Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao, the villain from a parallel world

He placed the energy-storing ray on the experimental table beside him, and his gaze returned to the silent boy.

His tone became more serious: "Child, you will make a soul tool right here. Just do what you are best at and most skilled at."

"If you can meet my standards, you can learn from me from now on."

After saying this, Kong Deming stepped back two steps, making room for Huo Yuhao at the lab table.

In truth, he had already agreed in his heart to let Huo Yuhao study under him; this was just a small test.

He wanted to see for himself what those "master-level soul-guiding array carving techniques" that Xuan Ziwen had mentioned actually looked like.

Huo Yuhao nodded, without saying any more polite words, and walked straight to the lab table.

His gaze swept over the neatly arranged metal materials on the table, and he quickly picked out several useful rare metals, including a piece of luminous silver.

He didn't deliberately choose other soul tools to showcase, since Kong Deming had just praised the energy storage ray.

Let him see for himself how this thing is made from scratch.

With the carving knife in hand, Huo Yuhao's wrist transformed into a fluid afterimage.

The moment the blade tip touched the surface of the gleaming silver, an extremely precise arc spread out across the metal surface.

He didn't make a draft, didn't pause, and didn't even blink a few times; his entire state seemed to be integrated with the carving knife in his hand.

The depth of each array pattern, the angle of each turn, and the position of each node are all as precise as if measured with a precision instrument.

The three main parts of the energy storage array—input circuit, energy storage core, and output circuit—took shape under his blade, and their connections were seamless.

This formation seems unreal, as if it wasn't carved in.

Chapter 55 Entering Mingde Hall for Studies (Please continue reading!)

Kong Deming stood aside, his expression still as calm and composed as ever.

But when Huo Yuhao engraved the third loop, his eyebrows twitched slightly upwards.

The angle was so small that it was almost unnoticeable unless you looked very closely, but it definitely moved.

Xuan Ziwen stood to the side, taking in the teacher's subtle changes in expression, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It took Huo Yuhao only a quarter of an hour to finish carving the last activation circuit and gently place the carving knife on the table.

Another brand-new energy storage ray lay quietly on the lab table. The array patterns on its outer shell gleamed faintly under the light, just like the previous one, and even more refined in some details.

Kong Deming picked up the energy-storing ray, which still retained the warmth of the carving knife, and examined it for a long time, turning it over and over.

Then he put down the soul tool in his hand, looked at Huo Yuhao, and finally a clear look of satisfaction appeared on his usually serious face.

“From now on,” he paused, his voice not loud but carrying the weight of a final decision, “you will learn from me.”

Huo Yuhao showed just the right amount of joy on his face and nodded solemnly to Kong Deming.

For him, being able to enter Mingde Hall as soon as possible is undoubtedly a good thing.

Once inside this highest hall of soul tools, rare metals and materials are no longer a problem.

More importantly, he established a relationship with Kong Deming, the Grand Master of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family, which provided him with an extremely important safeguard in his future endeavors.

If someone like Wang Shaojie, who runs rampant in the academy because of his royal blood, dares to provoke him again, he won't need to hold back much when he takes action.

Kong Deming is not only a member of the royal family, but also the strongest Soul Master and the highest-ranking Soul Master in the entire Sun Moon Empire. This backer can be said to be close to the pinnacle of power and influence in the Sun Moon Empire.

Kong Deming looked at Huo Yuhao's still somewhat childish face, and the satisfaction in his eyes grew even stronger.

He placed the energy-storing ray next to the lab table, his tone unusually amiable: "Yuhao, your current level of soul tool crafting has reached that of a level five soul tool master. And the creativity of your energy-storing array is even more remarkable."

He paused, his expression becoming serious. "Regarding this formation, I will apply for a patent for you in the name of Mingde Hall."

"If anyone wants to use this formation in the future, they must pay you the corresponding fee first."

"Thank you, Grandmaster." Huo Yuhao bowed slightly, his tone sincere.

He was naturally satisfied with this result.

This energy storage array was independently developed by him before he joined Mingde Hall, and according to the rules, it does not belong to the collective achievement of Mingde Hall.

If others want to use it, they naturally have to pay money or offer corresponding resources in exchange.

This rule is already a consensus in the soul tool industry of the Sun Moon Empire. It is precisely because of this mechanism for protecting individual creativity that soul tool technology can be innovated at such a rapid pace.

If he were alone, he might not only lose this patent that could change the landscape of soul tools, but he might also face a fatal disaster.

But with Kong Deming around, none of these problems became problems.

With this patent fee as a long-term source of income, there will be no more shortage of elixirs needed for cultivation or rare metals needed for making soul tools.

Seeing that the matter had been settled, Xuan Ziwen said, "In that case, Yuhao, you will study with your teacher from now on. You can go to the laboratory anytime you want."

He turned to look at Kong Deming and added, "Teacher, I won't stay here any longer. There's still a research project waiting for me to finish at Mingde Hall."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the laboratory. The metal door slowly closed behind him, and his footsteps quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Kong Deming watched Xuan Ziwen leave, then turned his gaze back to Huo Yuhao.

He temporarily put aside the still-unfinished humanoid soul tool and began to teach this junior who had surprised him quite a bit.

He started by explaining the core theories of Mingdetang, speaking at a measured pace. When he reached a key point, he would pick up the metal and carving knife on the table to demonstrate.

Huo Yuhao listened very attentively, occasionally asking one or two well-timed questions that were neither too simple nor too difficult, but just at the points where Kong Deming was about to delve deeper.

After several rounds of questions and answers, Kong Deming's eyes showed even greater satisfaction.

During the lecture, Huo Yuhao showed a particularly strong interest in the humanoid soul tool.

In his previous life, at the level ten Soul Master stage, his research on humanoid Soul Tools had reached an extremely in-depth level, and he even had several key achievements that were enough to change the course of war.

However, since he had never been exposed to a humanoid soul tool when he was reborn, he did not want to rashly reveal his expertise in this area.

Now, by learning from Kong Deming, he can gradually "showcase" those design ideas that are far ahead of their time.

......................................................

Around noon, Huo Yuhao left Mingde Hall.

Although Kong Deming agreed to teach him personally, he could not devote all his time to teaching his apprentice, as his own research could not be delayed either.

The two agreed that Huo Yuhao would come to Mingde Hall to study with him every morning, and could arrange his own time after noon.

In the laboratory, Kong Deming stood in front of the humanoid metal figure again, his gaze regaining its usual sharpness and focus.

This humanoid soul tool is nearly ten feet tall. Its outer shell is made of dozens of specially made alloy pieces. Its internal skeletal structure is intricate and complex, with its joints densely covered with linkage arrays and drive circuits.

Even a level nine soul master like him, who is almost at level ten, has to repeatedly consider and deliberate when faced with a humanoid soul tool.

The core challenge of humanoid soul guides lies in the linkage and combination of numerous formations.

To enable hundreds of core magic arrays to operate in a confined space, they must neither interfere with each other nor fail to maintain a high degree of synchronization.

Even if they managed to do it, the resulting humanoid soul tools would often be enormous and extremely difficult to control, making them impossible for non-high-level soul masters to wield.

The ultimate goal of Mingde Hall is to reduce the size of humanoid soul tools to a level that ordinary soul masters can control flexibly.

Kong Deming stood in front of the workbench, carefully adjusting a core magic array at the joint of the left arm of the humanoid soul tool.

The carving knife was as steady as a rock in his hand, but the speed of the cut was extremely slow. He would often stop after making an arc, examine it for a long time, and only continue with the next cut after confirming that it was correct.

Time passed silently as he focused intently. The soul-guided light above his head cast his shadow on the ground, from clear to blurry, and then from blurry to clear again.

Those are the traces of sunlight moving outside the window.

Before we knew it, it had gotten dark.

Chapter 56 Mirror Red Dust Shocked (Please Read On!)

Kong Deming looked up at the clock on the wall and put down the carving knife in his hand.

He cracked his neck, picked up the energy-storing ray gun on the table, pondered for a moment, then turned and walked out of his laboratory.

He planned to go to Jing Hongchen, show him the energy storage array that Huo Yuhao had developed, and also help the boy finalize the patent issue.

After passing through several metal corridors deep inside Mingde Hall, Kong Deming arrived at the door of the hall master's office.

He raised his hand and knocked twice on the door, then pushed it open and went inside without waiting for a response.

The office was brightly lit, and the shelves on the four walls displayed a variety of soul guides, including some of Mingdetang's most representative and proud works in recent years.

Behind a large rosewood desk sat a short, stout middle-aged man.

He wore a magnificent black robe, embroidered with intricate cloud patterns and sun and moon totems in gold thread, which shimmered under the lamplight.

Her physique was somewhat mismatched with her luxurious attire; her round belly stretched the robes taut, and her two short, thick arms rested on the table.

This person is none other than Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall, the dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, and a ninth-level Soul Master.

Jing Hongchen looked up and saw that it was Kong Deming who had pushed the door open. A smile immediately spread across her face.

"Master Kong, what brings you here?" Jing Hongchen put down the soul-guided cannon core he was playing with, his chubby body sprang up from the chair, and with a big smile on his face, he walked around the desk and greeted him warmly.

Although Jing Hongchen was the head of Mingde Hall and the dean of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, he never dared to put on airs in front of Kong Deming.

The old man in front of me is nearly 150 years old. Back when Jing Hongchen was still an unknown nobody, Kong Deming was already a renowned ninth-level soul master.

In terms of seniority and seniority, Jing Hongchen is far inferior.

Moreover, he had received guidance from Kong Deming when he was young, and he always remembered this kindness.

In front of this senior, he will always be the respectful junior.

Kong Deming nodded slightly to Jing Hongchen, and without any further pleasantries, went straight to the point: "I have a new student today. He has only recently joined the academy and has already made some independent research results. I need you to help him apply for a patent."

Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen's small eyes, which were squeezed into slits by her fat, widened considerably.

How many years has it been since Kong Deming personally taught a student?

The last time he added new faces to his disciples was with Xuan Ziwen's group, which was at least a decade ago.

Today, not only did he make an exception and accept a new disciple, but he was also a freshman who had just enrolled. How quick-witted Jing Hongchen was!

Almost instantly, he realized that this student's talent must be extremely amazing, otherwise it would have been impossible to impress this senior who had long since closed his doors to apprentices.

"I will certainly fulfill Elder Kong's instructions." Jing Hongchen's smile became even more solicitous as he replied repeatedly, "Please show me your disciple's achievements, Elder Kong, so that I may have a look."

Kong Deming nodded slightly and handed over the energy-storing ray in his hand.