Chapter 19 – Old Huo Has Never Fought Such a Wealthy Battle
Just as Jing Hongchen had anticipated, Kong Deming shared the same sentiment—before Huo Yuhao reached the Level 5 Soul Engineer level and built a solid foundation of theoretical knowledge, he had no intention of letting him join the Research Department.
Rushing growth was unacceptable. This had nothing to do with the amount of resources available. The more talented someone was, the more their foundation had to be unshakably solid.
Even so, the benefits of formally becoming Kong Deming's disciple were beyond imagination.
At that moment, Kong Deming directly produced another exclusive soul guidance badge as well as a Level 9 storage-type soul guidance device, handing both to Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, this is the exclusive badge for the Worship Hall and the Illustrious Virtue Hall. From now on, you can visit the Worship Hall every rest day to seek me out for guidance, whether in martial soul cultivation or soul guidance device research.
And this—" Kong Deming raised the gleaming ring in his palm, "—is my proudest creation: the Starlight Ring. Crafted from starlight sapphire, its internal space is enormous, capable of storing living creatures, and it also possesses stealth and sealing functions. Inside, you'll find a top-tier meditation technique, ten million gold soul coins, and the complete theoretical knowledge required up to Level 7 Soul Engineer. Consider this my gift to you as my personal disciple."
Soul Master or Soul Engineer—choose one?
What a joke. In Kong Deming's eyes, Yuhao had the potential to walk both paths to their pinnacle.
Back then, Kong Deming had underestimated the importance of martial soul cultivation and drowned himself entirely in the path of the Soul Engineer. That mistake left him with insufficient physical strength; even with his twin martial souls, he could not attach a soul ring to his second martial soul. Stalled at Rank 94, he could not advance.
If not for the bottleneck of soul power, if he had reached the level of a Super Douluo, Kong Deming firmly believed he could have become a true Level 10 Soul Engineer.
Therefore, for this last disciple, he would give everything, ensuring that both the Soul Master and Soul Engineer paths reached their peak. The mistakes of his own life would never be repeated.
As for Huo Yuhao, he was utterly dazed by the avalanche of surprises crashing down on him.
What was a surprise?
Shrek, come take a look—this is what a real surprise looks like!
Two Level 9 soul guidance devices—one was the Hongchen's Blessings, a trigger-type defensive soul guidance device with no soul power requirement; the other, the Starlight Ring, capable of storing living beings and concealing or sealing them. Ten million gold soul coins. A top-tier meditation method. A complete set of research materials sufficient to reach Level 7 Soul Engineer.
It was too much. His little heart was in desperate need of a breather—Old Huo had truly never fought such a wealthy battle in his life!
"Thank you, Teacher."
Saying he wasn't moved would be a lie. For the first time in two months, Yuhao's tightly wound nerves relaxed completely. From today onward, he no longer had to worry about his safety.
With the greatest backing in the Sun Moon Empire—bar none—so long as he remained Kong Deming's disciple, neither the royal family nor the hidden Holy Spirit Cult would dare to touch him in the open.
Before, he had worried that breaking the Empire's record for fastest promotion to Level 2 Soul Engineer might attract dangerous attention. Now, that fear evaporated.
Lin Jiayi and Shi Xuan both stepped forward, faces full of envy, to congratulate him.
Good heavens—Yuhao had already been a prodigy with limitless potential. Now, with Elder Kong as his master, who could imagine how far he might go?
Lin Jiayi then asked cautiously:
"Dean, Elder Kong… should we keep the news about Yuhao breaking the fastest Level 2 Soul Engineer record a secret?"
Kong Deming frowned and waved a hand.
"Secret? What secret? Spread it everywhere. And not just that—announce that I've accepted Yuhao as my personal disciple. Let certain people see clearly where things stand, so those annoying flies think twice before pestering my disciple."
Of course, that only applied to Yuhao's Soul Engineer talent. As for his twin martial souls, that was an unspoken rule to keep hidden. No one in their right mind would reveal their trump card for attention.
Jing Hongchen agreed.
"Exactly. Make the announcement. Let everyone see the Sun Moon Empire's strength at its peak—talents emerging one after another. No point in hiding it."
If Yuhao had become his disciple, Jing Hongchen might have been more cautious. But with Kong Deming himself stepping in, there was no need to keep it quiet.
Ordinary Soul Masters or Soul Engineers posed no threat to Yuhao. And those at the top would discover the truth sooner or later—better to be open from the start.
Just like Xiao and Meng—both once hailed as millennium-level prodigies of the Empire—who were still doing perfectly well. With Kong Deming behind him, who could harm Yuhao?
Yuhao's rise might finally give Xiao a worthy rival, perhaps even tempering that boy's arrogance.
"Yes, sir!"
Lin Jiayi could already imagine the storm this announcement would stir—three months to break the Level 2 Soul Engineer record, two creations that redefined soul guidance devices… a tempest was coming.
They didn't linger in the testing area. After exchanging a few more words with Jing Hongchen and the others, Yuhao followed Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen toward the Research Department.
Not that Kong Deming wanted him there—he mainly wanted to ditch Xuan Ziwen, who had been peppering him with endless questions the whole way. Compared to the quiet Yuhao, that disciple was downright noisy.
"Ziwen, go work on your experiments. I have things to discuss with Yuhao."
Xuan Ziwen looked like he wanted to argue, but one glance at his teacher's warning gaze shut him up. He could only whisper to Yuhao:
"Yuhao, don't forget to visit me later—we'll discuss soul guidance device research together."
Once Xuan Ziwen was gone, Kong Deming took Yuhao to the Worship Hall.
Contrary to the common belief that the Illustrious Virtue Hall represented the pinnacle of soul guidance device research on the continent, the Worship Hall was the Empire's true core research institution—its status far above that of the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Directly led by Level 10 Soul Engineer Kong Deming, the Hall was both the Empire's highest-classified facility and its ultimate soul guidance device trump card. It served only the royal family and for national strategy, completely independent from the Illustrious Virtue Hall, and mastered the most cutting-edge technology: soul guidance device–human body integration.
Its members were all Level 9 Soul Engineers, matching the Sea God Pavilion of Shrek Academy.
Following his teacher, Yuhao's eyes nearly went blind from the dazzling array of Level 9 soul guidance devices lining the Hall.
Beyond the integration technology, two strategic-class soul guidance devices especially caught his attention—one called the Death God Pagoda, the other an early prototype of a high-altitude soul guidance device.
Yuhao instantly understood the gulf in levels—while the Illustrious Virtue Hall focused on conventional tools like stationary soul cannon shells for mid-to-high-level engineers, the Worship Hall specialized in the forbidden domain, designed exclusively for the strongest experts.
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End of Chapter