Published at 25th of March 2019 11:08 pm

Volume 27, Chapter 302.1: The Lofty Blood-Coagulating Carving Knife

Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but nod in his heart when he saw Gao Dalou using the best materials to create his soul tool. The method he used was very different from most conventional soul engineers, especially in terms of some details in his technique. It was evident that he had his own style. If he were able to study soul tools to such a standard just by his own perceptions, he was undoubtedly a talent!

After finishing a piece of the outer shell, Gao Dalou suddenly raised his head. He looked at Huo Yuhao, who appeared to be deep in thought, and asked, “Brother, stop looking at me. You can’t tell what I’m making. For a country bumpkin like me, even my formation arrays are created in a slightly different manner than most ordinary soul engineers.”

Huo Yuhao was stunned, and quickly reacted. His continuous observation made Gao Dalou think that he was monitoring him before creating a soul tool that was targeted at his.

He smiled, and didn’t explain anything. He stopped monitoring Gao Dalou, and finally started creating his own soul tool.

Huo Yuhao continued to use the standard carving knife on the carving table. He vised the Flaming Sun Iron on the carving table and started his carving.

Compared to Gao Dalou, Huo Yuhao was quick and exact. The carving knife seemed to be alive in his hand, and moved continuously between his fingers. Each and every one of his movements was very accurate. If any teachers from soul engineering academies would have seen him, they would reckon that his work was worthy of a textbook example. Iron chippings flew in the air, and a complex formation array slowly took form.

Huo Yuhao carved bit by bit, unlike Gao Dalou’s ‘One Blade, Three Tremors’. However, he was much quicker. In the blink of an eye, he had already made a few cuts. Furthermore, the link between each cut was so precise that it seemed like he had carved everything in one shot.

In terms of technique, Gao Dalou’s ‘One Blade, Three Tremors’ was much more difficult than Huo Yuhao’s method. However, Huo Yuhao’s method was stable and accurate. It was simpler for him to avoid any mistakes. Furthermore, it was very difficult to ensure the sharpness of his carving knife, since he was using an ordinary one. It was also difficult for him to make sure that it left carving marks on the Flaming Sun Iron, which was very tough. It might be inferior to a temporary but forceful form of carving, but with the help of his Spiritual Detection, Huo Yuhao managed to match up to Gao Dalou’s technique, and he was even faster.

Gao Dalou finally finished creating his outer shell. When he looked up at Huo Yuhao again, he was dazed. What did he see? He saw streaks of shadows left behind by Huo Yuhao’s fingertips as they danced. He couldn’t see what Yuhao was doing. He only saw fine iron shavings flying out and spreading proportionally to the sides.

He… he managed to create his formation array so quickly! Isn’t he scared of making mistakes? This was the first thought that appeared in Gao Dalou’s mind.

He subconsciously looked at Huo Yuhao’s eyes. As he was born outside the cities, he was more sensitive towards soul tools than most soul engineers in orthodox academies. To a soul engineer, the look in one’s eyes was very important. It was possible to tell many things from someone else’s eyes.

The look in Huo Yuhao’s eyes was something else! It was clear, but there was a strange obscurity amid the deep focus. When Gao Dalou focused his attention on Huo Yuhao’s eyes, he felt that he had entered a trance. It was as if his entire soul was about to be drawn away by the depth in Huo Yuhao’s eyes. He was so shocked that he had to lower his head before he could regain his composure.

When he recovered from the shock, his face was filled with bitterness. He had only gone a few rounds, but he had now met an extremely strong opponent. It wasn’t going to be easy for him to win!…

Even with the soundproofing barriers, the spectators who were here to watch the tournament still maintained their silence. They turned their attention to the competitors that they had wagered on.

Gambling was also a form of knowledge on its own. It was important to do pre-tournament analysis. They were well aware of the special characteristics, as well as the class, of every soul engineer.

For a wheelchair-bound soul engineer like Huo Yuhao, it was impossible for him not to garner any attention. There were some who monitored him, and there were also some who tried to bet on him. However, Gao Dalou was more eye-catching than Huo Yuhao. This wasn’t because he was strong, but because of the carving knife that he had.

Gao Dalou’s carving knife was a family heirloom, evident by the name on the knife. It was a top-notch knife!

Even though his family had fallen apart, Gao Dalou was secretly protected by some advanced-level soul engineers related to his family. This helped to ensure the secrecy of his carving knife. However, those who secretly helped him didn’t want him to become a strong soul engineer, so they only helped him in that aspect.

Due to the presence of his knife, Gao Dalou’s odds were 10:23, while Huo Yuhao’s odds were 5:6. From the odds, it was possible to tell how the gamblers rated the differences in their abilities.

Of course, there were people who bet heavily on Huo Yuhao before the tournament started, which had some influence on the odds. Otherwise, Huo Yuhao’s odds would be even lower. It was just that no one knew that the so-called ‘people’ were actually Huo Yuhao himself.

A dim light flashed, and a look of concentration came over Huo Yuhao’s face. He finally stopped, and a ball-shaped formation array slowly took form in front of him.

This formation array was hollow, and looked like an exquisite art piece. The dark-red Flaming Sun Iron seemed to have been given life, and now shone with a dim red light. A dangerous aura was continuously being released from it, and Huo Yuhao hadn’t even put his soul power into it yet.

He didn’t have three formation arrays like Gao Dalou; he only made one. Following this first step, he started on the other accessories. He was extremely quick. Gao Dalou was also very busy as he completed his final assembly and double-checked everything. In fact, he couldn’t see Huo Yuhao’s work clearly even if he wanted to. While Huo Yuhao had wasted a lot of time at the start, he was very quick now. He was so quick that it was impossible to fully follow his movements. One’s vision would blur just watching him.

Time passed second by second. The first to complete his soul tool was Number 96, who took two hours. After glancing at the rest of the soul engineers, he handed his final product over.

The second competitor to finish was his opponent. When 96 claimed that he had finished his soul tool, his opponent looked at his finished product and conceded defeat. The gap was too obvious, and there was no need to compete any further. 96 had created a Class 5 soul tool in only two hours!

Most of the soul engineers finished their soul tools after about two and a half hours. This was a tournament, and the competitors didn’t have to create the best soul tools. Since there was a time limit, the best method was to create the strongest soul tool one could complete within the time limit.

Gao Dalou finished fifteen minutes before Huo Yuhao, but he didn’t rush to hand up his work. He stood on his side of the tables and watched Huo Yuhao.

He became more terrified the more he watched. Although he couldn’t tell how Huo Yuhao worked on his soul tool, he still noticed some details.

Although Gao Dalou’s method was different from most conventional soul engineers, the difference mainly lay in his technique. However, he had never even heard of Huo Yuhao’s soul tool before. What’s the purpose of the rings and metal strings? What’s the use of those restraints? Why does the metal ball have three holes that are proportionately separated? What’s he doing? That isn’t a formation array!

Gao Dalou was perplexed. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. To him, Huo Yuhao was a mystery. He was even a little curious now… what was Huo Yuhao’s soul tool used for?

Huo Yuhao took three and a half hours to complete his soul tool. After he finished assembling everything, he ended up with a soul cannon around forty-two centimeters in length in front of him. The diameter of the barrel was around ten centimeters.

There seemed to be nothing special about the soul cannon. Furthermore, the most valuable material used to construct this soul tool was only the Flaming Sun Iron, even though the quality of this soul cannon was pretty good. The rest of the materials were mostly high-density metals. He had actually used very few rare metals!

“Are you done?” Gao Dalou asked.

“Yes! Brother Gao, you must’ve finished some time ago.” Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded at Gao Dalou.

“Okay, let’s hand up our work then,” Gao Dalou was curious as he walked up to Huo Yuhao, taking the initiative to push Huo Yuhao’s wheelchair. Huo Yuhao didn’t stop him, and let him do so, placing his soul tool on his thighs.

The completed soul tools had to be handed to the three judges so that they could make their decision.

Gao Dalou had also created a soul cannon. After all, they had to challenge each other in today’s tournament. An offensive-type soul tool was going to be very useful. Using defensive-type soul tools would most certainly be a pit of soul power.

“Class 4 shock cannon that can explode. It’s a pretty good soul tool.” The three judges gave their appraisal after seeing Gao Dalou’s soul cannon.

After that, they examined the soul tool that Huo Yuhao handed over.

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