Chapter 320: Soul Control

At this moment, on the competition stage, dozens of metal tables were set up, and from time to time flashes of soul-tool light appeared.

Around the round platform, there were also some metal tables, totaling over a hundred, and some of those metal tables were now empty.

While the outer circles of gem-blue velvet chairs were filled with people, they all remained quiet, intently watching the busy people at the metal tables in the center.

A conservative estimate puts the number of spectators at over two thousand, and from their clothing one could tell they were either rich or noble.

According to Tang Wulin's knowledge, those who could watch in person were all big bettors, wagering at least ten thousand gold soul coins, while ordinary folk could only place their bets at the outer betting points of these underground forces.

Huo Yutong had already completed her registration in advance, she gave Tang Wulin a slight nod, and then stepped onto the competition stage.

The competition rules are simple: before the hourglass on the table runs out, one must craft a soul tool of rank three or higher.

For the current quasi-Seven-level Soul Engineer Huo Yutong, this posed no difficulty at all.

Thus she began carving while striking up a conversation with the yellow-clothed old man before her.

"Sir, are you also a soul engineer? May I ask what level you are?"

The old man, who served as the judge, hadn't expected Huo Yutong to speak to him, but he showed no sign of rejection and kindly replied, "Three."

His granddaughter was about the same age as Huo Yutong, and with Huo Yutong's current appearance being quite adorable, he subconsciously felt very close to her.

Huo Yutong continued working with her hands while asking doubtfully:

"Three? What if someone crafts a soul tool of a higher level—how would you handle that? Can you tell the rank?"

The old man said somewhat proudly:

"Of course, don't let my soul-engineer rank of only three fool you—I have even witnessed the crafting process of a six-level soul tool, my eye is sharp, and I can discern the rank of any soul tool below six."

"I see, that's impressive."

Hearing Huo Yutong's praise, the old man couldn't help but show a proud smile, yet he still spoke seriously:

"Haha, don't think that saying a couple of nice things will lower your assessment difficulty."

"Of course."

Huo Yutong smiled and nodded slightly, then unobtrusively spread out her spiritual detection.

To her, everyone present could be a future opponent, so taking this chance to observe beforehand was certainly not a mistake.

Unfortunately, after observing for just a couple minutes, she helplessly shook her head in her heart.

To be honest, judging by what she saw, the caliber of the soul engineers competing here was truly low.

If her observation was correct, there was not a single six-level soul engineer present, only two five-level soul engineers, forty-two four-level soul engineers, and the rest were almost all three-level soul engineers, with even a dozen or so below three-level.

These participants posed hardly any threat to her, and Huo Yutong did not believe this represented the full strength of the Evening Water Alliance.

Presumably those truly top-tier genius soul engineers had already advanced through special channels; this preliminary round was merely a way to sift the sands and uncover hidden talents among the populace.

Huo Yutong's eyes flickered slightly as she asked the judge, "Grandfather, could you tell me how many people have come to compete here, and how many have already advanced?"

This question was already a bit overstepping, but the old man serving as judge didn't notice that, and kindly replied, "Including you, there are now 265 soul engineers competing, and so far 187 have advanced."

"Is that so, thank you."

Huo Yutong showed a sweet smile, which made the judge even happier.

He didn't notice anything odd about himself; normally he wouldn't be so talkative, after all, mingling in the black market, how could he be a big mouth?

Yet at this moment, facing Huo Yutong, he had absolutely no guard, not even treating his own granddaughter with such warmth.

This was naturally Huo Yutong's doing.

As Ilex's direct disciple, Huo Yutong has learned over the years far more than ordinary necromancy summoning, including many related soul magics.

Necromancers are highly skilled at spirit control; this judge's cultivation is only four-ring, and given the immense gap in spiritual power between them—beyond calculation—let alone guiding him as she is now, Huo Yutong could, if she wished, completely dominate his mind at any time.

If he were to wake up later and still remember his conversation with Huo Yutong, he would surely feel chilled to the bone; unfortunately, Huo Yutong has already planted a backdoor in his mind, so after he awakens he will forget everything they spoke of and feel no sense of discord.

After confirming the control was flawless, Huo Yutong casually asked as if posing an ordinary question: "By the way, grandfather, as far as I know, this competition here is hosted by the Evening Water Alliance, right?"

The judge nodded naturally.

"Yes."

"Then if I wanted to join them, could you recommend me to them, grandfather?"

The judge's expression changed, he glanced around, and said sternly: "I advise you not to; the people of the Evening Water Alliance are no pushovers."

Clearly, to him the fear of the Evening Water Alliance is ingrained in his bones.

"Oh?" Huo Yutong's eyes flickered, "Why do you say that?"

The judge's expression wavered for a moment, but unable to resist Huo Yutong's influence, he replied: "Because the Evening Water Alliance is an organization composed of Evil Soul Masters."

Huo Yutong narrowed her eyes slightly, then pursed her lips.

"I don't believe it; I feel you're lying to me, unless you let me personally witness an Evil Soul Master of the Evening Water Alliance."

The judge grew anxious.

"Silly girl, this isn't something you can..."

His voice cut off abruptly, because he met Huo Yutong's eyes.

In the depths of Huo Yutong's golden eyes, at this moment it seemed as if gray flames were slowly burning.

Huo Yutong gave a faint smile.

"May I?"

The judge nodded blankly.

"Yes."

Huo Yutong instantly beamed with joy.

"Thank you, I knew you were the best, grandfather; we'll stay in touch later."

Having said that, she transmitted a divine sense into the old man's Sea of Spirit, containing an address; then she set down her engraving tool, placed the completed soul tool she had crafted on the table, and left the soul-engineer station.

For her, earning rare metals in this underground tournament was merely incidental; the most important thing was making contact with the Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Sect.

As long as this goal is achieved, her trip will not have been in vain.

Off‑topic note: Because Ilex does not die in this book, Yutong's mastery of necromancy is stronger than in the original (End of chapter).