It was just an ordinary piercing cannon, but Huo Yuhao had made some significant modifications to the original version.
The original piercing cannon functioned by loading a piercing shell into the barrel, which would then be fired immediately after a Soul Master injected soul power into it.
Now, however, Huo Yuhao had redesigned it using his understanding of modern hot weapon mechanics from his previous life, transforming it into something resembling a Panzerfaust rocket launcher.
The upgraded cannon had its shell fixed to the front of the launcher. A Soul Master could charge it with soul power ahead of time, and when the time came, simply pull the trigger to fire it through a mechanical structure built using the core array. It no longer required real-time activation.
Initially, Huo Yuhao had wanted to directly replicate Earth's mechanical structure to create a soul tool that even ordinary people could use. Wouldn't that be amazing?
But in the end, it didn't work. The laws of physics on Earth were very different from those of this world. Mechanisms that functioned perfectly on Earth would often fail in one part or another here.
So, he compromised—by modifying the mechanical structure through core arrays. While he made it more convenient to use, ultimately, it was still limited to use by Soul Masters.
'Sigh… As expected, to mass-produce soul tools that could arm ordinary people, we'll still need to rely on Xuan Ziwen's research into self-charging milk bottles.'
'I'll need to work closely with Xuan Ziwen in the future. Once we master that technology, I'll be able to completely transform the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master army.'
If the self-charging milk bottle technology could be combined with modern hot weapon designs from Earth, the result would be nothing short of a bloody storm that could sweep through and utterly destroy the Star Luo, Heaven Dou, and Dou Ling Empires.
'Heh… Now that's something to look forward to.'
After fantasizing about the future for a while, Huo Yuhao snapped back to reality—he was still broke.
'First things first, I need to earn my first pot of gold.'
Without even resting, Huo Yuhao grabbed the piercing cannon and left his dormitory.
The academic atmosphere in the Sun Moon Empire was excellent, but unlike Shrek Academy, it wasn't the kind of place obsessed with overworking its students.
Here, student life was relatively relaxed. The earliest classes didn't begin until eight in the morning.
So, at around 6:00 a.m., the campus was quiet, with barely anyone awake.
Exiting the academy gates, Huo Yuhao made his way straight to a small soul tool pawnshop he had scouted earlier.
Even though it was just a small pawnshop, its external decor was refined and tasteful—clear proof of how lucrative the soul tool business was in the Sun Moon Empire.
"Open at six in the morning… Looks like the working world is just as intense here."
He walked in to see a middle-aged man dozing off behind the counter, wearing the badge of a level-four Soul Master on his chest.
"Good morning, boss. I'm here to sell a soul tool."
The man jolted awake at Huo Yuhao's voice, shivering as he glanced sleepily at the young boy with what looked like a low-grade soul tool in his hands.
"You nearly scared me to death… This early? I thought it was some big deal, but it's just a kid. What kind of soul tool? I've never seen one like that before."
The shopkeeper yawned and cast a disinterested look at the weapon in Huo Yuhao's hands.
"Level-two piercing cannon, boss."
"Thirty gold soul coins. Take it or leave it. I need to catch some more sleep."
Being a level-four Soul Master gave the shopkeeper a bit of status in the Sun Moon Empire. Naturally, he wasn't too respectful to a kid who looked neither powerful nor noble—just another student from the Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind the attitude. In a world where strength was everything, it was only natural to be looked down on when you didn't seem strong.
"Boss, your offer isn't quite right. My piercing cannon should fetch at least fifty gold soul coins."
He smiled at the shopkeeper, who nearly choked on his own spit.
"Cough, cough! Boy, are you kidding me? Fifty gold coins? For that thing?"
"Of course. If you don't believe me, I can give you a demonstration."
The boss nearly burst out laughing. This little brat didn't even have a Soul Master badge and wanted to impress a level-four Soul Master like him?
"Fine, fine. You're a student at the empire's most prestigious academy—I'll humor you. There's a test area out back. Come with me."
"Boss, I think you'll find that the honor might just be yours."
"Tch, cocky little runt."
Bantering all the way, the two of them stepped into an open testing ground behind the shop.
"So? How are you going to show me what's special about this piercing cannon of yours?"
Huo Yuhao handed the launcher to the shopkeeper and pointed at the trigger at the end of the barrel, mimicking a trigger-pulling motion with his finger.
"Just aim it at that dummy and pull the trigger. No need to inject any soul power."
'No soul power? How the hell am I supposed to use it then?'
The shopkeeper's face darkened. He was now certain this brat was pulling some kind of trick. Well, if nothing happened, he'd find a reason to make the kid pay.
He aimed the launcher at the dummy and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh! The piercing shell flew out and exploded upon impact with the dummy.
The explosion was no more powerful than a standard piercing cannon, but that wasn't the point.
The real shock hit after the explosion faded and the shopkeeper stood there stunned.
'Wait… I didn't inject any soul power. How did it fire?'
He looked at Huo Yuhao with disbelief.
"This is a modified piercing cannon. But rather than calling it that, I prefer the name Panzerfaust rocket launcher."
"This launcher, unlike the typical piercing cannon, allows a Soul Master to charge it ahead of time. Once it's ready, anyone—even an ordinary person—can fire it just by pulling the trigger."
"So, boss… What do you think of my little rocket launcher?"
Hearing the explanation, the shopkeeper knew he hadn't been lied to. The demonstration spoke for itself.
And that meant one thing: this weapon had potential—massive potential.
Imagine how many customers would want a soul tool that could empower their non-Soul Master subordinates, boosting their combat strength?
If it were a higher-level soul tool, this kind of tech might even catch the attention of the imperial military.
The shopkeeper's hands trembled. He tried to keep a calm facade, but his excitement was hard to suppress.
"It's good. It's worth fifty gold soul coins, for sure. But… I'd really like to know—how did you manage to make this, little brother?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled inwardly.
'Trying to get my IP for free? Do I look like some naive pushover to you?'
"Heh. Boss, do you really think that's something you can get for free?"
The shopkeeper sighed internally. So much for tricking him—any kid smart enough to create something like this obviously wasn't stupid.
(End of Chapter)
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