Chapter 68: Disappearance

(Brothers, I'm really low‑quality, there's no need any more, I'll just B at the end of the month, also those who have stuck around, join group 681263581, the new book will open soon, rest assured, this time I guarantee no low‑quality, quality and quantity assured)

The Fundamental Sect did not remain silent; instead, it immediately issued a strong condemnation in the Heavenly Soul Empire, denouncing Mingde Hall for issuing a death order against them without distinguishing right from wrong, and firmly stated that this matter has nothing to do with the Fundamental Sect, and anyone who dares to retaliate will bear the consequences.

Regardless of whether the Fundamental Sect acknowledges it, after this incident its standing on the continent suddenly surged, already subtly surpassing Shrek Academy and Mingde Hall, giving it the aura of the continent's top power.

Since that outbreak, Chen Qiye has vanished, and the news of his disappearance was blocked by Mingde Hall, so it never reached Shrek Academy…

And Huo Yuhao and the others have simply spent these years like that.

In the meantime, the information about Chen Qiye's disappearance could not be suppressed; Xuan Lao personally intervened to question, and even Mingde Hall was caused a fresh uproar, but the only answer was that the search would be accelerated, yet Chen Qiye seemed to have evaporated, never having set foot on the entire Douluo Continent.

(End)

ヽ(o). "What? You want to see the Hall Master?" Lin Jiayi looked at the youth standing before him, surprise flashing in his eyes.

More than two years of exchange study were about to end. Aside from the suddenly vanished Chen Qiye, the Shrek Academy students performed in a standard manner, and there were also talents among them. However, the deeper memory of this youth was the exchange competition back then. Afterwards, he sat desolately for half a year, yet his cultivation made no progress.

Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "May I? We're about to leave. Before we go, I wish to express my thanks to the Hall Master, and I also have something to discuss with the Hall Master."

For an ordinary student, trying to see Hall Master Jing Hongchen of Mingde Hall is an immense difficulty—indeed, essentially impossible. Who is the Hall Master? In the Sun and Moon Empire, he is second only to the emperor.

But this student before me is different; his status is special, so even Lin Jiayi dares not easily refuse him.

"Alright. Wait a moment, I'll ask the Hall Master whether he has time to see you."

"Fine." Huo Yuhao calmly sat down beside me, eyes watching his nose, nose watching his mouth, mouth watching his heart, sitting upright with a dignified posture.

Lin Jiayi took up the internal voice‑transmitting soul conductor and transmitted outward through a special soul power fluctuation.

After a short while, Hall Master Jing Hongchen's voice sounded in the earpiece.

"Hmm, Huo Yuhao wants to see me? Fine, bring him over." Jing Hongchen readily agreed to Huo Yuhao's request; in fact, he was curious what this prodigious Shrek Academy youth wanted. Could it be that he intends to defect to Mingde Hall? Not impossible! The thought instantly lifted Jing Hongchen's mood, which had been weighed down by Chen Qiye's disappearance.

Huo Yuhao, led by Lin Jiayi, arrived at Hall Master Jing Hongchen's office.

"Hall Master, greetings." Huo Yuhao politely stepped forward and bowed.

Jing Hongchen gave a slight smile and said, "Sit down."

Huo Yuhao did not sit, remaining standing, and said, "I have something I'd like to discuss with you alone, may I?"

Jing Hongchen was momentarily stunned, then waved at Lin Jiayi.

Lin Jiayi's mouth twitched slightly, thinking silently: the Hall Master is indeed indulgent with this kid. Yet his movements were not slow; he quickly stepped out of the room and secured the door.

"Now you may speak." Jing Hongchen sized up the youth before him. In the more than two years, Huo Yuhao had grown considerably, now a full‑grown young man. His physique was muscular, shoulders broad, back wide, with ape‑like arms and a wasp‑waist; Jing Hongchen even noticed a peculiar aura about him—his previously ordinary face now appeared steady and resolute, bearing a charm only a few mature men possess. Especially his especially bright eyes, unforgettable at a glance.

Huo Yuhao said, "I've been at our Sun and Moon Royal Soul Mentor Academy for over two years now. During this time, I've received the Hall Master's care and assistance, which has greatly advanced my skill in making and using soul conductors. Our exchange program is about to end. Although a major trouble arose during these two years, I still wish to personally give you a gift to express my gratitude."

"A gift for me?" Jing Hongchen became instantly intrigued; no student had ever done this. In fact, no one dared. He never imagined that Huo Yuhao would come to see him just to present a gift.

Jing Hongchen, with a half‑smile, said to Huo Yuhao, "I'm afraid this gift will be hard to accept."

Huo Yuhao hurriedly shook his head, "Of course not, it's simply a pure expression of my thanks. It's a soul conductor I made myself, I hope you like it."

As he spoke, he brushed his waist's Twenty‑four Bridge Bright Moon Night, retrieved a black metal box, and placed it before Jing Hongchen.

"Hall Master, this is merely a soul conductor model, for you to keep as a memento; I've already installed its mechanism. If you need to use it, just like this..." he said while demonstrating it a few times for Jing Hongchen.

If Xuan Zimu were here, he would certainly notice that the metal box Huo Yuhao gave Jing Hongchen is exactly the same as the one that first shocked him.

Jing Hongchen took the metal box, held it, and examined it. The soul conductor was indeed rather crude, lacking any texture. He slightly activated soul power to sense it, and found inside only a simple energy‑gathering core formation.

"Fine, thank you." Though he felt a hint of contempt, he did not show it.

Huo Yuhao respectfully bowed and said, "Then I shall take my leave, Hall Master, farewell." After speaking, he turned and left without lingering.

After Huo Yuhao left, Jing Hongchen's mouth twitched with a playful smile. Is this kid trying to tell me he learned nothing, sending this trinket to mock my refusal to teach him real techniques? How bold! And to think I should use this, which probably doesn't even qualify as a first‑grade soul conductor? While pondering, he instinctively followed the method Huo Yuhao just described, briefly manipulated it, and pressed the button on the wall ahead.

In Jing Hongchen's view, this was at most a soul beam, and its power wouldn't be great. When he activated soul power, he noticed the energy core formation inside stored soul power, likely just infused by Huo Yuhao and not yet dissipated.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..." a series of whooshing sounds rang out, startling Jing Hongchen.

Immediately after, a series of "clack" sounds came from the opposite wall. Jing Hongchen subconsciously glanced at the black box in his hand, then swiftly stepped out from behind the desk. At that moment, a knock sounded.

"Come in," Jing Hongchen said, halting his steps.

Lin Jiayi entered from outside. "Hall Master, do you have any further instructions?"

Jing Hongchen, seeing him, continued toward the opposite wall, soon locating several small iron arrows fully embedded in it.

He turned again, picked up the black box, infused a bit of soul power, and pressed the button once more, producing another series of "swoosh swoosh" sounds. After a shadow flashed, a voice came from the opposite wall.

"This..."

Jing Hongchen's eyes showed surprise and doubt; he suddenly understood something, and immediately said to Lin Jiayi, "Go, fetch Huo Yuhao back for me." "Yes," Lin Jiayi replied, not daring to ask further, and turned to run and call Huo Yuhao.

How does this soul conductor trigger the core formation to launch the arrows? It's not a soul beam; it resembles a fixed soul conductor model. Worse yet, this fixed soul conductor requires no soul power to activate; once soul power is infused, it can be triggered simply by pressing with the hand. How is this trigger device constructed?

Almost impatiently, Jing Hongchen tried to open the black box. But as soon as he moved, a series of clanging sounds emanated from inside the box.

"Self‑destruct device. Good kid!" Jing Hongchen didn't need to look; he knew the internal mechanism was ruined and could no longer be used.

Calling Huo Yuhao back was naturally easy, especially since he had only just left and was moving slowly, not having gone far.

After a short while, he was already standing again before Hall Master Jing Hongchen.

"Speak, what is your purpose?" Jing Hongchen asked in a deep voice.

This time Huo Yuhao also did not ask Lin Jiayi to leave, but stared blankly at him and said, "What purpose?"

Jing Hongchen's heart twitched. This kid really knows how to act! "This," he waved the black box in his hand.

Huo Yuhao was startled, "This has no purpose! It's just a memento for you. Huh, why is it broken?" As Jing Hongchen waved it, a "clatter" sound came from inside the black box, clearly indicating its internal structure had been damaged.

Huo Yuhao's eyes showed a hint of confusion and sadness. "Hall Master, I only gave it to you as a memento; even if you look down on this little thing I made, please don't ruin it."

Jing Hongchen almost believed Huo Yuhao's sincerity; the kid's acting was too convincing. "Enough, stop pretending. Be direct, name your price. I want the detailed structure of that trigger device." With his keen eyes, he could of course see the cleverness of the trigger inside the black box.

Huo Yuhao, still looking bewildered, said, "What trigger device? It's just a little trinket I made on the spot. And I've already given it to you!"

Playing dumb? Jing Hongchen felt his patience draining. "I mean, I want the internal structure of this black box. Draw it out. If it's feasible, I'm willing to pay you for it."

"Oh, so that's it," Huo Yuhao said, looking enlightened. "But, Hall Master, this took me a lot of effort to study. If I sell it, it won't be cheap!"

Jing Hongchen said irritably, "State your price. Do I seem stingy?"

Huo Yuhao extended a hand, spreading all five fingers, thought for a moment, then retracted two fingers, leaving only the index, middle, and ring fingers.

"Three items, three nine-level soul tools, I'll exchange them with you."

He said it very naturally and casually, as easily as asking Jing Hongchen for three bags of rice.

Lin Jiayi almost spat out a mouthful of blood. What? Three nine-level soul tools! What does this kid think a nine-level soul tool is? A nine-level soul master wanting to complete a perfect nine-level soul tool has no idea how much effort and material it would take. Just this broken iron box, and you want to sell three nine-level soul tools? When Chen Qiye disappeared, Jing Hongchen was almost forced to give up nine nine-level soul tools as compensation for inadequate care; what gives Huo Yuhao the nerve to demand nine-level soul tools from me because of these few soul tools? The muscles on Jing Hongchen's face tensed instantly, and the smile he had been wearing vanished in an instant. "Kid, are you trying to extort me?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "No! I just feel my research is very precious, worth this price. Besides, the price can still be negotiated, right?"

At that moment, he put on a pleading expression, raised his other hand, and pressed back the ring finger among the three fingers he had extended, saying, "Two items, do you think that works?"

Jing Hongchen had a black line across his forehead. "What nonsense! Although your trigger device has some value, how could it possibly compare to a nine-level soul tool?"

Huo Yuhao said, "A nine-level fixed-install soul cannon shell would also work; I'm not picky."

Jing Hongchen had the word "get lost" on the tip of his tongue, almost spitting it out. He then recalled how, during the exchange competition, this kid had tried to extort him. Obviously, he deliberately brought this soul tool today to show it to him, then wait for a good price.

However, Jing Hongchen was actually not that angry, and even felt somewhat relieved—at least Huo Yuhao had brought this soul tool to show him, rather than going straight back to Shrek Academy and leaving him completely unaware. If this trigger device were applied to a fixed-install soul tool, the effect would be quite good. Moreover, its principle combined with other soul tools makes the function obvious. This kind of trigger means ordinary people can also use a fully charged soul tool! Moreover, he had already heard from Xuan Zhiwen that the recent difficulty in researching sealed milk bottles might be overcome.

If this trigger device were combined with excellent soul tools and sealed milk bottles, organizing an army of non-soul masters capable of using soul tools would no longer be a dream! Even if the cost were high, it would be worth it. If the Crown Prince could have such a force, would the imperial throne still need to be contested? It would practically be in the bag, and my standing in the empire would surely rise another level, leaving a vivid mark in history.

Thinking of this, Jing Hongchen's emotions involuntarily rose somewhat excited; he forcibly suppressed his anger, frowned, and said, "Huo Yuhao classmate, your invention is indeed not bad. It does help the development of fixed-install soul tools to a certain extent. But you should understand that this is merely a rather crude structure; it still needs continual improvement, and these tasks must be done by us ourselves. So although I am willing to pay something for it, I absolutely cannot be excessive. Please propose a condition we can all accept. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss."

Huo Yuhao fell silent, and only after a full minute did he difficulty say, "All right. Since Hall Master, you are so sincere, I will directly tell you my bottom line."

While saying that, he once again raised his left hand, pressing down the index finger among the two remaining fingers on his right hand, leaving only a slender, straight middle finger…

Jing Hongchen stared at that especially glaring middle finger, remained silent for several seconds before reacting, and fury surged. "Get lost!"

Lin Jiayi's expression was also extremely grim; if it weren't for Jing Hongchen being here, he would probably have rushed forward to attack.

Huo Yuhao, however, seemed unfazed by their anger, gave a hehe laugh, and said, "No deal, no harm—don't be angry. I'll leave this thing with you as a keepsake; look at how magnanimous I am. Then goodbye. You just destroyed my creation of the heart and insulted me. I've decided to raise the price back to three nine-level soul tools. And there's no room for negotiation. Think about it carefully."

Having said that, he turned around and walked away in a very casual manner.

Jing Hongchen wanted to call him back, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to speak due to pride. Looking at the black box in his hand, the previous thought rose again in his mind.

The milk bottle connects to the gathering-energy soul tool, and then is activated through this special trigger device. A fourth-level milk bottle storing soul power could likely release dozens of soul tool rays on the battlefield…

"Call him back." Jing Hongchen finally said to Lin Jiayi with difficulty.

Lin Jiayi still hasn't figured out the situation, but seeing Jing Hongchen's indignant expression, he couldn't help but say, "Hall Master, you can't be too lenient with this kid. Otherwise, I'll go give him a beating."

"I said call him back, don't you understand human speech?" Jing Hongchen roared. Frightened, Lin Jiayi turned and ran out.

One minute later, Huo Yuhao stood before Jing Hongchen again.

(End of chapter)