Book 36: Moving Forwards
Chapter 506: He is Huo Yuhao!
The middle-aged man took his badge and immediately turned to leave. “You’re
following me to the academic affairs office.” He began to walk as he spoke.
Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. This guy’s a little insensitive. Does he
think I’m just some loser trying to get free food?
“Please wait. I don’t think I have
the time,” Huo Yuhao hurriedly stood up and followed him.
“Why don’t you have time?” The middle-aged man frowned, and his face was
still as cold as ever.
Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “I’m here to participate in the Sea God’s
Fated Blind Date!”
The middle-aged man’s expression was full of disdain. “You? You are to
participate in the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date? You’re going to follow me to
deal with this issue of freeloading. I don’t
care if you were once a student from the inner courtyard. At the very least,
you aren’t considered one now. I have never seen you before. And even if you
were, coming back to the inner courtyard to get free food goes against the
Academy’s rules. Follow me to be investigated, and if I find out that you’re
here often to freeload, even if you were once a student from the inner
courtyard, I will cancel your status as a student and take away your
graduation certificate.”
“Ah?” Huo Yuhao was astonished. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is it this
serious just for a meal? Furthermore, I’m still a student from the inner
courtyard!”
The middle-aged man laughed coldly. “The
Academy has been too lenient. That’s the reason why villains like you
have thrived and succeeded. Food in the inner courtyard is so precious; how
can it be given to a person like you who rips people off just like that?
Just look at how much you’ve eaten. Do you know how much this food is
worth?”
This middle-aged man had stopped Huo Yuhao, and his voice wasn’t soft at
all. Wu Feng, Xie Huanyue, Ning Tian, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu all heard him.
Their expressions were all a little strange at this moment. However, even Wu
Feng, who was never friendly towards Huo Yuhao, didn’t have a sadistic look
on her face. This teacher was going a little overboard. Even if a student
who had graduated from the inner courtyard came back for a meal, how could
that lead to his graduation certificate being stripped? Since when did Shrek
Academy become so tyrannical?
Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh. He would probably have reacted angrily if he hadn’t
been in Shrek Academy. However, he had always treated Shrek Academy as his
home! He respected every single one of Shrek Academy’s teachers, and so he
forced down the fury in his heart as he lowered his voice and said, “Why
don’t we do this: I’ll pay for the food that I’ve just eaten. I really can’t
afford this delay.” He had already promised his eldest senior sister,
and would probably run into big trouble if he didn’t hurry over in time.
What if his eldest senior sister didn’t let him graduate?
“Pay? You’re thinking of paying now?” The middle-aged man instantly felt
like he had grabbed onto Huo Yuhao’s tail. “Where were you earlier?
Furthermore, how do I know if this is the first time that you’ve been
freeloading from the Academy? Follow me back to be investigated. We’ll
revisit this once the investigation is complete.”
He turned to walk out as he spoke.
“Please wait, teacher,” Ning Tian strode over and blocked this
middle-aged teacher’s path. “Why haven’t I seen you before, teacher? I can
vouch that he’s part of the inner courtyard.”
The middle-aged man was momentarily stunned. “I’m a new teacher who handles
discipline. You don’t know me, but I know you. Your name is Ning Tian, and
you come from the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. You can vouch for him? Are
you sure? If you’re covering for him, then you will also be punished.”
Ning Tian frowned and said, “Teacher, he’s often not around because he’s
usually outside carrying out missions. That’s the reason why you’ve never
seen him. Even though you’re responsible for enforcing discipline, you can’t
be so unreasonable. You haven’t even asked his name, so how do you know he’s
not part of the inner courtyard? If there’s someone who is most worthy of
eating in this canteen right now, it’s not me, and it’s not anybody else
here. It’s not even you. It’s him.”
The middle-aged man was already convinced when Ning Tian stood forward to
vouch for Huo Yuhao, but he erupted furiously when he heard her words. “Does
that mean a student has a higher status than me, as a teacher? Do you know I
can punish you for humiliating a teacher for what you’ve said, according to
the Academy’s disciplinary rules?”
“Bullshit!” Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian were both holding back because they were
concerned about the Academy, but there was someone here who didn’t have a
good temper!
Wu Feng wouldn’t have said anything if this middle-aged man was targeting
Huo Yuhao, but she wouldn’t have it if he was targeting Ning Tian! Her fiery
temper immediately exploded as she arrived beside Ning Tian in a flash.
“You suspect our identity as students in the inner courtyard, but we’re
starting to suspect your identity as a teacher. We’ve never seen you before,
so what do you have to prove that you’re a disciplinary teacher? Since when
has Shrek Academy said that former students can’t eat in the Academy? When
have we had this rule? You’re embarrassing yourself! Detain all of us if you
can!”
The man was infuriated when Wu Feng talked back to him. “Alright, then I’ll
take every single one of you away! I want to see what else you all have to
say in front of the Academy’s rules!”
“Teacher, we have to be reasonable, and that’s required even for a teacher.
I think you were probably hired from outside, and you must’ve had a hard
time passing the Academy’s test. Don’t ruin yourself!” Xie Huanyue said
grimly as he stood up as well.
He wasn’t the only one. Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu walked over slowly, and they
circled around this middle-aged man from the other side. The other students
from the inner courtyard all stood up and surrounded him. Everyone had a
black look on their faces.
Of course, students weren’t allowed to offend teachers. However, this was
Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard, and the students from the inner courtyard
had a different status compared to students from the outer courtyard. In
Shrek Academy, even students from the inner courtyard could become teachers
if they were willing to go to the outer courtyard.
The middle-aged man’s words had already incurred public anger. Even though
most of these students didn’t know who Huo Yuhao was, they all had
sentiments attached to their Academy’s canteen. If everyone who wanted to
come back for a free meal like Huo Yuhao did would be punished by the
Academy, and might even have their graduation certificates confiscated, that
made everyone conflicted. Even though they didn’t say anything, they still
surrounded this teacher from the inner courtyard.
“Stop this, everyone. This is just a misunderstanding,” Huo Yuhao
hurriedly interjected. He glanced at Ning Tian, and a grateful look appeared
in his eyes. Ning Tian had been the first to step forward.
Ning Tian smiled faintly and said, “We have never thought about offending
and talking back to our teachers, but shouldn’t teachers respect us
students, as well? Yuhao, you should take your leave because you’re busy.
We’ll deal with this. Wu Feng, can you please look for Dean Cai? I’ve just
seen her, she should still be in the inner courtyard. Please ask her to come
and deal with this. If we are really wrong, then we will admit our mistakes
and let the Academy punish us however they like. Otherwise, we must ask the
Academy for an explanation!”
Huo Yuhao nodded in Ning Tian’s direction and said, “Alright, sorry for the
trouble.” That was the most appropriate way to deal with this matter. He
didn’t dare to stay any longer and hurriedly walked out.
“You may not leave!” The middle-aged man suddenly reached out and grabbed at
Huo Yuhao’s arm. The aura on his body flared up at the same time, and soul
rings swiftly rose from beneath his feet. They suddenly emanated soul power
and immediately pushed everyone around him a few steps backward.
“Eh?” Huo Yuhao didn’t expect this teacher to be so dissatisfied with the
result that he would actually decide to make a move against him. The
teacher’s palm contained a formidable soul skill, and eight soul rings had
risen from beneath his feet. Being able to become a teacher in Shrek
Academy’s inner courtyard meant that he was quite strong.
However, his eight soul rings weren’t in the optimal combination. He had two
yellow, three purple, and three black soul rings. Even though it was
considered good, it wasn’t considered much within Shrek’s inner courtyard.
A cold light flickered in Huo Yuhao’s eyes. He had been holding back again
and again, but this man just didn’t know when to stop. Even the nicest
people had a threshold, not to mention Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao raised his left hand, and his palm immediately became jade-green
in color. He didn’t release his martial soul, but he pressed his hand toward
the middle-aged man’s palm just like that.
The middle-aged man grabbed Huo Yuhao’s palm. He had thought this through,
and displayed his cultivation rank as a Soul Douluo to intimidate these
students from the inner courtyard. Just as Xie Huanyue had guessed, he was
an external staff member who had just arrived recently.
One often felt good about becoming a teacher at Shrek Academy, and that was
the reason why he naturally felt a little arrogant. Today, he had witnessed
Huo Yuhao eating in the Academy’s canteen without his uniform, while he was
also in charge of discipline. He immediately wanted to stamp his presence
among the inner courtyard students, but who knew that doing so would incur
resentment from so many students? He had thought this through. He would
detain the first perpetrator before he would intimidate the other students.
Then, he would leave to prove whether this student in white clothes was
guilty or innocent. When that happened, he would have a chance to push
forward or to retreat.
As he grabbed Huo Yuhao’s hand, it gave him a very warm and damp feeling
upon contact, but just as he wanted to gather his strength to channel his
soul power into Huo Yuhao, he realized to his fear and surprise that Yuhao’s
hand had become as tough as steel. He couldn’t move Huo Yuhao no matter how
much strength he used.
“Teachers cannot attack students in the Academy. Shrek is an Academy, not a
prison,” Huo Yuhao stated in a low voice.
The middle-aged man felt a wave of intense chill come from Huo Yuhao’s palm,
and his entire body shivered from the cold. In the next moment, he could see
that Huo Yuhao’s eyes had become extremely deep and profound, and he felt
like his entire soul was being sucked into them.
Huo Yuhao shook his wrist lightly and flung the teacher’s hand away. However,
he still didn’t attack. Instead, he took a step forward and planted his feet
in front of the man as the formidable aura of a Savage Beast erupted from
his body!
Huo Yuhao controlled this aura, and only the students in a small radius
around him could feel it. That included Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, and the others,
who swiftly stumbled backwards with frightened looks on their faces.
The middle-aged man stumbled backwards as this aura intimidated him. He lost
his balance, and fell down on the ground just like that. His face had turned
ghastly pale.
He had never expected this youth who looked about twenty to exude such a
frightening aura. It was like something that came from a Savage Beast in
human form!
Huo Yuhao turned around at Ning Tian, who also had a frightened look on his
face. He nodded in his direction and said, “Just go according to what you
said, and invite Dean Cai to deal with this. Thank you for today, everyone;
I’ll take my leave now.” Huo Yuhao left the canteen with a single step, and
disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Ning Tian and Wu Feng exchanged a glance. Ning Tian’s eyes were full of
fear, while Wu Feng’s eyes were full of exasperation. The corner of Wu
Feng’s mouth twitched as she laughed bitterly and shook her head. She was
just talking about surpassing Huo Yuhao, and he immediately gave her a show
a strength!
Even if this teacher wasn’t considered a powerful soul master, he was a Soul
Douluo. Otherwise, how could he become an external staff member working for
Shrek Academy? But even a teacher like this couldn’t seem to resist Huo
Yuhao at all. Even though it had to do with his carelessness, the pressure
that came from Huo Yuhao was even more frightening than a Titled Douluo.
Furthermore, Huo Yuhao shook off the teacher’s grasp so easily. Did that
mean his cultivation was…
They weren’t the only ones reacting this way. Those who were familiar with
him, including Xie Huanyue, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu, were all speechless.
Xie Huanyue forced a laugh and
said, “We’ll always be dejected if we keep comparing
ourselves to him! Looks like we won’t ever catch up to him in this life...”
Wu Feng turned and left. “I’m going to look for Dean Cai.”
The other students from the inner courtyard were coming to from their
astonishment. Someone muttered under his breath, “I think that senior said
he’s going to attend the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date! I have to hurry, too,
it’s about time.”
The other students who were single, especially the girls, thronged out and
vanished in the blink of an eye. Those who already had partners stayed
behind and surrounded the wretched, formerly arrogant teacher.
------
Huo Yuhao was also stumped once he left the canteen, because he had
forgotten where he was supposed to assemble for the Sea God’s Fated Blind
Date.
Uh…
Forget it, I’ll just head to the lakeside. The event is held at the lake
anyway, so that can’t be wrong. He could still remember where he had started
the other time.
Huo Yuhao immediately accelerated after he thought that, and ran towards the
place where he had last participated in the event; where he had stepped onto
the lakewater.
Huo Yuhao quickly knew that his guess was right because he could see
students from the inner courtyard, dressed in red uniforms, walking towards
the lake in pairs and trios. They were walking in the same direction, and it
was clear that these people were going to attend the Sea God’s Fated Blind
Date. He
couldn’t be wrong as long as he followed them.
Huo Yuhao was a little dejected. If he had known better, he would have found
a red uniform to wear. My white clothes might be a little too glaring when I
go onto Sea God’s Lake later.
But he couldn’t care about that much anymore. He would risk being late if he
went to change, and that would spell big trouble.
“Eh, aren’t you Yuhao? Eldest senior sister was just worrying about looking
for you, afraid that you won’t show up. It’s fine as long as you’re here.”
Two silhouettes quickly hurried to his side, and Huo Yuhao immediately felt
relieved when he saw them. They were old acquaintances.
“Teacher Wang, senior sister Han, greetings.” Wang Yan was the teacher who
had led Huo Yuhao’s team in the first season of
the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, and he
was with his girlfriend, a former student from the inner courtyard who was
second only to their eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan. She was Han Ruoruo,
who had already become a teacher.
Han Ruoruo’s set of soul skills back then still left a deep impression on
Huo Yuhao, and he still had some lingering fears now that he thought about
them.
Wang Yan seemed a lot more cheerful compared to all those years ago. He
smiled and said, “You’re finally back, Yuhao! Lexuan was worried out of her
mind before this, and she even sent someone to look for you at the Tang
Sect. It’s fine as long as you’re here. Let’s go, quickly. We can’t be late.”
Han Ruoruo smiled and said, “That’s right, we won’t forgive you if you dare
to be late. Eldest senior sister and I will be the hosts.”
Huo Yuhao replied, “Eldest senior sister has ordered me, so how could I dare
to be late? I went to grab something to eat in the canteen, and when I
finished my food, I realized that I’d forgotten where we were supposed to
assemble. It was great to
run into you guys. But it doesn’t really matter whether or not I’m there. If
not for the Academy’s rules, I wouldn’t be here to share in the fun. I’m
just here to go through the motions, anyway.”
Han Ruoruo’s beautiful eyes rippled a little as she laughed and said, “You
still have to be there, even if you’re only there to go through the motions.
Let’s go!”
------
They walked towards the lake together. The sky hadn’t turned completely
dark, and he was actually earlier than he was back when he had first
participated in the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date. The male students from the
inner courtyard hadn’t completely assembled yet, while the female students
were specifically guided somewhere else.
Huo Yuhao had gone through the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date once before. He
stared at the lake’s surface that shone in the light of dusk, and fell into
a bit of a daze. He could clearly remember how Dong’er had appeared in front
of him that time with her true appearance, how she had called him “idiot”,
and how she seemed like she was being sassy and blaming him
while carrying a tinge of embarrassment and happiness. Huo Yuhao would never
forget it...
How great would it be if I could return to that moment! Huo Yuhao clenched
his fists subconsciously, and his feelings and yearning for Dong’er were
suddenly raised to their highest possible level in that moment.
“Are you alright, Yuhao?” Han Ruoruo asked in surprise.
Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power was much stronger compared to back then, and it
naturally flowed out as his emotions surged up. The formidable spiritual aura
even caused someone as powerful as Han Ruoruo to react in shock.
Huo Yuhao was awakened from his memories, and hurriedly calmed down as he
forced a smile and said, “I’m alright, senior sister.”
Han Ruoruo smiled back. “As long as you’re alright. I’m the host, so I’m
going to go ahead and get busy. You two can wait here. Someone will come
when it’s time to begin.” She waved to Wang Yan and Huo Yuhao and drifted
away.
Huo Yuhao watched Wang Yan’s eyes as they followed Han Ruoruo, which only
withdrew when she could no longer be seen. Huo Yuhao giggled and said,
“Teacher Wang, you’re deep in the river of love!”
Wang Yan blushed. “Nonsense. Let me warn you, Yuhao, I’m one of the
assessors for your graduation test tomorrow.”
“Ah? You’re an assessor? Then you have to be a little more lenient when the
time comes,” Huo Yuhao said with a faint smile on his face.
Wang Yan snickered and said, “Yuhao! Let me remind you: don’t think
tomorrow’s test is easy. Many people are waiting to ‘take care of you’.”
“Ah?” Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. “Take care of me? Why?”
Wang Yan patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder and said sincerely,
“Seems like you don’t
quite understand the
assessment criteria for our inner courtyard’s students to graduate! Let me
brief you.”
Huo Yuhao hurriedly humbled himself and said, “Thank you, teacher Wang. What
exactly will happen?”
Wang Yan chortled and said, “Every
one of the inner courtyard’s students can be said to be
prodigies chosen by heaven. Every one of them has outstanding talent, and
they all have varying strengths. You guys are both outstanding and
hardworking at the same time, which is the reason why you can stand a class
above the rest and become part of the inner courtyard. If you wish to
graduate from the inner courtyard, then you have to meet the Academy’s
standards in your strongest suit. Therefore, the inner courtyard’s
graduation assessment is different for every student, and everyone has
different tasks.”
“Uh…” For some reason, Huo Yuhao had an ominous feeling about this test,
even though his cultivation was already at eight rings. He could tell from
Wang Yan’s words that they didn’t plan to be nice to him! His graduation
assessment was supposed to just be going through the motions, but it didn’t
seem that easy after all.
“Teacher Wang, then how is this
graduation assessment going to be carried out?” Huo Yuhao whispered.
Wang Yan continued, “I don’t quite know how the assessment is going to be
executed, but it’s definitely not going to be easy. I’ve heard that Elder
Xuan has personally designed your graduation assessment. You’re the
youngest, unprecedentedly so, member of the Sea God’s Pavilion. You have
contributed much to the Academy, and the Academy has to nurture you well
because of that. Therefore, your assessment has to be especially strict!
“The Sea God’s Pavilion will convene
to discuss your examination tasks, but I’m not too sure about
the details. I suspect the test won’t be too easy, so good luck! I’m only
one of the main assessors for you tomorrow, there are seven in total. I know
that Dean Yan, Dean Cai, Dean Xian, and Zhang Lexuan are a few of the
remaining six, but I’m not sure who the other two are.”
Huo Yuhao’s jaw slowly dropped as he listened to Wang Yan. His graduation
assessment had brought the Sea God’s Pavilion together for a conference, and
he had seven judges? What was happening? Tomorrow’s test…
Teacher Xuan is watching me closely, and the Academy doesn’t look like
they’re going to give me a good time. Life is too hard to live...
Wang Yan laughed in amusement as he watched Huo Yuhao’s depressed look.
“Alright, that’s enough. That’s the Academy’s care and concern for you. If
you can’t pass the assessment, you can just continue studying and
cultivating in the Academy, at worst. Look at your eldest senior sister,
she’s become a teacher in the Academy. You’re part of the Sea God’s
Pavilion, so you can do the same!”
Huo Yuhao had a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn’t think much about it
before, but right now, Teacher Xuan was forcing him to learn about forging
soul tools properly, and Huo Yuhao had to attend him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t
be able to forge a proper pill furnace, and he couldn’t raise the Tang
Sect’s overall strength. Therefore, he had to pass the graduation assessment
tomorrow, no matter what!
Huo Yuhao calmed down as his thoughts stopped there. He would deal with
problems as they came. The teachers still didn’t know that he had officially
become an eight-ringed Soul Douluo, so the assessment shouldn’t be that
difficult with that advantage. After all, the Academy’s teachers and even the
Elders didn’t know the full depth of his abilities. He had five powerful
Spirits to support him, so how could he not even pass a graduation
assessment?
Huo Yuhao felt a lot better after thinking things through.
The sky had gradually darkened by this time. Light dotted the shores of the
Sea God’s Lake, and Huo Yuhao could see with his Spirit Eyes that the outer
courtyard students had already formed a large circle around the lake. That
was especially true for those at the front, as they were squeezed right to
the edge of the shore.
“Male students who are participating in the Blind Date, get ready!” somebody
hollered at everyone, and the male students from the inner courtyard who had
already gathered swiftly assembled at the lakeside.
“Hurry, and go. Don’t be late,”
Wang Yan ordered Huo Yuhao.
“Alright! Teacher Wang, you have to
go easy on me tomorrow! You have also taught me, and if I
can’t pass the graduation assessment, it wouldn’t look good on you, would
it?”
Wang Yan laughed and said, “Nonsense! You’re part of the Sea God’s Pavilion
now, and your status is much higher than mine. Furthermore, I have never
really taught you anything, so I can’t help you. You’ll have to rely on
yourself!”
Huo Yuhao no longer had time to continue chatting with Wang Yan, and he
vanished and reappeared at the lakeside in a flash. There were so many eyes
watching, and even if he was just going through the motions, he had to be a
little serious. His mind was filled with tomorrow’s graduation test, and he
didn’t have much energy to think about the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date.
------
The lake’s surface was dark, and it was hard to see anything through the
rolling mists. Huo Yuhao arrived by the lakeside and stood behind the
throngs of male students. He was still thinking about how he would face the
test tomorrow.
A large boat sailed in from the distance. The boat was completely lit up;
the inner courtyard’s teachers and elders were here to observe the ceremony.
Elder Xuan sat at the front of the boat, hugging that large wine bottle that
he hadn’t used for a long time. There was a plate of chicken legs beside
him, and he appeared as casual as ever.
Elder Song, Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin’er, and the other Elders, along some of
the inner courtyard’s teachers, were all on the boat. Cai Mei’er was the
only one who was absent.
Dean Cai was still dealing with a certain wretched, newly- hired teacher.
When he discovered that the student from the inner courtyard who he had
threatened and whose badge he had confiscated was the youngest member of the
Sea God’s Pavilion in Shrek Academy’s history, he couldn’t be any more
depressed. He wasn’t able to make a display of strength to the inner
courtyard’s students, and instead, the inner courtyard’s students gave him
one instead, using Huo Yuhao’s prestige.
Just like in all the previous years, there were students from the inner
courtyard who were participating in the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date for the
first time, and there were some who had been here before. Those who had
participated before knew what was going on, while those who were here for
the first time were filled with eager anticipation.
Life in the Academy, all studying and cultivation, was undoubtedly stale and
dry. An activity like this for the young male and female students was a
fantastic opportunity to display their abilities, and also a good chance to
get a partner.
The large boat didn’t sail to the shore, instead stopping in the middle of
the lake. Beams shot out from the lake’s surface, and light rippled through
the air as the outer courtyard students who were here to watch erupted in
cheers and applause.
There were sixteen beams of light in total, all pale gold. There was a girl
in a long white dress standing quietly on top of every beam, and all sixteen
girls were dressed in the same manner. They wore the same conical bamboo
hats as before on their heads, and a white veil three feet long draped down
and covered their faces completely.
Standing in the faint clow of the columns of light, they were just like
elegant fairies on the lake’s surface. Their transcendent beauty was
extremely eye-catching.
The light on the lake’s surface awakened Huo Yuhao from his
contemplation. When he looked up at
the “fairies” on the lake’s surface, he was a little
dazed, and felt like his hair was standing on end. The emotional changes
made his heart beat faster.
Yes! Even if he was just here to go through the motions, how could he remain
calm when he was once again part of the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date?
Everything was almost identical to back when he had first participated. Back
then, one of the girls underneath those conical bamboo hats was his Dong’er!
Huo Yuhao felt like he was dreaming as he stared at the scene in front of
him, and couldn’t control his emotions.
The sixteen girls were spread out in single file. They were facing the
lakeside, just standing there quietly as the male students on the lakeside
were eagerly raring to go. The outer courtyard students on the lakesides
were probably even more
excited than the participating inner courtyard students, and each cheer and
applause was louder than the last.
Right at this moment, two slightly stronger beams of white light shot into
the air, and two more figures appeared.
They were both incredibly beautiful. The one on the left was clad in a
flowing white dress: Han Ruoruo! She had managed to get a change of clothes
and even put on some makeup during this time, and was like a snow lotus
blooming on the icy mountains as white light shone down on her.
Huo Yuhao’s eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, was naturally to her right.
Just like back when he had first participated in the Sea God’s Fated Blind
Date, Zhang Lexuan was in a long yellow dress, like a blooming tulip
unrivaled in beauty.
The outer courtyard students cheered even more vigorously when the two
gorgeous women appeared. The shore of Sea God’s Island was a bit further
away, but they were still clearly audible.
Love was the topic of eternity, and something that youths both male and
female yearned for the most. The outer courtyard students were still young,
and the Academy had been very strict on them. Their longings were very
satisfied even if they could only watch this event. This was the first time
that the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date had been opened for the outer courtyard
to watch.
Han Ruoruo raised her voice and
began to speak. “The meeting of fate upon the Sea God’s
Lake! Love is found in but a moment, as Shrek lives on for a hundred
centuries. Welcome, everyone, to this beautiful evening by the Sea God’s
Lake! The annual Sea God’s Fated Blind Date is about to begin. I am
tonight’s host, and I am representing myself and my eldest senior sister to
wish good luck to all students from the inner courtyard who are
participating that they might find the love that they want and deserve!
“At the same time, welcome to all Elders from the Sea God’s Pavilion and
teachers who are here to watch. I speak on behalf of the students to express
our sincere gratitude to our teachers. Without your patient nurturing and
support, we would not have achieved what we have today. To our juniors from
the outer courtyard, if you wish to obtain a love that the Academy approves
of, and to confess to the person that you love, then
you have to work hard and cultivate, and try to become part of the inner
courtyard one day.”
Cheers and applause erupted once more. The students from the outer
courtyard, especially the male students, seemed like they were on
stimulants. If not for the fact that they had to watch the Sea God’s Fated
Blind Date, the beautiful Han Ruoruo’s words was enough to make them forget
about how tired they were from their continuous cultivating, and they
couldn’t wait to go back and continue!
Yan Shaozhe was sitting in the large boat. He smiled and said, “Seems like
the decision to let the little fellows from the outer courtyard watch was an
extremely correct one. When the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date is over, I can
guarantee that they will have a cultivation ‘climax’. The event has just
begun. I’m sure the effects will be even better later on.”
Xian Lin’er grunted coldly as she muttered under her breath, “Sleazy.”
There was nothing Yan Shaozhe could do against her quip.
He could only stop talking as he shook his head helplessly.
Zhang Lexuan continued the speech. Her voice travelled far and wide as she
said, “Now, let us invite all the male students who are participating in the
blind date to prepare themselves. Thirty-six pillars will appear on the
lake’s surface after this, and the students closest to our Sea God’s fairies
will proceed to the first round. The students at the back are not likely to
receive a suitable placing in the first round. So, pay attention, everyone.
No matter what methods you use, as long as you land on the leaves of the
water lilies where the pillars of light are, you will have taken that spot.
Do not fall into the water, as that will strip you of your right to continue
in the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date.
“Get ready, everyone! Three, two, one, begin!”
Thirty-six pillars of light suddenly shot out from underneath the lake’s
surface. These pillars were neatly separated into three rows, every row
about five meters apart from each other, and distributed equally about a
hundred meters away from the female students, roughly two hundred meters
away from the shore.
The students from the inner courtyard immediately made their moves once
Zhang Lexuan finished speaking, like bolts of lightning as they swiftly
pounced towards those pillars of light.
They all wanted to gain the upper hand and display their abilities, as it
was the best way to gain the heart of the girls that they liked.
Huo Yuhao was the only one who didn’t immediately move. Everything before
him was just like how he and Dong’er had fixed their relationship! Although
the people were different, everything in front of him seemed identical.
The male students had already soared into the air as they rushed towards
those pillars, and Huo Yuhao slowly drifted out from the lakeside. He didn’t
display any of his abilities as he followed behind, and was last as he
landed on a water lily. However, he didn’t release his martial soul at all,
and he even used Imitation to change his white clothes to red. He didn’t
want to become the center of attention,as he was just going through the
motions anyway. All he had to do was to maintain a low profile.
All the students were in place. The students who had obtained positions in
the first row were all overjoyed, and smiled happily. Everything was difficult
in the beginning, and they had a big advantage because they had finished the
first step properly. They were the only ones who had this row, and that meant
they could be seen directly by the young women.
The Sea God’s Fated Blind Date wasn’t just a chance to confess, it was also
a chance to display their strength and abilities. Who didn’t want the
Academy to notice and pay attention to them?
Chapter 507: I'm Only Here to Show My Face
Zhang Lexuan said, “The Sea God’s Fated Blind Date on the Sea God’s Lake.
Tonight, we’re going to hold our annual Sea God’s Fated Blind Date again. I
believe everyone has been waiting for a long time.
“The Blind Date will be divided into five segments. Everyone, be prepared!
Let me emphasize once more: once you drop into the water, you’ll be out no
matter whether you’re a guy or a girl!
“We’ll also choose the most beautiful Sea God’s Fairy and the luckiest guy.
However, what you need to do is to first unveil the Sea God’s Fairies. This
is also the first step the male students have to take to demonstrate their
abilities.”
Han Ruoruo continued after this, “That’s right! In that case, let’s begin
our first segment, Mutual Feelings. We’ll begin from the left side of the
first row. Every male student can do their best to demonstrate their
abilities and try to remove the bamboo hat on a female student’s head.
However, you better not go overboard with your actions. Otherwise, the
female
students might not be polite, and retaliate. I can only pretend that I
didn’t see anything if that happens. In addition, don’t fall into the water,
just like eldest senior sister mentioned!
“First male student, you can begin!”
The moment Han Ruoruo stopped talking, the first male student drifted up. His
seven soul rings shone brightly. Obviously, he was a Soul Sage from the
inner courtyard. He flew into the air without aid and proceeded in the
direction of the veiled young women.
Huo Yuhao had regained his focus by now. As he saw the flying male student,
he nodded in approval. The abilities of inner courtyard students are still
as strong as ever. This male student seems to be slightly bigger than me. I
think he’s an agility-type soul master. He’s really quick. No wonder he was
able to snatch first place.
A hundred meters was a short distance to cover for a Soul Sage. This young
man had evidently been to past Fated Blind Dates before. Just as he was
about to reach the veiled girls, he lifted both his hands abruptly, and a
gust of strong wind generated from his soul power instantly swept diagonally
upward. At the same time, this gust of wind was blowing the dresses and
bamboo hats off of the female students.
This was a cunning move. What would the young women choose when their
dresses and bamboo hats were being blown up at the same time?
Exclamations could be heard. Some of the less experienced female students
instantly pressed down their dresses, and forgot to use their own soul
skills. Their bamboo hats were immediately blown off their heads.
There were sixteen of them in total. In just a matter of seconds, half of
the female students’ bamboo hats were already blown off, and their actual
appearances were revealed.
“Sorry, juniors and seniors!” the young man laughed. There was even a
perverted look in his eyes. He turned around in the air and didn’t even try
to remove the bamboo hats of the remaining girls, just making ready to
leave.
“Pervert!” someone shouted angrily.
Among the female students, one of them in a relatively central
position suddenly
lifted her hand in his direction. It didn’t seem like she had used a soul
skill. She only punched her fist out,and a low-pitched dragon’s roar arose. A
golden ball of energy shaped like a fist was unleashed towards the sly male
student.
Her bamboo hat hadn’t been removed Themale student was delighted right now.
The ball of energy was about to strike him, but he wasn’t too bothered,
because the aura of that female student wasn’t very strong.
He used both his hands to resist it and almost wanted to rely on its
momentum to send the strike back. However, he immediately sensed something
amiss when his palms touched the ball of energy.
There was an extremely fierce and domineering undulation of soul power within
that ball of energy. It immediately blew apart when he touched it!
Even though he used a defensive soul skill to protect himself, he was still
flung away from the explosion. His protective soul skill was destroyed, and
he crashed towards the water surface free fall.
However, he was an inner courtyard disciple, after all. He took a deep
breath and stabilized the surging energy in his body. A pair of silver wings
instantly opened up on his back. He fluttered them gently before he managed
to rapidly return and land gently on a lotus leaf.
The outer courtyard disciples cheered from the shore for this inner
courtyard senior’s magnificent performance. However, they didn’t know that he
had already broken out in a cold sweat. The energy in his body was surging
madly. He kept on summoning his soul power to dispel the dominant and
invasive soul power that he was subjected to earlier.
Who is she? She’s strong. I’m afraid she’s not just a Soul Sage. It’s very
possible that she’s a Soul Douluo. My god! There’s even a Soul Douluo among
the female students. Does that mean that we’re going to be greatly
restrained?
The Sea God’s Fated Blind Date wasn’t just a blind date. To some extent, it
was a healthy competition between the male and female students. This Soul
Sage believed that he was one of the stronger male students in attendance
today. However, he was immediately disadvantaged when he was attacked. There
was no doubt that he was feeling demoralized.
Huo Yuhao revealed a doubtful look as he stood in last place on the third
row. The young woman’s voice that he had heard earlier sounded very
familiar. However, he didn’t manage to catch it too clearly, as she had
spoken very briefly.
Han Ruoruo laughed. “Female student eight, you can’t attack the male
students directly unless the other party has invaded the cylindrical region
where you are standing. However, we’ll make an exception, since male student
one was indeed a little overboard. There’ll not be any further exceptions.”
After hearing her words, the young men heaved a sigh of relief. The ladies
were too fierce! If all of them attacked at the same time, wouldn’t that mean
that anyone who approached them would end up in the water?
Zhang Lexuan said, “Alright, male student two, it’s your turn. Be
gentlemanly.”
Learning from the lesson of the first male student, the second male student
was a little hesitant. The female students were all prepared this time. He
returned without making any progress. None of the female students were
unveiled by him.
There were sixteen female students in total. At the very start, eight of
them had already lost their bamboo hats. This was truly very rare in the Sea
God’s Fated Blind Date. However, all the male students after the first one
would find it difficult to achieve anything similarly impressive. The female
students who were able to keep their hats on after the first round were not
weak in ability or focus.
The thirty-six male students took their turns one by one. It was only after
some time that another bamboo hat was removed.
Huo Yuhao was the last, just observing the performances of the male students
in front of him. There were three Soul Sages among the male students, the
rest either Soul Emperors or Soul Kings. This was already very impressive.
However, the problem of the stronger female students in Shrek’s inner
courtyard remained. Apart from female student eight, at least four other
female students were already Soul Sages. All of them were pretty strong.
As a result, when it was Huo Yuhao’s turn, there were still four female
students with bamboo hats left.
“Eh, I’ve been looking for you for half a day. Yuhao, why are you at the
back? The more you cultivate, the further back you go! We have four bamboo
hats that have not been removed. It’s your turn now.” Zhang Lexuan called
out to Huo Yuhao. When she did, Elder Xuan and the rest immediately turned
their attention to Huo Yuhao from their boat.
Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly in his heart. Eldest senior sister, didn’t you
say that I could just come for show? Why did you call my name?
However, even though he had that mindset, he still had to properly show his
face since he was here. He really didn’t want to be disqualified by falling
into the water. It was his graduation test tomorrow. Wang Yan had also
reminded him that he didn’t want to offend Zhang Lexuan right now.
Huo Yuhao stepped off of his lotus leaf. Yes, he walked slowly towards the
female students. He didn’t appear as dazzling or impressive as the students
before him. His soul rings didn’t even shine. He just walked over calmly.
Zhang Lexuan was a little amused as she muttered to herself, “This fellow is
really only coming here just to show his face!”
On the shore, the outer courtyard students were confused when they saw this
last inner courtyard senior.
“Eh, look at this. How is this senior able to walk so freely on the lake’s
surface? What kind of ability is that?”
“I believe he should be a Soul Sage, and he’s deliberately controlling his
altitude. However, how is he able to do it so easily?”
“No, that’s not it. This senior’s abilities are ice-type. He can freeze a
layer of ice below him as he walks. This is why he finds it so easy. He
wouldn’t find it so easy if he were flying.” The person speaking was Jin Sha,
who Huo Yuhao had met earlier. Him being able to say that wasn’t because his
vision was very clear. Given the lighting and distance, how could he
possibly see everything clearly? He had deliberately observed Huo Yuhao as
he went to the island earlier.
Just as the outer courtyard students were all engaged in discussion, Huo
Yuhao arrived in front of the veiled women.
Initially, he had planned to make one pass around these female students
before returning. However, Zhang Lexuan was watching him intently. If he
really did nothing, she probably wouldn’t let him off.
As he thought about it, he mysteriously arrived in front of female student
eight, who he had found familiar earlier on. He reached out for her bamboo
hat.
Yes, he just reached out. He wasn’t quick at all. There was no difference
between his speed and that of an ordinary person. To Huo Yuhao, given the
ability that this female student demonstrated earlier, she would be able to
easily block him. After that, he could just return to where he had been
standing.
However, he was astonished to discover that she had no intention of
protecting her bamboo hat. She let Huo Yuhao grab the edge of it without
moving.
“This…” Huo Yuhao had no chance of retracting his hand now. Could he
just not take her hat off? That would be utter disrespect for both her and
the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date!
What was going to happen to him?
As he had no choice, he could only take the hat off. To avoid a scenario
where the female student had forgotten to stop him, he purposely slowed
down. If she resisted even a little, he would immediately let go and put the
hat back.
However, things didn’t go as he wished. From start to finish, she had no
intention of laying her hands on him. She let him take off her hat and
reveal her true appearance.
There was a long veil below the hat. Huo Yuhao only shifted the veil away
after he lifted it up over the top of her face. It was only then that he saw
her appearance.
His hand went stiff. Initially, he appeared very helpless. However, he was
fixated on the girl right now. Even the ice under his feet started to crack,
and seemed like it would buckle at any time.
In front of him was a cheeky-looking face. The girl looked like a fairy that
had descended onto the mortal world,
illuminated by the beam of golden light, and accentuated by her long, white
dress.
Her pinkish-blue hair flowed out behind her. There were complex undulations
in her flawless eyes. Her exquisite, porcelain-like face reflected a golden
glow. Every part of her was perfect, so perfect that she left those watching
breathless. At this instant, all the Sea God Fairies around her paled in
comparison. It was like the beam of golden light reflecting off her face was
the only thing shining so brightly.
Not far away, the other young men who had joined the Fated Blind Date were
all stunned. At this moment, they couldn’t be bothered looking at anyone
else. In their eyes, there was only this Sea God’s Fairy.
Huo Yuhao’s hand was trembling as he held the bamboo hat.
His eyes revealed strong emotions surging through him.
“Dong’er!” he exclaimed unwittingly and the ice under him quickly
froze up even more. This spread, and all the Sea God’s Fairies suddenly felt
the surface beneath them harden. They no longer needed to worry about their
lotus leaves flipping over.
Huo Yuhao’s breathing had quickened. His lips were trembling too.
Ever since he had come to this Fated Blind Date, he had begun to yearn for
Wang Dong’er more and more. Right now, he felt as if he had returned to many
years ago, after seeing this girl who looked identical to Wang Dong’er. He
had returned to that beautiful and unforgettable night.
Dong’er, my Dong’er, are you back?
He threw the bamboo hat away and couldn’t believe his eyes. Right now, his
mind was in turmoil. He didn’t even know what to do.
“I’m Tang Wutong?” She sounded both cold and emotional at the same time, and
brought the overly-excited Huo Yuhao back to earth with her words.
Tang Wutong! Yes! She’s Tang Wutong...
Huo Yuhao was as stunned as if cold water had been poured on him. When he
saw that familiar face and curly hair, it dawned on him that she was Tang
Wutong. Yes! She’s Tang Wutong. Dong’er has straight hair. Only Qiu’er and
the Goddess of Light in my heart have curly hair. She’s Tang Wutong. She’s
not Dong’er.
Tang Wutong just stared at Huo Yuhao and saw how he turned from being
extremely delighted to disappointed. He seemed to have lost his soul in his
heartache.
But, I’m Tang Wutong! I’m really not Wang Dong’er, or Wang Qiu’er. I’m Tang
Wutong!
Huo Yuhao had been through a lot in his life. After a brief moment of
emotional turmoil, he still managed to clear his mind eventually. He mocked
himself and nodded at Tang Wutong. After that, he fled without another word.
He quickly returned to his place in the last row.
He didn’t even try to talk to her? When they saw this, the male students in
the inner courtyard were all astonished.
An absolute beauty who had let him take off her bamboo hat! What did that
mean? This meant she was interested in him! However, he didn’t even say
anything, and left just like that?
“Wow, so beautiful, so beautiful!”
Those from the outer courtyard could see what was going on using telescopic
soul tools. Tang Wutong immediately became the focus of everyone’s
attention.
Yes, she was too beautiful. No matter who it was, she was the focus of all
attention.
Han Ruoruo and Zhang Lexuan looked at one another, and Zhang Lexuan nodded
at Han Ruoruo.
“It’s the second segment next!” Han
Ruoruo said loudly, “After the first segment, it’s time for the
female students to express who they are interested in. The second segment is
called Love at First Sight!
“The rules are very simple. Every
female student has a button to control the soul lamp below
her. They can light their lamps for every male student. As long as they keep
a lamp on for a male student, that male student can remain for the next
segment. However, those who don’t make it will have to leave. Before the
second segment starts, we’ll arrange the male students in terms of the
number of bamboo hats they removed earlier.”
Among the five segments of the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date, the second segment
took the least amount of time. However, it was a major test for the male
students. They would be eliminated, no matter how strong or outstanding, if
no female student left her light on for them. After all, there were many
more male students than female students. As a result, this segment was used
as a means of simplifying the process of the Fated Blind Date.
Huo Yuhao was originally in the last row, and wanted to remain there.
However, since he had taken off Tang Wutong’s bamboo hat and there were only
eight people who managed to do the same, he was in the first row now. The
first Soul Sage who had taken off eight bamboo hats was to his right in the
first row.
“All Sea God’s Fairies, please consider your options carefully. You will be
given one minute. You must think carefully! Furthermore, let me emphasize
that if you don’t leave a light on for any of the male students, it will
mean that you are giving up on this event.”
The female students each had their own plans. They were all separated, and
seemed very quiet now. No one knew who they were interested in.
---
A minute passed very quickly. At Zhang Lexuan’s signal, Han Ruoruo continued
to emcee.
“Alright, our second segment is about to begin. First, all Sea God’s
Fairies, please leave your lights on for the male students. In this second
segment, it doesn’t mean that you are choosing someone if you leave your
light on for him. You can give him a chance if you have a good impression of
him. At the same time, you are giving yourself a chance. I’m sure the other
party will take note of you if you leave a light on for him.”
The first to face the test was the Soul Sage who had taken off eight bamboo
hats earlier.
“Three, two, one. Please light your lamps for the first male student.”
Almost instantly, half of the lamps were extinguished. After this, a few
other lamps were extinguished.
The first male student’s heart was in his throat now. No matter how strong he
was, he had to leave this stage if no female students chose him. Right now,
he regretted going overboard earlier. His impression among the female
students had fallen dramatically after female student eight called him
perverted.
Fortunately, he was a Soul Sage, which still made him attractive.
Furthermore, they were all inner courtyard disciples. At the very least,
they were still acquainted with him. Finally, five lamps remained lit. He was
fortunately not eliminated...
The rest of the male students started to get nervous after seeing that the
first of them being dealt such a huge blow right from the start. God knew
what the female students were thinking...
There were too many young men! There were sixteen female students, but
thirty-six male students. The ladies in the inner courtyard were very
popular. A nervous atmosphere quickly clouded the entire lake.
However, the male students in the first row performed well in the first round.
They were the strongest of the young men. As for the next few young men who
stepped up, more than half the female students kept their lights on for each
of them.
The second segment carried on very quickly. Although Huo Yuhao was in a
rather backward position in the first row, it was soon his turn.
“Next, let’s leave our lamps on for the male student in the eighth position.
Three, two, one, begin.”
Huo Yuhao was still in a bit of a daze. He had mistaken Tang Wutong for Wang
Dong’er, which was a huge blow to him. His yearning for Wang Dong’er was at
its greatest right now, leaving him feeling very weak. He only wanted to
quickly leave this place and return to his quarters, and just hoped that all
the lights would be extinguished. That way, he could just directly leave.
However, things didn’t go as planned. None of the sixteen lamps were
extinguished. They were all left lit for him.
Not to mention Huo Yuhao himself, even Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo were
astonished.
It was important to note that Huo Yuhao didn’t perform too impressively
earlier, even though he had taken Tang Wutong’s bamboo hat off. Instead, he
was the least eye-catching. Why did the ladies leave their lamps on for him?
What was going on?
Huo Yuhao was stunned. He only wanted to quickly leave, so why was he more
well-liked now than he was in the previous blind date?
He could still clearly remember that there were seventeen Sea God Fairies
the last time he was here. In the second segment, one lamp was extinguished
for him, by Wu Feng. This time, all sixteen lamps were still lit for him.
None of the other students who went before him managed to keep all sixteen
lamps lit.
In fact, this wasn’t because of good fortune.
The inner courtyard female students were all intelligent and strong. In
addition, they had great taste.
There were two main reasons why Huo Yuhao had all the lamps lit for him.
First, it was his ‘performance’ in the canteen. There had been a few female
students taking their meal. They personally saw how Huo Yuhao frightened
that
middle-aged teacher without even unleashing his martial soul! How strong was
that? Furthermore, he had a very special aura about him, even though he
wasn’t particularly handsome. No matter what, he easily caught their
attention.
The second reason was because of Tang Wutong.
Although Tang Wutong had not been in the Academy for a long time and was
only a teaching assistant, she was still a student of the inner courtyard.
She held two identities at once. Normally, she interacted quite a lot with
the young women of the inner courtyard, and they respected her. After Zhang
Lexuan, Han Ruoruo, Wu Ming, and the rest of the female seniors from the
previous generation of students left, Tang Wutong was now the backbone of
the current generation of female students in the inner courtyard.
Furthermore, she was an exceptional beauty.
When the other female students saw how Tang Wutong allowed Huo Yuhao to
remove her bamboo hat without resisting, they were all astonished. This also
deepened their interest in him.
If even Tang Wutong approved of him, could he be ordinary?
Thus, this magical result.
Huo Yuhao’s lips twisted a little. However, no matter what, everyone was
vain to some extent. He felt slightly better after seeing that sixteen lamps
had been kept on for him. Naturally, he couldn’t just fall into the lake as
an escape measure...
The segment continued. From the second row onwards, the male students
weren’t so lucky anymore. Since they didn’t remove any bamboo hats, they
didn’t leave any deep impressions on the female students. Very soon, many of
them were out of the blind date as all the lamps were extinguished for them.
When the second segment ended, eighteen of the young men had been
eliminated. It was the highest elimination rate in recent years, exactly
half of the young men were gone. Even so, there were still two more young
men left then young women.
The high elimination rate had something to do with the female students, too.
They were all very outstanding, and good catches. Naturally, they were more
demanding when it came to choosing their partners. Given the current
situation, the ratio
of female to male students was almost one-to-one. The young men who remained
bore high hopes that they could return with a lady in their arms!
------
After the second segment ended, the remaining male students were rearranged
again.
Huo Yuhao, who only wanted to show his face at this ceremony, was arranged
in first place after all the lamps were kept lit for him. He was now in the
limelight.
This time, Zhang Lexuan was the one who spoke.
“After the first two segments, I believe all of you should have some simple
understanding of one another. Next, we shall begin the third segment, Love
at Second Sight. This time, all female students should take note that you
can’t choose randomly as you did in the second segment. Once you make a
choice, you must take responsibility for your choice. Every male student has
a minute to introduce himself. After his self- introduction, he needs to
come to me and tell me the number
of the Sea God’s Fairy that he fancies. After all the male students have
made their introductions, the female students will make their choices. Your
choice in this segment will be your final choice. You can’t go back on it.
After the choices are made, we’ll proceed to the fourth segment.
“Male students, please take note that you can demonstrate what you believe
is your greatest ability when you introduce yourself. You can also introduce
your cultivation and other things. As long as you believe your words can
capture the heart of your desired partner, you can mention anything. This
time, we’ll mess up the order and pick who goes first through lots, for the
purpose of fairness.”
After hearing that, Huo Yuhao immediately heaved a sigh of relief. He
couldn’t fully recall these later segments. However, it was a good thing
that he wasn’t going to go first. He was just here to show his face.
“The first person we’ve picked out is Huo Yuhao!”
“What?” Huo Yuhao’s face suddenly stiffened up again. Why am I still the
first to go after picking lots?
“Huo Yuhao, you can introduce yourself. You have one minute.” Zhang Lexuan
was definitely amused as she looked at Huo Yuhao.
“Uh, okay.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged her words and started to introduce
himself.
“Hi everyone. My name is Huo Yuhao.” Huo Yuhao drifted forward a few
steps as he controlled the lotus leaf beneath him.
Yes, he only said this line.
“That’s all?” Zhang Lexuan was infuriated. This fellow is indeed doing
all he can to avoid the limelight!
Huo Yuhao nodded at Zhang Lexuan. He thought to himself. Since I’m just here
to show my face, you can’t possibly force me to say more than I want.
However, who knew that his simple introduction piqued the curiosity of the
female students?
Zhang Lexuan snorted and said, “Your introduction is too simple. It won’t be
fair when our Sea God’s Fairies make their choices. Since you’re shy, I’ll
speak on your behalf.”
I’m shy? Huo Yuhao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Zhang Lexuan cheerfully said, “Huo Yuhao is a student of the inner courtyard
and a disciple of the Tang Sect.”
After hearing this, Huo Yuhao felt rather pleased. This was all true.
Furthermore, she was advertising the Tang Sect. Why did he not realize that
this was a good way of advertising the Tang Sect? Everyone from the inner
courtyard was here.
However, Zhang Lexuan’s words after this left him looking more and more
bitter.
“He joined Shrek Academy at the age of eleven and managed to emerge as
eventual champion during his first test after joining the Academy, along with
two of his teammates. After that, he revealed his shocking talent. He
possesses twin martial souls. The last time the Academy evaluated his
abilities, we
concluded that he was a Soul Sage. Currently, we are unsure of his
abilities.
“He has taken part in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul
Dueling Tournament twice. The first time, he was a substitute, but he
eventually became the main force of the team. In the last fight, he turned
the tables and defended Shrek’s glory, emerging as the eventual champion.
From then on, he was named as one of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, along with his
teammates. At the same time, he is also the main control-type soul master
among Shrek’s Seven Monsters. He’s their core and spiritual figure.
“During the second tournament, he represented the Tang Sect, but there
wasn’t any result in the tournament due to a sinister ploy by the Sun Moon
Empire. However, the top two teams back then belonged to both the Tang Sect
and Shrek Academy. His outstanding performance undoubtedly made him the most
outstanding participant of the tournament.
“There’s one more thing. Huo Yuhao
is the person who established the Spirit Pagoda. He’s the
inventor of Spirits, and is the current Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda.
“Apart from this, he has also
contributed greatly to the Academy. There are many things
that we can’t reveal. However, the contributions that he has made have
earned him a place in history as the youngest ever member of the Sea God’s
Pavilion. He’s the pride of the inner courtyard, and a current elite.”
After hearing Zhang Lexuan’s introduction, the entire place went quiet.
Everyone was completely silent. All the Sea God’s Fairies opened their
mouths in shock as they stared at Huo Yuhao. The other male students were
equally shocked.
If the other parts of the introduction didn’t astound them, then finding out
that Huo Yuhao was the one who invented Spirits and the person who
established the Spirit Pagoda had deeply astonished them.
All this while, no one really knew his name because he had a call sign in
the Academy. The Eye of the Asura, founder of the Spirit Pagoda, was a
familiar character that every student in the Academy knew!
The Sea God’s Pavilion’s youngest member and the founder of the Spirit
Pagoda! These two identities were considered
sacred in Shrek Academy!
Jin Sha’s jaw was almost on the ground by now. He couldn’t believe that the
person that he had talked to was actually a legendary senior from the
Academy. He didn’t even dare tell his fellow students that were with him,
because he knew that no one would believe him.
After finishing her introduction, Zhang Lexuan smiled as she looked
at Huo Yuhao. “Yuhao, are you
satisfied with my introduction of you?”
What else could Huo Yuhao say? There was no way he could avoid attention
now. He could only shake his head helplessly.
It was only now that the shore of the lake started to become rowdy.
Xian Lin’er furrowed her brow on the boat and said to Elder Xuan, “Is it a
good idea to put Yuhao out like that? He doesn’t seem too pleased!”
Elder Xuan smiled and said, “What’s so bad about this? He’s going to be the
leading figure of the new generation. It’s time that everyone got familiar
with him. Otherwise, he’ll always skive.”
Yan Shaozhe nodded and said, “I agree with Elder Xuan. Let me see! Given his
current cultivation speed, he’ll be able to take over from you directly!
Hehe!”
“Are you trying to skive?” Elder Xuan snapped.
Yan Shaozhe smiled without saying anything. When he saw the helpless look on
Huo Yuhao’s face, he was gloating inside.
Chapter 508: A Blind Date Alone?
Zhang Lexuan looked at Huo Yuhao again before continuing, “Because
we have a phenomenal member of the
Sea God’s Pavilion here today, we have decided to make some amendments
to the usual rules for our Sea God’s Fated Blind Date in order to make it
fair for everyone. Now that we have reached this segment, I suggest that we
allow this esteemed member of the Sea God’s Pavilion to proceed with all
remaining segments first. All female students will be allowed to select him
as your preferred candidate, but rest assured that all of you would still be
able to select other candidates subsequently. This new measure will ensure a
certain degree of fairness for the other male candidates. After all, even
the Eye of the Asura can only leave with a single Sea God’s Fairy.”
After Zhang Lexuan finished her speech, she won the applause and praise of
all the other male students.
After all, who could compete with the Eye of the Asura? With him around,
there was no way that the girls would choose anyone else! Even if there were
some who did not show any interest in him, they were definitely in the
minority. Since the original rules of the third round dictated that all of
the girls could only choose their preferred male student once, this
would mean that they would not be able to choose anyone else after selecting
Huo Yuhao. Because Huo Yuhao ultimately could only leave with one person,
this would be massively unfair for the rest of the young men. If the rules
were not changed, wouldn’t they end up being sideshows for Huo Yuhao’s
performance?
Hence, Zhang Lexuan’s suggestion was timely, and immensely well-received by
everyone.
Huo Yuhao replied to Zhang Lexuan with a resigned tone, “Eldest
senior sister, why must you push
me into the limelight… But since things have come to this, I’ll
just go on and complete the remaining segments. Let’s not hold up the Blind
Date for the others.”
After coming to terms with his current situation, he just wanted to complete
the segments as quickly as possible and retire to prepare for tomorrow’s
test.
Zhang Lexuan nodded and announced, “Alright, now let us begin the third
segment, which will be specially conducted for the Eye of the Asura. Ladies,
you may now begin to select him as your preferred candidate. If you have the
slightest bit of
inclination towards him, I would urge you not to miss this great
opportunity. He will begin his graduation examination tomorrow, which means
this will be his last time participating in our Fated Blind Date!”
Huo Yuhao was stunned after hearing Zhang Lexuan’s words.
Is Eldest Senior Sister dead-set on messing up my world?
The way to indicate interest was still the same as before, to leave their
lamp on for him. As everyone had expected, because the ladies had two
chances to leave their lamps on, all of the lamps present were left lit for
him!
Huo Yuhao was simply the brightest star among the other students around him.
To soul masters, one’s ability would always be more important than one’s
looks. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was not bad-looking. Even the haughtiest
ladies from the inner courtyard could not help but marvel at his fabled
experiences.
Hence, they all mustered their courage to give themselves a chance at being
paired with the Eye of the Asura. After all, even if they were not chosen by
him, they had nothing to lose because they could always choose another
candidate.
Despite seeing all sixteen lamps lit for him, Huo Yuhao was surprisingly
calm. He knew that he was just going through the motions. The stares from
the crowd would not be able to do anything to him. So what if all the lamps
were still lit? There was only room for Dong’er and Dong’er alone in his
heart. He
knew he just had to let them run the show, and he would leave
immediately after everything ended.
Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo glanced at the sixteen lamps and nodded gently.
Han Ruoruo announced, “After Mutual Feelings, Love at First Sight and Love
at Second Sight, it’s time to let fate decide the romance for our next three
lives! Hence, our fourth segment is called Destined In Three Lives! During
this segment, I urge the other male students to pay attention to the
proceedings. After all, it will be your turn very soon!
“During this segment, the ladies will take turns making their way to the one
they have selected to introduce themselves. Huo Yuhao, please take a step
forward. Even though some of you, and I believe all of you know who I’m
referring to, have plenty of charisma and are capable of attracting more
than one female student, I must offer all of you an important reminder. At
the
end of this segment, if any of the male students are to end up without any
interest from a single female student, I’m sorry, but you will have to leave
our Fated Blind Date. The rest of the young men will proceed to the final
segment.”
It was one thing to select a male student as your preferred partner; it was
another to possess the courage to step forward and confess to him. Under
normal circumstances, Love at Second Sight was the segment where the female
students would express their interest in the male students. However, it was
only when the young women stepped forward and confessed courageously that
everyone could determine how sincere their feelings were.
Hence, Destined in Three Lives could very well be the most important
segment.
“Alright! Now let us give our female students three minutes to make up their
minds. After three minutes, all of you must make your decision. As of now, I
can see that most of you admire Huo Yuhao, and that is definitely
understandable. After all, he is really outstanding. However, I must say
that he isn’t a guy who is suitable for every girl. When a guy is too
outstanding, you must ask yourself if you possess the ability to hold his
attention. While you still have a chance to continue
with the Fated Blind Date after getting rejected by Huo Yuhao, the other
male students will have taken note of your earlier decision regarding him.
Hence, I urge all of our Sea God’s Fairies to think twice before you make
your decision. Your three minutes begin now!”
Huo Yuhao gently controlled the lilypad beneath his feet and glided out
gracefully before everyone. It appeared eldest senior sister had helped
alleviate some of the worries on his mind. The worst thing that could have
happened was for him to spoil the entire atmosphere at the Fated Blind Date.
That would have been terrible!
The best thing would be for everyone to not select him. He would then be
able to go through the entire process peacefully and smoothly.
After hearing Zhang Lexuan’s words, many female students began to question
themselves. Am I able to occupy a place in Huo Yuhao’s heart? Even though
standing firm on their decision would grant them an opportunity to be with
him, it was apparent that the chances were extremely slim. In fact, they had
noticed that Huo Yuhao’s face was fairly emotionless, and he had not even
focused his eyes on any of them so far.
It was only during the time he had lifted up Tang Wutong’s bamboo hat that
he had revealed a shocked expression. But even then, he had regained his
composure very quickly. In fact, the way he left Tang Wutong behind looked
as though he was trying to escape from her...
Most of the young women felt that they could not hold a candle to Tang
Wutong. If Wutong could not attract Huo Yuhao, they were definitely not
confident in their looks or ability. An overly outstanding guy could very
easily make a lady insecure. All of the female students in the inner
courtyard were not dumb, and while they hesitated over their decision
initially, they made up their minds very quickly.
Three minutes passed very quickly, and Han Ruoruo spoke. “Time’s up! Now we
will begin with Destined in Three Lives. Because of Huo Yuhao’s special
circumstances, we will first begin by determining how many of you are willing
to select him as your preferred male student. Afterwards, we will begin with
the self-introductions. Now, I will extinguish all of the lamps, and when I
say begin, please light your lamps if you want to choose Huo Yuhao as your
preferred partner.”
“Hold on,”came a voice from the crowd. The person who spoke was none other
than Tang Wutong.
Han Ruoruo said, “Wutong, is there a problem?”
Tang Wutong nodded, and glided forward on her lilypad. She left the area
illuminated by the beam of light before turning around to face the fifteen
other ladies.
“Sisters, I have a request to make. I’m only here today for one person. And
thus, I hope all of you can give me this chance. Can all of you do me this
favor?”
Her words might have appeared to be a little ambiguous, but it was plain for
everyone to see what she meant. Even though she spoke slowly, most of the
ladies could sense the anxiety and desperation in her words.
Zhang Lexuan frowned and spoke, “Wutong, it’s not right for you to pressure
others to give up on Huo Yuhao. It’s not fair to the rest of them.”
Tang Wutong took a deep breath before replying, “I’m sorry, Eldest Senior
Sister! But, I… I…” She suddenly stopped speaking as her emotions became
increasingly muddled.
And to everyone’s surprise, she bowed before all of the other female
students and apologized, “I’m sorry… I was too anxious… Let’s treat it as
though I didn’t say anything. Let’s continue with
the proceedings.” Following
which, she controlled her lilypad and glided back to her
previous position.
Her head was now lowered as her eyebrows were locked into a deep frown. No
one was sure what was on her mind, but they could all tell that she seemed
to be in some sort of pain.
After observing how she had acted, Huo Yuhao was similarly shocked. What’s
going on? It can’t be because of me, right…? Wutong, you better not be like
Qiu’er… My heart belongs to someone already…
Zhang Lexuan spoke sternly, “I want to remind all of you to not act in the
same way as Tang Wutong did. Whoever messes up the proceedings of the Fated
Blind Date will be kicked out. Let’s ignore what she said and continue with
the proceedings. Can we now extinguish the lights from the lamps?”
The sixteen beams of light vanished, and all sixteen female students were
enshrouded in darkness.
“We now invite our female students to make their decisions. For those who
are willing to introduce yourselves and display your abilities to Huo Yuhao,
you may now light your lamp!” Han Ruoruo announced authoritatively.
The first golden light appeared from Tang Wutong.
A cold feeling gripped Huo Yuhao’s heart. Wutong, why…?
Following that, three other lamps lit up. Two of the lamps belonged to two
women who up until now had not lifted their bamboo hats. The last light
belonged to an extremely beautiful female student. Even though she paled a
little in comparison to Tang Wutong, she was still undeniably very
attractive.
It was clear that the ladies who ended up choosing Huo Yuhao possessed
immense courage, and the confidence to challenge their main competitor: Tang
Wutong!
Zhang Lexuan nodded and spoke, “It seems like we have four Fairies who have
chosen Huo Yuhao. Can I invite all four of you to step forward?”
The four lilypads floated forward until they were fifty meters in front of Huo
Yuhao.
Zhang Lexuan announced, “Since Tang Wutong messed up earlier, she will be
the last to introduce herself. We shall now invite our female students to
take turns and introduce themselves to Huo Yuhao. The order will go like
this: Fairy #3, #6, #11, and then finally #8. So without further ado, let us
invite Sea God’s Fairy #3 to begin her introduction. Fairy #3, you have yet
to remove your bamboo hat. Would you like to remove it now?”
“I would like to remove it now.” The voice of Fairy #3 was bright and loud.
She lifted her hand and removed her bamboo hat.
This young woman’s figure was very balanced, and exuded a very feminine kind
of attractiveness. Her face only had a thin layer of makeup, and her big
eyes were very attractive. Her short hair coupled with her brows gave her
the look of a very beautiful heroine.
Zhang Lexuan announced, “You may now begin your introduction!”
Fairy #3 nodded and spoke. “Hello Huo Yuhao! I am Bai Se, but everyone calls
me Xiao Bai. As of now, I’m a six-ringed Soul Emperor, which is a long way
from you. To be honest, even before I entered the inner courtyard, I had
already heard about your achievements in the Academy. Even though I entered
the inner courtyard two years before you, you overtook me with so much ease.
If I were to be very frank, I would say my feelings are borne out of
curiosity rather than mere attraction. I have always revered strong soul
masters and hence, whoever wants to take me as their partner must first
defeat me. Even if you don’t choose me, I would challenge you to a duel in
the later segment. That’s all I have to say. It’s up to you to choose me or
not!”
This self-introduction was truly badass… She didn’t waste any time with
flowery words, and laid her credentials and thoughts bare. She was a true
badass heroine!
Huo Yuhao nodded politely as he remained silent.
Zhang Lexuan was resigned as she shook her head. Xiao Bai… You’re still as
blunt as ever… It seems like it will be rather
difficult for you to find a husband in the future… You’re no different from a
man...
“Alright. Now let us welcome Fairy #6!”
Fairy #6 was a gentle-looking lady who had not been wearing a bamboo hat.
She stepped forward before gently bowing before Huo Yuhao. She spoke softly,
“Hello Senior Huo, my name is Mu Yue. Similar to Xiao Bai, I heard about
your incredible stories some time ago. Because I just entered the inner
courtyard this year, my abilities are probably not worth mentioning. I just
want you to know that I really admire you a lot. Your stories have been my
source of motivation, to challenge myself and become better. Even though
today is my first time meeting you in person, you have already left an
indelible mark in my mind.”
Her introduction was even shorter than Xiao Bai’s, and she did not mention
much about herself. But her self-introduction showed a lot more affection
than Xiao Bai’s. Furthermore, Mu Yue had an enormous advantage in her voice.
The way she talked was very gentle and melodic. Even Huo Yuhao was surprised
at how perfect her voice was.
Similar to how he reacted to Xiao Bai’s introduction, Huo Yuhao nodded
silently.
“Now let us welcome Fairy #11.” Zhang Lexuan announced. “You can also
choose whether you want to remove your bamboo hat for Huo Yuhao.”
“I’m sorry, eldest senior sister. As of now, I don’t want to remove my
bamboo hat. I hope that Huo Yuhao can take it off for me.” A calm and clear
voice rang out from underneath the bamboo hat. Even though her voice was
almost a monotone, one could sense the emotions brimming in her choice of
words.
“Hi Huo Yuhao, my name is Su Tong. I’m a seven-ringed Soul Sage, and my
martial soul is the Icesky Snow Lady.” Her introduction was even shorter
than the two ladies before her. However, her last line was enough to catch
Huo Yuhao’s attention. Icesky Snow Lady?! Unless... Su Tong also possesses
Ultimate Ice?
From what Huo Yuhao knew, even in the Extreme North, the Snow Empress was
the only Icesky Snow Lady around. There was no other known Icesky Snow
Ladies. No one had expected
to find someone with the Icesky Snow Lady martial soul among humans.
Huo Yuhao was not the only one shocked by Su Tong’s words. Even Zhang
Lexuan, Han Ruoruo, and some of the higher-ups from Shrek Academy were taken
aback by her words.
Elder Xuan turned around and asked Yan Shaozhe, “Shaozhe, what’s going on?
When did we have a student with an Icesky Snow Lady martial soul in our
inner courtyard? Why was I not informed of this?”
Yan Shaozhe gave an awkward laugh. “Elder Xuan, even I was not aware of
this. Su Tong was only admitted into the Academy recently. When she just
entered, she told us her Martial Soul was a Snow Spirit, a powerful Ice
element Martial Soul. She never told us her Martial Soul was actually an
Icesky Snow Lady, and we never detected her Ultimate Ice ability. It seems
like she must have purposely concealed her abilities… None of us expected
her to do so.”
Elder Xuan paused before saying, “How old is Su Tong this year?”
Yan Shaozhe replied, “She’s twenty—quite a bit older than Huo Yuhao.
However, she possesses an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul. It is notoriously hard
for a twenty-year-old to train one’s Ultimate Ice to the Soul Sage level.
Her future must be unbelievably bright.”
Elder Xuan nodded and said, “Let’s
wait and see. Who knows? Yuhao might be able to uncover
more unknown things about her.”
Bai Se, Mu Yue, and Su Tong were all attractive candidates in their own
ways.
Bai Se exuded the vibes of an energetic and driven heroine. Mu Yue was
unbelievably gentle, while Su Tong, like Huo Yuhao, possessed Ultimate Ice,
and was enshrouded in an air of mystery.
But even then, they were unable to overshadow Tang Wutong.
Zhang Lexuan looked at Tang Wutong and announced, “Fairy #8, it’s your
turn.”
While the three ladies were giving their self-introductions, Tang Wutong was
just standing there silently, occasionally frowning and stealing glances at
Huo Yuhao. She had a confused look on her face as a tinge of melancholy
crept across it. Her anxious breathing could not hide the uneasy feelings in
her heart.
“I’m Tang Wutong.” And that was all she said.
There seemed to be some sort of strange pattern in the way the ladies
introduced themselves. Their introductions simply got shorter.
Zhang Lexuan frowned at Tang Wutong before announcing, “Now that we are done
with the self-introductions, we can move onto the last segment, Eternal
Love! Yuhao, it is now your turn to choose one of these ladies. After you
have made your decision, you may leave with her. However, if someone opposes
you and challenges you to a duel, you must win in order to leave with the
lady whom you have selected. Failure to win means that you have to return
home empty-handed. Of
course, you may choose from the Fairies who did not select you. If you
choose any of them, they have the right to challenge you.”
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly. He already knew Zhang Lexuan had simplified the
instructions given for the Eternal Love segment. After all, it was not his
first time attending the Fated Blind Date, and he could still remember a
large part of the rules.
Just when he was about to announce his decision — that he did not want to
choose any of them — and leave, Zhang Lexuan continued, “Because we have
four Fairies who have chosen you, they will now take turns to give you a
one-minute confession. We will adhere to the same sequence as before. Bai
Se, you may begin.”
Bai Se stared at Huo Yuhao as she glided forward on her lilypad. “Senior
Huo, today is our first time meeting each other in person. To be honest, I
only admire strong people, and that is why I chose you. But I must admit
that we probably do not hold any romantic feelings for one another. Hence,
even if you were to choose someone else, I won’t feel too upset about it.
Even if you choose me, I will still find a chance to spar with you. To
summarize what I have just said, rather than be your
girlfriend, I’m more inclined to spar with you. If you were to trash me in a
battle, who knows? I might just fall in love with you.”
Even though Huo Yuhao was just going through the motions, he was still very
much amused by Bai Se’s words. In fact, her confession could be summed up as
the following: You can make whatever decision you want, but I must fight you!
She was a true badass… Whoever married her in the future would most
definitely have an enjoyable marriage… She was definitely one in a million!
Han Ruoruo announced, “Mu Yue, it’s your turn.”
Mu Yue followed Bai Se as she maneuvered her way in front of Huo Yuhao. She
took a short pause before confessing, “Senior Huo, in
my eyes, admiration and reverence is the
precursor for love. Before I met you in person, I had heard so much about
you. I know I don’t have much of an advantage before my outstanding senior
sisters, but I still will stand forward to confess. This might just be the
bravest thing I have done in the past ten years. I won’t regret my decision,
because I
really like you. Even if you don’t choose me, you will always be a hero in
my heart, forever and always.”
Huo Yuhao nodded politely in her direction to acknowledge her feelings. Her
eyes and voice are too gentle… If he didn’t already have someone whom he
loved, he might have wavered under such circumstances.
“Su Tong, it’s your turn.”
Su Tong did not glide forward on her lilypad; instead, she stood where she
was and kept her bamboo hat on her head. The same calm and border-line
monotone voice came forth again. “I know both of us possess Ultimate Ice.
That’s why I’m curious to find out how different we are in terms of our
power. You might be the brightest star from Shrek Academy, but I’m also very
confident in my abilities. If you can use your powers to take the bamboo hat
off my head, I will leave with you.”
If they were to categorize Bai Se as badass and Mu Yue as gentle, Su Tong
would undeniably be haughty. Her haughtiness exuded from her words, and made
many of the spectators rather uncomfortable.
Huo Yuhao remained calm as he nodded politely, just as before. However, he
had already shifted his attention to Tang Wutong.
Even though he knew very well that Tang Wutong was not Wang Dong’er, he
could not resist looking at her beautiful face.
“Tang Wutong, it’s your turn.” Zhang Lexuan announced.
Tang Wutong nodded as she looked up and stared right into Huo Yuhao’s eyes.
The lilypad beneath her did not move, but it began to give off a golden
radiance.
“Yuhao, we have not known each other for long. But during our first
encounter, you mistook me for Wang Dong’er, and hugged me. I was very angry
back then, and really wanted to kill you. Afterwards, we had a couple more
interactions, and I started to look beyond the initial hatred I had for you.
I began to see some of your qualities: your calm, your quick thinking, and
more. Whenever your group faced any form of danger, you were always the one
rushing to the front and protecting your peers, sometimes at the expense of
your own safety. It was during that time that I found my hatred towards you
slowly disappearing…”
Compared to her self-introduction, Tang Wutong’s confession seemed more like
a slow recitation of her memories with Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao was a bit taken aback by her words. He could still remember how
happy he was when he had first “met” Tang Wutong.
“Afterwards, when we were all by the river, you grilled fish for all of us.
After our feast, Nannan came over to tell me how you actually only wanted to
grill fish for me. That was the most delicious meal I had ever had. What
surprised me most was how eating the fish that you grilled for me gave me an
indescribable feeling. At that moment, I felt lost. I don’t know how to
describe that feeling, but I just felt like I really admired you. It was an
admiration, or rather, a sense of attraction that came from the bottom of my
heart. Even though I could not put my feelings into words back then, I felt
really really happy. Otherwise, I would not have allowed you to inject your
soul power into me back then at the military camp. You should know very well
what that means to a soul master.”
Every soul master’s way of cultivation, especially their circulation path,
was their biggest secret. Even though Huo Yuhao might not have been able to
find out much about Tang Wutong’s circulation path, being given permission to
inject his soul power into her was already an immense hint as to how she
felt about him.
After hearing what Tang Wutong said, Huo Yuhao revealed an expression of
regret. He really regretted attempting to verify Tang Wutong’s identity. If
he had not tried to do so, he could still live happily in the illusion that
she was actually Wang Dong’er… even if “Wang Dong’er” refused to
be with him. But his attempt to verify her identity completely destroyed the
illusion, and left Huo Yuhao with no hope. He completely gave up on Tang
Wutong after realizing that she was not Wang Dong’er.
As Tang Wutong paused, Zhang Lexuan interjected, “Tang Wutong, are you done
with your confession?”
Tang Wutong shook her head fervently and clarified, “Not yet. Let me finish
what I have to say.”
Zhang Lexuan frowned, “Then you’d better hurry. If you take up too much
time, it would be unfair to the others.”
“I understand.” Tang Wutong replied, before hastily shifting her gaze back
to Huo Yuhao. “I’m running out of time, but there’s so much I want to say to
you. Yuhao, I am standing before you today just like I did back then, when
you chose me even before you saw my appearance. Can you take me with you
today? I have so much to say to you!”
He stared calmly at Tang Wutong, but his heart was wrenching with pain. Tang
Wutong… Why must you bring up such things…? You are not Dong’er, and never
will be! Even though you may look like her, you are ultimately not her… How
can I take you with me?
Zhang Lexuan announced, “Alright! Now that everyone is done, it’s now
Yuhao’s turn to make his decision. Yuhao, the time is now yours.”
Huo Yuhao nodded at Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo before turning his attention
to the four ladies before him. He sighed and apologized, “I’m deeply
grateful for the attention and
affection which all of you have showered upon me. But to be very honest, I
didn’t intend to come today. I already have a certain lady in my heart… a
girl who I met at my previous Fated Blind Date. We met each other back then
and got together. However, something peculiar happened to her, and she has
disappeared. Even now, I’m unable to find her.
“However, this doesn’t change the fact that my heart can only contain her
and no one else. Until the end of my life, I can only love her and her only.
The only reason why I attended this Blind Date is because all single
students of the inner courtyard must attend. Because of this, I’m terribly
sorry for what I have put all of you through. Bai Se and Su Tong, feel free
to look for me for a duel whenever either of you wish. I’m open to such
challenges.”
With that, he turned around to look at Zhang Lexuan before saying, “Eldest
senior sister, let’s call it a day. I will take my leave now and not
interfere with the other students’ blind date.”
After finishing his sentence, Huo Yuhao nodded at Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo
and turned to leave.
“Hold on!” At this very moment, three voices simultaneously demanded that he
stop.
Huo Yuhao turned around, and realized that the three voices belonged to Bai
Se, Su Tong, and Tang Wutong.
Bai Se spoke anxiously, “You can’t leave like this. Do you know how hard it
is to bump into you in person? If I were to miss this opportunity to spar
with you today, I’m not sure how long I would have to wait before I got to
see you in person again. Let’s just spar today!”
Su Tong gave him a cold sneer. “That’s right. Even if you didn’t choose us,
you should at the very least spar with us before leaving. I want to prove to
everyone present that I am stronger than you.”
After both of them clarified their reasons, it was Tang Wutong’s turn to
speak, but she merely bit her lip and kept quiet. No one knew what was on
her mind. But slowly, she looked back up at Huo Yuhao with a determined
stare.
Huo Yuhao frowned as memories of Wang Dong’er were awakened by this Fated
Blind Date. Burdened by the heartache from those memories, all Huo Yuhao
wanted to do was leave this Blind Date and find a quiet corner to hide.
However, these ladies were overbearing, and they were getting on his nerves.
“Okay. Since both of you are so interested in challenging me, why don’t I
perform two moves, and both of you try to replicate them? If either of you
can replicate them, I will willingly concede defeat.”
Huo Yuhao’s voice was not particularly loud, but everyone present,
regardless of whether they were above the lake or all the way at the
lakeside, could hear him clearly.
At that very instant, the students from the outer courtyard stood up in
unison in excitement. They were about to witness Huo Yuhao — the owner of
the Eyes of the Asura, the Academy’s youngest ever member of the Sea God’s
Pavilion, the founder of the Spirit Pagoda, and the inventor of Spirits —
perform before their very eyes!
Was he really going to demonstrate his abilities in front of everyone? Oh,
what a sight that would be! The students from
the Outer Courtyard had long wanted to see Spirits — an important lesson
module within Shrek Academy which had been made famous by word of mouth —
with their own eyes.
Nothing could beat watching the inventor use what he had invented, right?
Everyone had huge expectations for the upcoming display from Huo Yuhao.
Just when everyone was hyped up for what they were about to see, Huo Yuhao
took a step forward and left the lilypad beneath him. As he stood calmly
above the surface of the lake, a thick circle of ice with a diameter of
roughly two meters formed beneath his feet and took his weight.
Huo Yuhao nodded politely towards Bai Se before gazing up at the sky. At
that very instant, his eyes appeared to lose focus, as though his attention
had drifted off and away into the skies. However, this only lasted for a
short while before a massive change followed. An incredibly strong sense of
nostalgia rippled out into the surroundings from him. His emotions appeared
to be pouring out of his gaze.
He took a step forward off the ice into the empty space before him. Huo
Yuhao levitated above the lake as his soul rings
started to rise from his feet.
Every soul ring’s color was pristine and free from any form of adulteration.
The white, black, gold and red rings were all equally impressive as all
seven rings shone brilliantly with their individual colors. The energy
coming off of Huo Yuhao’s body was way beyond what any normal seven-ringed
Soul Sage could produce.
The outer courtyard students by the lake were not able to differentiate it,
but the inner courtyard students, who were a lot nearer, were all stupefied.
Even though he only had seven soul rings, Huo Yuhao seemed to be giving off
the energy levels of an eight-ringed Soul Douluo! Unless...he has already
become an eight-ringed Soul Douluo? But if that is the case, why would he
only have seven rings?
Of course, Huo Yuhao would not give away the answer. Before anyone knew it,
he suddenly struck a fist up towards the sky.
At that very instant, his whole body turned golden. In fact, the soul rings
surrounding him all turned golden as well. The intent from his punch left a
deep impression in everyone’s hearts.
Everyone present could feel a powerful feeling of nostalgia surging from the
depths of their hearts. Images of the ones they missed the most formed in
everyone’s minds simultaneously.
Some missed their mothers, while others missed their fathers. But what was
common between those mental images was the love they all had for the ones
whom they missed the most.
The power of that fist’s intent was so strong that even the Titled Douluo on
the ship were affected by the yearning for one’s loved one. At that very
instant, everyone, including Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe, and the other powerful
Douluo, had their emotions affected to different extents by Huo Yuhao’s
move.
Immediately following this moving performance, a powerful golden glow
exploded into the air as his golden fist transformed into a pillar of golden
radiance shooting straight
up into the heavens, illuminating the entirety of the Sea God’s Lake, and
the whole of the Sea God’s Island.
At that very instant, all of Shrek Academy was painted in gold.
Bai Se, who was standing just opposite Huo Yuhao, was completely stunned by
what she had just seen. How was she going to replicate such a powerful move
executed by the guy who was floating in mid-air before her? The move Huo
Yuhao had performed contained a scary amount of spiritual intent, and Bai Se
was certain that she would be severely injured or even killed if such a blow
landed on her. She knew very well that even if she were currently at the
Soul Sage level, instead of her current Soul Emperor level, she would not
have been able to take the blow! Why is the intensity of the soul power
fluctuations radiating from his body beyond that of an ordinary Soul Sage?
Is…Is he still human?
At this very instant, Bai Se realized Huo Yuhao’s figure was indelibly
imprinted in her mind. His magnificent golden figure was now an immovable
image in the depths of her heart.
As the golden color in the sky gradually faded away, the students from Shrek
Academy slowly collected themselves after witnessing Huo Yuhao’s move.
However, just when they thought they had recovered from the shock, they were
met with another unbelievable sight.
Yes, it appeared that something in the sky had once again surprised them.
There was another person. Someone completely golden.
This person’s silhouette was incredibly beautiful. Her long dress weighed
down perfectly, her long hair covered her back gracefully, while her beauty
glowed in a gentle yet alluring way. She appeared to be looking into the
distance, as though she were waiting or yearning for someone.
The students from the outer courtyard could not see it clearly, but those
from the inner courtyard who were participating in the Sea God’s Fated Blind
Date were shocked, because the levitating person looked exactly like Tang
Wutong!
Only those who had seen Wang Dong’er before knew that that person was not
Tang Wutong. Wang Dong’er, the former Goddess of Light, used to have wavy
hair, but the person
levitating in the air had straight hair. But yes, that person was none other
than Wang Dong’er… the person who had stolen away Huo Yuhao’s heart.
This scene was utterly breathtaking: Wang Dong’er was gazing down at Huo
Yuhao from high up in the air, while Huo Yuhao returned her stare lovingly
from a lower altitude. The entire Sea God’s Lake was theirs, and everyone
else present was invisible.
No one wanted to let out a scream of excitement or exhilaration anymore.
While they were all shocked beyond belief, they did not want to spoil the
beautiful scene, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s “reunion”, taking place before
their eyes.
Chapter 509: Fusion! She's Back!
Tang Wutong was in a daze as she looked at Huo Yuhao not far from her. Right
now, for some reason, she felt that the distance between him and her was so
far that it was unbridgeable.
Tang Wutong took in a deep breath and tried to get rid of that feeling.
However, everything was in vain. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to
forget the look in his eyes as he gazed at Wang Dong’er. She was now
immersed in Wang Dong’er’s world.
Finally, the golden projection in the sky slowly dimmed down as Huo Yuhao
looked on reluctantly. The night sky became quiet once again, and all of
Shrek Academy seemed to quiet down with it.
Is this even humanly possible? How did he do this?, were the questions in
every student’s mind.
Only the more experienced inner courtyard students and teachers could
roughly guess that it was the most advanced
self-invented soul skill of a soul master. Only the most outstanding soul
masters could do something like this. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao’s self-invented
soul skill fused his martial soul, soul power, and spiritual power. It even
contained his emotions, his yearning for Wang Dong’er!
It was the Fist of Remembrance, a fist containing a surging feeling of
remembrance!
The yearning in Huo Yuhao’s eyes was slowly withdrawn. What replaced it was
a deep look. He looked at Bai Se again and nodded to her, “Do you still want
to challenge me now?”
Bai Se laughed bitterly and shook her head. She replied, “Although I knew
that the gap between you and me was huge, I didn’t expect it to be that
huge. I’ve already lost my courage to challenge you. I’ll consider it again
when I have the courage.”
As she finished speaking, she paused for a moment and took a serious look at
Huo Yuhao before saying, “However, senior, did you know? After you
demonstrated this move, I’ve become even more curious about you. I’ve even
developed an admiration for you. To me, admiration should be the
precondition for love. I won't give up easily, I’ll work harder to
understand you. I heard that you’re from the Tang Sect. After I graduate, I
want to join the Tang Sect!”
Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “The Tang Sect welcomes you, and I accept your
challenge anytime.”
“Alright.” Bai Se answered. After this, she turned to Zhang Lexuan and
Han Ruoruo and said with a high-pitched voice, “Seniors, I’ve already
decided to pull out of this Fated Blind Date. After seeing what Senior Yuhao
has demonstrated, I’m only keen on cultivating further. I’ll make a move
first.” After she finished speaking, she jumped away and proceeded towards the
shore.
After watching her leave, Zhang Lexuan revealed a frustrated look on her
face. She thought to herself, Yuhao is too charismatic. He can ‘infect’
anyone everywhere he goes!
Huo Yuhao had already turned his attention to number eleven, Su Tong. Su
Tong still had her bamboo hat and veil over her head, the veil still
covering her face. At least on the surface, no one could tell what her
feelings were.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao’s seven soul rings slowly winked out.
“Don’t you want to demonstrate your abilities to me ,too? What I want to see
are not your self-invented soul skills.” Su Tong said to Huo Yuhao in
a high-pitched voice. However, if she could hear her voice right now, she
would definitely be stunned to discover that she lacked some of the
self-confidence she normally possessed.
Huo Yuhao nodded at her and said, “I’ll satisfy you, then.”
Soul rings started to rise from Huo Yuhao’s body again. However, everyone
was shocked to find out that the soul rings that re-emerged weren’t the same
color as they were before. They were different now!
Of the seven soul rings that rose earlier, the first one was white. This
time, the first soul ring to rise was red, blood-red! It was as red as Shrek
Academy’s uniform, even deeper and darker! It was a red that represented
strength!
“Hundred-thousand-year soul ring!” many people exclaimed in astonishment.
What followed were the rest of Huo Yuhao’s soul rings. They left everyone in
complete shock.
There were seven more soul rings after the first one, four orange and three
red ones. In total, there were eight soul rings. Half were orange, and half
were red.
A red soul ring was a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. This was basic
knowledge that every soul master knew. But what did orange represent? The
students from Shrek Academy, whether they were from the inner or outer
courtyards, had never heard of orange soul rings before. They didn’t even
know what an orange soul ring represented. Everyone was flabbergasted. They
looked at Huo Yuhao like he was a freak.
Huo Yuhao gradually lit up with a jade-green glow. All eight soul rings were
quietly drifting around him. The clear water of the Sea God’s Lake started
to crystallize at an alarming speed.
Very soon, a tough icy layer spread all the way beneath the feet of both the
male and female students on Sea God’s Lake. As the surface beneath them
hardened, they were able to relax in controlling their soul power. The speed
of the crystallization was even increasing. In just a matter of seconds, the
entire Sea God’s Lake rippled with a layer of icy fog.
Yes, Sea God’s Lake had frozen up. The entirety of Sea God’s Lake was
covered with ice.
The temperature in the air dipped significantly in just a short period of
time. Everyone could sense the intense chill. However, the outer courtyard
students could still handle the chill, as the chill only came from the
surface of the lake.
Without even using a soul skill or performing any visible action, Huo Yuhao
managed to freeze the entire Sea God’s Lake. Although Sea God’s Lake wasn’t
a true lake, it was still expansive. How easy was it to freeze the whole
thing?
Moreover, Huo Yuhao had unleashed eight soul rings, and the color of every
soul ring was astonishing.
The students of Shrek had all heard that he had twin martial souls. However,
it was their first time seeing twin martial souls with their own eyes.
He had two martial souls. One was seven-ringed, and the other was
eight-ringed. He was a Soul Douluo, a Soul Douluo who was barely twenty
years old!
If Huo Yuhao was only a myth in the Academy in the past, he was now
transforming according to the myth right now.
---
Even Elder Xuan was astonished. “Since when did this fellow have eight soul
rings? They’re even hundred-thousand-year soul rings!”
Yan Shaozhe took this opportunity to say, “Elder Xuan, now do you believe
that he doesn’t have to wait until the future to replace me, right? He can
just directly take over from you.”
---
Huo Yuhao calmly said to Su Tong, who was standing where she was without
saying anything or moving an inch, “If you can turn the lake back into
water, you win. You should know that ice-type controllers like us take
control of temperature first. I’m not taking advantage of you in any way.”
Su Tong nodded silently. However, she didn’t say anything before suddenly
jumping up and heading. Everyone around knew that she couldn’t undo what Huo
Yuhao had managed to do so easily.
Huo Yuhao turned to Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo and said, “Seniors, let’s
leave the lake frozen. It will melt slowly on its own. It’ll also make
things easier for the other students of this Fated Blind Date. Apologies for
taking everyone’s time.”
Huo Yuhao nodded at the male and female students to acknowledge them. I
should be able to leave now. The Academy invited me over because they wanted
me to demonstrate my abilities and inspire everyone to cultivate. I’ve
helped them achieve their goal.
“Wait a minute.”
Huo Yuhao appeared slightly dissatisfied as he was halted once again. He
wasn’t in a good mood right now. He was starting to become a little angry as
he was stopped over and over again. However, his anger dissipated when he
saw the person who had halted him.
There was no more complicated look in Tang Wutong’s eyes now. Her determined
gaze was flashing with golden light. Even though she wasn’t Wang Dong’er, she
still looked very similar to her. No matter what, Huo Yuhao couldn’t bring
himself to be angry with her.
“You’ve already demonstrated your abilities to them. What about me?” Tang
Wutong said calmly.
Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and asked, “Tang Wutong, are you challenging
me?”
“Why not, since the rules allow it?” Tang Wutong replied calmly.
Huo Yuhao sighed and replied, “But I don’t want to fight you. I’m not in the
mood, either. You should know that I won’t hurt you.”
Tang Wutong said, “What if I insist?”
Huo Yuhao’s eyes flashed, and he said coldly, “How do you want to fight,
then?”
Tang Wutong revealed a smile. It seemed rather weird. It appeared to be a
teasing smile, but very uncomfortable, too. When the two expressions came
together, it indeed made her smile appear a little odd.
Huo Yuhao’s heart skipped a beat when he saw her smile. For some reason, he
felt something was about to happen.
Tang Wutong said, “Forget it, I don’t want to fight you either. Although I
don’t think that I’ll lose to you, you taught me that day that I shouldn’t
bite the hand that fed me.”
“What do you want, then?” Huo Yuhao asked.
Tang Wutong replied, “Do you still remember our time in the Star Luo Empire?
Back then, you used your soul power to check my power before you left. I
agreed to your request back then. Right now, I want to do the same to you. I
want to try what you did. Is that considered fair? I’ve already let you
check me. If you want to leave, you can do so.”
“What?” Huo Yuhao didn’t expect Tang
Wutong to make such a request. He was a little confused, as he
couldn’t figure out what her goal was.
“Why, are you scared?” Tang Wutong
looked a little provocative as she stared at him.
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “That’s not a problem. However, I just
want to know what you’re checking for. What are you trying to feel in me?”
He was clearly unconvinced that Tang Wutong only wanted to sense his soul
power.
Tang Wutong pursed her lips and answered, “Did you tell me the reason when
you did this to me before? You only patronized me with a few words.”
“Alright. Do it then.” Huo Yuhao only wanted to leave now. Furthermore, he
was also confident that Tang Wutong wouldn’t harm him.
The surface of the lake was already frozen solid. Tang Wutong directly
walked off of her lotus leaf towards Huo Yuhao.
Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo didn’t stop her. Everyone was watching quietly.
Huo Yuhao was also unaware what Tang Wutong was going to do, much less the
rest of the people.
The distance between them closed quickly, Tang Wutong stopped in front of
Huo Yuhao. She nodded at him and said, “I’m going to begin.”
Huo Yuhao didn’t answer, and only quietly spread his arms.
It actually looked like he was about to catch her.
Tang Wutong’s face turned red. After hesitating slightly, she lifted her
hands and placed them on his.
Tang Wutong’s hands were soft and delicate. One could be aroused even
touching her tender palms. Huo Yuhao was startled, and tried to force
himself to detach Wang Dong’er from his thoughts. However, he realized that
he couldn’t do so.
Tang Wutong and Wang Dong’er were simply too alike. Even if they were
different people, it was almost impossible to not link them together.
It wasn’t Huo Yuhao’s first time sensing her soul power, and she gradually
poured her soul power into his hands.
Precisely because he had experienced it before, he knew that Tang Wutong’s
soul power was extraordinary. Although it wasn’t like his Ultimate martial
soul, Huo Yuhao felt that her soul power was even stronger than his Ultimate
Ice soul power. Her soul power contained something that wasn’t in his soul
power, something that seemed extraordinary and seemed to have been enhanced.
As for what it was, Huo Yuhao couldn’t say in detail.
However, he was certain that it existed.
Huo Yuhao didn’t resist at all. He allowed Tang Wutong to freely pour her
soul power into him and touch his soul power.
As his cultivation increased, the quality of Huo Yuhao’s soul power was not
that far from Tang Wutong’s, especially after he absorbed the Manifold
Mysterious Ice Essence, even though there were still some qualitative
differences.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao suddenly saw Tang Wutong smiling. He was a little
stunned when he looked at her, as he didn’t know why she was smiling.
It was at this time that a pair of huge golden wings appeared behind Tang
Wutong. Soul rings also started to surface from her feet.
Black, black, black, black, black, black, red, and red.
There were actually eight soul rings. They were even fully complementary.
There were six ten-thousand-year soul rings and two hundred-thousand-year
soul rings.
Huo Yuhao was astonished at this moment. He also didn’t know that Tang
Wutong was actually a Soul Douluo. She actually has eight rings already. She
went into closed-door cultivation earlier so that she could obtain eight
rings?
However, even if she has eight rings and wants to demonstrate her abilities
to me, what’s the point of doing so?
There were dense scaly patterns on her wings, which were dragon wings. Tang
Wutong’s martial soul was the powerful Radiant Dragon God’s Butterfly.
Although they were dragon wings, they were still shaped like butterfly wings.
Just as Huo Yuhao was confused about what Tang Wutong was doing, her
forehead suddenly lit up. A golden trident was exuding a strong glow.
Huo Yuhao felt instantly felt dizzy when he saw the glow from the golden
trident. However, there was a weird sense of closeness, as well.
An astonishing scene appeared. Tang Wutong’s wings fluttered gently, and
streaks of golden light started to spread out like fog. As these streaks of
light quickly spread, they actually surged towards the trident on her
forehead, and were quickly absorbed by the golden trident.
This was…
Huo Yuhao was shocked as he looked at Tang Wutong. He was the closest to
her, and her soul power was inside him, and he could feel it most acutely.
However, he couldn’t understand what was going on.
It wasn’t just Tang Wutong’s wings that had experienced changes. Even the
soul power that was pouring into his body
was experiencing changes. Some of the changes were more obvious: the
something in her soul power that Huo Yuhao had sensed earlier was rapidly
weakening, whereas that familiar and close feeling he had sensed was
becoming stronger and stronger. The intense discrimination of his soul power
was also gradually disappearing.
Her soul power and martial soul are actually changing? Is this even
possible? Don’t tell me that this is her self-invented soul skill?
Huo Yuhao was a genius, and believed that he had a deep understanding of
soul masters, since he was the person who had invented Spirits. Moreover,
there were also the Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Skydream Iceworm within
him. Much of their knowledge had been imparted to him.
However, Huo Yuhao didn’t get a reply when he tried to call to them. All of
them, including the Ice Bear King and the Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass,
were asleep. They didn’t respond at all.
Slowly, Huo Yuhao’s eyes opened wider and wider. Tang Wutong’s wings were
gradually changing...
First, her scales became illusory, as if they had been absorbed by the
wings. The dragon scales gradually disappeared. The original golden glow
also slowly dimmed. The edges of the wings started to turn a dim blue.
Furthermore, that color was slowly intensifying.
“This, this…”
The soul power that Tang Wutong poured into him slowly started to change. It
was becoming more and more complementary to his soul power, and even started
to entangle itself with it. After this, it even…
Slowly! Gradually! Fused!
Huo Yuhao was in a daze right now. Fuse? It actually fused? Even though the
speed of fusion is slow, it’s still fusing! It’s slow, but continuous!
It’s as if… it’s like it was before…
Haodong Power!
Huo Yuhao’s heart was shaking. He had only patronizingly raised his hands,
but now he subconsciously tightened his grip on hers. The way he looked at
her also started to change.
The draw from Tang Wutong’s forehead was becoming stronger and stronger as
golden light fused with the golden trident. The wings behind her back and
the scales on her wings had completely disappeared, and were quickly turning
blue. There was now a V-shaped golden pattern covering the blue of her
wings.
It was no longer the Radiant Dragon God’s Butterfly. It was… the Radiant
Butterfly Goddess!
Huo Yuhao’s heart was completely gripped right now. At this moment, the pain
in his heart had completely disappeared. What replaced it was only a strong
sense of suffocation.
It was his first time experiencing what a miraculous recovery was. At this
instant, the seemingly pitch-black night sky had finally brightened up.
Tang Wutong looked at Huo Yuhao. There seemed to be boundless love and
yearning in her captivating eyes. She smiled, and her discomfort seemed to
have disappeared. What was left was only that teasing look. However, there
was a crystal-clear tear in her eyes at the same time.
On the boat, everyone, including Elder Xuan, stood up. They were all
stunned. Huo Yuhao didn’t know what was going on, and neither did they. No
one could guess what had actually happened to Tang Wutong.
Finally, the last streak of golden light was absorbed by Tang Wutong’s
golden trident. What was left was only the combination of blue and gold, the
combination that he was most familiar with. The combination that he had been
thinking of all this time.
“Am, am I in a dream?” Huo Yuhao was in a daze as he looked at Tang Wutong.
His voice was trembling madly. It was trembling so much that it didn’t even
seem like he was talking.
“Idiot,” Tang Wutong snorted.
Idiot? What a familiar word! Huo Yuhao only felt a stinging feeling in his
eyes, and tears flowed out uncontrollably.
At this moment, there wasn’t any derogatory connotation to this call. It
made him feel as if the entire world was blissful.
All the negative emotions in his heart seemed to have been split apart and
swept away at this moment.
He wanted to say something, but there was something in his throat. He
couldn’t say a single word more.
At this moment, soul power surged from Tang Wutong’s hands. It was very
strong, and instantly surged into Huo Yuhao’s body. During this process, Huo
Yuhao’s Mysterious Heaven Technique was subconsciously fusing with it.
Yes! This was the Haodong Power that they both possessed!
The last time they had fused was on the Sun Moon Empire’s battlefield. Back
then, Huo Yuhao was not even a Soul Emperor. Now, they were both Soul
Douluo!
The immense soul power raged through Huo Yuhao’s body. The soul core on his
forehead was stimulated, and opened up. His soul power was being enhanced at
an alarming speed.
It was unprecedentedly strong. Huo Yuhao only felt that countless whirlpools
seemed to have appeared in his fluid soul power. Every whirlpool was crazily
absorbing and compressing soul power, making him stronger and stronger.
He was in control of his soul power. It started to take form as it flowed
from his right hand through him, out from his left hand, and entered Tang
Wutong.
Tang Wutong pulled Huo Yuhao with both her hands. She pulled so hard that he
took a step forward. She was now in his embrace. Suddenly, both their bodies
lit up, and their eight soul rings released a fascinating and
unprecedentedly bright glow.
Huo Yuhao disappeared. A huge vertical eye that was filled with gentleness
and love appeared where he was previously.
Eye of the Asura!
Tang Wutong also disappeared, and turned into a giant but beautiful Radiant
Butterfly Goddess. Her wings closed up and engulfed that vertical eye.
All the lights retracted instantly. When they shone again, everyone couldn’t
help but squint.
A tri-colored beam made of blue, gold and jade-green light appeared. The
vertical eye, which seemed so abstruse, as if it
were another dimension on its own, shot out from this beam of light.
The tri-colored beam of light shot a thousand meters into the sky before
turning into a huge beam that seemed to support the entire sky.
On the shore, Bei Bei was now in tears as he witnessed everything. He
muttered to himself, “A Golden Road Amidst Withering Resplendence.”
Yes! Wasn’t that tri-colored beam of light Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er’s
fusion skill, A Golden Road Amidst Withering Resplendence?
Ten years ago, they had used this powerful fusion skill to earn their
reputation in Shrek Academy.
Ten years later, this fusion skill revealed its true brilliance. It was more
than a hundred times stronger. A sense of awe could be felt everywhere in
the air. That beam of golden light seemed to have permanently imprinted
itself on the sky.
The huge vertical eye rose into the sky. Two projections lit up at either
side of the vertical eye. On one side, there was the Ice Jade Empress
Scorpion, which was shining with diamond ice crystals and a jade-green glow.
The other side was completely black. However, there was a weird golden
pattern that flashed.
It was the dense and heavy Clear Sky Hammer.
The two projections instantly fused into the vertical eye. Suddenly, the
vertical eye changed. A jade-green hammer surfaced as distorted lights
shone. The hammer struck the sky.
There weren’t any resounding sounds to be heard. However, the entire Shrek
Academy shook slightly. A jade-green halo that spanned more than a hundred
meters in diameter appeared in the sky. The inside of this halo was a deep,
black and hollow hole.
Yes, it had hammered the sky until it cracked!
Xu Sanshi was grabbing tightly onto Bei Bei’s shoulder. He was muttering
word by word, “Blaze! Amidst! The! Frost! The! Heavenly! Emperor’s! Hammer!
The sky cracked. The two sides of the hammer revealed different projections
once again. One side was the rose-gold Eye of the Asura, while the other
side was still the pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer.
Both the Eye and the Clear Sky Hammer fused together. The originally
jade-green hammer suddenly turned golden. Following this, it disintegrated.
Countless small golden hammers flashed past within a region covering a
thousand meters in diameter. Strong spiritual undulations caused everyone to
feel stunned.
Jiang Nannan sobbed as she threw herself into Xu Sanshi’s arms. He Caitou’s
voice trembled as he said, “Mantra Amidst the Void, Spiritual Tempest. She’s
back. Dong’er is back!”
Everything soon returned to a peaceful state. The Ice Jade Empress and
Radiant Butterfly Goddess silently surfaced. They gazed at each other.
In the next moment, they performed their last fusion.
As they fused, there was only a golden pattern left in the sky. Following
this, a captivating leg walked out from the hole. A bright golden figure
quietly appeared in the void.
She was wearing an elegant golden dress. On her forehead, there was a
vertical eye with sunray patterns. She was holding a long dragon pike in her
left hand. In her right hand, there was golden trident that was filled with
dominance, strength and elegance.
Her wavy pinkish-blue hair drooped behind her back all the way down to her
feet. As she appeared, everything around her lost its gloss.
A gentle icy fog circled her body, and snowflakes started to dance in the
air.
“This…”
“Solitary Dance Amidst the Frost, Raiment of Light!”
Yes, she was back.
Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were all very
emotional at this point.
They were all good friends with Wang Dong’er! When Wang Dong’er was still in
a coma, Huo Yuhao was depressed. But how could they not be depressed too?
They only avoided mentioning her name in front of Huo Yuhao because they
were afraid of triggering his emotions further. However, this didn’t mean
that they weren’t sad! It was just like how Huo Yuhao was also very worried
about Tang Ya, and risked his life to save her. They were teammates, close
friends, sworn friends and Shrek’s Seven Monsters.
Right now, they were all very emotional when they saw the familiar Golden
Road, Heavenly Emperor’s Hammer, Spiritual Tempest and Raiment of Light.
In fact, they had known that Tang Wutong was here for the Blind Date. Zhang
Lexuan and Han Ruoruo also knew, but they didn’t tell Huo Yuhao beforehand.
This was because they were afraid of making him feel conflicted. At the same
time, they wanted to give him a surprise.
Right now, they couldn’t contain themselves when they saw what was
happening, even though they had already predicted this long ago.
The Goddess of Light descended from the sky as she was surrounded by icy
fog, dim golden light, and the ravishing and holy looks of the Goddess of
Light, as well as the Eye of Destiny on her forehead. Even Yan Shaozhe was
in awe, even though he was a Transcendent Douluo.
Everyone could sense how strong the Goddess of Light was. This was the
fusion of light and ice, and the best form that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er
could adopt together. No, it should be the best form that Huo Yuhao and Tang
Wutong could adopt together.
The Goddess of Light gently landed on the icy surface. She scanned the
entire place, and a slight smile appeared on her face.
Initially, Huo Yuhao had controlled three of the four fusion skills that Huo
Yuhao and Wang Dong’er shared. Only this Goddess of Light was mainly
controlled by Wang Dong’er. At
the same time, this fusion skill was the most extreme out of the four fusion
skills.
This was because the Goddess of Light possessed almost all the abilities
that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er had. She combined their powers perfectly.
The Goddess of Light had appeared once again. Right now, this Goddess of
Light was the combination of the eight-ringed Huo Yuhao and eight-ringed
Tang Wutong!
A fusion skill which was a combination of the powers of two eight-ringed
soul masters should be as strong as the abilities of a Titled Douluo.
Currently, they were two of the strongest in the world of soul masters. As
for how strong the Goddess of Light was, no one knew as of now.
The Goddess of Light lifted her head to look at the sky, revealing a complex
look in her eyes. Following this, a gentle, golden glow rippled from her
body. Everything seemed to turn illusory within this golden glow.
Two figures separated from the Goddess of Light. Under the golden light, they
turned back into Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong.
Four eyes met. Huo Yuhao was already in tears. A tall, big man was now
crying like a child. Huo Yuhao had turned his yearning for Wang Dong’er into
the Three Ultimate Haodong Skills. Right now, his yearning for Wang Dong’er
had turned into love and tears.
He hadn’t expected such a surprise today. This surprise enhanced his life
and made him long for life. It was everything; it was the courage to carry
on living, the will to pursue excellence and the confidence to reach for the
godly realm.
When Wang Dong’er was in a coma, Huo Yuhao’s entire world had turned grey,
but it was now colorful once again.
“Dong’er!” Huo Yuhao hugged her. He hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to
make her a part of him. He only felt that his mind and heart were being
enhanced right now. His soul power was surging, and their Haodong Power was
unleashed the instant he hugged Tang Wutong. His passageways widened,
and thick soul power undulations surrounded both him and Tang Wutong.
Tang Wutong lay in his embrace. Her arms circled around his waist and back.
She gently said, “I’m Tang Wutong, not Dong’er.”
“It’s not important. It’s not important right now.” Huo Yuhao said
agitatedly. He wasn’t willing to let go of her anymore. He had found his
love again. This feeling made him feel as if he had earned a new life.
Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo looked at each other and smiled. The two of them
said together, “A union has been made. Huo Yuhao, Tang Wutong,
congratulations.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Huo Yuhao couldn’t say anything else right now. His
heart was already filled by the person in his arms. He gently touched the icy
surface with his toes and shot into the sky. In the next instant, he turned
into a beam of golden light that disappeared deep into Sea God’s Island.
It was only at this instant that everyone on Sea God’s Lake and the shore of
Sea God’s Lake reacted. Although most people didn’t know what had happened,
they saw what the result was. They saw that astonishing yet touching scene.
Suddenly, the atmosphere at the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date was raised to the
extreme.
Huo Yuhao didn’t return to the Sea God’s Pavilion. He hugged Tang Wutong as
he flew to the platform that they had fought on together before. This was the
quietest place on the island right now. They wouldn’t be disturbed.
Huo Yuhao continued to hug her tightly even as they landed.
It was as if he really wanted to fuse her with him.
It was only now that Huo Yuhao felt that everything that had happened before
was unreal. Yes, it was unreal.
There was nothing more appropriate than the Haodong Power to prove Tang
Wutong’s identity. The Haodong Power only belonged to him and her!
Even though it was much stronger than it was before, its origin was still
the same. He was too familiar with this. He was too familiar.
Chapter 510: You Still Have to Go Through My Father
Tang Wutong leaned into Huo Yuhao’s arms as she quietly felt his
passionately burning heartbeat. They shared this embrace, and two slender
shadows stretched out under the moonlight.
Tang Wutong pushed Huo Yuhao away gently after a long while, and stood
straight from within his arms.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and stared into her eyes. Tang Wutong felt her
heart skip a beat, as his gaze was just too passionate, hot enough to melt
steel.
“Yuhao.”
“Mm.” Huo Yuhao’s hands were still around her waist, and he didn’t relax his
grip at all, like she would immediately leave him if he did.
Tang Wutong said gently, “Give me some time, okay?”
Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned. “What’s up with you, Dong’er?”
Tang Wutong shook her head gently. “I’ve already said, I’m Tang Wutong. I’m
not Wang Dong’er. Really, I’m Tang Wutong.”
“Eh?” Huo Yuhao stared at her in surprise. He responded confusedly,
“Dong’er, didn’t you come here to reunite with me on the Sea God’s Fated
Blind Date because you’ve recovered your memory?”
Tang Wutong gently shook her head
and said, “More accurately put, I have recovered the memory that
belonged to Wang Dong’er.”
Huo Yuhao was even more perplexed. He stared at her in confusion and asked,
“What’s happened, exactly, Dong’er?”
Tang Wutong said gently, “Just call me Tang Wutong from now on. That’s my
real name. Dong’er is a fake name I used back then.”
Huo Yuhao immediately nodded. Her name was secondary to him; what was most
important was Tang Wutong as a person.
Tang Wutong’s eyes seemed a little a blurry as she smiled bitterly and said,
“To be frank, I had to think long and hard about meeting with you on the Sea
God’s Lake today, and that’s because I know I’m not entirely ready yet.
Listen to me, okay?”
“Okay.” Huo Yuhao’s eyes instantly became a little more nervous. Even though
he was very excited because of his reunion with Dong’er, he could tell from
Tang Wutong’s expression that things didn’t appear that simple. How could he
not be nervous?
Tang Wutong held his hand and pulled him over to a flat surface beside them
and sat down.
“Do you remember that day? The Dragon Emperor Douluo forced us into a
corner, and you stabbed yourself nine times to save me.” Tang Wutong’s
voice trembled a little as she spoke. Even though that had happened a long
time ago, she could feel her heart and soul quivering when she thought back
to what had happened that day.
“That day, when I watched you plunge that knife into your own body with a
plain and emotionless look on your face, my entire heart tied itself into a
painful knot, and I was hurting so much. Only then did I realize what
suffocating heartache felt like. I will never forget that feeling.”
“I’d already developed some positive feelings towards you by then, but there
was no way I could identify what that feeling was. But I knew that you
didn’t stab yourself with that knife for me because you liked me, you did it
because I was your companion. Perhaps, part of the reason was also because I
look very, very similar to Wang Dong’er. Furthermore, what I saw in your
eyes wasn’t pain – it was liberation. Yes, liberation. In that moment, I
suddenly felt so terribly afraid, and that wasn’t just because of the pain
that you were suffering. More of that was because of your eyes that seemed
like you were liberating yourself. Only then could I clearly see how deep
your love for Wang Dong’er was.”
“I was struck a little deeper with every stab, and my emotions quickly
crumbled. When I watched you stab yourself for the last time, when you were
definitely going to die, I felt like something somewhere deep in my heart had
cracked apart. That pain was indescribable, and in that moment, I
seemed to lift some kind of seal as countless things surged through my
brain. I passed out.”
“When I woke up and saw you
next to me and that you weren’t dead, nothing
seemed bad about the situation. I was a little lost because there were too
many memories in my mind. That made me panic and afraid, and my entire being
was lost and confused. I didn’t like that feeling, but I seemed to like how
those memories returned to me. Therefore, I carried you and took you back to
the Tang Sect. I returned to Sea God’s Island after taking you back, and I
told everyone I was going into closed-door cultivation so that I could sort
out these messy memories.”
“I gradually began to understand that, yes, your initial judgment wasn’t
wrong, and I am Wang Dong’er. Rather, I used to be Wang Dong’er, your Wang
Dong’er. But Wang Dong’er’s memories aren’t the only ones in my mind. Have
you not realized? Back when I was Wang Dong’er and when I was together with
you, I never spoke to you about my childhood. That’s because Wang Dong’er
back then didn’t remember anything that happened in her childhood. And now
I, Tang Wutong, and not Wang Dong’er, am a complete version of myself. Wang
Dong’er’s memories are of those years that she spent with you. Other than
that, I have many memories about
my childhood, some remnants of which have come through Wang Qiu’er.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but for the moment, Wang Dong’er’s memories
have taken charge amidst all my memories. Memories of my childhood and those
remnants from Wang Qiu’er seems to have merged together with those main
memories. I’m lost and I don’t know what to do, but I do know that I cannot
lose you, you’re just too important to me. But I cannot lie to you, and I
cannot tell you that I am purely Wang Don’ger, because I am Tang Wutong. I
am Tang Wutong, who was once Wang Dong’er. Aside from my childhood memories
and Wang Qiu’er’s remnants, I have the memories spent with you that belong
to Tang Wutong. These memories are making me confused and frightened, and I
don’t know if you’re willing to accept me like this. I haven’t been able to
sort through everything yet, and I need some time. I need some time to see
myself clearly.”
Huo Yuhao slipped into a bit of a daze as he listened to Tang Wutong’s
description, but his eyes gradually became gentle and tender once more.
There wasn’t just deep emotion in his eyes, they were also full of loving
pity.
Huo Yuhao opened his arms and took her into his embrace. He gently caressed
her wavy pinkish-blue hair as he said gently, “You’re thinking too much,
silly girl. You became my Dong’er from that moment when my soul power fused
with yours and recreated our Haodong power. I can understand everything
you’re saying, and the reason why you’ve become like that is because of that
strange illness that you suffered from as a child. If I had known you were
Dong’er without her memory, even if you’d completely forgotten me, I would
still find ways to make you like me all over again. Right now, your memories
are just a little mixed up, so how can I not accept you? As long as I’m sure
that you’re my Dong’er, no, I should say that you’re my Wutong, then I am
content. I will love you, treasure you, and wait until you’ve completely
rediscovered yourself, until you’ve completely merged your memories
together. I have an entire lifetime to wait, so I’m not worried or
impatient. I’m not worried at all. But this time, I will never let you leave
my side again, no matter what. I will always protect you, and I will be
wherever you are. Nobody can separate us anymore.”
Tang Wutong listened to his confession that came from his heart, and her
eyes slowly turned red as she leaned into his arms and gently shut her eyes.
“Do you know, Yuhao, I really wasn’t ready at all. I was afraid that I
wouldn’t have a chance to prove to you that I’m your Dong’er, and I was also
afraid that you would reject me because I’m no longer purely Dong’er. But I
couldn’t not try, because I didn’t know if my future self
would have a chance if I missed this chance. I’m very happy, I’m truly very,
very happy. I will definitely work hard to merge all my memories together,
with Dong’er’s memories guiding everything. But I’ve realized that besides
my childhood memories from which you are absent, all my memories are
filled with you.”
Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, “That’s good enough!”
Tang Wutong’s elegant body suddenly tensed as she turned to look at him.
“What’s wrong?” Huo Yuhao was sensitive, and immediately felt that change.
Tang Wutong frowned slightly and said, “Yuhao, I’m afraid there will be
trouble in the future because we are together. I’m afraid you’ll have to
gain my father’s approval first.”
Huo Yuhao laughed and said, “I think I’m considered outstanding among the
younger generation. How can my father-in-law not approve of me?”
Tang Wutong shook her head gently and continued, “It’s not that simple. I’m
my father’s only daughter, and my father’s love for me is definitely not
beneath yours. He’s said that anybody who wants to be his son-in-law has to
accept and pass his strict assessment.”
Huo Yuhao replied without hesitation.
“That’s normal. A father-in-law testing his son-in-law is
natural. I will accept everything, no matter how difficult the tests are.
Furthermore, I believe that he won’t deliberately give me trouble if he
knows how much I love you.”
“But, my father…” Tang Wutong stopped there, as the golden trident on her
forehead suddenly flickered, and she swallowed the rest of her sentence. She
blushed faintly, and her expression became a little strange.
Huo Yuhao didn’t notice all that, and he just hugged her. His heart was full
in this moment.
Tang Wutong also leaned into his arms as she slowly closed her eyes. It
wasn’t hard to imagine the conflict and struggle that she had suffered in her
heart, and an unsettling feeling echoed in her heart from time to time. Yet
now, finally, she had
managed to find her man once more in the second Sea God’s Fated Blind Date
that they had participated in together.
She lifted her hand and gently touched the golden trident on her forehead.
Tang Wutong couldn’t help but pout a little, like she was trying to express
cheeky displeasure to someone.
It was daybreak, and the light of the morning sun stretched gradually from
beyond the horizon as a gorgeous and transparent beam.
It carried the gentle morning dew as it shone upon a beautiful couple in the
Sparring Arena.
Huo Yuhao gradually opened his eyes as purple light could be faintly seen
from the bottom of his eyes, and he absorbed the purple energy that came
from the white sun in the east. His entire being’s aura seemed to be
awakened.
He lowered his head and stared at Tang Wutong, who was still sleeping
soundly on his lap, and his eyes became incredibly tender.
Yes, they slept for the entire night in this place. They didn’t confess
anything more, and they just had each other’s warm embraces as they felt
each other’s heartbeats and love. They slowly fell into slumber as they
immersed themselves in that
intoxicating sensation. The shadows in their hearts seemed to have been
dispelled after this night, and as Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and saw the
light coming from the horizon, all he felt was that his fatigue from the
recent months was gone. His mind felt even more liberated than his body did.
Huo Yuhao gently caressed Tang Wutong’s long hair, and he realized that his
feelings towards her seemed to have changed compared to a long time ago.
There was more treasuring besides love, and there was nothing more joyous
for him than for Dong’er to return to his side. Just like he had told her
last night, he wouldn’t let her leave his side ever again, no matter what.
He would protect her for his entire life.
“I was wondering where you two were. You’re actually all the way out here.
Did you sleep here last night?” A voice suddenly rang out in this moment,
and Huo Yuhao was awakened from his thoughts. He turned around, and saw his
eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan, walking up from beneath them with an
amused look on her face. She quickly arrived next to them.
Tang Wutong woke up. She had slept lying down, and used Huo Yuhao’s thigh as
her pillow. She was sleeping very comfortably as she opened her blurry eyes
and saw Zhang
Lexuan. She hurriedly sat up as she lowered her head. She blushed as she
said softly, “Eldest senior sister.”
Zhang Lexuan grinned and said, “The two of you have been reunited after all,
and I didn’t waste my efforts this time. Seems like the two of you have
settled everything?”
Huo Yuhao stared at Zhang Lexuan in shock. “Eldest senior sister, so you
already knew…”
Zhang Lexuan laughed. “Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I’d help her?
Why would I arrange everything like that? Would I let the two of you confess
to each other in private? But I wasn’t very confident when the event was
halfway through, because I didn’t know how Tang Wutong would convince you,
stubborn donkey. Seems like she did have a solution after all!”
Huo Yuhao scratched his head. What had happened last night was no longer
important for him. What was important was that he had managed to find Dong’er
once more. Rather, he managed to find Tang Wutong again.
“Eldest senior sister, why are you looking for me so early in the morning?”
Huo Yuhao was a little displeased about Zhang Lexuan interrupting their warm
and peaceful time together.
Zhang Lexuan rolled her eyes and said ,”Yuhao, have you become forgetful?
You must have forgotten about real business because you have Wutong. Do you
still want to graduate?”
“Ah? Yes, I…” Huo Yuhao really did forget that he had his graduation
assessment today! Furthermore, Teacher Wang Yan had told him that his
graduation test would be difficult yesterday. He was still thinking about the
assessment when he was participating in the Sea God’s Fated Blind Date, and
he was supposed to prepare for the test after going through the motions for
the event. But Tang Wutong had recovered Dong’er’s memories, and their
Haodong power had fused once more, and that made him forget about his test
completely.
Only now when Zhang Lexuan brought it up did Huo Yuhao remember that he had
such an important thing to do.
“You did forget, didn’t you! Are you still taking the test? Let me tell you,
if you don’t take this test, you’ll have to wait for at
least three years before you can have another chance. Hurry up.”
“Oh, okay. Wutong, come with me.”
Huo Yuhao turned around and grasped Tang Wutong’s hands as
he spoke. They were finally reunited, and he wouldn’t let her leave his side,
no matter when and what.
“Alright.” Tang Wutong nodded in acknowledgement, there was some amusement
in her eyes as she stared at him. She could feel his nervousness towards
her, and she was very happy about that!
The test naturally wouldn’t happen so early in the morning. Huo Yuhao and
Tang Wutong went to eat something before they arrived outside the Sea God’s
Pavilion together. Zhang Lexuan told him that the test would begin here.
Their surroundings were very tranquil and peaceful when they arrived in
front of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Nobody else was around, and Huo Yuhao led
Tang Wutong as he knelt down in front of the Golden Tree and kowtowed
respectfully.
“Do you know, teacher? I’ve finally found Dong’er again, and she’s called
Tang Wutong now. Her illness has been treated, and we are finally back
together again. I will never let her go again, and I will always be beside
her to protect and love her. I will take her as my wife, and you must come
if you can on the day that we get married! You are my closest family, and we
would be especially happy if you could give us your blessings.”
Golden light seemed to flicker on the Golden Tree, as if the Dragon God
Douluo Mu En was answering them.
“You’re still young, and you’re thinking
about marrying? Weren’t you always so
depressed and lifeless before this?” Elder Xuan’s
teasing voice could be heard.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong stood up, but they were a little dazed as they
turned around, because the formation that they could see was a little too
large.
The Elders of the Sea God’s Pavilion streamed out from the Sea God’s
Pavilion under Elder Xuan’s lead. Elder Xuan walked at the forefront, while
Elder Song and Elder Zhuang followed behind him. The other elders were
behind them, along with the Martial Soul Department’s Dean, Yan Shaozhe, the
department’s vice-Dean, Cai Mei’er, the Soul Tool Department’s Dean, Xian
Lin’er, and its vice-Dean, Qian Duoduo. Their eldest senior sister Zhang
Lexuan, Bei Bei, Teacher Wang Yan, and Han Ruoruo followed at the back.
Almost every single person from Shrek Academy’s upper echelons had arrived.
Am I not the only one taking the graduation test today? This thought
surfaced in Huo Yuhao’s mind.
“Greetings, Elder Xuan, elders.” Huo
Yuhao and Tang Wutong hurriedly came forward to greet them.
Elder Xuan could see that they were holding hands, and he couldn’t help but
laugh as he said, “Are you satisfied now? Let me tell you, if you want to
leave Shrek City again, you may, but Wutong has to stay. You can go wherever
you want, and we won’t restrict you at all.”
Huo Yuhao immediately said without hesitation, “No, I’m not going anywhere.
I will be wherever Wutong is.”
“Hahahaha!” Huo Yuhao’s attitude caused all the elders to laugh out
loud.
Elder Song couldn’t help but smile and shake her head. “Youngsters!
Youngsters after all.”
Huo Yuhao scratched his head embarrassingly. What he said was instinctive,
and just came out of his mouth.
Tang Wutong blushed even more, but she had no intention to withdraw her hand
from Huo Yuhao’s grasp.
Elder Xuan said, “Alright, let’s talk about legitimate business. I’ve heard
from Lexuan that you’re planning to pass the test and conclude your studies
in the academy?”
Huo Yuhao was a little speechless. Do you not know what I want? My
graduation test has already brought out the various elders. What are they
trying to do?
“Yes! I have been studying in the academy for many years, and I wish to pass
the test so that I can officially become a
graduate from the inner courtyard.” He had other thoughts on his mind, but
he was still very honest and politically correct on the surface. It seemed
like this formation would be quite a challenge to overcome, so it was better
to be a little more honest and sincere.
Elder Xuan nodded and said, “Good!
That counts as an accomplishment in your studies, and
that’s a very glorious thing for students. Because of your especially
outstanding performance, everyone will observe today’s graduation test.
Lexuan! You will be the main supervisor. Tell him what today’s test will be
about.”
“Yes!” Zhang Lexuan acknowledged as she stepped out and stared at Huo
Yuhao amusingly. But for some reason, Huo Yuhao could feel that her smile
wasn’t a friendly one.
“The original plan was to give you seven tasks, but after my report to the
Sea God’s Pavilion’s Elders, they have decided that because of your
contributions to the academy, and because you’re also part of the Sea God’s
Pavilion, we will condense seven tasks into three.”
Huo Yuhao’s head swelled when he heard that there were seven. Seven
condensed into three seems pretty good. But these three tasks will probably
very difficult.
Yes, Zhang Lexuan’s subsequent words made Huo Yuhao react with utter shock.
Zhang Lexuan said, “First, because you’ve accepted teachings from both the
Martial Soul Department and the Soul Tool Department, both departments will
give you an assignment to accomplish separately. These constitute the first
two assignments, and they have been given by Dean Yan and Dean Xian
respectively. Dean Xian’s assignment for you is for you to forge a Class 9
stationary soul cannon shell for the academy, and Dean Yan’s assignment is
for you to defeat him in battle…”
“What?” Huo Yuhao stared at Zhang Lexuan with wide eyes and open jaws, like
he was witnessing the descent of God.
This is the graduation test? What kind of test is this?
His first assignment was to craft a Class 9 stationary soul cannon shell, and
his second assignment was to defeat Dean
Yan. Dean Yan was a Rank 97 Transcendent Douluo who possessed the Radiant
Phoenix as his martial soul! What kind of joke was that?
Zhang Lexuan pretended she didn’t hear Huo Yuhao’s exclamation as she
continued, “As for your third assignment, it’s intended to test your
integrated abilities. The academy will give you a third assignment once you
complete the first two, and the academy will let you graduate once you
complete that one.”
Huo Yuhao was completely speechless at this point. He glanced at Zhang
Lexuan, and then at Elder Xuan beside her. He laughed bitterly and said,
“Elder Xuan, do you think we can do it this way? I’ll just remain a student
at the academy, and I’m not going to graduate. Is that okay?”
Elder Xuan said amusingly, “Yes, of
course you may. The academy will be proud to always have a
student like you. But I have to remind you of one thing! Huo Yuhao, the
academy has a very explicit rule that students are not allowed to have
intimate relationships with teachers. Tang Wutong is now an assistant
teacher for the academy. Therefore, there is a problem with the status
between the two of you. You can
continue being a student, but you won’t be able to have this relationship
with Teacher Tang in the future. Do as you wish.”
“Ah?” Huo Yuhao almost vomited blood. This is a conspiracy!
This is such a devious plot!
He could clearly smell a conspiracy, and it was a conspiracy indeed. He had
just found Dong’er, Tang Wutong, yesterday, and today’s test was so
incredibly difficult. They were even using Tang Wutong to threaten him. So
treacherous! This is just too treacherous!
“Elder Xuan, are you sure that’s right? Teacher Wang Yan and senior sister
Han Ruoruo…” Huo Yuhao tried to talk back.
Elder Xuan said casually, “After they
got together, Han Ruoruo immediately took her graduation test
and passed it. She’s now a teacher in the academy, so there’s no problem
with her status. You can do the same if you pass the graduation test!”
Huo Yuhao was as gloomy as ever. “Then is my test the same as senior sister
Han?”
Elder Xuan maintained his casual tone as he said, “Why do you keep asking
such foolish questions, child? What is our academy’s mission? To nurture
monsters, not normal people, right? Since that’s the case, won’t our
students receive different graduation tests? Graduation tests for the inner
courtyard’s students are different for every person, don’t you know that?
Therefore, your test is definitely different from Han Ruoruo’s test.”
Zhang Lexuan nodded and said, “Know how to be content, Yuhao. The academy is
already being very lenient towards you. You have a long time limit for this
assessment, so you don’t have to be too greedy. You can just complete this
test within three years.”
The corner of Huo Yuhao’s mouth twitched. “Eldest senior sister, have the
contents of my graduation test been reviewed and changed impromptu? Why
don’t I just take the original seven assignments?”
Zhang Lexuan replied grandly, “Yes, the
test has been changed! We reviewed and changed the test last
night. You have already displayed the strength of an eight-ringed soul
master, and your eight rings are extraordinary. How can a normal assessment
satisfy our requirements for this test?”
“I…” Huo Yuhao was full of regret, and his regret was already turning his
insides green. Why did I flex? Now, my test is truly very difficult.
Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly and said, “But there’s no way I can complete this
test! You know how difficult it is to craft a Class 9 stationary soul cannon
shell, Dean Xian, so how can you give me such a difficult task? That’s just
too difficult. And, Dean Yan, you’re a Rank 97 Transcendent Douluo, and I’ve
just passed Rank 80. There’s still an insurmountable gap between the two of
us. I don’t think I can reach your rank even after thirty years, not to
mention three!”
Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly and said, “That’s enough, stop trying to
undervalue yourself. How can I not know your abilities? You’re most adept at
creating miracles, and as for reaching rank 97 after thirty years, I don’t
think you’ll need that long. Alright, why don’t I give you some leeway?
Don’t you have martial soul fusion skills with Tang Wutong? My test shall
allow you two to team up in battle. Consider your task completed if the two
of you can team up and defeat me together.”
Xian Lin’er nodded and said, “Then I shall give you some leeway as well.
Don’t you have Xuan Ziwen, that Class 9 soul engineer in the Tang Sect? Why
don’t we do it this way: you can team up with him, and he’s allowed to help
you. The two of you shall craft two Class 9 stationary soul cannon shells
for the
academy, and then you can consider your task completed.”
That’s extortion! That’s just pure extortion of labor! Huo Yuhao wanted to
cry and break down. But he had just found Tang Wutong again, and his mood
was just too good. He wanted to cry, but no tears came out.
Elder Xuan pulled a generous face and said, “Since everyone has decided to
be lenient, then I shall as well. Before you complete your test within three
years, I shall allow you to be together with Tang Wutong temporarily. But if
you can’t complete your tasks within three years, don’t blame me for
breaking you two apart.”
Huo Yuhao’s face turned black. Is there much of a difference between you
being lenient or not? Is there? Is there?!
Yan Shaozhe grinned and said,
“Youngsters have to be confident in themselves. This is
considered both pressure and motivation for you. Originally, we didn’t
intend to give you so much pressure, but now that you’ve gotten together
with Wutong, you must be in a very good mood, so that pressure
must be liberated quite a bit. We can’t progress without no pressure at all.
Since your original pressure has been lifted, then we will naturally give
you pressure again so that we can avoid you not being focused or not putting
in effort.”
Brutal!
Huo Yuhao couldn’t say anything to argue. The academy had been teaching and
helping him over so many years so that he could gradually become one of the
elites of the younger generation. Now, the academy wanted to give him
trouble for his graduation assessment and give him pressure. What could he
say?
Huo Yuhao’s face was as black as could be, and his expression was full of
helplessness.
Tang Wutong squeezed his hand.
Huo Yuhao turned to Tang Wutong as she smiled and said, “Dean Yan is right,
having pressure isn’t a bad thing. You’re not the only one who needs to work
hard. I have to as well. We can work hard together. Three years isn’t
considered a long time, but it isn’t too short.”
Tang Wutong’s encouragement was much more effective for Huo Yuhao than any
mystical pill. He took a deep breath and turned back to his various Elders
as he nodded and replied, “Alright, I will definitely give my all to pass
this graduation test.”
Elder Xuan grinned and said, “That’s
right. Don’t worry, during the time that you’re cultivating, the
academy won’t assign any extra tasks to you. As for your final assessment, we
will determine that according to your circumstance and the situation on the
Continent. You just have to work hard on cultivating when you go back. Your
trip to the Heavenly Soul Empire’s frontlines has dealt a heavy blow to the
Sun Moon Empire. You’ve ruined one of their soul engineer legions, and
killed an evil Titled Douluo. That must be quite a blow to them. The Sun
Moon Empire shouldn’t make any large movements for a while. News from the
frontlines has told us that the Sun Moon Empire’s empress, who’s known as
the Sun Moon Valkyrie, is pregnant, and she shouldn’t be placing
herself at the frontlines for a while. That should give us enough time to
prepare and gather ourselves.”
The Sun Moon Valkyrie is pregnant?
Huo Yuhao trembled a little as he heard those words. Of course, he knew who
the Sun Moon Valkyrie was referring to.
A feeling that was hard to describe rose from his heart. His relationship
with Ju Zi was vague and difficult to understand, but they were definitely not
enemies.
Back then, when he and her were together at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul
Engineering Academy, he still didn’t know that Dong’er was a girl. Ju Zi
could be said to be the first girl that had touched his heart. Afterwards,
because of their respective identities and statuses, and also because of the
target that Ju Zi had set for herself, they slowly drifted apart until they
met again on the battlefield.
Ju Zi remarked that Huo Yuhao was soft-hearted, but the truth was, how could
she not be soft-hearted when facing him?
Huo Yuhao couldn’t develop any kind of belligerence or unfriendliness
towards her.
Ju Zi is pregnant? The Sun Moon Empire’s emperor, Xu Tianran’s child. Even
though Huo Yuhao knew that they didn’t share that kind of sentiment or
relationship anymore, he still couldn’t help but feel a little sour and
bitter inside. Perhaps it was normal for a guy to feel like that.
“Elders, since the graduation test is like that, then I’m going to hurry
back and work hard.” Huo Yuhao laughed helplessly as he turned to leave.
“Don’t be in such a hurry,” Elder Xuan stopped him.
“Eh?” Huo Yuhao glanced at Elder Xuan confusedly.
Elder Xuan continued, “Look, us elderly men have gathered for you. That’s
not easy! Furthermore, we can’t let you make this trip for nothing. As the
saying goes, if you know yourself and you know your enemy, then you will
always emerge victorious. I’m afraid you don’t really understand Shaozhe’s
abilities. Why don’t the two of you have a practice battle with
Shaozhe? First, so that we can see exactly how powerful the two of you are,
and second, this will be a good chance for you to understand Shaozhe’s
abilities. In that case, you will have a target or guidelines for your
subsequent cultivation.”
A practice battle with our Dean, Yan Shaozhe?
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong exchanged a look. Who was Yan Shaozhe? He was the
Dean of Shrek Academy’s Martial Soul Department, and he was the previous
Master of the Sea God’s Pavilion, Mu En’s eldest disciple. In some sense, he
was still Huo Yuhao’s senior brother, and he was also a Rank 97 Transcendent
Douluo. Yan Shaozhe’s strength could be ranked within the top five in Shrek
Academy, and his Radiant Phoenix also possessed some extremely mystical
abilities.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong had just recently attained their eighth soul
rings, and in terms of strength, perhaps not even ten of them could match
Yan Shaozhe. However, that was before considering their martial soul fusion
skills.
The truth was, the Elders of the Sea God’s Pavilion had opened a conference
overnight yesterday so that they could talk about Huo Yuhao and Tang
Wutong’s martial soul fusion
skills. Of course, these Elders wouldn’t give Huo Yuhao trouble just because
they had nothing better to do. The reason why they had decided on these
three incredibly difficult assessments was after they considered things in
the long-term. These graduation assessments were meant to be difficult not
because they wanted to give him trouble, but because they wanted him to
spend more time cultivating hard in the academy and at the Tang Sect.
The Elders could see Shrek Academy’s immensely glorious future from Huo
Yuhao and Tang Wutong’s four martial soul fusion skills. These two soul
masters were both considered top- tier soul masters, and they could unleash
four different martial soul fusion skills. That meant that once they became
Titled Douluo, they might be able to fight against an Ultimate Douluo!
Shrek Academy was still weaker in terms of overall strength compared to the
Holy Ghost Church, and the only thing they could rely on was the academy’s
foundations accumulated over ten thousand years, in addition to the
complicated relationships between the Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao,
the Death God Douluo, Ye Xishui, and the Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.
But if the Sun Moon Empire wanted to conquer the entire continent in the
future, they couldn’t possibly wrap around Shrek Academy. They would meet on
the battlefield at some point. The academy was definitely at a disadvantage in
terms of fighting strength at the highest level.
Even though Shrek Academy and the Great Star Dou Forest’s soul beasts had an
intimate relationship, when push came to shove, the Beast God Di Tian would
never make a move for Shrek Academy.
Not to mention the fact that Shrek Academy had dealt severe losses to the
soul beasts during that beast invasion, huge losses to both human parties
were beneficial for the world of soul beasts. That meant the soul beasts
couldn’t possibly help Shrek Academy in any way.
Chapter 511: Teamfight Against Yan Shaozhe
Given these problems, Shrek Academy was desperately in need of outstanding
individuals who were capable of countering the upper echelon of the Holy
Ghost Church. Although Elder Xuan was only a single step away from becoming
an Ultimate Douluo, he clearly knew how difficult it was to the step to Rank
99.
As for Yan Shaozhe and XIan Lin’er, they were still very far from becoming
Ultimate Douluo, despite already being Transcendent Douluo. They weren’t the
only ones that were far away either—every soul master within Shrek Academy
shared this situation.
As things stood, what could they do in the face of an Ultimate Douluo?
Contrary to expectations, an opportunity had presented itself in the younger
generation of soul masters.
Honestly speaking, it was impossible for Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong to become
Transcendent Douluo any time soon. However, there was still something
special about them! Yesterday, all of the Sea God’s Pavillion’s elders had
been astonished by the strength of their unleashed fusion skills.
With their strength, how acute were their senses? The instant that each
skill was unleashed, they’d been able to clearly sense that both Huo Yuhao
and Tang Wutong’s abilities had increased to the point that it left all of
them shocked. This was definitely not something normally achievable by an
eight- ringed Soul Douluo!
Both Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong were extremely talented. Furthermore, their
fusion skills were the foundation for miracles.
As a result of this, the academy had considered their options, before
deciding that they would do everything in their power to help the pair
improve their abilities. They would be the key to dealing with the Holy
Ghost Church in the near future.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao didn’t know the elder’s intentions. To him, Yan Shaozhe
was simply here present to test their fighting strength. Of course, this was
also part of the elder’s plans.
The aura released by their fusion skills was one thing, but the strength
they contained was another. With sufficient pressure, they would either
collapse, or demonstrate an even greater level of strength.
Every single elder of Shrek Academy was a research expert with many years of
teaching experience. They all wanted to see just how much Huo Yuhao and Tang
Wutong would improve from this fight, as well as how much help they could
offer to the pair.
Tang Wutong nodded at Huo Yuhao. Her gaze became sharper, and her strong
belief flowed through his body alongside their Haodong Power. The name of
this belief was ‘victory’!i
Even though she knew how difficult such a feat would be, she was still
determined to win. This was one of the qualities that a truly strong
individual should possess.
Tang Wutong and Huo Yuhao had rekindled their knowledge of one another. She
wasn’t just his girlfriend, but his teammate and partner as well. Once,
they’d fought side-by-side not long after entering the academy. Ten years
later, today, they were still side-by-side, yet they now had the ability to
challenge the Dean of Shrek’s Martial Soul Department. How could they not be
excited?
Once he sensed Tang Wutong’s strong fighting intent, Huo Yuhao’s initially
depressed emotions were wiped away. I’ve already promised to protect her.
Since she’s so intent on winning, how could I cower away?
He rapidly circulated his soul power and interlinked it with Tang Wutong’s,
their Haodong Power fusing once agian.
He discovered that a part of Tang Wutong’s soul power had been filtered out,
and that this portion was contained within the sunray pattern of the golden
trident on her forehead. Without that portion of her soul power, she was
like the old Wang Dong’er; her martial soul was still the Radiant Butterfly
Goddess.
Huo Yuhao didn’t have any idea what that portion of her strength was.
However, it was evident that it was of a higher standard than his own soul
power.
Initially, their martial souls hadn’t been able to fuse due to this portion
of her soul power. This had been why there’d been so many misunderstandings.
Huo Yuhao knew that Tang Wutong’s fighting strength would be somewhat
affected if she didn’t use that portion of her soul power. However, this was
two-sided, as it also meant that their Haodong Power could finally fuse. This
was also what they were relying on to challenge Yan Shaozhe.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong looked at each other, before nodding. A strong
aura emerged from both of them, while the will to win appeared in both of
their eyes as they grasped each other’s hand. Currently, the feeling that
they gave off was as if they were both the same entity.
When he sensed the strong fighting intent coming from them, Yan Shaozhe
nodded and smiled. “Very good. Let’s head to the practice arena. Just do
your best.”
Everyone followed Yan Shaozhe to the practice arena, which turned out to be
the same place that Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong had been at together
yesterday.
Besides the three of them, everyone else stood around the perimeter.
Meanwhile, a few of the elders—led by Elder Xuan— set up restrictions around
the arena. Soon afterwards, a giant barrier engulfed the arena.
This practice arena had been constructed atop a mountain. When the
restrictions were finished being constructed, they appeared very striking.
The dim yellow glow of the barrier engulfed the entirety of the
mountain-top.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong held each other’s hand as they stood opposite Yan
Shaozhe. Their soul power interlinked as it flowed, and their Haodong Power
surged.
Huo Yuhao’s physical strength exceeded others of the same rank, even after
he’d gained his eighth soul ring. With the Manifold Mysterious Ice Essence,
Life’s Gold, and the dragon pill that Long Xiaoyao had given him, he wasn’t
affected much despite how vigorous their Haodong Power was.
Right now, Huo Yuhao simply felt like the soul power inside of him was
surging. At times, it felt like whirlpools would appear. His purely fluid
soul power was extremely pure; in fact, there were no impurities in it at
all.
When such strong soul power flowed into Tang Wutong’s body, she didn’t seem
to feel uncomfortable at all either. Evidently, she was also strong enough
to handle it.
Their soul powers were completely compatible. The fusion of their fighting
strength was more than them just adding their fighting strength together.
Their auras quickly rose, after which their strong fighting intent surged
towards Yan Shaozhe and suppressed him.
Yan Shaozhe smiled, and his body exuded a golden glow. Suddenly, the air
within ten square meters of him started to ripple; it was as if was being
baked by a strong fire. Under such a situation, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong’s
immense fighting intent couldn’t directly locate Yan Shaozhe’s body, and
could only remain suspended in the air.
“Come, little juniors. Show me how strong you two can get once
you’ve fused your martial souls.” Yan
Shaozhe’s voice echoed. Following this, a sonorous phoenix roar shook
the sky, and an aura that had been repressed earlier was suddenly unleashed.
A strong intent suddenly collided with Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong’s fighting
intent.
Suddenly, the air of the practice arena became extremely violent. Huo Yuhao
and Tang Wutong’s clothes creaked as they
were blown about, but neither retreated. Huo Yuhao released a golden glow
from his body, while a blue glow emerged from Tang Wutong’s. The two glows
then intersected and fused with one another, before spreading outwards and
disintegrating the strong intent that Yan Shaozhe had unleashed.
Elder Xuan and the others from Shrek nodded slightly when they saw this.
After fusing their martial souls, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong were already as
strong a Titled Douluo. Furthermore, they weren’t simply as strong as a
normal Titled Douluo. Else, they wouldn’t have been able to hold their
ground against a Rank 97 Transcendent Douluo.
Promising talents, promising talents! If they both become Titled Douluo in
the future, they might just stand a chance against an Ultimate Douluo
together.
Elder Xuan nodded in satisfaction after he thought this. Next up, it was
time to see how effective their skills were in a real fight. Under sufficient
pressure, their fighting strength would definitely be fully unleashed.
Huo Yuhao was the first to make a move, as a rose-gold vertical eye slowly
opened on his forehead. When facing someone like Yan Shaozhe, how could he
afford to hold back? He’d immediately decided to use his strongest ability,
the Eye of Destiny.
As his Eye of Destiny opened, a strong light flashed, and layers of blinding
light filled the air. Afterwards, the circulation of all energy bodies around
him seemed to slow down, and both Tang Wutong and his body’s started to
become illusory.
This was his Spiritual Interference Domain.
Not only that, but Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection engulfed the entire
practice arena like a web, and he shared it with Tang Wutong.
Given his current spiritual prowess, and the small range he was focusing on,
he was able to see everything in the practice arena in minute detail.
Even though Yan Shaozhe had concealed himself, Huo Yuhao was able to
immediately locate him the moment that he fully unleashed his Spiritual
Detection.
His spiritual power was already at the standard for a Titled Douluo.
Furthermore, only a spiritual-type Titled Douluo could compare to him in
terms of spiritual power, as his spiritual power had reached the
concrete-material realm.
Seven soul rings shone from his body, while eight flashed from Tang Wutong’s.
Since only seven soul rings were present, it meant that Huo Yuhao was
currently using his Spirit Eyes, rather than that his eight-ringed Ice Jade
Empress Scorpion.
His fourth soul ring flashed, after which a whirlpool-shaped glow appeared
above Yan Shaozhe. It was Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Confusion.
Huo Yuhao had long ago thought of a fighting strategy for Yan Shaozhe: If he
wanted to overcome him and emerge victorious, his only option was to take
the initiative. Only
through assaulting and controlling Yan Shaozhe could he prevent this Rank 97
Transcendent Douluo from unleashing his full abilities. They would only
stand a chance if that happened.
That was why Huo Yuhao had immediately used his Spiritual Interference
Domain to protect Tang Wutong and himself initially. Afterwards, he’d used
his Spiritual Confusion to overpower Yan Shaozhe and control him.
His Spiritual Confusion was a single-target control-type soul skill. While
it was only his Spirit Eyes’ fourth soul skill, it was the strongest and
most effective soul skill he had when it came to controlling a single
person.
Yan Shaozhe’s body turned slightly rigid when he was struck by Huo Yuhao’s
Spiritual Confusion, and a slightly lost look appeared in his eyes for an
instant.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao’s vertical eye lit up, and a blinding, rose-gold
light shot out. This time, it was his Spiritual Shock.
The Spiritual Shock from his Eye of Destiny might not be as strong as it was
when he was in his Martial Soul True Body, but it could be used quickly.
There was no accumulation needed.
However, Huo Yuhao didn’t expect Yan Shaozhe to suddenly take half a step
forwards despite suffering from his Spiritual Confusion. Afterwards, his
body turned entirely golden, and a golden phoenix opened its wings behind
him. Yan Shaozhe seemed to have safely entered his own world.
When Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Shock struck him, Huo Yuhao felt as if his attack
had struck nothing but air. At the same time, though, it didn’t quite feel
as if the air it had struck was completely empty. However, the full strength
of his Spiritual Shock wasn’t completely unleashed due to this.
It was the first time that Huo Yuhao had seen something like this. He’d only
seen Yan Shaozhe exude a golden ring of light from his body, before
returning to normal, despite his body being in a momentary state of shock.
This was…
This was Yan Shaozhe’s realm. It was similar to Elder Mu’s Sovereign’s
Descent. However, Yan Shaozhe’s realm wasn’t the same as Sovereign’s
Descent. Yan Shaozhe’s own understanding was blended into it, something that
belonged solely to him.
How could the chief disciple of the Dragon God Douluo Mu En be so easily
defeated? Huo Yuhao’s immense Spiritual Shock had been blocked, just like
that! Huo Yuhao was the one left somewhat shocked instead.
However, Huo Yuhao wasn’t the only one who’d attacked.
Tang Wutong had made her move, too.
The Radiant Butterfly Goddess’ wings opened up behind her back as her soul
rings rose. When Huo Yuhao used his Spiritual Shock, Tang Wutong had mimed a
lifting action. Afterwards, a golden Hexagram Array had accurately appeared
beneath Yan Shaozhe’s feet.
Tang Wutong had calculated everything precisely. Even if Yan SHaozhe managed
to block Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Shock, he’d still be affected by it and the
Spiritual Confusion he’d
previously been struck with. He wouldn’t be able to avoid her Hexagram Array
then.
Even though the part of her memory that belonged to Wang Dong’er had only
been restored for a short period of time, her coordination with Huo Yuhao
seemed to come extremely naturally. Whenever their Haodong Power
re-appeared, their chemistry re-appeared alongside it.
Just as Tang Wutong had expected, Yan Shaozhe wasn’t completely fine despite
managing to resist Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Shock. When the intense golden
light from the Hexagram Array engulfed his body, he wasn’t able to escape
from the spot he was standing at.
Huo Yuhao’s sixth soul ring suddenly lit up as he did so. At the same time,
the vertical eye on his forehead instantly changed from rose-gold to black
and white.
Even Elder Xuan and those sitting outside of the arena shuddered when they
saw this black and white vertical eye.
A sense of crisis almost instantly appeared in everyone’s heads.
What soul skill was this?!
Everyone from Shrek Academy was already very clear in regards to Huo Yuhao’s
abilities. They knew that he was strong, but they didn’t know that he could
unleash a skill capable of making everyone present feel as if they were in a
crisis.
Chapter 512: The Three Ultimate Haodong Skills
What kind of soul skill is that, that it can do this?!
Of course, Huo Yuhao wouldn’t answer that. However, when his soul ring lit
up, Tang Wutong was momentarily taken aback as she held his hand, and she
subconsciously turned around to stare at him. A complicated look flashed
through her eyes.
There were some disconnected memories in her mind, besides those that belong
to Wang Dong’er, her childhood, and what happened afterwards; those pieces
belonged to Wang Qiu’er. Currently, Huo Yuhao was using the soul skills that
Wang Qiu’er had bestowed upon him, Spiritual Dispossession and Destiny’s
Demise.
A black and white beam of light suddenly struck out across the sky,
instantly striking Yan Shaozhe, who’d been hit with the Hexagon Array.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong were the only ones who could see this black and
white beam. The only thing the people spectating their battle could see was
his Eye of Destiny, which had turned black and white, flashing faintly, and
the air around them contorting slightly.
Yan Shaozhe felt chills run down his spine, while goosebumps broke out all
over his body as a cold that chilled him to the bone coursed through his
body. He was a Transcendent Douluo, and his senses were extremely sensitive;
such a sinister change gave him a rude shock!
What kind of power was that?! It didn’t contain any offensive effects, but
why does it make me feel so alarmed?
Tang Wutong used her next soul skill immediately after Huo Yuhao was
finished.
Her second soul ring flickered, after which all the golden spots on her wings
unleashed spheres of golden lights that blasted towards Yan Shaozhe.
Yan Shaozhe was surrounded by intense golden flames at this moment, and
stepped out of her Hexagon Array. It was extremely difficult for Tang Wutong
to hurt him with her soul skills considering the difference in their
strength.
Yan Shaozhe waved his right hand through the air, and a strange layer of
golden light blanketed the sky. Tang Wutong’s Light of the Butterfly Goddess
disappeared into nothingness. However, the sense of danger that had given
him goosebumps before was still present.
What was that, exactly? Strong doubts surfaced in his mind, but he didn’t
dare to hold back due to the sense of danger he felt. He took another step
back and punched out towards Huo Yuhao.
It appeared that he was just simply throwing a punch through the air, but
the entire Sparring Arena changed intensely as this punch charged forwards.
At least, that was what Huo Yuhao could sense.
Huo Yuhao felt as if the space surrounding the punch had collapsed.
Formidable restrictive forces pressed down on him from all directions, and
squeezed him so hard that he almost
couldn’t breathe. This was clearly just a punch through the air, but he felt
like the fist had appeared in front of him in an instant, and it was akin to
an enormous, majestic mountain hurtling towards him in an unstoppable
manner.
This wasn’t a soul skill. Rather, it was Yan Shaozhe’s self- invented skill;
a perfectly fused and formidable soul skill where he’d combined all the
energies and forces within his body.
Huo Yuhao almost subconsciously wanted to use his Three Ultimate Haodong
Skills. Of his self-invented soul skills, he rarely used the Goddess of
Light, as it wasn’t as formidable as his Three Ultimate Haodong Skills.
Furthermore, using the Goddess of Light after Dong’er vanished would
immediately trigger his yearning for her.
However, the moment he attempted to focus and unleash his Three Ultimate
Haodong skills, his entire being froze a little.
A long time had passed since he’d invented his Three Ultimate Haodong
Skills, thus he was extremely familiar with how they were used. He could
perfectly fuse his emotions, soul power, and spiritual power to attain
powerful effects.
Theoretically, his Three Ultimate Haodong Skills should become even stronger
with Haodong Power supporting him. However, when he attempted to unleash
them, he realized with a sense of shock that he couldn’t use them anymore.
This was a matter of ability; he simply couldn’t reach the emotional state
required anymore.
The Three Ultimate Haodong Skills were The Fist of Remembrance, which
contained a feeling of resurgence; The Sword of Longing, which would never
be forgotten; and finally, The Haodong Palm, which would last for eternity.
Every strike was based on, and completed, through his intense thoughts and
yearning for Dong’er.
Huo Yuhao had to first channel intense longing for Dong’er when he used his
Three Ultimate Haodong Skills before he could unleash them naturally.
But at this moment, Tang Wutong, who was also Wang Dong’er, was right next
to him. With his lover right beside him, how could there be any longing?
Just as he’d considered back then, his Three Ultimate Haodong Skills had
become ineffective now that he’d found Dong’er again. Reality had proved his
hypothesis, and he found that he could no longer use his Three Ultimate
Haodong Skills.
That moment of hesitation was enough for Yan Shaozhe’s attack to arrive in
front of him.
Tang Wutong and Huo Yuhao had fused their soul power, thus the two of them
were acting as one. As such, Tang Wutong was the first to realize that
something was wrong with Huo Yuhao.
She basically didn’t hesitate to take a step forwards and block for him. She
raised her right hand over her head, and her eighth soul ring flashed.
Her entire body began to glow along side the light of her blood-red soul
ring. She began to radiate a brilliant gold that carried circle after circle
of bluish hues. She was like a small sun, with countless blue butterflies
waltzing around her.
Intense bluish-gold colors transformed into an enormous pillar of light that
met Yan Shaozhe’s fist.
When they met, an intense explosion occurred, making the entire Sparring
Arena tremble. The various Elders who were
maintaining the protective dome had to inject more power into it in order to
ensure that they blocked all of the explosive soul power undulations inside.
Yan Shaozhe emerged from the explosion, while Tang Wutong stumbled backwards
and fell into Huo Yuhao’s embrace.
The absolute gap in their strength had caused all the color to drain from
her pretty face. Even though she hadn’t been heavily injured, the soul power
in her body had been riled up, and ripples from their Haodong Power meant
she and Huo Yuhao could feel their blood surging.
Meanwhile, a look of surprise had appeared in Yan Shaozhe’s eyes. Tang
Wutong’s attack hadn’t been that simple. Even though he’d gained the upper
hand, Yan Shaozhe could still feel his soul power trembling after clashing
with her. He had to expend quite a bit of spiritual power to get his soul
power back under control.
That concussive power…
Yan Shaozhe was the Dean of Shrek Academy’s Martial Soul Department, and had
spent his entire life investigating different kinds of soul skills. He could
immediately tell what was so frightening about the soul skill that Tang
Wutong had just used.
If it wasn’t for his absolute advantage in terms of cultivation, and the
fact that Tang Wutong didn’t seem very familiar with this soul skill, the
outcome could’ve been quite different...
Yan Shaozhe was a Rank 97 Transcendent Douluo, while Huo Yuhao and Tang
Wutong could only barely reach Rank 90 with their Haodong Power. However,
because their martial souls were very powerful, and because there were two
of them, their ‘Rank 90’ was more formidable than typical Titled Douluo.
But in the end, the gap between them was just too large. There was an
insurmountable gap between a Titled Douluo and a Transcendent Douluo!
If both parties had the same level of soul power, of if Tang Wutong had
gained the upper hand, then the soul skill that she had just used would have
been extremely terrifying with its full strength unleashed.
It had a high temperature, it contained the element of light, and it was
very powerful. These three different elements were then combined, their
degree of fusion comparable to that of a self-invented soul skill.
Yan Shaozhe seemed like he’d defended against the attack easily. However,
the truth was, while he was very powerful, he was also adept with the
element of light. His Radiant Phoenix possessed light and heat as two of its
most salient characteristics, thus he had a natural resistance when
defending against Tang Wutong’s attack. But what if someone else had been
her opponent? The situation would probably have had an entirely different
outcome.
She fell gently, but Huo Yuhao felt an intense heartache. Tang Wutong had
forcibly taken this hit for him because of his error, so how could he not be
upset with himself for his mistake?
Huo Yuhao subconsciously wrapped his arms around Tang Wutong’s slim waist,
his three eyes simultaneously bursting with light. His will to fight had
truly been ignited.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, before grabbing Tang Wutong with one hand, and
slowly raised his other. His seven soul rings suddenly became eight, and an
intense blizzard rapidly descended upon the Sparring Arena.
The temperature of the arena fell to an extremely low degree almost
instantaneously, and Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong disappeared within the
blizzard.
The Snow Empress’ Three Ultimate Techniques: The Empress’ Sword, The
Empress’ Palm, and The Empress’ Chill. This was a fusion of The Empress’
Chill and his Domain of Perpetual Ice into his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice.
After absorbing the Manifold Mysterious Ice Essence, the temperatures that
Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice could reach were much more terrifying than before.
Su Tong’s martial soul was an Icesky Snow Lady, and was also a martial soul
with Ultimate Ice, but she was still a far cry from Huo Yuhao in terms of
how cold she could make her Ultimate Ice. It was why she’d immediately
admitted defeat after seeing Huo Yuhao freeze the entire surface of the Sea
God’s Lake.
A temperature more than two hundred degrees below zero permeated the entire
Sparring Arena almost instantly, and even Yan Shaozhe shivered, despite his
cultivation.
The advantage that Ultimate martial souls held became increasingly obvious
as their cultivation increased. Yan Shaozhe’s martial was the Radiant
Phoenix, and was adept with both light and fire. At the very least, Huo
Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice could counter his element of fire.
No matter how profound or wild his Radiant Phoenix martial was, the flames
that his martial soul granted him contained the Fire of Light, not Ultimate
Fire. As such, he didn’t have an advantage against Huo Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice.
Yan Shaozhe’s grew serious for the first time; he could feel that Huo Yuhao
was fully concentrated at this point.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be afraid of Huo Yuhao, who was
still a child in his eyes. However, that feeling of danger from before still
hadn’t disappeared and seemed to be plaguing him. This made him a little
more careful, as the unknown was the most frightening.
Blazing phoenix flames erupted out from Yan Shaozhe. What he wanted to do was
very simple.
In Shrek Academy’s lessons about soul master battles, there was a class
about advantage. The first thing that soul masters had to do when battling
each other was unleash their respective strengths and advantages as much as
possible to suppress their opponent. What was Yan Shaozhe’s greatest
advantage against Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong? His soul power! There was an
insurmountable gap in their ranks of soul power!
Therefore, even though he knew that his element was disadvantageous, he
still chose to use his overwhelming strength without hesitation. As a Rank
97 Transcendent Douluo, he relied on the strength of his soul power to
instantly expand his Radiant Phoenix’s flames.
The Sparring Arena was only so big; as a Transcendent Douluo, he was
entirely capable of covering it completely in his phoenix flames. When that
happened, Huo Yuhao would naturally no longer be able to keep his domain up,
and thus would be forced into the open. Furthermore, Yan Shaozhe would be
launching an all-round attack against him in the process.
But something astonished Yan Shaozhe as he attempted to do so: As his
phoenix flames fanned outwards, he realized that they didn’t immediately melt
the snowflakes dancing through the air when they came into contact with one
another. In fact, not only were they melting slowly, but they were also
emanating intense chills in the process, which was causing him to expend
more energy on his phoenix flames that he’d calculated.
What’s happening?
Yan Shaozhe had already channeled more than sixty percent of his soul power,
but his phoenix flames had only managed to extend five meters out from him.
Furthermore, the more they continued to expand, the more snowflakes they
encountered from Huo Yuhao’s Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, and the colder the
chilly air released by those snowflakes got. Yan Shaozhe quickly realized
that, to his surprise, he’d been suppressed, and that Huo Yuhao was actually
using the quality of his soul power to suppress his own cultivation
advantage.
How is this possible? Their martial soul fusion should only give them the
strength of a newly minted Titled Douluo! How could his Ultimate Ice be so
strong? Tang Wutong doesn’t possess any ice-type abilities!
If Yan Shaozhe could see Huo Yuhao’s current state, he would understand why
he was at such a disadvantage.
The Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass was swaying gently atop Huo Yuhao’s
shoulder, while four other silhouettes floated behind him; all five of his
Spirits were currently aiding him.
Of Huo Yuhao’s five great Spirits, the Skydream Iceworm possessed both
ice-type abilities and spiritual power, while the other four all possessed
Ultimate Ice!
When Huo Yuhao had fused with the Ice Bear King, Little Bai hadn’t just
become his Spirit and soul ring; he’d also improved his Ultimate Ice’s
quality once again.
According to the Snow Empress’ words, the lowest temperature that Huo Yuhao
could reach with his Ultimate Ice was two hundred and twenty degrees below
zero. This temperature was already equivalent to what the Ice Empress could
reach when she was at full strength!
The Ice Empress had been ranked seventh among the Ten Great Savage beasts.
Even though she hadn’t been equivalent to an Ultimate Douluo when she was at
full strength, she hadn’t been that far off.
All five of his Spirits had appeared simultaneously. Even though they
couldn’t boost his soul power with their amplifications, they could still
boost his element as much as possible. Furthermore, Blizzard was the soul
skill that the Ice
Bear King had bestowed Huo Yuhao with for his eighth soul ring.
Blizzard wasn’t just a normal soul skill when it was fused into his Snowy
Dance of Ultimate Ice; it was considered a formidable integrated soul skill
that could be further amplified by his Spirits. This was why it had managed
to accomplish a certain level of suppression against even Yan Shaozhe’s Rank
97 Radiant Phoenix.
A faint smile gradually appeared on Yan Shaozhe’s face as he felt the
pressure exuded on him. He nodded lightly and exclaimed, “Good, very
good!” After all, the more powerful Huo Yuhao was, the happier he was.
This practice battle had originally been intended to figure out the exact
extent of Huo Yuhao’s strength anyway.
After he finished speaking, Yan Shaozhe’s expressed suddenly became solemn.
He placed one hand above the other, with his palms facing each other. The
next moment, his entire body became completely golden, just like when he’d
defended himself against Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Shock.
What was different this time was that gentle golden hues were emanating from
his dantian, and a small yellow phoenix seemed to be frolicking in front of
his dantian.
Once this little golden phoenix emerged, his phoenix flames, which had been
initially suppressed, seemed to almost become material and liquify as they
blazed outwards.
This time, any snowflakes that the golden liquid touched were immediately
vaporized. The extremely high temperatures brought about by this golden
liquid immediately dispelled the low temperatures brought about by Huo
Yuhao’s Ultimate Ice, as well as immediately beat back his Snowy Dance of
Ultimate Ice.
Receiving such a rude shock, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to withdraw his
domain. He’d almost instantly realized that if were to continue maintaining
his Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, that his soul power would be completely
expended in a matter of seconds. And he was expending Haodong power, which
didn’t solely belong to him!
Yan Shaozhe reappeared in front of them, before looking at Huo
Yuhao and nodding gently as he
said, “Little junior
brother, your Ultimate Ice’s quality was quite impressive. What did you
feel?”
Huo Yuhao was momentarily surprised, but his expression quickly changed
somewhat as he blurted out, “You used a self- invented soul skill to augment
your own soul skills and soul power?”
Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly and said, “Yes, this is a technique that I came
up with some years ago and relied on to become Dean of the Martial Soul
Department. You have to understand this a bit more: Even though soul tools
are developing at a quickening pace in today’s world, there’s still
boundless potential in soul masters that’s waiting to be discovered.”
“Yes,” Huo Yuhao acknowledged respectfully. He knew that Yan Shaozhe
was giving him guidance with his status as his elder senior brother.
Yan Shaozhe tilted his head and smiled. “You don’t have to be dejected. I
used my soul core’s strength when I broke your domain just now. Your
Ultimate Ice martial soul doesn’t yet have a soul core, nor is your soul’s
quality as concentrated as mine. Furthermore, my self-invented soul skill
augmented my
Radiant Phoenix’s flames and raised my soul skill’s quality instantaneously
to achieve such an effect. Do you understand when I say it like this?”
A thought occurred to Huo Yuhao after hearing Yan Shaozhe’s words, and he
seemed to understand something, yet at the same time wasn’t quite able to
place what it was despite trying as hard as he could to puzzle it out.
Yan Shaozhe smiled. “Alright, that’s enough for today. We might not learn as
much if we get greedy for more. I know that both you and Tang Wutong’s
strengths haven’t been completely unleashed, but I hope that you two will
improve even more during the next three years. The next time you two
challenge me, I won’t show any mercy.”
“Thank you for fulfilling our wishes, eldest senior brother,” Huo Yuhao got
down on his knees in front of Yan Shaozhe. Even though Yan Shaozhe hadn’t
said much to them, what he had said and the battle they’d had were enough to
benefit him greatly.
The person who was most capable of guiding and advising Huo Yuhao in Shrek
Academy wasn’t Elder Xuan, but rather
Yan Shaozhe. The reason for that was because Yan Shaozhe could be considered
to be of the same generation as Huo Yuhao, since they were both Elder Mu’s
disciples. However, Yan Shaozhe had become Elder Mu’s disciple a lot earlier
than Huo Yuhao had, so he had a much deeper understanding of Elder Mu’s
abilities. Thus, Huo Yuhao needed some time to digest what he’d just learned
from the battle they’d just fought.
Elder Xuan opened the protective dome and walked towards Yan Shaozhe with a
faint smile on his face. “Why didn’t you give those two little fellows a
little more pressure?”
Yan Shaozhe smiled back and said, “Sometimes, too much pressure isn’t a good
thing. Yuhao doesn’t need pressure right now; he’s able to sense danger
clearly as it is. He must’ve felt and learned a lot of things from our
battle. Furthermore, and to be frank, I’m a little afraid of this kid. He
gave me a good one, and I’m still not sure which one of his abilities gave
me goosebumps; it gave me a strong sense of danger. Even if I was able to
completely suppress him if we continued, I was afraid to be caught off
guard, and that I’d end up losing.”
“Eh?” Elder Xuan stared at Yan Shaozhe, his expression changing to one of
surprise. “You were afraid that you’d lose?”
Yan Shaozhe forced a smile as he said, “Yes! It’s not like I can hurt them,
after all. And considering the fact that I couldn’t unleash any killing
moves, I might actually be hurt if those two kids were to fight with their
full strength. I don’t know what Yuhao used on me, but that sense of danger
is still around, even now.”
Elder Xuan chuckled and said, “I felt it too. This kid is really quite
different! He’s been standing on a whole different level ever since he broke
through and obtained his eighth soul ring. What he needs most right now is
more time to accumulate his strength. I just hope that he manages to grow up
as quickly as possible.”
Yan Shaozhe continued, “I’m worried that we’re being counterproductive by
forcing him to grow too quickly. Therefore, I’m not going to give them
anymore pressure. Yuhao has managed to reach an extraordinary standard with
his Ultimate Ice, and that probably has something to do with his Spirits.
The temperature of his Ultimate Ice is also the strongest I’ve ever seen. At
the very least, it’s never appeared before in the history of the academy. If
I hadn’t used my Primordial Phoenix Flames, I might not have been able to
touch him. I want to see the standard his Ultimate Ice soul power can reach
after he obtains his soul core. From what I can tell, even without using his
and Tang Wutong’s Haodong
Power, he should be able to give typical Titled Douluo a good fight.”
Elder Xuan nodded and said, “He should be able to grow up within three
years. However… I’m not sure if the continent’s three native empires will be
able to hold on that long.”
------
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong immediately returned the Sea God’s Pavilion after
they left. Just as Yan Shaozhe had predicted, they’d both had some
revelations from the battle they’d just fought, and needed to internalize
what they’d learnt as soon as possible. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao couldn’t use
his Three Ultimate Haodong Skills anymore, which had quite an effect on him.
He needed to make some adjustments to his fighting style, since he couldn’t
use them anymore.
Fusing self-invented soul skills with those from soul rings was something
entirely new to Huo Yuhao; it was something that Shrek Academy’s curriculum
never even touched. Based on the abilities that Yan Shaozhe had just
displayed, it was probably a technique that could only be cultivated by a
Soul
Douluo, at the very least. Thus, this was the most suitable time for him to
start learning about such a concept.
Huo Yuhao wasn’t the only one who’d had revelations; Tang Wutong was the
same. They both went back to Huo Yuhao’s room and crossed their legs on the
beds, placing their palms together. They channeled Haodong power as they
cultivated.
This was the first time that they’d cultivated together since their martial
soul fusion. Compared to before, their Haodong Power was much denser and
vaster. Huo Yuhao immediately felt his soul power improving, as well as the
Manifold Mysterious Ice Essence within his body being almost completely
assimilated.
What Yan Shaozhe hadn’t known was that the main reason for his Ultimate
Ice’s rapid rate of improvement and its temperature being so low was due to
the Manifold Mysterious Ice Essence.
Huo Yuhao hadn’t unleashed his full strength during the practice battle, nor
had he truly unleashed his Spirits, which also needed to be considered as
part of his fighting strength.
Huo Yuhao’s Spirits were different from those of most soul masters. His
Spirits’ consciousnesses had been stabilized through the Manifold Mysterious
Ice Essence, thus they themselves possessed a certain level of strength.
Once they were fully unleashed, they would be able to support and
complement one another. Plus, with the amount of experience that the Snow
Empress and the Ice Empress had, they’d probably have been able to hold out
a bit longer against Yan Shaozhe, even though they couldn’t possibly have
defeated him.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong placed their palms against each other’s, after
which their soul power rippled and undulated continuously within their
bodies. Huo Yuhao’s soul power improved conspicuously with every
circulation. Even though a soul master needed an immense amount of soul
power to increase their cultivation rank by even a single rank after they
became a Soul Douluo, Huo Yuhao still felt that he’d be able to reach the
threshold of becoming a Titled Douluo during the next three years with his
current cultivation speed! As someone who possessed an Ultimate martial
soul, once he became a Titled Douluo, he’d have the strength to challenge a
normal Transcendent Douluo by simply relying on his martial soul’s strength.
As time continued to pass, Huo Yuhao remained completely immersed in his
revelations and realizations, his emotions incessantly rippling as he did
so.
Tang Wutong is Dong’er, and she’s back by my side. Just that single thought
gave Huo Yuhao a lot of emotional clarity. Even though he’d lost his Three
Ultimate Haodong Skills in the process, he didn’t regret anything for even a
second. What could bring him more joy or pleasant surprise than his lover
returning to him?
But at the same time, he quickly realized how important emotions were for
self-invented soul skills.
Emotions were considered to be a part of spiritual power, yet at the same
time, they weren’t equivalent; they could be considered an inexplicable
force with an abstruse origin. Back then, the most important reason behind
his Three Ultimate Haodong Skills being so powerful was due to them
containing his intense emotions. At the same time, the repercussions and
residual effects brought about after using them also stemmed from his
emotions.
Since emotions can increase the power of self-invented soul skills, does
that mean that I can fuse my emotions into my other self-invented soul
skills now that I’ve lost my Three Ultimate Haodong Skills?
The Goddess of Light was undoubtedly Huo Yuhao’s fundamental self-invented
soul skill; the truth was that he’d adapted his Three Ultimate Haodong
Skills from it. Thus, now that he couldn’t use them anymore, it seemed that
he’d have to put more effort back into his Goddess of Light.
The emotions that his Three Ultimate Haodong Skills relied on were longing
and yearning. Now that Wutong was back by his side, those feelings had to
transform—but into what?
Love, yes, love is the answer.
This thought had barely surfaced in Huo Yuhao’s mind when he suddenly felt
an intense quiver in his spiritual sea. In the next moment, the love in his
heart immediately flooded towards Tang Wutong like a tidal wave.
Tang Wutong’s beautiful frame trembled a little in response. Her spiritual
sea had originally been extremely messy and chaotic, as Wang Dong’er’s
memory had only been awakened a short time ago, and she hadn’t yet managed
to completely integrate the memories of her childhood. She felt her heart
and body quiver intensely as she was stimulated by Huo Yuhao’s intense
feelings of love, and a dash of rosiness
appeared on her cheeks as her lips gradually tilted into a faint smile.
These dense feelings of love surging into her mind were akin to the most
potent natural treasures as they nourished her spiritual sea and supported
the fusion of her memories.
Love was a notion for eternity—only love could truly last forever.
Whether she was Wang Dong’er or Tang Wutong didn’t matter—her name was only
a label. Tang Wutong had insisted that she was Tang Wutong, rather than Wang
Dong’er, because her memories hadn’t been completely fused yet. In her
heart, she’d been a little afraid that her feelings towards Huo Yuhao
weren’t genuine, which had caused her to have a little resistance towards
him in her heart ever since recovering her memories.
But at this moment, as she was smothered in Huo Yuhao’s dense feelings, her
memories began to fuse at an accelerated rate. Slowly, her entire being’s
emotions began to change as she was continuously buffeted by his love.
Wang Dong’er’s originally deep-seated love for Huo Yuhao was guided out and
took the driver’s seat, merging together with love that Huo Yuhao was
emanating. Their Haodong Power quietly sublimated, while their love
continued to ripple and undulate away from and because of that sublimation.
They weren’t just fusing their martial souls anymore; their emotions and
spirits were also fusing. This was the true meaning of coming together to
become one.
When Huo Yuhao felt the reciprocated love coming from Tang Wutong, he was
overjoyed. Love was a mutual feeling, thus only with mutual love could it
continue to sublimate and evolve. At this moment, the type of love that Tang
Wutong and Huo Yuhao were feeling was that type of sublimating love. Their
overflowing emotions began to encircle their hearts and souls, and faint
white halos appeared around their bodies. Gentle undulations could soon be
seen as their bodies were cocooned in light.
Their soul power, spiritual power, and spirits were being rinsed and doused
in their dense feelings of love. Slowly but surely, their soul power was
changing, and the golden light from within the trident on Tang Wutong’s
forehead began to circulate within her body. Strange transformations also
began to happen to Huo Yuhao’s soul power and aura.
I love you, Dong’er. I love you, Wutong. Huo Yuhao’s voice was filled with
love as it resonated within his mind.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao felt his spirits be invigorated, and in the next moment
felt his spiritual power seem to leave his body. He’d experienced a similar
feeling before, but that was when he’d channeled his spiritual power out of
his body. Now that his spiritual power was in the concrete-material realm,
his spiritual power leaving his body along with his spirit didn’t mean
anything was wrong.
But this time seemed different. Huo Yuhao studied himself closely, only to
realize to his astonishment that it wasn’t his spiritual power that was
leaving his body. Instead, it was his own, actual spirit leaving his body!
Yes, just his spirit, without any spiritual power accompanying it!
Human spirits were extremely weak; once they left one’s body, they would
continuously dissipate. The moment that he realized his spirit was leaving
his body, he quickly realized that there was also a faint white layer
surrounding his spirit that seemed to be protecting it from dissipating.
With his spirit currently in midair, Huo Yuhao could see Tang Wutong and
himself with their palms pressed against each other’s, cultivating. Gentle
white light surrounded their bodies, and Huo Yuhao could still vividly feel
their sublimating soul power, spiritual power, and emotions, despite
currently looking down at himself.
What’s happening? Why has my spirit left my body by itself? Huo Yuhao
attempted to control himself and return to his body, but he realized to his
surprise that he couldn’t make his spirit move at all.
At the next moment, some kind of strange force appeared in the ether than
instantly pulled his spirit out of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Once his spirit
exited the Golden Tree, it began to rise into the sky.
The sun was radiant outside, and shone down upon the entire Shrek Academy,
but a shred of panic still appeared in Huo Yuhao’s mind. This was the first
time that he’d come across such a strange situation; he had no idea what was
going to happen.
His spirit had left his body, and was continuously rising through the air.
It wasn’t a great feeling; Huo Yuhao could feel himself getting further and
further away from his own body. Even though his senses were still connected,
he couldn’t control his spirit’s movements in the sky at all!
Why is this happening? What’s happening to me? Huo Yuhao couldn’t find the
answer, intense fear and panic beginning to permeate his mind.
He had been through so much to get Tang Wutong back at his side, yet his
spirit had still left his body in such a strange fashion. What exactly is
happening? What’s happened?! No, I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to
leave Wutong, I still have to protect and love her!
Intense fear and panic caused a wave of acute emotional ripples to spread
from his spirit, as he tried to struggle out of the restraints binding his
movements.
Right at that moment, a gentle aura suddenly enveloped his spirit. This aura
was extremely strange, as there seemed to be an immense amount of pure
emotions undulating within it. After it appeared, Huo Yuhao felt an
incredibly comfortable
feeling course through his spirit, as if he’d been immersed in warm spring
water. This nourishing feeling made him so comfortable that he wanted to
moan, all traces of panic, fear, and negative emotions disappearing without
a trace. Instead, small feelings of comfort and trust had appeared.
What exactly is happening?
Huo Yuhao was extremely intelligent; if he couldn’t at least make a guess
about his situation, then he wouldn’t be Huo Yuhao. The aura filled with
comfort that had nourished his spirit had immediately made him realize that
his spirit leaving his body wasn’t because of his own cultivation; rather,
some external power had forcibly pulled his spirit from his body.
All the negative feelings in his spirit had been washed away, thus all that
was left was complete astonishment.
What kind of strength could forcibly pull my spirit out of my body? Huo
Yuhao’s spiritual power had already reached the concrete-material realm.
Furthermore, he also had Wang Qiu’er’s Destiny Skull and its skill Destiny’s
Adjudication, which granted him immunity to three spiritual-type attacks per
day.
Back then, the Evileye Tyrant King hadn’t been able to kill Huo Yuhao with
its incredibly powerful attack because he’d used Destiny’s Adjudication to
escape with his life. However, this force that was currently controlling his
spirit had rendered him unable to resist at all. How powerful would his
opponent have to be to achieve this?
Even though Huo Yuhao wasn’t sure why this was happening, he could feel that
whoever was doing this to him had to be an extremely powerful individual who
didn’t harbor any ill intentions against him. Else, that person wouldn’t
have placated his negative emotions.
Chapter 513: Godly Seat! Realm of the Gods!
Unless this is the work of an Ultimate Douluo who has hidden himself from
the prying eyes of the public? And it can’t be just any Ultimate Douluo! He
or she must be a spiritual-type Ultimate Douluo whose power far exceeds that
of the Darkness Holy Dragon and the Death God Douluo! This is the only
possible explanation! In fact, this Ultimate Douluo could very well be more
powerful than the Beast God... If not, why would the Beast God fail to
protect me when I possess his reverse scale? There can only be one answer:
the Beast God is not aware of this.
“Young fellow, stop guessing. Your guesses are all wrong.” Huo Yuhao heard a
gentle voice from afar. Following which, he felt his senses turned inside
out as everything that his soul could sense spiraled into a chaotic mess. He
could feel a formless force transforming his surroundings into radiant
colors before the colors started to pale into black and white.
The black and white alternated continuously between one another as Huo Yuhao
found himself morphing between countless forms. But regardless of how the
external world
changed, Huo Yuhao managed to keep his soul intact and out of harm’s way.
He managed to dispel all distractions from his mind and return to a calm
state of mind by focusing on his spiritual energy and retaining it. After a
temporary shock, he was able to collect himself. But he knew very well that
regardless of what this external force was, it was not something that he
could fend off. Hence, he knew there wasn’t much point going against someone
who was a lot more powerful than him, so chose to sit and wait for that
person’s next move. After all, they didn’t seem to bear any malevolent
intentions. He or she had merely abducted his soul. Since I can’t figure out
what you are up to, all I can do is wait.
While it was only a short while, it felt like an eternity. His surroundings
suddenly turned clear, and much to his surprise, Huo Yuhao found himself
regaining control over his soul.
He was in was a mountain valley—a valley which did not seem to be
particularly unique. It was filled with blooming flowers, as well as grass and
trees which seemed to be radiating vitality. The tall, majestic trees spread
their branches and leaves to form a shady canopy. Up above the valley in the
sky, rainbow clouds floated by from time to time.
Huo Yuhao had regained his human shape; but he was currently in his
spiritual form. The only perception he had of the external world could only
be described as “comfortable”.
At this very moment, a peculiar thought formed in his head. How wonderful
would it be if I could breathe in all the fresh air within this valley… The
air in this valley must be very refreshing… It must be filled with the
natural qi of heaven and earth!
He found himself edging towards the depths of the valley subconsciously, and
a pebbled path soon appeared before his feet. The path, which was sandwiched
by the different flora beside it, extended into the depths of the valley.
With the experience he had, Huo Yuhao was able to identify many treasured
herbs and spices. However, there were still so many plants which he could
not recognize. Every single one of them seemed to be brimming with spiritual
energy.
The winding path continued straight into the center of the valley. Huo Yuhao
continued his walk for over ten minutes until the sight before his eyes
transformed abruptly. A pavilion had appeared before his eyes.
Huo Yuhao could see two people sitting within the pavilion. There was a
good-looking young man on the left who looked approximately twenty-seven
years old. His long golden hair covered his shoulders as he exuded an
all-encompassing Buddhist aura.
There was an old man sitting opposite him. The old man’s head was covered
with snow-white hair, and his looks could not be plainer. However, he did
not seem to possess the fatigue and soulless vibes which plagued most
elderly people. Both of them did not seem to radiate any fluctuations of
spiritual energy, and appeared to be engrossed in their game of chess.
Huo Yuhao knew nothing about chess, but he was certain that the two people
before him were the ones who had connected his soul to this heaven-like
place.
Even though he didn’t know where this place was, he had already calmed
himself down after being brought here. Huo Yuhao made his way to the
pavilion slowly, and stopped by the chessboard. He stood there quietly and
observed their game.
Even though Huo Yuhao didn’t know how to play chess, he knew that one should
not speak while watching a game of
chess. Not disturbing someone else’s game was a matter of manners and being
polite.
This game of chess appeared to be ending soon. The old man’s brows were
locked in a frown for an extended period of time before he moved his chess
piece hesitantly. Conversely, the young man reacted very quickly and
confidently, as though everything was going according to his calculations.
“Teacher, you have lost your composure. I’m afraid there’s no
chance of you beating me anymore,”
the golden-haired young man smiled.
The old man scolded laughingly, “You little brat! Since we started playing
chess, you have never given me a chance to win. Sometimes, I regret training
and guiding you for all those years!”
The young man revealed a smile. “Alright. Come on! Don’t be angry! How about
this? I’ll prepare our lunch for today.”
The old man was visibly excited by the prospect of the young man’s
suggestion as he replied, “Really?!”
The young man nodded and reassured the old man, “Cooking has always been an
interest of mine! Why would I lie to you when you were the one who taught me
how to cook?”
The old man seemed to be very pleased as he surrendered the chess game and
spoke, “Okay okay! I surrender! Now go and prepare lunch for us!”
The young man with the golden hair nodded and said, “Okay.
Could you put the chess pieces away for me?”
“Alright.” The old man waved his hand, and before anyone could see how he
did it, the chess pieces floated naturally and separated themselves into
clusters of black and white before returning to the boxes beside the chess
board.
Huo Yuhao was shocked by what he had just witnessed. The old man was able to
move those pieces without giving away any fluctuation in his power!
The young man with the golden hair stood up and stretched before heading to
the other end of the pavilion. As he walked
over there, he waved his hand at Huo Yuhao before saying, “Come and join us,
little friend.”
Previously, when the young man was talking to the old man, Huo Yuhao didn’t
sense anything wrong or unnatural with the way he spoke. But now that he was
speaking to Huo Yuhao, he found to his surprise that the young man’s voice
was exactly the same as the voice he had heard after his soul was sucked out
of his body. Is he the powerful guy who brought me here?
However, there was no way he could turn the young man down at this moment.
Thus, Huo Yuhao acknowledged the man’s invitation and went after him.
The old man remained seated where he was as his face revealed a smile. He
muttered to himself, “It seems like that little brat has also had moments
when his emotions waver. If not, why would you be so anxious? But I must say
your decision is quite unexpected… In fact, it is borderline insane! This is
literally snatching one’s prey from the jaws of a tiger, isn’t it? But I
must say I like it.”
Huo Yuhao followed the young man with the golden hair to the other end of
the pavilion, and noticed a small courtyard
not too far from it. The entire courtyard was made from wood, and there were
a few children playing around in it. There was a beautiful lady dressed in a
red dress taking care of the children. Not too far from them, another
beautiful lady dressed in blue was eating something. All of them seemed to
be very blissful.
This was obviously a family who was happily residing in a paradise away from
the prying eyes of normal people. Huo Yuhao suddenly felt envious of what he
saw, even though he wasn’t sure why he was feeling that way. When can I form
a family with Wutong and live in a paradise like this? That would be so
great… We would have a few children, and live happily ever after.
The young man with the golden hair smiled and asked, “Are you very envious
of what you’re seeing?”
Huo Yuhao nodded without hesitation.
The young man smiled awkwardly. “Actually, if anyone were to lead such a
life for an extended period of time, he or she would most definitely feel
lonely. I have multiple wives, but they’re often not around me. Only the two
of them—the ones
before you—stayed to accompany me. The rest of them left to go out and play,
and I don’t know when they’ll return.”
“Multiple wives?” Huo Yuhao had not expected the young man to share
this with him. He could not help but shake his head and
reply, “Isn’t one wife enough already?
The more partners one has, the likelier it is for people to part
ways.”
The young man squeezed out a smile and replied, “What you said makes sense.
However, sometimes, it is not up to one to make that decision. Alright,
let’s not talk about this anymore. We’re going to prepare lunch now. It’s
not easy keeping this huge group of people happy and full everyday!”
As he spoke, he led Huo Yuhao into a room within the courtyard. It was
almost as if the two beautiful ladies and the children did not see them at
all. They merely continued with what they were doing.
The young man led Huo Yuhao into what seemed to be a kitchen. From outside
the kitchen, it did not seem to be particularly big. But after entering the
room, Huo Yuhao found much to his surprise that it was much larger than it
seems. It was at least a hundred square meters. All the ingredients were
placed in an organized manner in a certain area within the kitchen, while
another area was reserved for the actual cooking process.
The young man instructed, “You can just stand here and watch. How much you
would learn will depend on how much you can infer and absorb.” As he finished
his sentence, he made his way to the chopping area.
At that very instant, Huo Yuhao could sense a change within the young man.
His breathing suddenly become slightly labored as a strong wave of pressure
suffocated Huo Yuhao’s soul.
Following which, the young man made his move. As he moved his right hand
gently, his index and middle fingers extended into a small cloth bag next to
the chopping board, and withdrew a small knife. The knife emerged from the
bag with a reflective flash. It was less than five inches long, and its tip
appeared to be very delicate. The blade and the handle appeared to be equal
in length. The blade seemed to be exuding a Mayan blue flash, and there was
also a scary-looking carving on the side of it.
He waved his left hand and produced a huge empty plate before him
effortlessly. At the same time, nine similar-looking cucumbers flew towards
him.
Is he actually cooking? But why would he use such a small knife? That knife
is even smaller than the carving knife I use to make soul tools…
Huo Yuhao continued watching with many questions in his head.
The young man suddenly muttered in a melodic way, “Startling changes begin
where the masterful hand lands. Carving strokes ripple through the
masterpiece a hundred times. This ancient art shall outlast eternity. The
raised knife, like a crescent moon, will illuminate the cold spring.” A
Mayan bluish glow—the knife—revolved around the plate at a rate which made
it hard for anyone to make out its shape. Even though it was hard to follow
the movement of the knife, Huo Yuhao could make out the carvings on the
cucumbers, which were made with every syllable the young man muttered. Green
pieces of cucumber skin were ejected by the knife as they drifted and fell
to the side. After the last syllable was uttered, a total of two hundred and
sixty-one cuts had been delivered. A circle of cucumber skin fell neatly
around the plate, forming a perfect circular pattern of black and green
stripes. The size of the skin fragments were all exactly the same. But what
was most astounding was the carving that lay above the circle of skin
fragments.
Nine jade-like dragon carvings carved out of cucumber stood proudly at the
center of the plate. The carvings were delicate, and possessed beautiful
features like the horns, the whiskers and the pearls of a dragon.
The amount of skill required to pull this off was just… unbelievable!
Huo Yuhao couldn’t believe his eyes. It was the first time he had ever
witnessed such remarkable knife-handling skills. This was beyond any mere
carving act—this was the creation of a masterpiece. Huo Yuhao was extremely
skilled at creating soul tools, and had spent plenty of time mastering the
art of carving. However, all his work was done according to diagrams and
instructions. What he had just witnessed was art infused with creativity,
and that was simply breathtaking.
The young man with the golden hair stole a glance at Huo Yuhao, and revealed
a smile. He extended his left hand and waved it. This act sent the huge
plate into the air. There was a dense layer of cloud which appeared to be
holding the plate in midair. The cloud gave off a cold aura which was not
particularly intense.
As the young man swept his left hand horizontally, the plate began to spin
at an unbelievable speed.
Whenever the bottoms of the cucumbers spun before his eyes, the Mayan bluish
glow—the knife—would flicker. After three rounds or so, even though Huo Yuhao
had long lost count of how many cuts the knife had made, the young man’s
hand appeared to have only budged a bit. More green skin fragments fell to
the bottoms of the cucumbers, forming the shape of nine clouds. They
contrasted against the jade-green dragon tails which had just taken shape.
At that very instant, it looked as though the nine cucumbers on the plate
had come to life. They looked like nine green dragons which were encircling
the cloud-like support structure, which in turn was suspending the revolving
plate. The dragons looked so real that they appeared to be playing with one
another and chatting amongst themselves.
The young man with the golden hair made a tap with his left hand as a small,
delicate ice ball formed at the tip of his finger. With a simple flick, the
ice ball floated towards the plate and landed at the center of all nine
dragon heads.
At that very instant, the nine cucumber dragons suddenly started to move.
The nine green dragons leapt upwards to different heights and extended their
bodies. That was when Huo Yuhao realized how the dragon bodies were merely
connected by the thin fibers of the cucumber slices. Even though their
connection appeared to be delicate and feeble, the dragons were never
broken.
The nine jade dragons were competing against one another for the pearl-like
ice ball as they leapt and ducked to fight for it. Under the cover of the icy
cloud, it looked as though nine jade dragons had come to life. The plate had
become their world as the nine dragons wove in and out of the clouds in an
unpredictable way.
With a wave of his left hand, the plate which carried the nine dragons
glided to the side of the kitchen. The young man turned around and smiled at
the stupefied Huo Yuhao.
“That is today’s first dish. But I’m sorry. You won’t be able to try it.”
It was only now that Huo Yuhao finally regained his composure. He remarked,
“Senior… Your knife-handling skills are out of this world. It’s
unbelievable!” At this moment, he could not find any words to describe
his feelings.
The young man merely smiled and asked, “Do you want to learn it? The
intricacies of my Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving Technique have already been
perfected and integrated by me over the years. It has now come to the stage
where it transcends all skills and techniques.”
Huo Yuhao almost blurted out how much he wanted to learn it. But still, he
managed to keep his wits about him as he hesitated. He asked, “Your carving
technique is beyond mystical. There must be some conditions which I have to
fulfill in order for you to teach me, right?”
The young man with the golden hair nodded and replied, “Not bad… You’re
pretty bright. You’re right! There is no free lunch in this world! Take a
look at my dish. Its name is Icy Clouds of the Nine Azure Dragons. It was my
masterpiece when I first started to make a name for myself in the world of
artistic carving.”
Huo Yuhao remained focused as he asked, “So what would you need me to do for
you?”
The young man smiled, “Don’t worry about it. It can only be a good thing. My
condition is simple. If you want to learn my
carving technique, you must inherit my Godly Seat.”
“Godly Seat?” After hearing these two words, Huo Yuhao was shocked beyond
belief. He had finally connected the dots.
The human before me—no, the god before me—is not human! No wonder he was
able to abduct my soul and bring me to this paradise so easily! So, could
this be the world of the gods? So, gods exist in this world?
At this very instant, Huo Yuhao felt like he was going through a mental
breakdown. He had so many questions in his head, yet he was still suffering
from the shock which he had just heard.
All this while, even though his aim was to attain a Godly Seat and help his
Spirits move on to another world to live eternally, deep down inside, he was
always doubtful about the existence of Gods.
He was unable to determine if Gods really existed. Even though he had some
sort of sensation which hinted at the possibility of their existence, it was
but a very minor sensation.
But at this very instant, when an actual God was standing before him, he
could not conceal the excitement and shock inside him. Everything is real!
The God Realm exists! Gods do exist! I can’t believe it!
The young man with the golden hair revealed a smile, “Are you surprised?
Actually, because of your cultivation and meditations, you have long come
close to becoming a God. However, to truly transcend your mortality and
become a God, you’ll still have to overcome plenty of challenges.”
“Please advise me.” Huo Yuhao politely asked the young man for advice. Huo
Yuhao knew nothing about the God Realm, it. However, he really wanted to
know everything and anything about it. Since he knew that the God before him
was not malevolent, he decided to ask for more information.
The young man with the golden hair smiled. “Actually, what we term as the
God Realm is but the classification of people who have elevated their
abilities to a level of purity which is similar to that of the natural
elements. As our cultivation level increases, our understanding of the Great
Dao of Heaven and Earth improves. This improved understanding allows us to
enter this place. You can actually think of the God Realm as a
realm formed from the purest energies. It is like a world beyond many
worlds.”
“Any cultivating human would be able to enter the God Realm when they
possess both a Godly Seat and abilities which are sufficiently powerful to
receive approval from the God Realm. It doesn’t matter what their
cultivation methods are.”
“Then how does a Godly Seat come into play?” Huo Yuhao asked.
The young man with the golden hair replied, “At the end of the day, there is
limited space in the God Realm. There is only a set amount of humans it can
hold. Hence, in order to enter the God Realm, one needs a place, or rather a
seat, which belongs to him or her. Godly Seats have a very complex
relationship with our understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Any change in the ownership of a Godly Seat would often hint at an incoming
change in the God Realm. Usually, there are a few possible scenarios or
reasons why there would be a change in ownership of a Godly Seat. For
example, if the owner happens to die in the pursuit of advancing his or her
understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, a successor is required
to inherit his or her Godly Seat. Also, if an owner decides to leave the God
Realm to seek knowledge
and enlightenment which lies beyond the God Realm, he or she must give up
his or her Godly Seat to an inheritor."
As he finished his sentence, he stared deeply at Huo Yuhao, as though he were
suggesting something.
Huo Yuhao spoke, "So if you were to pass your Godly Seat to me, it would be
for the latter reason? Then, how many Godly Seats are there in the God
Realm?"
The young man with the golden hair shook his head and admitted, "I'm afraid
I don't have the answer to your question. Our God Realm controls a hundred
and eight different worlds.. Among the different worlds, some of them are
known as the Gifted Worlds, and the Douluo Continent happens to be one of
them. A Gifted World is a world where its people are more gifted, and are
much more likely to attain God status. Even though I did not come from the
same continent as you, I came from another Gifted World. The people who are
truly in control of the number of Gods are those who preside over the God
Realm Judicial Committee. The Committee consists of two Godkings and three
judges.”
“If you can enter the God Realm in the future, you will naturally understand
what I’m talking about. In the God Realm, other than the five people on the
Committee, the strongest Gods are called the Core Gods. There are thirty-two
Core Gods in the God Realm. Under them are the rest of the Gods. And because
I happen to be one of the thirty-two Core Gods, I assure you it would not be
an insult to you if you were to accept my Godly Seat.”
Huo Yuhao asked, “Then why are the
soul beasts in my continent unable to become Gods?”
The young man with the golden hair smiled and shook his head. “Actually, it
is extremely difficult for any beast to evolve into a God. The God Realm has
never stopped them from joining us. It is simply down to their lack of
understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Most beasts—other than
those from advanced species like the dragons—do not possess a high
intelligence when they are born. Even dragons take a long time to develop
fundamental mental capabilities. Hence, most of them are unable to absorb
their Xiantian energy during their birth. This becomes a huge barrier for
their future cultivation. Thus, even though humans do not live as long as
beasts, our intelligence and absorption of our Xiantian energy allows us to
possess incredible learning and cultivation ability compared to other
species. The moment our intelligence becomes ours, our
journey to becoming stronger will become a lot smoother compared to any
other species.”
Huo Yuhao took in a deep breath as he tried to take everything in. “Then why
would you pass your Godly Seat to me? This is a paradise which you cannot
find in the worlds of mortals. And here, you have your family with you. Isn’t
this good enough for you?”
The young man revealed an awkward expression as he hesitated before sighing.
He replied, “I won’t lie to you. While there are plenty of advantages that
come with being a God, you will suffer from the sense of loneliness. Those
Gods who can reside peacefully in the God Realm for prolonged periods of
time are those who can withstand loneliness. Because a God can get anything
he or she wants in the God Realm, there is an unfortunate absence of bliss
and happiness. After passing my Godly Seat to you, I will bring my family to
look for another God Realm, and experience what life is in the worlds beyond
that.”
“Another God Realm?!” Huo Yuhao blurted,
“Hold on.
There’s more than one God Realm out there?”
The young man with the golden hair smiled, “Of course. Our God Realm might
control a hundred and eight worlds, but what about the other worlds? Our
worlds are boundless, and I believe there must be other God Realms in the
vast space out there. And that is what I hope to do—to journey out far
beyond to find these realms. I have resided in this God Realm for many years,
and continuing such a plain life is not what I want. My
children will descend into the mortal worlds to train after I leave with my
wives to seek out the other God Realms. Who knows? I might return one day.
Even though I would have lost my Godly Seat—hopefully to you—I can still
create my own little haven in the God Realm with my abilities. After saying
so
much, what’s your decision? Do you want to inherit my Godly Seat?”
Huo Yuhao paused for a short while before asking, “Senior, may I know why
you chose me?”
The young man with the golden hair replied, “Because I have found many
similarities between your experiences and mine. I have been silently
observing what you have been through, and I feel that you have surpassed me
in many ways. At the very least, you are a lot more faithful to your loved
one.” While he was finishing up this last line, he could not help but give an
awkward smile. “I was not able to remain faithful to my partner, and this
failure affected my cultivation. Even though I was able to integrate my
learnings and abilities before I attained God status, my unbecoming
lifestyle had affected my cultivation. If not, with my abilities, I would
have possessed the power to challenge one of the five seats in the Committee.
I hope that you can surpass me after obtaining my Godly Seat, and ascend to
the pinnacle of success within the God Realm.”
Ascend to the pinnacle of success within the God Realm…? The young man’s
voice might be calm, but it invigorated the competitiveness within Huo
Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath before asking the question that was plaguing
him. “So, what do you need me to do? Or rather, what kind of tests do I need
to go through?”
The young man with the golden hair nodded and said, “You have already gone
through enough tribulations in your life. Even though those challenges were
not issued by me, I have seen how you have persevered through those tough
times. Selecting the successor to a Godly Seat has always been a process
infused with a huge element of luck and chance. Your understanding and
potential in ice-type techniques, as well as the way you invest your
emotions into your soul skills, made me choose you. Of course, you will
still have to go through other evaluations, but they will not be issued by
me. I can now plant the godly seed within you. Once your cultivation level
is high enough, I will ferry you into the God Realm. The ultimate test you
will have to face is what you already know. You will have to stop all your
other competitors who will be trying to stop you from qualifying for the God
Realm. Once you are done with that, you will see me again.”
There was absolutely no reason for Huo Yuhao to turn down his offer. As a
human, he had long been cultivating and training to enter the God Realm!
“Senior, after I have become a God, can I bring my loved ones to the God
Realm?”
The young man with the golden hair smiled. “Of course you can. After
inheriting my Core Godly Seat and becoming a God, you will have the right to
bring some of your loved ones into the God Realm. As with any other world,
the stronger you are, the more weight your words will carry in the God
Realm. So if you want to bring more people into the God Realm, you will have
to put in a lot more work and effort.”
After hearing his words, Huo Yuhao no longer had any doubts. He respectfully
bowed before the young man and announced, “I am willing to inherit your
Godly Seat.”
After those simple words came out of Huo Yuhao’s mouth, the young man’s body
started to give off a golden glow. Huo Yuhao’s soul form also started to
shine as his body took on a golden glow.
The smile on the young man’s face disappeared, and it was replaced with a
solemn and serious expression.
“Huo Yuhao! From today onwards, you will be the successor to my Godly Seat.
As a member of the God Realm, I am not allowed to interfere with matters in
the worlds beneath the God Realm. However, after possessing my godly seed,
your journey to becoming stronger will be a lot smoother. My Godly Seat is
named Emotion. The better you understand emotions, the smoother the process
of inheritance will be.”
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and extended his index finger before
tapping Huo Yuhao’s forehead.
At that instant, Huo Yuhao’s entire body trembled. He felt as though his
body had become clear and transparent. Under the intense trembling, his soul
seemed to have been cleansed by a mysterious power.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao felt his spiritual energy change. It did not become
stronger. Instead, it had evolved into something grander and more deserving
of reverence. This sensation felt strangely familiar; he had felt it during
his encounters with the Calamity Necromancer, Electrolux.
This must be what the divine sense feels like.
“Yes. That is what you people call
divine sense. After accepting my godly seed, a part of your
consciousness in your soul will turn into divine sense. As your cultivation
continues to improve, it will evolve more into a more complete divine sense.
But I must remind you not to release your divine sense at any point in time
unless you are in a life-and-death situation. If someone were to take away
your godly seed, you would die. Also, my Godly Seat will be wrested away
from me. Thus, you must be extremely careful for yourself and for your
family. I would suggest you keep your godly seed a secret. Do not tell
anyone—including your loved ones—about it.”
“Yes!” Huo Yuhao respectfully
acknowledged the man’s instructions. His heart was brimming with
happiness after sensing the improvement of his soul.
The young man smiled. “Besides giving you my godly seed, I have two other
things for you. I believe they will allow you to grow faster, and become my
successor sooner. They will be planted into your body along with the divine
sense I have given you. Remember my words: regardless of whether it pertains
to
your cultivation or your emotions, being faithful, dedicated and focused
will be your greatest strength. Now go on.”
As he spoke, the young man waved his hand, and Huo Yuhao felt his
surroundings become illusory. At that very instant, his soul form could no
longer sense or perceive his surroundings. He found himself surrounded by
golden sparks, as though everything had ceased to be real.
“Remember me. I am the God of Emotions, and my name is Rong Nianbing.”
As his mind reverberated with Rong Nianbing’s words, Huo Yuhao slowly lost
consciousness.
As Huo Yuhao’s soul disappeared before him, Rong Nianbing revealed a sly
smile as he continued to prepare his delicacies.
“Did you choose that young lad because of his potential in cooking?” A light
flashed, and the old man who had played chess with Rong Nianbing appeared by
the young man’s side.
Rong Nianbing smiled. “There’s definitely a little bit of that. But it’s a
little too late to start learning now. Also, I needed him to take over my
Godly Seat as soon as possible. If not, I would have taken him in as my
disciple, and passed on the top-class cooking skills you taught me in the
past.”
The old man hissed, “But you might have gone overboard this time round! This
lad was already hand-picked by that guy. You should know very well how much
that guy would hate you if he were to know that you’ve intervened.”
Rong Nianbing chuckled. “That would be his fault for not seeing this coming.
Anyways, even if Huo Yuhao were to inherit my Godly Seat, it would still do
him good. It would be so much better for him to gain the support of another
Core God than for him to give up a Core Godly Seat, right? The only problem
is that he can’t afford to be lazy anymore. But I can! Don’t you want to
travel with me to the other God Realms?”
The old man laughed, “You are still the decisive one between us. Now that
all is said and done, even if he were to uncover what we have done, he would
have no way of reversing it. All he can do is vent his frustrations on that
poor lad. You know what? I am starting to feel sorry for that young boy! All
of you
cunning folks are really bad people—picking on a young man like him.”
Rong Nianbing replied casually, “One can only improve and become better if
he or she can handle the hardships of life. When I told him about my wish
for him to ascend the pinnacle of this God Realm, I meant every single word
I said. Also, I feel that my abilities are better suited to him. Don’t you
agree with me?”
“Yes yes yes. You’re always right. Now go and prepare lunch.
I’m already famished.”
“Yes, my dear master.”
……
Golden. It was still golden. When Huo Yuhao woke up, he realized he was
still cultivating with Tang Wutong. They were still drawing upon their soul
power and improving their Haodong Power.
While they were basking in their mutual love for one another, their Haodong
Power seemed to have improved. Within the rapidly flowing fluid, the golden
spirals had expanded to twice their original size. Even though these spirals
were unable to compress as much soul power as soul cores,
they were able to contain more soul power than the usual medium. This
allowed their soul power to continually expand and increase as they mixed
and combined with one another.
Was all of that a dream? Could it be some sort of hallucination?
After Huo Yuhao woke up, he started to think back to the out-of-body
experience he had had earlier.
That young man with the golden hair. That paradise. That pavilion.
The God of Emotion, and the Godly Seat?
Were those things real, or just products of my imagination?
If it was all real, that would be insane! The Beast God Di Tian must have
thought that he would be able to seal me with his reverse scale. But he
didn’t know it wouldn’t even be able to detect it when a real God decided to
intervene and take action.
As he mulled over what had happened, Huo Yuhao focused on his soul power and
felt the changes in it.
Very soon, he realized—much to his surprise—that the increase in strength
and solidity of the Haodong Power whenever he and Tang Wutong circulated it
was not a result of any change in their cultivation methods. The spirals
that allowed their soul power to become more condensed were the product of
an inherent change within his soul power.
Chapter 514: Leaving Seclusion
Huo Yuhao discovered a mysterious glistening layer on top of the soul power
in his Mysterious Heaven Technique. That glistening layer felt very
mystical, as though it was a blend of white and black which merged with his
soul power.
As his cultivation increased, Huo Yuhao’s soul power had transformed into a
faint golden color. This was a product of the continual improvement of his
abilities. While his soul power remained golden, there was now an additional
membrane-like exterior on the outside of his soul power. This light membrane
was formed from the black and white colors.
With this additional membrane, Huo Yuhao suddenly discovered a leap in the
quality of his soul power. It had become a lot more refined, and seemed to be
pulsating. The rhythm at which his soul power was pulsating appeared to be
directly linked to the movement or activity of his soul. It was almost as if
his spiritual energy and soul power had fused together. In other words, they
were no longer distinct compounds, but the same kind of energy.
As he took a glance at Tang Wutong, Huo Yuhao realized that the soul power
that Tang Wutong had integrated into the Haodong Power had also transformed.
Her soul power, which was originally golden, now had an additional violet
tinge on its exterior. Huo Yuhao recognized this violet color! Back then
when he first tried and failed to integrate with her martial
soul, Tang Wutong’s soul power had been exactly like this. He
could still remember the grandeur it exuded very clearly.
Previously, when they were trying to fuse their martial souls above the Sea
God’s Lake, Tang Wutong seemed to have called something back from the golden
trident rune on her forehead. Now it was apparent that the strange thing she
had called back was probably this violet membrane. And because Huo Yuhao had
gained the black and white light membrane and Tang Wutong had regained her
violet membrane, both their soul powers had a fundamental transformation.
However, the fusion of their martial souls was still seamless. Their Haodong
Power was also undergoing a similar fundamental transformation.
Unless everything I experienced was real? Huo Yuhao was in disbelief, but he
knew that was the only possible answer.
If that was the case, the additional membrane on his soul power could be
explained. He would also know what had been added to his soul power. The
black and white membrane must be the divine sense the God of Emotions was
referring to. If my martial soul is still able to fuse with Tang Wutong’s
martial
soul under such circumstances, does that mean Tang Wutong’s
soul power also possesses divine sense? After all, her soul power also has a
membrane… That would explain why I was unable to fuse with her martial soul!
It was because she had divine sense, and her soul power was at a higher
level than mine!
After thinking it through, Huo Yuhao’s mind cleared up. Even though he
didn’t not know where and how Tang Wutong got her divine sense, he knew it
would surely not be a bad thing! In fact, things could not be better! Their
original Haodong Power was about 1.5 times their total soul power. But with
the foundation of their respective divine sense, their Haodong Power gained
another 50% from their condensed soul power. This meant that when they
performed a fusion of their martial souls, their soul power alone would
allow them to be on par with a Rank 92 Titled Douluo! Of course, their soul
power regeneration ability would still be incomparable to a Titled Douluo’s,
because they didn’t possess the same soul core.
But their martial souls were undeniably amongst the best martial souls out
there! Besides, stamina was not the sole success factor in battles. When it
came to explosiveness, Huo Yuhao was very confident in his abilities.
The God of Emotions. A Godly Seat. Have I really been chosen by a God?
The return of his loved one and the gift of a Godly Seat had seemed to turn
his life around. Everything started to seem wonderful, as though he had
finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel. This made the love in Huo
Yuhao’s heart even stronger as the circulation of the Haodong Power became
even smoother and more perfect. As Huo Yuhao steadied the thoughts in his
mind and started to focus on the circulations, he continued cultivating with
Tang Wutong.
The golden trident rune on Tang Wutong’s forehead was glowing gently as the
violet glow circulated around it and entered her body. Compared to Huo
Yuhao, she had already emptied her mind, and was fully focused on
cultivation. Basking in Huo Yuhao’s love, she was in undeniable bliss and
comfort.
She was also undergoing a mysterious transformation. A large part of the
transformation was the fusion of her memories of the past. Those cloudy
memories were fusing and integrating with her mind under the influence of Huo
Yuhao’s love. She was regaining everything, from her memories to her
emotions.
……
“What? They’re still not out yet?” Xu Sanshi exclaimed with a strange
expression on his face as he looked at Bei Bei. “It’s already been so many
days. Even newlyweds don’t over-exert themselves to this extent, right? It’s
already been seven days since they sparred with Dean Yan and returned to the
Sea God’s Pavilion. I must say, they’re really… strong!”
Bei Bei frowned and replied, "Enough of that. Can you not use your dirty
mind to measure the actions and thoughts of our little junior brother? They
are not doing any of the "over- exertions" you have in your dirty mind. I
heard from Elder Xuan that both of them have been busy cultivating. And it
appears that both of them have made significant progress. They have entered a
state of deep meditation, and may even be in the Conscious State of Deep
Meditation. After all, if we were
to compare our talents, Tang Wutong and little junior brother probably have
the most out of the seven of us."
Xu Sanshi gave an awkward smile and replied, "To be honest, I must say I
wasn't very accepting of the fact that he was more talented than us in the
past. But since he returned the other time, I must say I can't help but
agree with what you just said. Argh! There's no point comparing with one
another. We really need to work harder. Wait, isn't little junior brother
helping us concoct elixirs? I wonder how much they’ll help us improve our
abilities this time around…"
Bei Bei hissed, "Can you stop thinking about such things? Growth and
improvement brought by external products will never truly belong to our
bodies. Nothing beats improvement gained by our own training."
Xu Sanshi giggled, "Oh come on! I'm sure you share the same thoughts as me!
We are very different from the usual soul engineers. Because we have been
training hard from our youth, our foundation is extremely firm and secured.
Besides, little junior brother only uses rare and precious herbs for his
elixirs. They have hardly any side-effects or drawbacks. Oh, that's right,
how is Xiao Ya been doing these few days?"
After hearing Xu Sanshi mention Xiao Ya, Bei Bei's eyes softened visibly.
"She’s in much better shape now, even though her body is still a little
weak. It also appears that she has started to regain some of her memories.
She is so lucky to have little junior brother's Life Guardian Blade by her
side. Even
though her life energy continues to leak away, she should be fine for the
next two or three years.”
Xu Sanshi nodded and said, “I’ve been keeping tabs on the different
auctions. We have already dispatched the tasks, and we have started to see
people returning with different medicines. Even though we have yet to see
the real Bluesilver Emperor, things have started to look really positive as
more powerful individuals join us in this task. I believe that with the
additional manpower, we will be able to deliver the Bluesilver Emperor in no
time.”
Bei Bei nodded gently and said, “I really hope so. We have already troubled
so many people to help Xiao Ya.”
Xu Sanshi rolled his eyes and said, “Oh come on! We’re a family. Xiao Ya is
both the Sect Leader of the Tang Sect and also my sister-in-law. How can we
not help her?”
Bei Bei smiled, “Alright, alright. You should run along and train those
young people now. All three of our Soul Engineer Legions’ combat powers have
all been established. You should go and help them out. Little junior brother
was right. The right way to go in the future is to integrate the power of
soul masters and soul tools. We might have neglected soul tools all this
while, but the Sun Moon Empire has been over-reliant on them. Their troops
might perform well in groups, but when it comes to individual unit strength,
our newly trained soul
engineers will most definitely be stronger than them.”
Xu Sanshi nodded and replied, “I really hope we can make up for the gap
between the Sun Moon Empire’s soul tools and ours. Alright, that’s enough
for now. I shall take my leave.”
As he finished his sentence, Xu Sanshi turned and left, while Bei Bei started
to settle some of the work that needed to be done.
……
The Sun Moon Empire's royal palace.
Dressed in a long, elegant white dress, Ju Zi sat in the courtyard quietly
as she basked lazily under the warm, inviting sun.
There was a fur scarf draped across her shoulders. Blush had been applied to
her pretty face, which threatened to steal the limelight of anything and
everything in her presence.
There was also some pelt draped across her thighs. She gently stroked her
abdomen with her right hand as her eyes radiated warmth and affection. She
seemed to be lost in her thoughts from time to time, as though she had
recalled something.
……
Roarrr! The low belting sound of a dragon echoed across the sky. The dense
ripples of its soul power fused with its strong spiritual energy and rippled
outwards slowly.
The gigantic Golden Tree glowed as though it were absorbing this enormous
amount of energy, which was dissipating
through the air. It also seemed like it was trying to prevent any wasteful
leakage of these precious energy waves.
The dragon’s roar was neither created by a man nor a dragon. It originated
from a golden spiral. And this golden spiral was precisely the one between
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong.
Their palms were raised against one another, and the golden spiral was
circulating and spiralling perfectly between them.
The golden color was brilliant and piercing to the eye. It glittered as
though there were countless sparks within it.
Yes! That was their brand-new Haodong Power, which was entirely different
from the old one.
This Haodong Power was pure, and did not encompass their individual divine
sense. It was a perfect fusion.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong opened their eyes at almost the same time. If one
were to pay attention to Huo Yuhao’s eyes,
one would see a tinge of purple in the depths of his eyes. At the center of
his pupils, two flashes of black and white transformed into an arc and
retreated into the depths of his pupils.
A violet glow flashed before retreating into Tang Wutong’s eyes. Her eyes
appeared to be crystal clear, as though one could see into her beautiful
soul.
Both of them looked at each other and smiled before they broke their palms
away from each other at the same time. The golden spiral before them
transformed into four currents, which followed their palms and returned to
their bodies.
Huo Yuhao looked at Tang Wutong with both happiness and love brimming from
his eyes.
Even though she was blushing, Tang Wutong could not take her eyes off Huo
Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao opened his arms and brought her into his embrace. As he hugged her
soft and warm body tightly, he could sense the Haodong Power which was still
pulsating through their bodies. He gently said, “Wutong, I am now certain
that my Dong’er has returned.”
“Thank you.” Tang Wutong gently replied.
Huo Yuhao smiled, “I should be the one thanking you instead. Do you know
your return has given me a new lease on life?”
Tang Wutong whispered, “And why do you think it would be different for me?
Do you know how I felt earlier?”
“What did it feel like?” Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
Tang Wutong replied, “I felt complete. Finally complete.”
“Complete?” Huo Yuhao was confused.
Tang Wutong said, “Yes! Do you remember the day when I witnessed you take
nine cuts for me? After the sight of you sustaining eighteen wounds awakened
the memories in my head, I felt as if I was the product of many different
souls. I had a lot of different memories in my head, and everything just
felt super confusing. Even though Dong’er’s memories were the bulk of it,
because she was only recently awakened, my memories and hers constantly came
into conflict. Hence, I was in a lot of pain during that time. In fact, I
didn’t even know who I was—Tang Wutong or Wang Dong’er.”
“But now it’s different. Everything has become so much clearer. It no longer
matters whether I’m Tang Wutong or Wang Dong’er. You have made me experience
and understand a lot of things. Dong’er’s memories are now completely
integrated with mine, and I am now complete. I am both Tang
Wutong and Wang Dong’er. But no matter what my name is, you will always be
my love.”
As she spoke, she hugged Huo Yuhao tightly, and stuck her satisfied face into
his embrace.
“That’s right! No matter what your name is, you will always be my love.” Huo
Yuhao repeated Tang Wutong’s words.
Sometimes, not speaking could be a stronger expression of love than any
words. This session had allowed them to rediscover the love they had for one
another. Even though Wang Dong’er had changed her name, she was still the
Dong’er who loved him.
“If the two of you plan to perform for all of us old folks, could you please
hurry up? If not, can you scram back to your Tang Sect? In these seven days,
both of you have absorbed a third of the energy from the Golden Tree. It
probably won’t recover from that anytime soon.” Elder Xuan’s
reprimanding voice echoed into their ears.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong jolted and moved away from one another with
blushing faces. But at the same time, they were both taken aback by Elder
Xuan’s words.
Seven days?! We’ve been training for seven days?! Huo Yuhao was not as
shocked, as his journey into the God Realm made the entire thing seem a bit
longer. But Tang Wutong felt that she had merely taken a nap in Huo Yuhao’s
loving embrace.
“I’m so sorry, Elder Xuan! We’ll take our leave right away.” Huo Yuhao
dragged Tang Wutong and fled from the Sea God’s Pavilion.
By the time they reached the outside of the Sea God’s Pavilion, they noticed
how faint the colors of the Golden Tree had become just over the course of
these few days.
Upon seeing this, both Tang Wutong and Huo Yuhao felt an immense sense of
gratitude towards their elders.
The Golden Tree was the greatest asset and the most important foundation of
Shrek Academy. Only its most outstanding disciples would be allowed to
experience the
origin energy of heaven and earth from the Golden Tree at an appropriate
time. Afterwards, these disciples would then leave to carve out their own
paths. Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong had experienced this previously, when Tang
Wutong was still Wang Dong’er.
Afterwards, as Huo Yuhao gained a deeper understanding of the Academy, he
started to understand how the Golden Tree by itself was a very peculiar
organism. Many souls of Shrek Academy’s seniors had stayed within the Tree.
Beyond that, it could absorb the origin energy of heaven and earth from its
surroundings and consolidate it into its center. Thus, cultivation within
the Sea God’s Pavilion was often extremely productive.
But this did not mean that the members of the Sea God’s Pavilion could
absorb the energy from the Golden Tree whenever they wished. In fact, all of
its members had been extremely prudent, and often only absorbed a tiny bit
of the origin energy. Most of them would leave the pavilion if they felt
that they were about to break their training bottleneck, in fear of
consuming too much energy from the Golden Tree— unless they determined that
they were in imminent danger.
Previously, when the beast wave came, the almighty Beast God Di Tian had led
the soul beast army from the Great Star Dou Forest. If not for the power of
the Golden Tree, which Elder Mu and Elder Xuan borrowed to trap Di Tian,
Shrek Academy might have turned into ruins.
Hence, the Golden Tree could be said to be Shrek Academy’s last line of
defence. It was thus important for it to possess sufficient origin energy of
heaven and earth.
Because Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong were absorbed in their Conscientious State
of Deep Meditation, they would naturally be oblivious to the copious amount
of origin energy of heaven and earth they absorbed from the Golden Tree.
However, Elder Xuan and the other elders did not stop them at all during the
entire process. Hence, Huo Yuhao felt immensely grateful towards them. He
knew that both Wutong and him had absorbed a large part of Shrek Academy’s
resources!
Huo Yuhao held Tang Wutong’s hand as both of them kneeled down and bowed in
the direction of the Golden Tree. They were both thanking the elders and the
Golden Tree for the origin energy of heaven and earth.
In their short seven days of cultivation in the Conscientious State of Deep
Meditation, their soul power had improved by an entire rank! This was a full
rank increase after Rank 80!
“Wutong, do you want to follow me back to the Tang Sect? You can stay with
me at the Tang Sect from now on.” Huo Yuhao whispered to Tang Wutong
lovingly.
Tang Wutong smiled, “Sure. I’ll follow you wherever you go!” Her beautiful
smile made Huo Yuhao feel like loving her as he squeezed her hand tightly.
Both of them flashed a smile at one another before they stood up and sprinted
for the Tang Sect after leaving Sea God’s Island.
Elder Xuan stood before his room’s window and watched the couple leave as a
smile formed on his face. He muttered to himself, “What a pair of talented
individuals! Even the heavens would be jealous of their talents! Elder Mu,
it seems like we have finally found you a successor. Regardless of what
happens, we will help them grow quickly. Heroes are born in chaotic times!
Let’s just hope they’ll have enough time to grow into the heroes we all
deserve.”
In the Tang Sect.
“Welcome back, Dong’er!” Jiang Nannan gave Tang Wutong a huge embrace as
tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.
News of Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong’s return had spread within the Tang Sect,
and everyone was excited to welcome them back.
Since the Fated Blind Date, everyone in the Tang Sect had learned how Tang
Wutong was Wang Dong’er. After knowing that Wang Dong’er—Huo Yuhao’s
love—had returned, some rejoiced, while some were feeling a little
disappointed. But even the disappointed ones felt happy for both of them.
Very soon, the higher-ups in the Tang Sect arrived.
Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, Caitou, Xuan Ziwen, Gao Dalou,
Ye Guyi, Nan Qiuqiu, Na Na, Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan were all present. They
were the pillars of Tang Sect, and nearly all of them had stayed behind.
With their help, the Tang Sect seemed to be moving toward a bright future,
as they
helped to manufacture soul tools and continued to cultivate their own
abilities.
Bei Bei did not come alone. There was another person in his embrace. And
that person was none other than Tang Ya.
Tang Ya was still looking very pale, but one could tell that she was a lot
more spirited from the look in her eyes. As she stared at Huo Yuhao and Tang
Wutong, she revealed a faint smile.
“Eldest senior brother and Teacher Xiao
Ya.” Huo Yuhao hastily stepped forward and gave Tang Ya a
concerned look.
Tang Ya smiled before giving him a cheeky reply. “Yuhao, you know how to
grill fish, right?”
Those words were simple, but they surprised both Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei. Both
of them stared at one another, and saw the excitement and hope in each
other’s eyes.
“Teacher Xiao Ya, you have regained your memories?” Huo Yuhao asked
Tang Ya excitedly.
Tang Ya looked at him, but her eyes still seemed a little clouded. She
muttered, “Yuhao, the grilled fish was delicious.”
Huo Yuhao replied instantly, “Yes! Teacher Xiao Ya, I will make them for you
right away! Is that okay?”
“Yes.” Tang Ya nodded.
Tears started to well up in Bei Bei’s eyes. While the poison in Tang Ya’s
body had been gradually removed after being rescued a few weeks ago, her
body remained weak, and she could only barely recognize him. But after
seeing Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er today, she was actually able to point out
the grilled fish she ate. This humongous improvement was more than enough to
excite them and give them hope.
Hence, today’s lunch became grilled fish, and Huo Yuhao— the guy who was
arguably the most important person in Tang Sect now—became their master chef
for the day. He grilled fish for Teacher Xiao Ya, Wutong, and all his other
companions.
As he watched his hands produce the sumptuous grilled fish, he found himself
thinking about the God of Emotions uncontrollably. His culinary art must be
at an impossible level…
Everyone had lunch together in a joyous atmosphere. Even Tang Ya ate two
whole grilled fish by herself before falling asleep in Bei Bei’s embrace with
a sweet smile.
However, after the sumptuous lunch, Huo Yuhao started to get busy with work.
There were simply too many things for him to do.
The moment lunch was finished, Xuan Ziwen pulled Huo Yuhao into the Research
Institute without any regard for his honeymoon. Huo Yuhao had disappeared
for the past seven or eight days. If he had disappeared for any reason other
than Tang Wutong, Xuan Ziwen would have reprimanded him. Even though he
could understand why Huo Yuhao had to leave, Xuan Ziwen carried a face of
displeasure at the delay that had occurred.
Resigned to his ill fate, Huo Yuhao could only follow Xuan Ziwen to the
Research Institute. Huo Yuhao knew well that the Tang Sect was in no
shortage of living space, and Tang Wutong would have no trouble finding a
room. Hence, he could follow Xuan Ziwen to make soul tools without any worry
for her. She
had also reassured him that she could continue her cultivation in the Tang
Sect, and that he could find her whenever he found time to do so.
After clearing all his worries of Tang Wutong off his mind, Huo Yuhao dove
back into his research.
“The entire structure is almost complete. The manufacturing process is up
next.” Xuan Ziwen looked pleased as he patted the thick stack of blueprints.
He had never built this Class 9 soul tool before, as it had only been
conceptualized recently. Even though the experience of their predecessors
had played a part in the soul tool’s design, it was still something he
deserved to be proud of.
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “How do you want me to help you?”
Xuan Ziwen chuckled, “No, no. You will not be the one helping me. You have
mixed up the order. I should be the one helping you. From today onwards, you
will begin the construction of this Class 9 soul tool, and I will assist you
in your work. If you bump into any problems, I will help you
rectify them. Nevertheless, the entire process would be led and carried out
by you.”
“What?!” Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Teacher Xuan, I’m not
ready for this! You can’t push me this hard...”
Xuan Ziwen teased him, “Oh come on! Do you really think I don’t know you’ve
already acquired your eighth ring? Besides, you previously built a Class 8
soul tool, and are somewhat qualified to be a Class 8 soul engineer. Besides,
I’m not pushing you too hard. I’m merely varying my teaching methods
according to the capabilities and potential of my disciples. How can you be
compared to any average student? You possess such powerful spiritual power,
and have attained a sufficiently high cultivation. If it were only a Class 8
soul tool, there would have been no need for me to instruct you in person.
I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out if I give you time to slowly explore
the designs. It will only be a matter of time before you complete the soul
tool. Class 9 soul tools are somewhat equivalent to a combination of twenty
or thirty Class 8 soul tools. Once you figure out the intricacies behind it,
crafting Class 8 soul tools will be a piece of cake for you in the future.”
“But don’t underestimate this pill furnace. It contains over thirty
different formation arrays, and every single one of them
is required to master the construction of a Class 8 soul tool. As long as
you can build the bulk of this soul tool, you can claim the title of a Class
8 soul engineer. Okay, that’s enough talking. You can start working now.
Don’t rush into it, and begin from the external shell layer. I have
collected all the rare metals and placed them here. You have one day to
complete the external shell layer. We will discuss the interior after you’re
done with that.” Following which, Xuan Ziwen gave a cheeky smile before
leaving the Research Institute.
Huo Yuhao’s jaw dropped as he watched Xuan Ziwen leave. This is a freaking
Class 9 soul tool! Seems like I need to tone down a bit. Being too
outstanding can be bad sometimes… If it were someone else instead of me, I’m
sure Teacher Xuan would not have done this…
Huo Yuhao knew Xuan Ziwen’s temperament very well. There was no chance of
him changing his mind after he had made a decision. Since Teacher Xuan wants
me to do it, bring it on then! But it’s really quite a shame that I got
myself into this mess just when I was finally reunited with Wutong. I thought
I would finally have time to spend with her…
But the mere thought of Wutong took away all the frustration in his heart as
a blissful look appeared on his face. I
will fight on just so I can better protect Wutong in the future!
Because the design of this pill furnace was made by Huo Yuhao and Xuan
Ziwen, he was already very familiar with it. After having tried building a
few outer shells and formation arrays, he was pretty confident about it.
Very soon, Huo Yuhao was able to isolate the blueprints which pertained to
the outer shell layer.
And just as Xuan Ziwen had said, all the rare metals required to craft the
pill furnace were all prepared and ready to be used. They were all neatly
arranged in front of a wall at the corner of the Research Institute.
However, after examining the outer shell’s blueprints closely, Huo Yuhao
started to doubt himself. With his current ability, building the outer shell
of a soul tool—even a Class 9 soul tool
—would not be a problem. However, the outer shell of this pill
furnace was quite a bit different from a standard Class 9 soul tool.
While it was common for Class 9 soul tools which were not close combat tools
to be made from simpler outer shell materials, this pill furnace was the
exception. Firstly, it had to be able to withstand high temperatures and
pressure. Hence, even though it was just the outer shell, the material used
to build the outer shell had to be carefully chosen. Being a perfectionist,
Xuan Ziwen had chosen an exceptional metal—
scarlet devil essence—to be one of the ingredients for the outer
shell. It was an exceptionally rare fire-type metal.
This rare fire-type metal contained a humongous amount of fire-type elemental
energy. Its body itself was also incredibly tough. Because it contained
fire-type elemental energy, it was resistant to all types of fire—even
Ultimate Fire This ingredient was often used only for soul tools which were
Class 8 and above because it was particularly hard to shape or carve.
Because it was impossible to smelt it, one had to rely on his or her soul
power to force its shape to change. During this process, one had to put up
with a fire and poison attack from the scarlet devil essence.
Scarlet devil essence was simply too rare and precious. Even Xuan Ziwen’s
pill furnace’s outer layer could not be entirely constructed from it.
Nevertheless, the pill furnace’s interior was coated with a centimeter thick
layer of scarlet devil
essence. Huo Yuhao had no idea how Xuan Ziwen had managed to find so much of
this precious metal.
No wonder Teacher Xuan wanted me to build this outer shell… Even though he
was already a Titled Douluo and a Class 9 soul engineer, Teacher Xuan would
still need at least 2 weeks to build this outer shell. Huo Yuhao might be
talented, but it was simply not possible for him to be compared to Teacher
Xuan when it came to raw, actual ability.
Teacher Xuan… How could you be so cruel to me?
As he stared blankly at the huge block of scarlet devil essence, which was
radiating immense heat, Huo Yuhao was speechless.
As he coated his hands with diamond-like ice crystals, Huo Yuhao carefully
lifted a block of scarlet devil essence that was roughly half a meter
across. He placed it on the soul tool’s laboratory bench. Even though he was
unwilling to experiment with this block of metal, Huo Yuhao had to admit
that it was probably worth enough money to buy a small city. In fact, it was
probably so precious that one would not be able to find it on the market.
I wonder how many high-level fire-type soul tools I could build with this! I
must not waste even a small chunk of it!
What?! It’s so heavy!
Yes, the metal was impossibly heavy.
Even though this metal block was not very big, it weighed close to 5 tonnes.
It took a lot from Huo Yuhao to even shift it onto the bench.
The immense heat from the metal made Huo Yuhao feel very uncomfortable. His
ice-type martial soul did not enjoy being in close proximity to such high
temperatures. Fortunately, his Extreme Ice was very resistant towards high
temperatures. Under the protection of the Ice Empress’ Pincer, he was able
to stay out of harm’s way.
The biggest problem for the construction of this outer shell was this
scarlet devil essence. How am I going to do it…? The Life Guardian Blade
should be able to carve into this block of metal. However, it will only be
able to do so by devouring the
metal’s energy. This would mean that the metal would lose a copious amount
of its energy. If Teacher Xuan were to know about it, I would definitely be
killed!
Teacher Xuan, do you really think I’m a God? How am I supposed to finish this
in a single day?
It seems like there’s no other way… I must find second senior brother to
borrow his Darkness Green Dragon! Without a ranked carving knife’s
sharpness, I don’t think it’s possible to carve anything on this metal. It
seems like I must slowly dig out the metal from the center of this block
before fixing the exterior and carving it into the shape of a shell! Just the
thought of it makes me feel tired already...
After making up his mind, Huo Yuhao stood up and got ready to look for
Caitou to borrow his Darkness Green Dragon. However, just when he was about
to turn and leave, an idea hit him.
Mayan blue flame enshrouds an immortal art. Carving dragons and phoenixes
with a cold blade.
Following which, Huo Yuhao felt his forehead turn cold as his Eye of Destiny
opened on its own. A flash of Mayan blue escaped from his eye and suspended
itself before him.
It was a small knife which was no longer than five inches. The tip of the
blade was very small and delicate, while the blade and the handle were
approximately the same length. The blade was giving off a Mayan blue glow,
while the sides of the blade had a scary-looking carving.
This is…
After hesitating for a short while, Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Startling changes begin where the masterful hand lands. Carving strokes
ripple through the masterpiece a hundred times. This ancient art shall
outlast eternity. The raised knife, like a crescent moon, will illuminate
the cold spring.”
The Ghostcarving Godly Blade!
Yes, it was the Ghostcarving Godly Blade!
Huo Yuhao suddenly remembered the mysterious God of Emotions, and the two
gifts he had promised him. Could one of them be the Ghostcarving Godly
Blade? Even though it appeared to be a simple carving knife used for
cooking, it was still ultimately a knife used by a God in the God Realm. If
a God had used it, would it be considered a godly weapon?
Just as he was trying to calm himself from his shock, a strange memory began
to surface explosively in Huo Yuhao’s mind. These memories were like
floodwaters which rushed into the center of his soul. Huo Yuhao felt as
though there were countless slicing and cutting scenes which flitted before
his eyes as he tried to control his spiritual sea to store these memories.
If it were any other person than Huo Yuhao, they would have fallen into a
state of panic the moment they found their head filled with a huge sea of
unknown memories. However, Huo Yuhao was mentally strong, and even though he
was taken aback by this, he was able to calm himself and store these
memories in the depths of his soul.
When a memory was imprinted onto a person’s soul, it was as good as the
person’s. This memory happened to contain the documentation for a certain
carving technique. This carving technique was no ordinary technique, as it
seemed to contain some special and mystical portions within it.
Huo Yuhao stood there quietly and closed his eyes as he tried to feel the
intricacies behind the techniques within his newly- gained memories. As the
flashback ran it course in his head, he slowly lifted his right hand and
grabbed the Ghostcarving Godly Blade before him.
The Ghostcarving Godly Blade seemed to be alive as it gently adjusted itself
in Huo Yuhao’s hands. It was like a beautiful cluster of blue flame in his
hand.
As Huo Yuhao began to wave the knife in the air gently, the blue flame—or
rather the blade—carved out mystical lines and patterns in the air. Those
lines and patterns glowed as pitch black cracks started to form along them.
Those lines were thin, and the cracks sealed themselves quickly after they
were formed, but the air had undeniably cracked.
Chapter 515: The Seal on Tang Wutong's Body
While Huo Yuhao was trying to figure out the technique, what left the deepest
impression in his mind were some words from a familiar voice.
“The Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving Technique is the most difficult carving
technique from my world. After becoming a God, I invested my leisure time
into its continual improvement and development. As they say, one’s deep
mastery of a single skill will open doors to many other skills. You can
think of this as a gift from me. I hope you can put in the effort to
understand the beauty and intricacies behind this skill. Using the
Ghostcarving Godly Blade to perform the Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving
Technique would grant you abilities beyond your imagination.”
As he opened his eyes and saw the pulsating Mayan blue flame before him, Huo
Yuhao became unbelievably excited. Now, he was certain that everything he
had experienced in the God Realm was real. Yes, everything was real!
Both the Ghostcarving Godly Blade and the Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving
Technique were gifts from the God of Emotions.
Huo Yuhao was engulfed by passion and excitement. Even though the Rain
Dragon’s Dance Carving Technique was mainly used for carving, Huo Yuhao knew
it contained insights on the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. He was surprised
by how much he had already learned in this short period of reminiscence, and
knew how studying the technique more would help to shed light on the
mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
As he took another look at the block of scarlet devil essence, Huo Yuhao no
longer showed the same unwillingness to work with it. All that was left was
excitement.
Let’s see what the Rain Dragon’s Dance can do!
Huo Yuhao was an incredibly fast learner—this could be seen from his
multiple successes with deep meditation. The Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving
Technique was already imprinted in the depths of his soul. This was planned
by the God of Emotions—Rong Nianbing—so that he could pick up the
technique quickly. Thus, any preliminary understand or even mastery would
not be too challenging.
Huo Yuhao waved his right hand as he watched the blue flame—the blade—twitch
in his hand. Following which, the blade slashed forward at an unbelievable
speed, leaving a mysterious yet alluring flash in its wake.
At that very instant, a chip fell off the corner of the block of scarlet
devil essence silently. It was only when it landed on the bench that the
burning fire poison was released.
So fast! It feels so good!
Right now, Huo Yuhao felt as though the blade had become an extension of his
body. This sensation was simply incredible, and nearly addictive.
Huo Yuhao waved his right hand again, and once more, the Mayan blue flame
appeared to merely jolt. As expected, the tough scarlet devil essence was
sliced like a carrot by the Ghostcarving Godly Blade, which was sharp beyond
belief.
Slowly, Huo Yuhao started to pick up speed. Because he already possessed an
important foundational ability when it came to carving, it was not too
challenging for him to pick up the Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving Technique.
The Ghostcarving Godly Blade did not seem to possess any additional ability
beyond its incredible sharpness.
It was definitely the sharpest weapon Huo Yuhao had seen in his life.
Strangely, no matter how he used the blade, the blade of the Ghostcarving
Godly Blade would neither come into contact with his fingers nor cut him in
any way.
Prior to the Ghostcarving Godly Blade, Huo Yuhao had also felt a similar
affinity with other weapons. But this was the first time he actually felt a
weapon connect with his soul. It was almost an extension of his
consciousness and intentions. Hence, the Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving
Technique would definitely be able to exercise the full capability of the
Ghostcarving Godly Blade.
After making a round of the Soul Tool Hall and instructing some of the
disciples who he felt were gifted, Xuan Ziwen proceeded to where Caitou was.
After Huo Yuhao, Caitou was definitely the most gifted one. What made Xuan
Ziwen particularly pleased about Caitou was his passion and dedication to
researching soul tools. Even though Caitou did not possess the
earthshattering talents that Huo Yuhao had, Caitou’s foundation was very
strong, and his mind was dead set on soul tools. He had built a solid
foundation as a Class 7 soul engineer, and in Xuan Ziwen’s eyes, Caitou was
most definitely capable of becoming a Class 9 soul engineer. In fact, Xuan
Ziwen believed that Caitou might even surpass Huo Yuhao when it came to soul
tool research.
As he thought about this, Xuan Ziwen could not help but feel frustrated. Huo
Yuhao, why can’t you just dedicate your attention and efforts to soul tool
research? You are so gifted, yet so unfocused when it comes to such things.
I can’t imagine what you would be able to achieve if you were to put all
your attention into the making of soul tools!
Even though his mind harbored such intentions, Xuan Ziwen knew well enough
that it was impossible for him to convince Huo Yuhao to commit to soul
tools. He knew he was not the only one who held high hopes for Huo Yuhao.
There were a whole bunch of people at Shrek Academy who wished Huo Yuhao
would become a star in different fields.
The fact that Huo Yuhao could take time off to learn how to make soul tools
was already a big win for him. No matter what, Xuan Ziwen wanted Huo Yuhao
to become a Class 9 soul engineer. Once he is able to build his own Class 9
soul tools, he will finally understand the absolute advantage soul tools hold
over soul masters. Once it comes to that stage, I will no longer need to
worry about him not putting enough effort into soul
tool research. I’m sure if he puts all his effort into the making of soul
tools, he has a good chance at becoming a Class 10 soul engineer! After all,
he has the potential to become an Ultimate Douluo!
While he was thinking about all of these things, he arrived at Caitou’s soul
tool workshop. Because Caitou was under Xuan Ziwen’s tutelage —the great
soul tool researcher—he was able to make significant progress despite
researching some immensely difficult Class 8 soul tools.
Xuan Ziwen purposely stayed behind at Caitou’s place a little longer to
provide detailed instructions and mentoring. Even though he held great
expectations for Huo Yuhao, he held Caitou in similar importance. Caitou was
a pure soul engineer, and Xuan Ziwen believed that sometimes, hard work was
more important than innate talent. Caitou was definitely not a disciple worth
neglecting nor giving up on! Even though Fan Yu’s understanding of soul
tools could not match Xuan Ziwen’s,
he was still able to help Caitou build up a solid foundation for the
understanding of soul tools. As long as Caitou continued to work hard and
ensured his soul power’s growth was in stride with his soul tool research
ability, it would not be long before he became a Class 9 soul engineer.
Xuan Ziwen was never stingy when it came to sharing what he had learned and
knew about soul tools. Because he was serious when it came to teaching, and
Caitou was equally serious when it came to learning, the day passed quickly
for both of them.
“It’s time for dinner. Come, let’s
go and eat now.” Xuan Ziwen patted He Caitou’s
shoulder as a rare smile formed on his face. He
continued, “You’re improving really quickly
recently. It seems like you must have developed a deeper understanding of
soul tools?”
He Caitou smiled and replied, “It’s all thanks to you.”
Xuan Ziwen laughed, “Oh, come on! The others might not know, but do you
think I really can’t tell? You might look honest and simple, but you’re a
very meticulous and
hardworking person. You’re so much better than Yuhao! It would be so good if
he was half as hardworking as you.”
As he heard Xuan Ziwen mention Huo Yuhao, Caitou could not help but ask,
“Teacher Xuan, why didn’t you get Yuhao to study soul tool construction now
that he’s finally back?” He realized Xuan Ziwen had essentially spent
his entire day at his place.
Xuan Ziwen smiled slyly and replied, “Of course I won’t let him go that
easily. I have given him an extremely difficult task and told him to complete
it in a single day. Come and follow me. I’m going to show you how this lad
is going to fail so badly. We must give him a punishment once in a while. If
not, his ego would expand beyond proportions!”
He Caitou smiled. “Teacher Xuan, you have wronged Yuhao. He is not someone
who would let praises go to his head easily.”
“Hmph! It is still important to
wake this lad up when necessary. We need to stop him
from becoming complacent. In a soul engineer’s line of work, hard work is as
important as talent. It’s no use for him to only possess talent. If not for
his solid foundation, I would have chased him out.”
After hearing his teacher’s words, He Caitou couldn’t help but
burst into laughter. “Teacher Xuan, your
words might sound tough, but they can’t hide your love for Huo Yuhao.
I don’t think you could even bear to chase him away.”
Xuan Ziwen glared at him and threatened, “I see! It seems like all of you
brothers plan to cover for one another, is that it? You little rascal! Do
you want me to give you an impossible task tomorrow as well?”
“No! Just pretend I didn’t say anything at all.” He Caitou was scared after
hearing the threat from Xuan Ziwen. He quickly added, “It’s definitely time
for Yuhao to be knocked down and reminded of what is required to become a
successful soul engineer. You should most definitely punish him to the best
of your ability!”
“Are you still human? He’s your
junior brother, and yet you’re trying to get him into
trouble. How can I let someone like you inherit my skills? You’d better
watch how you carry yourself, or I’ll chase you out!”
“......” He Caitou’s mouth twitched, but he knew there was nothing he
could say.
As Xuan Ziwen watched his disciple who was lost for words, he let out a rare
laugh. “Alright, let’s go and see how Yuhao will make a joke out of
himself.”
As he spoke, he brought He Caitou to his laboratory.
While Xuan Ziwen was not expecting to see any results from Huo Yuhao, he had
still handed the task to him. He never planned for Huo Yuhao to finish it in
a single day. In his mind, he knew it should take at least ten days before
Huo Yuhao could complete it.
Scarlet devil essence was no joke. Even if it was Xuan Ziwen
—a proper Titled Douluo—who was doing it, it would take at least three days.
Even so, he would be adversely affected by the fire poison from the scarlet
devil essence. The only reason why he dared to let Huo Yuhao play with the
scarlet devil essence was because Huo Yuhao possessed Ultimate Ice. With
this ability, he shouldn’t be hurt in the process of carving the metal.
Very soon, both of them arrived at the doorstep of the laboratory. However,
Xuan Ziwen did not walk in directly. He merely poked his head in to see what
Huo Yuhao was doing. But the moment he got a good look at what was going on
inside, he exploded with rage.
“You spoiled rascal!” Xuan Ziwen cursed as he stomped into his laboratory.
Even though He Caitou did not know what was going on, he rushed into the
laboratory behind Xuan Ziwen. Despite not knowing what Huo Yuhao had done,
he knew from Xuan Ziwen’s look that he was probably very angry. Caitou had
noticed how his stare suddenly turned steely, and decided to rush in to help
de-escalate the situation.
The moment he stepped in through the door and saw what Huo Yuhao was doing,
Caitou immediately understood why Xuan Ziwen was so angry.
Huo Yuhao was lying on the bench and sleeping. His breathing was
unbelievably even, and his face was radiant a healthy flush. Anyone would be
able to tell that he was taking a comfortable nap!
Xuan Ziwen’s hands were trembling with rage. He Caitou rushed forward and
attempted to console him, “Teacher Xuan, please don’t be angry! Little
junior brother must be very tired to have fallen asleep like this.” He
Caitou definitely knew why Xuan Ziwen would be so angry. He hated it when his
disciples did not focus on the work at hand when making soul tools. And
falling asleep was definitely the biggest sin!
Even if the person who was sleeping was Huo Yuhao, Xuan Ziwen would explode
in rage. Or rather, it was precisely because the person who was sleeping was
Huo Yuhao that caused Xuan Ziwen to fly into a rage. My poor little junior
brother, why did you fall asleep? Even if you wanted to steal a nap, you
should at least have been more careful, and not gotten caught!
If looks could kill, Huo Yuhao would probably have withered there and then.
After glaring at Huo Yuhao, Xuan Ziwen started to look around as though he
was looking for fighters who could help him beat Huo Yuhao up. Recognizing
Xuan Ziwen’s actions, He Caitou stepped forward and hugged Xuan
Ziwen before pleading, “Teacher Xuan, please don’t be rash! Please don’t be
rash!”
Even at this stage, He Caitou was still controlling his voice out of fear of
waking Huo Yuhao up. One could see how much brotherly love they had for one
another.
But very soon, he realized that Xuan Ziwen’s body had stiffened. Caitou
thought that the anger might have harmed his teacher’s body.
“Let go of me!” Xuan Ziwen started to speak in a very strange tone.
“Teacher Xuan, please don’t be rash! I know Yuhao failed you. Why don’t I
wake him up for you to scold him?”
“Let go of me first.” Xuan Ziwen growled.
“No! I won’t! You’re a Titled Douluo. What if you kill Huo Yuhao?” He Caitou
might be pleading, but his voice echoed the determination in his heart.
“I won’t hit him.” Xuan Ziwen replied coldly.
“Really?” He Caitou was a little doubtful of what he had just heard.
“If you still insist on not letting me go, the first thing I do once
I break free will be to chase
you out!” Xuan Ziwen growled again.
“Alright…” He Caitou knew he could not go against his own teacher, and
relented. After loosening his grip, he jumped before Xuan Ziwen and in front
of Huo Yuhao. If he wanted to do anything to Huo Yuhao, he would have to go
through him first.
But to Caitou’s surprise, Xuan Ziwen did not go straight for Huo Yuhao, nor
did he attempt to lay his hands on him. Instead, he made his way to the
other end of the bench in the laboratory. Caitou wasn’t sure what he was
looking at.
With his curiosity piqued by his actions, He Caitou moved over and leaned in
to steal a look. He realized there was a
furnace which was approximately one meter in diameter on the bench. It was a
huge circular furnace four feet deep. Its ancient design looked majestic,
and was surrounded by thick walls. There was a lid above which fit perfectly
over the furnace. In fact, if not for the experience he had as a Class 8
soul engineer, he would have thought that the lid was part of the furnace.
There was simply no crack or lines for any air to escape.
Is this the outer shell for the soul tool Teacher Xuan tasked Yuhao to build
today? Didn’t he promise that Yuhao would definitely not be able to finish it
today? Unless Yuhao has pulled off another stunt again?
With Caitou’s understanding of Huo Yuhao, he was certain that he would never
submit an inferior product just to get things over with. This meant that Huo
Yuhao must have completed the product before falling asleep. No wonder
Teacher Xuan seems to have changed his mind on Huo Yuhao...
At this very instant, Xuan Ziwen bent down, then leapt up onto the bench.
Because the pill furnace was too big, it was impossible to catch a glimpse
of the complete thing from below.
The pill furnace was designed by Xuan Ziwen from scratch. Hence, he
naturally knew where all the nooks and crannies were. After tapping some
places at the top of the furnace, Xuan Ziwen activated the outer shell.
After being activated, the pill furnace released a gush of hot air, which
instantly increased the temperature within the room by a few degrees.
The look on Xuan Ziwen’s face turned increasingly strange as a look of
disbelief slowly replaced his previous look of anger.
“What?! How is it possible? I don’t believe it!” If he did not know for a
fact that the Tang Sect only had one Class 9 soul engineer—himself—he would
have thought that Huo Yuhao had found someone to do it for him. But this was
simply impossible. Cultivation ability was not enough to build a complete
outer shell. It also required a deep understanding of soul tools. In fact,
there were only ten soul engineers that Xuan Ziwen knew who could finish the
outer shell in a single day. Most importantly, all of them were in the Sun
Moon Empire.
How did this brat do it? Unless he’s already become a nine- ringed Titled
Douluo?
No, that’s impossible! Xuan Ziwen took a deep breath as he leapt off the
bench.
He Caitou scrutinized his teacher’s expression and knew his guess was
correct. He broke into an awkward smile. “It seems like talent is more
important than hard work. Of course, this doesn’t undermine the importance
of hard work! Teacher Xuan, you don’t have to say anything to me. I’m going
to get my dinner now. You can chat with Yuhao without worrying about me!”
After finishing his sentence, Caitou skipped off.
As he stared at Caitou’s back, Xuan Ziwen also broke into an awkward smile.
He was originally the one who had wanted to teach Huo Yuhao a lesson. But
somehow, it now seemed like Huo Yuhao would be the one teaching him a
lesson!
As he thought about this, he could not help but feel a little frustrated.
While all of this was going on, Huo Yuhao started to wake up. After all, it
would have been very difficult for anyone to sleep through this commotion. As
he opened his blurry eyes, he noticed Xuan Ziwen standing in the room.
“Teacher Xuan, you’ve returned. What time is it now?” To be honest, Huo
Yuhao did not consciously decide to fall asleep. He was just too tired after
absorbing all the memories and going through them to learn the technique.
His soul felt drained, and hence he fell asleep unknowingly. Of course, all
of this was
after he had persevered through the task at hand.
Even though he was fully awake now, the mysterious carving technique still
appeared to be flitting before his eyes, as though he was still going through
the newly-acquired memories.
Xuan Ziwen’s face did not look very friendly as he asked, “Did you make this
outer shell?”
Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, “Yes!”
Xuan Ziwen asked, “What about the leftover scarlet devil essence?”
“I put it away over there.” Huo Yuhao pointed towards a corner of the
laboratory.
Xuan Ziwen spoke calmly, “Is this
the kind of work you submit? I didn’t know you
accepted lousy and inferior products.”
“Huh?” Huo Yuhao’s jaw dropped. With his newly learned Rain Dragon’s Dance
Carving Technique, the unbelievably sharp Ghostcarving Godly Blade, and his
carving skills, the product was perfect in his eyes! In fact, Huo Yuhao
believed that this outer shell was the most exquisite soul tool he had ever
built. How could it be lousy and inferior?
“It’s getting dark. Let’s go and grab our dinner.” After saying this, Xuan
Ziwen turned and left. He did not ask any more questions because he was
afraid that his heart might not be able to take it. However, he had
completely recognized Huo Yuhao as a student of Shrek Academy in his heart.
What a freak! Ahhhhh!
During dinnertime, Huo Yuhao bumped into He Caitou, and he noticed how
Caitou’s stare was a little more peculiar than usual. Nonetheless, he did
not think too much about it. He naturally looked for Tang Wutong the moment
Teacher Xuan
gave him permission to leave for dinner. With Wutong around, how could he
notice anyone else?
After finishing his dinner, Huo Yuhao went over to look for Xuan Ziwen and
pleaded cheerfully, “Teacher Xuan, now that I have finished the task you have
given me, do you think I can go back to my room to cultivate tonight? You
must understand that at the end of the day, I am still a soul master. I must
not neglect my own training!”
As he looked at Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong, who was holding his hand, Xuan
Ziwen nodded unwillingly before leaving.
Even until now, Xuan Ziwen was not fully convinced of Yuhao’s work. The lad
must have played a clever trick! There must be something wrong with the
outer shell!
Huo Yuhao naturally did not know what Teacher Xuan was thinking. He was
happily galloping away with Tang Wutong back to his room. The scent from
Tang Wutong’s body was enough to make him feel very comfortable.
Tang Wutong’s face started to blush as her heart started to beat faster and
faster.
Once they reached his room, Huo Yuhao quickly closed the door and activated
a spiritual barrier, which cut off all connections within the room from the
outer world.
Tang Wutong naturally knew what he was doing as she took a few steps back in
surprise.
“What are you doing?”
Huo Yuhao gave her a naughty laugh. “Have you heard of the story of the big
bad wolf and the sheep? Today, the big bad wolf will not let you go!”
Tang Wutong was amused by Huo Yuhao’s words as she burst into laughter.
“When a rabbit gets anxious, it will bite too!”
Huo Yuhao’s smile became even more wicked as he replied, “Bring it on! I’m
not afraid of you!”
As he spoke, he pounced towards Tang Wutong like a hungry wolf.
Tang Wutong giggled and stepped aside agilely. Her figure flickered as she
completely avoided Huo Yuhao’s pounce. It was a perfect execution of the
Tang Sect’s Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!
“The Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track? I know that too.” Huo Yuhao laughed as
he increased his speed. Countless figures started to pounce towards Tang
Wutong.
Tang Wutong was shocked beyond belief. How bad can this guy get? Huo Yuhao
not only used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but also executed Imitation
and Spiritual Interference. This filled the whole room with multiple Huo
Yuhaos. It was immensely difficult for Tang Wutong to differentiate between
the real and fake ones in such a short period of time.
After all, she could not punch them to tell them apart, right?
Hence, before she could even react, she was already in Huo Yuhao’s embrace.
His little sheep was finally in his embrace! Huo Yuhao was unbelievably
excited! After they had finally reunited, he had not shared any particularly
intimate moments with Tang Wutong. Now that he had finally hugged her, she
had nowhere to run or hide. As he gazed at her blushing face, Huo Yuhao
found himself unable to resist the temptation before him. Very quickly, he
moved his lips towards hers.
As their lips came closer, it seemed like the room was about to become a
stage for the pair of passionate lovers.
However, just when Huo Yuhao’s lips were about a millimeter away from
Wutong’s, Huo Yuhao felt a frightening aura from her body, following which,
a golden light flashed before his eyes as he was thrown across the room and
into the wall by a powerful force. After colliding with the wall at the far
end of the room, he slid down the surface of the wall like a wall painting
that was falling off.
This force not only acted on his body, but also impacted his soul. He felt
as though he had just suffered a spiritual attack—
something he was not unfamiliar with. His body felt as though it had just
been rammed by a mountain.
The pain that was rippling through his soul and body turned Huo Yuhao’s face
into a wrinkled mess. W-What just happened…?
A scream escaped from Tang Wutong’s mouth as she flew over to Huo Yuhao’s
side to help him up.
“Yuhao, are you alright?” Tang Wutong’s concerned voice made Huo Yuhao’s
heart ache. He squeezed out a smile and replied, “My dear, how could you be
so cruel? Even if you don’t want me to kiss you, there’s no need to be so
violent, right?”
It was as if the fiery passion in his heart had been doused by a pail of cold
water. The pain which his body was feeling was secondary compared to the
pain felt by his heart!
Tang Wutong’s eyes started to become teary as she lamented, “No, no, it
wasn’t me. I didn’t stop you from kissing me. It was my father who didn’t
want you to kiss me.”
“What?” Huo Yuhao’s jaw dropped. This concerns my future father-in-law? As
he saw the tears in Tang Wutong’s eyes, his heart softened immediately. He
asked, “So what’s going on?”
Tang Wutong raised her hand and pointed at the faint golden trident mark on
her forehead. She explained, “My father is worried that I would be taken
advantage of in the outside
world, and left a seal on my body. If anyone were to attempt to take
advantage of my body, the rune would attack the person automatically.”
Huo Yuhao gaped with wonder. “Then
why was the seal ineffective when we were facing the
Dragon God Douluo?”
Tang Wutong awkwardly replied, “Well, he wasn’t intending to violate me…”
“Err…” This future father-in-law doesn’t seem to be very helpful… Why must
he interfere with the things couples do?! Even though Huo Yuhao was fairly
furious, there was nothing which he could really say about it. He could only
console Tang Wutong, “Come on, Wutong... Don’t cry... Don’t worry about it.
I’m not blaming you. Look at how strong my body is! It’s just another fall.”
“I didn’t know that’s how things would unfold,” Tang Wutong replied
apologetically, “When my father gave me the seal, I still hadn’t regained my
memory. I really didn’t know… I will definitely ask my father to remove the
seal the next time I see him.”
Even though Huo Yuhao knew he shouldn’t be too anxious about this, he still
couldn’t help but ask when Tang Wutong would be able to see her father
again.
She replied, “I really don’t know. It’s so hard to find my father. No one
really knows where he is.”
Huo Yuhao felt his heart wrench after hearing her reply. My future
father-in-law, how could you do this to me…? It’s one thing for you to be
hard to locate, but it’s an entirely different matter to interfere with my
blissful life with Wutong!
However, Tang Wutong added, “Anyways, he will definitely appear on the day of
our marriage.”
Marriage? This term seemed to be a fairly distant concept for Huo Yuhao.
After pausing for a while, he replied, “Wutong, then when shall we get
married? Both of us have been through so much, and it has taken so much from
me to find you back. Why don’t you marry me now? I can’t spend a day of my
life without you.”
Tang Wutong appeared to be lost as she replied, “I will never leave you!
Besides, we are still a little young to be married to one another, right?”
Huo Yuhao sighed in disbelief. My dear, I am already slow enough. How did
you also become slow after losing your memories?
Before you lost your memory, we could still at the very least kiss one
another. But now, we can’t even kiss anymore.
However, at this very instant, Huo Yuhao suddenly had an idea. His eyes
appeared to be energized by the idea that hit him. “My dear, do you know
exactly how powerful your seal is? It seems like it has no qualms with me
hugging you.”
Tang Wutong blushed and replied, “How would I know?”
Huo Yuhao was evidently excited by her reply. He replied, “Why don’t we test
it by doing some experiments? When the people above us implement
restrictions on people like us, there are bound to be ways for us to
circumvent these things. Perhaps your father is not as tyrannical as we
think?”
Tang Wutong was very sympathetic towards Huo Yuhao after his fall earlier.
She could not bear to reject him after seeing the longing in his eyes as she
nodded to give her consent.
Huo Yuhao was over the moon as he exclaimed, “My dear is still the best!”
As he finished his sentence, he pounced towards her like a hungry wolf!
“Ahhhhhh!” After three seconds, when Huo Yuhao increased the intensity of
his hug, his scream could be heard once again. Fortunately, he had set up
the spiritual barrier earlier.
And screams were destined to be part of the theme for the night!
It appeared that kisses were not allowed. Overly intense hugs were also not
allowed. Certain areas on the body were also not allowed to be touched. They
were not even allowed to lie side- by-side on the bed to rest. Huo Yuhao was
merely lying on the
bed to alleviate the pain in his body when the golden light shone again!
In the end, Huo Yuhao could only focus on cultivating the Haodong Power with
Tang Wutong on the bed while nursing the bruises he had sustained in his
experiments. It was only when they were cultivating that the strange seal
did not act up.
Huo Yuhao was furious! Damn it! How can my future father- in-law be so
unreasonable? Can someone tell me how can I not be angry?
But he knew it was futile to be angry about it. There was nothing he could
do about it. All he could do was suffer in silence and wait till Wutong’s
father returned. Huo Yuhao had made up his mind to formally propose to Tang
Wutong only after he had achieved a certain level of learning and
understanding of soul tools under Xuan Ziwen, and graduated from Shrek
Academy.
However, there was a certain sense of unease which constantly lurked at the
back of his head. A father-in-law who leaves such seals on his daughter will
probably be difficult to deal with...
And he knew well enough that this future father-in-law was probably very
powerful!
Huo Yuhao had previously asked Tang Wutong about him, but she was adamant to
keep his information a secret. She explained how knowing more about her
father would only damage their future relationship.
Hence, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to stop asking.
Thus, what was meant to be a blissful night ended up as a night full of
injuries for Huo Yuhao. Fortunately, he had good regenerative abilities and
took only a night to recover. Nonetheless, it was still very painful for him
to not be able to touch his loved one.
It was only at the next morning when Huo Yuhao finally managed to console
himself. No matter what, it was already a lot better to have Wutong beside
him than not having her at all. As long as she was well, there was no good
reason for him to be unhappy.
“You’ve finally arrived, eh?” Xuan
Ziwen asked in an unfriendly tone as he glared at Huo
Yuhao, who was just entering the laboratory, with blood-red eyes.
Huo Yuhao wasn’t in a very good mood either. Even though he didn’t have
bloodshot eyes, he was visibly tired.
“Can you stop acting so uppity about it, you little rascal?” Xuan Ziwen
suddenly growled.
“Huh? When did I start doing that?” Huo Yuhao was confused by Xuan Ziwen’s
words.
Xuan Ziwen snorted before jabbing at the outer shell. He asked, “Tell me!
How did you do it? How did you do it in just one day? One single day. I
don’t believe you managed to pull it off without getting any external help.”
Huo Yuhao sat on the chair and answered, “I can’t do anything about it if
you don’t believe me. You can only blame yourself for not being around when
I was carving it yesterday.”
“You!” Xuan Ziwen had spent the entire night trying to find flaws in the outer
shell, to no avail.
“Alright. It seems like you’re a tough nut to crack, eh? Now I want you to
follow the papers and start on the formation arrays. You will be in charge
of the entire process from now on.” Xuan Ziwen jabbed at the thick stack of
formation arrays and informed Huo Yuhao of his new task viciously.
Huo Yuhao’s eyes widened in disbelief as he replied, “You can’t do this to
me, Teacher Xuan! This is a Class 9 soul tool. I have just barely grazed the
door of a Class 8 soul engineer.”
“Aren’t you very capable?” Xuan Ziwen replied coldly, “Just get on
with it. I will be sure to sit around and watch you materialize it. This
pill furnace has a total of thirteen main formation arrays. Every single one
of them is formed from a combination of nine Class 8 formation arrays. I
will only let you leave after you make at least one of them. If not, you can
prepare to sleep, eat and shit in this laboratory.”
Coupled with last night’s unfortunate events, Xuan Ziwen’s tyrannical
instructional method had angered Huo Yuhao.
“So be it! So what will happen if I am able to construct one formation
array?” Huo Yuhao asked rebelliously.
Xuan Ziwen let out a sinister laugh. “If you are able to make one of them,
you will then carry on and complete the other twelve formation arrays.
Following which, you will assist me to assemble the pill furnace. When all
of the above is done, I will give you a day off.”
If not for his fear of wasting the blood in his stomach, Huo Yuhao would
have spat a mouthful of blood onto Xuan Ziwen’s face.
“Who’s afraid of that? I don’t
believe it’s impossible to finish!” Huo
Yuhao gave a defiant answer. After
witnessing how powerful the Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving Technique was, Huo
Yuhao was brimming with confidence.
The Ghostcarving Godly Blade was unbelievably powerful and mystical. Huo
Yuhao not only made the outer shell yesterday, but also did a series of
experiments with the blade. The result of his experiments proved that the
blade was not only invincibly sharp, but also blind towards any element.
This meant that it was able to slice through any material effortlessly
regardless of its element. Huo Yuhao believed that it would not be unfair to
rank this as the number one carving blade after witnessing its dominating
display.
One must understand that it was of the utmost importance for soul engineers
to understand the element and type of material that was being handled in
order to apply the appropriate carving techniques during the construction of
soul tools. Every different kind of rare metal had its own special set of
considerations. They were all tough in different ways. Coupled with their
specific element types, it was extraordinarily difficult for soul engineers to
exact their designs onto these metals.
Powerful soul tools tended to utilize rare metals which were particularly
strong and unorthodox. Their unorthodox characteristics usually meant they
required unorthodox methods. That was why Class 9 soul engineers required
the abilities of a nine-ringed Titled Douluo. It did not only require one to
possess a Titled Douluo’s ability to use them, but also the copious amount
of soul power to impress and carve on these rare metals. Most importantly,
high level formation arrays required one to finish the entire construction
process in a single attempt.
The Ghostcarving Godly Blade had undeniably solved this problem to a huge
extent. Huo Yuhao no longer had to consider the different element types of
the different rare metals, and this was enough to grant him a huge advantage
in the construction of formation arrays. Besides, he had the support of the
Rain Dragon’s Dance Carving Technique—an equally
powerful carving technique.
Huo Yuhao held up the first diagram for the formation array and studied it
carefully. One first had to understand the formation array in order to begin
carving it. How was a soul engineer supposed to build something without
understanding it? He or she would not know where to pay greater attention
to.
And this studying of diagrams consumed almost half of the day.
Because Xuan Ziwen wanted to know what the mysterious method Huo Yuhao
employed to build soul tools was, he planned to stay for the whole day to
not only invigilate the process, but also to satiate his curiosity.
Chapter 516: The Rain Dragon's Dance
However, Huo Yuhao managed to sit for half a day. Xuan Ziwen was rather
pleased with that. At least this kid isn’t impatient, and is quite clear
about the basics. Given his spiritual power and intelligence, it shouldn’t
be too difficult for him to understand the core formation of a Class 9 soul
tool.
However, Xuan Ziwen started to be unable to take it after observing Huo
Yuhao for some time. He didn’t sleep almost the entire night! He was feeling
a little fatigued by now.
As a result, he unwittingly leaned on the laboratory desk and fell asleep.
He slept rather well. The Tang Sect’s Soul Tool Hall was now on the right
track. What Xuan Ziwen needed to attend to was only some of his own
research. He was much more relaxed compared to before. However, he still had
high expectations for himself. It was his first time sleeping in the day for
many years.
If he slept well, he would be in better spirits too.
When Xuan Ziwen woke up from his nap, he only felt recharged and extremely
comfortable.
However, there was no one in the laboratory when he opened his eyes. Yes,
there was no one else apart from him. Huo Yuhao had left to some unknown
place.
“This rascal. Did he flee?” Xuan Ziwen was astonished. If Huo Yuhao
really wanted to leave, he really had no choice too. If he ran away, Xuan
Ziwen was certainly unable to bring him back!
Xuan Ziwen leapt up in astonishment, and rushed out to find Huo Yuhao.
At this moment, the door to the laboratory opened, and Huo Yuhao walked
leisurely in.
“Rascal, what are you doing? Did my words fall on deaf ears?
Didn’t I say that you can’t go out?”
Huo Yuhao snapped, “Teacher Xuan, you told me to eat, poop and sleep in
here. However, I must be able to do all these first! You don’t even have a
grain of rice here. I can’t possibly starve myself. I’m the flower of this
empire, yet to fully bloom. I need nutrition. I only went to get some food
from the canteen. I
brought some for you too.”
As he spoke, he carefully placed the lunchboxes in his hand on the table
before taking one box for himself and digging in.
Xuan Ziwen didn’t even realize that he had maligned Huo Yuhao, and only
grabbed one lunchbox before starting to stuff himself with food. The food in
the Tang Sect had always been good. After sleeping an entire afternoon, it
felt really comfortable to stuff himself with delicacies!
Very soon, he finished all his food. To defend his honor as a man, Xuan Ziwen
took the initiative to clear the boxes and utensils.
As he cleared up, he asked Huo Yuhao, “Have you learned something after
seeing the blueprints for an entire afternoon?”
“Oh, I’m doing pretty well. I’m getting ready to start on my second core
formation.” Huo Yuhao replied.
Xuan Ziwen glared at him and said,
“It’s not good to be greedy. Digest the first one
before going to the next. Each of these thirteen core formations is
different. Each of them…”
As he spoke until here, he couldn’t continue anymore. This was because Huo
Yuhao had stuffed a metal ball the size of a tangerine into his hand.
This metal ball was hollow, and there were lights shining inside of it.
There seemed to be some kind of circulation within its complicated
structure, based on the principles of heaven and earth.
“This, this…you’ve come up with this first core formation?” Xuan Ziwen’s
voice changed slightly. He was just like an adolescent whose voice broke for
the first time.
Huo Yuhao answered, “Yes! It’s not that difficult. I’m already on my second
one.” As he spoke, he started reading the second blueprint.
Xuan Ziwen grabbed the first core formation and started to frantically search
for something on the laboratory table. Indeed, he found a patch of dense
powder. It was something that was definitely left behind during the creation
of a core formation.
Huo Yuhao took an afternoon to understand the core formation of a Class 9
soul tool and finish constructing it.
This time, Xuan Ziwen was the one who wanted to vomit blood. He knew that he
wasn’t capable of this. The creation of the core formation didn’t drain as
much soul power as carving the outer shell. However, the details were much
finer.
He managed to complete it? No, that’s impossible!
Xuan Ziwen quickly raised the core formation in his hand and used all the
methods that he knew to analyze its structure. He did all he could to find a
flaw or a problem with it.
Two hours passed, but he didn’t find anything wrong. There was no problem!
How is this possible? How is this possible? Whatever was going on with Huo
Yuhao completely violated the principles of a soul master’s development.
Yes, it was a violation.
Xuan Ziwen couldn’t believe that this was real. He took a serious look at
Huo Yuhao, who was invested in the second blueprint by now. His heart was
contorting. However, Xuan Ziwen was determined not to miss out on watching
Huo Yuhao create his second core formation. He had to watch it and find out
for himself how Huo Yuhao managed to magically create a core formation in
such a short period of time. He had to have some special method.
A determined Xuan Ziwen was full of willpower. He just sat there and opened
his eyes wide as he watched Huo Yuhao. He didn’t neglect the smallest of
details. He was just watching like that.
Huo Yuhao was a little creeped out as he was being watched so intently. He
occasionally took a glance at Xuan Ziwen. However, he still thought that the
blueprint he was reading was much more mesmerizing.
He only put the blueprint of the second core formation down in the evening.
He stood up and stretched. He even let out a comfortable groan.
“Are you done?” Xuan Ziwen asked.
Huo Yuhao nodded.
Xuan Ziwen asked, “Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Huo Yuhao nodded seriously.
“What are you waiting for then? Why aren’t you striking when the iron is
hot, and working on the core formation?” Xuan Ziwen screamed.
Huo Yuhao appeared a little indignant. “But it’s dinnertime!
I’ll go and grab dinner first. I’ll start after dinner.”
Xuan Ziwen was anxious as he said, “I can help you collect dinner!” As he
spoke, he turned into a complete gentleman and left the laboratory with the
lunchboxes.
However, there was some discrepancy in their judgment of when mealtime was,
such that Xuan Ziwen waited a good fifteen minutes in the canteen before he
came back with food. He was even rushing the staff in the canteen. Along
with some delays in the journey, he took a total of thirty minutes.
Xuan Ziwen was a little depressed. If I knew it was going to take so long, I
would have let that kid go and collect dinner. At least he can relax for a
bit. I wonder if he has started with the core formation. It’s fine if he’s
started, but if he’s skiving while I’m collecting dinner… hmph!
As he returned, Xuan Ziwen saw Huo Yuhao sitting exactly where he was
before. Huo Yuhao was shaking his head, as if he were thinking of something.
However, there was nothing in his hands. They were empty.
“Well done, rascal. Do you really take me as your manual laborer? You didn’t
even do anything at all.” Xuan Ziwen was unhappy as he threw the lunchboxes
at Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao jumped in shock. He quickly caught the lunchboxes. “Teacher, what
are you doing?”
Xuan Ziwen was furious, “I went to collect dinner so that you’d have more
time to work on your core formation. I didn’t leave you to rest!”
“I’m done!” Huo Yuhao appeared very innocent as he spoke.
“You’re done? Where?” Xuan Ziwen was in disbelief.
Huo Yuhao grabbed a metal ball from the side of the table and presented it
to Xuan Ziwen, “Here!”
Xuan Ziwen subconsciously received the metal ball. He lowered his head and
took a look at it. When he saw it, his eyes opened wide. This…
He couldn’t be bothered with scolding Huo Yuhao anymore. He quickly sat down
at one side and analyzed the metal ball. A sneaky smile flashed across Huo
Yuhao’s face. He placed the
lunchboxes on the table and started to dig in. He had been using a lot of
his energy over the past day.
After he finished his food, he said very naturally, “Teacher Xuan, I’m almost
done with all my work today. I’ll go back and rest first. Goodbye!”
“Okay.” Xuan Ziwen’s attention was all on the metal ball. He agreed
subconsciously, and Huo Yuhao quickly fled.
Xuan Ziwen didn’t even react. He had mentioned that he wasn’t going to let
Huo Yuhao go earlier, but he couldn’t be bothered now, as he was too
dumbfounded by the metal ball in his hand.
This was the second core formation out of the thirteen core formations
needed for the pill furnace.
A complete second core formation! Just by touching it, Xuan Ziwen could
sense from the soul power undulations from the ball that it was free of
problems. It was exactly what he wanted. He checked the details carefully,
and hoped to find some kind of flaw with it. However, everything was in vain.
This core formation was perfect. It was comparable to the first core
formation earlier.
How is this possible? How is it possible! This is a core formation for a
Class 9 soul tool!
Even though a pill furnace wasn’t considered one of the more complex Class 9
soul tools and only barely made it as a Class 9 soul tool, it was still a
Class 9 soul tool.
Generally speaking, a Class 9 soul engineer would need at least three months
to half a year to complete a Class 9 soul tool, even if he was completely
prepared. One of the most important reasons was that the core formations of
a Class 9 soul tool were simply too complex. Some mistakes were bound to be
made during the process of creating them. When the soul engineer had to
start over, resources and time would be wasted. As a result, the soul
engineer had to be extremely focused, and tried to keep his energy level at
its maximum. This was so that he could finish the core formations and ensure
the greatest success rate.
Xuan Ziwen hadn’t had time to teach Huo Yuhao yet. He wanted to let Huo
Yuhao fail once first, and use the failure to
teach him. This would make him remember his mistakes more clearly. However,
who knew that Huo Yuhao wouldn’t give him the chance to let him fail.
The entire process of creating the core formation was almost flawless. Huo
Yuhao managed to produce two core formations in just one day. Xuan Ziwen
believed that he was very talented. However, he knew that he couldn’t
possibly create two completely different core formations in one day. In his
best condition, it was already remarkable if he could finish one core
formation. And after he finished, he would still need some time to rest.
Is this kid even human?
How did he even manage to do this? Thirty minutes. I only took thirty
minutes to collect dinner. Did he actually manage to finish during those
thirty minutes?
When Xuan Ziwen thought until here, he lifted his head and shouted, “Yuhao,
tell me honestly. How did you…” Just as he spoke until here, he realized
that the laboratory was already empty.
It was only now that he realized he had agreed to let Huo Yuhao leave. He
was instantly frustrated. This rascal knows how to exploit any opportunity!
Xuan Ziwen believed in action. A few minutes later, he appeared outside Huo
Yuhao’s room. “Bang, bang, bang!” He started to bang on Huo Yuhao’s
door.
Tang Wutong was the one who opened the door.
After seeing Xuan Ziwen, she immediately raised her hand to signal him to
hush.
Xuan Ziwen was stunned, and softly asked, “Where’s Huo Yuhao?”
Tang Wutong whispered, “He’s asleep. He seems very tired. He went to sleep
immediately after he returned.” As she said, she pointed inside the room and
opened the door wide.
Xuan Ziwen took a glance inside. It was true. Huo Yuhao was sprawled on his
bed, fast asleep.
It seemed like he had overused his brain. For some reason, Xuan Ziwen felt
more appeased when he saw Huo Yuhao in this state.
“Forget it, we’ll talk tomorrow.” Xuan Ziwen turned around and left in
annoyance. Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong were in the room together. He had no
business being there. Although he was very crazy about his research, he
couldn’t possibly drag Huo Yuhao out.
He turned around and left.
Tang Wutong closed the door and walked to the bedside before sitting down.
There was still a slight smile on Huo Yuhao’s face. He had just returned,
and fallen into a deep sleep. He had finished two core formations of a Class
9 soul tool in one day. Even though he had magical carving techniques and
the Ghostcarving Blade, as well as his own supernatural spiritual power, it
was still a great burden on him!
During the entire process, Huo Yuhao was very focused. If it were someone
else, they would have collapsed. Reading the blueprints were already very
exhausting. That was something the Ghostcarving Blade couldn’t help with.
In just a day, he had finished two core formations. That satisfied feeling
supported him, but he couldn’t take it when he came back.
Tang Wutong felt a little heartache as she caressed his face and looked his
slightly pale face. She lay down close beside him and hugged his waist from
behind. She pressed her face against his wide back and closed her eyes.
One minute later.
“Bang——"
“Ah——"
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I forgot.”
Someone was full of tears!
On the second morning, Huo Yuhao went into the laboratory rubbing his head.
Even though the bruise that he had sustained the previous night had
disappeared due to his amazing recovery abilities, the pain still remained.
My life is so bitter! He sighed.
Who can I blame? Wutong? She was only trying to get intimate. Blame my
father-in-law? I don’t have the guts…
I can only blame myself for being unlucky!
His good mood from finishing two core formations instantly dissipated.
“Rascal, you’re finally here. Quickly, start on the third core formation.”
Xuan Ziwen hands were on his waist and he jumped in front of Huo Yuhao. This
gave Huo Yuhao such a scare that he almost whacked Xuan Ziwen.
While Xuan Ziwen was a Titled Douluo, he might not be able to survive Huo
Yuhao’s hit.
“Teacher Xuan, can’t you just let me rest longer?” Huo Yuhao revealed a
bitter smile on his face as he walked into the laboratory. He then sat down
on a chair.
Xuan Ziwen couldn’t be bothered with his condition. He only stuffed the
blueprint of the third core formation into Huo Yuhao’s hands.
“Quick, quit the bullshit.”
Huo Yuhao picked up the blueprint, as he was afraid of Xuan Ziwen for some
unknown reason, and started reading it.
Xuan Ziwen had been wracking his brains for an entire night, but he still
hadn’t discovered what method Huo Yuhao had used to create his core
formations. He didn’t even have the slightest of clues.
This was why he had been waiting here since the morning. He was waiting to
see how Huo Yuhao managed to create the core formations. He was determined.
He had already gotten someone to collect lunch. No matter what, he was going
to remain here with Huo Yuhao. He had to see how Huo Yuhao managed to finish
such complex core formations in such a
short period of time.
Very soon, an entire morning passed, and lunch arrived.
“Wow, it smells great. Let’s eat, let’s eat.” Huo Yuhao put down his
blueprint and started to eat.
Xuan Ziwen glared at him. “Are you
done with the blueprint?”
“Oh, I’m not done yet. I’m eating
first.” Huo Yuhao was eating very soundly.
“How much longer will you need?” Xuan Ziwen probed.
“I’m not sure!” Huo Yuhao answered subconsciously.
“Piak!” Xuan Ziwen slapped his palm against Huo Yuhao’s head, and Huo
Yuhao’s face was smacked down into his lunchbox. “You don’t know?” His voice
was very high right now.
Huo Yuhao indignantly lifted his head. One side of his face was covered in
grains of rice. “Teacher Xuan, what are you doing?”
Xuan Ziwen was infuriated. “I’ve been waiting for half a day, but you’re
telling me that you don’t know when you’re going to be done?”
Huo Yuhao appeared very indignant, and his eyes were filled with tears. “But
I really don’t know! This is a blueprint of a core formation of a Class 9
soul tool. I’m a Class 8 soul engineer. Isn’t it normal that I can’t
comprehend it in just half a day?”
“Ugh…”
“In addition, today’s blueprint is a little more complex. I think I’ll need
at least two days to finish it. I might not even be able to finish reading it.
I was prepared to ask you about some of the things that I don’t know after I
have my lunch.”
“Ugh…”
“Didn’t you finish two core formations
yesterday?” Xuan Ziwen was unconvinced.
“I was more familiar with those two core formations. Furthermore, they were
comparatively easier! Today’s core formation is a little more complex. It’s
the core of the entire core! How can I understand it so easily? I’m not an
immortal.” Huo Yuhao argued self-righteously.
“This…” Xuan Ziwen didn’t know how to respond.
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and plucked the grains of rice off his face. He
sobbed as he muttered to himself, “I’ve been working so hard, but I’m not
even allowed to eat. I even have to sustain a beating from you now. I can’t
live any longer. I’ve
forgotten everything I read in the morning because of your slap. What should
I do?”
Xuan Ziwen’s face turned black…
After half a day of being grumpy, Xuan Ziwen eventually pulled his own
lunchbox over and started to stuff himself.
Huo Yuhao was wide-eyed in shock as he thought to himself.
Has he turned his anger into appetite?
Xuan Ziwen started later, but ate very quickly. He managed to finish his meal
before Huo Yuhao. After finishing, he burped and sternly said, “Continue
reading. I’m going out for a walk. Once you understand the blueprint, call
me before you start on the core formation. I want to watch you. Do you
understand?”
“Yes, so you just want to see me work on the core formation.
You should have said so earlier.”
Xuan Ziwen’s face turned black again. He decided to immediately leave this
sad and angry place before he was
driven mad.
It was only after Xuan Ziwen left the laboratory that Huo Yuhao revealed a
smile. He had to accumulate some of the surprise to achieve the greatest
effect. Teacher Xuan, don’t be too anxious.
The truth was that he couldn’t finish a Class 9 soul tool in such a short
period of time even if he was a genius.
Huo Yuhao took a good three days before he managed to finish reading the
blueprint of this third core formation. During this period of time, he
received a lot of guidance from Xuan Ziwen. After these three days, Xuan
Ziwen was much more appeased. Huo Yuhao’s understanding of core formations
still left him rather pleased. At least, he felt that he wasn’t wasting his
time teaching him.
Draining his energy was actually great for increasing Huo Yuhao’s spiritual
power. Many calculations and simulations were needed for the core
formations. Huo Yuhao relied on his extraordinary spiritual power to
maintain the intensity of his calculations. This was why he could understand
the blueprints
in such a short period of time. Regarding this, Xuan Ziwen was secretly in
awe, even though he didn’t say it.
It’s not easy having such a disciple!
“I’m about to start.” Huo Yuhao looked at Xuan Ziwen.
Huo Yuhao had asked for a rest after he managed to comprehend the blueprint.
It was already after dinner now. He adjusted himself and reached his peak
state.
Even though this third core formation wasn’t the most difficult of all the
core formations, it was still one of the most difficult to create. If he
could overcome this hurdle, he would be close to creating a Class 9 soul
tool.
Xuan Ziwen was even more nervous than Huo Yuhao. Was it possible to create a
Class 9 soul tool even if one only had eight rings? At least, nothing like
this had ever happened before. How could Huo Yuhao maintain the intricate
carvings using his blade for such a long period of time? This was what Xuan
Ziwen really wanted to find out.
“Let’s begin.” Xuan Ziwen said. “Don’t rush, take your time. There are some
complex parts where it’s better for you to stop than to rush. Do you
understand?”
“Yes.” Huo Yuhao acknowledged his words,
and placed a square piece of rare metal, which was around fifteen
centimeters long, on the laboratory desk. After this, he stretched and shut
his eyes. He focused himself.
Xuan Ziwen stood to one side and retracted his aura. He was afraid that even
a streak of his aura would affect Huo Yuhao.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao opened both his hands. There was a sharp look in
his eyes. After this…
He turned his head and smiled at Xuan Ziwen, “Teacher, I’m really going to
start.”
“…” If one’s stare could kill, Huo Yuhao would be completely filled with
holes now.
Just as Xuan Ziwen was about to explode in anger, Huo Yuhao made a move.
He lifted his right hand and covered that piece of rare metal. Xuan Ziwen
immediately stopped himself from saying what he wanted to say. He held it
back so hard that his face turned red. He was truly in discomfort.
However, he focused his gaze in the next moment. He could clearly see a
streak of dark-blue flame dancing on Huo Yuhao’s fingertips. He only gently
rubbed his right hand over that piece of rare metal before a layer of fine
powder fell and scattered proportionally around the piece of rare metal.
This…
Xuan Ziwen was the one who had chosen this piece of rare metal. Of course he
knew how resilient it was. However, Huo Yuhao didn’t seem to have summoned a
lot of his soul power. Golden lights flashed in his eyes, as if he had used
his Spirit Eyes. What were the dark-blue flames that danced on his fingertips?
As a Class 9 soul engineer, Xuan Ziwen was also very sharp. When he focused
his gaze, he clearly saw a small carving blade moving between Huo Yuhao’s
fingers. This blade emanated a dark-blue light. As Huo Yuhao’s fingers were
too agile and his movements were too quick, it seemed like dark-blue flames
dancing on Huo Yuhao’s fingertips.
What carving blade was this?
Xiuan Ziwen naturally knew what carving blades Huo Yuhao had. The most
special among them all was his Life Guardian Blade. It was just that it was
a little weird to use it as a carving blade after it grew bigger. Huo Yuhao
usually used normal carving blades, or his own Darkgolden Terrorclaws. After
all, the sharpness of his terrorclaws exceeded most other carving blades. He
could even use all five of his fingers and control them as freely as he wanted
to.
It was his first time seeing this dark-blue carving blade. Suddenly, Xuan
Ziwen guessed that Huo Yuhao was probably able to finish the carving of the
core formations in such a short period of time because of this carving
blade.
What happened next proved Xuan Ziwen’s guess.
Huo Yuhao’s right hand kept on sweeping over the surface of the rare metal,
while his left hand was performing some auxiliary work. He made use of the
tools on the laboratory desk and adjusted the position of the piece of
metal.
Xuan Ziwen couldn’t see clearly. He had already focused on his attention,
but he discovered that he still couldn’t detect any signs of the carving
blade making carvings as Huo Yuhao moved his fingers.
What left him very impressed was that Huo Yuhao was very precise with every
cut he made even though he was so quick. The powder that scattered around
was proportionally arranged around the perimeter of the ball. There weren’t
any signs of messiness. His carving technique was indeed magical!
In fact, Xuan Ziwen knew many Class 9 soul engineers from the Sun Moon
Empire. However, he was entirely sure that the technique that Huo Yuhao was
using now was certainly not the style of those Class 9 soul engineers.
Furthermore, the piece of rare metal resembled a piece of tofu under his
carving blade. In just a while, the rough shape of the core formation was
already achieved.
At times, that dark-blue flame slashed down. At other times, it was like a
thin needle that pierced the rare metal. Occasionally, it manifested itself
as countless streaks of light. Xuan Ziwen was dazzled as he watched.
Godly skill, it’s a godly skill!
Xuan Ziwen found it more and more difficult to breathe. He did his best to
control it, but his heartbeat was getting faster and faster. Such a carving
technique was like a godly skill. When did Huo Yuhao learn such a mysterious
and unpredictable carving technique? It’s too magical. With such a carving
technique, it was no wonder he could carve the core formation of a Class 9
soul tool, even given his abilities as a Class 8 soul engineer.
No, it’s not just his carving technique. There must be something wrong with
his carving blade as well. Where does such a sharp carving blade exist? Even
the number one carving blade on the leaderboard is only the best because of
its elemental type. It can carry up to three elements at once. But
Huo Yuhao’s carving blade doesn’t exude any kind of elemental aura, even
though it’s definitely very sharp.
Xuan Ziwen was very sharp. Very soon, he discovered the key point. To
prevent his heavy breathing from affecting Huo Yuhao, he subconsciously
covered his mouth.
Huo Yuhao’s expression was very serious, and he appeared very focused. Once
he entered his focused state, he completely ignored the outside world.
From his understanding over the past few days, he had already gotten used to
the Rain Dragon's Dance. Although he didn’t have full comprehension of it,
his understanding of it had gotten better and better.
The more he understood it, the more he was astonished by its profundity. In
Xuan Ziwen’s eyes, it was a godly skill. Wasn’t it exactly the same for Huo
Yuhao?
The Rain Dragon's Dance seemed like something that no human could come up
with.
The reason why Huo Yuhao could learn this carving technique was because the
God of Emotions had imprinted all the secrets of carving techniques in the
depths of his spirit. He had also imparted all his understanding to Huo
Yuhao. However, Huo Yuhao’s talent in this aspect couldn’t be ignored.
He had used carving blades for ten years, and possessed a strong foundation.
At the same time, he practiced with the Tang Sect’s Hidden Weapons. The
agility of his fingers far exceeded that of ordinary people. In addition, his
spiritual power was much greater than most people. Due to all these reasons,
he was able to understand such a magical carving technique in such a short
period of time.
Time passed, second after second. Xuan Ziwen moved from his original state
of astonishment to being bedazzled. He was completely immersed by now.
Even though he couldn’t completely see Huo Yuhao’s carving technique, he
still learned a lot. By using this carving
technique, Huo Yuhao was using a different route compared to most
traditional soul engineers. There were some characteristics that Xuan Ziwen
could intercalibrate.
How could he possibly miss out on such an opportunity?
One hour, two hours!
The complexity of this core formation was far greater than the previous two
core formations. A good two hours passed. When Huo Yuhao finally lifted his
right hand, the Ghostcarving Blade turned into three streaks of light that
landed on the core formation and moved as if they were agile snakes. They
twisted and turned, making cuts on the core formation. This was the final
step.
Then the blade was put away, and the blue light disappeared.
Huo Yuhao stretched out his left hand and touched the surface of the core
formation with one finger.
Xuan Ziwen couldn’t stop him before he poured his soul power into the core
formation.
It was important to know that soul engineers would normally check whether a
core formation was working before they would pour in their soul power into
it to test it.
However, Huo Yuhao seemed to have intentionally skipped this step.
“Weng——” A soft buzz sounded. The entire core formation lit up. An
orange-red light first shone inside before it started to spread from the
holes in the core formation. Dense soul power undulations were released, and
rings of orange-red light started to spread. The entire core formation was
like an artistic piece that shone with bright light. It was smooth and
bright.
“It’s done!” Xuan Ziwen shouted. His voice was trembling slightly, as
he was too agitated.
Huo Yuhao also let out a long breath. He sat on the chair behind him and was
panting heavily. This was also his first time working on such a complex core
formation. He was
completely certain that he would need several years to create such a core
formation if he didn’t know the Rain Dragon's Dance.
He was secretly grateful towards the God of Emotions in his heart. This
carving technique was too appropriate for making soul tools. In his mind, he
also unwittingly thought of the Icy Clouds of the Nine Azure Dragons that
Nian Rongbing had carved. He revealed a slight grin on his face.
However, his mind soon went empty. After overusing his brain, the first side
effect was that his senses became a little dull and slow.
Xuan Ziwen looked fondly at the core formation in front of him. After
checking it again and again, he verified that it was truly completed.
When he looked at Huo Yuhao again, there was no longer an excoriating and
critical look on his face. There was only a passionate look in his eyes now.
“Yuhao!” Xuan Ziwen gently called.
Even though Huo Yuhao’s senses were a little slow right now, he still
shuddered a little when he heard Xuan Ziwen’s voice. “Teacher Xuan, what’s
wrong with you? Don’t call to me like that. I’ll get goosebumps.”
Xuan Ziwen was smiling as he arrived in front of Huo Yuhao. After this, he
grabbed his shoulders and shook him with great force. “Tell me, tell me how
this magical carving technique came about. Tell me, or I’ll strangle you to
death!”
Huo Yuhao was dizzy from all the shaking. “Calm down, calm down Teacher
Xuan.”
How could Xuan Ziwen calm down right now? Huo Yuhao used his actions to
create miracle after miracle. A Class 8 soul engineer that had just obtained
eight rings was able to come up with such an important core formation for a
Class 9 soul tool in such a short period of time. It was a miracle in the
history of soul engineers! How could he possibly calm down?
Finally, Huo Yuhao used his Instant Teleportation to break free from Xuan
Ziwen’s grasp. After this, he retrieved his Ghostcarving Blade and passed it
to Xuan Ziwen.
Xuan Ziwen felt a sinister aura when he grabbed hold of the blade. The
sharpness of the blade even stopped him from taking an extra glance at it.
When he tried to use it, the blade turned into a streak of blue light that
flew back into Huo Yuhao’s vertical eye before disappearing.
“Teacher Xuan, don’t even think about using it. This blade has already fused
with me and become a part of me. It won’t be used by anyone else.” Huo
Yuhao could subtly sense a special aura from his carving blade. It was like
a living entity. When Xuan Ziwen touched it, it generated a strong
resistance.
Xuan Ziwen asked, “What about the carving technique? What’s with that?
Yuhao, tell me. How have I treated you over these few years?”
Chapter 517: Qiankun Fortune Pill
“Stop, you don’t have to continue. I know what you want to say. Isn’t it
just a carving technique? I’ll teach you, alright?” Huo Yuhao immediately
continued. He was very intelligent! How could he not know what Xuan Ziwen
wanted?
Xuan Ziwen was delighted when he heard that. However, his face also turned
serious after that momentary delight. He took two steps back and widened the
gap between Huo Yuhao and himself before bowing to him.
Huo Yuhao was shocked, and quickly jumped to one side. “Teacher Xuan, what
are you doing? I don’t deserve such good fortune.”
Xuan Ziwen replied, “This is only right. Even though I don’t know where your
carving technique came from, I’m certain that this technique of yours has
set a precedent in the world of soul masters. Although we can’t exclude the
importance of your magical carving blade in your completion of the core
formation, we also can’t deny the fact that your carving technique is very
important too! It’s not going overboard to call
it a godly skill. If you are willing to impart this carving technique to me,
I’ll even call you teacher in the future.”
Teacher Xuan is indeed mad! In terms of martial soul cultivation, Ji Juechen
is the craziest. But in terms of soul tools, Teacher Xuan is the craziest.
Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Teacher Xuan, don’t say things like that. You’ll
always be my teacher. Honestly speaking, I only attained this carving
technique unintentionally. It’s very profound. I’ve not fully comprehended
it yet. If you want to learn it, I won’t keep it to myself. You can learn it
with second senior. I’ll impart it to both of you. However, it’ll depend on
how much both of you can understand.”
“Alright.” Xuan Ziwen acknowledged. He didn’t express any further
words of gratitude. He was dragged to the Tang Sect by Huo Yuhao. How much
had he contributed to the sect since then? When Huo Yuhao agreed to impart
this carving technique to him, he decided in his heart that he was going to
dedicate the rest of his life to the Tang Sect.
Huo Yuhao naturally didn’t know about this psychological change in Xuan
Ziwen’s mind. He was exhausted by now, and
wanted to return to rest.
Over these few days, he had slowly gotten used to that weird seal between
Tang Wutong and him. The two of them would be fine if they cultivated, but
not if they got intimate with each other.
At the start, he was still a little uncomfortable. After all, he had spent a
lot of effort trying to get Tang Wutong back. He really wanted to get
intimate with her!
However, he was too exhausted over these few days. Every day after he
finished making soul tools, he would have a weird blissful feeling when he
returned to his room and saw Tang Wutong. They ate together and cultivated
together at night. A gentle embrace, kiss and peck on the cheek left the two
of them very blissful. His original depression also gradually disappeared
and left him very comforted. He even started to like this lifestyle.
He took one month to complete all thirteen core formations. Ever since he
had finished the third core formation, Xuan Ziwen had decisively passed all
the work to him.
However, the Class 9 soul tool still wasn’t made by Huo Yuhao alone.
Even though he used his Ghostcarving Blade to complete the outer shell and
all the core formations, he was still not good enough to complete the final
installation and testing step. After a few failures, he let Xuan Ziwen
complete the assembly of the soul tool to prevent the core formations from
being damaged.
Of course, Huo Yuhao and He Caitou learned a lot from this entire process.
However, it still didn’t help Huo Yuhao become a Class 9 soul engineer in
one day.
Huo Yuhao didn’t mind this at all. He didn’t possess the abilities of a
Class 9 soul engineer initially. If not for the magic of the Rain Dragon’s
Dance, he wouldn’t have been able to do everything he had.
Over the past month, Huo Yuhao’s abilities in terms of soul tools increased
by leaps and bounds. His own research, Xuan Ziwen’s guidance and the Rain
Dragon’s Dance formed a compatible combination that helped him to improve
greatly.
He also imparted the Rain Dragon’s Dance to Xuan Ziwen and He Caitou. It was
very profound, and understanding it was very difficult. Furthermore, the two
of them didn’t have the Ghostcarving Blade, and thus they were very slow in
learning. However, even so, they still learned a lot when they combined
their own carving techniques with this new technique. The three of them
managed to improve very quickly as a result.
A scarlet-red light shot into the sky and illuminated the entire laboratory.
A gentle icy-blue barrier engulfed this scarlet-red light and prevented the
high temperature that was used to melt metals from burning the lab down.
“It’s done.” Xuan Ziwen clapped his
hands, and appeared very excited.
The huge furnace was placed on the laboratory desk. It wasn’t covered, and
was what the red light earlier had come from.
Huo Yuhao and He Caitou were standing at the sides. They both appeared very
delighted.
After a month of hard work, this Class 9 soul tool was finally completed.
Even Xuan Ziwen was very pleased when he saw this completed product. To a
Class 9 soul engineer, being able to create a Class 9 soul tool, especially
one that he had researched on his own, was a very satisfying thing!
As he was excited, Xuan Ziwen subconsciously glanced at Huo Yuhao. He knew
that this pill furnace wouldn’t have been constructed so quickly without his
Rain Dragon’s Dance. He even secretly sighed in his heart. If Huo Yuhao’s
cultivation was a little higher and his experience was a little more
tempered, he would have immediately become a Class 9 soul engineer with this
new carving technique.
“It’s finally completed.” Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief. After
completing the pill furnace, it meant that he could finally begin cultivating
pills! This was a joyous thing for the entire Tang Sect.
Xuan Ziwen said, “When are you planning to begin?”
Huo Yuhao said, “I’ll perform some tests over the next few days first and try
out this furnace. After this, I can start the production of pills. I’ll use
some ordinary medicinal herbs to accumulate some experience first.”
Xuan Ziwen said, “That’s good. Don’t waste resources.”
“Okay.”
Over the next few days, Huo Yuhao was immersed in his attempts to try out
pill cultivation. It had to be said that a top- grade pill furnace was
extremely helpful in his cultivation of pills. Controlling the fire and
consolidating the medicinal power could all be completed using a pill
furnace!
Rather than accumulating experience, it was more that he was familiarizing
himself with the pill furnace.
Huo Yuhao didn’t dare to be careless either. The resources used to cultivate
pills were very valuable! Wasting even a little
was already very painful.
This was why he used five days to accumulate experience. He cultivated a few
ordinary medicines and tried them himself. It was only after deciding that
they were effective enough that he started to prepare to cultivate pills.
As a result, Xuan Ziwen’s laboratory was completed occupied by Huo Yuhao.
Although pill cultivation wasn’t as troublesome as creating a soul tool, it
was still not an easy thing to do too. Huo Yuhao brought back more than ten
different types of valuable treasures. First, he had to dispense the
medicines first. After that, he could begin cultivating pills. This time, he
didn’t even return to his own residence. He kept himself busy in the
laboratory. Every day, Tang Wutong brought food and beverages for him.
Day after day passed. Apart from Tang Wutong, even Xuan Ziwen had not
returned to the laboratory.
Tang Wutong only brought him food every day. After that, she would accompany
him in his cultivation to recover his energy.
No one had expected Huo Yuhao to spend more time cultivating pills than he
had taken to create the pill furnace itself.
If not for the fact that Tang Wutong passed them news that Huo Yuhao was
fine, everyone in the Tang Sect would have gotten very anxious.
Three months. Huo Yuhao spent an entire three months in the laboratory.
“Alright. This batch of resources has to be in place as soon as possible.
Otherwise, the Soul Tool Hall will be bare of resources.” Bei Bei instructed
a Tang Sect disciple.
“Yes.” The disciple acknowledged his words and quickly left.
“Take a rest.” A gentle voice sounded behind Bei Bei, and a pair of
delicate hands were placed on his shoulders.
Bei Bei’s pensive gaze immediately turned gentle. He grabbed the little
hands on his shoulders and pulled the owner of those
hands toward himself. He placed her down on his legs and gently embraced
her.
“Xiao Ya, how are you feeling today?” Bei Bei asked softly.
Tang Ya twisted her lips and said, “It’s always the same. It’s neither good
nor bad. It’s really not a comfortable feeling!”
Bei Bei revealed a slight grin on his face when he saw her acting like this.
However, his grin was filled with some bitterness too.
Yes, Tang Ya’s memories had basically been restored.
After Huo Yuhao purged the toxins from her body, Tang Ya slowly regained her
awareness, and her memory also gradually recovered. Even her cultivation was
preserved. However, she couldn’t use her cultivation right now, as her body
was too weak.
A few months had passed. She had slimmed down greatly, even though she
wasn’t very fat to begin with. The more she
slimmed down, the thinner she became. Her skin turned an unhealthy
pale-white shade, and she lost some of her energy.
Initially, Bei Bei was very happy when he saw that Tang Ya had regained her
awareness. However, he then discovered that he was more unhappy after Tang
Ya regained her memories.
Four months had passed since the mission had been announced. At times,
someone would bring something similar to the Bluesilver Emperor. However,
none of these proclaimed Bluesilver Emperors worked.
As time passed, fewer and fewer people came. This showed how rare the
Bluesilver Emperor was. Bei Bei was very busy with his work everyday, and he
still had to spend time with Tang Ya. Recently, he felt more and more
fatigued.
Compared to the bitterness in his heart, Tang Ya was very happy after
recovering her memories. When she saw that the Tang Sect was already in such
a state, she seemed to be glowing.
However, even if she was in a much better state of mind, her body was still
affected by the poison. She called herself a funnel before, because she kept
losing the life energy that she absorbed from the Life Guardian Blade.
However, it was also because of this that she was able to maintain her
current condition. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even be able to get out of bed
right now.
Bei Bei exerted a little more force with his arm and brought Tang Ya closer
to him. He was afraid that she would leave him if he wasn’t careful enough.
He couldn’t imagine what he would do if that happened. He couldn’t imagine
how pained he would be.
“Bei Bei.” Tang Ya gently called his name.
“Yes.” Bei Bei softly acknowledged.
Tang Ya softly said, “Do you think I’m very spoiled? If not for the fact
that I left, so many things wouldn’t have happened.”
“No, it’s my fault. I couldn’t protect you.” Bei Bei looked at Tang Ya, and
his face was filled with guilt. “If I had understood your thoughts better and
showed you more concern, so many things wouldn’t have happened, and you
wouldn’t have suffered so much. Xiao Ya, don’t worry, I’ll treat you no
matter
what.”
Tang Ya smiled and said, “Alright, don’t be like this. Am I not alive and
well? If you want to make me happy, you need to be happy yourself. Even if I
can’t live much longer, do you really wish to see me in pain even as I draw
my last breath? Be happy with me, okay?”
Bei Bei smiled. “Alright.”
Tang Ya brought her face to his and whispered, “Bei Bei, I want to bear you
a son, and we’ll name him as a Tang. Alright? Otherwise, the Tang Sect won’t
have anymore descendants.”
Bei Bei was shocked and immediately responded. “No.”
“Why not? Don’t you love me?” Tang Ya immediately pursed her lips. Although
she had recovered her memories, her
character had also reverted to her teenage days too.
Bei Bei laughed bitterly. “It’s not that we can’t name him as a Tang, but
that you can’t bear a child. Given your current condition…”
Tang Ya shook her head and said, “No, I’m fine. I can do it. My life energy
is lacking, but our life energies combined can still produce a new life. He
can live on my behalf. How great would that be? If I die and can’t remain by
your side, he can be with you. You won’t feel lonely either, right?”
Bei Bei’s body shook, and tears surged from his eyes. He hugged her tightly
as he lost control of his emotions. “No, no, Xiao Ya, I won’t let you die.
You must not die. If you dare to die, I’ll accompany you.”
Tang Ya caressed Bei Bei’s hair. The look in her eyes was very gentle.
“Silly, where can you find someone who doesn’t die? It’s only a matter of
timing. I don’t feel indignant at all! You’ve already completed my greatest
wish, and you love me so much too. Even though I’ve not lived for a long
time, I’ve done what I wanted to. I have no regrets! I only want to bear you
a child, alright?”
Bei Bei couldn’t even answer her. Right now, he was sobbing uncontrollably.
“Bei Bei, Bei Bei.” At this moment, a voice sounded from outside.
Tang Ya immediately broke free from Bei Bei’s embrace. Bei Bei also
hurriedly wiped away his tears. He was the decision- maker in the Tang Sect.
He couldn’t possibly let anyone see him like this.
Xu Sanshi rushed in. Only he was capable of rushing into Bei Bei’s room and
making such a huge commotion.
Once he entered, he felt something wrong with the atmosphere. He saw the
displeased look in Tang Ya’s eyes before he saw Bei Bei’s slightly red eyes.
He coughed. “Have I come at a bad time? Should I come back later?” Xu Sanshi
was about to turn around and leave.
“Cut the crap. Say whatever you
have to say.” Bei Bei snapped. He understood
Xu Sanshi’s character very well. From his voice, he could tell that
something had happened, and it had to be something good.
“It seems like little junior is about to exit his closed-door cultivation.
There’s a very strong medicinal smell coming from the laboratory. It’s
everywhere now. Do you want to take a look?”
Xuan Ziwen’s laboratory was in the basement, and it was well-sealed. If the
medicinal smell could diffuse from the laboratory, it showed how strong the
smell was.
After hearing Xu Sanshi’s words, Bei Bei was also jolted awake. Although he
knew that no medicine Huo Yuhao came up with could treat Tang Ya, he still
bore a glimmer of hope in his heart.
“Let’s go and take a look!”
Indeed, it was like as Xu Sanshi described. In fact, when Bei Bei left his
room, he could immediately smell the medicine. It
was very light, but refreshing. By just sniffing it a little, Bei Bei felt as
if his soul power had been stimulated.
Bei Bei thought of something, and said to Xu Sanshi, “Sanshi, quickly call
all the Tang Sect disciples and gather at the practice arena. Everyone can
meditate together.”
Xu Sanshi had been his partner for many years. He immediately understood
what Bei Bei meant, “Yes! Why didn’t I think of this? I’ll go right now. You
and Xiao Ya can proceed to the laboratory first.”
The two of them split the work well. Bei Bei held onto Tang Ya’s hands and
quickly rushed towards the basement of the Soul Tool Hall.
The closer they came to the Soul Tool Hall, the stronger the medicinal smell
was. Even by sniffing it, they felt extremely comfortable. Even Tang Ya
developed a reddish glow on her face.
This medicine is very strong! What kind of medicine has little junior
cultivated? It’s actually so strong.
When they came to the entrance of the basement of the Soul Tool Hall, the
rest of the senior management of the Tang Sect had already gathered there.
“Let’s go, let’s all go down.” Bei Bei waved to everyone before saying to Na
Na, “Na Na, I’ve asked Sanshi to gather the disciples. Whether they’re from
the Soul Tool Hall or any other halls, immediately bring them to the
basement and gather outside the laboratory after they arrive.”
The underground laboratory area of the Tang Sect was very large. It could
hold a few thousand people at once. There were more than five hundred Tang
Sect disciples in the Tang Sect right now, but it was still easy to hold
them.
“Okay.” Na Na acknowledged.
The rest quickly entered the basement.
The medicinal smell in the basement was even stronger. Xuan Ziwen was
astonished. “Yuhao is really impressive! What kind of medicine has he
cultivated? Just by smelling it, I think
it’s more effective than the medicine I consumed last time. We can’t waste
it. Quick.”
He was the one who had researched the pill furnace. Naturally, he was very
familiar with it. It was a Class 9 soul tool. There was a vent hole that
prevented the accumulation of pressure inside the furnace. At times, the
pressure would be released. Undoubtedly, this was how the medicinal smell
had spread out.
If the medicinal smell that diffused in this way was already so good, how
strong was the medicine?
Inside the laboratory.
Right now, Huo Yuhao wasn’t the only one cultivating the medicine. Behind
him stood Tang Wutong.
Although Huo Yuhao could barely make a Class 9 soul tool, he only had eight
soul rings. He couldn’t operate a Class 9 soul tool.
However, he could do so with Tang Wutong’s help.
Over the past few months, he had cultivated with her using his Haodong
Power. Their new Haodong Power had fused godly elements, which greatly
helped in their cultivation. Furthermore, the fusion of their soul power was
getting stronger and stronger.
With Tang Wutong’s support, Huo Yuhao could easily pour out the soul power
of a Titled Douluo right now. It was definitely fine for him to continue
cultivating.
Right now, the entire pill furnace was golden-red. The four vent holes at
the top of the furnace would occasionally sizzle and release gas.
The entire laboratory was now filled with the fragrance of medicine. Huo
Yuhao and Tang Wutong could both sense the medicinal smell seeping through
their bodies. That feeling was very magical. It felt as if their entire
bodies had been cleansed.
They were about to succeed.
Huo Yuhao had been cultivating this batch of pills for a long time. More
accurately speaking, this batch of pills contained all the valuable
treasures that he had brought back.
Over the past three months, he had cultivated these pills twenty times.
According to the different compositions of the medicines, he dispensed them
and cultivated them, extracting their essence and removing their impurities.
After he finished, he cultivated all of them together to produce this final
batch of pills.
Such pills were some of the strongest, according to the records left behind
by Tang San. They could even be considered immortal pills, and were
collectively known as Qiankun Fortune Pills.
If not for the fact that Huo Yuhao had ‘cleaned out’ the entire Icefire Yin
Yang Well and extracted the essences of the immortal plants around the well,
he wouldn’t have dared to try cultivating these pills.
A Class 9 pill furnace was too strong. In his previous attempts, the
essences Huo Yuhao cultivated were close to becoming pills. However, the
cultivation process was too
simple, which caused him to be a little more ambitious. Since he had a Class
9 pill furnace and a complete list of resources, why shouldn’t he try making
Qiankun Fortune Pills?
This was what he had achieved as a result.
It was just that he didn’t expect that cultivating these pills would be so
difficult. When he first started, he only relied on his own strength and that
of the pill furnace. However, as time passed, the essences of the resources
were quickly extracted. When they mixed together, the amount of power that
was released became greater and greater. Even the Class 9 pill furnace was
unable to contain so much power.
Huo Yuhao had no choice but to use his soul power to maintain the production
process.
From the first day he started on this batch of pills, it had already been
forty-nine days. He managed on his own for the first twenty days. After that,
he needed Tang Wutong to help him.
Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was stunned to find out that this pill furnace was
easier to control using the Haodong Power compared to when he used his own
strength. In addition, the effect seemed to be better too. The strong
medicinal composition in the furnace seemed to submit to the Haodong Power.
This wasn’t just because the Haodong Power was much stronger than Huo
Yuhao’s individual soul power. It seemed like the Haodong Power contained
some kind of strength that the essences of the medicine had no choice but to
submit to.
Right now, the medicinal fluid inside the furnace had fully taken form. Huo
Yuhao was down to the last step of the cultivation, which was forming the
pills.
What this meant was that the essences inside the furnace had to be
compressed further to turn them into pills. This process was the simplest
compared to the other steps, but it was the most draining too.
When Huo Yuhao started on this step, the Class 9 furnace seemed to be unable
to take it, and needed to release some pressure first.
Fortunately, the medicinal essences were stabilized with Tang Wutong’s help.
As their soul power flowed in their bodies, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong both
shone with golden light. The bright and transparent golden light caused the
glow emanating from their bodies to become stronger and stronger.
On Huo Yuhao’s forehead, his Eye of Destiny was already opened. In the
center of his pupil, a whirlpool formed by his soul core was spinning
rapidly. However, on a closer look, it was clear that this rapidly-spinning
whirlpool was no longer as black and deep as before. Rather, it was formed
from black and white. The mysterious black and white continuously formed the
images of Yin and Yang, and a weird spiritual undulation was revolving
around Huo Yuhao’s body.
As for Tang Wutong, the golden trident on her forehead was very clear. It
exuded an elegant yet domineering aura.
Their Haodong Power formed a massive golden whirlpool with their bodies at
the center. This whirlpool was spinning rapidly.
The diameter of this golden whirlpool was around three meters, but it didn’t
expand further. Within it, there was immense soul power. At the core of this
whirlpool, a crystal entity that resembled that of a soul core seemed to
have taken form.
A soul core from a martial soul fusion? Regarding this, even Huo Yuhao and
Tang Wutong were unsure.
Their soul core presented itself in a jujube-like shape. Not long after
their Haodong Power consolidated, it appeared. As they cultivated further
and further, this soul core also became more and more evident.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong could only sense that there was an extremely
terrifying compressed soul power contained within their soul core.
They had been cultivating over the past few months, but hadn’t had a chance
to fight yet. After all, Huo Yuhao was very busy with his learning and
research. However, he deeply believed that their martial soul fusion had to
be a hundred and twenty percent now, if it had been a hundred percent
before.
“Chi——” The vent holes were sizzling again. Following this, the entire
furnace turned a blinding gold.
Strong golden lights flashed, and a fragrance swept over the entire place.
After this, the lights retracted once again before shooting into the sky.
The temperature in the entire laboratory rose quickly.
A large number of rare metals started to soften under this high temperature.
Huo Yuhao stretched out his hands in front of him, and an icy-blue glow was
instantly released from his body, turning into a massive barrier that
engulfed the golden lights. This helped to isolate the extremely high
temperature.
Dim light shone, and Huo Yuhao revealed an icy-cold and mysterious look on
his face. He pointed at the furnace with his right hand.
While it seemed like a simple action, it actually helped to stabilize the
furnace, which was shaking tremendously. This wasn’t the effect of his
Ultimate Ice, but a result of his spiritual power.
His Spirit Eyes’ soul core released unprecedently strong spiritual
undulations, and immense spiritual pressure descended, compressing the
medicinal energy that was stirring in the furnace.
At this instant, Huo Yuhao only felt that his emotions were like a hill and
he was like a mountain, as he suppressed the undulations of the medicinal
energy.
Emotions, was this the power of emotions?
Before he saw the God of Emotions, Huo Yuhao’s use of his emotional strength
wasn’t deliberate. It only happened because his yearning for Wang Dong’er
was too intense.
Right now, his action was deliberate. He had actually succeeded. Right now,
his emotions were terrifying.
When he fused such power into his spiritual power, Huo Yuhao only felt that
his spirit, spiritual power and emotions had fused into one entity.
Immense soul power undulations were released under such conditions, fusing
with the strange spiritual undulations.
Tang Wutong, who was seated by Huo Yuhao, had already opened her eyes. She
was completely astonished. Whatever Huo Yuhao felt, she felt the same too.
What kind of strength is this? It’s so powerful. At that instant, she only
felt that Huo Yuhao had become a mighty mountain in front of her. He was
immovable, and completely domineering. Even she felt that he was
irresistible, even though she had fused with him to generate their Haodong
Power.
The golden light from the furnace slowly turned golden-red before gradually
dimming. The medicinal energy that was seeping out finally retracted into the
furnace.
Huo Yuhao let out a long breath, and his emotions also became less intense.
The pills were done!
Even as the mighty feeling disappeared, Huo Yuhao was still Huo Yuhao.
Tang Wutong pulled her palms back and took a deep breath.
She slowly stood up.
“Was it successful?” She asked softly.
“Yes.” Huo Yuhao turned around and smiled.
Huo Yuhao then stood up and came in front of the pill furnace with Tang
Wutong.
Tang Wutong said, “It seems like your strength seemed to change earlier?
What kind of strength was that? It can actually suppress medicinal energy.
At that moment, I could even sense that you didn’t use much of the Haodong
Power either.”
Huo Yuhao asked, “Do you still remember my Three Ultimate Haodong Skills?”
Tang Wutong revealed a warm look in her eyes when she heard the words ‘Three
Ultimate Haodong Skills’, and nodded. How could she not remember? Before she
regained her memories, she had personally witnessed him using them. Back
then, Huo Yuhao had used his Three Ultimate Haodong Skills to astonish the
Death God Douluo. She only truly understood that strong sense of yearning
after she recovered.
Huo Yuhao smiled and gently hugged her waist, saying, “The reason why my
Three Ultimate Haodong Skills are so strong is because I fused everything in
my life into them. During the fusion process, the catalyst was my emotions,
my yearning for you. This helped me to discover the profundity of emotions.”
“The same soul master with the same abilities can unleash different fighting
strengths under different emotions. If he can properly control his emotions
and fuse them with his abilities, he can greatly increase their power.
Earlier, I tried to fuse my emotions and the spiritual power of my Spirit
Eyes together before using everything I had to ensure a complete fusion. In
that way, I was able to unleash two hundred percent of my abilities through
my emotional undulations.”
Tang Wutong appeared pensive. “Such a
self-created soul skill isn’t simple! I shall try it too.”
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and said, “In fact, I don’t think it’s as
effective as the original Three Ultimate Haodong Skills, even though I’ve
managed to comprehend some of the mysteries within them. You should know
that I relied on my Three Ultimate Haodong Skills to kill an evil Soul
Douluo when I was still a Soul Emperor. Come, I’ll let you sense my
emotions.”
As he spoke, a strong sense of love mixed with his spiritual power spread
towards Tang Wutong.
Tang Wutong was stunned. Following this, her ears turned red. She seemed to
be tearing up a little as she looked at Huo Yuhao.
She couldn’t resist his love at all.
“Alright, everyone’s waiting outside. Quickly,
open the furnace.” Tang Wutong said softly as she leaned against
Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao immediately stepped back. The mysterious, sealed power on Tang
Wutong’s body was too terrifying. He had tried to resist it before, but the
final result was that he got bruised. Furthermore, the more he resisted, the
more tragic he became.
Huo Yuhao had used the furnace until he was very familiar with it. He
touched the furnace a few times before it released a layer of soul power
undulations. Following this, the temperature of the furnace rose again. It
was releasing the heat and pressure inside it.
Huo Yuhao waved his right hand, and a layer of Ultimate Ice formed a meter
away from the furnace, dissipating the heat.
This lasted for ten minutes before the heat inside the furnace was fully
dissipated. Huo Yuhao mimicked a lifting action, and the cover of the
furnace slowly rose with a creak. The medicinal fragrance that had
disappeared earlier immediately swept the air.
The fragrance was only released for an instant, but Huo Yuhao and Tang
Wutong felt as if their pores had been opened. They were greedily absorbing
the essence of heaven and earth into their bodies.
Something even stranger appeared. A layer of light surged out of the furnace
and formed a smooth glow. Within this glow shone lights that resembled the
intersection of sunrays and moonlight.
The Qiankun Fortune Pills were completed!
Huo Yuhao lifted his head to look inside the furnace. He also didn’t know
how many pills he could cultivate. He had used
almost all the materials he had, as he had wanted to maximize the effect of
the medicine.
When he looked at the Qiankun Fortune Pills, he couldn’t help but reveal an
astonished look on his face.
The pills were milky-white and smooth. Every pill was covered in fog, and
was the size of a fingernail. There weren’t many of them. It seemed like
there were only seven pills. Yes, there were exactly seven pills.
Chapter 518: How Do We Split the Pills?
They were forged from more than forty different natural treasures! But there
were only seven pills?
Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but frown at the number.
The Tang Sect’s inner circle had more than seven people. Besides Shrek’s
Seven Monsters, there was Xuan Ziwen, Gao Dalou, Na Na, Ye Guyi, Ji Juechen,
Jing Ziyan, and Nan Qiuqiu.
There were only seven pills, so who would get one, and who wouldn’t?
Furthermore, this Qiankun Fortune Pill was claimed to contain the good
fortune of heaven and earth, and it could completely change a person’s body
and soul. The reason why Huo Yuhao had insisted on making these was because
he had hoped for the Qiankun Fortune Pill to improve Tang Ya’s body. Even
though it wouldn’t release her life energy like the Bluesilver Emperor
would, but if it could rely on its fortune of heaven and earth to completely
change her body, then it could guarantee that her life wouldn’t be in
danger, at least.
But there were only seven pills, so dividing them was a tough problem.
Tang Wutong could see what Huo Yuhao saw. She squeezed his hand and
whispered, “Don’t worry, Yuhao. At least the forging was successful. Let’s
get everyone together to discuss how to divide this. I won’t take one. After
all, I already have eight soul rings, and our cultivation speed isn’t that
slow, as we can cultivate together with Haodong power.”
Tang Wutong’s words were like water from a clear spring that rinsed Huo
Yuhao’s anxious and restless heart. He pulled her tightly into his embrace
and said, “What else is there to want but a lover like you!”
Strangely, Tang Wutong’s seal didn’t act up this time.
Huo Yuhao took out a jade bottle and put all seven pills inside, and only
then did he open the gate to the laboratory and walk out with Tang Wutong.
Huo Yuhao was startled just as he stepped out. A large mass of the Tang
Sect’s disciples were seated outside; it looked like
almost every single one of them was here.
A thick and aromatic smell of medicinal fragrance wafted out once the lab’s
door was open, and permeated the entire Soul Tool Hall’s underground
foundations.
Bei Bei and the others hurriedly came forward.
“Is the pill-forging successful, little junior brother?” Bei Bei asked.
Huo Yuhao replied, “Don’t worry, eldest senior brother, it’s successful.
But…” A bitter smile appeared on his face as he spoke.
Bei Bei felt his heart skip a beat. “What’s wrong?” Huo Yuhao had already
wasted four months so that he could forge this batch of pills! At least, it
was a waste from Bei Bei’s perspective, because Huo Yuhao could achieve
excellent results if he had used the past four months to cultivate. However,
Huo Yuhao didn’t hesitate to spend his precious time on the Tang Sect.
Everyone was full of gratitude, even though they didn’t say much.
Huo Yuhao whispered, “There’s too few. Let’s speak outside, eldest senior
brother.”
Bei Bei immediately understood as he nodded and said without changing his
expression, “All of the Tang Sect’s disciples, remain here to cultivate and
absorb the medicinal effects. Everyone above the status of vice-Hall Master,
follow me out for a meeting.”
Everyone stepped out one after another as they arrived inside the Tang
Sect’s conference hall.
Huo Yuhao’s face was a little pale because he was too tired. The others
didn’t know that the number of pills that he had forged was very few, but
everyone could tell from his and Bei Bei’s expressions that something was
wrong, that a problem had occurred with the pill-forging.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya sat in the seats of honor, while Huo Yuhao and Xuan
Ziwen sat beside them.
Bei Bei nodded in Huo Yuhao’s direction.
Huo Yuhao had to take responsibility at a time like this, and he stood up
and said, “Teacher Xuan, my senior brothers and sisters, the pill-forging
was successful. I have used the natural treasures that I brought back from
the Yin Yang Icefire Well, and I forged them into a batch of pills. This pill
is called the Qiankun Fortune Pill, and it’s the best kind of pill that the
Tang Sect’s ancestor, Tang San, recorded in his archives. It is claimed to
contain the good fortune of heaven and earth.”
He took out the jade bottle as he spoke and placed it on the tabletop.
Everyone’s eyes fell on the jade bottle.
“This is my first attempt, but all of the medicines and herbs were only
enough to make this one batch. Therefore, I don’t know how strong the
Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects are going to be. But there’s a problem with
the number of pills forged, because there’s only seven complete ones.”
Seven?
Everyone was momentarily stunned when they heard that number, and the
conference hall immediately fell silent.
Every single one of them knew from the benefit they had gained from the thick
medicinal aroma from before that Huo Yuhao’s pill was out of the ordinary,
but nobody expected that there would only be seven. There were already more
than ten individuals seated here. How could they divide the pills if there
were only seven?
Right in this moment, Xuan Ziwen suddenly stood up and said, “You guys can
decide among yourselves how you wish to split the pills. I’m already old, so
I don’t need to eat this thing. Besides, I’m already a Class 9 soul
engineer, and I don’t have a long future of growth ahead of me. I’ll go back
to the Soul Tool Hall to check on how those little fellows are doing with
their cultivation.”
Xuan Ziwen’s expression was very sincere and decisive. There were only seven
pills from the batch, and he was the first who chose to give up his claim. He
was very clear about these pills’ value, and he had also helped Huo Yuhao
complete the pill furnace. However, he knew that these extremely valuable
pills would be much more effective for youngsters,
and that was the reason why he chose to relinquish his claim without any
hesitation at all.
Such noble character and unquestionable integrity!
“No, teacher Xuan. Please wait for a moment, and let me finish.” Huo
Yuhao stopped Xuan Ziwen and didn’t let him leave.
Xuan Ziwen was momentarily stunned as he glanced at Huo Yuhao, and a
questioning look appeared in his eyes.
Huo Yuhao shook his head lightly at him and said, “Please let me finish.”
Xuan Ziwen had given so much blood and sweat, and he had contributed so much
so that the Tang Sect could be where they were today. He probably
contributed more than anybody else here. When Huo Yuhao first began to forge
the Qiankun Fortune Pill, he had already decided that Teacher Xuan had to
get one, even if it would only serve to prolong his life and promote his
longevity. Sometimes, affection and sentiment couldn’t be measured with
profit or benefit.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Huo Yuhao. Everybody was selfish, especially in
front of natural treasures such as this. But selfishness had to be
distinguished with circumstance.
The Tang Sect was built upon everyone’s teamwork and unity ever since their
establishment to the scale that they were at today. Every single one of them
depended on and was attached to this group, and they were full of affection
for each other as well.
Nobody wanted these external objects to affect their love for each other,
which didn’t come easy. At a time like this, Huo Yuhao, who was the one who
had brought back all these natural treasures, and who was also the one who
had put in so much effort so that these pills could be forged, was
undoubtedly the person who was most worthy of deciding how they would be
divided.
Huo Yuhao just stood there as he briefly calmed his emotions before he
lowered his voice and said, “This bottle contains seven pills in total. I’m
the one who made them, and the number is limited. Let me decide how to split
them.”
Everyone had the same reaction to Huo Yuhao taking the initiative to speak
those words, but they were more even more relieved.
According to the typical manner that the Tang Sect did things, there was
usually a democratic discussion when something big came up. But there were
so many of them, but only seven pills, so how were they to be divided? Huo
Yuhao took the initiative to shoulder this responsibility, so everyone felt
more relieved. At least, whether or not they would receive a pill in the
end, they didn’t have to shoulder that responsibility.
“Wait.” Huo Yuhao was just about to continue when Bei Bei suddenly stood up
and interrupted him.
Huo Yuhao turned around to look at Bei Bei, and Bei Bei stared at him deeply
and said, “Before Yuhao divides these pills, let me say a few words. No
matter how these seven pills are going to be divided, nobody can object. The
truth is, Yuhao has forged these seven pills all by himself, and we cannot
use our emotions or our affections to split them. Instead, we should divide
these pills based on our contributions. Teacher Xuan needs to have one.
Without the pill furnace that came up with, this batch wouldn’t even be here
today. Yuhao, I hope
that you will be as fair as you can when you divide these pills. Every
single person here is a part of the Tang Sect, and the Tang Sect wouldn’t be
here without everyone. Whatever your decision is will be the Tang Sect’s
common consensus.”
Bei Bei was too familiar with Huo Yuhao. He said those words because he knew
that Huo Yuhao was shouldering all the responsibility by taking the
initiative to divide these pills. There were seven pills, so some would
receive one, while others wouldn’t. Would those that didn’t receive one feel
resentful? That resentment would be projected onto the person who had
decided the split. That was the reason why Bei Bei emphasized that, because
he didn’t want Huo Yuhao to bear this responsibility alone.
Bei Bei’s heart was actually in a lot of pain. He was the Tang Set’s main
director, and he was the only one who was worthy enough to request the
responsibility of dividing the pills from Huo Yuhao among everyone here. But
he couldn’t do that, because if he had that responsibility, he couldn’t give
one to himself or to Xiao Ya to show that he was being fair. But, even if he
didn’t want one, what about Tang Ya? He was truly hoping that this pill
could prolong her life! Therefore, he gritted his teeth, and didn’t make
that request in the end.
Huo Yuhao nodded in Bei Bei’s direction before he turned back to everyone.
The faint smile on his face was still there. “Eldest senior brother, you
don’t have to be so nervous. The truth is, even though there are so few
pills, it’s not that difficult to split them. Everyone might have
misunderstood
that seven pills can only be divided among seven people. You guys are
thinking that there’s more than ten of us here, so about half of us won’t
get any? Actually, it’s not like that.”
“I don’t know how strong the Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects are, but the
level of natural treasures contained absolutely cannot be replicated, and
it’s not too much to call them God- level herbs. Since that’s the case, why
do we have to take one pill each? One person taking one pill each might even
be counterproductive. We can always split one pill among several people.
It’s also less dangerous that way, and we can be fairer to everyone. Isn’t
that great? Therefore, you don’t have to be nervous, everyone.”
Everyone was first taken aback when they heard Huo Yuhao’s words, but their
expressions immediately relaxed in the next moment. Wasn’t that right? Who
decided that one pill could only go to one person?
Bei Bei was also momentarily stunned before he laughed out loud. Yes! I
wasn’t thinking straight because I was too concerned.
Huo Yuhao saw that everyone had become more relaxed before he nodded and
said with a straight face, “The Qiankun Fortune Pills have been forged, and
what we have to do next is try them out. There are records in the archives
that the Qiankun Fortune Pills contain the good fortune of heaven and earth,
and we really don’t know what they can do with such a vague and broad
description. Therefore, I have decided to test it first, to see how strong
the medicinal effects are, then I’ll decide how to divide it. Everyone who’s
seated here cannot escape, and everyone will test the pills with me. I will
take one from the seven and dissolve it in water before dividing it equally
for everyone. We will feel the medicinal effects together and see exactly to
what extent they affect us. Of course, that doesn’t include teacher Xiao Ya.
Her body is weak, so she will use it only after we finish testing its
effects. We will decide how to divide the remaining six pills after we have
finished testing them.”
Everyone nodded at the same time when they heard his words. Xuan Ziwen
laughed and said, “Since everyone has a piece of the cake, then I won’t be
so polite anymore. Count me in.”
Bei Bei said, “Yuhao, keep the pills first. Let’s do it this way: everyone
can go back and have a good rest and gather some strength so that we can
take the pills together tomorrow and see how they affect us. Sanshi and I
will check on the rest of the Tang Sect disciples and see how the medicinal
aroma is
affecting them.”
The conference was initially a little tense, but after Huo Yuhao’s clever
suggestion, the mood became a lot more relaxed. Everyone was to try the
Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects, and even if someone didn’t get a pill in the
end, at least they had tried it!
Everyone left to deal with their own matters. Bei Bei hugged Huo Yuhao
across the shoulders and laughed as he said, “Nicely done, little junior
brother. Did you know that I was really shocked when you said that there
were only seven pills! We’ll be in trouble if this causes some infighting
within the sect.”
Huo Yuhao chuckled. “Eldest senior brother, I don’t think you have to worry
about that. With the relationships that we have with each other, even if
some of us don’t get the pill in the end, everyone won’t complain that
much.”
Bei Bei shook his head gently and said, “I don’t wish for anyone to have any
negative feelings in their hearts. No matter what, your decision to divide
it this way is great. Do you have something in mind?”
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “I feel like the Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects
might be stronger than I imagined. But I can only be sure what the exact
extent is after experimenting. I hope that I can give the Sea God’s Pavilion
one pill when I’m dividing them later. The Tang Sect wouldn’t be where it is
today without the academy’s support.”
Bei Bei nodded in approval. “That should be done. I was going to remind you
if you didn’t mention it.”
Huo Yuhao said, “Of the remaining pills, one will be given to Teacher Xiao
Ya to treat her illness. There will be four remaining pills, and if the
effects are good enough, I think two should be dissolved into water for
everyone to use, and we will leave two more in the Tang Sect just in case.”
Bei Bei tilted his head slightly and said, “Yes, that’s good. I’ll rest
assured if that’s your plan. Alright, you’ve been working so
hard for so long, hurry up and get some rest.”
The night passed peacefully.
Morning on the second day.
The various members of the Tang Sect’s inner circle gathered in their
conference hall.
Bei Bei had been here very early, and he said excitedly when everyone was
gathered, “Yesterday, almost every single one of the Tang Sect’s disciples
went into deep meditation after absorbing the Qiankun Fortune Pills’
medicinal aroma. Less than ten percent of them are awake at this
moment.” With that, the smile on his face became even more radiant.
Chapter 519: One and a Half Years
Deep meditation? Everyone from the Tang Sect was stunned when they heard
those words. Several hundred people in deep meditation at the same time?
Bei Bei laughed. He was always so refined and elegant, and he rarely
expressed too much happiness or anger, but there was clearly excitement in
his eyes.
“I didn’t misspeak, and you guys heard that right. Everyone went into deep
meditation, and those who came to earliest only did so at daybreak. Some of
those who have woken up have told me that their entire bodies feel very
smooth and clear, while many of their impurities have been expelled. I
conducted a simple checkup on them, and discovered that their soul power
hasn’t improved much, but their martial soul’s quality seems to have
improved, while their bodies have become stronger. Those who have woken up
are the Tang Sect’s weakest disciples, and they are comparatively less
talented. That also means that the more talented you are, the longer you
will be in deep meditation.”
Everyone exchanged glances, and incredulity flickered in their eyes.
What was deep meditation? That was a state that every soul master dreamed of
achieving, and a single episode of deep meditation could bring realizations
and understanding that was more important than cultivating for several
years. Deep cultivation was a process which would directly give a deep
understanding of one’s martial soul, soul power, and soul skills. It was
just like sudden enlightenment, as a sudden enlightenment boosted one’s
potential.
Back then, Huo Yuhao had an extremely long episode of deep meditation back
at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. Even though that episode
was long, it didn’t really boost his soul power, but it was that episode
that consolidated his foundation as one of the elites of the younger
generation. From that, one could see how important deep meditation was for
soul masters.
This was an improvement of one’s talents! However, several hundred soul
masters going through deep meditation at the same time was an event that had
never happened before across the Douluo Continent’s entire history.
Something like that was
impossible to imagine, but everything was clearly happening because of the
Qiankun Fortune Pill’s medicinal aroma.
Even the pill’s medicinal aroma could produce such immense effects, so how
intense would the effects of the pill itself be? Everyone’s eyes began to
burn with passion inside the conference hall.
A crystal bottle was brought out and filled to the brim with clear water,
while over a dozen smaller cups were taken out at the same time. Bei Bei
nodded in Huo Yuhao’s direction and said, “Let’s begin.”
Huo Yuhao nodded. He took out the jade bottle that contained the Qiankun
Fortune Pills as everyone looked on passionately. Once he opened the bottle,
a strange aroma wafted out.
This fragrance wasn’t thick, but it was extremely penetrative. Everyone
could smell it as soon as it was released, and a feeling that numbed their
skulls surfaced as they felt like all their pores had been opened in the
next moment. It was a very comfortable and relaxing sensation.
The pill itself was white and lustrous, and there seemed to be clouds
drifting around inside it, as if the pill itself contained life energy.
Huo Yuhao covered the jade bottle and placed a single Qiankun Fortune Pill
into the crystal bottle.
The crystal bottle also had a cap. Huo Yuhao immediately covered the bottle
with its cap after tossing in the pill so that its medicinal effects
wouldn’t dissipate.
A strange scene occurred once the Qiankun Fortune Pill fell into the water.
The originally clear and still water began to boil and roil, and everything
inside it became foggy and cloudy.
The white fog gradually turned golden, and then an even stranger thing
happened. Scenes that reflected the sun and moon’s glory seemed to flash and
flicker within the golden liquid, and the crystal bottle radiated with
intense and brilliant light.
Everyone exchanged looks, and nobody could hide the bedazzlement in their
eyes.
Huo Yuhao was the person who had crafted the pill, and he couldn’t
help but take a deep breath before
he said, “The Qiankun Fortune Pill does live up to its claim of
containing the good fortune of heaven and earth. From my perspective, I
think we have done this right by accident. With its medicinal effects, we
may not be able to handle it if we had taken one pill each. At least, we
absolutely cannot ingest one pill in one go.
Otherwise, we might run into big trouble.”
From when Bei Bei was talking about the Tang Sect’s disciples going through
deep meditation together to the strange scenes that they were witnessing
from the Qiankun Fortune Pill now, everyone could see its frightening
medicinal powers. Nobody expected that a tiny pill like that could possess
such forceful and terrifying effects.
Huo Yuhao used his spiritual power to observe, and only reopened the bottle
after the golden liquid inside the crystal bottle had completely settled
down. He poured the liquid equally into all the little cups that had been
taken out.
This time, perhaps because the pill had been dissolved into water, its
fragrance was more than ten times denser than before.
“Hurry and drink it. Don’t let its medicinal effects dissipate,” Huo Yuhao
immediately reminded everyone after pouring everything out.
Everyone no longer dared to delay as they took their respective cups and
finished the fluid in one gulp.
The fluid was plain and tasteless, and it didn’t seem that much different
from drinking clear water. But before anyone could start guessing or sensing
the changes to their body, everyone felt a wave of burning heat rising up
and coursing over their bodies.
The people here belonged to the Tang Sect’s inner circle, and they were
naturally different from the other disciples. The individual with the lowest
cultivation rank was a Soul Emperor, while they were also prepared before
ingesting the fluid. They immediately sat down and crossed their legs one by
one and began to meditate in an attempt to catalyze the medicinal effects
with their soul power.
But they realized after sitting down that they didn’t have to catalyze
anything at all. The medicinal effects reached every
corner of their bodies after releasing itself, and the terrifying medicinal
powers barged around through their passageways forcibly. Everyone could see
a patch of gold when they looked inside themselves.
Tang Ya was the only one who didn’t drink. But she could smell the dense
medicinal aroma in the air, and even though she was weak, she could still
feel that refreshing and comfortable sensation.
Furthermore, she could observe most clearly because she was an onlooker. A
golden hue appeared over everyone’s bodies after they ingested the fluid.
That golden color wasn’t soul power. Instead, it was a kind of air flow that
seemed very obscure and faint. The medicinal aroma inside the conference
hall didn’t dampen because they had consumed the medicinal fluids, but became
denser instead, like everyone’s bodies couldn’t hold back the medicinal
fragrance. This time, the aroma was emanating from everyone’s bodies.
Such powerful medicinal effects! This was a single Qiankun Fortune Pill
split into more than a dozen servings, and even then, it still possessed
such intense effects. Tang Ya couldn’t help but draw in a cold breath.
Bei Bei had already told her that Huo Yuhao had decided to give one of the
pills to her, but now, that decision didn’t seem very realistic. Tang Ya
knew that her body was weak, and if she took one pill all by herself, she
would probably be so weak that the pill would make her much worse!
Fortunately, everyone else went ahead to try the pill’s effects before she
had.
Huo Yuhao could feel his soul power roiling in his body. He and Tang Wutong
had the highest cultivation rank among everyone here besides Xuan Ziwen, the
soul engineer. The truth was, in terms of how pure their soul power was and
in terms of total volume, Huo Yuhao probably even surpassed Xuan Ziwen.
That was the reason why what he felt was the most vivid. The medicinal fluid
almost didn’t stop when it entered his body, and it began to spread from his
abdomen. Huo Yuhao immediately felt like his soul power began to undulate
and spurt like a geyser from the pill’s effects. The soul power inside his
passageways, his skeleton, and his organs began to turn a pure gold.
But Huo Yuhao could still maintain clarity in his mind in this moment. Even
though the formidable medicinal strength was stimulating him to the point
where he almost couldn’t move,
he still managed to spin around as soon as possible while he pulled Tang
Wutong’s hands up and placed their palms together. Haodong power naturally
began to circulate between them.
Strangely, the initially intense medicinal effects immediately settled down
when they began to channel Haodong power, just like tidal waves from a large
surging river suddenly flowing into the boundless ocean.
Their expressions immediately became relaxed. The medicinal effects were
still strong, but there seemed to be a special force inside their Haodong
power that could suppress the medicinal effects instead of allowing them to
spread completely and wreak havoc.
Huo Yuhao was experiencing a very special sensation. He felt like the
Qiankun Fortune Pill was a catalyzer, a catalyzer for soul power. Tang
Wutong and his soul power was improving at a surprising speed under the
effects of this catalyzer, resembling the rising of the tide.
Furthermore, their soul power wasn’t the only thing that was changing; even
their spirits were being nourished along
with their passageways. Their bodies became smooth and clear, while there
were already very few impurities within their bodies. In this moment, the
Qiankun Fortune Pill made them feel like their entire body was transparent,
and that purest and most direct improvement caused a faint smile to appear
on both their faces.
The medicine’s effects were absorbed extremely quickly, but because their
passageways were also being refined by the pill, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong
didn’t feel any swelling in their bodies.
The entire process took but fifteen minutes, while the pill’s effects were
almost completely absorbed. Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong realized to their
pleasant surprise that their soul power rank had clearly improved a lot, by
a difference of almost two ranks.
A single Qiankun Fortune Pill was split into more than ten different
servings, while their cultivation were already past 80! Furthermore,
improving their soul power was secondary, while strengthening their own
bodies was absolutely beneficial for becoming a Titled Douluo in the future.
They opened their eyes at the same time, as if by telepathy. Huo Yuhao and
Tang Wutong looked at each other, and they could see the joy in each other’s
eyes. Huo Yuhao’s soul power had almost reached Rank 83 after the previous
four months of hard work and assiduous cultivation before consuming the
medicinal fluid, while Tang Wutong’s situation was similar to his.
After consuming the medicine, their cultivation had improved enormously
after just a short fifteen minutes. They didn’t just break through Rank 83,
they even broke through Rank 84, and they were now right between Rank 84 and
Rank 85.
They were already eight-ringed Soul Douluo, and improving one’s cultivation
was an extremely slow and difficult affair once a soul master obtained their
eighth soul ring. But they weren’t normal people, and their soul power
possessed special characteristics that normal soul masters didn’t. In
addition to the effects of their Haodong power, their cultivation speed was
already faster than normal people. This time, they were overjoyed because
their cultivation had directly improved by so much due to the Qiankun
Fortune Pill’s effects. Huo Yuhao could faintly feel that if he and Tang
Wutong took one entire pill each, they could possibly directly break through
to become Titled Douluo. This pill’s effects were just too powerful.
However, they were quickly jolted back to reality after feeling their
improved cultivation ranks, and the reason was simple: the others’
situations were vastly different from theirs, and some were even in some
trouble.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong smiled at each other, and immediately felt the
excessively dense medicinal aroma inside the conference hall as they
subconsciously turned towards the other individuals beside them.
Their facial expressions changed a little with that glance.
Shrek’s Seven Monsters were doing alright because their cultivation ranks
were relatively higher. Even though their eyebrows were locked in a faint
frown, they could still hold on, while the medicinal auras that they were
emanating weren’t considered too dense. However, the others who had
relatively lower cultivation ranks like Gao Dalou, Nan Qiuqiu, and Na Na
were in trouble.
The golden light on their bodies was the strongest, and golden light could
even be faintly seen along their veins under their skin, while their bodies
were trembling vigorously.
All Tang Ya could do was worry as she looked on from the side. Her body was
weak, and even though she still had her soul power, she couldn’t muster it
at all because of those evil toxins. Furthermore, she didn’t even know how
to deal with the situation at hand.
“Wutong, quick!” Huo Yuhao pulled
Tang Wutong and arrived behind Gao Dalou in a flash. Gao Dalou’s
cultivation was comparatively lower than the rest, and he was also a soul
engineer, so his soul power was quite a far cry from the soul
masters who had studied in Shrek Academy. The same was true for his bodily
strength.
The Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects were just too strong. Gao Dalou didn’t
have Haodong power, and the forceful medicinal effects wreaked havoc inside
his body as they barged around hysterically. Even though they were refining
and improving his passageways and increasing his soul power, the process was
pummeling his body. His entire frame was swollen, like he was a bomb that
could explode at any moment.
Huo Yuhao pulled Tang Wutong and arrived behind him swiftly. They reached
out with one palm each and pressed them against his back, while they held
each other’s hands at the same time.
Just as Huo Yuhao had predicted, their Haodog power had a suppressive effect
against the Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects. Just like back when Huo Yuhao
had first attempted to fuse his martial soul with Tang Wutong’s, this
suppression was entirely hierarchical, like these forces and energies had
their own ranks and hierarchy.
The medicinal effects in Gao Dalou’s body immediately settled down after the
Haodong power coursed through him, and he heaved a deep sigh of relief. Soul
power flowed within his body as he swiftly absorbed the pill’s effects.
However, their Haodong power unwittingly absorbed some of the medicinal
effects once it entered his body. Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong didn’t want that
to happen. Those bits and pieces that attached themselves to their Haodong
power were parts that Gao Dalou couldn’t absorb at all. Differences in
physiques also meant a world of difference in one’s ability to absorb
natural treasures.
Gao Dalou’s situation stabilized after a few minutes. Huo Yuhao and Tang
Wutong withdrew their palms as they arrived behind Na Na.
Na Na was already a Soul Emperor, but she also started off as a soul
engineer, and she was just a close-combat soul engineer. In addition to her
martial soul’s special characteristics, her body was relatively weaker. Huo
Yuhao and Tang Wutong used the same method to help her stabilize her body.
The two of them then judged according to how quickly their companions were
absorbing the pill’s effects and their respective situations, and helped
them resolve their problems accordingly.
The difference in everyone’s cultivations could be seen from how they were
absorbing the pill’s effects. In the end, the other five who were part of
Shrek’s Seven Monsters, Xuan Ziwen, and Ji Juechen didn’t need Huo Yuhao and
Tang Wutong’s help, as they completed the absorption by themselves. They
helped everyone else to varying extents, and Ye Guyi was the best off among
those who required help.
There was a saying that kindness would always be rewarded. In the process of
going to everyone’s aid, those leftover medicinal effects that everyone
couldn’t absorb naturally entered Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong’s bodies. When
everyone’s situations were stabilized, their cultivation ranks broke through
to Rank 85 at almost the same time.
Huo Yuhao waved his right hand and released a layer of spiritual power as
they separated the conference hall from the outside world, and the
medicine’s fragrance permeated the air. This fragrance was also beneficial,
and everyone could absorb
some of its effects as they cultivated. They couldn’t afford to waste the
Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects, not even a little bit.
Huo Yuhao directed the entire situation as he quietly observed Tang Ya.
Tang Ya didn’t take the pill, but she had absorbed quite a bit of the pill’s
aroma after all the time that had passed.
Huo Yuhao used Spiritual Detection, and observed that even though the
Qiankun Fortune Pill’s medicinal aroma didn’t help her eliminate the toxins
in her body, and neither could it awaken her martial soul’s power, it could
refine and improve her body, and it strengthened her resistance and immune
system.
In other words, even though Tang Ya’s circumstance didn’t improve, the
Qiankun Fortune Pill’s aroma slowed her deterioration.
Simply put, the Qiankun Fortune Pill’s aroma strengthened Tang Ya’s
physique, and caused her life energy to flow away at an even slower speed. In
addition to the fact that the Life
Guardian Blade was continuously supplying her with life energy, Tang Ya’s
circumstances were already starting to change for the better. At least, her
life would definitely be prolonged.
Huo Yuhao was immediately elated with that discovery. In the end, Tang Ya
hadn’t actually taken the pill yet. Of course, Huo Yuhao knew that she
couldn’t directly take a single pill, as its effects were too strong, but
that didn’t mean that she couldn’t take any at all. The effects would be the
same as long as the pill was diluted like it was today before it was fed to
her bit by bit! That way, her situation could first be stabilized so that
they would have more time in the future to search for the Bluesilver Emperor
so that her martial soul could be awakened.
Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief with that judgment.
Teacher Xiao Ya’s problems are finally resolved.
Everyone who was absorbing the medicinal effects came to one after another
with Huo Yuhao’s help. Those who had absorbed relatively less woke up
earlier, and Gao Dalou was the first who recovered from his meditation.
Gao Dalou just bolted away after recovering. He had no choice but to run, as
the Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects forced out all the impurities in his
body. He was covered with a layer of dirt and filth, and reeked terribly. He
loved alcohol with his life, and his body wasn’t that strong in the first
place. Even though he didn’t absorb much of the medicine’s effects this
time, the improvements and ameliorations that he had experienced were the
greatest.
Everyone’s circumstances weren’t that different from Gao Dalou, and they
returned to their respective rooms after waking up one after another to
clean themselves up.
Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Ji Juechen were the last to wake up.
They were even a little later than Xuan Ziwen.
Xuan Ziwen didn’t say much after he woke up, but he gave Huo Yuhao a
thumbs-up. His cultivation rank was the highest, and it didn’t seem like his
body had improved much on the surface, as he had consumed many medicines in
the past to refine and improve his body. However, he was clear that all the
hidden problems in his body had been eliminated after consuming the Qiankun
Fortune Pill, and his soul power was showing signs of improvement. This
meant that if he worked
hard to cultivate, he still had a chance to increase his soul power. That
was absolutely an unexpected surprise!
Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Ji Juechen had the least impurities in their bodies.
Even though their bodies were still a little sticky, they didn’t have to run
away immediately after completing their absorption.
“How do you feel, eldest senior brother?” Huo Yuhao asked Bei Bei
concernedly. These three had completely absorbed the pill’s effects.
Bei Bei smiled faintly and said, “I feel fantastic.”
Xu Sanshi laughed heartily and said, “I don’t just feel fantastic. I feel
like I’m on cloud nine! I can feel that my soul power has improved by five
ranks, and I’m almost at the bottleneck to Rank 80. I suspect Bei Bei has
experienced something similar.”
Bei Bei nodded, confirming Xu Sanshi’s words.
“That isn’t the most important part.
I can feel that my martial soul’s intrinsic quality
has also improved, and my spirit has been nourished. My cultivation in the
future should be much quicker and more efficient.”
Huo Yuhao said, “If you’re reached the bottleneck at Rank 80, why don’t you
guys try to add another Spirit? That should be fine, considering your
spiritual power.”
But Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi shook their heads at the same time. Bei Bei said,
“We have a lot of chemistry with our Spirits, we don’t need another one.
Furthermore, our Spirits have more abilities that they can bestow upon us,
and that’s sufficient for us to increase our strength and abilities. When the
time is right, we will naturally obtain our eighth soul rings.”
Huo Yuhao took a long breath. That was just the effects of a single Qiankun
Fortune Pill! The entire group benefited from just a single pill. Xu Sanshi
and Bei Bei had the highest cultivations among everyone else. Their soul
power had increased by around five ranks, so how about their other companions
who only had around six soul rings? Their cultivations had to increase by a
lot more.
Huo Yuhao was very happy. He hadn’t wasted his time over the past few months
after all, as raising the Tang Sect’s overall strength was very important.
“Eldest senior brother, when are you going to let Teacher Xiao Ya take the
pill?” Huo Yuhao asked Bei Bei.
Bei Bei replied, “The Qiankun Fortune Pill’s medicinal effects are too
strong. I don’t think Xiao Ya can take one by herself. Why don’t we do it
like we have done today? We can divide the rest of the pills among everyone
else.”
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “Any medicine is most effective when you
first consume it. Teacher Xiao Ya’s situation is unique, and dilution is a
must. Furthermore, she has to consume less every time than we did today, but
she can do it continuously so that she can digest and absorb its effects.
This time, I am confident of ensuring that Teacher Xiao Ya’s body won’t
deteriorate any further.” With that, he told Bei Bei about what he had
observed from Tang Ya’s body and his own judgment.
Bei Bei was overjoyed. “Great! That’s just great. However, somehow, I feel
like Xiao Ya doesn’t need an entire pill’s effects. Little junior brother,
you and Tang Wutong should consume the rest of the pills. The two of you are
the Tang Sect’s strongest fighting force now, and only the two of you can
fight like Titled Douluo with your martial soul fusion. The academy has high
hopes for the two of you. I suggest that the two of you take one more pill
each, so that the you can become Titled Douluo as quickly as possible.”
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and said, “Eldest senior brother, increasing our
soul power by relying on our own cultivation is best. Using medicine to
boost our cultivation, even if they’re natural treasures, is not as
consolidated or solid compared to doing so through our own cultivation. We
have already drawn upon a lot of medicinal effects this time, and we still
have to rely on our own cultivation to stabilize and consolidate. We will be
spoiling things by undue haste if we take any more. With our current
cultivation speed, we can still increase our cultivation relatively quickly
even without pills and medicine.”
Bei Bei nodded and answered, “Then do it your way.”
Huo Yuhao continued, “As for the remaining six pills, can I ask that you
give one of them to Elder Xuan, eldest senior brother? Tell him the effects
these pills had on us, and I hope that he can use one to raise his
cultivation rank to become an Ultimate Douluo. One of the remaining five will
be given to teacher Xiao Ya to treat her, and the last four will be dealt
with according to the plan that we originally discussed. However, we have to
push back the date that we plan to consume another one. We have to wait for
at least three months before we
consume another one, and then another three months before we do so again.
That way, we can maximize the pill’s effects, and we can also give everyone
sufficient time to stabilize and consolidate their cultivation.”
Bei Bei answered, “Alright, let’s do it your way. But you should give the
pill to Elder Xuan yourself.”
Huo Yuhao laughed and said, “Eldest senior brother, you and Teacher Xiao Ya
are the Tang Sect’s leaders! This is the Tang Sect’s gift to the academy,
not just my own.”
Bei Bei immediately understood what he was trying to say, and stared deeply
into Huo Yuhao’s eyes before he patted his shoulder.
Huo Yuhao continued, “Eldest senior brother, after this, I plan to use my
time mainly for studying soul tools and closed- door cultivation. I am
afraid I won’t be able to help you with the sect’s affairs.”
Bei Bei nodded and said, “You don’t have to worry about the Tang Sect’s
affairs. Everyone else and I will deal with them. The most important thing
for you is to work hard to increase your cultivation along with Tang
Wutong.”
“Yes.”
The Tang Sect passed an order to keep the episode with the Qiankun Fortune
Pill quiet, and nobody was allowed to spread news of it to the outside
world. The truth was, only the Tang Sect’s core members knew exactly how
strong the Qiankun Fortune Pill’s effects were.
A single pill was sent to the Sea God’s Pavilion, and Elder Xuan went into
closed-door cultivation afterwards, but he wasn’t the only one. The Martial
Soul Department’s Dean Yan Shaozhe, and the Soul Tool Department’s Dean Xian
Lin’er accompanied him.
Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong also entered a state of semi closed-door
cultivation. Huo Yuhao would take out six hours everyday to learn about
forging soul tools from Xuan Ziwen, and he would spend the remainder of his
day cultivating with Tang Wutong.
The Tang Sect became busier than before, and everything was going according
to plan.
The Sun Moon Empire grew quiet, seemingly because the detonation of Huo
Yuhao’s Annihilation Storm had dealt an overwhelmingly heavy blow to them.
The frontlines were also very peaceful. The Sun Moon Empire seemed to do
nothing else besides consolidating the territory that they had conquered
from the Heavenly Soul Empire.
The soul master legions that the Star Luo Empire had sent into the Sun Moon
Empire’s territory to do battle were also gradually withdrawn, as the Sun
Moon Empire had mustered their relatively stronger soul engineer legions to
exterminate them. The Star Luo Empire’s soul masters experienced heavy
losses after several skirmishes, and they had no choice but to retreat back
through the Ming Dou Mountain Range to rest and readjust.
However, with the Ming Dou Mountain Range as a barrier and their experience
from before, the Star Luo Empire had temporarily stabilized their defensive
perimeter along their borders. The White Tiger Duke was still personally
holding down the fort as they maintained their standoff against the Sun Moon
Empire.
The war seemed to have come to a temporary pause. But there was still one
thing that made the Star Luo Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire, and the Dou
Ling Empire very concerned.
Even though the war seemed to have paused temporarily, the Sun Moon Empire
had strengthened their lockdown on surveillance and intelligence. They
continuously transported aerial and ground-based surveillance soul tools
toward the border so that they could shut down all information as tightly as
possible.
It became overwhelmingly difficult for the Douluo Continent’s three native
empires to conduct any reconnaissance within the Sun Moon Empire’s
territories.
The Sun Moon Empire’s territory was already the largest within the Douluo
Continent, and in addition to two-thirds of the Heavenly Soul Empire’s
territory, the surface area of their territory was now considerably larger.
Everyone knew that the war wouldn’t just end here, and when it erupted once
more, it would likely be a thunderous and possibly final and all-out invasion
that the Sun Moon Empire would bring.
Everyone was just accumulating their strength and waiting. What they were
competing about was how quickly they could accumulate strength.
Half a year passed, and everything was still very quiet and peaceful. The
Sun Moon Empire seemed like they had ceased their belligerence, and they
even reduced the troops that they had stationed along the Heavenly Soul
Empire’s borders.
However, the Heavenly Soul Empire’s territories that the Sun Moon Empire had
conquered appeared far too tranquil. Half a year had gone by, but there were
rarely any uprisings and whatnot, and even the reclusive sects seemed like
they had given up on resisting and fighting back.
Six months flew by one after another, and a year and a half had gone by since
Huo Yuhao forged the Qiankun Fortune Pills. He had already been cultivating
within Shrek City for almost two years.
Within these two years, the Tang Sect’s disciples were almost about to
forget that there was such an elite individual inside the Tang Sect, not to
mention outsiders.
“Whew,” Huo Yuhao gradually opened his eyes as he exhaled deeply, but his
eyes were filled with exasperation.
Tang Wutong was sitting opposite him, and she patted his hands as she said,
“Don’t worry, we can do it.”
Huo Yuhao tilted his head slightly and said, “I had already guessed that
this would be difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be difficult to this
extent.”
Tang Wutong smiled faintly and said, “But everything will be different once
you succeed.”
Huo Yuhao smiled and answered, “Don’t worry, as long as I have you by my
side, I will never give up. Furthermore, I am more confident.”
They had remained inside the Tang Sect’s underground base to cultivate after
consuming the Qiankun Fortune Pill. This place was the quietest, and it was
conducive and convenient for Huo Yuhao to learn from Xuan Ziwen.
Tang Wutong returned to her own room to cultivate after eating lunch, while
Huo Yuhao arrived at Xuan Ziwen’s laboratory as usual.
“Teacher Xuan,” Huo Yuhao had just stepped into the door when he saw
Xuan Ziwen sitting there with a blank look on his face.
Xuan Ziwen appeared younger than he was one-and-a-half years ago. Even
though he was deep in thought, his eyes were still incredibly sharp.
The Tang Sect’s members had consumed three of the remaining Qiankun Fortune
Pills as a group, and everyone
received unexpected benefits. Shrek’s Seven Monsters had all obtained eight
soul rings, and Ji Juechen had reached Rank 89. He was just one step away
from becoming a Titled Douluo.
But Ji Juechen wasn’t considered the strongest within the Tang Sect, and
neither was Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao was just like him, still stuck at Rank 89.
Huo Yuhao should have broken through a long time ago in theory, but he had
reached a tremendous bottleneck. This bottleneck stemmed from the soul core
that he had formed.
He had already guessed that he would have a lot of trouble forming his
second soul core because he already possessed his first one, but the
difficulty far exceeded his expectations.
The medicinal fluids that came from dissolving three Qiankun Fortune Pills
had already raised his cultivation to 89 a year ago, but he was still at
Rank 89 even after one year. This was so even though he was cultivating with
Haodong power. Furthermore, he was in closed-door cultivation, and he toiled
day and night to cultivate without a single second of idleness. Yet, he
still remained at Rank 89.
Therefore, he wasn’t the strongest individual within the Tang Sect. Now, the
Tang Sect truly possessed a homebred Titled Douluo besides Xuan Ziwen, who
was a Class 9 soul engineer. That person was Tang Wutong.
Tang Wutong had broken through seven months ago, and finally earned her
title. She gave herself the title of Winter Butterfly.
The Winter Butterfly Douluo, Tang Wutong.
“Winter” was so that she could commemorate that she was once Wang
Dong’er, and “Butterfly” was naturally because of her martial soul.
Tang Wutong had already formed her soul core successfully, and was now a
Titled Douluo. How could Huo Yuhao not be worried? But forming his second
soul core wasn’t something that he could just accomplish hastily.
He wouldn’t have reached Rank 89 so quickly without his first soul core, but
forming his second soul core was just far too difficult.
But his mentality was still positive. Even though he was eager to improve,
he wasn’t impatient because he had Tang Wutong by his side. Soul masters
could accumulate their cultivation. Just as Tang Wutong had said, even
though forming his second soul core was difficult, his cultivation would
increase rapidly once that was successful, and he would swiftly reach
another level.
“You’re here,” Xuan Ziwen waved to Huo Yuhao and gestured for him to sit
down.
Huo Yuhao sat down on a chair next to Xuan Ziwen and asked, “How is it? Have
you made any headway?”
Xuan Ziwen sighed and shook his head.
Huo Yuhao hurriedly attempted to console him. “Don’t worry, Teacher Xuan. We
have already taken ninety-nine out of a hundred steps, we just have this
final hiccup. We’ll take it slow, and we will continue only after we have
found the best way to move forward. You’re tiring yourself out too much
nowadays. Why don’t you take a break?”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Xuan Ziwen’s mouth. “Who says I
haven’t? I have hiccupped something out.”
Even though his expression appeared a little indecent when he was saying
those words, Huo Yuhao still widened his eyes as he said with a shaky voice,
“You… you’ve succeeded?”
Xuan Ziwen nodded gently and said, “At least, in theory.”
Huo Yuhao’s jaw hung open as his eyes were open wide. “Then why did you
shake your head?”
Xuan Ziwen answered, “I shook my head because it cannot be replicated. Even
though forging it is extremely difficult, we can still complete it between
the two of us. But the conditions for using it are too demanding, and I
can’t think of anybody else in the world who can use it besides you.”
Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of relief. “You’re not very nice, Teacher Xuan.”