Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

Chapter 220 Poaching People from Mingde Hall

As Huo Yutong's studies at Mingde Hall deepened, she came to realize more and more that the Sun Moon Empire's mastery of soul tools had reached its pinnacle.

In contrast, the Spirit Pagoda seems to lack momentum in the cutting-edge research and development of soul guidance technology, especially in the extreme lack of high-level soul masters who can break through traditional frameworks.

The Spirit Pagoda has no shortage of rare metals for crafting advanced soul tools, and can even provide newly joined soul masters with a continuous supply of cultivation resources.

But that's far from enough. The vast majority of the truly high-level Soul Masters, those level nine experts who have mastered the core technologies, are firmly controlled by a few top forces, especially the Soul Guidance Department of Shrek Academy and the Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Empire.

Mingde Hall is undoubtedly the best among them, bringing together the most outstanding soul guide talents on the continent.

To make up for this shortcoming in a short period of time, besides cultivating talent ourselves, there is only one direct but also the most difficult way: poaching talent.

"Sigh, if only I had a few of those engraving knives..." Huo Yutong sighed softly as she looked at the soul tool blueprints in her hand.

The List Carving Knife is the core artifact for carving high-spiritual-power circuits. Possessing it will allow the research and development level of the Spirit Pagoda to increase exponentially.

"Carving knives? I have plenty of those here!" Just then, Xie Lin's confident voice rang in her mind.

"How did you get this?" Huo Yutong asked, somewhat surprised.

"Didn't many human soul masters used to come to the Demon Forest to hunt soul beasts? The storage soul tools they killed were all confiscated by us. There are quite a few good things hidden inside, including several engraving knives for listing titles," Xie Lin explained proudly.

Huo Yutong's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Indeed, the Demon Forest was located within the territory of the Sun Moon Empire, so it was no surprise that it attracted the covetous eyes of human soul masters.

The legacy left behind by those powerful figures who died is undoubtedly a ready-made treasure for the Spirit Pagoda.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Xie Lin." Huo Yutong immediately pulled out a thick book from the bookshelf. "This is the 'Illustrated Compendium of Engraving Knives,' which records in detail the styles and structures of various engraving knives. Pass the compendium to Senior Xie Di and ask him to keep an eye out for any styles listed in the compendium and collect them for us as much as possible."

Xie Lin looked at the illustrated guide, flipped through it casually, and suddenly seemed to have discovered a new continent. He floated to Huo Yutong's bookshelf and stared at a row of booklets in the corner. Titles such as "The Domineering Prince's Contract Princess" and "A Hundred Days of Love: My Masked Empress" were faintly visible.

There were also many small, thin books with their titles covered by book covers.

"Wow, I didn't expect our Yu Tong to like reading these pink and bubbly novels?" Xie Lin teased with a strange laugh.

Huo Yutong's pretty face instantly flushed red, and she quickly reached out to cover her face: "This is to protect the books! Can't we prevent them from getting dusty?"

"Alright, alright, alright, alright." Xie Lin laughed so hard he almost fell over, and then conveyed the task of finding the carving knife to the Demon Forest.

Soon, the Evil Emperor mobilized the power of his clan to launch a large-scale search on the outskirts of the forest. They actually managed to find a decent-quality engraving knife in the storage rings of a few unlucky souls.

With the equipment issue resolved, the next crucial step was poaching people from Mingdetang.

The top floor of the Spirit Transmission Tower, the hall master's office of Jing Hongchen.

A faint aroma of tea filled the air. Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen had already taken their seats, with Huo Yutong, who had just arrived, sitting opposite them.

"Yu Tong, I wonder what kind of 'business' the Spirit Pagoda wants to discuss with Mingde Hall this time?" Kong Deming asked with a smile.

With a wave of her small hand, Huo Yutong conjured a beam of emerald green light on the desk, which transformed into a petite figure—Xie Lin in his true form.

It was a small, evil-eyed tyrant with emerald green gradient tentacles, its single eye gleaming with intelligence.

"Elder Kong, Elder Jing, this is my soul spirit, Xie Lin. She comes from the Evil Eye Tyrant clan, whose descendants are born with a soul skill called 'Mind Communication.' No matter how far apart they are, they can transmit information and images without any obstacles," Huo Yutong explained.

Xie Lin blinked his single eye, and a mental wave spread out.

The next instant, a semi-transparent light screen appeared on the wall of Jing Hongchen's office.

In the light screen, in the office at the other end of the Spirit Tower, Brigitte appeared with braided pigtails and gold-rimmed glasses.

"Elder Kong, Elder Jing, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Huo Biling, an elder of the Spirit Pagoda," Biji's voice came. "Our Spirit Pagoda is currently expanding and urgently needs top-notch soul guide talents. As everyone knows, the soul guide technology of Mingde Hall is unparalleled in the world."

Today, we hope to reach a deep cooperation agreement with Mingde Hall, recruiting some of Mingde Hall's elite members to join the Spirit Transmission Tower.

Jing Hongchen frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Elder Huo, most of the members of Mingde Hall possess confidential information. It would be inappropriate for them to switch sides rashly."

Kong Deming waved his hand, his sharp gaze fixed on Bi Ji on the screen: "Elder Huo, Mingde Hall certainly doesn't lack manpower, but we value 'top talent' even more. I wonder what the Spirit Pagoda intends to use to impress us?"

Brigitte's lips curled slightly upwards: "Elder Kong, the Spirit Pagoda has far more trump cards than you imagine. For example... this."

As her voice fell, an ancient, vast, and terrifying pressure instantly filled the entire conference room. Even through the light screen, Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen felt their breath catch in their throats, as if a prehistoric beast was looking down at them from above.

"The scales of the Beast God," Brigitte said softly. "They contain immense power. The Spirit Pagoda can offer three scales of the Beast God as a token of our sincerity."

Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen's pupils constricted sharply. The scales of the Beast God!

"Not only that," Brigitte pressed her advantage, "Regarding the mineral resources of the three major spirit beast settlements, the Spirit Pagoda is willing to allocate an additional portion to Mingde Hall. We can draft a contract immediately regarding the specific mining sites and quantities."

Kong Deming squinted, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.

These three scales, along with the mineral share, are indeed a fortune that could drive anyone crazy.

But he knew that if Huo Biling dared to ask for such a price, the Spirit Pagoda must have a backup plan.

"...Elder Huo." After a long silence, Kong Deming slowly spoke, "The scales of the Beast God are indeed tempting. But Mingde Hall also has its rules. If we could add one more condition, I might be able to persuade His Majesty to lobby a few level-nine Soul Masters."