Chapter 458: It's impossible to get it
Although Merck could not hear the sound outside, he could still sense it when Huo Yuhao took out the Judgment of the Living Being. He looked up and was slightly stunned, just in time to meet Huo Yuhao's gaze.
When their eyes met, Merck saw Huo Yuhao's peaceful smile. He snorted coldly, "Is this what you are hiding? Not to mention that your carving knife is not on the list, even if it is on the list, it depends on who is using it."
Huo Yuhao smiled but said nothing. He knew that his opponent had begun to lose his composure.
He took a piece of rare metal and started making it. What he took was a piece of rare metal called Shenyin. This rare metal was not particularly precious, but it was very hard and had strong ductility at high temperatures. It was a very good conductor of soul power. Good quality Shenyin could even increase the soul power by 5% to 10%, making it the most suitable for making soul guides for long-range attacks.
The sharp green blade cut into the silver block lightly, and wherever it passed, the vitality of the silver metal was instantly drained. Under Huo Yuhao's precise control, the life breath was drained away where the blade cut, and the place without vitality naturally became extremely fragile.
Huo Yuhao's carving was just like cutting tofu. Soon, the piece of silver in his hand had been carved into a palm-sized, disc-like shape.
Merck was also carving a piece of rare metal. When he entered the soul guide production state, he no longer looked at Huo Yuhao. His whole energy and spirit were completely focused on the soul guide in front of him. Every time the dark blue dragon in his hand carved a piece of rare metal, a layer of light blue light flashed, causing the light on the rare metal to fluctuate.
Compared to the quietness on the competition stage, the entire Golden Hall was in chaos, with everyone having heated discussions with their familiar companions.
Five hours was indeed a long time. After more than an hour of attention, some people had already left to rest. The light in the entire golden hall was dimmed as time went by, and only the light on the competition stage was strong.
A special staff member quietly came on stage, delivered some food and drinks to the soul masters, and then quietly left to avoid making too much noise and affecting the soul masters' work.
The six people on the competition stage were very focused, and no one wanted to waste a single moment of time. Whenever a soul guide was completed, the soul guide would raise his hand to signal the referee, who would inspect it. After confirming that it was just completed and judging its function, the soul guide could put it away and use it in the competition later.
Three hours later, Merck had completed four works, which was quite an amazing speed. All four of his works were level 5 soul guides. In the case of limited time, a level 6 soul guide would not necessarily make a level 6 soul guide. In battle, the first thing a soul guide should consider is self-preservation, not attacking the enemy. One soul guide is obviously not enough for fighting. Only a balanced and suitable number of soul guides is the best choice.
“Third brother, can you tell what No. 66 made?” Feng Ling asked Nether Thunder Douluo curiously. Compared with the soul guide made by Merck, she was more interested in Huo Yuhao’s work.
Huo Yuhao submitted four identical soul guides, which were composed of multiple diamond-shaped or streamlined geometric units. The surface was covered with cold-toned metal armor, with sharp edges and luminous patterns. Even an outsider could feel that its overall design combined mechanical precision with dynamic aesthetics.
"Deputy leader, I've said it before, that young man is a genius. From what I've observed, his talent in soul guides is on par with our Saint." Having said this, Nether Thunder Douluo lowered his voice, fearing that he would upset Saint Black Kite. "From the beginning, I noticed that he was making a very complex combination soul guide, which should be a powerful soul guide ray. But this method of making it is the first time I've seen it. There are dozens of core arrays, and the largest one is a concentrated energy core array. He was making it at the fastest speed, but I can't see anything strange about it."
"Then do you think Merck can win? I heard that the Saint put her own carving knives as a bet in order to restore the reputation of Xishui League. What are you guys thinking?!" Feng Ling's tone was a little cold.
"Deputy leader, calm down! It was that kid Merck who wanted to gamble with them. After all, that was a 100,000-year soul bone, and his carving knife was not good enough." Nangong Wan quickly put the blame on Merck, "Even if the soul guide can't beat the opponent, he can use his martial soul in this game. I believe his martial soul will not lose to the opponent!"
"A hundred thousand year soul bone... Come to think of it, you haven't found out the origin of number sixty-six yet?" Feng Ling couldn't help but scolded, "Useless thing!"
"As the deputy leader has taught me, I will track him down personally after this competition!" Nangong Wan lowered his head and promised respectfully.
Feng Ling glanced at him coldly, "Then let's wait and see, how much profit did Xishui League make in this competition?"
Nangong Wan hurriedly said: "It's 33% more than our original plan."
Feng Ling's expression eased a little. "Very good. We will increase our efforts to control those rare metal mines in the hands of the government. At that time, you will also have to send more people. These are the core resources of our sect."
"Yes." Nangong Wan replied respectfully.
During the production intervals, Merck would occasionally look up at Huo Yuhao, with a puzzled look in his eyes. What on earth is this guy doing? Why is he repeatedly making the same soul guide? Since he dared to bet on a hundred thousand year soul bone, he must have a certain level of strength. Is he panicking? No, there must be some special way. Doesn't he have only two hands? Can he control more than four large soul guide rays or soul guide cannons at the same time?
With this thought in mind, Merck naturally paid more attention to Huo Yuhao. His eyes drifted towards the opposite side from time to time, and the movements of his hands slowed down a bit.
Merck narrowed his eyes slightly, and after a brief thought, he immediately began to make another soul guide. His movements became noticeably faster, metal debris flew in his hands, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. Boy, don't you want to use a powerful soul guide to attack me? Then I will let your plan fail in your womb!
After submitting the sixth identical soul guide, Huo Yuhao glanced at the hourglass. There was only half an hour left, so he simply sat there with his eyes closed, concentrating on activating the soul power in his body and adjusting his physical condition.
On the competition stage, after a quick inspection, the three referees still didn’t understand why Huo Yuhao would make six identical soul guides. Was he going to use the turret tactics here?
Soon, the soul guides of the six soul masters were all identified. In addition to Huo Yuhao and the two disciples of Minglei Douluo who had completed six soul guides, He Caitou had five, and the other two had four.
If judged by numbers, the three of them clearly have a considerable advantage.
The chief judge took the loudspeaker soul guide handed over by the emcee, announced the number of soul guides made by everyone, and then said in a deep voice: "Now I will conduct routine inquiries. The soul guide production phase has ended. No matter what the soul guide made is, it must be tested in actual combat. Only through the test of actual combat can the power of the soul guide you made be reflected. Now I ask you, if anyone feels that his soul guide is not enough to fight against the opponent, you can choose to withdraw. Otherwise, once you enter the battle state, if there are casualties, you will be responsible for it yourself."
As soon as these words came out, a solemn atmosphere suddenly appeared on the competition stage. At this time, the six soul guide production tables had been removed, and the rare metals used as rewards had also been temporarily moved down. This circular competition stage would be the place where the six soul guides would decide the winner.
No one dropped out.
The reward is so generous, who wouldn't want to give it a try? Even if you lose, at least you can admit defeat. In the past, in such soul guide competitions, the possibility of dying after losing was still very small.
"Very good. Since no one has withdrawn, let's start the confrontation immediately. First, Soul Master No. 96 will face Soul Master No. 37."
No. 37 was already at a disadvantage in terms of momentum when facing Huang Zheng. There was no suspense at all. It only took five minutes for Huang Zheng to achieve an overwhelming victory. He won, but his junior brother...
What followed was the confrontation between He Caitou and No. 85. He Caitou moved very quickly, and the moment six spirit rings suddenly rose from under his feet, there was an exclamation from the audience. However, his opponent was obviously inferior, with two yellow and three purple. Not only did he only have five spirit rings, but it was not even the best ratio of spirit rings.
The winner was soon clear, and two of the three duels were already over. The duels between soul masters were always very fast, and a one-point difference in strength would easily show up in the game.
The highlight is finally about to begin, and the pair of players who are betting against each other are about to start the competition.
On the other side, Merck had already equipped himself with six soul guides and came to the stage. When their eyes met, he showed Huo Yuhao a grim smile and said fiercely, "Boy, do you feel the pressure now? Go down. Since you gave me such a great gift, I don't want to kill you. I'll just spare your life."
“I hope you don’t cry after you lose. Three ranking engraving knives, right? They’re mine.” Huo Yuhao snorted coldly. Who doesn’t know how to make threats?
"My Dark Azure Dragon is right here. I'm afraid you can only look at it. Hahaha!"
“Referee!” Huo Yuhao suddenly shouted, “I have already given my bet to you. Now that the soul guide has been completed, shouldn’t he also give the bet against me to you? Isn’t that fair?”
Merck and Huang Zheng, who was not far away, both looked frozen, but soon returned to normal. When Huang Zheng reluctantly handed over the carving knife, Merck comforted him with a guilty conscience: "Brother, just let them take it. It will be back in our hands soon anyway."
Huang Zheng snorted, "You'd better be."
Merck knew that he was in the wrong, so he could only vent his anger on Huo Yuhao, "That kid, what kind of junk did you make? Do you want to call someone to help you carry it up? Hahahahaha..."
"Are you ready?" the referee asked, interrupting Merck's laughter.
"We're ready." They said in unison.
A pale yellow soul guide shield rose up and turned into a hemispherical shape, covering the entire competition stage to prevent the power of the soul guide from destroying the golden hall during the competition.
"The game begins!" With the referee's order, the last match of today's top six competition officially began.
Merck was still laughing at Huo Yuhao before the game started. Two yellow, two purple, two black, six soul rings rose one after another, and strong soul power fluctuations were released from him. But soon he could not laugh anymore, because he saw the six diamond-shaped, triangular or streamlined geometric bodies slowly floating in a symmetrical form on Huo Yuhao's back and shoulders, floating around like a swarm of precision machines, with a cold glow on the edges.
In order not to reveal his identity, Huo Yuhao now rarely shows the true color of his spirit ring to others, and always conceals it through simulation. As the spirit ring with the same optimal ratio is released, the originally closed geometric body detaches from Huo Yuhao's back or shoulder, and the cold and hard shell folds like a living body. A focusing prism extends from the muzzle, and a jagged energy amplifier pops out from the edge.
The evil soul masters in the central VIP room also couldn't laugh. Why did this thing look familiar? It was like a new product that Dragon Emperor Douluo would test at the Holy Spirit Church headquarters from time to time.
Everyone who was originally sitting upright jumped up almost at the same time, each with a look of horror on their face, even Feng Ling was no exception. They all quickly stood in front of the window, staring at Huo Yuhao below without blinking.
"What's wrong? Third Elder, what is that?" Mu Xing took in the expressions of the evil soul masters, but still pretended to be curious.
“Really?” Nangong Wan turned his head tremblingly and stared at Minglei Douluo, “Third brother, say something!”
Feng Ling was even more incredulous, "Long Xiaoyao's floating cannon?!"
As a disciple of Minglei Douluo, Merck knew very well what it was. He might not have been bombarded by Long Xiaoyao, but he had seen seniors who were blown into pieces. He suddenly felt fortunate that he had spent two hours to create an invincible shield.
No, since this kid is also a Soul Emperor, it means that his soul power cannot sustain attacks for too long. Maybe a single attack can drain all his soul power. As long as I use my invincible shield to withstand a round of attacks, won't this kid be at my mercy?
When he thought that the stakes were a hundred thousand year soul bone, Merck instantly gave up the idea of admitting defeat. He decided to take a gamble. At worst, he could just cheat and let the teacher rescue him.
Six floating cannons drew intersecting arcs of light in the air, and the trailing afterimages wove into a spider web of death, which then collapsed into an incandescent spear of light that devoured everything. Each reorganization was accompanied by the metallic tremor of mechanical bites and the hum of energy overload, and eventually turned into a killing artwork that gracefully returned to its original position amid the flying metal debris.
At the same time, a light burst out from behind Merck, and the soul guide thruster pushed him straight towards Huo Yuhao with a strong force. The moment the golden invincible shield was opened, spider-web-like cracks instantly exploded on the surface, as if it was the last struggle before death. The collapsed fragments of the shield flew like ice crystals, and each piece reflected Merck's terrified face.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Minglei Douluo, who was in the central VIP room, could not stay any longer. Before he even went out, he shouted, "Number ninety-eight, admit defeat, stop attacking!" With a flash of light and shadow, he had appeared in the air in the golden hall, hanging there.
“Huh?” Huo Yuhao subconsciously stopped attacking, but was unable to retrieve the beam that had already been shot out. The last blow penetrated Merck’s chest, and in the center of the charred arena, only half of his body was left, gradually carbonizing amid the buzzing sound of the floater.