A Level Four Soul Tool!

Flender's mouth twitched as he forced a smile uglier than a grimace.

"Of course. Of course..."

That was what he said, but he had already burned Jiang Hao's face into his memory.

Next time he saw that face, if he didn't take a detour, his name wasn't Flender!

Jiang Hao left Flender's shop in high spirits, his steps lighter than before.

Three thousand Gold Soul Coins for a pile of materials fit for level four and five Soul Tools. He had made a killing.

"Hey, Jiang Hao!"

Xiao Wu caught up and grabbed his sleeve. "Why are you walking so fast? Aren't we going to keep shopping?"

"No time."

Jiang Hao didn't look back. "I need to find an inn and go into seclusion."

"Seclusion!?"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened, and her rabbit ears nearly sprang upright. "You only came out a few days ago! You're going back in?"

"What do you know?"

Jiang Hao stopped, turned around, and patted Xiao Wu's head. "These metals are treasures. I need to strike while the iron's hot and turn them into something useful."

"Something useful?"

Xiao Wu tilted her head. "What are you planning? Smithing? You know how to do that?"

Jiang Hao smiled mysteriously. "Just watch."

With that, he turned and walked away.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Xiao Wu stamped her foot in frustration but hurried after him anyway.

Suotuo City, Yuelai Inn.

Jiang Hao chose the most expensive room for a simple reason.

It had good soundproofing and plenty of space to work.

"Attendant, bring me a tub of hot water and some food."

"Right away, sir!"

The attendant answered cheerfully and ran off.

Jiang Hao closed the door, set the three large chests on the floor, and opened them one by one.

"Black Gold-Patterned Steel, red copper ore, starsteel, black iron..."

Jiang Hao counted through the metals, his eyes growing brighter with each piece.

They were in excellent condition, even better than the few pieces he had picked up in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Xiao Wu crouched beside a chest and poked the Black Gold-Patterned Steel.

"What's this ugly black stuff good for? Hitting someone over the head?"

"Maybe your head."

Jiang Hao shot her a look, took the Storage Ring he had just forged from his Soul Tool, and selected the finest pieces of metal.

"What are you doing, anyway? You're being so secretive." Xiao Wu rested her chin in her hand and looked at him.

"You'll find out soon."

Jiang Hao turned his right hand over. Silver-white flames surged from his palm and instantly enveloped the entire piece of Black Gold-Patterned Steel.

Xiao Wu shrank back, eyes wide. "You can play with fire too?"

"I'm not playing with fire. I'm forging."

Jiang Hao couldn't be bothered to explain. At a thought, the Thousand-Hammer Tempering Method flowed through his mind.

He held his breath and focused. His right hand closed around an invisible handle, while his mental power became a hammer that struck the Black Gold-Patterned Steel again and again as it softened in the flames.

Clink, clink, clink—

Clear ringing filled the room in an even rhythm, as though hundreds of little hammers were striking at once.

Xiao Wu stared, dumbfounded, her mouth forming an O.

Seeing how focused Jiang Hao was, Xiao Wu didn't dare disturb him again. She pulled up a chair, sat down, and watched him work with her chin in her hands.

Half an hour later.

Fine beads of sweat had appeared on Jiang Hao's forehead, and his face had grown pale.

"Almost there."

He took a deep breath. At his command, the Black Gold-Patterned Steel in the flames rapidly changed shape, gradually forming the outline of a cannon barrel.

"A barrel?"

Xiao Wu leaned closer and blinked. "What are you making? A cannon?"

"Smart."

Jiang Hao's lips curved. "A Soul Cannon. Ever heard of one?"

"A Soul Cannon?" Xiao Wu tilted her head. "What's that?"

"You wouldn't understand if I told you. Just watch."

Jiang Hao said no more. He concentrated and began inscribing arrays on the barrel's surface.

He chose a level four Explosive Array and paired it with an Energy-Gathering Array.

The two worked together to compress Soul Power into a high-energy projectile with force comparable to a Soul King's all-out strike.

If its user added their own Soul Power, it would hit even harder!

I hope I won't need it tomorrow.

Jiang Hao gave a soft laugh. His mental power became a needlepoint, etching intricate lines into the barrel.

Every line had to be exact. The slightest deviation would ruin the entire array.

Another half hour passed before the final line closed perfectly.

Hum!

The instant the lines joined, golden light flashed across the barrel. A violent surge of energy burst from within, setting the air humming.

"Whew. Finally done!"

Jiang Hao let out a long breath, dismissed the flames, and raised the jet-black barrel, no more than a foot long, to inspect it.

"So that's the Soul Cannon you were talking about?"

Xiao Wu came closer to examine the barrel in Jiang Hao's hand. Shock flashed through her large eyes.

She could clearly sense the terrifying energy contained within that unassuming barrel.

After years of cultivating beside Jiang Hao, Xiao Wu's Soul Power had reached level thirty-five.

She even had an extraordinary Soul Ring configuration: one yellow and two purple. She could hold her own against a Soul King.

Yet this barrel made her wary.

"How far can that thing shoot?" Xiao Wu swallowed.

"Haven't tested it."

Jiang Hao shrugged and weighed the Soul Cannon in his hand. "But in theory, with a full charge of Soul Power, it should punch through three city walls."

"Three city walls!?"

Xiao Wu's rabbit ears shot upright. She jumped back a step and pointed at the barrel in Jiang Hao's hand. "If I didn't know it was a Soul Tool, I'd think it was a weapon of war!"

"What did you think it was?"

Jiang Hao shot her a look, set the Soul Cannon on the table, and grabbed a cup of tea for a drink. "Soul Tools were made for battle."

"Besides, this one's still weak. Truly powerful Soul Tools can even kill a Titled Douluo!"

"What!?"

Xiao Wu looked utterly incredulous.

Kill a Titled Douluo with one shot?

What kind of joke was that!?

But Jiang Hao had never lied to her.

With that in mind, Xiao Wu worked up the courage to approach the barrel and carefully reached out to poke it.

The instant she touched it, a sharp sense of danger exploded within her, as though a Ferocious Beast had fixed its gaze on her.

Xiao Wu snatched her hand back and stumbled two steps away, her back hitting the wall.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Hao asked, puzzled.

He hadn't even fired it. What was she dodging?

"N-nothing..."

Xiao Wu patted her chest, her expression strange. "It's just that this thing feels like it could blast me to pieces with one shot."

"Have some confidence. Drop the 'feels like.'"

Jiang Hao laughed. "With your current defenses, a direct hit wouldn't even leave ashes to scatter."

"You!"

Xiao Wu stamped her foot, furious, but one look at the black barrel on the table made her swallow the insult she had been about to hurl.

Then something occurred to her.

"Wait... now that you have this, doesn't that mean I can't beat you?"

"When could you ever beat me?" Jiang Hao shot back.

"You!"