The corners of Xiao Hongchen's lips curled up slightly, carrying a hint of provocation.
"Since you're also a 4th Class Soul Engineer, you shouldn't be afraid of my challenge, right?"
He paused, straightened his back, and spoke with an unabashed confidence in his tone.
"How about it? Do you dare to accept the challenge?"
Huo Yuhao looked at him, weighing the options in his mind.
He had originally intended to study the Sun Moon Empire's soul guidance technology to see what was worth learning from over here.
Xiao Hongchen's initiative to propose a match happened to play right into his hands.
Moreover, looking at Xiao Hongchen's appearance, he was clearly a scion of nobility; his every word and action exuded the arrogance of someone pampered from a young age.
The "Grandfather" he mentioned must hold significant power within the Sun Moon Empire.
If he could use this match to win an opportunity to study the Sun Moon Empire's Spirit Tools, it would save a lot of trouble.
"Fine."
Huo Yuhao nodded, agreeing straightforwardly and decisively.
Xiao Hongchen was slightly taken aback, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.
He had thought Huo Yuhao would hesitate or find some excuse to decline, but he hadn't expected the other party to agree instantly without even thinking about it.
Furthermore, there was no sign of particular panic or nervousness on Huo Yuhao's face.
Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but start feeling suspicious in his heart.
Does this guy really have some skills up his sleeve?
However, this thought only flashed through Xiao Hongchen's mind for an instant before he quickly suppressed it.
He was the Genius of the Sun Moon Empire, a once-in-a-century soul guidance Genius of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
Even if Huo Yuhao really had some ability, what did he have to fear?
The Sun Moon Empire's Spirit Tool technology was ahead of the original three nations of the Douluo Continent by an unknown number of years. The people of those three nations didn't value Spirit Tools at all; after several hundred years of development, their level was just mediocre.
Of course, when Xiao Hongchen's gaze swept over Huo Yuhao, he still reined in some of his contempt. After all, Huo Yuhao came from that Sky Shrek Academy. The fact that Sky Shrek Academy could produce something like a soul guidance car was enough to prove that the Spirit Tool technology of the original three Douluo nations couldn't compare to that of Sky Shrek Academy either.
But so what?
He, Xiao Hongchen, had never feared any challenge.
"Fine, you've got guts."
Xiao Hongchen nodded, the disdain in his eyes receding slightly, replaced by a look of seriousness.
"Follow me."
He turned around and walked toward the depths of the academy.
Huo Yuhao followed behind him. One after the other, they crossed a wide road, bypassed several uniquely designed buildings, and finally stopped in front of a silver-white building.
Xiao Hongchen pushed open the doors and walked in, with Huo Yuhao following closely behind.
This was a spacious and bright hall filled with various Spirit Tool manufacturing devices. There were precision metal workbenches, and auxiliary devices embedded with various Carving Knives and measuring tools were neatly arranged in the corners.
The faint scent of metal permeated the air.
Xiao Hongchen walked to a workbench, turned around, and spread his arms like a monarch showcasing his territory.
"This is the spirit tool production room for the Soul Engineers of our Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
His tone carried a hint of pride, and as his gaze swept over the precision devices, his eyes were full of self-satisfaction.
"These tools and auxiliary devices were all independently developed by our Sun Moon Empire. They provide a lot of convenience in the manufacturing of Spirit Tools."
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept over the workbench, and he silently made a comparison in his heart.
He was very familiar with these things.
Those Carving Knives, measuring tools, and auxiliary devices—though their appearances differed slightly—had almost the same functions and principles as the ones he used at Sky Shrek Academy.
In fact, the academy's tools were even more refined.
However, Huo Yuhao didn't show it, merely nodding faintly with an expressionless face.
Looking at his indifferent manner, Xiao Hongchen couldn't help but feel a bit dissatisfied.
This guy wasn't surprised at all after seeing so many precision Spirit Tool manufacturing devices?
Could it be that the devices at that Sky Shrek Academy were even better than here?
Xiao Hongchen shook his head, casting aside the stray thoughts. He cleared his throat and said seriously,
"Since it's a match, there must be a topic."
He looked at Huo Yuhao, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on Xiao Hongchen, and then he nodded slightly.
"So, what is the topic of the match?"
Xiao Hongchen smiled upon hearing Huo Yuhao's question and spoke.
"It's simple. Making a 4th Class Oscillation Cannon is enough. Even among 4th Class Spirit Tools, the Oscillation Cannon is considered one of the more complex ones."
"We'll compete on this. How about it?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao nodded slightly.
"Okay."
He paused, then asked again,
"Can I see the blueprints for the Oscillation Cannon first?"
Xiao Hongchen's gaze landed on Huo Yuhao, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Had Huo Yuhao really never seen this blueprint before?
But he soon understood; this was something only taught at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. It was normal for other academies not to have taught it.
Except... in that case, it would seem like he was taking an unfair advantage.
"I'll wait for you to finish reading the blueprint, and then we'll start the match."
Saying this, Xiao Hongchen directly took a blueprint out of his Storage Soul Tool and handed it to Huo Yuhao.
"I won't take advantage of you. If you plan to practice a bit, that's fine too. I'll give you two days to familiarize yourself."
Xiao Hongchen had made an Oscillation Cannon before, but his success rate wasn't very high; after all, this thing was truly difficult to manufacture.
"Or, you can also propose a topic."
Xiao Hongchen's gaze fell on Huo Yuhao, watching him quietly, waiting for his answer.
Since Huo Yuhao wasn't familiar with the Oscillation Cannon, Huo Yuhao could also bring out a Spirit Tool he wasn't familiar with for a competition, like that soul guidance car...
Xiao Hongchen was indeed still thinking about Huo Yuhao's soul guidance car. But since he had given out the blueprint for the Oscillation Cannon, and the soul guidance car was also a 4th Class Spirit Tool, then exchanging a 4th Class for a 4th Class was perfectly acceptable.
"No need."
Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on the blueprint Xiao Hongchen had handed over.
"Fine then, I'll give you two days. During this time, tell the guard about food, and he will provide it for you."
Xiao Hongchen didn't react much after hearing Huo Yuhao's refusal.
"No, what I mean is that I don't need two days."
Huo Yuhao continued to clarify.
"Don't need two days?"
Xiao Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao in disbelief. One had to know that back when he first encountered the Oscillation Cannon, he had spent quite a lot of time on it, yet this Huo Yuhao, who was encountering it for the first time, didn't even need two days.
Immediately, Xiao Hongchen's expression turned somewhat gloomy.
"What do you mean? Are you admitting defeat directly?"
"No, I've already memorized it all. We can start the match."
Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Hongchen seriously. After meeting Huo Yuhao's gaze, Xiao Hongchen became unhappy. What did this mean? Was he showing off his talent in front of a Genius like himself?
Or had Huo Yuhao actually seen the Oscillation Cannon before but was pretending he hadn't to create a 'Genius' persona?
No matter which it was, Xiao Hongchen was going to crush Huo Yuhao utterly! In the name of a Genius!
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.