit-Forging" Battle Armor.
His intention was for the Sun Moon Empire to strengthen itself with this data while helping him research the subsequent production methods for "Spirit-Forging" Battle Armor.
It was a case of "borrowing a hen to lay eggs."
However, he really hadn't expected the Sun Moon Empire's research speed to be so fast—turning the concept into reality in just over half a year.
"Hmm? Yuhao? Little Meng? You've arrived just in time, come over here."
Jing Hongchen stood before a group of Class 9 soul tool engineers from the Enshrinement Hall, waving kindly to the two of them.
"Teacher / Grandfather," Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen replied to Jing Hongchen, while bowing slightly to the several Class 9 soul tool engineers nearby to show respect.
Once they were standing in front of Jing Hongchen, he used soul power to compress his voice and began explaining the situation to Huo Yuhao:
"Following your proposal, Yuhao, we attempted to research Battle Armor.
"And just as you hypothesized, our 'Soul Power Joint Reinforcement Technology'—originally used to make large-scale soul tools more flexible—actually had miraculous effects when applied to Battle Armor!
"By utilizing the 'Soul Power Joint Reinforcement Technology,' we can now fully utilize every bit of soul power within the Spiritual Metal!
"With this complete set of Battle Armor, it is estimated that even one of our Class 9 soul tool engineers who isn't skilled in combat could achieve combat power at the Super Douluo level!
"Elder Kong said that as long as the Battle Armor is successful, you will be directly granted Class 9 clearance for the Illustrious Virtue Hall and the Enshrinement Hall. You will have the authority to view all soul tool data in the Sun Moon Empire and use all types of metals.
"At the same time, you will be exceptionally appointed as one of the worshipers of our Sun Moon Empire's Enshrinement Hall!
"Of course, for your safety, your identity as a worshiper will only be known to the Class 9 soul tool engineers of our empire, but you will not lack any of the power or authority that comes with it!"
This was the style of the Sun Moon Empire.
Perhaps because talent was so scarce, the Sun Moon Empire wasn't good at making empty promises; they preferred to directly fill their talents' needs with resources!
As long as your request was reasonable, the resources would absolutely be provided!
Especially after the "soul power storage device" was successfully "replicated" under Huo Yuhao's lead, mass-produced by the Sun Moon Empire, and then rented out to everyone for free—a huge wave of talent had emerged!
Facing these talents, the Sun Moon Empire was not stingy at all and had no intention of "painting cakes" (empty promises). This had directly led to a frantic surge of new mid-to-low-level soul tool technology during this period!
And now, that Class 9 clearance—which should have only been open to a small number of Class 9 soul tool engineers—was being opened to him, a Soul Elder who wasn't even Level 30 on the surface...
Sure enough, there's a reason why the Sun Moon Empire is stronger than the three nations of Douluo.