Douluo Continent: Huo Yuhao, the Thief of Heaven

As soon as Huo Yuhao came out, he headed straight for the underground soul guidance experimental area. He was eager to try it out himself, and Benjamin Sun shared the same anticipation.

He had long wanted to try integrating new materials and his own knowledge and skills with the new world, but he had always been unable to get started due to lack of funds.

Since he's already a Heavenly Demon Lord, wouldn't it be better to steal from a lowly Soul Master?

Since he is now the Demon Lord of the Heavenly Thief, he should have more integrity than other Demon Lords. Benjiesun would never do such a shameful thing as bullying the weak.

Unless you can't control yourself.

Following the directions of passersby, the human and the ghost arrived at the Soul Guidance Hall of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Benjamin Sun's assessment was that it was rough, very rough.

It's basically just a nicely decorated house. Putting aside the technological content, it lacks any sense of production safety. It's equipped with a guided elevator but no stairs.

"Indeed, one shouldn't have any illusions about a sect leader who dares to play with thermite with his bare hands," Benjamin sighed.

At this moment, Huo Yuhao had already arrived at the door of the third underground soul guidance laboratory.

Despite being called an underground soul-guiding laboratory, it actually only has one floor.

Digging deeper would lead to various problems, so the technology to build deep soul-guided laboratories is in the hands of Shrek Academy or the Sun Moon Empire.

"This door..." Huo Yuhao's expression turned strange, because he could tell from the doorknob that the door was made of wood.

"Even a newbie like you can tell you're an amateur. Just how amateur are you guys?" Benjamin said speechlessly.

"Haha..." Huo Yuhao could only laugh awkwardly.

Huo Yuhao walked into the Soul Guidance Laboratory, which didn't look like a proper research place at all.

The soul tools on the ground were piled up like scrap metal, leaving him nowhere to put his feet.

At the workbench in front, an elderly man and two children were fiddling with soul-guided components, their focused expressions unaffected even by Huo Yuhao's arrival.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and asked Benjamin in his sea of ​​consciousness, "Master, is it what I think?"

Benjamin, inside the Sea of ​​Spirit, nodded, confirming Huo Yuhao's guess.

Huo Yuhao walked over confidently, but when he reached one of the burly young men, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Suddenly, Huo Yuhao made a move and grabbed the arm that was holding the carving knife.

"What are you doing?" the young man exclaimed at Huo Yuhao. The other two also stopped what they were doing and glared at Huo Yuhao.

"Boy, do you know that you can't disturb the soul tool maker when they're forging a soul tool?" the older, burly man in the lead scolded Huo Yuhao.

His name is Lou Yi, a descendant of Lou Gao, the master craftsman of Gengxin City, who married into the Yu clan ten thousand years ago.

Four thousand years ago, when the Tang Clan declined, this branch of theirs was absorbed by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.

He originally thought he could live off his past achievements for the rest of his life, like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, as a sixth-level soul master and head of the laboratory.

But today, devastating news has struck: a genius may be parachuted into the Soul Guidance Department to become the leader of one of the five underground Soul Guidance Laboratories.

"Crafting soul tools? Look at your hands, so white and delicate, do they even look like those of a soul tool master?" Huo Yuhao asked sarcastically.

"You...you arrogant little brat, what right do you have to question this old man? Didn't your teachers teach you to respect your elders?"

Lou Yi glanced towards the door but didn't see anyone.

This puzzled Lou Yi. Why was his master nowhere to be seen even though all the disciples had come out? Was he so unfriendly?

"Stop looking, I'm the one who will take over this lab," Huo Yuhao said confidently.

Silence, utter silence, deathly silence.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The three of them clutched their stomachs and burst into loud laughter, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Lou Yi even patted Huo Yuhao's head, both amused and exasperated.

"You little brat? Has Ning Zhiyuan gone mad?" Lou Yi pointed his thumb at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's face flushed with anger. He pushed away Lou Yi's large hand and uttered a famous line from the Douluo Continent.

"Do you dare to make a bet with me? If I win, I'll be the owner of this laboratory."

Lou Yi's smile faded upon hearing Huo Yuhao's words; though there was a hint of teasing, it was now tinged with seriousness.

The duel was a rule established by Tang San ten thousand years ago. Others may disregard this tradition, but Lou Yi, as a descendant of the Yu clan, must take it seriously.

"Alright, let's let our young people see what we're capable of. If we lose, we'll not only hand over the Soul Guidance Research Lab to them, but we'll also get out of here immediately."

"Okay, it's a deal."

Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's answer, Lou Yi raised an eyebrow at a young man behind him, signaling him to step forward and participate in the competition.

"Wrong, the one I'm meant to defeat is you?"

Huo Yuhao pointed at Lou Yi, who looked around and found no one else behind him. He then pointed blankly at himself.

"I?"

"It's you."

Are you sure?

"Sure."

Then there was silence, and then the entire Soul Guidance Laboratory instantly transformed into a sea of ​​joy.

Huo Yuhao just smiled and watched them without saying a word. Gradually, Lou Yi also noticed that the atmosphere was not right and stopped laughing.

"Kid, make this clear first. Gambling, especially between Soul Masters, is solemn and sacred. It is protected by the holy ancestor Tang San. Even if you are a child, you cannot fake it."

"Enough with the nonsense, are we even going to compete?"

"Alright, I won't bully you. You can set the rules for the competition." Lou Yi's big butt slammed onto the chair behind him, a confident smile on his face.

These words were exactly what Huo Yuhao wanted to hear. In terms of sedimentation technology and energy accumulation, unless Benjamin possessed him, Huo Yuhao was no match for Lou Yi.

However, when it comes to concepts and advanced technology, even though Huo Yuhao has never processed high-grade metals before, he is confident that he can beat Lou Yi.

"Then let's see who can create the most powerful soul tool using the lowest grade of metal." Huo Yuhao moved the iron block from under the table onto the platform.

Don't let its unassuming appearance fool you; it's a top-tier item that countless low-level Soul Masters keep hidden away.

In the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, this thing can only be used for practice.

"Hmm—" Lou Yi crossed his arms, stroked his beard, and pondered for a moment. When he felt there was no problem, he said, "Okay, it's your way. Don't cry if you lose."

"The processing time is three hours," one of Lou Yi's disciples announced.

The two men sat down in their respective positions, ready to make their move.

"start!"

With a command, Lou Yi took out his treasured carving knife. Although it wasn't a top-ranking carving knife, it was very close.

Huo Yuhao casually picked up a worn-out carving knife from the side and began clumsily carving.