Douluo Continent: I got the Sharingan at the start!

He would not allow anyone to touch his treasure, not even a single hair.

As for the steward named Li Chong, he could occasionally smuggle some rare metals out of the warehouse, but he could only operate within the first floor. Xu Guozhong knew very well what was going on in the two floors behind him.

At this time, he went to inspect the palace and, seeing that everything was fine, immediately rushed back.

This was the first time he had ever seen so many powerful figures at the Title Douluo level.

I feel the same way!

The situation in Mingdu suddenly became unpredictable. The reason he rushed back so quickly was not only because he was worried about the safety of the area, but more importantly, because he was worried about his own safety.

What place could be safer than his warehouse, which is hundreds of meters underground?

Moreover, what even Han Yu didn't discover was that inside this underground warehouse, there was also Xu Guozhong's own underground palace, which was absolutely fully equipped and even more luxurious than his royal palace.

Xu Guozhong walked steadily into the secluded alley.

The towering walls on both sides blocked out the sunlight, casting shadows and adding to the somber atmosphere.

His sharp gaze swept around, confirming that the guards were all performing their duties diligently and with serious expressions, before he felt relieved.

He took a heavy key out of his pocket, inserted it into the lock on the gate, and with a gentle turn, the heavy gate slowly opened with a dull "click," revealing a spacious courtyard inside.

Xu Guozhong stepped over the high threshold and into the courtyard.

This is his secret base, which he has been operating for many years, storing countless rare metals, each of which is priceless.

He is the absolute ruler here. He holds all the keys to the entrance, especially the keys to the second and third floors, which are exclusively his and cannot be touched by anyone else.

He knew that Li Chong would occasionally do some underhanded things, such as privately trading rare metals, but he had always turned a blind eye to it.

Li Chong is exceptionally capable and utterly loyal to him; he can completely tolerate this minor mistake.

Furthermore, he also needs to use these benefits to win people's hearts. After all, without the motivation of profit, who would be willing to risk their lives for him?

"Li Chong, where are you? Come out now!" Xu Guozhong called out to his trusted confidant as usual, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction.

However, he was met with only an empty echo; Li Chong did not appear immediately as usual.

Xu Guozhong frowned slightly, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

He looked around; the courtyard was quiet and still, as if the air itself had frozen.

He immediately realized something was wrong, and his face darkened.

"Be on guard!" Xu Guozhong shouted in a deep voice, a hint of tension in his tone.

Seven high-level Soul Masters quickly surrounded Xu Guozhong, protecting him in the center.

These seven people were all carefully selected confidants by Xu Guozhong, three of whom had even reached the level of eighth-level Soul Master, and their strength should not be underestimated.

Upon hearing the order, the seven dared not delay and released their respective soul tools.

In an instant, the sounds of clashing metal and surging energy mingled together, breaking the tranquility of the courtyard.

A seven-colored light flashed, and the soul-guided shield instantly opened, enveloping everyone within it.

Several level-seven Soul Masters quickly dispersed, each choosing a room, breaking down doors, and beginning their search.

However, they searched the room thoroughly but found nothing; Li Chong seemed to have vanished into thin air.

There are no other changes here either.

The door to the room slid open silently, and a seventh-level Soul Master dressed in black walked out with steady steps. He had a faint smile on his face and said, "Your Highness, that kid didn't sneak out to drink and carouse while we weren't looking, did he?" Although his voice was not loud, it carried a hint of teasing.

Xu Guozhong was already anxious about Li Chong's disappearance, and his face turned even more ugly when he heard the words of the Soul Master.

He turned around abruptly, staring sharply at the Soul Master, and said in a deep voice, "Impossible! Li Chong has always been loyal and dutiful. Besides, with such a commotion outside just now, how could he possibly be out drinking and carousing at this time?"

What do you mean by that?

The Soul Master, observing Xu Guozhong's expression, noticed that his smile froze instantly, disappearing like a candle being extinguished by the wind.

Realizing he had misspoke, he quickly lowered his head, speaking respectfully and cautiously: "Your Highness, please calm down. I was just speaking offhand."

Xu Guozhong took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging anger in his chest. His gaze sharpened as he swept over everyone present, and he said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time to pursue this matter. The most urgent task is to quickly open the warehouse and check the situation inside."

After saying that, he ignored the Soul Master and turned to walk towards a metal cabinet in the center of the room.

It was a metal cabinet about two meters tall, made entirely of thick alloy steel plates, its surface smooth as a mirror, perfectly sealed, exuding a cold and indestructible aura. In the very center of the cabinet was a palm-sized combination lock, its metallic luster cold and menacing.

Xu Guozhong walked to the cabinet, stretched out his right hand, and quickly pressed the combination lock a few times with his long, strong fingers.

As he moved, a slight mechanical whirring sound filled the quiet room, crisp and clear. Then, the heavy cabinet doors slowly slid open, revealing an elevator leading underground.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Guozhong stepped directly into the elevator.

Seeing this, the other Soul Masters followed suit and filed in, making the small elevator space feel somewhat crowded.

The elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out the outside world. Xu Guozhong raised his right hand and pressed a button on the wall.

The elevator shook slightly and began to descend slowly and steadily.

Just as Xu Guozhong and the others were about to take the elevator down, a level seven soul master habitually raised his right hand and rhythmically tapped the metal wall of the elevator a few times.

This is their routine procedure before entering the warehouse each time, in order to check whether the elevator is working properly and to ensure safety.

However, just as his fingers touched the wall, something unexpected happened!

The elevator, which had been running smoothly, suddenly began to shake violently, like a small boat in a storm, teetering on the verge of capsizing.

Immediately afterwards, a strong feeling of weightlessness came over me, as if the entire elevator had fallen from the sky.

"Oh no! It's a trap!" Xu Guozhong's expression changed drastically, and he roared.

As a seasoned and powerful Contra warrior, he possessed an extremely keen sense of danger. Almost the instant the elevator went out of control, he realized that something was wrong.

He was all too familiar with this sudden feeling of weightlessness; it was clearly because someone had triggered a mechanism in the elevator!

There have been instances before where operational errors led to people getting trapped.

The old men in the warehouse were all his long-time subordinates who had followed Xu Guozhong for many years, and they knew the warehouse's operation process by heart.

But at this crucial juncture, at this critical moment, such a basic mistake had occurred. How could he not be furious? His anger surged like magma in his chest, scorching his reason.

The soul-guided elevator plummeted rapidly, the wind whistling in its ears. After descending a distance of about several tens of meters, it came to an abrupt stop with a sharp "crack".

The sudden pause caused Xu Guozhong's body to lean forward abruptly, almost losing his balance.

The seventh-level Soul Master in charge of operating the elevator was deathly pale, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

He mechanically turned his head to look at his colleagues, only to be met with their disdainful gazes, which pierced his heart like sharp knives.

Looking at Xu Guozhong again, he saw that the prince's face was ashen, his eyes wide open, like a lion about to erupt in fury. Xu Guozhong was filled with trepidation and stammered, "Your Highness, I...I don't think I made a mistake!"

"Still haven't made a mistake?" Xu Guozhong forced out a few words through gritted teeth, barely containing his anger. "I'll deal with you when we get out of here! Hurry up and restart!"

He quickly pulled a gleaming gold key from his pocket. The key was engraved with intricate patterns and was clearly very valuable.

On one side of the inner wall of the elevator, there is a small, hidden hole that is almost integrated with the surrounding metal. It is difficult to notice its existence without careful observation.

Xu Guozhong inserted the golden key into the small hole and turned it forcefully.

However, something strange happened. The key was inserted and turned smoothly, but the soul-guided elevator remained completely still, as if it were firmly imprisoned by some force, showing no reaction whatsoever.

Time ticked by, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

At this moment, an eighth-level Soul Master seemed to notice something amiss. He listened intently for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Your Highness, listen. Why isn't there an alarm?"

Xu Guozhong was taken aback when he heard this, but then he realized what was going on.

Yes! Normally, if the elevator malfunctions, the alarm system should be triggered immediately.

The alarm would sound throughout the entire Mingde Hall and could even reach the Imperial Palace.

This was also why he initially believed it was an operational error by his subordinates; if it were an outsider intruding, the alarm would have sounded long ago. It's incredibly embarrassing for one of his own to mess up the mechanism.

He tried to restart the elevator by forcefully turning the golden key a few more times, but there was still no response.

Xu Guozhong's face grew increasingly gloomy, and his unease grew.

"Something's wrong! Someone's tampered with it! Quick, force our way through! Melee Soul Masters, make your move, break through from below!" Xu Guozhong, as expected of a seasoned veteran, made an accurate judgment immediately.

He realized that the warehouse had probably really been hacked.

Although he had full confidence in the warehouse's defenses and soul tool traps, as a person who valued money above all else, his biggest worry was that his treasured possessions might be damaged.

What's more, his most beloved little treasures are kept in that underground palace!

Ye Yulin's gaze was fixed on Han Yu, her eyes filled with disbelief and amazement.

He silently counted, "One, two, three... eight, nine..." When he reached the ninth one, his voice lowered, as if he were talking to himself, "The ninth core array..." He took a deep breath and confirmed it again. It was indeed the ninth one! In just half an hour, Han Yu had actually completed the production of nine core arrays.

Ye Yulin's heart was churning like a stormy sea.

He subconsciously raised his wrist and checked the time. Half an hour, really only half an hour! At this rate, completing all eighteen core formations could be done within three hours.

Ye Yulin couldn't help but gasp; this speed was simply unbelievable!

What does it mean to create nine core arrays in half an hour? It means that the average creation time for each core array is only a few minutes! Moreover, the level of these core arrays is definitely not low, at least level six or above! Thinking of this, Ye Yulin and the other judges couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

They are not incapable of creating level six core magic arrays, but maintaining a state of mind-body unity like Han Yu did for half an hour is no easy feat.

The unity of mind and body requires a high degree of mental concentration and a stable output of soul power; the slightest mistake will render all previous efforts futile.

Even for experienced soul masters like them, it's not possible to reach such a long state of mind-body unity even once a year.

However, Han Yu did it, and did it so easily and effortlessly.

Ye Yulin's gaze fell once again on the soul tool making table, where nine core magic arrays were neatly arranged, each emitting a faint soul power fluctuation, shining with a charming luster like a finely crafted work of art.

Han Yu, on the other hand, was like a tireless precision instrument, its hands moving incessantly, each movement precise and without the slightest deviation.

His soul power fluctuations were stable and powerful, seemingly inexhaustible.

"Sigh..." Ye Yulin sighed deeply and shook her head helplessly.

Seeing this, Old Wang, who was standing next to him, laughed and teased, "What? Do you feel there's nothing left to teach him?" Ye Yulin smiled bitterly and said, "This kid's foundation is already no worse than ours."

Aside from the creation of advanced core magic arrays and some experience and concepts, the only thing we're better at than him is probably our cultivation level.

Old Wang nodded in deep agreement and said, "I think he has almost reached the level of a seventh-level Soul Master."

"His cultivation level might be a little lacking, but in terms of ability, there's absolutely no problem!" Ye Yulin agreed, "Yes! If he really is as young as he looks, then we old guys will really feel ashamed."

Although he's young, I have high hopes for him. Who knows, he might actually create a miracle in the world of Soul Masters in the future!

Old Wang slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, as if to expel the doubts in his heart. He said in a low voice, "You are easily deceived by appearances. Don't have too high expectations of him just because of his temporary performance."

The world is never short of brilliant minds, but how many truly make it to the end? The brilliance of genius shines easily, but to sustain that brilliance and ultimately become a legendary figure requires more than just talent; it demands perseverance, opportunity, and an unwavering heart. (End of Chapter)