"I want to teach Huo Yuhao."
Zhao Ze set down his teacup, his tone calm but firm.
The smile on Jing Hongchen's face abruptly froze, and his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Huo Yuhao? You mean that exchange student from Shrek, Huo Yuhao?"
He had never imagined that this mysterious Level 8 Soul Engineer would pass over the academy's own core disciples and specifically ask to teach a student from a rival academy.
"That's right."
Zhao Ze nodded.
"Before I came, I'd already heard about him. He swept through Shrek Outer Court single-handedly, and he has extraordinary talent for Soul Tools.
A promising talent like him will have limitless potential if I teach him."
Jing Hongchen furrowed his brow, tapping his fingers absently on the table as he fell into thought.
Letting a powerful expert from an unknown reclusive sect teach a genius from Shrek?
It certainly sounded risky.
But on second thought, he decided it might not be a bad thing.
He knew the Soul Tool world of all three great empires on Douluo Continent like the back of his hand, and his spies in the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul Empires had never reported the emergence of such a young Level 8 Soul Engineer.
The three empires together had no more than five Level 8 Soul Engineers. Every one of them was a renowned old-timer, so there was no way the young man before him, who was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, could be one of them.
That made it highly likely Zhao Ze came from a reclusive sect.
Having him teach Huo Yuhao would kill two birds with one stone.
He could see what this mysterious Level 8 Soul Engineer was truly capable of while also using him to test Huo Yuhao's background and potential.
And if he could also make both of them feel a sense of belonging to the Sun Moon Empire, that would be an even greater stroke of luck.
"Good."
Jing Hongchen made his decision quickly and said with a smile,
"Since you've taken an interest in Huo Yuhao, Mr. Zhao Ze, I'll assign him to your class.
Starting tomorrow, he'll be your student."
Jing Hongchen turned to Lin Jiayi, who was standing nearby, and instructed him,
"Jiayi, take Mr. Zhao Ze to Laboratory Three in the Soul Guidance Department. Huo Yuhao should be there, getting familiar with the equipment."
"Yes, Hall Master."
Lin Jiayi answered respectfully, then gestured for Zhao Ze to follow.
"Mr. Zhao Ze, this way, please."
The two walked down a long corridor and arrived at the Soul Guidance Department's laboratory wing.
From a distance, they saw the door to Laboratory Three standing open. A figure was bent over a workbench, absorbed in fiddling with a pile of Soul Tool components, oblivious to their approach.
"Student Huo Yuhao."
Lin Jiayi called out softly.
Huo Yuhao jerked his head up. When he saw Zhao Ze beside Lin Jiayi, a flicker of barely concealed delight passed through his eyes. He immediately composed himself, stood up, and bowed respectfully.
"Director Lin."
Lin Jiayi smiled as he introduced them.
"Yuhao, this is Mr. Zhao Ze. Starting today, he'll be your personal instructor.
Mr. Zhao Ze is one of the continent's top Level 8 Soul Engineers. It's your good fortune to receive his guidance."
"Greetings, Teacher."
Huo Yuhao bowed again, his tone extremely respectful.
Zhao Ze looked at him and smiled warmly.
"Huo Yuhao, I'll be teaching you Soul Tools from today onward. What I teach will be difficult, so be prepared."
"Please rest assured, Teacher. I won't let you down."
Huo Yuhao answered earnestly.
Seeing that the two had been introduced, Lin Jiayi smiled and said,
"I'll leave you two to talk, then. Mr. Zhao Ze, feel free to come to me if you need anything."
Lin Jiayi turned and left, closing the laboratory door behind him.
The moment the door shut, the solemn look vanished from Huo Yuhao's face, replaced by an excited grin.
"Master, you're incredible! You really managed to get in here as a teacher, and now you're even my personal instructor!
Did Jing Hongchen really trust you just like that?"
Zhao Ze walked over to the sofa and sat down. He picked up a Soul Tool component from the table and idly played with it, shaking his head.
"He only trusts me a little for now.
That old fox is sharp as a tack. He may be warm to me on the surface, but he's surely already sent people to investigate me behind my back. Before long, we'll have plenty of eyes watching us."
That was part of Zhao Ze's plan.
This body of his had been remade from the corpse of a hundred-thousand-year-old undead creature.
Using necromancy, he had reconstructed its flesh and meridians until it looked exactly like a living person. Even its Soul Power fluctuations could be perfectly imitated.
Unless a Limit Douluo personally examined him, no one would discover the flaw.
That way, he could also openly access Mingde Hall's core technology.
"Get ready. Come with me to Mingde Hall."
Zhao Ze stood up.
"The rare metals and core materials I asked for should be ready. It's time to begin work on the invention I've been saving for last."
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up, and he blurted out,
"Master, is it the Human Emperor Banner you mentioned before?"
"That's right."
Zhao Ze nodded, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
The two locked up the laboratory and headed straight for Mingde Hall.
As the heart of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool Technology, Mingde Hall was heavily guarded, and the air itself was thick with powerful energy fluctuations.
But Zhao Ze carried a highest-level authorization token personally issued by Jing Hongchen. He had free rein wherever he went, even in the most restricted materials vault.
Zhao Ze ran his finger down the materials list. The disciple guarding the vault didn't dare slack off for a moment and hurriedly packed up all the materials.
As they passed Mingde Hall's library, Zhao Ze stopped and turned to Huo Yuhao.
"Wait here for a moment."
He pushed open the door and headed straight for the Level 9 Soul Tool section at the very back of the library.
The books here were sealed behind Soul Tool barriers. No one could open them except Jing Hongchen and a handful of Level 9 Soul Engineers.
But Zhao Ze simply raised his hand, and a silent wave of spiritual power effortlessly broke through the barrier.
He stored more than a dozen ancient books detailing the core principles of Level 9 Soul Tools in his Storage Soul Tool.
The whole process took less than three seconds, and not a single alarm went off.
"Let's go."
Zhao Ze walked out of the library as if nothing had happened.
Huo Yuhao glanced at the small storage pouch in his hand and understood.
His master had taken the opportunity to make off with Mingde Hall's most closely guarded knowledge.
When they returned to the laboratory, Electrolux was already waiting in the Sea of Consciousness.
Looking at the mountain of rare materials piled on the table, he stroked his beard and smiled.
"We can finally begin. This Human Emperor Banner is sure to astonish the entire continent."
In the days that followed, the two practically lived in the laboratory.
Zhao Ze crafted the Human Emperor Banner himself while teaching Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao's rank as a Soul Engineer climbed at a visible pace. In just three short months, he advanced from the peak of Level 4 to Level 6, becoming the youngest Level 6 Soul Engineer in the continent's history.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
One morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the laboratory window, Huo Yuhao suddenly opened his eyes.
"Level forty-five! I finally broke through!"
Huo Yuhao clenched his fist, his face alight with excitement.
Half a year of hard cultivation had not only made his Soul Tool skills improve by leaps and bounds; his Soul Power had also risen steadily from Level 40 to Level 45.
"Congratulations, Yuhao."
Zhao Ze's voice rang out.
Huo Yuhao looked up and saw Zhao Ze holding a long, pitch-black banner.
The banner's shaft was forged from Star Iron mixed with Nether Crystal, and densely packed golden runes covered its surface.
A terrifying aura that made the heart tremble slowly emanated from the banner.
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