Gu Yuena left the workshop deep in thought.
Blacksmiths extract the essence of metals through forging.
The Federation extracts this essence in its own way.
Huo Yuhao uses Soul Tool arrays to extract the essence of metals.
From the very beginning, Huo Yuhao had been subtly conveying one thing to her.
There is never just one path!
Huo Yuhao's words had greatly benefited her, and he had clearly explained the pros and cons.
Now, her consideration to learn forging was no longer an impulsive thought but a well-considered decision made after clearly seeing the prospects.
However, the idea of Huo Yuhao using the power of Heaven Forging to perform forging tasks still left Gu Yuena in awe.
Huo Yuhao's ideas are always so unique.
Is this the insight of a God King wandering the mortal world?
Hmm, I must learn!
What should this new forging method be called?
Elemental Forging?
No, this was a method conceived by two deities together.
Let's call it, Divine Forging!
A gentle smile appeared on Gu Yuena's lips.
As she was thinking this, she looked up and saw Teacher Cheng Yixuan smiling at her in front of the design room.
"..."
She had been so engrossed in her conversation with Huo Yuhao that she forgot to inform her teacher.
Gu Yuena obediently walked into the design room, ready to be scolded, but instead, Cheng Yixuan closed the door and asked with a smile, "How did you get along with Yuhao?"
Gu Yuena was taken aback, feeling a bit puzzled, but she still answered, "It was fine."
"Fine?" Cheng Yixuan murmured, then smiled helplessly.
"It seems you're not aware of it."
A designer student picking up a forging hammer for a boy... It definitely seemed suspicious.
Cheng Yixuan walked up to Gu Yuena, crouched down, and looked at her gently.
"You just went to see Yuhao with a forging hammer, right? What did he say?"
Gu Yuena felt a bit confused, but considering their relationship, she decided to omit the important details and carefully summarized the conversation.
After listening, Cheng Yixuan seemed thoughtful.
"...He was a bit polite to you, but you're still young, so it's fine."
Good, someone valued by the president must have good character.
He wasn't one of those who enjoyed taking advantage of others' efforts. This put her at ease.
She had finally found... well, half a genius disciple.
She cared deeply for Gu Yuena and didn't want to see her get hurt.
Seeing Cheng Yixuan's relieved expression, Gu Yuena wondered if her teacher had misunderstood something.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll test your progress," Cheng Yixuan stood up, looking at Gu Yuena with a smile.
'Whoever taught this child, usually so cool and aloof, yet sometimes inexplicably a bit naive, is truly endearing.'
...
When it was almost time, Huo Yuhao bid farewell to President Li Yucheng and set off back to the academy with Gu Yuena.
Li Yucheng had now resigned from his position as president, giving him plenty of time to research soul tools with Huo Yuhao.
The two had made significant progress on the soul power amplifier, and Li Yucheng was gradually getting the hang of it.
The level seven soul power amplifier was nearing completion.
Both Huo Yuhao and Li Yucheng were very satisfied with this.
Only a certain newly appointed President Xia expressed dissatisfaction, but no one paid him any attention, especially since his wife's heart was now set on Gu Yuena...
Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena walked along the road, surrounded by bustling crowds.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao used his Spiritual Sharing to communicate with Gu Yuena: "Go to the right."
"Mm."
Gu Yuena nodded slightly, her eyes glancing at a certain spot behind them and then at a place in the sky.
Together, they turned into a narrow alley on the right, avoiding the crowd.
The deep alley was enclosed by high walls on both sides.
The noise from the street gradually faded, leaving only the sound of their footsteps echoing in the silence.
"Hehehe, little kids, how about coming with me for a trip?"
A sinister voice echoed through the alley, sending chills down one's spine.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena turned around to see a man clad in a black robe, his aura dark and menacing.
Four soul rings floated around him, indicating his status as a four-ringed Soul Ancestor.
The man looked at them with a predatory gaze, clearly interested.
In his mind, these two geniuses valued by the Mecha Association were, at best, two Great Soul Masters.
They were no match for him.
Capturing them would be an easy task, and if the other operation failed, they could be used as bait for a second attempt.
What a lucky day!
In Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, Tianmeng observed the four-ringed Soul Ancestor and couldn't help but sigh.
"Sir, you are truly... unfortunate!"
A four-ringed Soul Ancestor, facing two reincarnated powerhouses, one of whom is a god. I, Tianmeng, hereby declare you the strongest evil soul master!
Well, the strongest in bad luck, that is!
Unlike Tianmeng's relaxed attitude, Luo Ziyang, the Soul Douluo tasked with protecting Huo Yuhao, frowned in the shadows.
Luo Ziyang had been assigned by Hua Yichen to protect Huo Yuhao long ago.
Whenever Huo Yuhao went out, Luo Ziyang would follow, though he rarely had to intervene.
But today, it seemed he might have to step in.
Evil soul masters were known for their unpredictable methods.
Even though he had confidence in Huo Yuhao, he couldn't afford to be careless.
After all, Shrek Academy had already provided a cautionary story!
Ten thousand years ago, an evil soul master known as the Death Messenger had achieved the most remarkable feat in the history of evil soul masters.
The Death Messenger, a Soul King, had faced two generations of Shrek's Seven Monsters.
Using his corpse explosion technique, he had managed to kill two Soul Kings, severely injure a Soul Emperor and another Soul King, and leave the rest of the Seven Monsters either heavily or lightly wounded.
In the end, he had even escaped from a 98th-ranked Super Douluo using hostages, an achievement that was nothing short of miraculous.
When he reappeared, it was on the battlefield between the Sun Moon Empire and Shrek Academy.
At that time, the Sun Moon Empire had allied with the Holy Spirit Cult, and the Death Messenger stood on the side of the Sun Moon Empire.
He used his past achievements to mock Shrek Academy, infuriating them, but the ongoing war made it difficult for them to retaliate.
However, because the Death Messenger's feats were too extraordinary, when the Sun Moon Empire eventually betrayed the Holy Spirit Cult, he was placed on the list of high-priority targets and was ultimately killed.
But his earlier achievements were preserved in the records of various organizations as a cautionary story, reminding future generations never to underestimate evil soul masters.
Well, their Spirit Pagoda was one of the organizations that kept such records... After all, they loved to "learn from history."
"I hope Yuhao doesn't get careless..."
Luo Ziyang thought to himself, wanting to move closer to ensure he could intervene quickly if needed, avoiding a repeat of Xuanzi's fate.
But before he could act, he saw Huo Yuhao flash forward, appearing right in front of the evil soul master, who was still staring at empty air.
"..."
'Alright, it seems I worried for nothing. Yuhao immediately used his Spiritual Interference Domain.'
On the other side, standing in front of the evil soul master, a golden light flickered in Huo Yuhao's blue eyes as he mobilized his immense spiritual power.
Spiritual Impact!
At the same time, his soul rings appeared, and the Simulation skill activated, altering the course of the battle.
The evil soul master was still sneering at the empty air when he suddenly felt an intense pain in his spiritual sea.
The vast difference in their spiritual power left him with no resistance.
His eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
Before losing consciousness, he seemed to see three purple soul rings swirling around Huo Yuhao, finally realizing the situation.
This wasn't just a genius from the Mecha Association...
After finishing his move, Huo Yuhao glanced at the unconscious evil soul master with a deep expression but didn't take further action.
Instead, he whispered into the air:
"Senior, I leave the rest to you."
Luo Ziyang appeared in front of Huo Yuhao with a look of admiration.
He nodded at Gu Yuena as a greeting, then smiled at Huo Yuhao:
"Well done, you didn't let your guard down."
With that, he didn't linger. He grabbed the evil soul master and disappeared, though he didn't go far from Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena.
Only after escorting them back to the academy did he take the evil soul master to the Spirit Pagoda.