"A metal with vitality?" Xuan Ziwen was instantly shocked. "Is there really such a metal in this world? Wait, Yuhao, I remember your Blade of Life's Guardian can release life energy. You once mentioned that the metal used to forge it was called Gold of Life. So, is this Arctic God Crystal the same kind of metal?"
He had always thought that Huo Yuhao's Blade of Life's Guardian was remarkable, mainly because metals with life energy were extremely rare in this world. In fact, Gold of Life was the only life attributed metal he had ever heard of.
If such metals existed in large quantities, he believed they could serve as a foundation to create a whole new class of soul tools.
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "My Blade of Life's Guardian can indeed release life energy because it's made of Gold of Life, a metal with life attributed properties. However, Gold of Life and Arctic God Crystal are entirely different materials."
"In fact, the reason Arctic God Crystal is called a 'divine crystal' is that it has evolved to a level where it possesses a certain degree of life energy. Metals of this caliber are incredibly rare, even in all of Douluo Continent."
The truth was, if one wanted to create exceptional soul tools, the quality of the materials was crucial.
This was why higher grade soul tools required rarer and more precious materials.
Of course, throughout Douluo's history, there were always those who liked to boast about their unparalleled craftsmanship.
Huo Yuhao still remembered how Tang Hao once claimed that "forging a divine weapon from ordinary iron is the true skill of a godly craftsman, while using precious materials only makes you a mere assembler."
Honestly, Tang Hao was just spouting nonsense.
Even in Douluo Dalu 1, whenever Tang San wanted to craft a high quality hidden weapon, he would search for the best materials available before even starting the forging process.
By Tang Hao's logic, Tang San should've just picked up some random scrap iron from the roadside and tried to forge top tier hidden weapons with it completely ignoring the importance of quality materials.
"Yuhao, where exactly in the Heavenly Soul Empire can we find Arctic God Crystal?" Xuan Ziwen asked eagerly.
"In Longcheng, a city in Heavenly Soul Empire," Huo Yuhao explained. "Currently, the Arctic God Crystal deposit is controlled by a faction called Dilong Sect."
Xuan Ziwen frowned. "Dilong Sect? Never heard of them. But I do recall a sect called Tianlong Sect in Heavenly Soul Empire."
Being a disciple of Kong Deming and the chief researcher of Mingde Hall, Xuan Ziwen didn't waste his time learning about minor factions.
Only a few exceptional forces were worth his attention.
Tianlong Sect was one of them, because its leader was a powerful Titled Douluo and a descendant of the Yu Clan. Most of its members were Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Masters.
Back in the day, Spirit Hall had wiped out the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but some of its members had been away from home at the time, escaping their clan's destruction.
This gave rise to another lineage of Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Masters, separate from Yu Xiaogang's branch.
Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Both Dilong Sect and Tianlong Sect are based in Longcheng, but the former is significantly weaker. Dilong Sect's leader is only a Soul Douluo, so we can start preparing to head there soon."
With all the connections and backing he had now, visiting Dilong Sect wasn't going to be dangerous at all.
"Alright, I'll prepare some soul tools for excavation and cutting, then inform the academy dean before we set off," Xuan Ziwen said, stepping toward his workbench.
"Wait, Teacher Xuan. You don't need to prepare those."
Xuan Ziwen stopped in his tracks, puzzled. "Why not?"
Huo Yuhao explained patiently, "Because extracting Arctic God Crystal is extremely difficult. With Sun Moon Empire's current technology, it's impossible to fully extract it without damage. Also, the environment within Dilong Sect's secret realm is extremely hostile.
"Without an Ultimate Ice martial soul, even a Titled Douluo wouldn't last long inside."
After all, that place was the Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Cavern.
For someone with Ultimate Ice, it was a land of opportunity, but for anyone else, it was a deadly trap.
Even Nan Shuishui, a Soul Douluo, could only endure for a short time and was unable to venture deep inside.
Moreover, mining Arctic God Crystal could only be done by him Huo Yuhao.
His Ultimate Ice martial soul allowed him to extract the crystal effortlessly, something no one else could achieve.
"Alright then, I'll inform the academy dean," Xuan Ziwen nodded. "With him on board, our safety will be guaranteed."
He would've liked to ask Kong Deming for help, but Kong Lao was obsessed with researching Rank 10 soul tools.
Now that Huo Yuhao had returned, Kong Lao was probably locked in his lab, completely immersed in his research.
"Good," Huo Yuhao agreed.
Bringing Jing Hongchen along could help facilitate their dealings with Dilong Sect.
Although Dilong Sect wasn't particularly powerful, its Crimson Dragon martial soul had potential.
However, for Huo Yuhao, the most important aspects of Dilong Sect weren't just its secret realm but also its leader, Nan Shuishui.
Nan Shuishui had a very unique background.
The Third Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, Nether Thunder Douluo, had been infatuated with her for years.
Back in the day, Nether Thunder Douluo pursued Nan Shuishui but was rejected. He was forced to watch her marry another man, which enraged him to the point of defecting and becoming an evil soul master.
Yet, despite this, he still longed for her.
So if Huo Yuhao could use Nan Shuishui to lure Nether Thunder Douluo out, then capture and control him, he could infiltrate the Holy Spirit Cult from within.
After all, Nether Thunder Douluo was a Rank 93 Titled Douluo and a high ranking figure within the cult.
More importantly, evil soul masters lacked true loyalty.
Nether Thunder Douluo had joined the Holy Spirit Cult not out of devotion, but simply because he needed a place where evil soul masters could thrive.
What he truly valued was his own life and hard earned cultivation.
Using Nether Thunder Douluo as an entry point to infiltrate the Holy Spirit Cult was a completely viable strategy.
But first, they needed to gain control of Dilong Sect.
Heavenly Soul Empire – Longcheng
As one of Longcheng's two major sects, Dilong Sect held significant influence within the city.
The smaller sects in Longcheng treated Dilong Sect's members with great respect.
Even though Tianlong Sect was still the dominant force, the two sects had a long standing peaceful relationship.
Inside Dilong Sect, a beautiful female soul master walked through the sect grounds, hands behind her back, inspecting her surroundings.
Whenever disciples of Dilong Sect saw her, they respectfully called out:
"Big Sis!"
She was Nan Qiuqiu, daughter of the sect leader the number one genius of Dilong Sect.
(End of chapter.)
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