The chief referee said gravely, "Let me explain the rules. When you fight each other, you may only use the soul tool you have just finished making. You may also use soul power, but you must not use any soul skills or other soul tools. The moment you use another soul tool to defend yourself, you lose the match. Of course, you only have one life. Winning matters, but keeping yourself alive matters just as much."
"Understood," Gao Dalou answered.
The chief referee turned to Huo Yuhao, something clearly different in his eyes.
Huo Yuhao looked at him calmly and smiled. "I understand too."
"Good. Someone, take them into the combat zone." Staff members immediately came over and guided the two toward opposite ends of the combat zone.
"Brother Chen, that young man's forging skills are practically divine. Where does he come from? Did you notice anything?" the referee seated on the left asked quietly.
The chief referee said gravely, "He's extraordinary indeed. If I'm not mistaken, he performed fusion forging on those four pieces of metal with remarkable ease. That means he still had strength to spare. Even the person the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Hall invited from Gengxin City isn't much better than him at present."
The referee on the right nodded. "Let's watch their fight before drawing any conclusions. Gao Dalou isn't simple either. He has a ranked carving knife. It's hard to say who will win."
The chief referee smiled faintly and shook his head. "It seems our Xishui Alliance division really does have quite a few outstanding talents. Still, my money is on that young man. If he can forge rare metals with his bare flesh, Gao Dalou might not be able to do anything to him even if he fought empty-handed."
"Yes. Once