Yan's Bad Luck: Taking a Level 5 Soul Cannon Head-On

The corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth lifted slightly. "I can't change the balance of power across the continent on my own. Of course, I'll need Your Holiness's support. Do you think this could change it...?"

As he spoke,

Huo Yuhao waved a hand.

A Level 5 Soul Cannon less than a meter long appeared on his shoulder. A faint silver sheen rose from its black body, an energy halo gathered before its thick barrel, and a heavy pressure spread in every direction.

"Is that... a Hidden Weapon?"

Bibi Dong's pupils contracted. Intelligence from Spirit Hall's Heaven Dou branch had told her that a Hidden Weapon called the Godly Zhuge Crossbow had appeared in Heaven Dou City.

Though she had yet to see what the Godly Zhuge Crossbow looked like, she had heard it could pierce the defenses of a level-forty Soul Ancestor.

Along with Tang San, that matter had been weighing on her mind.

"This isn't a Hidden Weapon. It's an ordinary Level 5 Soul Tool."

Huo Yuhao explained with a smile, "A Soul Tool uses Rare Metal as its base. A Core Array is engraved into it, then driven by Soul Power. This one is only level five, but its destructive power can threaten a Soul King."

Hiss~

A chorus of sharp breaths filled the Pope's Hall.

Hu Liena and the others were startled. Even Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Bibi Dong were shaken.

That unremarkable lump of iron could threaten a Soul King?

Could it really?

"Hmph! What a sham!"

Yan had long since had enough. At last, he found an opening. "I've never even heard of a Soul Tool. You say it can threaten a Soul King, so it can? If this thing were really that powerful, how could Spirit Hall not know it existed?"

"Uh..."

Huo Yuhao pursed his lips helplessly. "If you don't believe me, would you like to try it?"

Yan's expression changed. "Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not—"

"Very well."

Before Yan could finish, Bibi Dong spoke. "Yan, you'll test the Soul Tool's power."

With that one sentence, she cut off any objection he might have made.

Neither the diligent nor the lazy got struck—only those too blind to read the room. Who had told him to step forward now?

It was Bibi Dong's order, so Yan could only swallow his broken teeth. "As you command, Your Holiness!"

With that,

Yan set his jaw and braced himself for Huo Yuhao's attack.

Every gaze fell on the Soul Cannon on Huo Yuhao's shoulder. Even Bibi Dong watched with full attention. The Godly Zhuge Crossbow's appearance and destructive power had already shocked her, and now there was a Soul Tool.

Which of the two was stronger remained to be seen.

Huo Yuhao said no more. Soul Power flowed quietly into the Level 5 Soul Cannon on his shoulder.

Under everyone's tense gaze, the fine metal arrays across its body lit with a silver-blue glow. A low hum sounded as violent energy gathered at the muzzle.

Sensing the threat from the barrel, Yan's face changed. He no longer dared hold anything back. The Soul Rings beneath his feet pulsed in succession as he pushed his Fire-Earth Dual-Attribute Defense to its limit.

Boom!!!

A deafening blast erupted through the Pope's Hall!

A silver-blue pillar of energy as thick as a fist burst from the barrel. The air warped around it before it slammed into Yan's Flame Shield.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack~

Before Bibi Dong and the others' stunned eyes, the Flame Shield—strong enough to withstand a Soul King's full-strength blow—lasted barely half a breath. Cobweb cracks spread across it, and it shattered like glass.

The Soul Cannon's blast still carried immense force. It struck the Granite Armor on Yan's body.

Boom!!!

Yan's thick, hard stone armor burst apart. Blood surged up his throat as he flew more than ten meters backward, leaving a mist of blood in the air.

No one breathed.

Deathly silence filled the Pope's Hall.

All eyes were on Yan. Much of his stone armor lay shattered, exposing the flesh beneath.

Yan was only a Soul King, but with the Flame Lord, a top-tier Martial Soul, he could withstand a Soul Emperor's full-strength blow. Yet even after using a Soul Skill to defend with everything he had, an inconspicuous Soul Tool had left him like this?

On the raised dais, Bibi Dong's slender fingers tightened around the Pope's Scepter. Shock and disbelief filled her dark-violet eyes. An ordinary-looking piece of iron had truly unleashed the destructive power of a Soul King.

This Soul Cannon seemed even more terrifying than the Godly Zhuge Crossbow!

To say she was excited would be an understatement.

Bibi Dong could not stop trembling inside. If these Soul Tools can be mass-produced, Spirit Hall's future will be unstoppable.

Bibi Dong was not the only one stunned.

Disbelief filled Yue Guan's and Gui Mei's eyes as well.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue, in particular, drew sharp breaths at the sight of Yan. Who would have thought such an unremarkable iron tube could hold so much power?

So strong!

Yan spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. He stared at the Soul Cannon on Huo Yuhao's shoulder in fear, without a trace of disdain left.

"What a Soul Tool!"

Bibi Dong took a deep breath and forced down her excitement. "Are there any requirements for using it?"

"Yes."

Huo Yuhao slowly lowered the Soul Cannon before him and began explaining. "This is merely the most ordinary Energy-Gathering Soul Tool. It takes all the Soul Power of a Soul Ancestor above level forty to charge it for a full-strength shot."

At first, Bibi Dong frowned on hearing that it had a requirement. Something this powerful could hardly be expected to have none. But Huo Yuhao's next words left her unable to stay calm.

"What?"

Bibi Dong sprang to her feet. "You mean this is one of the most ordinary Soul Tools?"

"That's right."

Huo Yuhao smiled and explained, "Soul Tools fall into two broad categories: combat and utility. Combat Soul Tools are further divided into Melee Soul Tools, Ranged Soul Tools, and Fixed-Load Soul Tools."

"This one is an Energy-Gathering Ranged Soul Cannon. It needs a Soul Master of roughly the same level to operate it with Soul Power."

"Fixed-Load Soul Cannons, however, demand far less of the Soul Master. With a Soul Power Storage Milk Bottle prepared in advance, even a Soul Grandmaster can operate a high-level Soul Tool."

"And there's more..."

Huo Yuhao went on at length.

He covered Storage Soul Tools, Support Soul Tools, Flying Soul Tools, Defensive Soul Tools, and other varieties.

Bibi Dong and the others went from shock to disbelief, then finally to utter astonishment. Huo Yuhao had drawn them into a strange and powerful new world.

But powerful as Soul Tools were, Huo Yuhao also raised a problem.

If Spirit Hall wanted to develop Soul Tools, its greatest shortage would be Soul Engineers. Though he was a Level 9 Soul Engineer, he alone could never equip all of Spirit Hall. Students from Spirit Hall Academy, such as Hu Liena, would have to study Soul Tool Technology.

Even that would not be enough. Making Soul Tools required vast quantities of raw materials.

Huo Yuhao guided Bibi Dong's attention toward Gengxin City, the Steel Capital. It had not only the metals needed to make Soul Tools, but also countless blacksmiths who could become the backbone of their production.