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1Douluo Dalu 2
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6The Unrivaled Tang Sect
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11(斗罗大陆2绝世唐门)
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14Book 27
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20The New Continental Elite Youth
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23Soul Master Tournament!
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28Tang Jia San Shao
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31(唐家三少)
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37Story Description:
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43The legend of the continent, the battle that brought fame; the Sacred Phoenix Lady, the Windfire Meteor Godrealm saber-art; the pair that ascend and fuse, the golden sun and the blue moon, the fury of the crashing thunder. There is no magic, no battle qi, nor any martial arts in this land. However, there are martial spirits. Ten thousand years have passed since the founding of the Tang Sect on the Douluo continent, and it has declined. A new, proud generation of heaven’s chosen has been born. Can the new generation of Shrek’s Seven Devils rally the Tang Sect and once more compose the song of the Unrivaled Tang Sect?
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49A million-year-old spirit beast, a sacred deathgod that holds the sun, the moon, and the stars in his hands, and a brand new spirit tool system which caused the fall of the Tang sect. One miracle shall occur after another.Can the Tang Sect’s hidden weapons rally the winds, and can the glory of the Tang Sect ascend once more? All of this will be continued in the second installment of Douluo Dalu—The Unrivaled Tang Sect!
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55Original Story can be found here: Link
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61Chapter 265.1: Tough Dong'er
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64Jiang Nannan also rushed behind Wang Dong’er. Everyone encircled her and treated her like an enemy.
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66Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “I won’t hand him over unless you let me say my piece. I want to let all of you know what he did.”
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68Bei Bei stepped forward and was about to act up, but Wang Dong’er immediately lifted her arms and shook her head at the rest. “Don’t be like that. Let her speak. I can handle it.”
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70The sad look in Wang Dong’er’s eyes became even more intense. However, she wasn’t in the mood to pick on Wang Qiu’er. Huo Yuhao had returned, he had finally returned! Even though she didn’t know how he was, he must be fine since Wang Qiu’er claimed that he wouldn’t die.
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72It was fine as long as he was alive! It was still better than Tang Ya and Ma Xiaotao, who were both still missing. She had already thrown everything else from her mind. As long as Huo Yuhao was safe, she was willing to accept anything that he had with Wang Qiu’er. The ten days of waiting had taught her one thing, that she was willing to do anything in exchange for Huo Yuhao’s safety.
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74“Dong’er, you are too kind,” Bei Bei sighed. However, he didn’t go against her wishes.
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76Wang Dong’er revealed a sad smile and said, “It’s fine since he has returned. I’m satisfied since he’s returned safely. Wang Qiu’er, tell me what you want to say.”
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78Wang Qiu’er scanned everyone coldly and said, “From your looks, all of you seem to think that I eloped with him? Hmph, all of you are his good friends! Is he really like all of you imagine him to be?”
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80Everyone was stunned by her words. Yes! They had been thinking about what had happened between Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er after they left together.
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82Wang Dong’er was also stunned. She saw an outraged look in Wang Qiu’er’s eyes.
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84Wang Qiu’er said coldly, “I feel bad for him. In the past ten days, he has almost died three times. However, he pressed on every time. I tried to stop him from taking risks, but he resisted and continued to proceed stubbornly. Do you really think he eloped with me?”
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86Xu Sanshi furrowed his brow, “How come you left together? He even left without saying anything!”
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88Wang Qiu’er replied, “He left without saying anything because he was anxious. I don’t know how he found out Wang Dong’er was sick.”
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90Xu Sanshi’s eyes widened. “You’re the sick one!”
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92Wang Qiu’er focused her gaze, and a sharp light flashed within them. However, she still suppressed her anger.
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94“He told me that Wang Dong’er was sick. In addition, he even said that her life was in danger. That day, he left Shrek Academy on his own. I caught him leaving and pursued him, seeing that he was in a rush. However, who knew that I would end up pursuing him for thousands of miles. That’s why I went missing with him.
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96“I hadn’t expected that he could go to this extent for another person. Do you see the flower on his face? He almost sacrificed his life to bring it back. It’s an immortal grass called the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. It can cure her injuries.”
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98Wang Dong’er was stunned. She didn’t even know that she was sick or injured. However, Wang Qiu’er sounded very convincing. She also didn’t know what to do since Huo Yuhao was in this state.
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100Wang Qiu’er lifted her hand and unbuttoned Huo Yuhao’s sleeves.
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102Everyone was shocked when they saw his hands.
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104Huo Yuhao’s hands were covered in bandages. The thick bandages were half-stained with fresh blood.
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106“Do all of you know how this injury came about? In order to pluck the Yearning Heartbroken Flower, he forced himself to swallow spring water that contained Ultimate Fire to counter the Ultimate Ice in his body. When his hands cupped the water, they were badly burned. His throat, windpipe and even internal organs were greatly burned from the water. He was on the brink of death.”
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108“Ah!” Wang Dong’er’s figure shook slightly. An unhealthy red appeared on her face, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
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110“At that point, he still used his eyes to tell me to bring this Yearning Heartbroken Grass back to treat your injury. If not for the fact that I used an herb to preserve his life, he would have died.”
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112Wang Qiu’er recounted everything that had happened to the both of them over the past ten days.
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114After hearing her accounting of events, everyone’s expressions changed greatly. Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao were even crying.
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116They hadn’t expected Huo Yuhao to experience so many ordeals over the past ten days. He had even been on the brink of death several times before he finally managed to pluck the Yearning Heartbroken Grass.
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118When they heard that the Ultimate Ice in his body had raged out and the blood that he spat out had frozen up, leaving him no choice but to swallow the Blazing Sunspring water, Bei Bei, He Caitou and Xu Sanshi’s eyes also welled up.
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120What kind of love was this? Huo Yuhao used his actions to tell them how much he loved Wang Dong’er.
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122Wang Dong’er stopped crying as she heard more and more of what Wang Qiu’er said. Her body was trembling non-stop, shaking uncontrollably.
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124Yuhao, Yuhao, Yuhao…
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126Her mind was only filled with his name right now. Yuhao, Yuhao, my Yuhao. For me, you actually…
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128What injury? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you let me face all this with you? Yuhao.
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130At this moment, Wang Dong’er was heartbroken.
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132“Wa—” She spat out blood, and a few drops landed on the Yearning Heartbroken Grass on the side of Huo Yuhao’s face The Yearning Heartbroken Grass shook slightly and absorbed the few drops of fresh blood. Following this, a dim red glow emanated from the flower. The red glow formed two rings in the air, which looped over Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er.
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134A weird intent was also released by the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. There were no words, but Shrek’s Seven Monsters and Wang Qiu’er could understand what it meant.
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136It roughly meant Together through Life and Death. The contract of love. If one died, both would die together. The lives of these lovers would be connected. There would be no abandonment, and their love would carry on for eternity.
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138Wang Dong’er had formed a strange contract with Huo Yuhao at this moment, with the Yearning Heartbroken Grass as a witness.
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140Wang Qiu’er was stunned. She could also sense the intent from the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Her face turned even more dismal and she looked a little lost. She put Huo Yuhao down carefully, right in front of Wang Dong’er.
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142“He only has you in his heart. Even though we look similar, I was never in his heart. When he plucked the Yearning Heartbroken Grass, I knew that I had fallen in love with this man. I am deeply in love with him. I feel very tormented that I was a step late. There can never be a second woman in his heart. You must take care of yourself for him. You must take care of him, too. The herb that he consumed will help him to recover slowly. However, I’m not sure whether he will be able to fully recover.”
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144Wang Qiu’er paused as she finished those words. She took a deep look at Wang Dong’er and said, “You’ve won. In his eyes, I was probably never your competitor, and you probably never had any competitors before. Love him properly.”
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146Wang Dong’er received Huo Yuhao carefully. She hugged him as she bowed to Wang Qiu’er. “Thank you…Thank you for saving his life. If you need my help one day, I’ll do anything to help you.”
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148Wang Qiu’er didn’t say anything. She only turned and walked away.
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150It was only when the Shrek’s Seven Monsters couldn’t see her that her tears started to stream down her face. She quickened her footsteps, as she didn’t want others to see her weakness. However, she was also heartbroken.
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152Wang Dong’er hugged Huo Yuhao and felt the weak undulation of his life aura. She lowered her head slowly and pressed her lips to Huo Yuhao’s dry lips.
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154Her lips were very cold and slightly moist.
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156“Yuhao, I’m your wife from now on. No matter whether or not you recover, I’ll always be your wife. I love this contract. As long as you are alive, I’ll wait for you my entire life. If you die, I’ll leave with you. In the other world, I’ll continue to wait on you. Forever and ever. Yuhao, I love you!”
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158Wang Dong’er’s voice was very gentle, but it was the gentleness of her voice that made the rest emotional.
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160Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou couldn’t control the tears in their eyes.
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162Jiang Nannan leapt into Xu Sanshi’s arms. Xiao Xiao also did the same thing to He Caitou. They were bawling their eyes out.
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164Wang Dong’er didn’t cry. There was only a look of gentleness in her big, beautiful eyes.
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166She carefully carried Huo Yuhao and turned around slowly as she looked at the rest.
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168“Eldest senior, can I trouble you to find some food? I want to eat some food. Third senior, please help me get the best healing-type soul master in the academy. I’ll bring Yuhao back first.”
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170Even though she still seemed very pale, and her lips were still stained with blood, the look in her eyes shocked the rest of them. She suddenly looked very tough and resolute!
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176Chapter 265.2: Tough Dong'er
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179Yes, Huo Yuhao was critically injured, and it was unknown whether he would fully recover.
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181“Alright, let’s work separately! Nannan, Xiao Xiao, follow Dong’er!” Bei Bei rubbed off his own tears and started giving out instructions. Wang Dong’er was also in bad shape right now. With Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao following her, they could help her at least.
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183Wang Dong’er didn’t reject his suggestion and didn’t rush off, either. She only carried Huo Yuhao and slowly walked over to the shore of the Sea God’s Pavilion.
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185Jiang Nannan understood her intentions and quickly summoned a ferry. They made their way to Sea God’s Island, before heading into the Sea God’s Pavilion.
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189After returning to her room, Wang Dong’er started to get busy. She got a clean blanket for Huo Yuhao before inviting Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao to leave the room.
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191She was trembling slightly as she removed Huo Yuhao’s clothes and bandages. After that, she used clean water to wash his entire body before giving him clean clothing. She also re-bandaged his wounds. At this moment, she didn’t care about her own shyness anymore.
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193Finally, Wang Dong’er took the Yearning Heartbroken Grass from Huo Yuhao’s face and placed it beside his pillow.
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195Elder Xuan, Yan Shaozhe, Cai Mei’er and a few elders from the Sea God’s Pavilion quickly made their way over. Huo Yuhao’s injuries shocked all of them.
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197When they heard that Huo Yuhao had received these injuries for Wang Dong’er, they felt a little helpless. For love, he was willing to go to such an extent?…
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199“Where is this rascal Huo Yuhao?” Elder Xuan couldn’t help but curse.
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201Wang Dong’er stood up hurriedly and said respectfully, “Elder Xuan.”
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203Elder Xuan was furious as he walked into the room. He quickly came to the bedside and pressed his hand against Huo Yuhao’s mouth, sensing his condition.
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205He only lifted his hand after a while.
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207“He’s in a bad state.” Elder Xuan furrowed his brows and couldn’t help but curse, “This rascal, why didn’t he report something like this to the academy? Dong’er, who told him that you were injured? Let me take a look.”
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209As he spoke, he lifted his hand and pressed it against Wang Dong’er’s shoulder. After sensing for a brief moment, he revealed a weird look on his face. “There’s no injury, but there’s a weird force in your body. It doesn’t seem like soul power. However, my powers strangely can’t seem to capture it. If we are talking about an internal injury, this must be it.”
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211“Elder Zhuang, take a look at him.” As he spoke, Elder Xuan gestured to another elder. This elder was also a member of the Sea God’s Pavilion. He cultivated a plant-type martial soul, and was skilled in healing.
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213Elder Zhuang came to the bedside and also pressed his hand against Huo Yuhao’s mouth. Soul rings started to rise from his feet. Two yellow, two purple and five black rings appeared. He was a Titled Douluo!
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215Vibrant-looking green vines spread from his body and moved around Huo Yuhao. Very soon, his entire body was engulfed by the vines.
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217An intense life aura was released by the vines as Elder Zhuang’s soul rings lit up. The vines were also shining with different colors of light.
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219After a time, Elder Zhuang retracted the vines.
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221He gently shook his head and said, “He’s indeed in bad shape. His injuries were very serious. Most importantly, there’s a blazing heat in his body that doesn’t belong. It clashes with his Ultimate Ice. Apart from his own Ultimate Ice soul power, there’s also origin energy in his body. It’s all very messy. Under such a situation, the Ultimate Ice can’t expel the heat or neutralize it. Furthermore, his internal organs are also badly burned. Honestly speaking, he should have died from such serious injuries. However, there’s a force in his body sustaining his life. He must have eaten some herb that’s helping him recuperate. It’s just that the speed of recuperation is very slow due to the clash between ice and fire in his body.
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223Elder Xuan said, “What should we do then? Can you treat him?”
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225Elder Zhuang shook his head and answered, “No. My treatment is mainly carried out by pouring in life power. But his own life power isn’t weak, so there’s no need for that. In addition, we can’t just recklessly treat his injuries. If too much soul power is poured in, the unstable forces in his body might be released, and his life might be in danger. To him, the best treatment is to rest. He’ll wake up when the herb heals the injuries in his body, and he’ll also be able to control the circulation of his soul power when he wakes up. His injuries will also slowly recover then. It’s the same for his hands. It’s better for him to recover on his own.”
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227Elder Xuan asked, “Will he be able to make a full recovery?”
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229Elder Zhuang replied, “I can’t tell. It’s too messy. How could his body accumulate so much origin energy? While it’s good stuff, we can’t have too much of it. Not only is he gravely injured, he seems to have taken too many tonics. Whether or not he can make a full recovery will be up to him, but I’m sure his life isn’t in danger anymore.”
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231Elder Xuan sighed and commented, “This rascal is really worrying! Elder Zhuang, I’ll have to trouble you over the next few days.”
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233Elder Zhuang nodded and said, “Don’t worry, he’s the future pillar of our academy. I’ll help him recover no matter what. I’ll check on him twice a day from now. As his body’s condition changes, I’ll adjust my treatment accordingly.”
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235Elder Xuan sighed and nodded, “That would be great!”
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237Bei Bei and the rest rushed over at this moment. Bei Bei even brought some food for Wang Dong’er, a bowl of chicken soup. It was nutritious and easily digestible. As the eldest senior, Bei Bei had always been very meticulous.
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239Wang Dong’er didn’t stand on ceremony. Even though Huo Yuhao was critically injured now, she was in a good mood. It was just that her heart was also aching at the same time.
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241Whatever it was, Huo Yuhao was finally better. At least he was still alive. He did everything for her, which had landed him in this state! As Wang Dong’er thought of all this, her tears were filled with happiness even though her heart was still aching at his predicament.
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243Tough, she had to be tough. Although she was in pain, she didn’t continue crying. She drank the chicken soup to replenish her own energy. However, her eyes never left Huo Yuhao.
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245Elder Xuan left with the elders. Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao wanted to stay behind to help Wang Dong’er look after Huo Yuhao, but Wang Dong’er declined their offer. She told them that she could cope on her own.
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247Bei Bei was relieved after watching her consume an entire bowl of chicken soup and a plate of green vegetables. After all, they were all soul masters, and Wang Dong’er was even a Soul Emperor. Although she hadn’t been taking care of herself over the past few days, she would recover quickly as long as she was willing to eat and watch her body.
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249After her meal, Wang Dong’er’s complexion improved. She dragged a chair to the bedside and sat down cross-legged on it, entering deep meditation.
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251If she wanted to take care of Huo Yuhao and help him recover, she had to make sure she was fine herself first.
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253Wang Dong’er was also one of the best young soul masters at Shrek Academy right now. If she remained calm and composed, her abilities weren’t inferior to Huo Yuhao’s.
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255Over the past ten days, her internal ordeals and poor health had caused her to become much weaker. After spitting out blood earlier, she was extremely weak right now. After eating, she had to recuperate, too.
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257However, it wasn’t always the case that she could enter her deep meditative state at will.
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259After ten minutes, she re-opened her eyes. They were filled with tenderness and heartache.
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261She was unable to calm herself down enough to enter deep meditation. Once she shut her eyes, she thought of Huo Yuhao. Her ears were also echoing with Wang Qiu’er’s words.
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263When she recalled how Huo Yuhao drank the boiling water for her, tears would well up in her eyes. Yuhao, you are really silly. You are really silly!
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265She couldn’t tolerate her yearning for him. She removed her outer clothes and went over to the bed. She carefully avoided Huo Yuhao’s injured hands and laid down beside him. She felt his aura and shut her eyes.
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267It was very weird, but she felt much more peaceful as she rested her body against his. It was an unprecedented sense of tranquility. Huo Yuhao’s heartbeat was slightly weak. One had to listen carefully to tell that it was beating. Wang Dong’er’s tears started to dry up. A satisfied smile surfaced on her face.
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269She fell asleep just like that. Very soon, her breathing calmed down.
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271She didn’t see the Yearning Heartbroken Grass exuding a dim red light. The gentle red light engulfed their bodies, and its fragrance drifted away and entered their bodies as they inhaled it.
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275Someone else was crying quietly as Wang Dong’er fell asleep in Huo Yuhao’s arms.
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277Wang Qiu’er stood in front of her room and looked at the sky outside, which was getting dark. Her tears started to fall again.
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279“It’s such a torment loving someone, especially when you know you can’t be with that person. Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao, would you have loved me like you love her if I had met you first? Why didn’t I meet you earlier? Heavens! Why do you have to play such a trick on me? Wasn’t Wang Dong’er a guy?”
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285Chapter 265.3: Tough Dong'er
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288Morning…
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290When Wang Dong’er opened her eyes, she was stunned to discover that she had slept from the previous day’s evening to today’s morning. She had not slept so sweetly in a very long time. Although she was still feeling a little fatigued, she felt much refreshed.
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292She looked at the man beside her close up. He was still in a deep sleep, and didn’t look like he was about to wake up any time soon. His heartbeat was still very calm.
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294Wang Dong’er carefully checked on his condition. After ascertaining that he was fine, she pecked his cheek and got up. After washing up, she began to help Huo Yuhao clean up.
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296She washed him up before gently massaging his muscles. After that, she changed him into clean clothes.
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298Huo Yuhao couldn’t eat anything. Before Elder Xuan left yesterday, he had left a bottle of pills behind. He had asked Wang Dong’er to feed Huo Yuhao. These pills had been created using more than ten types of valuable ingredients, and would be sufficient to replenish his body.
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300After Wang Dong’er retrieved the bottle of pills, she placed one of the pills into her mouth before kissing him, and transferred the medicinal fluid into his mouth with her tongue.
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302Her face was red. For an inexperienced young lady like her, this was too embarrassing. However, there was a determined look in her eyes. As she thought of how Huo Yuhao was ready to give up his life for her, she put her embarrassment aside. I’m his future wife, what’s there to be shy about?
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304After finishing this, Wang Dong’er went out to eat. After eating, she returned to Huo Yuhao’s side and entered deep meditation.
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306She finally managed to enter deep meditation this time.
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310She changed Huo Yuhao’s clothes twice a day, fed him medicine and massaged him thrice a day. She also washed his body twice a day. When night fell, she stopped meditating and just slept beside him.
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312Elder Zhuang came to check on Huo Yuhao twice a day, as promised. Huo Yuhao’s physical condition seemed to be recovering faster than expected. The medicinal effect that was maintaining his life was very strong, and it lasted for a long time, too, enabling his internal injuries to heal quickly. Elder Zhuang told Wang Dong’er to talk more to Huo Yuhao so that he would wake up faster. Once he woke up, he could control some of his soul power, and his body would heal even more quickly.
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314Night fell, and Wang Dong’er continued laying beside Huo Yuhao.
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316She caressed his face and muttered into his eyes, “Yuhao, I’m Dong’er. I’ve seen the medicinal herb that you brought back. Where did you find out about my injury? Do I really have an internal injury? I didn’t even know! Yuhao, I miss you so much. I really want to hear your voice. You’ll get better. No matter what, I’ll be by your side to take care and wait on you…
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318“Will you wake up? You’ve been sleeping for too long. As long as you wake up, I’ll promise you anything. Even if you want to get intimate with me, I won’t object to it. I’ll let you hug me to sleep every night, okay? Isn’t that what you’ve always wished for? From today onwards, I’ll accompany you like that to sleep. I’m already your wife. This is my responsibility!
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320“In fact, do you know that I’m very willing to sleep with you? I feel especially safe when I sleep with you. I feel very comfortable…
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322“Yuhao, wake up. I really miss you. I really, really miss you.”
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324As she finished speaking, Wang Dong’er was already sobbing a little She opened Huo Yuhao’s mouth and looked at his throat. It was completely scarlet-red, as if his flesh were squirming and growing. The medicinal herb Wang Qiu’er had given him had a very strong healing effect on his injuries.
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326Elder Zhuang had also commented that it was a miracle when he saw it. Perhaps the magical herb’s strength could restore Huo Yuhao’s voice.
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328When Wang Dong’er saw Huo Yuhao’s throat, she started wailing. He must be in a lot of pain! He was so deeply in love that he had swallowed boiling water so that he could spit out blood that wasn’t frozen.
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330Even Wang Dong’er didn’t know when she fell asleep. When she was sleeping, her tear stains were still on her face.
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334The days slowly passed. Wang Dong’er took good care of Huo Yuhao. In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. Huo Yuhao was still sleeping.
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336Huo Yuhao’s injuries had already healed after ten days. Even his burned hands and vocal cords had been restored. His heartbeat also became stronger. Everything was progressing well.
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338The tournament was approaching, but Huo Yuhao hadn’t awoken yet.
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340Wang Dong’er was crying less and less these days. She became calmer as Huo Yuhao’s body slowly recovered. She was content to wait on him every day. She would talk to him for at least an hour every day and gently called his name to wake him up.
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342It was now only a month to the tournament. The rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were stepping up their preparations and cultivations. Without Huo Yuhao as their main control-type soul master, it was going to be an arduous task to become champions in this tournament. The inclusion of sects changed everything. They were going to meet much stronger opponents!
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344Wang Qiu’er also came to visit Huo Yuhao a few times. Wang Dong’er didn’t stop her from doing so. On the contrary, she hosted her very passionately.
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346Every time Wang Qiu’er came, she didn’t speak. She only stood by the bedside and looked at Huo Yuhao for a while before leaving silently.
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348Wang Dong’er could see the sadness in her eyes. However, some things couldn’t be shared. She pitied Wang Qiu’er, but there was only one Huo Yuhao. He was her man!
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352Another five days passed. Huo Yuhao had been back for half a month, and his injuries had already healed. Only the two waves of soul power were still conflicting in his body.
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354Wang Dong’er didn’t dare to use her soul power to help him recover. She was worried that it might be counter-effective. She would rather he recovered slowly than take a risk.
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356Huo Yuhao had grown slightly fatter after lying down for the past fifteen days. The medicinal effect was pretty good. Wang Dong’er fed him his medicine through her mouth every day before giving him some water. Huo Yuhao’s body stayed in good condition under her care.
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360Evening. It was time for her to speak to him again.
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362“Yuhao, did you know? I ate two buns tonight. So many, right? I’m afraid that I’ll grow fat.” Wang Dong’er lowered her head as she spoke and looked down at her slim waist.
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364“Today’s canteen food was especially delicious. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself. For you, I won’t harm my body anymore. When you wake up, I’ll let you see a healthy Dong’er. Will you be very happy because of this? I’ll let you see a prettier Dong’er.”
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366Wang Dong’er continued speaking with a smile on her face, “Did you know? Sometimes I’m not in a rush for you to wake up. The past few days have been fruitful for me. I love waiting on you. You were the one taking care of me all this while. You were also the one who cleaned our dorm room. It’s my turn now. I know you’ve sacrificed a lot for me over these few years. However, you didn’t know I was a girl back then. You really are a fool! We were living together for such a long time, but you didn’t realize. Come to think of it, I still want to mock you for that.
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368“Oh right, eldest senior and the rest have been cultivating tirelessly. However, everything is affected greatly because you’re not around. Furthermore, I can’t compete because you are in this state. I told eldest senior that I’d be staying behind with you, and he agreed to my request. We are all representing the Tang Sect this time. Eldest senior said that Na Na can be our first substitute. She’s quite good. We can also make up our numbers by asking someone else from the sect.
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370“It would be great if you could wake up though! Even though you can’t compete, everyone will still be in good spirits with your support.
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372“Oh, right. I haven’t fed you your medicine. I’ll talk to you after feeding you.”
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374Wang Dong’er retrieved a bottle and placed a pill into her mouth. As usual, she fed him through her mouth.
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376She was used to it after half a month. She used the tip of her tongue to force Huo Yuhao’s teeth open before pressing her tongue against his. It was easier that way.
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378Everything progressed very smoothly as usual. However, she felt a slight touch on her tongue as she tried to pull it back.
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380She was stunned for a moment. Following this, she understood what was going on and quickly hugged Huo Yuhao. She continued to reach her tongue in and touched the tip of his tongue again.
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382Wang Dong’er was trembling slightly in agitation. Was he about to wake up?
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384However, his tongue had stopped moving. Wang Dong’er didn’t garner any reaction even though she used her tongue to touch the tip of his again.
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386Was it a false feeling? Wang Dong’er was unconvinced! When she retracted her tongue, she looked slightly disappointed.
387
388She turned around and gently rubbed at the tears that flowed from her eyes. Yuhao, when are you going to wake up?
389
390At this point, a weak and hoarse voice sounded behind her, “Again… kiss…”
391
392Wang Dong’er’s body stiffened. In the next instant, she turned around and saw a pair of dull eyes. However, those eyes were looking at her gently!
393
394
395
396
397
398Chapter 266: Waking Up in Comfort
399
400
401“Yu-Yuhao… you’re finally awake.” Wang Dong’er couldn’t hide her agitation anymore. Even though had she told herself countless times not to cry when Yuhao woke up, she still couldn’t control herself now that he was actually awake!
402
403She leapt onto Huo Yuhao and started wailing. She was worried and heartbroken at the same time. At this moment, her tears flowed uncontrollably.
404
405Huo Yuhao opened his eyes once again. He was still very, very tired. His injuries were too serious. Even though his external wounds had recovered, the conflicting origin energy and soul power in his body, as well as the Blazing Sunspring water, greatly influenced his condition.
406
407Wang Dong’er cried for fifteen minutes, and her tears drenched the front of Huo Yuhao’s shirt. She only stopped after that.
408
409When she lifted her head to look at Huo Yuhao again, she discovered that he had already shut his eyes, and she panicked. She quickly wiped her tears away and called, “Yuhao, Yuhao, are you okay?”
410
411Huo Yuhao struggled to open his eyes and forced a slight smile for her. “I’m fine. You must stay true to your words!” After a few minutes of rest, he felt slightly better.
412
413Wang Dong’er was stunned for a moment. “What do you mean?”
414
415Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “You said that you were willing to do anything as long as I woke up. You even promised to sleep with me. It’ll be like that forever. You must keep your word.”
416
417Wang Dong’er broke into a laugh and said, “You are in this state, but you still remember these things.”
418
419Huo Yuhao also laughed. “It concerns my happiness. I’m going to sleep a while more.” As he spoke, he shut his eyes again.
420
421Wang Dong’er quickly lay down beside him. She caressed his chest lightly, and used her light-type soul power to absorb the tears from his shirt.
422
423When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning. He was also much better now. Wang Dong’er was waiting on him as usual. When she washed his body, she started to feel embarrassed again.
424
425After all, it was a different matter when he was awake!
426
427She lowered her head and didn’t dare to look at him. She rubbed his body gently.
428
429“Is the temperature fine?” Wang Dong’er asked.
430
431Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “It’s good.”
432
433“Okay.”
434
435“Dong’er.”
436
437“Yes?”
438
439“Do you like my butt so much? You’ve cleaned it six times.”
440
441“What?”
442
443Wang Dong’er’s face turned red, and she quickly put the towel away before covering him with the blanket.
444
445“Dong’er.” Seeing Wang Dong’er’s embarrassed look, Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but call her.
446
447“Yes?” Wang Dong’er lowered her head, and her face turned even redder.
448
449Huo Yuhao said, “I want to take my medicine. I’m a little hungry.”
450
451“Okay.” Wang Dong’er rushed to get the medicine bottle. She placed a pill into her mouth. However, she saw Huo Yuhao’s burning eyes when she lifted her head to look at him.
452
453Huo Yuhao was smiling as he looked at her. His eyes were filled with a comforted look.
454
455When he saw that Wang Dong’er was like a young lady cleaning up the room and waiting on him, he was touched. This was the perfect life in his heart! A family and a wife that loved him. He might even have a few children in the future.
456
457As for his wife, one was enough. He couldn’t be like the White Tiger Duke. If not for the White Tiger Duke, his mother wouldn’t have suffered.
458
459“If you still don’t feed me, you’ll swallow everything.” Huo Yuhao was amused as he looked at Wang Dong’er.
460
461Wang Dong’er shut her eyes, and her face turned red. She moved her lips towards Huo Yuhao’s mouth and transferred the medicinal fluid. However, the tip of her tongue was sensitive. When she touched Huo Yuhao’s tongue, she was evidently trying to avoid it.
462
463Huo Yuhao sucked with his mouth, and his tongue wrapped around Wang Dong’er’s. Wang Dong’er’s eyes widened.
464
465“Hoo hoo!”
466
467Huo Yuhao didn’t stop sucking. He was sucking gently.
468
469Wang Dong’er rushed to shut her eyes again. She didn’t dare to struggle, as she was afraid of hurting him.
470
471They only stopped kissing after their breathing got a little fast.
472
473When Wang Dong’er sat straight, her nose was already panting. She looked at Huo Yuhao shyly. “You are so naughty. Your tongue can move. This means you can swallow your medicine on your own. You can consume it yourself next time.”
474
475Huo Yuhao chortled, “That’s not right. You agreed to feed me like this. You can’t go back on your word.”
476
477Wang Dong’er snorted, “I’ll help you clean your body.”
478
479After helping Huo Yuhao change his clothes, Wang Dong’er helped to massage his muscles.
480
481As she rubbed his muscles, Wang Dong’er asked, “Yuhao, where did you find out about my internal injury?”
482
483Huo Yuhao was a little annoyed. “Qiu’er is such a blabbermouth! She shouldn’t have told you. Dong’er, I’ll follow you back to the Clear Sky Sect when my injury heals. I don’t know if the Yearning Heartbroken Grass can work on your injury. It’s better to let Uncle Niu Tian and Tai Tan look after it.”
484
485Wang Dong’er was doubtful as she looked at Huo Yuhao, “What’s going on? Who told you about my internal injury?”
486
487Huo Yuhao shook his head and smiled. “Don’t ask me. I’ve already plucked the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Isn’t everything fine now?”
488
489“Fine?” Wang Dong’er was confused. Her tears were about to flow again as she looked at Huo Yuhao.
490
491Huo Yuhao panicked. “Dong’er, don’t cry. Don’t worry, I’ll get well. I must get well for you! In fact, I wasn’t seriously injured this time, right…” His mind wasn’t very clear, as he just woken up. He had to watch his words even if he wanted to weave a lie.
492
493Wang Dong’er bit her lower lip. “Stop talking. I know everything. Wang Qiu’er told me everything. In fact, I know even if you don’t tell me. Was it the pouch?”
494
495Huo Yuhao didn’t make a sound.
496
497Wang Dong’er’s lips twisted slightly, and she clenched her fist. “Eldest uncle! Second uncle! The two of you…”
498
499Huo Yuhao felt something wrong with the atmosphere, and hurriedly said, “Dong’er, don’t be mistaken! The two of them are doing this for your own good. Not anyone can pluck the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. Only I can do so. It’s only right that I went! It’s fine as long as you are okay.”
500
501“Alright.” Wang Dong’er relaxed and didn’t say anything else. She smiled and said, “They are my uncles. Why would I blame them? Alright, you should talk less since you just woke up. Go ahead and rest. I still haven’t informed everyone that you’re awake.”
502
503Huo Yuhao said, “Oh. Then you should go and tell eldest senior. They are busy with their cultivation, so don’t ask them to come over. I can’t do anything anyway since I just woke up. Let me recover first.”
504
505“Alright. That’s also my intention. It’s better not to let anyone disturb you. Lie down first. I’ll go and wash your clothes.”
506
507“Okay. It’s been tough on you, Dong’er.”
508
509Wang Dong’er shook her head, “It’s what I should be doing. Shut your eyes and rest.”
510
511As she spoke, she took the basin filled with Huo Yuhao’s dirty clothes and went to the bathroom.
512
513She closed the bathroom door and couldn’t control her emotions anymore. She clenched her fists tightly, and her face turned red from her anger and pain.
514
515“Eldest uncle, second uncle, why did the two of you do such a thing to Yuhao!? Wasn’t the test at Clear Sky Peak enough?”
516
517Wang Dong’er was intelligent. Even though Huo Yuhao didn’t say anything, she could guess that it was because of the pouch. Even if Huo Yuhao had needed to pluck the Yearning Heartbroken Grass, her uncles should have followed him, given their cultivations. After hearing Wang Qiu’er’s recounting of events, she knew that the Setting Sun Forest was very dangerous. Before even seeing the Yearning Heartbroken Grass, Huo Yuhao had already met with danger several times!
518
519Huo Yuhao wasn’t stupid. Wang Dong’er knew that he would have known that it was a test. However, this test had been too difficult. What would she have done if Huo Yuhao didn’t make it out alive?
520
521She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. She muttered to herself, “From today onward, I’m no longer the young mistress of the Clear Sky Sect. I’m Huo Yuhao’s wife. I’ll repay Huo Yuhao for everything that he’s done for me with my life.”
522
523After she finished speaking, her facial expression started to calm down. However, she still looked a little cold, “Eldest uncle, second uncle, I’ll deal with the two of you when I return.”
524
525—
526
527Two manly guys who were drinking shuddered at the same moment. They even almost spilled their wine…
528
529—
530
531Huo Yuhao was feeling very calm now. Although his body was very weak, he was very happy now. He was also feeling very calm.
532
533He was very satisfied to be alive and able to see Wang Dong’er again. He was also satisfied to pass her the Yearning Heartbroken Grass. At least he was still alive!
534
535I will get well. Huo Yuhao shut his eyes, and a figure slowly appeared in his mind. It was someone who cut a sad figure.
536
537Qiu’er! How did she save me? I clearly felt that I was going to die then.
538
539His doubts and the ravishing figure caused him to open his eyes. He sighed. Huo Yuhao knew that he owed Wang Qiu’er another favor. Without her, he couldn’t have survived. It’s just that he didn’t know what method she had used to save him.
540
541She saved his life, and it wasn’t the first time! Qiu’er, how am I supposed to return this favor?
542
543Huo Yuhao took in a deep breath and felt an intense pain coming from his chest. To prevent Wang Dong’er from worrying, he stopped himself from shouting.
544
545He relaxed his body, and his pain slowly lessened. Huo Yuhao focused and inspected his own body.
546
547When he did, he was stunned. He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Is this really my body?
548
549His body wasn’t even in a bad condition. It was messy.
550
551His passageways were messed up. They were like wool that had formed knots again after being unfurled. The tips couldn’t be found at all.
552
553He didn’t use his soul power to resist the Blazing Sunspring water. His throat, windpipe and even internal organs were scorched. With the help of a weird force, his burnt organs had recovered. However, the recovery process became very messy because he didn’t guide it. His organs were stuck together, and his passageways were jumbled up. Different energies were also present in these passageways. There was the heat from the Blazing Sunspring water, his own soul power and the origin energy that the Snow Empress had brought in. It was messy!
554
555On the surface, he seemed fine. However, he had only staved off death. The mystical force had protected his important organs so that the various energies within him wouldn’t conflict. Otherwise, he would have died many times over.
556
557This was terrible. Even though Huo Yuhao’s state of mind was still stable, he could only laugh bitterly to himself now.
558
559It was precisely because his condition was so messy that Elder Zhuang didn’t dare to treat him. With his current condition, the various forms of energies, the mystical force protecting him and the life aura brought about his Life’s Gold achieved a delicate balance. This ensured his survival. If he tried to do anything, he might endanger himself. Treatment might instead put his life at risk.
560
561Elder Zhuang had already communicated with Elder Xuan in secret. Unless a miracle happened, Huo Yuhao would be disabled. Even if he could survive, it would be difficult for him to stand up again. As long as this delicate balance was maintained, his life would only end when the mystical force disappeared.
562
563Only Elder Zhuang and Elder Xuan knew about this. Elder Xuan couldn’t bear to tell the rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters. Moreover, Elder Xuan didn’t believe Huo Yuhao would collapse just like this. Huo Yuhao was always one to create miracles!
564
565What should he do? After laughing bitterly to himself, Huo Yuhao thought of something. Just like Elder Xuan believed, he wasn’t one to bow down to fate.
566
567Huo Yuhao could also sense the balance in his body. In fact, he was even clearer than Elder Zhuang about his own body’s condition. He had the Ice Empress, the Snow Empress and the Skydream Iceworm’s strength inside his body, and the origin energy of Ultimate Ice compressed into his soul bones. There was also the portion of energy sucked away by the Snow Lady. He would be doomed if everything blew apart.
568
569After pondering for a moment, Huo Yuhao straightened out his thoughts. First, he told himself not to panic. He couldn’t rush to succeed.
570
571
572
573
574
575Chapter 267.1: Working Hard For the Sake of Recovering
576
577
578Despite the fact that he had risked everything to help Wang Dong’er obtain the Yearning Heartbroken Grass, he valued his life like all human beings, particularly since he could only make Dong’er happy if he lived!
579
580A stable mental state allowed Huo Yuhao to calm down. He examined his body once more, and quickly discovered a source of hope.
581
582That’s right, at this moment, his body was completely chaotic. Even the passageways in his hands were all tangled up, and he could not move a single finger. However, there was still one place that remained intact in him. That was his brain.
583
584In other words, despite his poor physical state, his mental state was still perfectly intact. Furthermore, after he used the Fullmoon Piercing Autumn Dew, the quality of his mental state had changed too. His Spirit Eyes appeared to be evolving once more. All these were exceptional accomplishments!
585
586In other words, while Huo Yuhao’s cultivation may have retarded, and he did not dare to use his own soul power as much, his Spirit Eyes remained the same, and his Spiritual Sea had not changed. In fact, it could be said to have become stronger. His concrete-immaterial realm was further stabilized by his love for Dong’er. This allowed his spirit to ascend to the next level, and he even possessed a unique move where his spiritual power merged with his soul power, the Goddess of Light.
587
588This was his advantage right now. His spiritual power had awakened within him, and was on the verge of recovery. It remained vibrant. Supported by his spiritual power, he used his Spiritual Detection and the Purple Demon Eyes of his Mustard Seed Domain to sense every change in his body. With his powerful spiritual power as his shield, he could try and heal himself.
589
590His spiritual power was another form of energy. It was possible for him to use his spiritual power to safeguard his passageways.
591
592After he cleared his mind, Huo Yuhao did not panic. There was no point in panicking. He had to wait for his recovery to reach its peak before he could do anything. At the same time, as he woke up, the functions of his body started to recover too. Like this, the power of the Life Gold could be felt once again. Its powerful life energy allowed him to continue possessing a powerful life energy. No matter how his recovery went, it would become easier.
593
594After Bei Bei and the others heard that Huo Yuhao had woken up, they all came to visit him. Elder Xuan came too. However, Elder Xuan instructed that no one would be allowed to disturb Huo Yuhao. Hence, everyone could only visit him once a week. His recovery would be completely managed by Wang Dong’er.
595
596Huo Yuhao lay there for three days. In these three days, he did nothing. He quietly enjoyed Wang Dong’er’s care.
597
598Indeed, it was a form of enjoyment. While his body could not move and his insides were all messed up, he could look at Wang Dong’er take care of him every day. This filled him with an unspeakable warmth. Particularly at night, when Wang Dong’er, blushing, climbed into bed next to him to sleep wearing only her underwear. This made his spiritual power recover extremely quickly. Perhaps this was the power of love. Of course, this could also be due to his Goddess of Light’s soul-spirit fusion skill.
599
600Huo Yuhao did not tell Wang Dong’er the truth. He just said that he needed some time to recover. This was good too, because Wang Dong’er did not probe or ask him any more questions. All she did was care for him tirelessly. She did not want to put any pressure on him. To her, no matter what became of Huo Yuhao in the future, no matter whether he could recover or not, she would never leave him.
601
602—
603
604Dawn, three days later…
605
606He opened his eyes, and in the depths of his twin pupils, a purple light flashed. Everything around him became much clearer, and with each thought that passed through his mind, he felt as if the entire Sea God’s Island was within his mental grasp.
607
608It turned out that everything was not as bad as he had thought.
609
610When she felt the slight change in Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er immediately roused herself. She sat up hurriedly and asked anxiously, “Yuhao, are you fine?”
611
612Huo Yuhao smiled at her and asked, “Do I look fine? Dong’er, close your eyes.”
613
614“Eh?” Wang Dong’er looked at him suspiciously. Under his insistence, she closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes lightly touched the bottoms of her eyes, making her irresistibly alluring.
615
616In the next instant, Wang Dong’er saw it too. To her shock, she realized that she was looking at the entire Sea God’s Island as if it were a 3D model. She could even ‘see’ the colors of the island, as if she was a pair of eyes in the sky gazing down on the island.
617
618No, no, she was not just gazing down. She could see every small detail of the island. The only thing that she could not see clearly was the area around the Sea God’s Pavilion, which seemed to be protected by a layer of golden light. That had to be the power of the Golden Tree…
619
620Was, was this Spiritual Detection Sharing? Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection Sharing?
621
622Wang Dong’er opened her eyes suddenly. With wide eyes, she looked at Huo Yuhao and said, her voice trembling, “Yuhao, Yuhao, you…”
623
624Huo Yuhao looked at her and said, “I said that I’m fine. Your husband is like an indestructible cockroach. This is the result of three days of hard work. Afterward, everything will become better. Eh, I can still do this.”
625
626Wang Dong’er watched as Huo Yuhao’s eyes turned bright purple. To others, this might have been be slightly unsettling. However, that was not the case for Wang Dong’er. At that moment, there was only excitement and hope in her heart. She could finally see a hope of recovery for him!
627
628—
629
630Elder Xuan drank from a gourd in his room. Ever since he became the Master of the Sea God’s Pavilion, he could not be as degenerate as before. After all, he represented the highest level of Shrek Academy. However, he still liked his life of holding a gourd in one hand and a chicken drumstick in the other. However, he could now only do it within the confines of his room.
631
632However, no matter how much fine wine he drank these past few days, his mood could not get better. “Huo Yuhao, Huo Yuhao, what has happened to you? How can I answer to Elder Mu after I die!? This child, really…”
633
634Elder Xuan could not voice his discontent in in public. After all, he had done what he did to save the person he loved. He did not know if he would have the courage to do so himself.
635
636At this point, Elder Xuan’s dusky eyes narrowed. To him, it was as if the entire room had become brighter.
637
638“Who’s there?” Elder Xuan asked in a low voice. A powerful energy pulsed from his body.
639
640“Elder Xuan, it’s me,” a clear voice replied. Instantly, Elder Xuan felt a warm spirit appear in his room. It did not dare to approach him, but instead stopped at his door. Then, a thin layer of purple started to spread and turned into a smiling face, which looked at him.
641
642“Eh? This is?” Elder Xuan looked at the smiling face in shock. “Yuhao? How, how did you do this?”
643
644Of course, who could the face be other than Huo Yuhao?
645
646Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and said, “While my body is weak, I used some herbs that helped to increase my spiritual power when I was helping Dong’er find her Yearning Heartbroken Grass. They allowed my spiritual power to increase exponentially. It is like my Spiritual Eyes has undergone a second evolution. This has allowed my spiritual power to reach the concrete-immaterial realm, and thus, I can communicate with you from afar. This is a manifestation of my spiritual power. While I’m not yet adept at wielding it, I’m sure time will better it.”
647
648Elder Xuan looked at him dumbfounded and asked, “How’s your body? Your spiritual power can do this?”
649
650Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll get better.”
651
652Elder Xuan chucked his gourd to the side and said, “I’ll head over right now.” As he said that, he flew out of the door. In the blink of an eye, he was outside Huo Yuhao’s room.
653
654When he looked at Elder Xuan, who was charging toward his room with a face of shock, Huo Yuhao smiled happily. His successful experimentation told him that his spiritual power had truly reached a new level. It was no longer purely ‘spiritual’ like before. While it was still metaphysical, and could not attack like his soul power, he could do many things that he could not before.
655
656For example, his Spiritual Detection could be used for communication like what he had just done with Elder Xuan. At the same time, he felt that his Spiritual Detection’s range was not bad. The Sea God’s Island was not too big, but its diameter was at least one kilometer. He could already see everything on the island, as well as parts of Sea God’s Lake.
657
658Through his Spiritual Detection Sharing, he originally could only use it to instruct others. Now, he could connect directly with the spiritual power of another person. Then, he could communicate intentions with the other party. Not only did this fulfil his role as a control-type soul master, but he could also seek others’ opinions. While his body could not move, he could easily talk to anyone on Sea God’s Island.
659
660Under his body’s present condition, this was a piece of excellent news. With the recovery of his spiritual power, Huo Yuhao became clearer about the condition of his body. He was not afraid that he would not recover. Since he was alive, there must be a reason for it. With spiritual power, while he could not use it to attack anything in the world around him, he could use it to fuse with his soul power inside him and achieve terrifying results. This was an extremely intricate scalpel. Huo Yuhao understood that the only way to heal himself was through himself.
661
662“Your spiritual power, Yuhao?” Elder Xuan looked at him with an indescribable expression in his eyes.
663
664
665
666
667
668Chapter 267.2: Working Hard For the Sake of Recovering
669
670
671As a Class 98 Transcendent Douluo who was only a step away from becoming an Ultimate Douluo, Elder Xuan could do everything that Huo Yuhao had just done. While he was not a spirit-type soul master, he could also force his spiritual power to take a concrete shape. However, he could not let the manifestation of his spiritual power leave his field of view. If he did, he would lose control over it.
672
673In terms of spiritual power, Huo Yuhao could not compare to Elder Xuan. However, in terms of control of his spiritual power, as well as the quality of his spiritual power, Huo Yuhao had already surpassed him. While he did not know how powerful Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power would be if he used it for offense, he knew that Huo Yuhao was not permanently crippled. Furthermore, his spiritual power was still increasing!
674
675Huo Yuhao chortled and replied, “Metaphysical, it has more or less stabilized.”
676
677Elder Xuan asked him immediately, “What about your Spirit Eyes? Have they improved, too?”
678
679Huo Yuhao nodded.
680
681Elder Xuan mumbled to himself, “Second Awakening, this is the Second Awakening indeed! Your spiritual power could soon be the strongest on the entire continent. While some in the Body Sect have experienced a Second Awakening too, I can be sure that at your level, no one is more powerful than you. This is excellent. How are your wounds?”
682
683Huo Yuhao said, “My wounds are still problematic. However, I’m confident. For the Academy, for the Tang Sect, for Dong’er and I, I’ll do my best to recover.”
684
685Elder Xuan nodded and said seriously, “Don’t rush it.”
686
687Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “I won’t, don’t worry. With Dong’er accompanying me, I’m in no rush at all.”
688
689Wang Dong’er gripped his hand lightly and smiled. She wished to take care of him forever. After this incident, their mindset toward their relationship had experienced a huge change. Their understanding of love way surpassed that of their peers.
690
691Elder Xuan said, “How about this? You use your spiritual power to come up with a healing plan for yourself. Elder Zhuang and I will monitor you as you heal yourself. In case something happens, we can at least keep you alive. This will give you a free hand in your own recuperation.”
692
693“Okay,” Huo Yuhao accepted the offer readily. With two Transcendent Douluo helping his recovery, it would naturally be a lot safer. His condition was complex indeed.
694
695Elder Xuan thought for a while, and then said, “Furthermore, don’t tell anyone about the second evolution of your body soul. For now, don’t even tell the other members of the Shrek’s Seven Monsters.”
696
697“Is there a need for this secrecy?” Huo Yuhao asked.
698
699Elder Xuan’s mouth twitched as he said, “This is a secret weapon. Furthermore, after you have recovered, we need to talk about your punishment.”
700
701Huo Yuhao was stunned. With a bitter expression, he said, “There’s punishment!?”
702
703Elder Xuan said angrily, “Of course. If everyone behaved as recklessly as you, without a care for the rules, how could we run the Academy? I’m informing you right now that you have been expelled from the Sea God’s Pavilion. You can make up for your wrong with deeds of merit, and perhaps we’ll consider re-instituting you as a member of the Sea God’s Pavilion. Furthermore, the rewards from your future research into spirits have been canceled. If you die outside, how can you answer to Elder Mu? You little bastard, you really piss me off.”
704
705Elder Xuan was angry indeed! How could he not be? Who exactly was Huo Yuhao? He was Elder Mu’s designated successor as the Master of the Sea God’s Pavilion. He had also been trained under the Ultimate Soldier Plan. However, in the face of his emotions, he had forgotten all his obligations and duties. He had risked his life to head to the Setting Sun Forest without even informing the school! It was a miracle that he had returned alive!
706
707If Huo Yuhao had died outside, the impact on Shrek Academy would have been immeasurable! The blow would have been akin to the entire Academy losing its hope for the future and direction.
708
709Huo Yuhao’s face was filled with regret. He really had not been thinking straight at that point in time…
710
711“Elder Xuan, don’t be angry. I admit that I was wrong. I’ll accept whatever punishment the Academy imposes on me, just don’t expel me!…”
712
713Elder Xuan snorted coldly and said, “Expulsion? Don’t tempt me. Rest well for now. After you come up with a recovery plan, inform me immediately. Elder Zhuang and I will help you.”
714
715“Yes,” Huo Yuhao replied respectfully.
716
717—
718
719Elder Xuan stomped out angrily. He only smiled slightly when he left the room. It was a weird smile as he mumbled to himself, “A Second Awakening of the body soul and twin martial souls. Was there such a precedent on the continent? I don’t think so. Records, records. Well done, little bastard, you almost made me die from anger…”
720
721—
722
723As she watched Elder Xuan leave, Wang Dong’er’s pretty eyes were apologetic. “It’s all because of me. Yuhao…”
724
725Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “What do you mean by that? It’s my fault for not thinking it through. Actually, I enjoy my current life very much! I don’t have to care about anything, I don’t have to do anything, I don’t have to cultivate. I can look at you every single day. This is a blissful life indeed. Come, my Goddess of Light, give me a kiss.”
726
727Wang Dong’er could not stifle her laughter as she said, “You have interesting thoughts, indeed! Lie there and don’t move and come up with your recovery plan. When you’re well, I’ll let you kiss me.”
728
729Huo Yuhao’s eyes lit up as he said, “As many times as I want?”
730
731Wang Dong’er’s face turned red, but when she saw his look of anticipation, she nodded and said, “Yes.”
732
733Huo Yuhao gleefully exclaimed, “Great, then I shall start immediately. Don’t worry, I’ll be very, very careful. For my Dong’er, I’ll get well as fast as I can. Eh, wait for me, where should I kiss? Should I kiss your face, or should I kiss your…”
734
735“Go away!” Wang Dong’er blushed as she walked away.
736
737As he looked at how adorable she was, Huo Yuhao’s face brimmed with joy. This was a blissful sentiment indeed. If not for the fact that he still had many things to do, it would be an awesome thing if he could just lie here and accompany Dong’er! After he finished with his stuff, he planned to travel the world with her. He wanted to see everything there was under the sky, eat all the tasty food there was, and have as many enjoyable experiences as possible. This was now his life’s goal!
738
739—
740
741With this excited mentality, Huo Yuhao started to examine his body once more. With his powerful spiritual energy, he first swept his body, and then examined it region-by-region.
742
743In his Spiritual Sea, he used his spiritual power to form a model of his body. In this model, he examined all the complicated passageways. For more serious areas, he represented them with deeper colors. For less serious areas, he used lighter colors.
744
745How complicated were the passageways of a human? In spite of Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power, as well as his Sumeru and Mustard Seed Domain Purple Demon Eyes, he still took three whole days to complete this task.
746
747Then, he shared the model of his body with Elder Xuan and Elder Zhuang via Spiritual Sharing.
748
749When the two Transcendent Douluo saw the complete map of Huo Yuhao’s body formed using his metaphysical spiritual power, they could not help but exclaim in awe. Neither of them could control their spiritual power at Huo Yuhao’s level!
750
751Then, they used a week’s time to determine the condition of all of Huo Yuhao’s passageways to come up with a recovery plan. They considered every tiny detail to great lengths so as to minimize errors.
752
753After ten days of rest, Huo Yuhao’s body had recovered quite a bit. The power of his Life Gold was fully revealed. While his injuries were still there, his body brimmed with life. His self-recovery ability was back, and had started to absorb some of the extremely cold origin energy of heaven and earth. While its speed of absorption was slow, Huo Yuhao carefully observed that there was nothing he could not do. In two years, all of the origin energy of heaven and earth in his body, other than that trapped in his soul bones, would be completely absorbed.
754
755Then, it would be a lot easier to heal himself.
756
757However, Huo Yuhao could not afford any delays. There were only twenty more days until the tournament. In twenty days’ time, he had to recover all his battling abilities.
758
759Without Tang Ya and Bei Bei, there would be no him. One could say that the Tang Sect had made him. This time, they were fighting for the Tang Sect! How could Huo Yuhao miss it? While he did not say it, he was determined to recover. Only then could he head to the Sun Moon Empire with everyone else. He was not only the center of his team because of his understanding of the Sun Moon Empire, but also their hope for winning.
760
761Furthermore, if he waited a year, all of the problematic passageways in his body would have fully set. If he wanted to make a change then, it would be much more difficult.
762
763After his recovery plan was finalized, Huo Yuhao started to act.
764
765His plan was simple. He would start small before moving on to the more severe injuries. He would be in charge of the initial stages of his recovery.
766
767After a careful analysis, Huo Yuhao, Elder Xuan, and Elder Zhuang discovered that Huo Yuhao’s body could be split into three different conditions. Some parts of his body were intact, some parts of it were slightly injured, and some parts of it were severely messed up and badly injured.
768
769Hence, Huo Yuhao had to first heal his lighter injuries before progressing to the more serious ones.
770
771His legs and head were perfect. These three parts of his body were completely uninjured. His hands were slightly injured, as were the passageways in his shoulders. The most problematic part of his body was his torso. That was where the problems lay.
772
773
774
775
776
777Chapter 267.3: Working Hard For the Sake of Recovering
778
779
780Hence, Huo Yuhao started with the recovery of his hands first.
781
782He distributed his soul power inside himself, concentrating it on his dantian. Huo Yuhao felt the Extreme Chill Icespring origin energy of heaven and earth brought by the Snow Empress. His cultivation had been reduced to three rings, which meant that he could only use the energy of three rings in battle. But he was still a soul king!
783
784Huo Yuhao first started to open up the meridians of his lower limbs.
785
786His powerful spiritual energy slowly entered his dantian and intermingled with his soul power. As his torso passageways were blocked, his soul power had not been able to undergo circular cultivation for a long time, causing them to appear sluggish. However, as Huo Yuhao directed his cultivation, his foundation was strong, and under the guidance of his spiritual energy, it slowly came back to life.
787
788Huo Yuhao’s methodology was simple. First, he allowed his soul power to enter his legs, which helped to gradually open up the rigid passageways in his legs. Then, he made it do a simple circulation from his legs to his central meridians. This circulation allowed his soul power to come back to life.
789
790While this could not increase his level of cultivation and was not helpful to his absorption of the origin energy of heaven and earth, this allowed his soul power to circulate non-stop. Soon, his legs regained their feeling After an entire day’s worth of circulation, Huo Yuhao could slowly and awkwardly raise his two legs. Wang Dong’er was so happy that she wept. At the very least, his legs could move! Every energy field in his lower limbs regained its feeling.
791
792This was only the first day of recovery, and he had already obtained such good results. This made Elder Xuan, Elder Zhuang, and Wang Dong’er extremely happy.
793
794Through the circulation of his soul power, Huo Yuhao slowly withdrew the soul power in his legs, and then combined them with the soul power in his meridians. This allowed him to control more than two-thirds of his soul power.
795
796Of course, he could not use his soul power straightaway. His passageways were battered by both the extreme chill of the origin energy of heaven and earth and the extreme heat of the Blazing Sunspring. They were already weak and messed up. All Huo Yuhao was trying to do was establish a foundation in his own body.
797
798He next started treatment of his arms.
799
800The passageways in his arms had been moderately injured due to the burns on his hands. Even after some self-recovery, they were still chaotic.
801
802In comparison, the soul power in his arms could not be compared to that of his dantian. It could not even compare to his legs. However, Huo Yuhao had one advantage, which was the advantage of the soul bones in his arms. His left arm had the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, and his right arm had the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's Right Palm Bone.
803
804With these two soul bones, while the flesh and skin of his hands were severely injured, the bones in his hands were safe. If not, if his bones had melted, he would have become a true cripple.
805
806It was not easy to open his meridians and remodel them. Actually, it was a very painful thing to do. However, at this point, Huo Yuhao was not fighting alone.
807
808They had a complete plan for what to do. Under Elder Zhuang’s assistance, Huo Yuhao forced open every single meridian. As blood spurted from his hands and countless wounds appeared, he was able to force them back into their original positions and fuse with his body once more.
809
810After this was done, Elder Zhuang used his powerful healing soul skills to help Huo Yuhao’s hands recover their vital energy. Then, the elder sent the blood back into his body.
811
812The pain Huo Yuhao experienced throughout this process was nothing. In only a day’s time, he was able to move his hands again, although, due to the interference from his torso’s damaged nerves, his arms were unable to move for now.
813
814The start was good. However, what came next was more worrisome.
815
816According to the plan, the next step was also the most crucial step. They had to first expel the Fire Poison left in Huo Yuhao’s body by the Blazing Sunspring. Only then could he start the next step of his recovery. Otherwise, if the Fire Poison, which was close to his heart, suddenly kicked in, Huo Yuhao would die.
817
818How would he take it out?
819
820They would open his chest to take the poison out.
821
822—
823
824“Yuhao, are you ready?” Elder Zhuang asked.
825
826It was morning, and Wang Dong’er helped Huo Yuhao clean his body. He then lay supine on his bed. When she was washing him, Wang Dong’er’s hands could not stop trembling. No matter what he said, she could not be mollified.
827
828The operation today was too important. If it succeeded, Huo Yuhao would make a complete recovery. If it failed…
829
830“I’m ready,” Huo Yuhao nodded at Elder Zhuang while smiling slightly at Elder Xuan and Wang Dong’er.
831
832Elder Zhuang said, “There can be no error. If there is, you will die.”
833
834Huo Yuhao chortled, “There will be no error. I’m sturdy, and I won’t die so easily. Elder Zhuang, Elder Xuan, don’t worry. Get ready to start. Snow Lady!”
835
836At his command, a ray of orange light appeared from his forehead. Was that not the Snow Lady?
837
838The Snow Lady was different compared to before. Initially, she had resembled an infant, but now she had grown up visibly. She looked like a girl who was over two years old. The only thing that remained unchanged were her deep blue eyes.
839
840“Eeeyaaa! Dad, dad…” the Snow Lady cried out, shocking everyone.
841
842She, she could talk, in human speech!
843
844Huo Yuhao said in surprise, “Snow Lady, you can talk?”
845
846Snow Lady pointed to Huo Yuhao’s chest and said seriously, “Dad, dad, pain.”
847
848Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head and said, “Daddy is not in pain. I’ll get better soon. In a while, it’ll all depend on you.”
849
850The Snow Lady nodded her head vigorously and said, “Dad… Dad, no pain, no fear.”
851
852Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Get ready, I’ll guide you.”
853
854The Snow Lady opened her eyes wider and gently nodded her head.
855
856Huo Yuhao’s eyes turned purple. A layer of purplish-gold light appeared, completely enveloping the Snow Lady.
857
858The Fire Poison from the Blazing Sunspring was an extreme form of flame. To heal it, one would need a very powerful form of ice to protect Huo Yuhao’s body. Furthermore, only a powerful type of ice could draw out the Fire Poison. Huo Yuhao’s soul power was mostly in his torso, and hence, he could not use it. The only way to do so was through the Snow Lady.
859
860The Snow Lady floated next to the bed and knelt down next to Huo Yuhao. With her small hand, she slowly touched Huo Yuhao’s bare chest.
861
862One could see that the center of Huo Yuhao’s chest, particularly the area near his heart, was dark red. The air above this dark red patch of skin twisted and turned.
863
864The Snow Lady’s left hand was pressed at the location between the dark red skin and Huo Yuhao’s heart. The moment her hand touched it, a faint mist appeared. The temperature of the air around it fluctuated quickly. Cold and heat interchanged with each other, and Huo Yuhao’s face turned red and white.
865
866Everyone held their breath. This moment was too important. Due to the extreme nature of the elements involved, no one could save Huo Yuhao but himself.
867
868The Snow Lady slowly raised her right hand. A transparent, icy-cold dagger formed in her hand. Its tip was razor-sharp, and it was pointed straight at Huo Yuhao’s chest.
869
870Wang Dong’er turned her head away, not daring to look anymore. She clutched her fists tightly and in her mind, all she could think about was how she was responsible for it. Yuhao, Yuhao, you have to live!
871
872The Snow Lady did not make everyone wait long. Everything was calculated with precision by Huo Yuhao.
873
874The dagger came down.
875
876Pu-! The dagger pierced into Huo Yuhao’s chest.
877
878Under the guidance of the Ultimate Ice, the Fire Poison in Huo Yuhao’s body spurted out immediately. A wound about the size of a fist burst open on Huo Yuhao’s chest. Blazing hot blood spurted out.
879
880Elder Xuan and Elder Zhuang were prepared. With his right hand, Elder Xuan was able to direct the ball of burning-hot blood away from the Snow Lady and into a clear blue bottle.
881
882Elder Zhuang’s hands trembled, and an emerald-green halo surrounded Huo Yuhao’s body. An immensely powerful life energy started to rise, and the energy in Huo Yuhao’s body began to increase exponentially along with it.
883
884The Snow Lady’s left hand, which was placed on Huo Yuhao’s chest, started to tremble violently. Most of the Poison was extracted, but some of it became active and rushed toward his heart.
885
886The activation at this moment had been too intense. Even though Huo Yuhao had been prepared, he still felt an intense heat rising in his heart.
887
888His biggest problem now was that his Ultimate Ice could not protect him. All he could do was rely on the Snow Lady’s power. This was the most dangerous moment. Once the Fire Poison broke through her defenses, he was a goner.
889
890At this moment, a layer of emerald-green light started to rise from Huo Yuhao’s body. The light was concentrated on a few ribs near Huo Yuhao’s heart. The intense Ultimate Ice energy was channeled outward in unison with the Snow Lady’s power. Together, they expelled the Fire Poison from his body.
891
892After the incident in the Setting Sun Forest, Huo Yuhao had matured. He also did things more seriously. Like he had said, he would not allow an accident. This was because he still had a trump card, which was the million-year soul ring from the Skydream Iceworm.
893
894Under the Skydream Iceworm’s guidance, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s Ultimate Ice power was the last line of defense. It was able to protect his heart perfectly. At that moment, the extreme chill caused the circulation of blood in his heart to fall to one-tenth of its normal pace, turning Huo Yuhao’s face white. However, the Fire Poison had been expelled.
895
896While the Fire Poison had been expelled, it was now up to Elder Zhuang to control Huo Yuhao’s massive outflow of blood.
897
898
899
900
901
902Chapter 268.1: One Hand
903
904
905Elder Zhuang calmly reached out with both hands. A layer of emerald-green light instantly blocked the fist-sized hole in Yuhao’s chest. Following that, Elder Zhuang’s hands started to move in an orderly manner. One could see countless tiny strands of green light as thin as strands of hair piercing Huo Yuhao’s body.
906
907He was deft indeed, the countless strands of green light vibrated non-stop. The wound on Huo Yuhao’s chest recovered at an astonishing pace. Not only that, but the meridians around the Fire Poison returned to their original positions in a neat and orderly manner.
908
909Elder Xuan walked to the side of the bed and pressed down on a particular spot on Huo Yuhao’s abdomen with two hands. A gentle soul power came from his palms and entered Huo Yuhao’s body, enveloping his internal organs. Only then did Elder Xuan nod slightly at Elder Zhuang.
910
911Elder Zhuang intoned, “Return to your positions!”
912
913The two elders acted together. The soul power Elder Xuan released vibrated slightly, and Huo Yuhao’s entire body trembled violently. He spat out a mouthful of purplish-red blood.
914
915The Snow Lady raised her right hand, and a ray of dark-blue light shot out. Instantly, the blood froze into an ice cube, which she held on to.
916
917Elder Xuan’s hands remained where they were, while Elder Zhuang started to hit Huo Yuhao’s body rapidly with his palms.
918
919The two elders worked together. Elder Xuan protected Huo Yuhao’s internal organs, while Elder Zhuang helped get his passageways back in order. Throughout this entire process, not only did Huo Yuhao have to endure great pain, but he also had to use his Spiritual Detection to assist the elders in finding the right spots.
920
921Wang Dong’er had turned around by now. She stood near Huo Yuhao’s head. Her beautiful eyes were icy as she continually used a towel to wipe away the filthy blood that came out of Huo Yuhao’s mouth and nose. To calm herself, she appeared to have sealed off her feelings. If not, she probably would not have been able to endure the emotional pain.
922
923The entire process did not take very long, only around three minutes. However, to the four of them, these three minutes felt like a year!
924
925Finally, Elder Zhuang stopped. With one last stroke, he let his hands sweep Huo Yuhao’s body from his shoulders all the way to his abdomen. A powerful vital energy reverberated through his body and then slowly rose up through his body from his guts, following the motion of Elder Zhuang’s hands.
926
927A massive amount of filthy blood spurted out from Huo Yuhao’s mouth. This was the clotted blood in his body. Elder Zhuang had just expelled it from him.
928
929Now, Elder Zhuang’s hands were back on Huo Yuhao’s shoulders. Both he and Elder Xuan sighed in relief. Color seemed to be seeping back into Huo Yuhao’s face.
930
931Elder Zhuang’s head steamed. The treatment just now had drained him, too. While the entire process did not require a lot of soul power, it was still extremely stressful for him. He had to organize all of the chaotic passageways in Huo Yuhao’s body, place his organs back into position, and expel his clogged blood.
932
933This process had to be completed quickly, as Huo Yuhao might not be able to withstand it. If that happened, his efforts would have been wasted. Furthermore, the longer it took, the more blood Huo Yuhao would lose.
934
935Huo Yuhao panted and took in great gasps of air. His chest, which had showed no real movement in the past twenty days, started to rise and fall gently.
936
937Wang Dong’er had already used up many towels. She did not let a single drop of filthy blood stain his body.
938
939Elder Zhuang turned to look at Elder Xuan and nodded slightly.
940
941Elder Xuan withdrew his soul power. However, the two elders looked at Huo Yuhao anxiously.
942
943Now that his organs were back in position and his main passageways had been cleared, the important thing was whether Huo Yuhao’s body could rebuild its circulatory system. This included the circulation of his blood and soul power, and whether he could control their circulation.
944
945Huo Yuhao’s pale-white face forced a smile. He had no energy to talk, and his entire body was covered with a dense layer of sweat. His body was wracked with excruciating pain.
946
947At this moment, the most important issue had been resolved. However, the ice-type origin energy of heaven and earth was still in his body. His own soul power, other than what was below his dantian, was still in a state of chaos. Furthermore, there were countless passageways in his body. Elder Zhuang had only helped him clear up the most important ones. As for the rest, he had to do it himself.
948
949When he saw that trace of a smile on Huo Yuhao’s face, Elder Xuan finally exhaled in relief. This guy’s life is safe. He will now enter a normal recovery phase.
950
951Huo Yuhao closed his eyes. He knew that this was not the time for him to rest. His organs and passageways had just returned to their original positions. The vast ice-type origin energy of heaven and earth in his body had finally came under control thanks to Elder Zhuang’s soul energy. If he could not exert control over it immediately, his internal situation would surely regress after a night’s rest. No one knew how long it would then take for his passageways to clear up.
952
953Thus, Huo Yuhao did not care how weak his passageways were, he immediately tried to connect his spiritual power with the soul power in his dantian. Then, he forced his soul power to circulate through his body. He wanted to regain autonomy of his body, so he had to allow his soul energy to flow through his body. Only then could he suppress the origin energy present within him.
954
955This was a painful process. As his soul energy rose in his body, he had to endure a pain that was akin to being pierced by ten thousand needles. Even more beads of sweat dripped from his body. The mattress underneath him was almost completely soaked.
956
957Wang Dong’er continually wiped him down with towels. Elder Zhuang and Elder Xuan observed him carefully from the side.
958
959A look of admiration slowly appeared in Elder Zhuang’s eyes. He turned to look at Elder Xuan and nodded, saying, “No wonder Elder Mu chose this child. Among all the soul masters I’ve seen, he has the strongest will. He can bear such intense pain, and he did not utter a single word throughout the entire treatment. What a lad!”
960
961Elder Xuan nodded too, and said, “Looking at him now makes me relieved. He really is like an indestructible cockroach. As long as he can recover, he’ll be even stronger than before. The origin energy in his body is vast, indeed. If he can absorb all of it, it’ll surely aid his cultivation in the future. For a soul master with an Ultimate soul, this increase would be as fast as a rocket. It seems like he is growing up much faster than we had expected.”
962
963Elder Zhuang chortled, “Just don’t force him to grow up quicker than usual. For him, we should protect him well. He’s our hope for the future! As long as the Academy has him, we have nothing to worry about for the next hundred years.”
964
965Elder Xuan snorted, “If this bastard gives me any more problems in the future, I’ll tie him to the main pillar of the Sea God’s Pavilion so that he can’t run anywhere.” After he said that, he could not help but laugh too. Indeed, the deeper the love, the stricter the treatment!
966
967Huo Yuhao’s soul power slowly rose through his body, and his passageways slowly opened up. Under his careful guidance, which was derived from his control over his spiritual power, he inserted the origin energy of Ultimate Ice into his legs as he continued to let his soul power rise through his body.
968
969Even the naked eye could see that icy-blue energy creeping over his legs. Huo Yuhao’s body trembled slightly, but he was now sweating much less. His legs experienced the greatest change. Whenever sweat appeared, it would freeze over.
970
971As Huo Yuhao came up with his recovery plan, he came to a difficult decision after much analysis. The ice-type origin energy of heaven and earth in his body was way too powerful, to the point where his soul power could not operate as usual with its presence. All his soul power could do was circulate through his body at a sluggish pace. Even if his body made a complete recovery, his cultivation would only be at the level of a three-ringed soul master. This was unacceptable.
972
973Even though he was severely injured, he still cared about the tournament. As the main player of his team, how could he not take part? Hence, he thought of a plan, which was to send all the origin energy of heaven and earth into his legs.
974
975In the human body, the legs took up the greatest space. Blood flowed easily there. In comparison, the most important area for the circulation of soul energy was the torso. By forcing the origin energy of Ultimate Ice into his legs, it was akin to turning his legs into a storage space as he compressed the origin energy into them. Doing so would allow his soul power to circulate through the upper half of his body. According to his estimate, as well as the two elders’ calculations, he could recover up to 70-80% of his cultivation. This would be enough for him to enter the tournament. Furthermore, the normal flow of his soul power would make it easier for him to absorb the origin energy of heaven and earth. It would be absorbed more quickly. This was the most optimal treatment possible.
976
977However, it was not without its problems. The main problem was that the only way to store the ice-type origin energy of heaven and earth was for him to fill his legs with it. Huo Yuhao would lose control over his legs. Before he could fully absorb the energy, he would not be able to walk or move his legs at all.
978
979Temporarily, he would become a cripple. Furthermore, the origin energy of Ultimate Ice was no laughing matter. If he could not absorb it in time, he might lose control of his legs forever!
980
981The elders had not wanted him to do this at first. Instead, they had wanted to slowly let his soul power circulate through his entire body, which would be a more stable but slower way to absorb the origin energy. It was less risky, and while Huo Yuhao’s cultivation would drop by quite a bit, it would not affect his body.
982
983However, doing so would take him a few months to recover completely, as he would need to adapt to the origin energy. After his injury, the recovery of his passageways would also be affected by the presence of the origin energy. He would recover much slower, which meant that he would miss the upcoming tournament!
984
985
986
987
988
989Chapter 268.2: One Hand
990
991
992Huo Yuhao thus chose his path without any hesitation. He had to take part in the tournament. The only way to do that was to ensure the upper half of his body would not suffer any interference from the origin energy of Ultimate Ice. Only then could he make a swift recovery and take part in the tournament. So what if he could not walk? He believed that with his abilities, he could still play a part!
993
994What shocked Elder Xuan and Elder Zhuang was the fact that Wang Dong’er did not try to stop him. She said that she would not go against any of his decisions. Her mindset was simple. After this incident, Huo Yuhao and her were one. If Huo Yuhao was fine, then she would be fine. Whatever happened to him, she would accompany him. Furthermore, she understood his personality too well. If he did not take part in this tournament, he would regret it for the rest of his life. This was not something that Wang Dong’er wanted to see. Huo Yuhao also promised her that after the tournament, he would retrieve the origin energy of heaven and earth from his legs and let it dissipate through his body. There should be no problem with just storing it there for a few months.
995
996At last, Elder Xuan agreed.
997
998The origin energy of Ultimate Ice flowed continually into his legs. As the soul power from Huo Yuhao’s dantian rose, it soon spread throughout his body, and he could move the origin energy even more quickly. After all, the origin energy was an object without consciousness. Coupled with the fact that Huo Yuhao’s second martial soul was Ultimate Ice, it was still possible for him to manipulate it.
999
1000After a few minutes passed, Huo Yuhao’s legs became stranger and stranger. Initially, they were pale-white. Then, they turned light blue. This shade of blue darkened continuously, until finally, they turned dark blue.
1001
1002However, at this moment, Huo Yuhao frowned.
1003
1004“Yuhao, what’s wrong?” Elder Xuan asked in a low voice.
1005
1006Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “I can’t insert anymore. The passageways in my legs cannot take anymore. There would be complications.”
1007
1008“There’s more?” Elder Xuan asked in shock.
1009
1010Huo Yuhao said, “Not much, our estimate was correct. Initially, my legs should have been able to take the compressed origin energy of heaven and earth. However, here’s the problem. As I move the origin energy of heaven and earth toward my legs, the part that is in my torso has started to spill out as well. Originally, it was suppressed within my soul bones, but now, some of it has flowed out. My legs can’t take this extra soul power. Furthermore, this origin energy has been dissipated into my most important passageways, and it’ll severely affect my recovery.”
1011
1012Elder Xuan said, “What can we do? If you can’t take it anymore, you should stop. Take your time to recover, and don’t fret so much about the competition.”
1013
1014“No, I have to represent the Tang Sect.” Huo Yuhao said with certainty. Then, he closed his eyes once more, and he could clearly see that underneath his skin, strands of blue energy were flowing toward his left arm. Since my legs can’t take anymore, I shall give up an arm. The reason why he chose his left arm over his right was because the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone was in his left arm. It would help in compressing and absorbing the origin energy of heaven and earth.
1015
1016Wang Dong’er covered her face with her hands. She clearly knew that like this, Huo Yuhao could only move his head, his right arm, and his torso! He was like a cripple who had lost three of his limbs. All of this was because of her!
1017
1018This time, there was no problem. As all the blue energy flowed into Huo Yuhao’s left arm, his left arm turned light blue. While it was not as terrifying as his legs, it lay flat on the bed, unmoving. It looked like it was dead.
1019
1020He exhaled and tiredly opened his eyes. He looked at Elder Xuan, Elder Zhuang, and Wang Dong’er, whose tears clouded her eyes. He forced a smile and said, “See, I succeeded. Soon, I’ll make a complete recovery.”
1021
1022As his soul power flowed through his body, it was able to complete a minor circulation. While he could not make a major circulation without his legs and left arm, this minor circulation allowed him to recover 70% of his cultivation. His chest, where Elder Zhuang had healed his passageways with his soul power and which was nourished by the life energy from the Life Gold, was recovering at an astonishing pace. What he needed to do next was open up all the blocked passageways in his body. This would allow him to regain even more of his cultivation, and feel better.
1023
1024As he spoke, Huo Yuhao pressed down on the bed with his right hand and struggled to get up. Wang Dong’er rushed over to help him. He shook his head, insisting that he could get up by himself.
1025
1026This action, which was nothing to him in the past, now became exceedingly difficult. As he forced his body up bit-by-bit, the huge wound on his chest remained. There was now a layer of blood on its surface.
1027
1028Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “I’ll represent the Tang Sect in the tournament!”
1029
1030Elder Xuan huffed and said angrily, “You little bastard!” He sighed and turned away.
1031
1032Elder Zhuang smiled slightly and said, “Rest well. If you want to take part in the tournament, you must recover. Remember to massage your legs every day. Even though they can’t move, you have to make the origin energy inside them move. This will keep your body supple. Fortunately, it was Ultimate Ice, and not Ultimate Fire. If not, your passageways would have been long gone. Ultimate Ice has preservative properties. A conservative estimate states that your legs will be fine for the next half year. After half a year, no one knows what will happen. Whatever happens, remember that you can’t let it drag on for more than a year. If not, there’ll be huge problems, understand?”
1033
1034“Yes,” Huo Yuhao replied respectfully.
1035
1036Elder Zhuang reminded him a few more times before leaving. This treatment had given him much inspiration. For such a special case like Huo Yuhao, he had to quickly record it so that he could come up with better treatment plans in the future. While three of Huo Yuhao’s limbs could not move, this treatment could still be said to be perfect. At the very least, Huo Yuhao’s life was no longer in danger.
1037
1038As she sent Elder Zhuang out, Wang Dong’er asked carefully if there was anything she had to take note of while caring for him. Only then did she return to the room. The moment she entered, she could not help but dash to the side of the bed and jump into his embrace.
1039
1040Huo Yuhao used his only movable hand, which was still trembling, to hold her by her slim waist.
1041
1042“Silly girl, can’t you see that I’m better now? You should be happy! Don’t cry, this is all thanks to your meticulous care. However, you’ve gotten skinnier. Look at you, you’re a bag of bones. You must stay healthy so that you can care for me.”
1043
1044“Yes, yes!” Wang Dong’er agreed non-stop. However, tears flowed down her cheeks like a broken necklace of pearls.
1045
1046“Dong’er, can I explain something about Qiu’er to you?” Huo Yuhao asked. He felt that he should tell Dong’er some things. For example, the fact that they could fuse their martial souls. This would prevent a future misunderstanding from arising.
1047
1048Wang Dong’er shook her head vigorously. From his embrace, she sat up and looked at him. They were only inches apart. She said tearfully, “Yuhao, I don’t want to or need to hear any explanation. After today, no matter what happens, I’ll trust you completely. You’ve already proven to me that you are the one who loves me more than anyone else in the world.”
1049
1050Huo Yuhao could not help but laugh. “Saying that will make your parents sad.”
1051
1052Wang Dong’er said, “It’s different, how can parental love compare with how you treat me…? Furthermore, after so many years, they have never visited me once.”
1053
1054Huo Yuhao quickly changed the topic as he said, “Alright, alright, don’t cry. Help me lay down to rest.” The entire treatment had been a test of his will. Had it been anyone else, they would have gone crazy from the pain. However, Huo Yuhao endured it all. Still, he was drained from the whole ordeal.
1055
1056“Yes,” Wang Dong’er helped him lay down.
1057
1058—
1059
1060From that day on, Huo Yuhao’s recovery was well on-track. With Wang Dong’er’s help, he spent another three days opening all the blocked passageways in his body. Then, he started to regain his bodily functions. Once the other five of Shrek’s Seven Monsters learned that he could take part in the competition, they were all overjoyed. With Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er back, they were truly the Shrek’s Seven Monsters!
1061
1062A wooden wheelchair, made entirely from the Golden Tree, was delivered to Huo Yuhao by Elder Xuan. While Elder Xuan still wore an unpleasant face on his face, and he showed no sign of forgiveness toward Huo Yuhao, the latter still remembered his care and concern for him.
1063
1064The Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament drew closer…
1065
1066—
1067
1068The Tang Sect Conference Hall…
1069
1070Led by Bei Bei, the other members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters reached the place. Other than the seven of them, Xuan Ziwen, who was now the Vice Sect Leader and in charge of soul tool research, Mo Xuan, and Na Na, who was a close-combat soul engineer who possessed the Netherworld martial soul, were there too, along with Ji Juechen, Jing Ziyan, and the higher echelons of the Tang Sect.
1071
1072The entry of Xuan Ziwen allowed the Tang Sect to develop rapidly, particularly since the Sect was supported by Shrek Academy. Every week, the Soul Tool Department students of Shrek had three days of lessons with the Tang Sect. In the Tang Sect, they were led and supervised by Xuan Ziwen. The underground factory of the Tang Sect had commenced construction. It was huge, and modeled after the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
1073
1074The rapid development of the Tang Sect meant that many of its facilities could not keep up, particularly since it was small. Xuan Ziwen proposed an idea, and the Shrek’s Seven Monsters and Shrek Academy discussed it before they finally agreed to build a huge underground soul tool factory.
1075
1076While Shrek Academy’s Soul Tool Department was expanding, their priority was still teaching. Hence, there was no way they could keep everything secret. Some high-level soul tools could not be manufactured there.
1077
1078
1079
1080
1081
1082Chapter 268.3: One Hand
1083
1084
1085Shrek Academy decided to help the Tang Sect complete their secret factory after a discussion in the Sea God’s Pavilion. After all, the Tang Sect was located within Shrek City, like the factory. Its significance to the future development of the Academy could not be understated.
1086
1087After a few rounds of discussion, Shrek Academy decided to devote money, manpower, and logistics to the completion of the underground factory. At the same time, Shrek Academy also bought 49% of the Tang Sect’s shares. This meant that whatever profit the Tang Sect made in the future, 49% of it would go to Shrek Academy. However, the right to choose was still with them. Of course, as the Tang Sect’s biggest shareholder, Shrek Academy would send someone to listen whenever the Tang Sect made an important decision. At the same time, someone from the Tang Sect would also be present at conferences held within the Sea God’s Pavilion.
1088
1089Originally, Bei Bei had planned to use this opportunity to let Huo Yuhao resume his place in the Sea God’s Pavilion. However, Huo Yuhao hinted strongly to Bei Bei that he was against this plan.
1090
1091The reason for his rejection was simple. He was confident that he could regain his place in the Sea God’s Pavilion through his own merit. For the Tang Sect, this would mean that they would have two representatives at the conference table! Was that not a better thing?
1092
1093At last, Bei Bei was chosen as the representative to take part in the conferences in the Sea God’s Pavilion. The Tang Sect and Shrek Academy were linked intimately, just like that.
1094
1095The underground factory was massive. Initially, the construction of the Illustrious Virtue Hall took almost ten years to complete. If the underground factory of the Tang Sect took ten years, it would be too long.
1096
1097At this time, the power of Shrek Academy was revealed, shocking even Xuan Ziwen.
1098
1099Shrek Academy sent 20 more people to assist with the construction. With the inclusion of this group, Xuan Ziwen was stunned on the day he met them. It was then that he discovered the difference between a soul engineer and a soul master.
1100
1101The 20 people sent by Shrek Academy were led by Elder Xuan. They were all earth-type soul masters. Following that, Elder Xuan showed Xuan Ziwen the terrifying might of the Godly Taotie Bull.
1102
1103In only one day, a huge underground cavern was excavated by Elder Xuan using his impressive power. Furthermore, he did not actually dig up the ground to be moved elsewhere. All of the soil was compressed into the walls of the hole with his soul power. This caused the cavern to be extremely sturdy, with very strong walls.
1104
1105One must know that the process of excavating a cavern was immensely difficult. When the Illustrious Virtue Hall was first built, not only did the builders have to consider the underground situation, but its builders were all ordinary mortals, and they were in no rush for time. Hence, they took nearly half a year to excavate it. Then, they still had to fortify its walls. This took almost another year. Yet Elder Xuan only took a single day to do all of this himself. Once done, Elder Xuan handed the other earth-type soul masters over to Xuan Ziwen as he went off to drink more wine.
1106
1107Among these earth-type soul masters with martial souls, three of them were Titled Douluo, six of them were Soul Douluo, and the rest were all at least Soul Emperors. Some of them were teachers, and some of them were students of the inner courtyard. Between them, they only needed twenty days before the Tang Sect’s underground factory was completed! This included ventilation, water supply, and other basic infrastructure. Now, they only had to deal with the installation of soul lamps What came next was much more difficult. The crucial thing was the construction of the various types of soul tools. This was a huge engineering feat. However, with the completion of the structure, all they needed to do was manufacture the various soul tools, and the underground factory could start operations. All the auxiliary-type soul tools of the Tang Sect were moved underground.
1108
1109Just when Xuan Ziwen was about to draw out the design of the various soul tools from memory, Huo Yuhao, whose body had recovered, came to him, bringing a huge stack of papers.
1110
1111While Xuan Ziwen was the top researcher of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, there was no way he could possibly know the construction details of all soul tools. After all, every single soul tool required a lot of research and experimentation before it could be completed. According to his original plan, he would need at least three to five years to complete his research and development of these auxiliary-type soul tools. This was under the condition that he remembered more than a third of the diagrams for these auxiliary-type soul tools.
1112
1113However, Huo Yuhao gave him a huge surprise. When he saw all those extremely detailed diagrams of auxiliary-type soul tools, this super-intelligent Class 8 soul engineer looked at Huo Yuhao with his mouth wide open. After a long moment of disbelief, he said, “Now I know what you learned during your exchange…”
1114
1115With help from all corners, Xuan Ziwen vowed that in a single year, he would get the underground factory up and moving. In three years’ time, it would reach the level of the Illustrious Virtue Hall. Of course, this was under the condition that he had enough resources.
1116
1117Huo Yuhao brought all the precious metals he had acquired to Xuan Ziwen. At the same time, the vast riches of Shrek City came into effect. The few businesses controlled by Shrek Academy in Shrek City devoted all their resources to the underground factory. A huge amount of precious metals were bought from each corner of the continent. As a result, over the next few months the prices of precious metals on the continent increased by ten percent!
1118
1119—
1120
1121Of course, all this was a side-thought to the Shrek’s Seven Monsters, because they would soon leave for the tournament. The conference right now was their last before the tournament.
1122
1123Bei Bei said, “Teacher Xuan, we’ll leave the underground factory to you.”
1124
1125“Yes,” Xuan Ziwen replied. His head was lowered, and no one knew what he was thinking. Huo Yuhao, who was sitting next to him, could see that Teacher Xuan’s eyes were fire-red and slightly bloodshot. A new Illustrious Virtue Hall would be re-created, with him at its helm. Initially, when this idea was first proposed, Xuan Ziwen was so excited he almost leapt into the air. To a soul engineer, what was more important than making soul tools? Just for this chance, he promised to lecture once a week at Shrek Academy. At this time, he was probably thinking of a way to come up with new diagrams for soul tools.
1126
1127Bei Bei said, “We’ll leave tomorrow. The seven of us will go, along with Na Na. Hence, eight of us will be setting out. Brother Ji, Brother Mo, Sister Ziyan, please guard the Tang Sect. A new batch of Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons will be installed in Shrek City. Other than stationary soul cannons, we’ll stop manufacturing other types of soul tools so we can allow for the construction of the factory. We’ll be back in six weeks at the least, and two months at the most. Hence, I trust everyone here to manage the sect in our absence.”
1128
1129“No.” Just as Bei Bei finished speaking, there was opposition. The speaker was Jing Ziyan.
1130
1131“Sister Ziyan, what problem do you have?” Bei Bei asked.
1132
1133Jing Ziyan looked at Ji Juechen, who was by her side, and said, “We want to go to the tournament too.”
1134
1135Bei Bei was stunned as he said, “However, aren’t you above the age limit?” Both Jing Ziyan and Ji Juechen were more than 20 years old, which was the tournament’s age limit.
1136
1137Jing Ziyan snorted and said, “So what? There will be many soul masters gathered there. Furthermore, we are both familiar with Radiant City. If we go, we can help you out with some things, and even protect you!”
1138
1139Huo Yuhao laughed, “Protect us? I think the two of you are going there to cause trouble.” He knew them too well. If they went to Radiant City, they would look for people to fight to improve themselves.
1140
1141Jing Ziyan’s face turned red, and she said, “So what? It’s such a good chance, we won’t miss it. Furthermore, look at yourself. You need someone to push your wheelchair, right?”
1142
1143“Right, I’ll do it,” Ji Juechen said in a straightforward manner. His eyes revealed his determination to everyone.
1144
1145The two of them had given Bei Bei a lot of trouble. Since they had joined the Tang Sect, there was not a single moment when they were idle. Sometimes they would be looking for a challenge, and at other times, they would be trying to spar. Everyone tried to hide from them, especially Ji Juechen. As his sword intent became more powerful, even Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi found it hard to beat him.
1146
1147Huo Yuhao was no longer scared of the two of them. With his current condition, Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan would not fight him!
1148
1149Huo Yuhao looked at Bei Bei, who thought for a while, and then said, “Alright, the two of you can follow us. However, I need to make some things clear. The two of you can’t just spend all your time looking for fights. I hope that you two can shoulder the responsibility of looking after Yuhao. His body now faces severe limitations, so I’ll need the two of you to look after him.”
1150
1151Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan nodded.
1152
1153Bei Bei thought it through in a short span of time. If the two of them stayed, there would be no one for them to spar with. They might run over to the Academy and cause trouble. They would be like ticking time-bombs if they were left behind, so it was better to bring them along.
1154
1155This time, no teacher was accompanying them. They would be doing this by themselves. Shrek Academy could not send powerful soul masters to accompany them, and could only let the teacher in charge of the Shrek team protect them discreetly. With Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan, the strength of the team increased. As long as they did not meet Titled Douluo, they should be safe.
1156
1157—
1158
1159Shrek Academy, Sea God’s Pavilion, Inner Courtyard.
1160
1161Boom!
1162
1163A golden light flashed past like a dragon turning itself mid-flight. It blasted Dai Huabin straight-on.
1164
1165Wang Qiu’er retrieved her Golden Dragon Spear and stared harshly at him as she said, “With your current condition, you want to beat Huo Yuhao? Even with one hand, he can still take care of you.”
1166
1167Dai Huabin grit his teeth and climbed up from the ground. There was no rage in his eyes, only pure determination. He roared, “Once more!”
1168
1169
1170
1171
1172
1173Chapter 269.1: Powerful Spiritual Power
1174
1175
1176As he said that, he activated his soul skill once more as he rushed toward Wang Qiu’er.
1177
1178It was not just him who was present. Other than Ning Tian, the other team members of Shrek Academy’s team, which included Wu Feng, Xie Xuanyue, Zhou Sichen, Cao Jinxuan, Lan Susu, Lan Luoluo, and Zhu Lu, were all injured.
1179
1180After Wang Qiu’er had returned, Shrek Academy started to conduct special training for this bunch. Since they had no teacher, Wang Qiu’er had become their demonic training instructor over the first few days. Her method was simple and violent; they fought.
1181
1182One-on-one sparring, and then, team matches.
1183
1184At the start, many of them were unwilling to listen to her. However, after Wang Qiu’er was able to defeat the entire team by herself, they were all convinced.
1185
1186In two months, under Wang Qiu’er’s leadership, everyone’s combat ability increased exponentially. In particular, their will to fight had been greatly strengthened. Among them, Dai Huabin and Wu Feng showed the greatest increase. The two of them had a single-minded obsession with Huo Yuhao, and hence, Wang Qiu’er continually used Huo Yuhao to stimulate them. She even told them that Huo Yuhao was paralyzed because of his accident, but even so, he only needed one hand, and just one hand, to thrash them. Wu Feng and Dai Huabin were naturally provoked by this statement. They did not believe it!
1187
1188Then, they were defeated by Wang Qiu’er, who stood still and used only one hand. From that moment, the two of them started to train like crazy. They seemed to experience no fatigue. Under such torturous training, their cultivation improved tremendously, and they showed improvements in every aspect.
1189
1190It was almost time to leave. While they knew that in the face of Shrek’s Seven Monsters, their hopes of victory were still slim, they had undergone two months of hellish training under Wang Qiu’er. This made them much more resilient and determined to fight.
1191
1192After she defeated Dai Huabin once more, Wang Qiu’er put away her Golden Dragon Spear and said in a low voice, “That’s all for today. Go back and rest, we’ll set off tomorrow.”
1193
1194When she said that, everyone could not help but sigh in relief. Dai Huabin, who lay on the ground, was gulping in big breaths of air. His body ached all over. However, he still felt a sense of accomplishment. He forced himself off the ground and looked at Wang Qiu’er’s disappearing form. An intensely hot light flashed in his eyes.
1195
1196“Elder sister, wait,” Zhou Sichen said as he ran after Wang Qiu’er.
1197
1198Wang Qiu’er stopped, turned her head and looked at him and said, “What?”
1199
1200Zhou Sichen giggled, “Elder sister, are we leaving with our class monitor’s team?”
1201
1202Wang Qiu’er’s face turned cold, and she said, “Do you want to leave with them?”
1203
1204Zhou Sichen coughed. His perceptive abilities were strong. He instantly felt that there was something amiss about Wang Qiu’er’s emotions, and he hurriedly said, “No, no, I’m just asking casually. I heard that Huo Yuhao has been severely injured. We want to visit him, but the Sea God’s Pavilion is off-limits to us!”
1205
1206Wang Qiu’er snorted coldly, “He is he, and we are we. We’ll go by ourselves.”
1207
1208After she said that, she turned to leave without turning her head.
1209
1210When he looked at Wang Qiu’er’s disappearing form, Zhou Sichen could not help but feel slightly depressed. In the past few days, whenever they mentioned anything about Huo Yuhao, Wang Qiu’er would become extremely temperamental. No one knew why, or what the relationship between their class monitor and her was!
1211
1212After two months of hell, they both feared and respected Wang Qiu’er. With her powerful skills and abilities, she had completely dominated them. However, this elder sister of theirs was too ferocious. Every day, they had to undergo countless torturous training sessions under her. Wang Qiu’er did not show mercy at all! Once, her Golden Dragon Spear had pierced through Dai Huabin’s thigh. Fortunately, he received timely medical treatment, which prevented it from worsening. Of course, they did not know that Wang Qiu’er did not use the terrifying life-absorption skill of the Golden Dragon Spear. If not, that blow would have almost killed him.
1213
1214They were about to leave. Zhou Sichen’s eyes slowly betrayed a fanatical gaze. They were competing on behalf of Shrek Academy! Even though their prospects were dim, and they were facing extremely powerful opponents, he thought of the previous tournament, and how Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and the rest were able to emerge as champions despite only being three-ringed and four-ringed soul masters back then. His heart brimmed with confidence. Miracles are made by men. If my class monitor can do that in the previous tournament, why can’t we do the same here?
1215
1216Pa! Someone tapped his shoulder, jolting Zhou Sichen from his reverie. He turned his head to see Cao Jinxuan looking at him with a half-smile.
1217
1218“What are you looking at?” Zhou Sichen said in an unpleasant tone.
1219
1220Cao Jinxuan sniggered, “I’m looking at someone who’s dreaming. Be more realistic. Try and make your way to the main team before thinking of anything else. What’s the point in having unrealistic dreams? Confidence is built on the foundation of actual abilities.”
1221
1222“Why is this a dream?” Zhou Sichen refused to admit it.
1223
1224Cao Jinxuan’s voice changed. All of a sudden, he sounded very similar to Zhou Sichen. “Champion, I must be the champion. Wahaha! What a beautiful thing it is! Beauties, beauties, haha, come to me! My embrace is wide indeed!!”
1225
1226Zhou Sichen’s eyes widened as he stammered, “What are you… you saying?”
1227
1228Cao Jinxuan slapped his shoulder lightly and said, “I’m learning from someone’s sleep talk. I’ll leave first.” With that, he turned to leave calmly.
1229
1230“Hahaha…” An uncontrollable laughter sounded from the back. Zhou Sichen turned his head to look and realized that everyone, except Dai Huabin and Wu Feng, who had already left, were looking at him. Their faces were all mirthful. Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo could not control their laughter.
1231
1232“Cao Jinxuan, I’m going to beat you up!” Zhou Sichen shouted in fury. He turned and wanted to run after him. However, when he turned back, Cao Jinxuan had already disappeared…
1233
1234—
1235
1236Dawn, Shrek City, the Tang Sect…
1237
1238Shrek’s Seven Monsters, all of whom were clad lightly, and Na Na, Ji Juechen, and Jing Ziyan left through the main door. Xuan Ziwen, who was in charge of looking after the sect in their absence, did not accompany them, he was still busy with the secret factory. Under this rather unceremonious atmosphere, the entire group headed toward the west gate of Shrek Academy.
1239
1240Huo Yuhao sat in the wheelchair made from the Golden Tree. The wheelchair was extremely simplistic, but Elder Xuan’s craftsmanship was decent. It was simple, but efficient. There was a special cushion near the waist, and the entire wheelchair was made from a few pieces of wood glued together. It was extremely smooth, and one would not get tired of sitting in it.
1241
1242One should not underestimate the materials used. The Golden Tree in Shrek Academy was one of the last Golden Trees on the entire continent. While it was not the only one left, it was the biggest. A thousand years ago, the school ruled that no one was allowed to cut the tree down. It was the center and treasure of the Academy.
1243
1244The materials that were used to make Huo Yuhao’s wheelchair came from branches of the Golden Tree that fell off naturally, as well as some raw materials from the Sea God’s Pavilion. Its value could not be understated.
1245
1246The Golden Tree brimmed with pure and warm light-type energy. Within the smooth glow of the wheelchair, Huo Yuhao’s legs and arm, which he had used to store the Ultimate Ice origin power, would not be damaged as easily. Furthermore, under the nourishing glow of light, his body would recover faster. This was beneficial to his absorption of the origin energy.
1247
1248At this moment, Ji Juechen was the one pushing the wheelchair. While Wang Dong’er would normally be the one doing it, Ji Juechen was very stubborn. That day, he had promised to push Huo Yuhao’s wheelchair for him. This morning, he had waited unwaveringly for him at the gate. Wang Dong’er had no choice but to let him do so. She cared for him from the side.
1249
1250As she looked at Huo Yuhao, who was seated calmly on the wheelchair with his arm and legs immobile, Jing Ziyan could not help but ask, “Yuhao, look at your state, why are you so insistent on taking part in the competition?”
1251
1252Huo Yuhao chuckled and said, “I still have some energy to spare! Hehe.”
1253
1254Jing Ziyan sighed and said, “I miss the days when we sparred.”
1255
1256Huo Yuhao looked bewildered as he replied, “I never imagined that Sister Ziyan was a masochist? You like being beaten by me?”
1257
1258“You…” Jing Ziyan said in anger, “You heartless bastard, I’m showing you care and concern right now! How dare you make fun of me! Dong’er, keep him in check.”
1259
1260Wang Dong’er smiled slightly and said, “He’s already in this state, what else can I do? Sister Ziyan, he’s mentally well, please don’t worry so much.”
1261
1262Jing Ziyan looked in surprise at this smart lass as she nodded and said, “Actually, I was just thinking of when we could fight again.”
1263
1264Huo Yuhao sighed and replied, “Actually, even with one hand, I can still give you the thrill of being tortured.”
1265
1266Jing Ziyan snorted, “I shan’t talk with a cripple anymore.” With that, she walked away, leaving a stunned-looking Huo Yuhao behind.
1267
1268A huge hand pressed down on Huo Yuhao’s shoulder, and a low voice sounded, “Get well soon, I’m waiting for you.”
1269
1270Huo Yuhao did not turn his head around. However, he could feel a rare tinge of emotion in Ji’s voice, which was usually reserved for his sword. A bitter smile emerged on his face as he said, “Brother Ji, don’t you think Dong’er should be the one saying that to me?”
1271
1272Wang Dong’er laughed. Ji Juechen’s face froze over. The muscles in his face twitched. Then, he continued pushing the wheelchair silently.
1273
1274
1275
1276
1277
1278Chapter 269.2: Powerful Spiritual Power
1279
1280
1281In fact, when everyone saw Huo Yuhao on the wheelchair, they all felt waves of intense emotion. Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan could not but exclaim out loud.
1282
1283In the past, Huo Yuhao was youthful and dashing. With what he had learned, he continually created miracle after miracle. He was named as the most powerful genius Shrek Academy had seen in a thousand years. However, right now, he was only a cripple with just one moveable right arm.
1284
1285However, Huo Yuhao’s gaze was still resolute. No one prevented him from taking part in this tournament. Even his elder brother, Bei Bei, did not try to convince him otherwise. Over the past few days, Huo Yuhao’s emotions had been steady, and he seemed much happier than before. Now, he tried to poke fun at others to make the group laugh. He appeared much more relaxed.
1286
1287Everyone knew that this was his way of letting everyone around him feel better. How could he not be upset that he had been reduced from an able-bodied person to a cripple? However, he never once showed it. Sitting in the golden wheelchair, he was still full of hope.
1288
1289Wang Dong’er gently touched Huo Yuhao’s right hand and asked in a low voice, “Do you want some water?”
1290
1291Huo Yuhao replied, “Didn’t we drink some before we left? Dong’er, I’m fine, really. When will you guys believe that I’m still capable in spite of my disability?”
1292
1293Jing Ziyan, who was ahead of him, turned around. Her face showed contempt as she said, “A cripple is a cripple. How can you be capable? Other than Spiritual Detection, what else can you do?”
1294
1295Huo Yuhao sighed and said, “Actually, I can do many things. Do you know what it means to turn misfortune into fortune?”
1296
1297Jing Ziyan wanted to rebut him immediately. However, her words stopped at the tip of her tongue. Her eyes widened, and she stared at shock at what was happening in front of her.
1298
1299Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, and Ji Juechen, all of whom were walking behind her, suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. They appeared to have vanished completely.
1300
1301“Ah? What’s going on? Where’s Huo Yuhao and the rest?” Jing Ziyan exclaimed in surprise. This caught the attention of the rest. Everyone turned their heads. The three of them were indeed gone.
1302
1303At this moment, the air distorted, and Huo Yuhao and the three of them appeared once again. They were walking forward normally. It was as if Jing Ziyan had been momentarily blinded.
1304
1305“What trick is this? I don’t recall you having any soul skill that allows you to camouflage others!” Jing Ziyan exclaimed in shock.
1306
1307Concealing oneself was no big deal. Many soul masters had similar soul skills. However, for Huo Yuhao to conceal two other people along with him, that was rather unbelievable. Group concealment was a powerful soul skill that no one had ever heard of.
1308
1309Huo Yuhao looked into the sky, sighed, and said, “This is called skill.”
1310
1311Jing Ziyan looked at him coolly and said, “Huo Yuhao, stop acting big. We’re still friends.”
1312
1313“Ke! Ke!” Huo Yuhao appeared to have choked on his spittle as he coughed non-stop. Wang Dong’er rushed up to him and patted his chest.
1314
1315Huo Yuhao said, “It’s fine, we’re still in the city. Once we leave the city, I’ll show everyone what else can I do. If not, you’ll just treat me as a cripple. I want to contribute to this tournament!”
1316
1317Bei Bei looked at Huo Yuhao and said, “Little brother, don’t force it.”
1318
1319Huo Yuhao said seriously, “Elder brother, I’m not forcing it. Even with just one arm left, I’m definitely still better than those who can just turn themselves into smoke and fog.”
1320
1321“What crap! I’ll, I’ll…” Normally, Jing Ziyan would have charged up at him. However, what could she do now that Huo Yuhao was in this state?
1322
1323Huo Yuhao said confidently, “Let’s see once we leave the city.”
1324
1325By doing so, not only was he trying to improve the atmosphere and not let everyone get distracted by the fact that he was crippled, he was also reminding himself that he had to show off some of his skills. If not, what if everyone really treated him like a cripple? He really wanted to compete in the tournament!
1326
1327They did not move too quickly, taking an hour to leave Shrek City. They walked out of the west gate and continued headed west, toward the Sun Moon Empire. It was fastest for them to use a flying-type soul tool. Yesterday, they had planned it all out. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, and Wang Dong’er would fly ahead with Huo Yuhao first. Among them, Wang Dong’er was responsible for helping Huo Yuhao block the incoming wind. The rest of them would rely on their flying-type soul tools.
1328
1329Furthermore, Xuan Ziwen had made a large flying-type soul tool that could carry many people at once, made to Huo Yuhao’s specifications.
1330
1331“Alright, we’ve left the city. Sister Ziyan, let’s spar, let’s spar.”
1332
1333Ji Juechen, who was pushing his wheelchair from behind, froze. “Yuhao, are you serious?”
1334
1335While Jing Ziyan was weaker than Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the rest, she was still a Soul Emperor in her own right! Her martial soul might not be terribly powerful, but when combined with her soul tools, her battling abilities could not be underestimated. If Huo Yuhao was uninjured, there was a chance that he could still beat her. However, in his current state, movement was difficult, so how could he fight her?
1336
1337Huo Yuhao nodded and he looked at Jing Ziyan and said, “Of course I’m serious. Sister Ziyan, are you scared?”
1338
1339Jing Ziyan said unkindly, “Scared of you? How can I be scared of you in this state? I don’t want to bully a cripple!”
1340
1341Huo Yuhao said angrily, “A temporary cripple, not a cripple! Come, hurry up, don’t waste everyone’s time.”
1342
1343“Has anyone placed bets? I’ll be the bookie,” Xu Sanshi rushed forward excitedly, almost bouncing.
1344
1345Jiang Nannan followed next to him. When she heard what he said, she pinched his waist hard. “You’re heartless indeed! Yuhao is in this state, and all you can do is stir up even more trouble! Yuhao, stop fooling around. We’ll set off now. We all know you’re capable.”
1346
1347Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly and said, “Fourth sister, from your words, I know that you don’t expect much from me! Look, I think third brother understands me better.”
1348
1349In fact, since his recuperation had begun, he had not cultivated with his teammates. All he had been doing was recovering by himself at home. Coupled with the fact that only one of his four limbs could move, it was normal for his teammates to doubt his abilities. This was why he was set on challenging Jing Ziyan. If my teammates don’t trust me, then, what if something goes wrong during the competition? Even Bei Bei won’t let me compete!
1350
1351Jing Ziyan said unpleasantly, “You’re not joking! Dong’er, take good care of him.” She completely ignored Huo Yuhao’s provocation and turned to leave.
1352
1353Huo Yuhao sighed helplessly. Following that, he narrowed his eyes, and a ray of purple light flashed from his pupils.
1354
1355Just as Jing Ziyan was about to leave, she suddenly realized that the people around her were gone. She felt an immense pressure in her heart as she discovered, to her shock, that her surroundings had turned white. Nothing could be seen, and it resembled the end of the world. She was alone.
1356
1357“What’s going on? Juechen, Bei Bei, where are you?” Jing Ziyan called out. At the same time, she released her martial soul. A layer of fog started to spread from her body, and all six of her soul rings rose. A pair of short knives appeared in her hands.
1358
1359“What’s going on, Ziyan?” An extremely familiar shape appeared. It was Ji Juechen.
1360
1361When she saw Ji Juechen, she sighed visibly and said, “What’s going on? Why can’t I see anyone else?”
1362
1363Ji Juechen looked at her in confusion and said, “I don’t know either! I heard your shouts and came over. You’re right! Where is everybody?”
1364
1365Jing Ziyan naturally lowered her guard around him. She looked around her suspiciously. At this moment, an icy-cold sensation appeared at her neck, and a cruel, killing intent manifested itself.
1366
1367Jing Ziyan’s body froze as she stood immobile. She could clearly sense the blade that was pressed against her neck. If she moved, she would die.
1368
1369At this moment, the blurry scene around her disappeared. They returned to the west gate of Shrek City. Everyone was not far from where she stood. However, they all looked at her in shock.
1370
1371The icy-cold feeling disappeared, and a tone of jest sounded, “Ay, it’s so simple! No wonder you don’t want to fight with me. This is why you can’t match me.”
1372
1373Jing Ziyan turned around to look. She realized that the person next to her was not Ji Juechen, but Huo Yuhao instead. He slowly retracted a dark-golden blade that had emerged from his finger. The blade was six meters long. Under the bright sunlight, it was exceptionally terrifying.
1374
1375“How, how did you do that?” Jing Ziyan asked in shock.
1376
1377Huo Yuhao looked into the sky and said, “I can’t reveal this secret, no, no, no.”
1378
1379Jing Ziyan said angrily, “Rubbish, I was ambushed by you. If you have the guts, let’s have a one-on-one fight!”
1380
1381Huo Yuhao’s reply shocked her. “Ok.”
1382
1383As he said that, he lifted his right hand at Jing Ziyan once more. This time, Jing Ziyan did not dare to be careless. She leapt back, and as she did so, her entire body turned into a ball of smoke in mid-air, which slowly started to expand.
1384
1385Everyone else who had thought that Huo Yuhao was just joking now looked at him solemnly with varying expressions in their eyes. With only one arm, how could he beat Jing Ziyan?
1386
1387
1388
1389
1390
1391Chapter 269.3: Powerful Spiritual Power
1392
1393
1394The moment the fight started, Jing Ziyan had disappeared into smoke. However, everyone else could clearly see that Jing Ziyan’s eyes suddenly clouded over, and she released her martial soul while surveying the area around her cautiously. Then, Huo Yuhao made Ji Juechen let go as he turned his wheelchair in her direction. He released his Darkgolden Terrorclaw and gently placed it on Jing Ziyan’s neck. Throughout the entire process, Jing Ziyan did not even react. What did this mean? This meant that she was completely under Huo Yuhao’s spell! This was a terrifying and mystical sight, which many refused to believe. However, it had taken place before their eyes. Jing Ziyan might be confused by the whole thing, but even the other six of the Seven Monsters who understood Huo Yuhao, including Wang Dong’er, did not know how he won.
1395
1396Right now, as he faced Jing Ziyan in her smoke form, Huo Yuhao’s face turned serious. He then turned his head. While facing off against her, he turned his gaze toward Wang Dong’er.
1397
1398Wang Dong’er asked slightly worriedly, “Yuhao?”
1399
1400At this moment, she realized that Huo Yuhao’s gaze had turned warmer. His eyes brimmed with adoration and a warm love. In his eyes, Wang Dong’er could see her own figure. Just by noticing this, Wang Dong’er could clearly sense that her heart was slowly connecting with that of Huo Yuhao. An unspeakably deep bond encircled the two of them.
1401
1402Why was Huo Yuhao looking at Wang Dong’er? Everyone was thinking the same thing in their minds. Then, the answer revealed itself.
1403
1404The wheelchair under Huo Yuhao started to shine, and a dazzling golden light flashed. Thick light-type energy started to permeate his surroundings. Following that, a golden figure started to appear behind him. Huo Yuhao was bathed in a golden light.
1405
1406Wasn’t the figure behind him Wang Dong’er? Here, he formed a Wang Dong’er purely from his spiritual power. Her facial expression and the look in her eyes resembled Wang Dong’er perfectly.
1407
1408Then, Huo Yuhao gently reached out with his palm, and the projection of Wang Dong’er behind him did the same. The two figures instantly merged into one.
1409
1410A terrifying intention was sent flying to the front. The purple clouds which had spread apart slowly came together. It was as if someone was throttling them. Then, they vanished, and Jing Ziyan appeared before everyone with a pale face.
1411
1412Huo Yuhao’s hand remained in mid-air, but he did not continue reaching out. An intense golden light started to form in the center of his palm. “Do you still want to continue?” Huo Yuhao asked softly.
1413
1414Jing Ziyan’s forehead was laced with sweat. The short knives in her hands were trembling. She could not find the guts to fight Huo Yuhao. This was the first time she had experienced something like this. It was similar to facing Ji Juechen’s sword intent. However, while Juechen’s sword intent was in a continual process of betterment, which showed that there were still flaws, the intent that Huo Yuhao released appeared perfect to her.
1415
1416This intention was used completely on her. At this moment, Jing Ziyan felt as if ten thousand tsunami waves were hurtling toward her. Her soul rings lost their functionality in that moment, and she felt her heart being squeezed by a huge hand. This moment of tightness caused her to abandon her soul skill. Before Huo Yuhao, as she looked at his palm, she only felt immense fear.
1417
1418What… power is this? Why does it exert such a powerful suppression?
1419
1420Furthermore, he had yet to release the energy stored in his hand. What if he did? In terms of spiritual power, this palm seemed capable of shocking heaven and earth, provoking spirits and gods!
1421
1422Jing Ziyan had never expected Huo Yuhao, who had lost use three of his four limbs, to still be so strong.
1423
1424This palm shocked everyone else present, including Ji Juechen.
1425
1426Ji Juechen looked blankly at Huo Yuhao. “This intent, this ultimate intent, it’s what I’m after.”
1427
1428As he said that, he rushed toward Huo Yuhao. When he was in front of him, he grabbed Huo Yuhao’s shoulders tightly and said, “Yuhao, how did you… accomplish this? Such a perfect intent, how did you do it?”
1429
1430Huo Yuhao smiled slightly as he looked at Wang Dong’er, who was in the distance and said, “Extreme love forms ultimate intentions. When I was on the verge of death, my heart was filled with Wang Dong’er, and I realized that this was a thought that I possessed completely by myself. Unlike the Sovereign’s Descent, this is something that belongs to me and me only. Actually, this palm is not as powerful as you think. Its strength lies in my thoughts, which have increased and become stronger. Its existence has almost elevated from the concrete-immaterial realm to the concrete-material realm. However, as my cultivation is too low, I must wait until I’m a seven-ringed soul sage before my spiritual power can match this thought.
1431
1432“As it comes from love, it manifests into an ultimate intent, the extremity of love. The extremity of your love is stronger than my dedication to my sword intent. Indeed, I never expected that you’d reach what I’ve been after quicker than me.” Ji Juechen’s eyes brimmed with an intense passion. There was no envy, simply passion and appreciation.
1433
1434Wang Dong’er now looked at Huo Yuhao more gently. Everyone could see how crazy Ji Juechen was over his sword intent. However, his passion for his sword could not compare to Huo Yuhao’s love for her. That simple line was enough to encapsulate the ocean-like love Huo Yuhao had for Wang Dong’er.
1435
1436Huo Yuhao did not say that when Wang Dong’er was present, his Goddess of Light’s power would increase by 30%. After all, this required no thought, only a blissful sentiment. Only then could the power of Goddess of Light reach its maximum. If not, wanting to use an illusory spiritual thought to break Jing Ziyan’s Soul Emperor-level soul skill would be impossible.
1437
1438Everyone started to crowd around next to Huo Yuhao. Bei Bei said nothing, he just smiled and give Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up.
1439
1440He Caitou sighed in admiration, “Little brother, you are our secret weapon indeed!”
1441
1442Xu Sanshi said pensively, “Your spiritual power has increased exponentially. Not bad, not bad. Hehe, your invisibility ability is derived from your second soul skill, right?”
1443
1444Huo Yuhao laughed, but said nothing.
1445
1446Jiang Nannan asked curiously, “What’s its radius?”
1447
1448Huo Yuhao thought for a while and replied, “The bigger the radius, the faster my spiritual power will deplete. I can maintain a 50 meter radius for about 10 minutes. For every half meter radius less, I can maintain it for one more minute.”
1449
1450Xiao Xiao said in shock, “Doesn’t this mean that when our opponents fight us, they won’t be able to see us at all?”
1451
1452Huo Yuhao chortled and replied, “It’s not that strong, but it can affect their judgment.”
1453
1454Jing Ziyan then asked, “Just now, what ability did you use to blind me?”
1455
1456Huo Yuhao scratched his head and said, “Let me keep some secrets to myself. Like this, when we face our enemies, we can surprise them.”
1457
1458Bei Bei smiled and said, “Yes, everyone, stop asking. Prepare to depart. Yuhao, you have given us all a big surprise.”
1459
1460Huo Yuhao chortled and said, “Elder brother, if I were useless, why would I still want to compete? I don’t wish to be a burden.”
1461
1462The origin energy of heaven and earth in his body greatly restricted his freedom of movement. It also restricted his second martial soul, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. After all, he could not even move. The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s skills were meant for close-combat. Naturally, in his state, it was greatly weakened. Furthermore, he still needed to use a portion of her soul power to absorb the origin energy of heaven and earth. Hence, the only skill he could rely on was his Spiritual Eyes. As a control-type soul master, Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Eyes had undergone a fundamental change compared to before he had left for the Setting Sun Forest. While his soul power was only about 80% of what it had been, his actual fighting abilities were much stronger. His powerful Spiritual Eyes could let him do many things that he previously could not.
1463
1464For example, his ability to control Jing Ziyan’s senses was an evolved form of Spiritual Interference. His Spiritual Interference had now almost become a domain! With his Spiritual Eyes martial soul, Huo Yuhao could easily surpass other soul masters of the same level. Furthermore, he still had the power of his soul bone, and he could still use a bit of Ice Empress’ powers.
1465
1466The flying-type soul tool was activated. Huo Yuhao’s seat was attached to the soul tool. He released a Class 6 protective soul barrier to prevent his body from being buffeted by the wind. Wang Dong’er was seated next to him, and she carried a flying-type soul tool on her back too. If something went wrong, she could respond instantly.
1467
1468Everyone took to the skies simultaneously. Their destination was Radiant City!
1469
1470—
1471
1472The theme of the new Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament was “Return“. This was because a long time ago, this historic tournament only allowed sects to take part. In the past millennia, its scale had decreased, to the point where it only allowed schools to take part.
1473
1474This time, the Sun Moon Empire, the tournament’s organizer, suggested the change, and the other countries agreed to it, deciding to restore the original criteria for the tournament. They increased the number of participating sects and changed the rules of the tournament. Doing so massively increased the scale of the competition.
1475
1476In the continent, there were considerably more sects than schools.
1477
1478For the schools, by doing well in the tournament, they could make a good name for themselves and recruit more students. This was also good for their future development. The same logic applied to the sects.
1479
1480The development of any sect required talents. The more talented an individual was, the more likely it was that they would join a top-notch sect. After the tournament’s rules changed, almost two-thirds of the sects on the continent chose to take part!
1481
1482
1483
1484
1485
1486Chapter 270.1: The Competition in Radiant City!
1487
1488
1489If the tournament committee hadn’t restricted the age of the competitors to below twenty and demanded that at least five members of each sect had to have at least four rings, there would have been ten times more teams competing in this tournament then last time!
1490
1491Even with such restrictions, there were still a total of one hundred and seventeen teams, many more than last time!
1492
1493As the wealthiest empire on the Douluo Continent, hosting this tournament was nothing for the Sun Moon Empire. Even so, they took three months to prepare for it. As the biggest city on the continent, Radiant City constructed several hotels and guesthouses to receive guests coming for this grand event. They benefited greatly from businessmen coming from foreign lands.
1494
1495The Sun Moon Empire also invested a lot in this tournament, since they were the top soul engineering empire on the continent. The top prize wasn’t just soul bones anymore; they were soul tools. The winning team could obtain a Class 9 soul tool, while the runner-up and third place teams would receive Class 8 and Class 7 soul tools respectively.
1496
1497The values of these soul tools were much higher than soul bones. This was especially true for the champions. Currently, a Class 9 soul tool was priceless, and only the Sun Moon Empire possessed Class 9 soul tools. At the same time, Class 9 soul tools were also the biggest threat to the other two empires on the continent.
1498
1499Every competing team was itching to obtain the prizes and working hard to perform better in the tournament. This wasn’t just an opportunity for them to gain fame, it was an opportunity for them to profit greatly!
1500
1501Modern soul masters had to rely on soul tools in addition to their own cultivation if they wanted to gain greater abilities. However, the astronomical costs of advanced soul tools limited most soul masters. It was impossible to become the best without money.
1502
1503—
1504
1505Radiant City, Sun Moon Empire’s Imperial Palace, a backyard garden…
1506
1507A wheelchair was moving slowly on the quartzite path in the garden. There were different types of plants planted here, every region of the garden was perfectly designed. There was a small waterfall atop a sculpted hill, an imperial painting of a bouquet of flowers, and huge, tall trees. The entire backyard garden felt like a beautiful forest.
1508
1509“How’s my father?” Xu Tianran’s eyes were shut. There was a blanket on his thighs, and he appeared very relaxed.
1510
1511Ju Zi was the one pushing his wheelchair.
1512
1513Ju Zi was clad in a long, yellow dress today, which accentuated her delicate white skin. She looked classy and elegant. She exuded a much more mature aura than before. A wise look flashed across her eyes.
1514
1515“I’m afraid he’s nearing his end. The imperial physician said that he often passes out and loses consciousness these days,” Ju Zi said softly.
1516
1517Xu Tianran continued to close his eyes. It was as if he was unrelated to the ailing old man that Ju Zi was talking about.
1518
1519“My father has always been very cautious and conscientious. He does not aim to acquire merit, but only hopes to avoid mistakes. He has missed out on great opportunities! When we look back in the future, he will only be regarded as an ordinary emperor. What’s the reaction of the military?”
1520
1521Ju Zi said, “They are very calm. Ever since we took control of the garrison, opposition from the military has disappeared. At least two-fifths of the empire’s military is directly under our control now. Out of the other three-fifths of the military, around two-thirds of them are still monitoring the situation, or are loyal only to the emperor. Once you succeed the throne, I believe they will join your side. As for the last fifth, they are military officers at the borders. Some of them have been brought over by other princes, while some were your enemies in the past.”
1522
1523Xu Tianran gave a half smile. His smile was very nice, but for some reason, Ju Zi felt very cold in her heart when she saw this smile. That was because she was clear that Xu Tianran was ready to kill when he revealed such an expression.
1524
1525Xu Tianran smiled as he said, “No rush. When I succeed the throne, you can make a trip if they are still unwilling to budge.”
1526
1527Ju Zi shuddered a little, but still nodded and said, “Okay.”
1528
1529Xu Tianran turned around and looked at her. He said, “Ju Zi, you don’t have to be so reserved around me. When I succeed the throne, the first thing I’ll do is make you my queen. You are always so reserved. You lack the grace of a queen.”
1530
1531Ju Zi revealed a slight smile on her face and replied, “Your Highness, I’m not with you because I covet fame or status. I only have two wishes. First, I just want to be with you. Second, I want to destroy the Star Luo Empire.”
1532
1533Xu Tianran nodded and said, “Your two wishes will come true. Your performance in the military was better than I had expected. Even the hard-headed old generals are impressed by you. If this continues, you’ll be my commanding general when we start our war against the Star Luo Empire.”
1534
1535“Thank you, Your Highness.” Ju Zi knelt down beside Xu Tianran’s wheelchair.
1536
1537Xu Tianran used his hand to lift her up and said, “I told you that we don’t have to be so formal with each other. If you hadn’t saved my life, I wouldn’t be here now. I have many subordinates who are more capable than you. However, you are the only one that I feel at ease with.”
1538
1539Ju Zi’s eyes were filled with gratitude, Xu Tianran didn’t realize that there was also a feeling of indifference behind them.
1540
1541Can I really do what I want in front of you? In the past, there was an official who you owed gratitude towards. However, he was killed in his house after he acted a little more freely than usual. I was the one who carried out the kill order for you.
1542
1543Ju Zi understood Xu Tianran’s character very well. He was very ambitious. There was only one goal in his life: to rule the entire Douluo Continent. Furthermore, he was intelligent, had great tolerance, and was quite vicious. Although he was disabled, he had all the qualities needed to succeed.
1544
1545However, he became colder and more merciless after he lost his legs and his manly ability. Even Ju Zi didn’t dare to get close to him when he revealed his violent and hostile aura sometimes. He wasn’t just an anti-hero; Ju Zi even believed he was a maniac at times. However, he was an extremely intelligent maniac!
1546
1547But she wanted revenge, and thus she needed the support of a maniac like him. However, she didn’t want to follow in his footsteps. That was why she acted very cautiously in front of him, concealing her true feelings very well.
1548
1549Furthermore, there was another person in her heart along with her true feelings. This person was a youth who had once suffered grave injuries because of her.
1550
1551“The preparations for the tournament should be done, right? Did Hallmaster Hongchen report back?” Xu Tianran continued asking. Ju Zi had become his most important intelligence officer. There was one thing that Xu Tianran didn’t exaggerate, and that was his trust towards Ju Zi.
1552
1553Ju Zi nodded and said, “We are already prepared and ready to go. Everything is progressing according to plan.”
1554
1555Xu Tianran said, “A fine fowl only perches on a fine tree. I hope that they are wiser. Otherwise, it’ll really be a pity. Have Shrek Academy’s team arrived? They are the current reigning champions. If the intelligence is right, it’s the same bunch who became champions the other time competing this time. If this is the case, it’s likely that they will become champions again! It’s a pity that it’ll be very difficult for me to use them!”
1556
1557Ju Zi seemed to be jolted. She clearly remembered that Huo Yuhao was part of the team from Shrek.
1558
1559Xu Tianran said, “It’s better not to touch Shrek Academy for now. Let them leave. I shall give this face to Shrek. I’ll see what kind of sparks will be created between Shrek Academy and our people. Oh yes, please invite Mister Zhong Li here. Tell him I have something important to discuss with him.”
1560
1561“Yes.” Ju Zi stood up and hurried out.
1562
1563Xu Tianran shut his eyes again and once more wore the leisurely smile on his face. He seemed like he was napping. The quiet and peaceful comfort in the garden was mesmerizing.
1564
1565—
1566
1567The group from the Tang Sect landed about a hundred kilometers from Radiant City. If they ventured any further forward, they would enter the borders of Radiant City. As the capital of the greatest soul engineering empire, they might become practice targets of the city’s defense system if they dared to violate the airspace of the city.
1568
1569They didn’t meet with any danger on their journey here, and had arrived after only half a day of travel.
1570
1571They started a fire for cooking. Although everyone missed Huo Yuhao’s cooking, they couldn’t let a ‘disabled person’ cook for them. Jiang Nannan, Xiao Xiao, and Wang Dong’er took on the responsibility as cooks. As for Jing Ziyan, even though she was also a lady… Besides wielding blades and spears, she didn’t know anything about cooking! She could only act as an assistant to the three chefs.
1572
1573Jiang Nannan was the best at cooking among the three. Although Wang Dong’er had learned from Huo Yuhao for a few days, she didn’t pick up much. Huo Yuhao had heard Xu Sanshi mention that Jiang Nannan was from a poor family. She had thus matured young, and was good at carrying out household chores. It turned out to be true.
1574
1575They had prepared sufficiently before they set out for this tournament, bringing quite a lot of ingredients. With Huo Yuhao around, they weren’t worried about the freshness of the ingredients, since he was the owner of Ultimate Ice soul power.
1576
1577Huo Yuhao was fed by Wang Dong’er. Of course, she fed him with a spoon, and not through her mouth. After all, there were many people around!
1578
1579
1580
1581
1582
1583Chapter 270.2: The Competition in Radiant City!
1584
1585
1586Huo Yuhao could only use his right hand. It was difficult for him to eat on his own. Wang Dong’er didn’t want him to tax himself, and thus she took over this role. Everyone was envious and jealous when they saw this.
1587
1588Xu Sanshi was looking at Huo Yuhao as Wang Dong’er fed her. He whispered to Jiang Nannan, “My love, please feed me too.”
1589
1590Jiang Nannan snapped, “How old are you?”
1591
1592“Three…” Xu Sanshi said bashfully.
1593
1594“Scram!” Jiang Nannan roared at him and gave him a shock. He quickly escaped and avoided her flying kick.
1595
1596On the other side, the same thing happened more intimately due to character differences.
1597
1598He Caitou looked at Xiao Xiao with a gentle gaze in his eyes, “Why don’t I feed you too? You are eating too little. Look at you, you are getting thin.”
1599
1600Xiao Xiao laughed and said, “I’m not that weak. I can feed myself. Go and eat. You are getting thin.”
1601
1602Jing Ziyan rolled her eyes as she eavesdropped from the side. Thin? This guy is thin? Isn’t he at least three hundred catties? He’s as big as a mountain, but she calls him thin. How did she bring herself to say that? Those in love really have extremely low intelligence!
1603
1604In fact, Jing Ziyan felt very depressed. As the first test subject of Huo Yuhao’s self-created spiritual-soul fusion skill, she was traumatized. Without dealing with this trauma, she knew that she couldn’t challenge him in the future!
1605
1606Ji Juechen was even more silent. His eyes never shifted away from the front, and he was in a perpetually pensive state. At times, he would start gesturing with his right hand, as if he were trying to imitate something.
1607
1608Everyone enjoyed their lunch in a very relaxed mood. They didn’t rush to move off. There were still two days to the registration deadline of the tournament. After entering Radiant City, they had to be completely wary at all times. Here, they were still able to relax and rest!
1609
1610Just as everyone was about to finish their lunch with delicious meat soup, the rapid clatter of horse hoofs could be heard coming in.
1611
1612—
1613
1614Before everyone got up to take a look, the familiar power of Huo Yuhal’s Spiritual Detection was unleashed. An image surfaced in everyone’s minds.
1615
1616While Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection presented a detailed image to everyone, it was still unable to project any color. While they were far away, the image in their minds was still very clear.
1617
1618It was a cavalry regiment. There were fourteen people in total, and they were all dressed in black warrior robes. Their steeds weren’t ordinary, either. They were taller than most horses, and more than four meters in length, with a shoulder height around one meter and eighty centimeters. They were extremely large and muscular. The strange thing was that these steeds didn’t have hair, only a layer of fine scales. Every steed also had a bulging protrusion on its head.
1619
1620Jing Ziyan couldn’t help but say, “Eh, those are Hornscale Horses. They’re really rich!”
1621
1622Hornscale Horses weren’t related to normal horses. They were soul beasts. They weren’t good at offense, but their defensive strength was rather high. They possessed two innate soul skills, Blackscale Armor and Heavenly Horn Barrier. Such soul beasts usually appeared in herds, because they weren’t good at fighting. That was also why they rarely appeared in soul beasts’ forests. They mainly lived in the grasslands.
1623
1624Their lack of fighting strength meant that they were compensated in other areas. Hornscale Horses had great endurance, around three times that of ordinary horses. They were also very quick. When they moved, even at a full gallop, they could also unleash their Heavenly Horn Barrier to protect themselves and reduce wind resistance.
1625
1626As they could be tamed by humans, the nobility of the various empires kept them as pets. One Hornscale Horse could be sold for between five thousand and ten thousand gold soul coins. If they were hundred-year Hornscale Horses, they could cost ten times more. It was even more expensive for thousand-year Hornscale Horses. These prices were so astronomical that demand became almost zero. As for those that were at least ten thousand years old… they barely existed at all. They usually couldn’t evolve to that level due to their ancestry. Even though there was a legend that they possessed a shred of the Unicorn bloodline, that little amount of heritage was barely significant. A Unicorn was a Transcendent Soul Beast. Furthermore, Unicorns were rumored to be at the same level as the Divine Giant Dragon, but their existence was also seen as a myth.
1627
1628All of the men were riding Hornscale Horses. Their leader, who was an elder, was even riding a hundred-year Hornscale Horse. It wasn’t exaggerated to claim that they were rich.
1629
1630Hornscale Horses were indeed very quick. In a matter of seconds, the cavalry regiment quickly appeared in front of Shrek’s Seven Monsters.
1631
1632Shrek’s Seven Monsters had chosen a good spot to rest. The ground was level, but elevated. The view was great, and there were even a few huge trees around. It was very cool as they took shade under the trees. The fragrance from their meat soup also made the entire atmosphere feel more rustic.
1633
1634The cavalry regiment quickly discovered them, and the elder lifted his hand, stopping the others behind him. The entire team was evidently very organized. The riders also coordinated well with their horses.
1635
1636The elder slowly rode up to them and smiled. He asked, “Greetings all. Are all of you going to compete in the tournament?”
1637
1638Seeing that the other party was being very ceremonious, Bei Bei stood up and walked a few steps forward before replying, “Yes, we are from the Tang Sect. We are going to Radiant City for the tournament.”
1639
1640“The Tang Sect?” The elder was stunned. He didn’t seem to have a deep impression of the sect in his mind. It took him some time before he recalled, “Oh, it’s a very ancient sect! We are from the Heavenly Armor Sect. We are also here for the tournament. We are tired from rushing on our journey. May we rest here too? Don’t worry, we won’t disturb all of you.”
1641
1642Bei Bei smiled and replied, “Of course you can. We still have some meat soup that we cooked. If you don’t mind, we can share it with all of you.”
1643
1644The elder laughed and said, “That would be great. Everyone, dismount!” As he spoke, he leapt off from his horse first.
1645
1646Not only was the size of a hundred-year Hornscale Horse different, but the bump on its head was also larger, with a patch of brown scales at the center of its forehead. After the elder dismounted, it obediently went to one side to graze. There weren’t many soul beasts that fed on grass. This Hornscale Horse had great endurance, and it wasn’t very troublesome to feed. This was also a reason why the nobility loved them.
1647
1648When the elder jumped off from his horse, the rest of the riders also dismounted. Their actions were neat and tidy, even rhythmic. No one made any noise, but they knew their roles. Hornscale Horses were quite intelligent, and didn’t need to be instructed. They walked off on their own to graze, but didn’t venture too far away.
1649
1650The riders started to get busy as they camped close to the group from the Tang Sect. Some of them retrieved dry rations, while others grabbed their water pouches. Someone was in charge of starting a fire and cooking. In a while, the smell of their meal drifted over.
1651
1652The elder led two youths over and scanned everyone from the Tang Sect. Eventually, he fixed his gaze on Bei Bei. From how Bei Bei had reacted earlier, he could tell that he was the leader of their group. However, he underestimated Tang Sect because of this discovery. This ancient sect doesn’t even have an experienced leader. What’s going on?
1653
1654“Young man, how are you? I’m Han Zhanhu from the Heavenly Armor Sect. I’m the leader of my sect. I’ve brought these youths along to gain some experience.”
1655
1656Jiang Nannan led two youths to get some of the meat soup. These two youths were very cautious. Their faces turned red when they saw Jiang Nannan’s ravishing looks. After that, they didn’t dare to look at her anymore. Jiang Nannan almost burst out in laughter when she saw their shy looks. These two youths were really amusing!
1657
1658Xu Sanshi was watching carefully from one side. He chortled when he saw their faces turn red, and stopped them monitoring further. They were really inexperienced!
1659
1660Bei Bei was already conversing with Han Zhanhu, “I’m the eldest senior of the Tang Sect. Greetings to elder.”
1661
1662Bei Bei’s refined appearance was very likable. When Han Zhanhu discovered that he was the leader of the Tang Sect, he was stunned.
1663
1664“So you are Master Bei. Apologies for the disrespect.” No matter how strong the Tang Sect was now, it was still an ancient sect. Han Zhanhu became more formal with his words. Han Zhanhu had to be a senior figure from the Heavenly Armor Sect. He was a tall and mighty man. His aura was pressing too. As he gestured, he seemed awe-inspiring.
1665
1666Huo Yuhao sat on the Golden Tree Wheelchair and observed these people. Although they only just interacted, he managed to make some deductions.
1667
1668First, the Heavenly Armor Sect was obviously not from the Sun Moon Empire. That was because they were riding horses. One of the tournament’s stipulations was that the competing teams needed to have at least five members who had four or more soul rings. Four-ringed soul masters could use flying-type soul tools. If they were from the Sun Moon Empire, it wouldn’t make sense that they didn’t use soul tools. From the Hornscale Horses they rode, it was more likely that they came from the Heavenly Soul Empire. That was because the Heavenly Soul Empire was famous for producing such soul beasts.
1669
1670Besides this, Huo Yuhao could also tell that the Heavenly Armor Sect had very strict rules. The young cavaliers were filled with fear and respect as they looked at Han Zhanhu. They were also very organized. In addition, they rarely spoke to one another. Even when they conversed with one another, they whispered. Such a disciplined sect was quite admirable!
1671
1672
1673
1674
1675
1676Chapter 270.3: The Competition in Radiant City!
1677
1678
1679Bei Bei’s brief conversation with Han Zhanhu verified Huo Yuhao’s guess: the Heavenly Armor Sect indeed came from the Heavenly Soul Empire. The Heavenly Soul Empire was furthest from the Sun Moon Empire. They had been on a long journey for twenty days and were now about to arrive at Radiant City. After briefly greeting the rest, Han Zhanhu thanked the Tang Sect for the meat soup and left with the two youths. The two shy youths stole glances at Jiang Nannan only when they were returning to their own campsite.
1680
1681Wang Dong’er squatted down beside Huo Yuhao at this moment and whispered, “They are so shy! From their looks, it seems like they hardly leave their sect. That’s interesting.”
1682
1683Huo Yuhao chortled, “This Heavenly Armor Sect appears quite impressive. Their abilities should be quite decent, seeing how disciplined they are. Elder Han must at least be a Soul Sage. The rest probably possess at least four rings each. A few of them should even have five rings. Their abilities are quite good!”
1684
1685The first requirement of the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament was that the competitors couldn’t be above twenty years of age. It was very rare for one to become a Soul King before he was twenty even through the use of herbs. Through his observation, Huo Yuhao was certain that this Heavenly Armor Sect team could rival a top eight team in the previous edition of the tournament in terms of overall abilities. This showed how competitive this edition of the tournament would be.
1686
1687The team from the Heavenly Armor Sect was eating and resting quietly. Those from the Tang Sect were also enjoying a rare relaxed moment. It was noontime, the hottest time of the day. According to Bei Bei, they should continue their journey after noon passed.
1688
1689Wang Dong’er lifted Huo Yuhao from his wheelchair and let him lie down on a mat that she laid on the grass. This was more comfortable for him.
1690
1691She sat beside him and used her thighs as his pillow.
1692
1693Huo Yuhao could smell Wang Dong’er’s fragrant scent as he laid on her soft, springy thighs. Huo Yuhao let out a long breath and reached out his right arm to hug Wang Dong’er’s waist. He had blissful look on his face.
1694
1695There was a big tree behind Wang Dong’er. She leaned quietly on it. She was also enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. She was combing Huo Yuhao’s hair and occasionally massaged his head to help him relax.
1696
1697Very soon, Huo Yuhao fell asleep in this sweet and comfortable environment.
1698
1699The rest of the Tang Sect members all unwittingly surrounded Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er in the center. Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi leaned beside a huge tree. Xu Sanshi wanted to hug her, but Jiang Nannan only allowed him to hold her hand. Things were the opposite for Xiao Xiao and He Caitou - Xiao Xiao’s head was on He Caitou’s muscular arm as she closed her eyes for a brief bit of shut-eye. Occasionally, He Caitou would watch her with a doting look and caress her long hair. There was a blissful and gentle look in his eyes.
1700
1701Ever since he had established his relationship with Xiao Xiao, He Caitou had pampered her even more. They were together every day. He Caitou didn’t even dare to touch Xiao Xiao’s hands easily. However, she was very nice. Xiao Xiao was like a ceramic doll in his eyes, he was afraid of hurting her. Xiao Xiao took the initiative to get close to him, and He Caitou accepted her advances in embarrassment. Every time Xiao Xiao tried to hold his hand, he would look very happy. Xiao Xiao loved his expression every time this happened.
1702
1703Bei Bei, Ji Juechen, and Jing Ziyan sat together. They were conversing. From how they kept on glancing at Huo Yuhao, it was evident that they couldn’t forget his immense spiritual power. Ji Juechen looked excited. It was obvious that he had developed some ideas after being inspired by Huo Yuhao today.
1704
1705The disciples from the Heavenly Armor Sect didn’t rush to proceed on their journey either. They returned the pot that they had brushed clean and also rested beside the trees after expressing their gratitude once again. It was evident that they were quite exhausted after traveling quickly for twenty days. They didn’t even bother to meditate. Apart from the few who were standing guard, the rest went to sleep.
1706
1707Although there were more than twenty people in this forest, as well as several Hornscale Horses, it seemed very quiet at this point in time. It was so peaceful that it looked like material for a beautiful painting.
1708
1709—
1710
1711It was a pity that this didn’t last. Just as everyone was enjoying the peace and quiet, a hooting sound came from afar. The piercing howls seemed to get closer and closer. Those who were awake started to look into the distance.
1712
1713There were more than ten people, but they were descending from the sky. Their wide flying-type soul tools started to retract as they landed on the ground. They landed on the side of the Tang Sect’s campsite opposite the Heavenly Armor Sect.
1714
1715This group of people wasn’t as disciplined as those from the Heavenly Armor Sect. They made a lot of noise as soon as they landed.
1716
1717“I’m beat. I’m beat. This place isn’t bad. We should rest here.”
1718
1719“Oh look, there’s quite a number of people here! Look, are those Hornscale Horses? They look great! It’s a pity that they can only gallop on the ground. Compared to flying-type soul tools, they’re much inferior.”
1720
1721“Eh, they should be country bumpkins who are here to compete too. It’s already a feat to ride Hornscale Horses. Guys, let’s rest quickly. Who brought dry rations? I’m a little famished.”
1722
1723“There aren’t any dry rations. Radiant City is not far from here. We can eat when we reach the city. No one brought dry rations because we are so close to the city! There are many delicacies in Radiant City.”
1724
1725“No, I’m too famished. Let me have a bite first. Those country bumpkins should have brought food since they came from afar. Let me ask them for some.”
1726
1727Everyone from the Tang Sect and the Heavenly Armor Sect furrowed their brows as they heard the noises that came from this bunch of soul masters that had just landed. The environment and atmosphere here were very quiet and peaceful, but their arrival disrupted everything.
1728
1729These newly-arrived soul masters were clad in yellow warrior robes. All of them had flying-type soul tools behind them, which they removed after landing. They were led by two middle-aged men, who were conversing with one another. The noises came from the youths who were under them.
1730
1731It was a plump youth who had mentioned that he was famished. With his small nose and small eyes, he looked like a contemptible fellow.
1732
1733Since they landed nearer to those from the Tang Sect, he naturally went to ask for food from those from the Tang Sect. This plump youth started to walk towards them.
1734
1735“Hey brothers, do you have food? Can you spare some for me?” The plump youth looked very slipshod. His hands were on his waist, and he was asking them to be charitable towards him with his eyes.
1736
1737No one from the Tang Sect spoke.
1738
1739Huo Yuhao was in a deep sleep. Wang Dong’er continued to brush his hair, while Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan were still seated together while holding hands. He Caitou was caressing Xiao Xiao’s hair, and Bei Bei and the other few were still engaged in their discussion. No one listened to the plump youth’s words, and he didn’t elicit a response.
1740
1741“Hey, are all of you deaf?” He shouted unhappily. “Give me some food, or else I’ll deal with all of you! Stop pretending!”
1742
1743Wang Dong’er furrowed her brow and twisted her head before saying, “Lower your volume.”
1744
1745The plump youth looked over as he heard her words. When he saw her, his mouth opened wide. His facial fat jiggled, and his bean-sized eyes shone with a greedy look. He had uneven yellow teeth, and let out intense bad breath. His saliva was even dripping out of his mouth. Even his tone of voice changed.
1746
1747“Beauty! Beauty! What a beauty!” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but walk towards Wang Dong’er.
1748
1749“Beauty, my name is Feng Ling. I’m the most outstanding young talent from the Heaven’s Gate. You are, you are too beautiful!”
1750
1751The bad breath from his mouth was even poisonous. His saliva even caused the plants and grass to fume as it landed on the ground.
1752
1753Wang Dong’er wore a cold expression on her face as she saw him walking over. Her gentleness was only for Huo Yuhao. However, she wasn’t a gentle person by nature!
1754
1755“Scram!” Wang Dong’er shouted.
1756
1757Feng Ling glared at her. “What? Did you just tell me to scram? Do you know who I am? I’m the young sect leader of the Heaven’s Gate. My father is the current sect leader!”
1758
1759Wang Dong’er lifted her head slowly, and also lifted her right arm. At this point, a huge figure blocked the view in front of her. A cold aura left Wang Dong’er stunned. In the next moment, she lowered her head again and continued to brush Huo Yuhao’s hair.
1760
1761Feng Ling wasn’t tall. He felt a shadow appearing, and Wang Dong’er was blocked just like that. When he lifted his head to look, he saw a cold-looking, handsome face in front of him.
1762
1763“Scram.” Ji Juechen’s voice wasn’t very loud, but it was very sinister.
1764
1765Feng Ling shuddered and felt goosebumps rising on his skin. He subconsciously retreated a few steps.
1766
1767“Who, who are you guys?” Although Feng Ling was ugly and lecherous, he wasn’t stupid. He had already mentioned his identity as the Heaven’s Gate young sect master, but the person in front of him didn’t seem to care. He was immediately alarmed. Furthermore, those who were strong had their own special characteristics. Such a special characteristic was very evident on Ji Juechen. He knew this person wasn’t to be trifled with, and he was also not alone.
1768
1769Ji Juechen didn’t say anything else. He was someone who didn’t like to speak. He lifted his hand and retrieved his Judgment Sword.
1770
1771His love for swords was like Huo Yuhao’s love for Wang Dong’er. He never left his sword in his storage-type soul tool. It was always by his side. That was why he was called a Sword Fanatic.
1772
1773Seeing that Ji Juechen had retrieved his sword, Feng Ling turned around and fled. “All of you need to watch out!” he cursed as he fled.
1774
1775
1776
1777
1778
1779Chapter 271.1: Sword Fanatic's Sword
1780
1781
1782Ji Juechen didn’t stand down. He wielded the Judgment Sword and followed Feng Ling towards the rest of the Heaven’s Gate disciples. Since when were Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan afraid of anything? They loved trouble! Ji Juechen’s competitiveness came to the surface as he was provoked. Initiating an attack was in line with his personality.
1783
1784Jing Ziyan didn’t follow him. She had been greatly agitated by Huo Yuhao earlier, and hadn’t recovered yet. Furthermore, she also felt something from the immense spiritual pressure that Huo Yuhao had brought upon her. She needed some time to digest everything.
1785
1786Feng Ling quickly rushed back to his own territory. Everyone from Heaven’s Gate naturally heard his confrontation with the Tang Sect. The entire sect, including the two middle-aged men, gathered immediately.
1787
1788Ji Juechen lifted his sword and walked over. Bei Bei wanted to follow him, but he was stopped by Jing Ziyan.
1789
1790“Let him have his fill. Otherwise, he’ll vent it all on us.”
1791
1792Bei Bei immediately sat down. He sighed slightly, and his eyes were filled with empathy for those from Heaven’s Gate.
1793
1794Jing Ziyan’s lips moved slightly. “What kind of person are you?”
1795
1796Bei Bei smiled and revealed his set of white teeth, “I’m a good guy.”
1797
1798Jing Ziyan looked over and shrugged her shoulders. Ever since she came to Tang Sect, she had smiled far more often.
1799
1800“Who are you? What do you want?” one of the middle-aged men shouted at Ji Juechen as he walked over.
1801
1802Ji Juechen was holding the Judgment Sword. As he moved forward, his aura was changing tremendously. It was as if he and his surrounding environment had assimilated. However, the environment didn’t assimilate with him. On the contrary, he assimilated with the environment. Everything surrounding him became extremely quiet. Even the birdsong that could be heard earlier disappeared. The colorful and radiant world turned dim and grey.
1803
1804The two middle-aged men started to turn serious.
1805
1806Ji Juechen finally stopped. “Either you beat me or I’ll beat you.” As he spoke, he lifted his Judgment Sword and grabbed it with both hands. He lifted it high above his head.
1807
1808A weird glow extended from the sword hilt. Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings quickly rose from Ji Juechen’s feet. However, these soul rings turned grey in the next moment. His entire body turned grey too.
1809
1810Solitary Sword Domain.
1811
1812The layer of grey started to expand at a frightening speed. The surroundings were dyed grey all around him.
1813
1814Huo Yuhao finally opened his eyes. He was impressed. “Brother Ji’s domain is getting more and more complete.”
1815
1816Those from the Heavenly Armor Sect naturally noticed the confrontation that was going on. Han Zhanhu stood up and watched what was happening.
1817
1818When he saw Ji Juechen walk towards the Heaven’s Gate disciples and unleash six soul rings, his expression changed. Although Ji Juechen looked older than twenty, he was definitely not older than thirty! For him to become a Soul Emperor at that age meant that he was the best among everyone of the same age. When Ji Juechen lifted his Judgment Sword and his soul rings turned grey, Han Zhanhu’s expression also turned serious.
1819
1820He must possess great abilities given these strange things I’m seeing. This young man is extraordinary!
1821
1822The Heaven’s Gate disciples wouldn’t allow Ji Juechen to bully them, either. They quickly spread out. The two middle-aged men also unleashed their soul rings. Just like Ji Juechen, they were six-ringed Soul Emperors. However, the color of their soul rings was slightly different.
1823
1824One of them had three yellow and three purple soul rings, while the other had three yellow, two purple and one black soul ring. Evidently, it wasn’t their first time teaming up with together. The Soul Emperor with the three yellow and three purple soul rings retreated quickly. At the same time, he lifted a soul cannon to his shoulder. The soul rings on his body flashed, and his soul power undulations increased significantly. He was an orthodox soul engineer.
1825
1826The other middle-aged man stood in place without moving. As a clanging sound rang out, a thick suit of armor appeared on his body. The pitch-black armor carried a little silver light. Evidently, it was created using some form of special metal. This armor, including a helmet, covered his body from head to toe. Not only that, but this close-combat soul engineer even had a shield in his hand.
1827
1828The Heaven’s Gate Sect was a soul engineering sect. Besides these two middle-aged men, the rest also unleashed their soul tools. Feng Ling also wore a suit of armor and carried a shield. Furthermore, his armor seemed stronger than the middle-aged man’s. However, he only had four soul rings. Bearing his shield, he protected himself like a turtle in its shell. It seemed as if he was afraid that no one would know he was fearful of death.
1829
1830Boom!—
1831
1832An intense ball of white light was unleashed from the middle-aged man’s soul cannon. The aggressor always possessed the advantage. Ji Juechen appeared in front of them, and his soul rings were the best combination a Soul Emperor could possibly have. These two middle-aged men from the Heaven’s Gate acted very cautiously. They had unleashed the cannon strike to test Ji Juechen’s abilities. The rest of the Heaven’s Gate disciples were spread around them. Although they retrieved their soul tools, they didn’t attack.
1833
1834Ji Juechen was alone! He had many compatriots who were resting. When the Heaven’s Gate disciples saw his six rings, they were dumbfounded. Most of the people they interacted with only had four rings. There were even those who only had three rings! Just having the soul tools they did was considered quite decent already.
1835
1836Ji Juechen stood in place and slashed his Judgment Sword forward. His actions were simple and direct. The Judgment Sword turned black and accurately struck the soul cannon shell.
1837
1838The middle-aged man who had fired the cannon was stunned. Not only did Ji Juechen not avoid the cannon shell, he even struck it directly. What was going on? This was a Class 5 soul tool! Its explosive strength was tremendous!
1839
1840However, he was stunned in the next moment.
1841
1842The pitch-black sword and burning white cannon shell contrasted each other. However, the cannon shell seemed to stall slightly as it made contact. It seemed to be on the verge of blowing apart, but it was swallowed by the black that came from the sword in the next instant. None of its energy was released.
1843
1844Ji Juechen was very confident. As he stepped forward with his left leg, he continued to slash with his sword.
1845
1846The previous black turned into a blinding brightness. In that instant, his entire person seemed to have turned into a silver sun. The intense brightness blinded the Heaven’s Gate disciples temporarily.
1847
1848The silver light retracted amidst their groans. The close-combat soul engineer holding the shield had already shifted from his position, retreating three meters.
1849
1850Ji Juechen stood where he was quietly. His Judgment Sword had lost its glow by now.
1851
1852A crisp clang resonated from the soul engineer that retreated. Following this, an astonishing scene appeared.
1853
1854A streak of silver light was released from his shield. It expanded like the patterns on a turtle shell. A crackling sound followed as the shield was turned into a pile of debris on the ground. Not only this, but the expanding silver light even appeared on his armor. It started from his helmet all the way down his body. His entire suit of armor cracked and fell off. The weird thing, however, was that he wasn’t hurt at all.
1855
1856There were nearly forty people on this empty patch of land. However, the entire patch turned eerily silent at this instant. Even the sounds of birds chirping couldn’t be heard in this domain. The greyness seemed to be spreading ceaselessly. Everyone from the Heaven’s Gate was engulfed.
1857
1858Ji Juechen’s gaze was as cold as ever. However, he appeared much more disappointed this time. He gently shook his head and turned around. He placed the Judgment Sword on his shoulder and walked back towards the Tang Sect. The grey domain followed him back. He was already very handsome, but in this brief fight, his suaveness had shocked everyone.
1859
1860He was a sword fanatic, and only lived for fighting and swords. He wasn’t an executioner. Moreover, that instantaneous control was something that he pursued. In his eyes, the Heaven’s Gate disciples weren’t fit enough for him to truly unleash his sword.
1861
1862Han Zhanhu was astonished. There was only one thought in his mind – if I were the one standing in front of him, what would I do against his sword?
1863
1864Ji Juechen’s fighting method was one of a kind. He was neither a soul master, nor a soul engineer. However, he was very strong, especially in control. If he could tear his opponent’s shield and armor apart, he could definitely tear his opponent’s body apart as well.
1865
1866However, he didn’t harm the man. He only threatened him with his sword, and caused everyone from the Heaven’s Gate to freeze in place.
1867
1868Feng Ling was shivering and something wet could be felt at his crotch. Who did I just offend?
1869
1870The middle-aged man who unleashed the long-range strike took two steps forward and came up beside his partner. He asked softly, “Senior, are you okay?”
1871
1872He only saw his senior’s pale face.
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878Chapter 271.2: Sword Fanatic's Sword
1879
1880
1881His body shuddered, and he twisted his head to look at his compatriot. He whispered, “Let’s leave.” He quickly removed the remaining parts of his helmet and gestured towards the Heaven’s Gate disciples.
1882
1883At this point, everyone from the Heaven’s Gate moved away in a disciplined fashion. They were extremely quick, as if they were scurrying off. The fastest to flee was Feng Ling. His fat seemed to be filled with new strength now.
1884
1885Ji Juechen had already returned to Huo Yuhao’s side. He turned to look at Huo Yuhao as if he were asking him something.
1886
1887Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, “Obliteration of darkness, instant brightness. You are really impressive. You’ve merged with your sword!”
1888
1889A smile was revealed on Ji Juechen’s cold face. It was a rare smile. “If you could move at all, I wouldn’t be able to beat you.”
1890
1891Huo Yuhao chortled, “That’s hard to say. I’m only stronger than you in terms of my spiritual power. However, the sword intent formed from the combination of your spiritual and soul power is becoming more and more sturdy as you slowly grow. If this continues, you’ll be stronger than me, at least in that aspect.”
1892
1893Ji Juechen’s eyes brightened. He seemed to understand something, and nodded towards Huo Yuhao.
1894
1895“Let me sleep awhile.” Huo Yuhao was still laying on Wang Dong’er’s lap.
1896
1897“Okay.” Ji Juechen acknowledged his words and returned to his original position.
1898
1899—
1900
1901After those from the Heaven’s Gate left, the Heavenly Armor Sect also started to move off. Before they left, Han Zhanhu went over to speak to Bei Bei again. However, his tone of voice was rather different from before. He didn’t dare to underestimate the Tang Sect anymore.
1902
1903Those from the Tang Sect also didn’t stay much longer. After Huo Yuhao woke up from his nap, they embarked on their journey again, proceeding towards Radiant City. At the same time, Wang Dong’er dressed like a guy again for safety precautions. As Huo Yuhao was in a wheelchair, they were moving much slower than before. It was already sunset by the time they arrived at Radiant City.
1904
1905Among all of them, Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, Wang Dong’er, Na Na, Ji Juechen, and Jing Ziyan had been to Radiant City before. They weren’t unfamiliar with this place. However, the rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters were all astonished. Radiant City was the largest city on the continent! When they saw the tall buildings, they were even more shocked. Their expressions also turned more serious.
1906
1907All of them came from the three empires of the continent. As the biggest threat on the continent, a thriving Sun Moon Empire put great pressure on the other empires. Even Huo Yuhao didn’t know how strong the Sun Moon Empire was. They hadn’t seen the truly great soul engineers from the empire yet.
1908
1909According to the information they were given, they had to complete their registration when they reached Radiant City. Although the previous registration had been completed, they still had to go through this round of registration to verify their arrival. The empire would then arrange for their temporary residence, as well as provide them with the tournament schedule.
1910
1911As they had competed in the last edition of the tournament, Shrek’s Seven Monsters were all profoundly moved as they arrived at the city. Compared to the congested streets of Star Luo City, Radiant City looked much more orderly. Although the crowds on the streets had increased, it didn’t feel packed. This was the benefit of a huge city. Soldiers in iron armor patrolled the streets occasionally. Every squad was made up of twelve soldiers, all extremely disciplined.
1912
1913Although Huo Yuhao had stayed in Radiant City for quite some time, he wasn’t very familiar with the buildings here. He had been extremely invested in soul tools every day, and didn’t have time to stroll around. However, there was someone else who was familiar with the area. Na Na had grown up in this city, and was quite familiar with things around here. She was easily able to lead everyone to the registration area.
1914
1915—
1916
1917It was a huge eight-story hotel. It was in the city center, and was called the Ming Yue Hotel. It was entirely silvery-white, and could be seen from a good distance away. Every story was quite high. Even though there were only eight stories, it was still considered an extremely tall building in Radiant City.
1918
1919The lobby of the hotel gave off a metallic feel. Its internal decoration was identical to its external decoration, completely silvery-white. Various streamlined decorations resembled exquisite soul tools and gave one the urge to touch them. The first feeling the hotel gave those entering was that it was simple, yet grand.
1920
1921At this moment, there were many people gathered in the lobby. When Huo Yuhao and the others entered, they were immediately greeted by a young lady in a long silver dress.
1922
1923“Greetings. Are all of you here for the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament?” The young lady was tall and slender, and also very beautiful. Her long silver dress fit her body to a tee, and extended all the way to her calves, looking quite elegant. She wore a light smile on her face and seemed very amiable.
1924
1925“Yes! Yes!” Xu Sanshi was walking in front, and he hurriedly acknowledged her words.
1926
1927The young lady smiled at him and said, “I’ll need all of you to wait because many teams have also just arrived. Follow me.”
1928
1929As she spoke, she led everyone into the lobby. Before they moved off, she subconsciously glanced at Huo Yuhao. This is weird. They are here for the tournament! Why did they bring someone in a wheelchair?
1930
1931Huo Yuhao appeared to be very calm. He wasn’t affected by the young lady’s gaze. After everything that he had been through, he was more mature than most adults.
1932
1933However, he easily attracted attention as he sat in the wheelchair. As they proceeded to the bar in the lobby, many people appeared stunned when they saw him.
1934
1935The other members of the Tang Sect subconsciously surrounded Huo Yuhao, trying to block him from the limelight.
1936
1937The bar was at the east side of the hotel and covered a thousand square meters. The bar was filled with white sofas made from genuine leather. They were led to one sofa, and the young lady left after greeting them. Immediately, a waitress in a short white dress walked over and served them some snacks and drinks. The service was exceptional.
1938
1939After the waitress left, Xu Sanshi said to Bei Bei, “Little Bei, don’t you find this an eye opener?”
1940
1941Bei Bei snapped, “Call me eldest senior. What eye opener? Look at you. You are turning lecherous again.”
1942
1943Xu Sanshi immediately sat up straight and said, “Don’t spout nonsense. Who doesn’t know that I’m the most honest and reliable person? There’s only Nannan in my heart. Besides her, I won’t even take a look at any other girls. Of course, that’s excluding Dong’er, Xiao Xiao, Nan Na, and Sister Ziyan!”
1944
1945Everyone grinned when they saw his honest expression. Huo Yuhao also laughed. “Third senior, are you really sure you are talking about yourself? Are you certain about that?”
1946
1947Xu Sanshi was embarrassed. “Yuhao, don’t embarrass me! I’m working in that direction. This is all because of Nannan! Although I attracted many girls with my charm in the past because I was too flirtatious, all I can do now is appear less lecherous.”
1948
1949Bei Bei shook his head and sighed, “How dare you call yourself charming in front of Brother Ji? Brother Ji! I’m not one who picks on others, but I think that Sanshi has made new discoveries in terms of his soul skills, seeing how brazen his words are. When we settle down later, you must really spar with him to improve your cultivation.”
1950
1951Xu Sanshi was furious. “Bei Bei, you! Brother Ji, don’t listen to his nonsense. I heard from him yesterday that his Holy Light Dragon has awakened, and he has learned a new move. You should spar with him instead!”
1952
1953Ji Juechen’s expression didn’t change. He only nodded at Bei Bei and said calmly, “Alright.” After that, he turned to Xu Sanshi and also nodded at him before saying agreeably, “Alright.”
1954
1955Both Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were stunned. Bei Bei said helplessly, “Harming others without helping yourself. Is there any point in that?”
1956
1957Xu Sanshi laughed coldly, “What do you think? You were the one who started everything.”
1958
1959He Caitou was watching the two of them from one side, and was amused. He didn’t make a sound, though. The ladies behind him were also smiling. When Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were together, they always mocked each other less than three sentences after their conversation began.
1960
1961Huo Yuhao shut his eyes as he heard his seniors bickering. It seemed like he was about to sleep again. However, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi quieted down when they saw him shutting his eyes. They knew it represented something.
1962
1963Indeed, a weird scene was presented in everyone’s mind at this moment.
1964
1965The image that surfaced in their minds was from a high point of view looking down at the hotel lobby. Everyone could be seen. They were presented in colors this time, but the colors were only limited to black, purple, yellow and white. The number of people was also gradually decreasing.
1966
1967Huo Yuhao’s thoughts rang out in everyone’s minds, “I’ve excluded those without any soul power undulations.”
1968
1969Black represented a cultivation of at least seven rings, purple represented four or five rings, yellow represented three rings and white represented two rings and below. From the looks of it, there were thirty-four people in black, two hundred and sixteen people in purple, seventy-eight people in yellow, and less than fifty people in white.
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975Chapter 271.3: Sword Fanatic's Sword
1976
1977
1978Everyone was shocked as they studied everything with the help of Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection. With Huo Yuhao around, they didn’t need to use their eyes to see. They could just sense all the information!
1979
1980There were many teams competing in this tournament, and these people weren’t all of them. However, there were more than thirty Soul Sages among those who were registering right now. Undoubtedly, they were the teachers and leaders of teams that were here to compete in the tournament. It also proved that many sects and academies treated this tournament very seriously. It was important to know that Soul Sages were a big deal everywhere on the continent!
1981
1982For this tournament, at least one-fifth of all the outstanding soul masters on the continent would be gathered in Radiant City!
1983
1984After briefly observing everyone in the lobby, Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection started to change perspective. It was moved upwards, and quickly saw through the main structure of the hotel.
1985
1986The Ming Yue Hotel was made using a mixture of reinforced steel and concrete. Some of the more important areas were constructed using extra-high tensile steel.
1987
1988There were rooms of varying sizes. The higher up they went, the larger the rooms were. Huo Yuhao estimated that there were close to two thousand rooms in this hotel, which itself covered more than fifteen hectares. There were close to two hundred rooms on each story, and more than ten corridors. It was only such a huge hotel that could accommodate the number of people attending such a large-scale tournament. All the competing team’s members were staying in this hotel. Although it seemed a little packed, the hotel could accommodate everyone as long as two people shared one room. If it were any other empire, at least three to five hotels would be needed. This fact alone demonstrated how big and powerful the Sun Moon Empire was.
1989
1990After ten minutes, Huo Yuhao re-opened his eyes. In these ten minutes, he had used his Spiritual Detection to show his teammates the ranks of the soul masters registering in the lobby, the structure of the hotel, and the condition of the rooms. His Spiritual Detection managed to reach five hundred meters in radius, with him as the center.
1991
1992“Oh, a familiar face.” Huo Yuhao looked slightly stunned.
1993
1994Everyone looked over as they were guided by Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection. There was a group approaching them, and all of them recognized their leader. She was the Star Luo Empire’s princess, Her Imperial Highness Xu Jiujiu, who had given them a lot of trouble in the last tournament.
1995
1996They didn’t recognize the others behind her. After all, those who had competed in the last tournament were more than twenty now, and had to be replaced for this tournament. Xu Jiujiu’s personal visit was shocking enough. However, the bunch of youths following her were evidently top opponents too. They were selected by the Star Luo National Academy, and thus they were naturally the best of the best. The Star Luo National Academy had been one of the top four academies in the last tournament.
1997
1998Xu Jiujiu was astonished right now. She was only looking at one person – Huo Yuhao.
1999
2000Yes, she only walked over because she saw him. She didn’t expect him to be in such a state.
2001
2002“Huo Yuhao?” Xu Jiujiu walked in front of everyone. All of them stood up to greet her, with the exception of Huo Yuhao.
2003
2004Huo Yuhao smiled as he faced Xu Jiujiu. He said, “Your Highness, it’s been a long time.”
2005
2006Xu Jiujiu was shocked, “I was curious when I saw the wheelchair. I was wondering which team brought along a disabled person. After that, I realized it was you. What happened to you?”
2007
2008Xu Jiujiu respected Huo Yuhao immensely. In the last tournament, Huo Yuhao had led Shrek Academy to the end even though his cultivation was weak. In the final duel, he had defeated the strongest pairing from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, the Hongchen siblings, and won the championship.
2009
2010At that point in time, the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire had appraised Huo Yuhao highly. After the tournament ended, he even sent someone to investigate Huo Yuhao’s background. He even knew that Huo Yuhao entered the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy as an exchange student. The imperial family of the Star Luo Empire had also monitored Huo Yuhao closely, as he developed quickly.
2011
2012When they realized Huo Yuhao had entered the Sea God’s Pavilion, they placed more attention on him than ever.
2013
2014The Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiayin, had once told Xu Jiujiu that Huo Yuhao was Shrek Academy’s future.
2015
2016However, he was sitting in a wheelchair now. Was he really the one-of-a-kind talent who possessed twin martial souls, an Ultimate Martial Soul, great fighting abilities, and almost limitless potential?
2017
2018Xu Jiujiu’s investigations had revealed that Huo Yuhao was from the Star Luo Empire. Although his background was unclear, it was a fact that he was from the Star Luo Empire. While Shrek Academy was huge, it was only an academy. Even if Huo Yuhao took on an extremely important role in the academy in the future, he wouldn’t be at the academy forever, and would have to venture out occasionally. That would be the Star Luo Empire’s chance.
2019
2020Xu Jiayin had personally instructed her that Huo Yuhao had to be pulled over to the empire once he ventured out from the academy. If he could serve the empire, he would become a pillar of the empire in the future! Every one of them knew that Huo Yuhao could become a Transcendent Douluo in the future with his potential.
2021
2022Furthermore, he could even reach the level of an Ultimate Douluo.
2023
2024What did an Ultimate Douluo represent? A strategic existence!
2025
2026Shrek Academy only became an existence that no empire dared to trifle with because of Elder Mu. If a Titled Douluo could obliterate a city, an Ultimate Douluo could change the outcome of a war.
2027
2028Although there was an unspoken rule that a soul master of a certain level couldn’t attack ordinary people, the threat that a strong soul master brought to his enemies was already quite terrifying.
2029
2030Over the past few years, the Sun Moon Empire’s military had been very active. The Star Luo and Heavenly Soul Empires were under great pressure. This was especially true for the Star Luo Empire, the second strongest empire on the continent.
2031
2032If they could pull Huo Yuhao, and even Shrek Academy, over to their side, the Star Luo Empire would become strong enough to challenge the Sun Moon Empire.
2033
2034After the last tournament ended, why did the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion’s Left Arm Bone end up in Huo Yuhao’s hands as if it were a gift? It was bait by the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire. It was just that they didn’t have a chance to interact after that.
2035
2036Today, Xu Jiujiu was shocked to find out that Huo Yuhao was seated in a wheelchair. His face was pale, which revealed that he was suffering from some kind of sickness. As she had been monitoring Huo Yuhao, she was clear on how important he was to Shrek Academy. He had ended up in such a state even though he was protected by Shrek Academy’s Titled Douluo. What exactly had happened?
2037
2038Xu Jiujiu was sharp enough. She could tell that there were indeed problems with Huo Yuhao’s legs. Furthermore, his left arm also seemed very stiff. They were drooping and not in line with his body. He didn’t seem to be acting.
2039
2040“Thanks for your concern, Your Highness. I only ran into some problems.” Huo Yuhao answered her calmly. Huo Yuhao was impressed by how the Emperor had tried to pull him over to his side. He also had a deep impression of Xu Jiujiu.
2041
2042It was a pity that Xu Jiayin and Xu Jiujiu didn’t know that Huo Yuhao had a close relationship with the White Tiger Duke. It was also precisely because of the White Tiger Duke that Huo Yuhao had his own plans. He couldn’t be pulled over to their side.
2043
2044It couldn’t be any small problem since he was in a wheelchair. Xu Jiujiu furrowed her brow, but she couldn’t possibly point this out. She hesitated for a moment. She greeted the rest of his team politely before asking Huo Yuhao, “Since you are already in this state, can you still compete? Furthermore, all of you are the reigning champions. Why are all of you waiting to register? According to the rules, the top eight from the previous tournament have registration priority. We just completed our registration.”
2045
2046Huo Yuhao replied, “We are not representing Shrek Academy this time.”
2047
2048As he said this, Xu Jiujiu’s expression changed again in astonishment.
2049
2050They aren’t representing Shrek Academy? She scanned everyone, and saw the complete lineup from the last tournament! None of them were missing. Why aren’t they representing Shrek Academy? As the princess and leader of the intelligence department, Xu Jiujiu started to overthink things. When she took into account Huo Yuhao’s body condition, she immediately believed that Shrek Academy was in huge trouble.
2051
2052Bei Bei could tell that she was thinking too much from her expression. He hurriedly said, “Your Highness, you are overthinking. We aren’t representing the academy because of the new rules. However, we are still a part of the academy. The academy sent another team over.”
2053
2054Xu Jiujiu was stunned for a moment. Her expression was then restored, and she said in shock, “If all of you aren’t representing the academy, then…”
2055
2056Bei Bei smiled and replied, “We are representing the Tang Sect.”
2057
2058“Tang Sect?” Xu Jiujiu didn’t have a deep memory of this ancient sect that had disappeared for years. However, the Tang Sect had once been famous on the continent. That was why she quickly reacted.
2059
2060“All of you have joined the Tang Sect?” Xu Jiujiu asked.
2061
2062
2063
2064
2065
2066Chapter 272.1: Tang Ya
2067
2068
2069Bei Bei nodded and replied, “Yes, we are from the Tang Sect. The Tang Sect was down once before, but our goal is to make it great again.”
2070
2071Xu Jiujiu took a deep look at him before studying the rest of them. She nodded and said, “All of you can do it.” She wasn’t being merely polite. These people in front of her had managed to become champions during the tournament even though they were only Soul Ancestors and below! Each of them possessed great potential, and they were all top students from Shrek Academy!
2072
2073A sect was quite powerful if they had a Titled Douluo holding the reins. While the few of them weren’t very old, they all had the potential to become Titled Douluo in the future!
2074
2075After pondering for a moment, Xu Jiujiu immediately said, “The history of the Tang Sect goes back a long way. The first generation Tang Sect leader also contributed greatly to the world of soul masters. If your sect needs the help of the empire in the future, we’ll do anything to help.”
2076
2077As she spoke, she retrieved a pure gold token and gave it to Bei Bei.
2078
2079“If the Tang Sect requires any help from the Star Luo Empire in the future, any one of you can use this token and find me at Star Luo City. I’ll do my best to help, if it’s within my means.”
2080
2081The token was heavy, and was carved with hollow tulip patterns on the front. On the back, there was an image of a tiger’s head. It represented the imperial family’s remembrance of the White Tiger Dynasty.
2082
2083This token had great significance. Bei Bei immediately turned serious and said, “Thank you for this gift, Your Highness. The Tang Sect will always remember our friendship with the Star Luo Empire. I believe we’ll have a chance to work together in the future.”
2084
2085If the Tang Sect’s development only relied on Shrek Academy, it would mean that they were content to only exercise their influence over a certain region. However, this wasn’t what Bei Bei wanted to see. He had promised Tang Ya that they would become the top sect on the continent! Right now, he was also working hard in this direction. Collaborating with the Star Luo Empire was very important to Bei Bei’s plans. He didn’t reject Xu Jiujiu’s offer.
2086
2087Xu Jiujiu revealed a smile on her face as Bei Bei accepted the token. “I hope that the day we work together will come soon.”
2088
2089After she said that, she turned her attention to Huo Yuhao, “Huo Yuhao, are you planning to compete in this state?”
2090
2091Huo Yuhao laughed bitterly, “Disabled people also have their rights. Your Highness, you can't judge people based on their looks!”
2092
2093Xu Jiujiu’s gaze changed slightly, and she smiled, “I can’t sense any bitterness from your voice. It seems like I worried too much.”
2094
2095Huo Yuhao was a little stunned as he looked at her. Acute observation! Indeed, he felt very blissful, as he was immersed in Wang Dong’er’s care every day even though he couldn’t move his arms and legs. Naturally, he wasn’t bitter at all.
2096
2097“Your Highness, don’t poke fun at a disabled person!” Huo Yuhao said helplessly.
2098
2099Princess Jiujiu smiled and said, “We’ll wait and see whether I’m really mocking you. If we meet in the tournament, you must show some mercy. Although I never thought that the Star Luo National Academy would become champions, we can’t be eliminated too soon, either! I’ll make a move first!”
2100
2101After she finished her piece, she left with the bunch of youths behind her.
2102
2103As she slowly walked away, Huo Yuhao appeared a little pensive. Bei Bei whispered as he asked, “What did you see?”
2104
2105Huo Yuhao gently shook his head, “I only feel that I shouldn’t be troubling this famous princess, since I’m not even a competitor.”
2106
2107It wasn’t too exaggerated to use the word ’famous’ to describe Xu Jiujiu. In the Star Luo Empire, she was an authoritative figure that everyone knew. She was also very beautiful, and everyone in the empire loved her.
2108
2109Bei Bei nodded slightly and said, “Let’s counter changes with no changes. No matter what goal she has, she won’t be targeting us.”
2110
2111Huo Yuhao said, “Eldest senior, do you remember that I mentioned that the Illustrious Virtue Hall was ambushed by the Body Sect?”
2112
2113Bei Bei was stunned, “What do you mean? She’s involved?”
2114
2115Huo Yuhao squinted and said, “I’m not sure. However, the hundred-thousand year soul beast embryo was auctioned off at the Star Luo City. After that, there was a rumor that someone offered a hundred million gold soul coins to obtain the embryo. Who’s wealthy enough to offer such an astronomical figure? I believe the Sun Moon Empire would have noticed this, too. Whether it’s direct or indirect, the Body Sect’s ambush on the Illustrious Virtue Hall must somehow be related to the Star Luo Empire.”
2116
2117Bei Bei said softly, “I wonder if the Body Sect will be here for the tournament. They have always been very mysterious. Surely the Sun Moon Empire isn’t targeting the Body Sect by allowing sects to take part in the tournament?”
2118
2119Xu Sanshi groaned and said, “Don’t underestimate the Sun Moon Empire. This is a renowned tournament that involves the entire continent. The Sun Moon Empire can’t possibly use the tournament to target the Body Sect. Their goal isn’t that simple. However, there must still be a degree of targeting involved. If the Body Sect doesn’t come, it shows that they are scared of the empire. I believe it’s still possible that they’ll come.”
2120
2121Xiao Xiao’s expression changed, and she said, “If the Body Sect comes, they’ll be a threat to us.”
2122
2123Jiang Nannan said, “It’s not just the Body Sect. There are many strong sects on the continent. We’ll have to take this tournament step by step. Let’s be steadier.”
2124
2125Bei Bei commented, “Indeed. Yuhao, don’t compete unless it’s necessary.”
2126
2127Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow and said, “Eldest senior, I have the exact opposite thinking as you. I hope to be the first to compete in every round of the tournament.”
2128
2129“What?” Everyone was shocked when he said this. Wang Dong’er also exclaimed like a lady, even though she was dressed in a man’s attire.
2130
2131Bei Bei creased his brow, “Yuhao, you…”
2132
2133Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Don’t panic, listen to me first! The greater the pressure, the more likely my potential can be inspired to fuse with the origin energy of Ultimate Ice in my body. Just by cultivating as a means to fuse this energy, I’ll take years. However, I believe it’ll be faster if I’m constantly fighting. Don’t worry, I’ll concede defeat if I can’t take it. With my current cultivation, it shouldn’t be difficult to win one round.”
2134
2135Xu Sanshi smiled and said, “Yuhao, you can’t say that. You are our secret weapon. We shouldn’t use our secret weapon first. Isn’t it good to hide it first?”
2136
2137Huo Yuhao chuckled, “I’ll hide some of my abilities. It’s not easy to see through the soul skills that my Spirit Eyes possess.”
2138
2139Wang Dong’er said, “No, you can’t compete. You can’t be the first to compete, either. No matter how strong your Spirit Eyes are, you can’t move or dodge because of your body. If someone unleashes a long-range strike at you, what can you do? You already lack the ability to attack from long-range. Without your entire body to coordinate, you’ll be unable to unleash your potential even with soul tools. It’s too dangerous.” No one knew Huo Yuhao better than her.
2140
2141Huo Yuhao said, “This isn’t a problem. I have my own ways. Let me compete first in the first elimination round. If I can’t make it, I won’t make such a request again. Furthermore, I guarantee that I’ll only fight three single rounds. Yes?”
2142
2143Bei Bei looked at Wang Dong’er. In such matters, he needed to seek Wang Dong’er’s approval first.
2144
2145After pondering for awhile, Wang Dong’er nodded lightly and said, “Alright, I’ll let you try in the first round. However, your safety takes priority. This is for everyone, and for me!”
2146
2147Huo Yuhao held her hands and smiled, “Don’t worry, I can’t bear to die. With my current state, it might not be a bad thing.”
2148
2149Xu Sanshi coughed twice. “The two of you can’t always be so immersed in yourselves. It’s too provocative. Furthermore, Wang Dong’er is now Wang Dong. Aren’t you afraid that others will misunderstand you?”
2150
2151Wang Dong’er and Huo Yuhao were stunned. Indeed, a few resting teams shot them weird glances.
2152
2153Wang Dong’er pulled her hands from Huo Yuhao’s grasp and said as she glanced left and right, “Eh, why aren’t they letting us register yet? Their efficiency is really low.”
2154
2155Compared to five years ago, all of them had changed greatly. It was very difficult for anyone to recognize them even though they had competed in the last tournament. After all, the changes from puberty were substantial.
2156
2157This was especially true for Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, and Xiao Xiao. They weren’t even thirteen when they competed last time, but they were seventeen now. Xiao Xiao was already a ravishing beauty. While Huo Yuhao was seated in a wheelchair, he was still a tall and large youth. He was two heads taller than he was five years ago. If Princess Jiujiu hadn't been monitoring him, she wouldn’t have recognized him. That was why no one came to greet them even though they had been waiting for quite some time. Huo Yuhao noticed a few familiar teams. Of course, he only recognized their leaders. Although these teams had had preparatory squad members during the last tournament, he hadn’t really noticed them too much. Over the past five years, he wasn’t the only one who had changed. They had all been youths. Everyone else had changed greatly too!
2158
2159
2160
2161
2162
2163Chapter 272.2: Tang Ya
2164
2165
2166After waiting for an hour, they were finally led to the registration area.
2167
2168The registration area was at the center of the lobby. There was a long table that faced the doors, and there were ten people in charge of registration.
2169
2170There was also a neat row of empty tables to one side. They were instructed to fill in a form.
2171
2172Bei Bei was in charge of filling out this form.
2173
2174Once he received the form, Bei Bei understood why they had had to wait so long. There were many things that he had to fill out. Detailed information on every official and preparatory squad member had to be written down – their name, age, sect, etc. It took ten minutes just to fill out the form.
2175
2176After filling out the form, everyone had to take a photograph at the registration table.
2177
2178The camera was a special, auxiliary-type soul tool. It captured everyone’s appearance. After the photographs were taken, they were directly printed on the registration form. This also demonstrated the leading position the Sun Moon Empire possessed in terms of technology.
2179
2180After the photography segment was over, they still had to undergo body and physical tests. This was to ensure that every competing member was twenty years old or younger.
2181
2182They were then led into a huge room in the hotel. There was already a queue in this room, but it was much simpler for the Tang Sect there. After all, Na Na was their only preparatory squad member. As they were overage, Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan couldn’t compete as preparatory squad members.
2183
2184Huo Yuhao wasn’t a stranger to the equipment used to measure his body. It was just that he was wondering what kind of result would be produced as he was measured in his current state?
2185
2186It was their turn soon. Suddenly, Huo Yuhao felt petrified. A weird feeling caused him to turn to a corner of the measuring room. When his gaze landed on someone, he couldn’t shift his eyes anymore.
2187
2188Huo Yuhao’s voice cracked as he shouted, “Teacher Xiao Ya!” This attracted the attention of everyone in the measuring room.
2189
2190After hearing Huo Yuhao exclamation, Bei Bei’s body trembled violently. After that, he also turned in the same direction.
2191
2192There was a young lady in the corner of the room. She still possessed a slender figure, and was as ravishing as ever. She looked taller than she had been a few years back, but there was an unhealthy paleness to her face. Her sharp eyes seemed to have changed color. There was a hint of dark blue in her beautiful eyes. As she stood in the corner, she seemed to have assimilated with the shadows. If not for Huo Yuhao’s acute senses, no one would have noticed her.
2193
2194Yes. She was Tang Ya. Compared to a few years ago before, when she had disappeared, her appearance hadn’t changed much.
2195
2196Bei Bei’s body stiffened when he saw her. After that, he started to tremble violently. He even had to grab hold of Huo Yuhao’s wheelchair to stabilize himself.
2197
2198“Xiao Ya, Xiao Ya…” Only those who were familiar with him knew that Bei Bei had had a hard time not finding Tang Ya over these past few years. They hadn’t expected to see her here.
2199
2200Huo Yuhao wasn’t any less agitated than Bei Bei. To him, Tang Ya and Bei Bei were his benefactors! Furthermore, Tang Ya was the true sect leader of the Tang Sect. After the Tang Sect was re-established, Bei Bei had mentioned that he was only a temporary substitute for her. When she returned, she would be reinstated as the sect leader. Everyone agreed with his proposition too.
2201
2202He actually met Tang Ya here. He was extremely emotional right now.
2203
2204Tang Ya also looked over. She first saw Huo Yuhao in his wheelchair before she saw Bei Bei. She seemed a little lost, and didn’t move from her position. She gave off the feeling that she had lost her soul.
2205
2206Bei Bei moved at this point. He was like a gust of wind right now as he burst towards Tang Ya. How long had it been? Tang Ya had gone missing just after the previous tournament had ended. It was close to five years now! They had turned from teenagers into youths. As he saw Tang Ya again, Bei Bei felt that his heart was about to jump out of his chest. His heart was only filled with his boundless love for her. Right now, he wasn’t as calm as before. There was only Tang Ya in his heart right now.
2207
2208He came in front of Tang Ya instantly and grabbed her shoulders forcefully. His voice was trembling as he said, “Xiao Ya, where, where have you been all these years? Did you know how hard a time I’ve had searching for you?”
2209
2210She was still in a daze even though he had grabbed her. She let him shake her body.
2211
2212At this point, Huo Yuhao sensed something amiss. He shouted, “Eldest senior, be careful!”
2213
2214After hearing Huo Yuhao’s words, he would have been cautious and wary of his surroundings if he were acting normally. However, he was too emotional now. Five years of yearning! His lover who had occupied his entire heart had finally appeared. He couldn’t be bothered with anything else.
2215
2216At this point, Tang Ya finally moved. She lifted her hands and pressed them against Bei Bei’s chest. It was as if she was resisting him. However, her dark-blue eyes started to light up as she lifted her head in the next moment.
2217
2218Bei Bei was stunned. He only felt that he had seen two deep valleys, and he was sucked into these valleys. In the next moment, a huge force struck his chest. He flew backward like a broken kite.
2219
2220Fresh blood sprayed from his mouth. His entire body was engulfed by a dark-blue glow, which was swallowing his life power maniacally.
2221
2222After Huo Yuhao told Bei Bei to be cautious, the rest of Shrek’s Seven Monsters acted too. Xu Sanshi was the first to burst out. While he had always bickered with Bei Bei, they actually shared a close relationship. He unleashed his martial soul as he stepped out.
2223
2224It was a pity that Tang Ya’s action was too sudden. Who would have expected her to make a move on Bei Bei? Xu Sanshi’s Mysterious Underworld Displacement was too late. He leapt up as he saw Bei Bei in the air and cushioned his fall. At the same time, a pitch-black light engulfed Bei Bei’s body and resisted the violation of the dark-blue glow.
2225
2226Xu Sanshi’s expression changed the moment their soul power met. It was very strong. The soul power that Tang Ya had left on Bei Bei’s body was too dense and consolidated, and it even possessed an extremely dominant, corrosive force. Xu Sanshi couldn’t gain an advantage over it even with his cultivation. Fortunately, Bei Bei’s cultivation wasn’t weak. He unleashed his own soul power and strongly resisted the invasive soul power. Tang Ya had only pushed him, she hadn’t unleashed an attack. She had unleashed the soul power that poured into his body, but didn’t directly attack his chest. As a result, Bei Bei’s bones were fine even though he was slightly injured.
2227
2228“Xiao Ya, are you crazy?” Xu Sanshi shouted at Tang Ya as he tried to resist her soul power.
2229
2230At this point, a few men in black stepped in front of Tang Ya. One of the elders looked in the direction of group representing the Tang Sect. Huo Yuhao’s body shuddered as he saw this elder. His expression also turned dismal.
2231
2232He recognized him. That was because he was one of the assassins who had intercepted Huo Yuhao’s return to Shrek Academy a few months ago.
2233
2234Zhang Peng; Scorpion Tiger Douluo, and half evil soul master. He was a Rank 96 Transcendent Douluo. He wasn’t inferior to Dean Yan Shaozhe in a fight!
2235
2236Now he had appeared here, and in front of Tang Ya. What did it mean?
2237
2238Furthermore, Tang Ya’s soul power evidently contained the aura of an evil soul master!
2239
2240Na Na was very pale right now. There were only three words going through her mind right now – Holy Ghost Church. It was the Holy Ghost Church!
2241
2242The rest of the Tang Sect also came up beside Bei Bei. Wang Dong’er pressed her hands on Bei Bei’s shoulders and poured in her pure power of light. Along with Xu Sanshi’s Xuanwu soul power, the dark-blue aura was expelled from his body.
2243
2244Bei Bei’s expression was extremely pale, and there was fresh blood flowing from his nose. Tang Ya’s strike didn’t just hurt his body; it also broke his heart!
2245
2246He didn’t expect Tang Ya to give him such a huge ‘gift’ after five years without seeing her!
2247
2248Zhang Peng wore a cold look as he looked towards everyone from the Tang Sect. He was stunned when he saw Huo Yuhao in his wheelchair. He squinted his eyes and appeared pensive.
2249
2250Tang Ya acted like she didn’t see all of them. After hitting Bei Bei, she turned around and left. A few other men in black followed beside her. Even Zhang Peng did the same thing.
2251
2252Bei Bei struggled, but he couldn’t get up! There was also blood in his mouth. His voice was hoarse as he said, “Xiao Ya…”
2253
2254Tang Ya didn’t stop. She quickly left, as if she hadn’t seen anything. However, there was a slight quiver of emotion in her eyes.
2255
2256Huo Yuhao arrived beside Bei Bei in his wheelchair, with Ji Juechen’s help. He grabbed onto Bei Bei’s wrist and softly said, “Eldest senior, calm down.” His gaze was gentle, and a slight wave of spiritual power engulfed Bei Bei’s head. Yuhao used the gentle and spiritual aura to soothe Bei Bei’s turmoil.
2257
2258
2259
2260
2261
2262Chapter 272.3: Tang Ya
2263
2264
2265Wang Dong’er continued to pour her soul power into Bei Bei’s body and helped him expel Tang Ya’s soul power from his body. However, it wasn’t to great effect. Tang Ya’s soul power was too domineering, and continued to run riot in Bei Bei’s body, whereas Bei Bei wasn’t able to control his own soul power to resist Tang Ya’s soul power. Just Wang Dong’er’s strength alone didn’t seem to be enough.
2266
2267Tears started to stream down Bei Bei’s face. He was normally very tough, but his tough exterior was torn down after he saw Tang Ya again.
2268
2269Huo Yuhao said softly, “Eldest senior, don’t be sad. That wasn’t Teacher Xiao Ya’s intention. She’s with a bunch of evil soul masters. If I’m not wrong, she must have been abducted by evil soul masters. Do you remember the Holy Ghost Church that I mentioned before? It must be them. She must be under their control. Eldest senior, you are our pillar. You must remain strong. It’s only in this way that we can think of a way to save Teacher Xiao Ya from those devils!”
2270
2271After hearing Huo Yuhao’s words, Bei Bei calmed down a little. He was a little lost as he looked at Huo Yuhao.
2272
2273Huo Yuhao nodded his head heartily at him, “If Teacher Xiao Ya were clear-headed, she wouldn’t have done that to you! Eldest senior, you are confused because you are too concerned about her! No matter what it is, we’ve seen Teacher Xiao Ya. It’s better than not knowing where she is. Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to save her.”
2274
2275Bei Bei was in a daze. As the eldest senior of the sect and one of the most outstanding young talents from Shrek Academy, he managed to regain his focus with Huo Yuhao’s help after momentarily losing control.
2276
2277He shut his eyes, and a blue glow was released from his body. Fine scales also started to surface on his skin. The strong side of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was revealed. He expelled the violent soul power with Wang Dong’er’s help.
2278
2279The room also descended into chaos from what had happened. Very soon, soul masters from the Sun Moon Empire entered the room to maintain order and interrogate the Tang Sect.
2280
2281Xu Sanshi represented the Tang Sect and answered their questions. He only said that there was a misunderstanding which led to a conflict. Whether it was because of Tang Ya or Bei Bei, he didn’t wish to escalate this matter.
2282
2283They performed their body measurements after this. Although Bei Bei underwent the measurements, his injuries were still quite bad. After he finished his measurements, Xu Sanshi carried him to his room to rest.
2284
2285The rest also went through their measurements smoothly. After all, it was just to verify their age. To keep the abilities of the competing teams a secret, there weren’t any measurements to test their soul power and cultivation. It was different from the tests that Huo Yuhao went through when he first entered the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
2286
2287Huo Yuhao was the last to take his measurements. He was lifted onto the scale by Wang Dong’er. When she did that, everyone’s expression turned weird, including those who were from the Sun Moon Empire. Is this disabled man here to compete too?
2288
2289“Is there a mistake?” The staff in charge of the measurement scale asked Wang Dong’er.
2290
2291Wang Dong’er raised her brows. She couldn’t stand it when others looked down on Huo Yuhao. However, Huo Yuhao interrupted just before she flared up, “There shouldn’t be a rule that restricts a disabled person from competing, am I right?”
2292
2293“There isn’t… it’s just that there’s a limited quota!” The staff answered subconsciously.
2294
2295Huo Yuhao said, “There are only eight members from our sect, and only one preparatory squad member. There isn’t any wastage. Just take it that I’m here to make up the numbers.”
2296
2297Since they didn’t violate any rules, the staff didn’t stop them. He activated the measurement scale and helped Huo Yuhao with the test.
2298
2299A streak of dim blue light rose from the scale and scanned Huo Yuhao’s calves. It was using his bone age to calculate his actual age. It was one of the most efficient methods.
2300
2301However, he was soon stunned. That was because there wasn’t any response from the scale. There wasn’t any feedback after the scan.
2302
2303What was going on? After so many tests, this was the first time something like this had happened.
2304
2305The output was increased, and the blue light became stronger. Huo Yuhao’s legs were scanned once again.
2306
2307Huo Yuhao was a little annoyed as he said, “Brother, I’m a cripple. My legs are different. You should scan my right hand. My right hand is the only limb that’s fine.” As he spoke, he bent his body forward and extended his right arm beside his leg.
2308
2309Indeed, the measuring scale responded to this. It evidently showed that Huo Yuhao’s bone age was seventeen.
2310
2311Huo Yuhao completed the measurements as the staff watched with weird looks in their eyes. Wang Dong’er lifted him back into his wheelchair before pushing him towards the exit.
2312
2313After they left, there was a huge commotion in the room.
2314
2315“What sect is he from? Why did the sect send a cripple?”
2316
2317“I think that it’s called the Tang Sect. What kind of sect is the Tang Sect? Has anyone heard of it before?”
2318
2319“No. It must be a small sect. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so pathetic. He’s really pitiful – losing the use of his legs and left arm even though he’s only seventeen.”
2320
2321“Because of this, we should respect his courage for choosing to compete in this tournament!”
2322
2323“Hai, can he really compete in that condition? Is he going to sit in a wheelchair to compete?”
2324
2325All types of discussions were going on right now. Wang Dong’er clenched her lips tightly as she pushed Huo Yuhao’s wheelchair. Her eyes were already tearing up.
2326
2327Although Huo Yuhao couldn’t see behind him, he could sense Wang Dong’er’s emotional turmoil. He gently tapped her hand and smiled, “Don’t you think this is interesting? If I become the eventual champion, won’t their eyes drop out?”
2328
2329Wang Dong’er held onto his hand tightly. Huo Yuhao sighed as he felt her icy cold hand. “Dong’er, do you want me to be happy, blissful and always wearing a smile on my face?”
2330
2331Wang Dong’er was stunned for a moment. She replied, “Of course.”
2332
2333Huo Yuhao replied, “In that case, you must be happy so that I can sense your smile every minute and second. You must smile in the face of everything.”
2334
2335Wang Dong’er’s figure shuddered a little, and her face turned red. Her voice was trembling slightly, “Yuhao, I…”
2336
2337Huo Yuhao tapped her hands again, “Let’s go. We should return to our rooms to rest too. I wonder how eldest senior is. Teacher Xiao Ya has finally appeared, which is a good thing. We should also quickly discuss how we should deal with this matter.”
2338
2339“Okay.” Wang Dong’er calmed herself down and pushed Huo Yuhao out of the measurement room.
2340
2341According to the arrangements made by the Sun Moon Empire tournament committee, the competing sects and academies were segregated. For example, Shrek Academy’s team was ranked at the top, and stayed in the best rooms and received the best treatment. This was also the same for all the sects. The more reputable a sect was, the better the treatment they received.
2342
2343As for the Tang Sect, those in charge of registration didn’t know that they were the members of the team that won the tournament the last time around. They only knew that the Tang Sect wasn’t reputable, and their members were given the most ordinary rooms. The Tang Sect was at the bottom of the hierarchy.
2344
2345The inferior rooms were located at the lower stories of the hotel. The first story consisted of the lobby, the wellness center and a few restaurants etc. The Tang Sect team was assigned rooms on the second story.
2346
2347The Ming Yue Hotel was the largest hotel in the Sun Moon Empire. Even their most ordinary rooms were not bad. They were just a little small. Each room was around twenty square meters in size, but there was a toilet in each room. The internal decorations were simple, and there were two single beds in each room.
2348
2349Although twenty square meters wasn’t considered very spacious for two people, it wasn’t cramped either. However, all ten contestants from the Tang Sect were squeezed into one room right now. There wasn’t even space for them to walk.
2350
2351Bei Bei was lying on the bed. His face was pale, but he was clear-headed. Furthermore, it seemed like he had regained his composure.
2352
2353Wang Dong’er pushed Huo Yuhao in his wheelchair as they were the last two to enter the room. The rest looked very serious as they surrounded Bei Bei.
2354
2355After Huo Yuhao entered, Xiao Xiao and He Caitou moved away, and let Wang Dong’er push Huo Yuhao in front of the bed.
2356
2357“Eldest senior, are you feeling better?” Huo Yuhao asked concernedly, and extended his right hand to take Bei Bei’s pulse.
2358
2359Bei Bei’s injury was quite serious. Tang Ya’s soul power had shaken his internal organs. Although his organs were put back into their original position when they did emergency treatment on him, his vital energy was still greatly affected. But Bei Bei had a strong foundation, and thus he wasn’t seriously ill. Even so, he would have to lie in bed for eight to ten days.
2360
2361However, the tournament wouldn’t wait for him to recover. In another three days, the tournament would begin. Before it even started, Huo Yuhao was already crippled, and Bei Bei was already seriously injured. The entire team was in a bad shape right now.
2362
2363If Huo Yuhao was the soul and brains of this team, Bei Bei was the backbone. Now, neither of them were in their best state, which affected everyone else.
2364
2365
2366
2367
2368
2369Chapter 273: Shadows of the Holy Ghost Church
2370
2371
2372Huo Yuhao released Bei Bei’s hand after a while. He looked up at the rest of his companions and smiled as he said, “What’s happening, everyone? Even though we are in dire straits right now, are we worse off compared to the last big competition? Eldest senior brother is quite heavily injured, but fortunately, his origin energy is still intact.
2373
2374"What happened during the last big competition? What were our cultivations five years ago? I only had two rings, while eldest senior brother, second senior brother, and third senior brother had but four soul rings, even though they were the strongest amongst us. We still made it through, didn’t we? Are we in a better situation now, or were we in a better situation back then? We should return with a landslide victory to welcome Bei Bei’s return. According to the competition’s proceedings, we only have to win five rounds in a row until Bei Bei’s injuries recover. We only have to win two more before he can return to top condition."
2375
2376Everyone looked a little better after they listened to Huo Yuhao’s words. Bei Bei was lying on the bed as he heaved a sigh and said, “I’m sorry, everyone. It’s my fault for being too careless. I’m not worthy of being your eldest senior brother! From now on, Huo Yuhao will be assuming command, and he will be the one arranging our battle strategies and tactics.”
2377
2378The company nodded their heads, and nobody had any objections to this arrangement at all. Huo Yuhao was held in high regard within the Tang Sect, as everyone had seen what he had given for the sect.
2379
2380Bei Bei lowered his voice and said, “What I’m worried about is the Holy Ghost Church. They are an organization of evil soul masters, yet they can come to this place as if it’s their right to do so, and they can even participate in the big competition. What does this mean?”
2381
2382A pained look overcame his face after this statement, and his breathing became a little short and rapid. Wang Dong’er hurriedly came forward and released her light-type soul power to stabilize his condition. Bei Bei’s Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon could evolve into the Radiant Holy Dragon, and that meant he was relatively more compatible with light-type soul power.
2383
2384Bei Bei’s condition stabilized a little with Wang Dong’er’s help. He nodded in her direction as a sign of gratitude before he continued. “This means that Yuhao’s speculation is right – the Sun Moon Empire are in cahoots with that organization of evil soul masters. Their alliance is simply too terrifying.”
2385
2386Nobody here was stupid, and everyone grew a little solemn as they listened to Bei Bei speak.
2387
2388The Holy Ghost Church had been full of secrets and mystery ever since they appeared until now, and nobody knew how much depth or background they had. The strength that they had placed on public display was enough to prove how frightening this sect was – it was possible that they were even stronger than the Body Sect.
2389
2390The Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao, was an Ultimate Douluo, and also possessed the Darkness Holy Dragon martial soul. This person had once shared the same reputation as Elder Mu, and this meant a lot of things – the Holy Ghost Sect became a lot more frightening with Long Xiaoyao holding down the fort. Furthermore, the Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Zhang Peng, had also appeared before. He was a half-evil soul master, and he was also a Rank 96 Transcendent Douluo. He could hold his own against Yan Shaozhe.
2391
2392This was all that had been placed on display for the public to see. Then, how much more did they have hidden from sight and knowledge?
2393
2394The Sun Moon Empire’s most prominent strength was their rapid development in soul tools, and this gave them an astronomical technological advantage against other countries. The Sun Moon Empire’s advantage in this respect had become increasingly obvious over time, and the greatest weapon the native three countries had against the Sun Moon Empire were soul masters.
2395
2396Every country had several Titled Douluo anchoring things down, and these Titled Douluo were bred for battle. If any one of them could break through into an army’s inner circle that was equipped with soul tools, the destructiveness and bloodshed that these Titled Douluo could cause would be incredibly horrifying.
2397
2398According to the soul masters’ unspoken rules, high-level soul masters were not allowed to attack normal citizens, while those that could use soul tools were also soul masters in some sense. Furthermore, if push came to shove, those unspoken rules would mean nothing, as what was more important than a country’s survival?
2399
2400This was the main reason why the Sun Moon Empire hadn’t been doing much over the years. They had lost their Sun Moon Continent title ever since the Holy War, and they didn’t dare to lose a second time – if they did, the Douluo Continent’s three native countries that had been threatened by the Sun Moon Empire would never let them go. They would definitely give everything they had to invade the Sun Moon Empire, so that the Sun Moon Empire wouldn’t have the breathing space they had all those years ago.
2401
2402The impasse between soul masters and soul engineers had led to the current equilibrium. The Douluo Continent’s three native countries were collectively stronger than the Sun Moon Empire, as they were three countries against one, after all. On the other hand, the first nation to move against the Sun Moon Empire would undoubtedly sustain the greatest losses, and this was the reason why nobody had done anything. This equilibrium had been maintained throughout the years.
2403
2404However, this equilibrium was becoming increasingly unstable over time. The Sun Moon Empire had enjoyed rapid development and expansion in recent years, while evidence of their shady alliance with the Holy Ghost Church had also surfaced.
2405
2406The Holy Ghost Church had dared to come out in broad daylight – what did this mean? This meant that they were unafraid of being discovered. They were not afraid of being discovered by the Douluo Continent’s three native countries or by Shrek Academy, as these entities no longer meant anything to them. This probably also meant that the Sun Moon Empire was about to make a move, and they couldn’t control themselves anymore.
2407
2408The Holy Ghost Church was composed entirely of formidable evil soul masters, and these evil soul masters had formed a symbiotic relationship with the Sun Moon Empire, who were adept with soul tools. If a war broke out, how could the Douluo Continent’s three native countries defend themselves?
2409
2410Ever since the Dragon Emperor Douluo had appeared, the Sea God’s Pavilion had decided that Shrek Guardians would devote all their energy and attention towards the Holy Ghost Church’s movements, as they couldn’t just let their students and teachers give up their lives for nothing. The Sea God’s Pavilion had already hosted multiple meetings and conferences to discuss the Holy Ghost Church – what did the appearance of an Ultimate Douluo represent? No matter how much the Tang Sect’s members didn’t want to admit it, they were all extremely clear that the Dragon Emperor Douluo himself could suppress the entire Shrek Academy.
2411
2412Elder Xuan was cultivating twice as often as he used to. Huo Yuhao even heard from Xiao Xiao that Elder Xuan almost went insane because he was too hasty. The current Master of the Sea God’s Pavilion wanted to break through and become an Ultimate Douluo as fast as he could, so that he could match up to Long Xiaoyao.
2413
2414However, could he really challenge the Dragon God Douluo? Even if Elder Xuan did become an Ultimate Douluo, the Dragon God Douluo had been at this level for much longer, and it would be an incredibly challenging task for Elder Xuan to defeat him. Elder Xuan had once said that Long Xiaoyao was possibly stronger than the Body Sect’s sect leader, Du Busi. Nobody would dare to argue if someone claimed that Long Xiaoyao was the number one individual on the entire continent.
2415
2416The atmosphere in the room felt a little stifled. The Holy Ghost Church’s appearance was no longer just a problem for the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament – their appearance had affected the entire continent’s political balance. Shrek Academy was located in the center of the Douluo Continent’s three native countries, and the Great Star Dou Forest was behind them. However, could Shrek Academy avoid participation if war eventually broke out? That didn’t seem very likely at all.
2417
2418Xu Sanshi lowered his voice and said, “If only we had been born twenty years earlier.”
2419
2420Everybody concurred with his statement. Even though they were all exceedingly outstanding members of the younger generation, they were still too young after all, and that meant their cultivations were still limited. They were still a far, far cry from the powerful individuals that could actually affect the direction of a war.
2421
2422Color returned to Bei Bei’s face with Wang Dong’er’s help. He struggled to lift his hand and took out the golden medallion that Princess Jiu Jiu had given him, which he passed to Huo Yuhao.
2423
2424“Yuhao – go and look for Princess Jiu Jiu, and tell her what we think. I trust that she is smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation, and then we will continue with our original plan. Time is of the essence, so it can’t be helped if we have to be a little hasty.”
2425
2426They were here to represent the Tang Sect in this season’s competition, but they had other intentions besides simply promoting the sect. A sect’s development was tied to two things: how strong the sect was, and the sect’s finances.
2427
2428The Tang Sect couldn’t be considered powerful at all, but Shrek Academy was behind them, and they were located in Shrek City, so they didn’t have to worry about their sect’s safety. That also meant that the most crucial thing they needed so that their sect could develop stably and quickly for a long time to come was money.
2429
2430Xuan Ziwen’s soul tool research and purchasing of all sorts of exotic metals required money, and that meant the Tang Sect would need more friends and allies under such circumstances. Shrek City was powerful, but they were very deep inside the Continent, and that meant it was unlikely that they would participate in a war. Shrek Academy was helping the Tang Sect develop as much as they could, but they couldn’t purchase too many soul tools in the end. However, while Shrek Academy might not need much, other people needed them.
2431
2432The company was here to participate in this competition to find people to work with, besides promoting their sect’s name, so that they could sell their products. The Star Luo Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire were the Tang Sect’s optimal targets. They had already met Princess Jiu Jiu as soon as they arrived today, and gotten off to a great start. This was originally a fantastic beginning for the Tang Sect, and Bei Bei had originally wanted to find Princess Jiu Jiu for another round of detailed negotiations after they had obtained a decent result in the competition. However, the Holy Ghost Church’s appearance interrupted their initial plans. On the other hand, and from another perspective, the Holy Ghost Church’s existence was beneficial for their efforts to promote the Tang Sect’s products.
2433
2434Bei Bei hadn’t been in the right state of mind ever since Tang Ya appeared, but he was still the Tang Sect’s eldest senior brother in the end. He immediately decided which path led to the greatest profit and benefit, and relaying information about the Holy Ghost Church to the Star Luo Empire would undoubtedly buy them a better friendship and camaraderie with Princess Jiu Jiu. This also meant that pushing out the Tang Sect’s products afterwards would be a lot easier than before. A deeper cooperation wouldn’t be easy, but a good start for their first encounter would be enough.
2435
2436Huo Yuhao took the golden medallion and nodded. “Alright, I’ll head over right now. Get some rest, eldest senior brother.”
2437
2438Xu Sanshi said, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”
2439
2440Bei Bei snapped, “I’ll be happy if you don’t piss me off.”
2441
2442Strangely, Xu Sanshi didn’t bicker with him and said, “Alright, that’s enough – get some sleep. Everyone should return to their rooms to take a break. This room is so small and there’s so many people gathered here, to the point where the air isn’t so good anymore.”
2443
2444Everyone left Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi’s room one after another. Bei Bei watched everyone leave before he shut his eyes tiredly, and images of Tang Ya’s blank eyes surfaced over and over again in his mind.
2445
2446Xiao Ya…
2447
2448A faint smile appeared on Bei Bei’s pale face, but nobody knew what he was thinking about at this moment.
2449
2450—
2451
2452It wasn’t difficult to find the rooms where the Star Luo National Academy were staying. With Princess Jiu Jiu’s status, and in addition to the Star Luo National Academy’s exemplary results in the previous competition, they were arranged in the relatively higher levels. However, they weren’t at the highest level.
2453
2454Huo Yuhao held onto the golden medallion, and the Star Luo National Academy’s team members escorted him to Princess Jiu Jiu. The princess was looking a little upset, and she was sitting on the sofa. Her expression returned to normal only when she saw Wang Dong’er push Huo Yuhao’s wheelchair into the room.
2455
2456“Why are you here?” Xu Jiujiu nodded at Huo Yuhao as a greeting, but her eyes were a little doubtful.
2457
2458Huo Yuhao didn’t answer her question. Instead, he changed the topic and said, “The Star Luo National Academy can only stay in the second-tier rooms. I wonder who’s staying in the first-tier rooms?”
2459
2460Xu Jiujiu’s face turned black as she said, “Huo Yuhao, are you here to piss me off?”
2461
2462Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Why should I? Compared to you and your company, the Tang Sect and I are a lot worse off – we are staying in the worst rooms, and we have received the worst hospitality. I’m here today to tell you something important.”
2463
2464“Eh?” Xu Jiujiu was a little surprised, but she had great temperament and composure, and regained her calmness in no time. The truth was that she was just upset about being assigned to second-tier rooms – she was the princess of the Continent’s second-biggest country, and it wouldn’t have been right if she didn’t feel upset about it. The only difference was that she didn’t express her feelings outwardly.
2465
2466Huo Yuhao said, “Even though I’m not sure which sects reside in the top-tier rooms, I have seen one of them – this sect is intimately connected to the Star Luo Empire. Even though I’m at Shrek Academy, I’m from the Star Luo Empire after all. This is the reason why I’m here to tell you this piece of information.”
2467
2468Xu Jiujiu said, “And you’ve discovered what this sect is? Are they the Body Sect?”
2469
2470Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “Of course not – I haven’t seen anyone from the Body Sect. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the Holy Ghost Church.”
2471
2472“The Holy Ghost Church?”
2473
2474Huo Yuhao reacted in surprise, as all he could see in Xu Jiujiu’s eyes was blankness and cluelessness. According to the intelligence that Shrek Academy had accumulated, this princess was in charge of the Star Luo Empire’s intelligence works, yet they knew nothing about the Holy Ghost Church. This meant that the Holy Ghost Church were hidden deep, and it was likely that they had only been moving around inside the Sun Moon Empire.
2475
2476Huo Yuhao tilted his head and said, “I didn’t expect you not to know anything about the Holy Ghost Church. That means I haven’t come here for nothing,” he paused, and his tone became a little solemn, “The Holy Ghost Church have the Sun Moon Empire behind them, and they are a powerful sect that consists of evil soul masters. They possess a Transcendent Douluo, and an Ultimate Douluo as well.”
2477
2478Huo Yuhao’s statement wasn’t long, but every word crackled in Xu Jiujiu’s ears like fireworks. This calm and casual princess could no longer maintain her composure, and she sprung up from the sofa as if something sharp was poking her buttocks. She exclaimed in fright, “What did you say?!”
2479
2480
2481
2482
2483
2484Chapter 274.1: A Big Customer
2485
2486
2487Princess Jiu Jiu bounced off the sofa after listening to Huo Yuhao’s statement, and she stared at him with eyes overcome with fear.
2488
2489The news that Huo Yuhao had just relayed to Princess Jiu Jiu was simply too astounding, and this was the same for the Star Luo Empire, A sect formed by evil soul masters, a sect that possessed an Ultimate Douluo, and a Transcendent Douluo, and a sect that was under the protection of another nation hostile to them. Xu Jiujiu’s typical stability and composure began to waver as she panicked after listening to this piece of incredibly bad news.
2490
2491“Are you for real?” Princess Jiu Jiu stared at Huo Yuhao as she subconsciously clenched her fists.
2492
2493Huo Yuhao heaved a faint sigh and said, “How can I lie about something like this, and how can I even succeed in doing so? You can observe when the competition begins, and you will see things for yourself.”
2494
2495Princess Jiu Jiu’s face changed as she stumbled backwards, and her calves pressed against the sofa. She lost her center of gravity and collapsed back onto it.
2496
2497“That’s impossible, just impossible. How can evil soul masters possess a Transcendent Douluo, and even an Ultimate Douluo? That’s absolutely impossible. Have you seen it with your own eyes?”
2498
2499Huo Yuhao knew that this piece of news was hard to believe. Furthermore, he was practically telling the Star Luo Empire that disaster had befallen them.
2500
2501Huo Yuhao lowered his voice and asked, “Have you ever heard of the Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Zhang Peng?”
2502
2503“Scorpion Tiger Douluo? Are you talking about the half-evil soul master, that Scorpion Tiger Douluo? He… hasn’t he been missing for many years?” Princess Jiu Jiu had already reconciled with this piece of news, but she would rather be in denial of what she believed to be true.
2504
2505Huo Yuhao answered, “The Scorpion Tiger Douluo has already appeared in Radiant City, and we just met him in the measurement room. Furthermore, eldest senior brother has been hurt by people from the Holy Ghost Church, and he’s barely hanging on. I hope that you can calm down, princess, and that you can treat this substantial problem seriously. You have to relay this information back to the Star Luo Empire as quickly as possible, so that the Star Luo Empire can be prepared to respond.”
2506
2507Xu Jiujiu was a lady, but the fact that she had such a status within the Star Luo Empire meant she had to have some outstanding qualities. She tried her best to control her emotions after hearing Huo Yuhao’s reminder, and she nodded her head. “Alright, please go on.”
2508
2509Huo Yuhao said, “The Sun Moon Empire can be considered our mutual enemy. The war hasn’t begun, but anyone can see that the day will come when the Sun Moon Empire cannot hold themselves back anymore. Furthermore, the Holy Ghost Church is made up of evil soul masters and can be treated as the collective enemy of all other soul masters in the world. The Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Zhang Peng, is the Transcendent Douluo that I have seen. I obliterated one of the Holy Ghost Church’s branches when I was on exchange at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and that episode gave me proof that this sect exists.
2510
2511“We were ambushed by the Scorpion Tiger Douluo on our way back to Shrek. I wouldn’t be here today if there hadn’t been powerful individuals from Shrek Academy there with me during that episode. The Scorpion Tiger Douluo wasn’t the strongest one in the force that came to ambush me, however. There was another name that I’m sure you’ve heard before, princess: the Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao.”
2512
2513Xu Jiujiu’s eyes became a little slack after she heard that name. She had barely managed to calm herself down before this, and her expression drastically changed once more in the next moment. “The one who possesses the Darkness Holy Dragon, and the one who was once known as one of the Twin Holy Dragons of Black and White; the Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao? But isn’t he more than two hundred years old if he’s still alive? He hasn’t appeared on the Continent in the past hundred years. This… how is this possible?”
2514
2515Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “I wish that this was all impossible, and that nothing like this had ever happened. However, the truth is right in front of us, and we cannot force ourselves not to believe it. Our academy’s Elder Xuan was there that day, but even Elder Xuan was one generation beneath Long Xiaoyao. I trust that you know that my teacher was the Radiant Holy Dragon of the Twin Holy Dragons of Black and White, and he was the Dragon God Douluo. Long Xiaoyao shared a reputation with my teacher when he was still alive, and now that my teacher has passed, nobody in Shrek Academy has the ability to single-handedly hold back the Darkness Holy Dragon. Even though the Dragon Emperor Douluo isn’t an evil soul master, he’s still part of the Holy Ghost Church. Furthermore, he’s not the sect leader, he’s only one of the sect’s elders. There’s someone out there who can command people like the Dragon Emperor Douluo and the Scorpion Tiger Douluo; it’s not hard to imagine how powerful the Holy Ghost Church is.”
2516
2517Xu Jiujiu’s face was a little pale. This piece of news was just too important, yet she had had no idea about it before today. This was far too important for the Star Luo Empire.
2518
2519“Thank you, Yuhao. Thank you for telling me everything. This is just too important, and I will immediately send someone to verify these things. The empire will not forget this contribution and favor if we find this information to be true, and we will definitely reward you accordingly.” Xu Jiujiu’s thoughts were a little messed up and she wasn’t in her right state of mind, but she didn’t forget about her promise. Even though Huo Yuhao was far less valuable in his current crippled state than he had been back then, she could guess that Huo Yuhao wouldn’t remain like this from the look on his face.
2520
2521Huo Yuhao lowered his voice and said, “This isn’t that much of a contribution. From our perspective, the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Ghost Church can possibly become an enemy that we have to face together. Perhaps, that day is inevitable. You should be able to tell from my description, princess, that nobody has the ability to challenge them alone. We can only forge as many alliances as we can in order to have the strength to challenge them.”
2522
2523Xu Jiujiu nodded her head silently. If the Sun Moon Empire possessed an Ultimate Douluo that had been around for two hundred years, that person alone could be apocalyptic for the Star Luo Empire. An Ultimate Douluo had enough power to take down more than ten Titled Douluo at a whim, and once the Star Luo Empire’s top-level individuals had fallen, there would no longer be anything they could do against the Sun Moon Empire, and they would be rolled over.
2524
2525Xu Jiujiu asked, “Do you have other information, Yuhao? If you have other important intel, I can purchase it directly from you. You can ask for any price you want.” Her impression of Huo Yuhao was a lot better than before. Just as Bei Bei had said, it would be a lot easier for them to obtain the princess’ trust with the information about the Holy Ghost Church as their main game.
2526
2527Xu Jiujiu didn’t even consider whether Huo Yuhao was deceiving her. First, he hailed from Shrek Academy. Secondly, this piece of news was simply too astounding. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao mentioned that the Holy Ghost Church had sent people to participate in the competition, and it would be too easy to expose a lie. Therefore, she completely believed him. She would immediately send people to obtain evidence once Huo Yuhao left, and then she would relay this information back to her empire.
2528
2529Huo Yuhao said, “I don’t have other intel. We’ve only developed these speculations after we just realized that the Holy Ghost Church is also participating in the competition. We’re here to find you because we can’t afford to delay any longer. The Holy Ghost Church dares to parade around in broad daylight, and that goes to show that they’re unafraid of threats from any other force. That also means that the Sun Moon Empire won’t be holding back for much longer.”
2530
2531Xu Jiujiu nodded and said, “You’re right, this is too important. Let’s do it this way, Yuhao. You guys can return for now, and I will immediately settle this and pass this information back to the empire so that my brother can make a decision. If this is true, I’m afraid we’ll have to pay a personal visit to Shrek Academy.”
2532
2533Huo Yuhao said, “Don’t be hasty, princess. I have something else for you. If you’re interested, our cooperation can begin right away.”
2534
2535Huo Yuhao gestured to Wang Dong’er behind him as he spoke.
2536
2537Wang Dong’er raised her left hand. The Starlight Sapphire ring that Huo Yuhao typically wore was now on her left hand, and six streaks of starlight glowed on the ring’s surface.
2538
2539Xu Jiujiu was momentarily stunned, and a tinge of vigilance immediately appeared in her eyes.
2540
2541Right at this moment, a human figure appeared soundlessly behind Xu Jiujiu. Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er only discovered her existence when she appeared, and Huo Yuhao had completely failed to sense her appearance before this, even with his current spiritual power.
2542
2543“A Titled Douluo?” Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.
2544
2545An old woman had appeared behind Xu Jiujiu. She looked like she was at least eighty years old, and her hair was all white. She was clad in a flowing red dress that radiated in tandem with her snowy-white hair, but her eyes appeared exceptionally dark and sinister. Greenish-blue light burst from her eyes in all directions, and she unleashed a forceful and stifling aura from the moment she appeared. This aura wasn’t targeted at Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er. Instead, it filled up the entire room.
2546
2547Huo Yuhao’s expression didn’t change at all in the face of such immense pressure. Faint purple light sparkled in his eyes as gentle spiritual undulations flowed outward and enveloped both him and Wang Dong’er inside.
2548
2549“Eh?” The old woman gasped in surprise, and there was now a hint of astonishment in her eyes as she stared at Huo Yuhao. She could tell from his soul power undulations that this youth had but five soul rings, give or take, yet he could defend himself against her stifling aura. He didn’t cower away or back off at all, and she couldn’t even lock onto him. How could this be something that a five-ringed Soul King could achieve?
2550
2551The old lady increased the pressure in the air after her initial flash of astonishment, and this pressure poured towards Huo Yuhao from all directions.
2552
2553Huo Yuhao didn’t show any weakness at all, nor did he say a single word. Purple light circulated, and a diamond-like radiance gradually began to sparkle in his eyes. The purple light layer that was protecting them immediately became like the night sky, while stars dotted its surface. This Titled Douluo didn’t stifle Huo Yuhao’s formidable spiritual power at all. Instead, it seemed as if Huo Yuhao was pushing back against her!
2554
2555Huo Yuhao’s fighting strength paled in comparison to when he wasn’t injured. However, his aura hadn’t been weakened at all. Even Elder Xuan had been astounded by his spiritual power, while the old woman was still quite a distance from Elder Xuan’s abilities.
2556
2557A virtual golden projection began to glimmer into view behind Huo Yuhao’s back. It was Wang Dong’er’s look in girl’s clothes, and the Goddess of Light immediately caused Huo Yuhao’s eyes to grow gentle and tender as they were filled with overwhelming love. His Goddess of Light’s power was boosted by thirty percent as long as Wang Dong’er was beside him.
2558
2559
2560
2561
2562
2563Chapter 274.2: A Big Customer
2564
2565
2566“That’s enough, senior,” Huo Yuhao sighed calmly.
2567
2568The old woman grunted coldly as she took a step forward, and she was just about to attack when Xu Jiujiu reached up to hold her back.
2569
2570“Don’t be like this, Grandma Yi Man. Yuhao is our guest.”
2571
2572The old woman squinted as she said, “This fellow is a little abnormal, his spiritual power is far stronger than it should be. It’s at a level that a Soul King shouldn’t possess. Let me take him down, Jiujiu, and then you can interrogate him.”
2573
2574Xu Jiujiu said hurriedly, “Grandma Yi Man, he really is our guest, we can’t treat our guests like that! I’m sorry, Yuhao. Grandma Yi Man has been protecting me since I was a child, and she must have felt something dangerous from your storage-type soul tool, and that’s the reason why she…”
2575
2576Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and said, “It’s alright. Since you have no interest in seeing what we have to offer, then we will take our leave so that we can prevent any misunderstandings. Let’s go, Dong… ahem, Wang Dong.”
2577
2578Huo Yuhao nearly forgot that Wang Dong’er was currently dressed in a guy’s clothes, and calling her “Dong’er” now would sound extremely weird.
2579
2580Wang Dong’er glanced coldly at Xu Jiujiu before she began to push Huo Yuhao away in his wheelchair.
2581
2582Xu Jiujiu’s expression changed, and a hesitant and unsure look flashed across her face. The old woman in the red dress gave Xu Jiujiu an inquisitive look.
2583
2584Xu Jiujiu didn’t hesitate for too long. She walked forward briskly and said, “I’m sorry, Yuhao. I was being too suspicious and oversensitive. I am deeply apologetic about what just happened, and I hope that the two of you can stay.”
2585
2586Xu Jiujiu had felt an acutely dangerous aura when Wang Dong’er flashed the Starlight Sapphire ring, and the aura did come from that ring. That meant that even the Starlight Sapphire’s quality couldn’t mask the dangerous aura contained within, and the aura immediately flowed out the moment Wang Dong’er infused some soul power inside. That was the reason why both she and the old lady in red had immediately reacted like they had.
2587
2588Thoughts ran through her head, and Xu Jiujiu figured that Huo Yuhao had no reason to harm her. It was just as he had said: everyone was standing on the same line, they shared the same enemy, and the enemy of her enemy was her friend. What Huo Yuhao wanted to show her was possibly dangerous, but it was unlikely that it was targeted towards her. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao had just given them such important intel, she couldn’t just turn him away just like that. The entire Shrek Academy was behind Huo Yuhao, after all!
2589
2590Huo Yuhao gestured to Wang Dong’er to tell her to stop, and turned his head around to look back at Xu Jiujiu. “I just want to remind you, princess, that all kinds of collaboration and teamwork has to be built on both parties trusting each other. If you don’t trust me, then there’s no need for any further cooperation, don’t you think?”
2591
2592Xu Jiujiu stared at this youth who could only move one hand, and she felt as if she were staring at a sly and cunning negotiator. Why is he so difficult to deal with? His words were neither hot nor cold, and neither was he too gentle or too pushy. Huo Yuhao’s controlled and moderated rhythm made her feel as if she were being drawn in. It’s no wonder that Shrek Academy has placed so much emphasis on him! Indeed, it’s not just because of his fighting abilities…
2593
2594Xu Jiujiu’s thoughts stopped there, and she immediately readjusted herself. A sincere smile appeared on her face as she said, “I’m sorry, Yuhao. I’ll apologize to you one more time…we were wrong about what happened just now. Please come back, and we can discuss our cooperation in further detail. What do you think? You’re right to say that cooperation means we have to trust each other. I can tell from the important information that you’ve just relayed to me that you trust us. Don’t worry, we will reciprocate no matter how we decide to cooperate in the future.”
2595
2596How beautiful was that speech? Huo Yuhao heaved a sigh of admiration inside as he gestured towards Wang Dong’er, and only then did Wang Dong’er turn his wheelchair back around.
2597
2598Huo Yuhao said, “Show it to her. Don’t worry, princess. We are also here, and you have this Titled Douluo to protect you. If something that can threaten your life shows up, won’t we be burying ourselves, too? I may be in a bad state, but I’m not ready to leave this world yet.” A teasing smile appeared on his face as he said that.
2599
2600Xu Jiujiu blushed as she made a gesture to Wang Dong’er. She stole a few more glances at her at the same time.
2601
2602Wang Dong’er was still Wang Dong five years ago. Even though she had been extremely stunning back then, she was still a child. Five years later, she had grown into an extremely “handsome” youth with a long and slender figure. Flowing pinkish-blue hair draped behind her back, and she was so “handsome” that she didn’t have any imperfections at all. Princess Jiujiu was still full of awe even though she had seen uncountable good-looking men before throughout her entire life. Wang Dong has a face that is so attractive that even girls will be envious of him, and Huo Yuhao just gave him a strange look. Can they be…?
2603
2604The look in Princess Jiujiu’s eyes became a little strange, and she cursed inside. What a waste! If such a handsome boy swings that way…
2605
2606Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er didn’t know that the princess was silently criticizing them. Wang Dong’er took two steps forward, and she reached out with her left hand toward a relatively spacious spot inside the room.
2607
2608This was only a second-tier room, but it was a lot better than the rooms Huo Yuhao and others were staying in. The spacious living room was several hundred square meters in surface area, and there were bedrooms inside that weren’t much smaller. This room was better in terms of both decorations and amenities than their room, and the place that Huo Yuhao and the others were living in weren’t even on the same scale.
2609
2610Brilliant blue light flickered, and a large item appeared before Xu Jiujiu. Even though she sounded very trusting, she still took a few steps back subconsciously so that she could keep her distance from it, while the red-dressed Titled Douluo stood in front of her, prepared to react against anything.
2611
2612They quickly saw what the item was. It was a strangely-shaped metal item, and Xu Jiujiu could feel that this was a soul tool. Even though the Star Luo Empire’s soul tool research paled in comparison to the Sun Moon Empire, the Star Luo Empire had been placing a lot of effort on soul tool research over the years after they realized the gap between them. The only difference was that they lacked top-tier soul engineers, and their research standards were also greatly inferior, so there was no way they could catch up to the Sun Moon Empire. Even so, Xu Jiujiu had seen quite a few soul tools, yet she had never seen nor heard about the thing before her.
2613
2614The entire soul tool took up about ten square meters of space. There was a square metal base beneath it, and this base was the thing that took up ten square meters. There was a belt beneath the metal base, and it seemed as if this soul tool could be pushed around. One could tell that it was quite heavy just by looking at it.
2615
2616There was a thick cylinder on top of the metal base, located in the center. This cylinder connected the base to another rectangular metal piece above it, and this rectangular metal component was about two and a half meters long, about one and a half meters wide, and quite flat, with eighteen black holes on one side. It seemed like an enormous metal box, and gave people an extremely peculiar feeling. The metal box’s dark body was nowhere close to being visually appealing.
2617
2618“This is…?” Xu Jiujiu glanced at Huo Yuhao with inquisitive eyes.
2619
2620Huo Yuhao answered, “This is a weapon that the Tang Sect produces. We have named it the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon.”
2621
2622“Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon? Is it a soul tool?” Princess Jiujiu was clearly unfamiliar with this name.
2623
2624Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “More accurately put, it’s a stationary soul tool. It can only be considered a Class 4 soul tool, but the effects that it can achieve on the battlefield cannot be matched by normal Class 4 soul tools, the reason being that it’s a stationary soul tool. You should know something about stationary soul tools, don’t you?”
2625
2626Princess Jiu Jiu nodded and said, “The force of stationary soul tools mainly comes from their shells. The cannon itself can only determine the firing distance and accuracy. Does your soul tool fire eighteen shells at the same time?”
2627
2628Huo Yuhao said, “There are different settings. You can fire everything at once, or you can them fire one by one. Our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon has several salient features, please allow me to introduce them to you. Firstly, even though it’s just a Class 4 stationary soul tool, it can reach a distance comparable to a Class 6 soul tool, because it contains some of the Tang Sect’s secret techniques. You can carry out your own field tests after this.”
2629
2630Princess Jiujiu’s eyes sparkled. A Class 4 soul tool that had the same propulsion force as a Class 6 soul tool! This was quite an impressive invention. It also meant that this soul tool only required a Class 4 soul engineer to operate it, and Class 4 soul engineers were on a completely different levels than Class 6 soul engineers. It was comparable to the gap between a Soul Ancestor and a Soul Emperor. A thousand Soul Ancestors were probably still weaker than a hundred Soul Emperors, and this point alone had already attracted the princess.
2631
2632Huo Yuhao continued, “Our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon can carry forty-eight shells, and they’re all under the base. It can automatically chamber shells during the firing process, and you will only need to reload the weapon after all forty-eight shells have been fired. Reloading is simple. Wang Dong, please demonstrate for the princess.”
2633
2634“Alright.” Wang Dong’er pressed on the cannon’s side with her right hand, and a capo-like holder sprang out. She shook the holder rapidly, and a magazine gradually slid out from beneath the holder’s base. The magazine opened up from behind, and everyone could see the forty-eight soul cannon shells chambered inside.
2635
2636Every cannon shell was about a meter long, and every shell was about twenty centimeters in diameter. The entire magazine was withdrawn from the holder, using the four wheels beneath the magazine, so one didn’t need to use too much force to push the magazine around. She quickly pushed the magazine back to its original position, before she closed it and returned the holder to where she took it from and concluded the reloading process. The entire effort took about two minutes.
2637
2638
2639
2640
2641
2642Chapter 274.3: A Big Customer
2643
2644
2645Xu Jiuiju calculated mentally, A stationary soul cannon that can fire forty-eight rounds before reloading, and a Class 4 soul tool with a Class 6 soul tool’s firing range. Forty-eight continuous rounds packs quite a punch! Just as Huo Yuhao said, this soul tool is definitely a powerful weapon on the battlefield! The Sun Moon Empire’s army is only equipped with Class 5 stationary soul cannons…
2646
2647The biggest difference between a stationary soul cannon and a normal soul cannon was firing range. Normal soul cannons had extremely limited firing range, because the soul cannons were powered purely by soul power, which was converted into force to launch the cannon shells. However, stationary soul cannons were different. They relied on the stationary soul tool to launch their shells.
2648
2649A Class 4 soul tool was worth about a hundredth of a Class 6 soul tool.
2650
2651Xu Jiujiu calculated continuously in her head, and her eyes began to glow brighter and brighter, beginning to understand more about this metal object’s practical uses and effects.
2652
2653Huo Yuhao continued, “The Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon that we have devised as of now is more suitable for installation upon city walls to defend the city, or it can be installed to defend fortresses; both uses will be extremely effective. If you wish to equip your army with this item, we will come up with a mobile version.”
2654
2655Princess Jiujiu immediately proposed the question that she was most concerned about. “So, what about the price? How much is it?”
2656
2657Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “This has power comparable to a Class 6 soul tool’s power, so it should be valued like a Class 6 soul tool. Truthfully, it can be considered a Class 6 soul tool, except it doesn’t take as much to use it.”
2658
2659Xu Jiujiu smiled and said, “I’m sure that’s not it. I believe it doesn’t take that many resources to craft it, either. Furthermore, stationary soul tools have always been known to burn holes through our wallets. This cannon can fire forty-eight stationary cannon shells, so every round will bring me a lot of heartache. Yuhao, your Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon is a little too expensive. You guys are also from the Star Luo Empire; are you trying to reap profits from war? That means this will no longer be a cooperation.”
2660
2661Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head. “No, princess. We are already very sincere. Stationary soul tools are indeed expensive, but they are also most important in the wars that we will have to face in the future. The Tang Sect has always been fair, so this price will never change. The price will be the same even if we are selling to Shrek City. Our sincerity lies in the supply priority we give our clients. If you’re willing to complete the deal, you will become our first client outside Shrek City, and you will receive supply priority from us for one year.”
2662
2663Xu Jiujiu was momentarily stunned. She couldn’t help but laugh as she said, “I didn’t expect you to be such a good businessman, and you even know about supply priority. Do you really believe that this soul tool will receive excessive demand? There must be a limit to the number of soul tools like this we can purchase, because we have to ensure that we have enough cannon shells to make sure that these expensive soul tools can unleash their full potential. Furthermore, we need to have enough soul masters. The truth is that the Star Luo Empire doesn’t lack soul masters. Since this soul tool is also considered a Class 6 soul tool, we might as well directly purchase Class 6 stationary soul tools. There are quite a few Soul Emperors within the Star Luo Empire.”
2664
2665The smile on Huo Yuhao’s face didn’t change. He wasn’t worried at all. If the princess wasn’t interested in his Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon at all, she wouldn’t be negotiating with him. The harder she haggled, the more interested she was in the soul tool.
2666
2667“But can you find a Class 6 stationary soul cannon that can fire forty-eight times continuously? I’m afraid it’s difficult to find one that can fire even three in a row. Both our magazines and our firing mechanisms are exclusive to us, and this soul tool comes with a self-destruct mechanism as well, so it can’t be replicated. One Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon can rival the firing efficiency of four Class 6 stationary soul cannons. Of course, we have to admit that this cannon can only be considered a Class 4 soul cannon in terms of material quality, and thus its durability cannot compare to that of a Class 6 stationary soul cannon.”
2668
2669Xu Jiujiu stared at Huo Yuhao in astonishment. This was the first time she had seen a seller openly discussing the product’s weaknesses and shortcomings.
2670
2671Huo Yuhao said, “Integrity always comes first for the Tang Sect, no matter who we’re dealing with, and we will never hide any weaknesses or cons that our products have. Furthermore, you could be considered one of our biggest clients.”
2672
2673Xu Jiujiu smiled and said, “Then aren’t you afraid that I’ll lowball you? The price you have quoted isn’t considered low at all. Furthermore, from a business perspective, there has never been a rule where the seller will always get the first price that he or she quotes.”
2674
2675Huo Yuhao replied, “I’m not sure how other people do their business, but upholding our integrity and providing top-quality products has always been of the utmost importance to the Tang Sect.”
2676
2677Xu Jiujiu stared deeply into his eyes. There was a look on regret on her face as she said, “That’s a pity. We can only think about this a little more.”
2678
2679Huo Yuhao wasn’t worried at all. He smiled and said, “Of course. I believe this deal will be a big one if it comes through, so it’s natural for you to put in a little more thought, princess. We’ll take our leave, then. We will give this Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon to you, and you will understand after field-testing it that I haven’t exaggerated anything at all. However, if you miss this opportunity today, and if other clients step into the picture, I’m afraid we cannot reserve purchase priority for you anymore. I need to make this clear so that I can absolve myself and so that you won’t hold that against me when it happens.”
2680
2681Xu Jiujiu was very familiar with the art of negotiation. She thought to herself, “Do you think I’ll fall for your tricks?” She stood up and placed her palms on top of one another on her abdomen. She tilted her head towards Huo Yuhao, and there was no denying her nobility and elegance as a princess. “That’s alright. If we decide that this soul tool is something we need, we will contact the Tang Sect as soon as possible.”
2682
2683Huo Yuhao replied, “Okay! There are two things that I wish to remind you about. You can attach Milk Bottles to this soul tool when you want to use it, and you can use it directly. Class 4 Milk Bottles are enough. Otherwise, a soul engineer can use it by infusing soul power from the left side of its base, where the two palm grooves are located. The second thing I wish to remind you about is that I have installed a self-destruct mechanism into this Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon so that we can protect our technology. If anybody attempts to take it apart, then there will be a formidable explosion. Please watch out for that, princess.”
2684
2685Xu Jiujiu took exception to his words and said, “Seems like your sect has placed a lot of emphasis on this soul tool. If you’re worried, you can take it back, and you can send someone into the Star Luo Empire to carry out experiments and field-tests for us. Don’t you think it’s a bit too excessive to use Milk Bottles to operate a Class 4 soul tool like this?” Milk Bottles were considered one of the most valuable and expensive soul tools amongst those of the same level, and this was the same for all soul tools beneath Class 7.
2686
2687Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Perhaps. I have already given this soul tool to you, so how can I take it back? Dong’er, take back our Milk Bottle, and we can bid our farewell to the princess.”
2688
2689“Alright.” Wang Dong’er took a few steps towards the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon’s base and pressed on a spot. A metal box sprang out, and Wang Dong’er retrieved a peculiarly-shaped Milk Bottle that resembled a cannon shell and stored it inside her Starlight Sapphire storage ring.
2690
2691Wang Dong’er wasn’t doing everything very quickly, so Xu Jiujiu could clearly see that she had never seen a Milk Bottle like that before. She could tell from its size that it wasn’t as simple as a typical Class 4 Milk Bottle. This was a soul tool that came attached with a mechanism specifically meant to attach Milk Bottles, and the Milk Bottle had also been specially crafted for this purpose. Was there a need for this? There must be something wrong if things weren’t normal or typical.
2692
2693Xu Jiujiu was still escorting them out when she asked subconsciously, “Will the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon have any special effects if it’s is used with a Milk Bottle?”
2694
2695Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were already at the door, and Princess Jiujiu’s servant opened it for them. Huo Yuhao said plainly, “There won’t be any special effects, except you don’t need soul masters to operate the soul tool.”
2696
2697“Oh. Goodbye, then,” Xu Jiujiu answered and sent Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er out of the room. She definitely wouldn’t go any further to send them off with her status, and her servant closed the door behind them.
2698
2699Huo Yuhao’s words echoed in Xu Jiujiu’s mind as she muttered under her breath, “You don’t need soul masters to operate the soul tool? What does that mean? You don’t need soul masters to…” The princess’ body suddenly froze as if a thought burst into her head, and an astonished look came over her face while her face lost all color.
2700
2701“That’s… not possible…”
2702
2703Wang Dong’er wasn’t pushing Huo Yuhao very quickly outside, and Huo Yuhao was slowly withdrawing his extended fingers as if he were counting down.
2704
2705“Five…
2706
2707“Four…
2708
2709“Three…”
2710
2711“Wait!” A high-pitched exclamation echoed through the corridor, and Princess Jiujiu suddenly raced out from her room and blocked their path in a few brisk steps.
2712
2713Wang Dong’er stared at the concerned look on her face with amusement and thought to herself, Huo Yuhao is so cunning…
2714
2715Xu Jiujiu’s breathing was clearly a little rushed as she stared at Huo Yuhao with her charming blue eyes. “You…you said that you don’t need soul masters to operate this soul tool! What does that mean?”
2716
2717Huo Yuhao seemed a little blank as he replied, “That’s…what it means.”
2718
2719Xu Jiujiu took a deep breath. “Are you saying that…?” For some reason, her heartbeat began to race, and an indescribable premonition coursed through her mind. However, this premonition was just so immense, to the point where she could barely control herself anymore.
2720
2721
2722
2723
2724
2725Chapter 275.1: The Art of Negotiating
2726
2727
2728“Wait.” Huo Yuhao raised his hand to interrupt any further questions from Xu Jiujiu and asked quietly, “Princess, do you think it’s appropriate that we are negotiating this out here?”
2729
2730Xu Jiujiu bit down on her lower lip as she stared at this innocent and harmless-looking fellow with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. She really wanted to pounce on him and strangle him. This bastard brought up what is perhaps the most important point at the last moment to wake me up. Seriously…
2731
2732Many large sects and reputable academies currently resided in this building, so it was true that this place wasn’t suitable or appropriate for discussing such top-secret things.
2733
2734Those thoughts did run through her head, but it was clear that there was no way she could put them into practice. She calmed herself down and regained her elegant posture and composure as she said apologetically, “It’s my fault for overlooking that. I invite the two of you to come back, so that we can discuss this deal in further detail. What do you think?”
2735
2736Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Of course. It would be even better if you could give us a cup of tea.”
2737
2738Damn it! She felt resentment bursting in her mind, but she didn’t dare to reveal even a single ounce of it on her face. Her heart was still beating very quickly, and the possibility that had just occurred to her was far too important for the Star Luo Empire.
2739
2740“I’m sorry, I was being discourteous before. I was too pleasantly surprised to see the two of you – please come back, and I will personally make some tea for you two of you.” She made a gesture for them to kindly proceed back into her room as she spoke.
2741
2742“Alright, we’ll have to trouble you, then.” Huo Yuhao didn’t push around too much. He had to play this just right, as going too far was as bad as not doing enough. He was dealing with a big customer, after all!
2743
2744They returned to the princess’ room, and Xu Jiujiu personally brought them two fragrant cups of tea as she invited Wang Dong’er to sit down on the sofa before turning towards Huo Yuhao with an eager look on her face.
2745
2746One had to admit that the princess was extremely pretty, and she could be ranked along with Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong’er as a top-tier beauty. If the princess had been staring at someone else with the same look on her face, they might possibly stop at nothing to give the princess whatever she wanted.
2747
2748It was a pity then that Wang Dong’er was the only person in Huo Yuhao’s heart. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao had seen quite a few top-class beauties. He possessed immense spiritual power, and his mind was steadfast and unwavering. He was naturally unaffected by Xu Jiujiu’s small psychological move.
2749
2750“Do you have any questions or doubts, princess? Please ask, and I will tell you everything I can.” Huo Yuhao’s face was cool and collected, and the sincerity in his eyes was no less than the look in Xu Jiujiu’s eyes.
2751
2752The red-dressed old woman felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth as she stood to one side. She thought to herself, The new generation is taking over from the older generation after all, and everyone seems to be as sly as a fox. Jiujiu has met her match today.
2753
2754Xu Jiujiu’s graceful and charming look finally froze momentarily, and she suppressed the impulsive desire in her heart to strangle this fellow before her as she replied, “I wish to ask about something you said before this. What did you mean when you said that soul masters aren’t needed to operate this soul tool? Are you trying to say that if these Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons have Milk Bottles, normal people can also operate them?”
2755
2756Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “Normal people definitely can’t.”
2757
2758Huo Yuhao’s simple statement immediately caused Xu Jiujiu’s eyes to fill with disappointment. Her eyes quickly turned unfriendly. Is this fellow deliberately trying to mess around with me?
2759
2760Xu Jiujiu was on the brink of erupting, and she grit her teeth as she said, “Then what do you mean when soul masters aren’t needed to operate this soul tool?”
2761
2762Huo Yuhao didn’t seem ruffled at all. “That just means soul masters aren’t needed to operate this soul tool!”
2763
2764Xu Jiujiu planted her hands on the desk in front of her and took a deep breath. She didn’t mince her words, pausing slightly as she enunciated each one. “Will you die if you make yourself clearer?”
2765
2766Huo Yuhao had a forced smile on his face and an innocent look as he said, “My words are very clear! It means the Tang Sect’s Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon no longer requires a soul master to operate it after attaching a Milk Bottle to it. Normal people definitely don’t meet the requirements, as they are not strong enough, and they will struggle with reloading and switching magazines. Only soldiers that are relatively stronger can operate this soul tool, and it’s even better if they’ve been trained before. Can you understand my explanation now, princess?”
2767
2768The redness that was on Xu Jiujiu’s face due to her fury immediately vanished, and she said eagerly, “Are you for real? Even soldiers that are not soul masters can operate a Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon?”
2769
2770Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “Of course! Otherwise, how could I claim that our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon has excellent value for the money? If not, how could I sell you a Class 4 soul tool for the price of a Class 6 soul tool? Wouldn't that just be a rip-off?”
2771
2772Xu Jiujiu leaned against the sofa, and her eyes changed continuously as her brain began to spin with ideas and thoughts. Her fists were clenched slightly from all her intense and riled-up emotions.
2773
2774Huo Yuhao picked up his cup of tea and finished it with a gulp. This was good tea, indeed… it was aromatic, and its fragrance lingered in his mouth, while it was fresh and quenched his thirst at the same time.
2775
2776Five minutes passed before Xu Jiujiu suddenly stared at Huo Yuhao and asked, “Can you give us a promotional price if we order in bulk?” She was extremely clear about the value of Class 6 soul tools.
2777
2778Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “No can do. I’ve said it already, that our product is excellent value for the price, and the price will not change. The price will remain the same whether we’re selling the cannons to you or to other clients, and we will be fair to everyone. The only benefit I can give you, princess, is purchase priority. There’s an upper limit to our production speed, after all.”
2779
2780Xu Jiujiu took a deep breath and said, “But we can only validate your words after field-testing this soul tool and experimenting with it. Can you reserve purchase priority for us?”
2781
2782Huo Yuhao contemplated momentarily, then said, “You have three days. I hope you can give us a decisive response before the competition starts.”
2783
2784Xu Jiujiu said angrily, “We’re inside the Sun Moon Empire, not the Star Luo empire. Where do I find a place to test it?”
2785
2786Huo Yuhao glanced at the red-dressed old woman beside them and said, “Technology is advanced today, and we can use flying-type soul tools now. It doesn’t seem difficult to return to the Star Luo Empire within a day. Princess, if I wasn’t from the Star Luo Empire myself, I wouldn’t have pleaded with my eldest senior brother time and time again, and perhaps you wouldn’t have been our first big customer. Three days is already the maximum allowance that our sect can give. I hope you can understand. How about this… we will give the Milk Bottles that are specially crafted for our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons to you as an expression of sincerity.”
2787
2788Huo Yuhao gave Wang Dong’er a look as he spoke.
2789
2790Wang Dong’er nodded and passed the Milk Bottle that she had taken back before this to Xu Jiujiu.
2791
2792Xu Jiujiu felt a little strange as she held onto the strangely-shaped Milk Bottle that was at least twice as heavy as a normal Class 6 Milk Bottle. The materials used to craft this Milk Bottle didn’t seem ordinary or typical.
2793
2794Huo Yuhao said, “Princess, I’ll pass another piece of secret intel to you for free.”
2795
2796“Speak.”
2797
2798Huo Yuhao said, “You’re in charge of intelligence. Are you aware that the Illustrious Virtue Hall has devised technology to seal Milk Bottles? That means, the soul power contained within Milk Bottles will no longer leak outside.”
2799
2800Xu Jiujiu felt her heart skip a beat. “Are you sure?”
2801
2802Huo Yuhao nodded and said, “The Tang Sect has also mastered this technology. The Milk Bottle you’re holding in your hands is sealed, which you will know once you give it a try. The truth is that the cost of crafting one of these Milk Bottles is equivalent to purchasing five Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons. With this sealed Milk Bottle, you can reload a Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon ten times without switching Milk Bottles. Ten magazines mean you can fire four-hundred and eighty stationary cannon shells in one go. I’m sure you understand what this means.”
2803
2804—
2805
2806Xu Jiujiu was left sitting motionless on the sofa even after Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er left her room. Her enchanting eyes sparkled with sophisticated light, and “Tang Sect” had been deeply imprinted on her.
2807
2808All her complicated emotions and thoughts gradually became disappointment and a sense of loss. Bitterness began to surface at the corner of her lips as she said, “We are still so slow, Grandma Yi Man. We are trailing the Sun Moon Empire in soul tool research, and we are even lagging behind Shrek Academy. The Tang Sect is undoubtedly representing Shrek Academy. Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon, sealed Milk Bottles…impressive indeed!”
2809
2810The old woman sat down beside her and gently caressed Xu Jiujiu’s flowing hair. “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, child. You’re just a girl, and you have enough burdens on your shoulders. That boy is extraordinary. I studied him closely, and I’ve never seen spiritual power like his in my entire life. His spiritual power is both unique and powerful at the same time, and it’s on an entirely different scale from his soul power. Furthermore, his eyes were calm and collected from beginning to end, no matter what expression he was wearing. Even you are a little inferior to him in this respect. If you can’t have a person like that as a friend, then…” The old lady squinted a little as a look of hostility and murder flashed across her eyes.
2811
2812Xu Jiujiu’s expression changed as she exclaimed, “No, Grandma Yi Man!”
2813
2814Grandma Yi Man stared at her amusingly and said, “What? You can’t bear to see anything happen to him? He seems a lot younger than you are.”
2815
2816Xu Jiujiu blushed and leaned into Grandma Yi Man’s embrace disapprovingly. “What are you talking about, Grandma Yi Man? There’s nothing between the two of us. That guy is one of the most outstanding individuals of Shrek Academy’s younger generation, and the academy places great emphasis on him. My elder brother has already prepared a plan to pull him close, and this guy is likely to become the link between us and Shrek Academy. Therefore, we can’t touch him, and we have to protect him.
2817
2818“Grandma Yi Man, what do you think about the Holy Ghost Church that he spoke of?”
2819
2820Yi Man’s face turned black as she said, “That’s a tough one. If he’s right about the Dragon Emperor Douluo being used by the Holy Ghost Church, then the Star Luo Empire will be in some real trouble. We need to act, and we need to do it now.”
2821
2822Xu Jiujiu tilted her head and glanced at the massive Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon resting on the floor. “Time is of the essence, Grandma Yi Man. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you this time.”
2823
2824Yi Man heaved a faint sigh and replied, “What trouble is there? I should do more for the empire while I can still move. I’ll take this back to the empire for field-testing and experiments right away.”
2825
2826
2827
2828
2829
2830Chapter 275.2: The Art of Negotiating
2831
2832
2833“Yes. I trust you the most, and I won’t be able to be at ease unless you’re the one doing it. I can tell from Huo Yuhao representing the Tang Sect to promote their soul tools that Shrek Academy’s inner circle seems to have changed. We have to buck up on our intelligence work.”
2834
2835Xu Jiujiu had believed from beginning to end that the Tang Sect was chosen by Shrek Academy as their spokesperson, and it was because of this misconstrued understanding that she placed a lot more emphasis on the Tang Sect.
2836
2837Wang Dong’er pushed Huo Yuhao back into his room, and it was only at this moment that an exhausted look came over Huo Yuhao’s face.
2838
2839Wang Dong’er lowered her voice and said, “Yuhao, why did you keep beating around the bush with Princess Jiujiu?”
2840
2841Huo Yuhao answered, “That’s so I can give her a stronger impression, and it’s also because I wanted to catalyze this deal and agreement with the Star Luo Empire and finalize it as fast as possible. If the Sun Moon Empire launches an invasion, the Star Luo Empire cannot avoid being the vanguard and bearing the brunt of their attack. Therefore, they feel the most urgency, and I believe they will come to a decision fairly quickly.”
2842
2843Wang Dong’er asked, “How about the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire?”
2844
2845Huo Yuhao said, “We can take it a little slower with them. One reason is because we don’t know anybody in these empires’ higher levels with a status like Princess Jiujiu. The second reason is because these empires may not send one of their high-ranking officials to us. Furthermore, our production speed is limited, and we may be hit with overwhelming demand if the Star Luo Empire chooses to take us up on this deal.”
2846
2847Wang Dong’er supported him and laid him down on the bed. She smiled as she said, “I think you’re becoming more and more like a businessman.”
2848
2849Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “It’s not my wish for that to happen. However, the Holy Ghost Church’s appearance has given us too much threat and danger.”
2850
2851Wang Dong’er gently combed and tidied the hair on his forehead and said, “You can rest for a little while. I’ll buy dinner for you, and we should rest early after eating. Are you tired from hustling around all day?”
2852
2853Huo Yuhao said nothing as he stared at her.
2854
2855Wang Dong’er blushed as she felt his piercing gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
2856
2857Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and said, “Ever since I returned after sustaining these injuries, I’ve become the luckiest and most fortunate person in the world.”
2858
2859Wang Dong’er grunted and said, “Are you trying to say that I wasn’t nice enough to you before this?”
2860
2861“Uh… of course not. The truth is that I’ve always been a little lost ever since we established our relationship during the Sea God’s Fate, as you’ve always been my brother in my heart. I only suddenly discovered how important you were in my heart when I read the letter in the pouch that uncle Niu Tian gave me. I felt a little attracted to you even when you were dressed like a guy, except I wasn’t so sure why I felt that way. I only realized afterwards that your eyes would always be the same no matter what you wear. There’s a big difference between a guy and a girl’s eyes after all. Don’t worry, Dong’er – I will recover very soon.”
2862
2863“Alright,” Wang Dong’er nodded her head lightly and said, “You should rest while I grab dinner.”
2864
2865“Okay.”
2866
2867Wang Dong’er left the room, and Huo Yuhao was the only person that remained. He didn’t close his eyes to rest, instead silently pondering things in his mind. He was repeatedly consolidating everything that he had seen and heard ever since they had arrived in Radiant City.
2868
2869The Sun Moon Empire seems like they really are going to make a move. However, are the Heavenly Soul Empire and Star Luo Empire prepared for that? It’s hard to say, and even if they’ve made their preparations, the Holy Ghost Church entering the fray will undoubtedly cause disarray and mess up their plans. The Sun Moon Empire must have ulterior motives for hosting this competition. How can we delay as much as possible before the Sun Moon Empire takes action?
2870
2871The Tang Sect has just begun our multifaceted expansion. The Tang Sect needs time to expand, and I also need time to recover. Once the war begins, we will need sufficient time to prepare if the Tang Sect wants to make a difference in the war and take this opportunity to expand and become stronger, and if the Tang Sect wishes to help the three native empires of the Douluo Continent against the Sun Moon Empire.
2872
2873Yes! We have to devise a plan to slow the Sun Moon Empire down and delay their plans for war as much as possible during this competition. But how do we go about accomplishing that?
2874
2875The goal had changed, but he couldn’t really think of a proper plan, so he could only play things by ear and wait and see. The Sun Moon Empire wasn’t just targeting the Star Luo Empire and Shrek Academy, and the other big sects, the Heavenly Soul Empire, and the Dou Ling Empire could form an alliance.
2876
2877Dinner wasn’t very sumptuous, but Wang Dong’er had returned quickly, and it was clear that she was worried about Huo Yuhao. No matter what he ate, everything that entered Huo Yuhao’s mouth was as delicious as ever with Wang Dong’er beside him.
2878
2879The night was upon them. Huo Yuhao didn’t dare to lie in bed and indulge himself in the warmth of Dong’er’s companionship like before, and he immediately started to meditate.
2880
2881Wang Dong’er sat beside him and also began to meditate.
2882
2883It had been a long time since they had cultivated together with the Haodong power. Huo Yuhao’s body was filled with the origin energy of Ultimate Ice, and that meant his soul power became extremely cold and icy. This also meant that Wang Dong’er would be adversely affected if they connected through the Haodong power. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao’s legs and his left arm’s blood circulation were blocked, so he couldn’t complete a major circulation. He would drag Wang Dong’er down with him, so he might as well cultivate by himself.
2884
2885Huo Yuhao had strong foundations in his Mysterious Heaven Technique, and his Mysterious Heaven Technique was also filled with vitality. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power was in the Mustard Seed Domain, and he could use his intricate and fine spiritual power with this technique. He released a thread of the origin energy of Ultimate Ice from his left arm and absorbed it with every circulation.
2886
2887The reason why he chose his left arm and not his legs was because the origin energy stored inside his left arm was comparatively thinner, and thus easier to extract. He had already managed to absorb some of the origin energy of Ultimate Ice from all the work and effort that he had put in over the past few days. Huo Yuhao couldn’t finish a major circulation, but his soul power wasn’t increasing any slower at all. The origin energy of heaven and earth had given him a lot of trouble, but it was still pure ice-type energy in the end.
2888
2889Huo Yuhao had already made accurate predictions about the state of his body. If he followed his current cultivation method, he would need at least three years before he could absorb every ounce of origin energy of Ultimate Ice in his body, and this was a conservative estimate where he assumed nothing went wrong. He would undoubtedly break through to become a Soul Emperor once he finished absorbing everything, and if he had enough soul rings, he had the possibility to break through to become a Soul Sage. Three years of being crippled in exchange for speedy improvement – this deal wasn’t that bad or disadvantageous for him in the end.
2890
2891After all, neither Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, nor Wang Dong’er could possibly become Soul Sages within three years even if they wanted to.
2892
2893Therefore, Huo Yuhao wasn’t that worried about his cultivation. He could only avoid mistakes and problems if he maintained a calm mind during his cultivation. Otherwise, if he went down the wrong path and went insane in his current state, he would face mortal danger.
2894
2895The night went by peacefully, and Wang Dong’er pushed Huo Yuhao into Bei Bei’s room when dawn arrived after they finished breakfast.
2896
2897Bei Bei was strong, and his injuries had stabilized. The only thing was that his wounds were far too severe, so he still had to rest in bed.
2898
2899Huo Yuhao recounted the negotiation he had conducted with Xu Jiujiu on the previous day. Bei Bei told him delightedly after listening to his description that Huo Yuhao could decide on other similar issues in the future.
2900
2901Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were the only ones who were truly in charge of things. The other members still prioritized their studies within Shrek Academy. He Caitou participated in the Tang Sect’s soul tool production and design, but the others spent most of their time on Sea God’s Island.
2902
2903Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had taken quite a burden off Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi’s shoulders ever since they had returned from their exchange program. This was especially so because Huo Yuhao had returned with voluminous blueprints, and even brought back a soul tool expert in Xuan Ziwen. This immediately brought the Tang Sect to another level, and their most important Soul Tool Hall was subsequently perfected. The Tang Sect’s expansion was finally on the right track, and Bei Bei could finally heave a sigh of relief. He had completely no worries at all about Huo Yuhao – Huo Yuhao was their designer, and he was extremely familiar with all the Tang Sect’s soul tools. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was meticulous and careful, and rarely made mistakes.
2904
2905Xu Sanshi was an all-rounded individual, but he didn’t understand enough about soul tools, while he was too playful at the same time. Bei Bei didn’t feel assured at all about him, so he passed command to Huo Yuhao after he was wounded. Xu Sanshi didn’t have any objections to this at all, and he was even elated about the decision, as he didn’t want even a little bit of this added trouble and responsibility.
2906
2907“Eldest senior brother, I predict that we will have a response from Princess Jiujiu by tomorrow night at the latest. With her knowledge and her experience, I trust that she won’t pass up this wonderful opportunity. It seems like we will be busy very soon.”
2908
2909Bei Bei was lying down on the bed. He smiled and said, “Teacher Xuan will be busy, you mean. Your Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon managed to tame Teacher Xuan back then, so how can Princess Jiujiu not bend to your will? We can actually lower the price, as the cost of our production is…”
2910
2911Huo Yuhao shook his head, and a mysterious smile broke out across his face. “Eldest senior brother, we don’t place excessive emphasis on money, but we can’t afford not to charge a high price for the Tang Sect’s development.”
2912
2913Bei Bei’s eyes sparkled. He immediately understood what Huo Yuhao was trying to say, and said, “You’re thinking about…”
2914
2915“Yes.” Huo Yuhao could tell that his eldest senior brother understood him, and he immediately nodded.
2916
2917A knock sounded at this moment. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi were the only people in the room, and everyone thought the Tang Sect’s other members had arrived. Xu Sanshi walked over and pushed open the door, but he was momentarily stunned once he opened the door.
2918
2919“Why are you here, eldest senior sister?” The eldest senior sister of Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard, Zhang Lexuan, was standing outside the room. Wang Qiu’er was also with her.
2920
2921Zhang Lexuan shot a glare at him and said, “Why can’t I be here? I’m the academy’s team leader. Why have you guys been put in a place like this? Is the Sun Moon Empire unaware that you guys are the champions from the previous tournament?”
2922
2923Xu Sanshi invited them in as he said angrily, “It doesn’t matter if they know that or not. Even if they know, what can we do if they pretend that they don’t?”
2924
2925
2926
2927
2928
2929Chapter 275.3: The Art of Negotiating
2930
2931
2932The room wasn’t that big, so Zhang Lexuan immediately saw Bei Bei lying on the bed when she walked in, as well as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er beside him.
2933
2934She was aware of Huo Yuhao’s circumstances, but her face immediately changed when she saw Bei Bei lying down on the bed. She walked up concernedly and said, “What happened to you, Bei Bei?”
2935
2936Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi, and Wang Dong’er were slightly taken aback as they watched the worry and anxiety in their eldest senior sister’s eyes. Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi exchanged a look, and they immediately felt the peculiarity in each other’s eyes. The concern that their eldest senior sister displayed towards their eldest senior brother seemed a little out of the ordinary.
2937
2938Bei Bei forced a smile and said, “Calm down, eldest senior sister. I’m alright.”
2939
2940Zhang Lexuan seemed to realize that she had lost her composure. She withdrew her emotions a little as she pinched Bei Bei’s wrist to check his injuries.
2941
2942Wang Qiu’er walked in together with Zhang Lexuan. However, she walked up next to Huo Yuhao, and glanced down at him before her eyes turned away very naturally, as if she were looking at a stranger.
2943
2944Wang Dong’er looked on steadily, and sighed to herself. The colder Wang Qiu’er was to Huo Yuhao, the more Wang Dong’er could tell that Huo Yuhao was still very important to Wang Qiu’er. Qiu’er, Qiu’er…why do you do this to yourself?
2945
2946Wang Dong’er had thought long and hard when Huo Yuhao disappeared without a trace back then. She was ready and willing to share Huo Yuhao’s love with Wang Qiu’er if she had to, and it was because of this thought that she was a lot less hostile towards her now. This was especially so after she felt the entirety of Huo Yuhao’s love for her. All she felt toward Wang Qiu’er now was sympathy, and not a single hint of envy or jealousy. At this moment, she was being very generous by standing on Huo Yuhao’s other side.
2947
2948“How have you been, Qiu’er?” Wang Qiu’er didn’t bother greeting him, but Huo Yuhao had to greet her, as she had saved his life more than once. Furthermore, he had long sensed the feelings that she had for him, and he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about them, as he couldn’t help but feel as if he owed her something.
2949
2950“I’ve been very well,” Wang Qiu’er answered coldly. It didn’t seem like she had been “very well” from the way she responded…
2951
2952“Oh.” Huo Yuhao didn’t know what else to say, and he gave her a simple response.
2953
2954Zhang Lexuan concluded her scrutiny of Bei Bei’s body with a solemn look on her face.
2955
2956“Your organs are almost in different positions, and you’ve been hit with an intense and strange soul power. It’s dark, evil, and eerie. Did you encounter evil soul masters?”
2957
2958Everyone couldn’t help but be impressed as they listened to her words. Zhang Lexuan’s analysis was concise, accurate, and to the point. She lived up to her name as the inner courtyard’s eldest senior sister.
2959
2960Bei Bei nodded as he lowered his voice and said, “I was just about to look for you guys. This matter has to be reported to the academy as quickly as possible, so that the academy can make the necessary preparations. That Holy Ghost Church has appeared…” He recounted the events from the previous day in detail, and he pointed out the Scorpion Tiger Douluo’s existence. However, the Tang Sect members were a little surprised that Bei Bei didn’t mention Tang Ya, and he only talked about how he sensed something was wrong about a soul master that he had run into, and how the other person had managed to ambush and catch him off guard, and how he had thus been injured.
2961
2962“This is very important. We have to report it to the academy immediately. You are severely injured, should I send you back to the academy?” Zhang Lexuan spoke with a very concerned look on her face.
2963
2964Bei Bei forced a laugh and shook his head. “You’re the academy’s representative team leader, so how can you walk away? Furthermore, my condition has stabilized, so I might as well rest and recover here. Don’t worry, there’s no way I can participate in the competition. I’ve passed command over to Huo Yuhao.”
2965
2966Zhang Lexuan stared at Bei Bei before she glanced at Huo Yuhao on his wheelchair. She couldn’t help but feel a little helpless and exasperated. “You guys! What can I say about the two of you? Bei Bei, you’re not a typically careless person, why did you…?”
2967
2968Bei Bei gave her a look, and Zhang Lexuan was momentarily stunned before she recognized that she seemed to have said too much this time. She stood up and said, “Please rest well. I will report this matter back to the academy at once. Let’s go, Qiu’er.”
2969
2970Wang Qiu’er said nothing, and she didn’t even greet the other Tang Sect members as she followed behind Zhang Lexuan and departed the room.
2971
2972The room descended into silence once Zhang Lexuan and Wang Qiu’er left, while Xu Sanshi, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong’er all stared at Bei Bei.
2973
2974Bei Bei felt goosebumps break out over his body from their stares. He cleared his throat and said, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
2975
2976Xu Sanshi looked up at the ceiling and heaved a long sigh. “I initially believed that girls would only crush on a person like me – incredibly handsome, romantic and elegant, natural and unrestrained. I never thought that you, Bei Bei, you who has a small nose and tiny eyes, had a secret like this. If you hadn’t been injured such that our eldest senior sister revealed her true feelings as a result, I wouldn’t have been able to tell. I didn’t know that you and our eldest senior sister had a complicated relationship.”
2977
2978An awkward look flashed across Bei Bei’s face. “Bullshit. Don’t spout nonsense and taint eldest senior sister’s clean name and reputation.”
2979
2980Xu Sanshi laughed coldly and said, “Do you think I’m as clueless as the others who don’t know you as well as I do? It’s obvious that the look in her eyes wasn’t right the instant she walked in and realized that you had been injured. When has eldest senior sister ever looked at someone else from the inner courtyard like that? The look in your eyes in that moment seemed like everything that was happening was right and within expectations. This proves that you had already predicted this response from the moment you saw her. Is that not enough to prove the secret relationship between the two of you? Wow, Bei Bei, you’ve hidden something like this from your best brothers! Even I had no clue about this, that you’ve done something to even our eldest senior sister. Tell us everything, right now! If not, I won’t show you any mercy even though you’re hurt.”
2981
2982Bei Bei stared at the falsely indignant look on Xu Sanshi’s face, and turned towards Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er, who were also staring at him with a strange looks in their eyes. “Oh, my reputation! Eldest senior sister messed up because she’s too concerned.”
2983
2984Xu Sanshi leaned in by the bedside with a gossipy look on his face. “Quick, tell us. What’s going on between you and our eldest senior sister? You have always been so dejected and concerned about Xiao Ya, so when did eldest senior sister enter the picture?”
2985
2986Bei Bei could tell that he couldn’t hide this secret any longer. He adjusted the expression on his face and said, “I’ll tell you since you guys have already realized something is going on. However, you guys have to keep my secret, as this concerns our eldest senior sister’s name and reputation. Whoever leaks this out will no longer be my brother.”
2987
2988“Okay.” Wang Dong’er was the first to agree, and without any hesitation at all.
2989
2990The corner of Bei Bei’s mouth twitched as he said, “It’s the same even for my sisters!”
2991
2992Wang Dong’er giggled and said, “Eldest senior brother, we should always enjoy blessings and endure misfortunes together. Why don’t I call everyone here? Do you think third senior brother can hide something like this from fourth senior sister?”
2993
2994“I… I have chosen terrible friends!” Bei Bei exclaimed in defeat.
2995
2996He Caitou, Jiang Nanna, and Xiao Xiao were quickly gathered. Na Na, Ji Juechen, and Jing Ziyan were ultimately not as close to them.
2997
2998Jiang Nannan and Xiao Xiao’s beautiful eyes sparkled when they heard that there was some secret between Bei Bei and their eldest senior sister that they had to know about. This was the classic gossipy and nosy look, and even the typically simple and straightforward He Caitou was full of surprise.
2999
3000“You can’t tell anyone else!” Bei Bei exclaimed painfully.
3001
3002“Really, nobody else can know about this.”
3003
3004“Why don’t we just let this go? You guys can just pretend you don’t know anything at all.”
3005
3006“……”
3007
3008“Alright, alright. I’ll say it.” Everyone’s eyes seemed like they were about to erupt with fire. Bei Bei felt all the pressure, and he had no choice but to tell them about his story with Zhang Lexuan.
3009
3010“Actually, eldest senior sister was arranged to marry me…” The six other pairs of eyes in the room widened with this one sentence. The apple that Xu Sanshi was holding in his hands dropped and hit He Caitou, who was beside him, on the face. He Caitou clenched his fingers in shock, and his enormous strength left a row of grooves on the bedframe.
3011
3012Huo Yuhao felt his body quiver, and he almost slid out of his wheelchair. Wang Dong’er covered her mouth with her hands to keep from exclaiming out loud.
3013
3014Jiang Nannan screamed and gasped in astonishment, while Xiao Xiao grabbed He Caitou’s arm as tightly as she could. It was clear that she was as astounded as everybody else.
3015
3016“Arranged marriage?!” Xu Sanshi’s mouth was open so wide that a goose egg could be stuffed into it.
3017
3018Who dared to think that the Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard’s chief disciple, the person that everyone referred to respectfully as “eldest senior sister”, the person that joined the Sea God’s Pavilion at the age of thirty to become one of the council members, Zhang Le Xuan, was actually arranged to marry Bei Bei. This could no longer be described as unbelievable, this was simply something that could only exist in fantasies!
3019
3020Bei Bei pulled a long face. “Yes, all of you heard that right, and I didn’t say anything wrong. Eldest senior sister was arranged to marry me. It’s a long story, and I’ll have to start from twenty years ago.”
3021
3022Xu Sanshi pulled over a chair and sat down beside his bed. “That’s alright, we’re not rushing things. You can take your time.”
3023
3024Huo Yuhao stared at Bei Bei with his eyes wide open and his jaw hanging slack. What he was feeling inside was similar to the awe and astonishment that Princess Jiujiu felt when she discovered that his Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon could be operated by normal soldiers.
3025
3026Bei Bei shot a glare at Xu Sanshi and said, “My mother passed away on the day I was born due to a difficult birth. My father was too depressed, and he took a nearly impossible task from the Shrek Guardians against Ancestor Xuan’s wishes and departed. He hasn’t returned since, and I became an orphan.
3027
3028“My family only had a single son, and my ancestors have ruled that all sons will follow their mother’s surname. My parents’ death adversely affected Ancestor Xuan, and he treated me like his own son during that period of time, as if I were the most important thing in the world.
3029
3030“Eldest senior sister was actually brought back by one of the academy’s teachers, and Ancestor Xuan ran into them by accident. Eldest senior sister had a blank look in her eyes back then, as if she had lost her soul and her spirit. She is from one of the Heavenly Soul Empire’s aristocratic families, but they were ambushed and attacked by another aristocratic family, and her entire family was annihilated. She had been underneath her bed, as she was playing hide-and-seek with her mother when disaster struck, so she managed to avoid certain death. Her mother crashed onto the ground beside the bed, and even used her own body to cover the bed as she was drawing her last breaths, even placing her hand behind her to cover her daughter’s mouth.
3031
3032“Ancestor Xuan checked her body after hearing about her circumstances, and he discovered that eldest senior sister had great talent in terms of her martial soul. She had congenitally full soul power, something that was rarely seen, and she also possessed a hundred year soul ring, while she had already broken through to Rank 20. He guessed that our eldest senior sister was the future of her family, and the person that her family wanted to do everything they could to nurture.”
3033
3034
3035
3036
3037
3038Chapter 276.1: Child Bride…
3039
3040
3041“Eldest senior sister was only about eleven or twelve years old, but she knew about Shrek Academy. She knelt down before Ancestor Xuan and begged him to avenge her. Ancestor Xuan was still reeling from my parents’ deaths, so he agreed to her request, and he told her that Shrek Academy would nurture her and unleash her potential. He had one condition, and that was she had to guard Shrek Academy for the rest of her life, and she had to become my bride. Eldest senior sister made the vow without hesitating at all.”
3042
3043Bei Bei paused for a moment and said, “I think you guys can guess what happened afterwards. Ancestor Xuan avenged her, and eldest senior sister remained at the academy to cultivate as hard as she could, and managed to get where she is today. As I grew up afterwards, Ancestor Xuan began to calm down, and he regretted forcing eldest senior sister to make that vow. He mentioned more than once that eldest senior sister didn’t have to uphold her vow. After all, she’s more than ten years older than I am, and waiting for me isn’t practical or realistic at all.
3044
3045“However, eldest senior sister insisted on keeping her vow. She told Ancestor Xuan that she would still be my bride no matter what choice I might make in the future. If I didn’t like her, then she would be single for life, and she would commit her entire life to Shrek Academy so that she could repay Ancestor Xuan’s benevolence.”
3046
3047Jiang Nannan’s face seemed a little unfriendly as she said, “You’ve already had a bride since you were a child, and you still went for Xiao Ya…”
3048
3049Bei Bei forced a laugh and said, “But I didn’t know about all that! Ancestor Xuan only told me about this vow after I got together with Xiao Ya. I felt everything was just unbelievable. I was only fourteen or fifteen back then, and eldest senior sister was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight, so our ages made us entirely unsuitable for each other. Furthermore, I’m sure you guys are aware of the feelings I have for Xiao Ya. All I could do was argue with Ancestor Xuan, and it was then that I decided to move out of the inner courtyard. Afterwards, Ancestor Xuan implicitly gave me the green light with Xiao Ya because the academy owed the Tang Sect. Ancestor Xuan talked to me about this one more time before he passed away, and he asked me to be nicer to eldest senior sister if I could help it, and he said that he had let her down.
3050
3051“I once sought her out so that we could set things straight. There were many talented suitors within the academy who had a crush on her, and I would hate to see her remain single for the rest of her life because of some outrageous vow that she made all those years ago. But eldest senior sister was extremely stubborn, and she said that I didn’t have to take her, but she would never go back on her vow. She waved her sleeve and walked off after that.
3052
3053“The truth is that even though I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, I still feel a little apologetic towards her. However, I have no clue what to do so that she will forgo that vow. Over the years, even though Xiao Ya has never been by my side, there’s no space left in my heart to accommodate anyone else.”
3054
3055Bei Bei’s expression was a little awkward, filled with conflict and difficulty.
3056
3057Wang Dong’er asked, “Eldest senior brother, do you not feel anything at all for eldest senior sister?”
3058
3059Bei Bei answered without hesitation. “Of course I do. She was the one who took care of me as I grew up, and I’ve never had a mother. Eldest senior sister is like a mother or like an elder sister to me, and she’s the second-most important woman to me in my heart after Xiao Ya. The only problem is that this feeling that I have isn’t a romantic one, and there’s only kinship between eldest senior sister and I. You guys have to help me figure this out! What exactly can I do so that I won’t hurt her, yet still give her the great future that she deserves?”
3060
3061Bei Bei looked around at everyone, eager and hopeful. Everyone’s eyes became a little strange. How could this conundrum be solved?
3062
3063Huo Yuhao cleared his throat and noted, “The competition is coming up in two days. What suggestions do you have, eldest senior brother?”
3064
3065The corners of Bei Bei’s mouth contorted, and he surveyed the rest, and realized that their eyes were drifting around at everywhere, but him. He snapped, “The lot of you have no loyalty at all!”
3066
3067He Caitou chortled and said, “It’s not for outsiders to resolve family issues. How are we supposed to help you with this, eldest senior brother?”
3068
3069Bei Bei was exasperated. “Alright, alright. Let’s not talk about that anymore. But you guys can’t speak a word about this to anyone, as it concerns our eldest senior sister’s reputation. Tell me, Yuhao, what plans do you have for the competition?”
3070
3071Huo Yuhao answered, “I don’t have an actual plan yet, but I have some ideas. This competition will have one hundred and sixty-seven participating teams because sects are allowed to participate, and the first few rounds will be elimination rounds, all the way up till the last thirty-two before the group stage begins. The organization committee hasn’t declared how the elimination rounds will be carried out for now. Compared to the group stages that come afterwards, we have to clear the elimination rounds before anything else.
3072
3073“We are representing the Tang Sect, so we aren’t a seeded team. That also means the competition’s rules won’t be in our favor. We aren’t sure what teams we’ll run into at this point. If we encounter any formidable sects, we will be faced with quite a challenge. Therefore, we have to hide our abilities as much as possible during the elimination rounds.”
3074
3075“Hide our abilities?” Bei Bei was slightly taken aback. “Aren’t you contradicting yourself, Yuhao? You just talked about how important the elimination rounds are. So why should we hide our abilities?”
3076
3077Huo Yuhao replied, “It’s not contradictory, eldest senior brother. What I’m trying to say is, we have to hide our abilities as much as possible provided we can emerge victorious in the same round. Our appearances are quite different compared to five years ago, and there are so many more sects in this competition, so there won’t be many who still recognize and know about us. We can put on some makeup or something to change our appearances a little, so that the people who might recognize us from the previous tournament will no longer recognize us. At least, they won’t be sure that we are who they think we are. If we don’t get too unlucky, and as long as we don’t meet the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy in the first rounds, it’s unlikely that we’ll be recognized.”
3078
3079Bei Bei’s eyes sparkled and said, “That’s a great idea. The people that will have an impression of us from the previous tournament will have been the reserve team members, who have become the main team members in this season. Everyone’s become quite different after five years, and after we make some adjustments, and the fact that we are representing the Tang Sect, will be quite effective in hiding our abilities and identities.”
3080
3081Xu Sanshi frowned and said, “We can change our appearances, but we can’t change our martial souls! How can they not recognize us once we unleash our martial souls?”
3082
3083Huo Yuhao smiled mysteriously and said, “That’s what I mean when I said that we have to do all we can to hide our abilities and identities so that they can’t recognize us. We can do it this way…”
3084
3085Their discussion on battle tactics continued for a little more than two hours, and was concluded so that Bei Bei could get some rest.
3086
3087Huo Yuhao and his companions conducted a few more discussions and drills the following day, and confirmed how the starting rounds were going to be carried out.
3088
3089—
3090
3091At the highest level of the Brilliant Delight Hotel…
3092
3093Wang Qiu’er stood quietly on a spacious semicircular balcony and gazed into the distance. The view was enchanting from this spot, she could see almost half of Radiant City.
3094
3095There were only eight similar rooms on the Brilliant Delight Hotel’s highest level. They were known as the Villas in the Sky, and they were exceedingly extravagant and luxurious. It was claimed that one night cost three thousand golden soul coins, an exorbitant price. This place could be said to be the most expensive hotel on the Continent.
3096
3097Every Villa had an arched door, as if the room were a castle. There was a hall for hosting guests, a living room, a large conference room, and twenty rooms of different sizes that consisted of bedrooms, gyms, and tearooms. There was a garden in the sky that was more than two hundred square feet in surface area, and there was a swimming pool that was twenty meters on each side at the center of the villa. There was a curved dome above the greenish-blue water, and one would be able to see gentle and faint blue sparkles around the swimming pool at night. Looking up at the dome at night felt as if one were staring at the boundless starry sky, and that beauty was truly enchanting.
3098
3099There was even a miniature sparring arena in the villa, which was built with special materials and defense-type soul tools. It could sustain most soul skills beneath a Soul Sage’s rank.
3100
3101Shrek Academy’s team had all been astounded when they first entered this villa. Dai Huabin was the Duke’s son, but this was even his first time staying in a hotel as luxurious as this one. Twenty rooms was more than enough for a team that consisted of a little more than a dozen, and it allowed everyone to have their own room. They could order anything they wanted to eat, and everything would be free of charge, courtesy of the hotel.
3102
3103This was the best possible arrangement and service for the participating teams, and only eight teams could have this luxury. Shrek Academy’s team stayed in the first Villa in the Sky. The Sun Moon Empire was clearly extremely generous about this, as the first villa wasn’t just the most extravagant one, it also represented the fact that they were the champions from the previous season.
3104
3105Wang Qiu’er turned around and stared at the luxurious and spacious villa. There was a blank look in her eyes as she muttered under her breath, “Is this the gift for Shrek’s glory? Is this what they achieved from the previous season?”
3106
3107“Yes, that’s true. We wouldn’t be staying here if not for their perfect performance last season! The truth is that they are the ones that are worthy of staying in this place, and not those cramped and narrow rooms in the lower levels.” Zhang Lexuan walked over from not far away. She was holding a delicate wine glass in her hands, and there was some amber-colored aged white wine inside. A faint aroma floated around the glass’ opening but didn’t drift out. The glass was specially crafted by the Sun Moon Empire’s chamber of commerce, and was considered a top-tier wine instrument.
3108
3109“Do you want one?” Zhang Lexuan asked plainly.
3110
3111Wang Qiu’er shook her head and said, “I don’t wish for such things to affect my mind.”
3112
3113Zhang Lexuan sipped on the white wine in her glass. The wine was filled with a thick and rich fruity aroma that was tinged with a little sourness, and the faint taste of pickled plums lingered in her mouth.
3114
3115“Sometimes you have to learn how to relax, you’re wound up too tightly. I was like you before, but I realized afterwards that it isn’t the way to go, and it would negatively affect my cultivation. You are a lot worse than I was all those years ago; your emotions are tightly wound, and extremely tense. Something is bound to go wrong if you continue like this.”
3116
3117“I’m not!” Wang Qiu’er’s denial was cold and crisp.
3118
3119
3120
3121
3122
3123Chapter 276.2: Child Bride…
3124
3125
3126Zhang Lexuan stared at her, amused, and said, “You’re not? I’ve been there and done that, and I’m all too familiar with how you are right now. You’re just like me all those years ago. Ever since you returned with Huo Yuhao, I haven’t seen a smile appear on your face. You’re always daydreaming when you’re not pushing everyone during training. It must be because of Huo Yuhao, am I right?”
3127
3128Wang Qiu’er froze a little, but remained silent. She didn’t attempt to argue the point.
3129
3130Zhang Lexuan said plainly, “Do you think you stand a chance?”
3131
3132Wang Qiu’er still said nothing, but unwittingly clenched her fists.
3133
3134“You have no chance, eh? I didn’t expect you to be so much like me. Heh!” Zhang Lexuan laughed. She seemed to be laughing happily, but tears appeared deep within her beautiful eyes.
3135
3136“Like you?” Wang Qiu’er stared at her with a doubtful look.
3137
3138Zhang Lexuan smiled and said, “That’s right! That’s because we both love someone that we can’t possibly be together with. Perhaps you still have some hope, as you are quite a match for him, after all. But me… heh.” She finished the wine in her glass one gulp and began to walk back into the villa.
3139
3140Wang Qiu’er watched her subtly trembling and dejected figure and began to follow her subconsciously.
3141
3142Zhang Lexuan suddenly paused in her tracks. Her back was still facing Wang Qiu’er as she asked, “Tell me, Qiu’er, do women have to rely on men for life?”
3143
3144Wang Qiu’er answered without hesitation, “Of course not!”
3145
3146Zhang Lexuan turned around, and her eyes became as sharp as ever. “Then you have to show him that you are stronger than he is. Even if you can’t obtain his love, you can’t let him see how fragile you are, and you can’t let him see your weak side. This is the last dignity that we can have.”
3147
3148Wang Qiu’er focused, and could see Zhang Lexuan’s stubbornness, and even a little craziness in the middle of everything. She nodded her head forcefully and replied, “Yes!”
3149
3150—
3151
3152The competition’s rules were finally announced the following day, and every participating team received some instructions from the organization committee.
3153
3154Huo Yuhao couldn’t help but frown when he received the instructions. The rules were indeed different, just like Elder Xuan had said.
3155
3156According to the competition’s rules, the entire competition would be split into a preliminary segment and a final segment. Teams representing sects and academies would be competing in the same pools.
3157
3158The preliminary segment would consist of elimination rounds, but these elimination rounds seemed a little different. The arena was designated in a spot outside Radiant City, and not right in the city center like they were originally supposed to be. There was a clause that caught Huo Yuhao’s attention. Both the preliminary rounds and the final rounds placed a limit on the arena’s diameter, but a maximum height wasn’t specified.
3159
3160This was a very simple instruction sheet, but Huo Yuhao began to feel a lot more alarmed than before. What did not setting a maximum height imply? Could there be Soul Sages among the participating students? That was quite impossible, as becoming a Soul Emperor was the limit for people at twenty years of age. This also meant that the lack of a maximum height meant nothing at all to soul masters, as most of them couldn’t fly, except for some soul masters that possessed martial souls that could. However, this would be drastically different when soul engineers came into the picture.
3161
3162Even four-ringed Soul Ancestors soul engineers could soar through the skies as long as they had flying-type soul tools, and they could launch attacks on the ground from the sky. There was no doubt that this clause was extremely beneficial for soul engineers.
3163
3164The Douluo Continent was divided into four nations: the Sun Moon Empire, the Star Luo Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire, and the Dou Ling Empire. The only nation that possessed masses of soul engineers was the Sun Moon Empire, and this competition rule practically meant they were being openly biased. The Sun Moon Empire was being excessively dominant.
3165
3166Of course, the Sun Moon Empire didn’t dare to be too outrageous. There were other changes to how the elimination rounds’ results would be calculated. Among them, the points would be allocated according to the number of people left in the team. That implied that if one party could defeat all seven members from another party with just one of their own in the single elimination match, then they would be allocated seven points, as their party would have seven people left, and they wouldn’t even have to go through the group battle afterward. The reason was because the group battle only gave five points, and there was no way the other party could turn the tables around. Of course, it was nigh impossible for one person to defeat seven opponents in a row in a competition like this.
3167
3168Therefore, if the team that emerged victorious during the single elimination matches didn’t obtain more than five points, they would have to go through the group battle, and the other side would have a chance to turn it around. Of course, minor scores were also important, and every round’s accumulated points would be recorded. These minor scores would be decisive if a unique and unforeseen circumstance cropped up.
3169
3170For example, if there were one hundred and sixty-seven teams participating in the competition, and there were only twenty teams who made it through the single elimination rounds during the round of thirty-two, the remaining teams that were needed to fill the slots would be chosen with their minor scores, and these accumulated scores would become even more important once they entered the round robins. The teams would be ranked according to their accumulated points during the group stage. The quarter-finals would revert to an elimination format, while these minor scores would determine the loser’s rankings.
3171
3172This change in how the points were calculated was a good thing, and it made the entire competition system more complete and organized.
3173
3174The change in competition rules would definitely change how the competition would unfurl. Knocking sounds could be heard just as Huo Yuhao closed his eyes to ponder.
3175
3176Boom, boom, boom! The hurried and forceful knocking clearly announced how frustrated and anxious the arriving party was.
3177
3178Wang Dong’er was still washing clothes for Huo Yuhao in the bathroom, and she hurriedly came forward and asked, “Who’s there?”
3179
3180“It’s me, Jiujiu!” the Star Luo Empire’s princess, Xu Jiujiu, could be heard from outside.
3181
3182Wang Dong’er turned around and glanced at Huo Yuhao. Their gazes met, and their eyes flowed with faint amusement. The princess hadn’t taken too long to give them a response, in the end!
3183
3184Wang Dong’er opened the door and invited Princess Jiujiu inside.
3185
3186Xu Jiujiu was wearing a flowing pale-gold dress today, and had tied her hair into a bun that brought out her noble and graceful qualities. However, her face seemed a little flushed. Even though she was trying her best to hold it down, there was no way she could hide the dash of excitement in her eyes.
3187
3188The red-dressed old woman followed closely behind Xu Jiujiu. Huo Yuhao had sought out Zhang Lexuan to find out more about this old woman. It turned out that she had made a name for herself a long time ago, and people only knew that she was called Yi Man, but nobody knew her surname. Her martial soul was the Cloud Fan, and she was also the Titled Douluo Starcloud! According to Zhang Lexuan’s information, the Starcloud Douluo hadn’t reached Rank 95, so she wasn’t a Transcendent Douluo yet. Rank 95 wasn’t that easy to breach, and going beyond Rank 95 was a level that was far superior to the one that normal Titled Douluo reached.
3189
3190“Greetings, princess. Please, have a seat.” Huo Yuhao was sitting on his wheelchair, and he tilted his head towards Xu Jiujiu courteously.
3191
3192Xu Jiujiu knew that she had to be as calm as she could be in a time like this, but there was no way she could calm herself down, no matter how hard she tried. The Starcloud Douluo had returned in the morning, and Xu Jiujiu thought she might go crazy when the field-test results were reported to her. What she was feeling inside could no longer be described as astonishment, and she eagerly headed to Huo Yuhao’s room immediately afterwards.
3193
3194Xu Jiujiu took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the emotions that were roiling in her heart, and she looked at the youth before her that could only move one arm.
3195
3196Huo Yuhao was all smiles, and he seemed as harmless as ever, as if he had no idea what the princess was doing here.
3197
3198“Huo Yuhao, I’m sure you know why I’m here.” Princess Jiujiu had seen and experienced many different situations after all, and she ultimately managed to force her emotions back even though she was stirred up inside.
3199
3200Huo Yuhao nodded, and he swiftly withdrew the smile on his face. He said angrily, “You must be here because of the competition’s new rules. The Sun Moon Empire is too outrageous, they didn’t set a height limit for the competition! This is a rule that’s almost specially created to benefit the Sun Moon Empire’s soul engineers!”
3201
3202Xu Jiujiu was slightly taken aback. “What did you say?”
3203
3204Huo Yuhao handed the instructions in his hands to her. Even though Xu Jiujiu was thinking about something else, the big competition was still extremely important, and she still had to pay attention to it.
3205
3206Xu Jiujiu briefly scanned the instructions and immediately understood what Huo Yuhao was trying to say. Her eyebrows locked together as she said, “What do you think we should do?”
3207
3208Composure took over the indignant look on Huo Yuhao’s face. “We should collectively protest against it.”
3209
3210Xu Jiujiu grunted and said, “And you think that will work?”
3211
3212Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “We still have to try. At least, we have to give them some pressure, so that they won’t add anything else afterwards.”
3213
3214Xu Jiujiu tiled her head and said, “We’ll discuss this later. We’ve experimented and field-tested your Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon and the Milk Bottle that you’ve given us.”
3215
3216Huo Yuhao’s expression remained unchanged. “How did it go?”
3217
3218Xu Jiujiu stared at the casual smile on his face… she really wanted to pinch him as hard as she could! She muttered coldly, “Are you very proud?”
3219
3220Huo Yuhao reacted in shock. “Am I?”
3221
3222“Then what are you smiling about?” Xu Jiujiu answered angrily.
3223
3224Huo Yuhao didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “Isn’t smiling a form of respect for you, princess? If you’re not willing to see my smile, then I won’t.” He withdrew his smile as he spoke, and he put on an upright and solemn look and posture.
3225
3226“……” Xu Jiujiu looked on as this guy in front of her put on a serious and professional look, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The awkward indignation in her heart dissipated a little.
3227
3228“We’ve experimented with and field-tested your Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon, and that sealed Milk Bottles of yours. They’re very good. Do you think you can give us a discount if we purchase them in bulk?” Princess Jiujiu regained her composure in an instant, and she leaned back on the sofa gracefully as she spoke.
3229
3230Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
3231
3232“Not possible? Do you know how many of these we’re going to purchase?” Princess Jiujiu sounded a little more high-pitched than before.
3233
3234Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, “I don’t know how many you wish to purchase, but I imagine it must be quite an amount. All I know is how much the Tang Sect can produce. As of now, our soul tool manufacturing department is undergoing a second expansion, and much of our labor has gone toward that endeavor. Therefore, we are very limited in the amount that we can currently produce. Furthermore, even though I feel a little embarrassed to say this, I have another piece of news for you – I’ve just received news from the Tang Sect that the price of our products might be inflated by about thirty percent due to resource scarcity and a lack of materials. Please forgive me, princess.”
3235
3236
3237
3238
3239
3240Chapter 276.3: Child Bride…
3241
3242
3243“What? Huo Yuhao!” Xu Jiujiu was immediately riled up, and she leapt to her feet as her perky chest pumped up and down. She gritted her teeth and said, “It hasn’t even been two days, and you’re playing me already?”
3244
3245Huo Yuhao shivered all over and said, “I wouldn’t dare to think of it. You can’t say things like this, princess! I still have to find a wife.”
3246
3247“You…” Xu Jiujiu felt as if she were going insane – this guy was just too hateful.
3248
3249Wang Dong’er was behind Huo Yuhao, and she discreetly pinched him in the back. This bastard – he’s twisting her words, and yet he’s making himself sound so logical, as if he’s right. She was also a girl, and Wang Dong’er was starting to sympathize with Princess Jiujiu. Of course, she was dressed like a guy at the moment, so she couldn’t express anything that resembled a girl’s emotions, so she could only lower her head and force back her amusement.
3250
3251The Starcloud Douluo immediately became a little unfriendly. She lowered her voice and said, “Do you know what you’re doing? Karma will find you if you go back on your word.” It was obvious that her words were hostile and threatening.
3252
3253Huo Yuhao heaved a faint sigh. He forced a laugh and said, “I’m so sorry – I don’t wish for this to happen either. But you guys also know the Sun Moon Empire has monopolized seventy percent of the Continent’s rare metals, and they’ve prohibited exports. The Tang Sect has just been reestablished, so how can we have any channels or avenues to purchase resources and materials in bulk? Thankfully, Shrek City is developed and wealthy enough. Otherwise, we might not even be able to guarantee delivery and supply of our goods. The lack of resources and materials will undoubtedly lead to a rise in price. There’s nothing I can do about that.”
3254
3255Xu Jiujiu said angrily, “Enough with that nonsense. The few of you make the decisions within the Tang Sect anyway. Furthermore, do you dare to claim that the Tang Sect is not related to Shrek Academy in any way? How can you guys lack materials and resources with Shrek Academy redirecting resources from Shrek City? Furthermore, all you need to craft your Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon is some relatively high-density steel.”
3256
3257Xu Jiujiu was responsible for the Star Luo Empire’s intelligence, so she wasn’t that easy to deceive.
3258
3259Huo Yuhao sighed and said, “Since that’s the case, then you can find out how many customers we have at the moment. Both the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire are both important business partners for us. You’re right – our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon’s outer body only requires tough steel. But what about its formation arrays? Can we actually craft these formation arrays without rare metals?”
3260
3261Xu Jiujiu laughed coldly and said, “We can’t take apart its formation arrays anyway. It will explode if we do that, so you can say whatever you want about it.”
3262
3263Huo Yuhao frowned and said, “Princess, if you keep negotiating with me with such a rejecting attitude, I believe there’s no need for us to continue this negotiation. If we want to be partners, we have to build this partnership on mutual trust and benefit as the foundations. I’m really sorry about the rise in price, but there’s really nothing we can do about that. How about this – you can go back and cool off, and you can calculate how much our Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons and our sealed Milk Bottles are worth after the inflation before we continue any further negotiations.”
3264
3265“Hmph!” Xu Jiujiu grunted furiously before she started walking out of the room. She seemed enraged, but she was extremely calm inside – she was clear that she had been completely defeated by Huo Yuhao in this negotiation, and there was no other possible outcome than accommodating his demands if they continued with the negotiation. But she was absolutely unwilling to do that! She believed that Huo Yuhao and the Tang Sect would never give up a customer as big as the Star Luo Empire.
3266
3267Right at this moment, knocking sounds could be heard once more, and Princess Jiujiu halted in her tracks as she was walking to the door.
3268
3269Wang Dong’er walked over to open the door, and there were two pretty girls and a middle-aged man standing outside.
3270
3271The person standing in front of the group was a young girl in a long white dress. She had a certain cold and crisp quality about her, and her features were very attractive. This girl was also mildly surprised when Wang Dong’er opened the door, and her eyes seemed to be searching her memory as she mumbled, “You… Who are you?”
3272
3273Wang Dong’er smiled and said, “What? Don’t you recognize me, Mu Xue? I’m Wang Dong. We’ve been acquainted for some time.”
3274
3275Dong’er dressed like a guy was something that most girls couldn’t resist. Even though Wang Dong used to have short hair, her unrivaled good looks were enough to enchant every single girl.
3276
3277Mu Xue cleared her throat, and the iciness on her face melted a little. “Oh, it’s you. When I last met Huo Yuhao, the girl beside him looked a lot like you.”
3278
3279Wang Dong’er answered plainly, “Her name is Wang Qiu’er, and she’s part of the team representing Shrek Academy. I believe you will meet her soon during the competition.”
3280
3281“She’s your sister?” It was clear that Mu Xue’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and the desire for gossip.
3282
3283Wang Dong’er smiled. “Are you here today to ask me about such things?”
3284
3285Mu Xue froze, and she shot a faintly resentful look at her as she said, “Can we go inside now? Is Huo Yuhao around? We’ve already conducted experiments and field-tests with the item that he’s given us. We’re here today to talk about becoming business partners.”
3286
3287Wang Dong’er opened the door and made a gesture to invite them inside.
3288
3289The three of them entered the room, and they ran straight into Princess Jiujiu, who was just standing there. Xu Jiujiu’s eyes didn’t pause on Mu Xue, and she looked beyond her at the second girl behind her.
3290
3291This girl was wearing a long yellow dress, and she seemed extremely gentle. Water seemed to meander within her beautiful eyes, and Xu Jiujiu could still feel that subtle tenderness even though she was looking her from afar. This girl was even prettier than Mu Xue.
3292
3293“Wei Na?” Xu Jiujiu exclaimed.
3294
3295The young girl looked at her and said, “Why are you here, Jiujiu?” The yellow-dressed girl’s pleasant voice could be heard as she took a few steps forward. She had a look of pleasant surprise on her face.
3296
3297Wei Na and Mu Xue were part of the company from the Heavenly Soul Empire that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong’er had run into when they were inside the Great Star Dou Forest. The middle-aged man that had accompanied them here today was Mo Feiyun, the same man that led the group back then.
3298
3299Huo Yuhao turned his wheelchair with one hand, and he smiled at Mo Feiyun. “Greetings, Uncle Mo. It’s been a while.”
3300
3301Mo Feiyun was astonished when he saw the state that Huo Yuhao was in. “Yuhao, you…”
3302
3303Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “I was in an accident. I can only move this arm at the moment.” He moved his right arm as he spoke.
3304
3305Mu Xue and Wei Na looked over when they overheard Huo Yuhao and Mo Feiyun’s conversation. Mu Xue was also momentarily stunned when she saw Huo Yuhao sitting in a wheelchair.
3306
3307“You… what happened to you? Why are you like that?” It wasn’t too long ago that she had met Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu’er. She had never expected that this energetic and fearsome youth from before would be a cripple when they met again.
3308
3309Huo Yuhao laughed mockingly at himself. “Perhaps this is my punishment for trespassing over the airspace of the Heavenly Soul Empire’s capital city. Greetings, Mu Xue. Hello, Wei Na.”
3310
3311“Hello.” Wei Na stared at Huo Yuhao, and it was clear that her eyes flowed with faint pity and sympathy. It was a terrible thing for a soul master to be able to move only one arm, but he seemed very open-minded about it.
3312
3313The organizing committee had allocated the lowest-tier room to the team from the Tang Sect, and there were now so many people standing around inside that it felt a little packed.
3314
3315Huo Yuhao looked at Xu Jiujiu and said, “Aren’t you going back to think about this, princess? I won’t escort you out, then.”
3316
3317Xu Jiujiu stared deeply into his eyes. She grunted coldly and said, “I haven’t seen Wei Na in a long time. I’m going to accompany her for a little while more.” Her eyes gradually became aglare as she spoke. There was no question that Huo Yuhao had planned this seemingly coincidental encounter.
3318
3319Huo Yuhao naturally understood what she was trying to say. He laughed bitterly and said, “Would you believe me if I said this was all a coincidence?”
3320
3321“What do you think?” Xu Jiujiu raised her chin.
3322
3323“Alright. Then think of it as if I’ve planned it, then,” Huo Yuhao said exasperatedly, “My place is a little small, everyone. Please have a seat however you like.”
3324
3325Huo Yuhao was a little surprised as the person that spoke to him amongst the three of them wasn’t Mu Xue or Mo Feiyun – it was Wei Na, the seemingly fragile and gentle girl.
3326
3327She stepped forward with a smile on her face and arrived before Huo Yuhao. “Hello, Yuhao. Can we discuss this in private?”
3328
3329Huo Yuhao sounded a little helpless. “Look, the room is only so big. I’m afraid that speaking in private will be quite difficult.”
3330
3331Wei Na said, “If you don’t mind, I can push you into my room. I’ll send you back once we finish our negotiations.”
3332
3333“No!” Two different female voices could be heard exclaiming at the same time.
3334
3335Wang Dong’er wasn’t one of them – the voices belonged to Mu Xue and Princess Jiujiu. Urgency and hastiness returned to Xu Jiujiu’s eyes, while Mu Xue’s eyes flowed with vigilance and wariness. Wang Dong’er was smiling to one side, and her smile was a little strange and sinister. However, nobody else but Huo Yuhao paid any attention to her.
3336
3337Huo Yuhao said exasperatedly, “Please, everyone. I’m just a cripple.”
3338
3339Mu Xue grunted and said, “It doesn’t matter – I have to be present. I’ll accompany Wei Na for the negotiations, and then I’ll send you back.”
3340
3341Xu Jiujiu’s face turned black as she said, “No way. Can’t you see that we’re discussing official business? I should have priority since I came here first.”
3342
3343Mu Xue glanced at her and said, “You must be the Star Luo Empire’s Princess Jiujiu. If I’m not wrong, you were just about to leave when we arrived. This means that your negotiations are over, and it’s our turn now.”
3344
3345The two girls stared into each other’s eyes, and intense sparks seemed to fly. Wei Na glanced at Huo Yuhao rather apologetically, and then she turned towards Xu Jiujiu.
3346
3347Did Huo Yuhao deliberately plan this meeting? Actually, he didn’t. Huo Yuhao had guessed Mu Xue’s status, and he had tried to find out more about the Heavenly Soul Empire when he was still at the Tang Sect. The Heavenly Soul Empire also shared a border with the Sun Moon Empire, and their situation wasn’t that much better than the Star Luo Empire, while their national strength was actually far inferior. It was likely that the Heavenly Soul Empire would be in much more danger.
3348
3349Huo Yuhao had been investigating further through Shrek City’s intelligence agency when he realized to his surprise that the gentle and beautiful girl, Wei Na, was the Heavenly Soul Empire’s princess. Even though her status still couldn’t compare to Xu Jiujiu’s status in the Star Luo Empire, she was still a princess.
3350
3351
3352
3353
3354
3355Chapter 277.1: Regent Concubine
3356
3357
3358Huo Yuhao let Na Na observe everyone in the lobby who came to register. She realized there wasn’t anything difficult about Mu Xue and Wei Na. As a result, she sent a letter that came from the Tang Sect, along with a storage-type soul tool containing a Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon and Sealed Milk Bottle over.
3359
3360No matter how intelligent Huo Yuhao was, he couldn’t possibly manipulate time so well that both parties would meet. It might even not be a good thing for them to meet. That was why he was also very helpless.
3361
3362Xiu Jiujiu suddenly turned her gaze to Huo Yuhao, “Tell me, what do we do?”
3363
3364Huo Yuhao looked at both parties, and everyone’s attention was drawn to him. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I’ll need everyone to suffer here in my humble abode for a while. I’m clear on your goals. Let’s do it this way. Since both parties representing the Star Luo Empire and Heavenly Soul Empire are here, we’ll carry out an open discussion. Both of you are Tang Sect clients, and we’ll do our best to be fair. What do the two of you think?”
3365
3366“Wait a minute.” Xu Jiujiu interrupted Huo Yuhao suddenly. At such a timing, she revealed her strong character. “Huo Yuhao, let’s follow the price that we agreed on earlier. However, we’ll need to take priority. I won’t bargain with you either, but this sum of money is too astronomical. If you need it, we can make an exchange with some rare metals totaling to the same value.”
3367
3368Huo Yuhao’s eyes brightened. To him, rare metals were better than gold soul coins. What he said before wasn’t a lie. More than seventy percent of the rare metals in the continent had been taken by the Sun Moon Empire and stored for potential use in a war. Even the Illustrious Virtue Hall had to seek approval from the imperial family and military if they wanted to use some for research.
3369
3370If the Star Luo Empire could retrieve some rare metals to exchange for the cannons, it would undoubtedly be great for the future development of the Tang Sect’s Soul Tool Hall.
3371
3372However, Huo Yuhao didn’t rush to agree at this moment. After everything that he had been through, his mindset had transformed greatly. He was calmer in dealing with things.
3373
3374“Priority? Sister Jiujiu.” Wei Na called softly.
3375
3376Xu Jiujiu twisted her head to look at her and revealed an apologetic look. She said, “Wei Na, I won’t hide it from you since we are all here for a reason. We are under great pressure from the Sun Moon Empire. It concerns the survival of the empire. While we are good sisters, there are some things that I can’t give in to you on.”
3377
3378Wei Na nodded gently and said, “I understand. Huo Yuhao, the Heavenly Soul Empire is willing to increase our bid by ten percent. We want priority.”
3379
3380Huo Yuhao was in a momentary daze. He didn’t expect her to be so decisive. Furthermore, the purchasing price of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon and Sealed Milk Bottle wasn’t small. She actually initiated an increase in her bid. This wasn’t just about how bold she was. It also signified her position in the Heavenly Soul Empire.
3381
3382Xu Jiujiu was also stunned for a moment. After that, she looked dismal as she said. “Wei Na, you are very good at concealing yourself!”
3383
3384Wei Na smiled and appeared as gentle as before, “Sister Jiujiu, you are right. There are some things that I can’t help if I’m representing my empire. I just hope this doesn’t affect our relationship.”
3385
3386Xu Jiujiu gritted her teeth. In terms of wealth, the Star Luo Empire wasn’t inferior to the Heavenly Soul Empire. However, would the increase in bids stop if they continued like this? After the experiments, she was determined to get these two soul tools that could greatly increase the fighting strength of the empire’s military. What should she do? This was a question that popped up in Xu Jiujiu’s head.
3387
3388“Hmph!” A cold snort caused the temperature in the room to dip. A strong aura spread from the Starcloud Douluo Yi Man and suppressed the people from the Heavenly Soul Empire. Mo Feiyun, who was standing at the front, subconsciously retreated and unleashed his soul rings as he was pressured. Even though Mo Feiyun was already an eight-ringed Soul Douluo, his face still turned serious against a Titled Douluo.
3389
3390Princess Jiujiu was shocked too. Just as she was about to stop the Starcloud Douluo, a cold aura spread from Wei Na’s body. The temperature in the entire room dipped significantly, and a majestic aura surged. The Starcloud Douluo’s expression changed, and she quickly blocked Princess Jiujiu.
3391
3392There was one more person beside Wei Na. This person’s body was engulfed by a deep blue cloak, and thus it was difficult to see what she looked like. However, it was possible to tell that she was a lady.
3393
3394The aura came from her body. It swallowed the aura that the Starcloud Douluo unleashed. How strong was it?
3395
3396“Transcendent Douluo?” Man Yi’s expression turned dismal. Even she didn’t realize when this person had entered the room. This showed that there was a gap in their cultivations. This gap also signified that she couldn’t challenge this person. There was only one possibility – that person was a Transcendent Douluo. As Wei Na lifted her right hand, the aura retracted, and she sighed. “Sister Jiujiu, do we have to do this? We shouldn’t be opponents.”
3397
3398Xu Jiujiu also sighed and said, “We were reckless. I apologize. Alright, I’ll follow your raise. We’ll add ten percent to our bid too.”
3399
3400“Ladies, please don’t do this.” Huo Yuhao suddenly made his move.
3401
3402The two ladies looked at him at the same time. They didn’t appear very friendly as they looked at him. Adding another ten percent to their bids made the price of the soul tools even more costly! Whichever empire purchased the soul tools would experience a fall in their wealth.
3403
3404“Ladies, please hear me out.” Huo Yuhao said.
3405
3406“I don’t need either of you to raise the price.” Huo Yuhao’s words dissolved some of the enmity between the two ladies.
3407
3408“The Tang Sect requires money and resources to grow. We don’t belong to any empire, but we don’t want lives to be lost because of a war. We are also part of the continent, and we have a common enemy. I hope that our appearance can help the Star Luo, Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling empires, and not cause a rift. That’s why we won’t raise the price of the soul tools to increase the burden on any empire.”
3409
3410As he spoke until here, he turned his attention to Xu Jiujiu and said, “Princess Jiujiu, I’m very sorry that the two of you met. I really didn’t know Princess Wei Na was coming. It’s really just a coincidence. Since both of you are here, however, allow me to say that competing will only lead to greater problems and allow our common enemy to succeed. Let’s do it this way. You can use whatever gold soul coins and alloys you have to exchange for the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon. With sufficient resources, our production can increase. I promise to supply ten sets of Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons and Sealed Milk Bottles every month. This number will increase once every month to meet your demands. I’ll give both empires priority. I’ll supply both of your empires before I supply any other partners in the future. That’s because both your empires are our first line of defense against the Sun Moon Empire. I think this is the best way to settle the problem.”
3411
3412This fellow! The unfriendly look in Xu Jiujiu’s eyes disappeared. Although she wasn’t pleased with this, she appreciated Huo Yuhao’s rejection of a price increase and attempt to resolve their conflict. At least he understood what was important.
3413
3414Mu Xue furrowed her brow, “Ten sets, isn’t that too little? Why don't you set an asking price, and we’ll buy the blueprints for these two soul tools? We’ll try to satisfy your asking price for these two soul tools.”
3415
3416She was very bold! It seemed like Mu Xue wasn’t ordinary either. Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, but then immediately shook his head and said, “Apologies, it involves secrets of the Tang Sect. We definitely can’t sell our techniques. Ten sets is a conservative estimate. From what I know, each of the Sun Moon Empire’s Soul Engineering Divisions is equipped with around a hundred long-range cannons. They are around the standard of Class 4 soul cannons. There are less than ten cannons that are of a Class 6 standard. Although I’m not really sure, I believe there are no more than ten such divisions. This also means that it will only take one year for your empires to build up pretty strong defenses given our current rate of supply.”
3417
3418Xu Jiujiu snorted and said, “How is it so simple? The Sun Moon Empire isn’t just about those few soul engineering divisions.”
3419
3420Huo Yuhao replied, “Alright, I am really not sure how strong they are. However, what do the two of you think about my proposition? This is the best resolution I can find for now.”
3421
3422Xu Jiujiu looked at Wei Na, and discovered that Wei Na was looking back at her. After pondering for a while, both princesses nodded their heads without hesitation.
3423
3424“It’s a deal.”
3425
3426“It’s a deal.” Huo Yuhao also revealed a smile on his face. Of course, he was clear that this matter wasn’t just so simple. These two princesses weren’t ordinary people!
3427
3428“Let’s sign a contract then.” Xu Jiujiu knew exactly not to take things as they were. Wei Na’s actions earlier had already put her on alert.
3429
3430They took some time to discuss the details of the contact before they finished, which took around two hours.
3431
3432One of the most important clauses was that the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul Empires couldn’t contact the Tang Sect privately and go against the contract. Whenever either party purchased soul tools from Tang Sect, they had to inform the other party. The Tang Sect also had to prioritize both empires whenever they were selling new types of soul tools. If the Tang Sect could produce a sufficient number of Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons and Sealed Milk Bottles, they had to supply both empires as best they could.
3433
3434
3435
3436
3437
3438Chapter 277.2: Regent Concubine
3439
3440
3441When the room was finally quiet again, Huo Yuhao’s eyes were already filled with fatigue.
3442
3443Wang Dong’er carried him to his bed and gave him a simple massage.
3444
3445“I’d rather compete and face a strong opponent than negotiate with them,” Wang Dong’er sighed. “You must be very tired, Yuhao.”
3446
3447Huo Yuhao nodded lightly and said, “This is what the Tang Sect has to go through in order to develop. Not only have we received our most important order, but we have also developed a greater understanding of the management of both empires at the highest level.”
3448
3449Wang Dong’er lowered her voice and said, “Do you know what Princess Jiujiu referred to when she mentioned the strength of the Sun Moon Empire?”
3450
3451Huo Yuhao lowered slightly and said, “I can roughly guess. It should be the advanced-level soul engineers and soul tools. Truly strong soul tools will not be given to the soul engineering teams. Although Xu Jiujiu didn’t mention it, I can tell from her expression that it’s something scary.”
3452
3453Wang Dong’er nodded and revealed a lost look. She said, “Yuhao, do you think a war is really coming? What should we do then?”
3454
3455Huo Yuhao squinted and said, “We can’t avoid a war. I only want to protect the people around me. If my body has recovered by the time the war starts, then I will…”
3456
3457—
3458
3459To every empire, the tournament was very prestigious. It was held once every five years, and the host would alternate between the four empires. It wasn’t easy to host the tournament.
3460
3461Although the Sun Moon Empire’s proposed change to the tournament regulations received resistance from many sects and academies on the continent, it eventually still passed. There was a simple reason why the Sun Moon Empire didn’t restrict the difficulty of the tournament.
3462
3463As soul tools continued to develop, future battles would be a challenge of soul masters and soul engineers’ control of soul tools. If one couldn’t excel in this area, how could he be called an elite?
3464
3465Although this was an advantage for the Sun Moon Empire, every rational person had to admit it was true. The Sun Moon Empire wasn’t wrong.
3466
3467Finally, the tournament was about to begin.
3468
3469No matter what games were played between the Sun Moon Empire and the various parties involved in the tournament, the empire decided to hold the tournament in a vast plain at the outskirts. This was a good thing for the empire. They could accommodate more spectators in this way.
3470
3471The lot-drawing ceremony was held on the eve of the tournament. Xu Sanshi was the one who represented the Tang Sect for the lot-drawing ceremony. There were a total of one hundred and sixty-seven competing teams. The fortunate team that drew an empty lot didn’t have to compete in the first round of the tournament. Xu Sanshi’s luck wasn’t so good, and thus Tang Sect still had to compete in the first round. The empire decided to give the empty lot to Shrek Academy, and thus Wang Qiu’er’s team managed to proceed to the next round. They were awarded twelve full points.
3472
3473No one raised any objections to this preferential treatment. After all, Shrek Academy was an established academy in this tournament. This was what they deserved.
3474
3475—
3476
3477Morning…
3478
3479As the first ray of sunlight shone from the east, the streets of Radiant City were already greeted with a weird scene.
3480
3481Soldiers clad in silver armor stood in two long parallel rows. They extended from the doors of the Ming Yue Hotel all the way to an unknown destination. The path they formed was also restricted from public access, and everyone was asked to stay thirty meters away from this path.
3482
3483Radiant City could hold more people than Star Luo City, so the empire had activated a large portion of its military to maintain order. This arrangement alone required more than twenty thousand soldiers! There was a very austere aura in the air of the streets.
3484
3485—
3486
3487Everyone from the Tang Sect had already prepared in the morning. Bei Bei was in better shape, but he still couldn’t walk. He didn’t have too many instructions regarding today’s competition. However, Huo Yuhao still went to his room in the early morning.
3488
3489“Eldest senior, are you feeling better?” Huo Yuhao asked the pale-looking Bei Bei.
3490
3491“Oh, I’m much better. With my healing speed, I should be able to compete in ten days.” Bei Bei smiled as he spoke. He had already regained his elegant composure.
3492
3493Huo Yuhao said, “We are going to compete. Eldest senior, do you have any instructions for us?”
3494
3495Bei Bei shook his head and said, “What’s there to instruct? I believe in all of you. Go! This time, we are fighting for the Tang Sect’s glory and ourselves! While we are still young, it’s time for us to shine. I’m waiting for all of you to return victorious!”
3496
3497“Definitely!” Huo Yuhao nodded forcefully.
3498
3499With Wang Dong’er’s help, everyone from Tang Sect put on some light makeup. This didn’t change their appearance too much. However, there were slight changes to everyone’s facial features, even on closer observation. Along with their own development, it was difficult for others to tell that they were the Shrek’s Seven Monsters that had once created miracles in the last tournament. Of course, this would only last until they demonstrated their powers in this tournament. After all, they couldn’t conceal their martial souls.
3500
3501Huo Yuhao still wanted Ji Juechen, Jing Ziyan, and Na Na to stay and take care of Bei Bei. However, Bei Bei didn’t let him do so. No one wanted to miss such a great event!
3502
3503As Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan were already more than twenty, they could only tag along as ’teachers’. Everyone from the Tang Sect changed into the same warrior robes.
3504
3505Their warrior robes were specially designed. There were silver embroidered lines on their white warrior robes, and these lines eventually gathered at the back, forming the words Tang Sect.
3506
3507—
3508
3509Although there was a thirty meters restriction on the public, there were still many people who gathered to watch the competing teams as they exited the hotel.
3510
3511When the Tang Sect team appeared, they immediately caused a huge uproar.
3512
3513“Eh, look at this. This team is so weird! Why is there someone in a wheelchair? Is he allowed to compete in a wheelchair?”
3514
3515“Tang Sect? It seems like a sect. Has anyone heard of them before?”
3516
3517“They seem to be an ancient sect. However, I heard that they’ve already collapsed. They’ve even sent a team with a cripple. Haha, this is funny! Can a cripple also be considered an elite?”
3518
3519No one from the Tang Sect bothered with the commotion. Since Huo Yuhao dared to come in a wheelchair, he of course expected all this to happen. His abilities were the best way he could shut their mouths.
3520
3521Huo Yuhao shut his eyes as he sat in the wheelchair. However, his spiritual power followed the path and extended forward into the distance. He was sensing the conditions of all the teams that had come to compete in this tournament, and sent this information to his teammates.
3522
3523Huo Yuhao was already getting used to his disability. He had also discovered that this wasn’t really a bad thing for him. While his abilities were restricted, being disabled also made him more reliant on his spiritual power. Over this short period of time, Huo Yuhao had already begun to grasp many concepts that helped him to evolve his Purple Demon Eyes and the spiritual level of his concrete-immaterial realm. He was starting to use his spiritual-type abilities more and more efficiently.
3524
3525There were more than two thousand people from the one hundred and sixty-seven teams. All of them left Radiant City.
3526
3527—
3528
3529The tournament venue was on the outskirts of the city. Once they passed the buildings in the city, they could see it from afar.
3530
3531Right now, the area was crowded with people, with more than thirty thousand soldiers maintaining order. The crowd was divided into different regions, segregated from the grandeur of the main arena. To the north, there was a high platform made that looked like it could accommodate a thousand people.
3532
3533The platform was more than ten meters high, and more than a hundred meters across. The wide platform shone with a silvery-white glow, and appeared to be made from metal. Even though it was just a platform, it was an extremely huge one! There weren’t any seams or breaks in it at all.
3534
3535The weird thing was that there seemed to be a groove around the platform. There was a transparent barrier stained with dim yellow that rose into the sky coming out of that groove. The ends of the barrier couldn’t be seen. How high did one’s soul power have to be to support this barrier!?
3536
3537Furthermore, it was possible to tell this was different from the last tournament. At least, no one could be struck off the stage and end up as a loser so easily. One had to completely defeat their opponent to win.
3538
3539Beside the platform, there were huge soul screens extending a hundred meters from the center of the tournament stage. These soul screens were held in the air by tall scaffolding, and every screen was more than twenty square meters in size. Only the Sun Moon Empire possessed such soul tool techniques!
3540
3541There were more than a hundred such screens set up around the tournament stage!
3542
3543
3544
3545
3546
3547Chapter 277.3: Regent Concubine
3548
3549
3550The resting area was on the east side of the stage, and was divided into two regions. The region closer to the stage was a pergola, and could hold close to twenty teams. The rest were just chairs that weren’t shaded. These chairs were lined up in a row to the sides of the pergola, slightly behind it.
3551
3552From how the Sun Moon Empire hosted this tournament, their attention to detail reflected their superiority. The resting area with the pergola was undoubtedly left for the more prestigious academies and sects.
3553
3554—
3555
3556After registering at the registration point and providing the administrative details for the tournament, the Tang Sect team was led to a region with all wooden benches. It was even in a dilapidated corner.
3557
3558Everyone from the Tang Sect looked very gloomy upon being awarded such poor treatment. Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan were also furious.
3559
3560“This is too much!” Xiao Xiao hissed furiously.
3561
3562He Caitou comforted her by patting her shoulders and smiled, but he didn’t say anything.
3563
3564Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “This is nothing much. I’ll use my abilities to tell them that they are wrong. That’ll be enough, right?”
3565
3566The sun had already risen at this point. As rays of sunlight shone on everyone from the east, every competitor seemed to be layered with gold. There were simply too many competing teams, and it took a whole hour for every team to settle down. The rapturous cheers from the public could also be heard in the distance.
3567
3568Huo Yuhao was jolted suddenly, and turned in a certain direction. It was an extremely mysterious team. Zhang Peng was leading them, and there was a group of people behind him. They were all in black warrior robes, and wore headdresses with veils. These veils concealed their appearances.
3569
3570There was a lady with an excellent figure behind Zhang Peng. A weird aura was coming from her that seemed as if it were drawing all light towards her. When Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power got close to her, it was distorted and unable to get within a foot of her. Naturally, he couldn’t use his Spiritual Detection on her.
3571
3572Tang Ya was following behind this lady. Even though Tang Ya was wearing a veil, Huo Yuhao could still tell that it was her.
3573
3574The Holy Ghost Church? Huo Yuhao squinted. It was indeed them! The Holy Ghost Church was here to compete!
3575
3576Teacher Xiao Ya, what should I do if I meet you in the tournament?!
3577
3578Who was the lady in front of her? Her abilities were very weird. However, Huo Yuhao found the sense of distortion vaguely familiar for some reason.
3579
3580Zhang Peng stopped in his tracks just as he was about to proceed towards the pergola. He turned around and faced Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao quickly retracted his spiritual power. Even though his spiritual cultivation was great, his soul power cultivation was still limited. Since Zhang Peng was a Transcendent Douluo, there were many ways he could deal with Huo Yuhao.
3581
3582Zhang Peng scanned him with a cold look before he led the men in black towards the pergola.
3583
3584Huo Yuhao saw a few familiar faces after this. There was the Star Luo National Academy’s team led by Princess Jiujiu, as well as the team with Mu Xue and Wei Na. They didn’t seem to be from any academy of the Heavenly Soul Empire. From their uniforms, they seemed more likely to have come from a sect. Mo Feiyun was the one leading the team. However, the Transcendent Douluo that had appeared the previous day did not make an appearance.
3585
3586Apart from these few teams, there were many unfamiliar faces, especially those sects that had rushed out from the various other empires on the continent. Huo Yuhao knew nothing about them. He could only use his Spiritual Detection to observe and ascertain their cultivations.
3587
3588“Look. What is that?” Jiang Nannan’s voice caught Huo Yuhao’s attention.
3589
3590A company of special soldiers were proceeding over quickly from the north of the main stage. These soldiers were wearing golden warrior robes, but they weren’t equipped with any weapons. With Huo Yuhao’s vision, he could even read their expressions clearly. These golden-clothed guards were all at least thirty years old. They all restrained their expressions, but there were definitely soul power undulations coming from them. There were around five hundred of them, but they didn’t make a sound as they proceeded over. As the sun shone down on them, they glittered, and were almost blinding.
3591
3592These soldiers quickly dispersed as they reached the foot of the main stage, surrounding the entire stage. Around fifty of them stood in position without moving. As metal clanging sounds were heard, they brandished soul cannons and pointed the cannons outward. The rest of the soldiers also unleashed different types of soul tools and entered a weird formation. At least ten of the heavy cannons caught Huo Yuhao’s attention. He could tell that they were at least Class 7 soul tools!
3593
3594He Caitou told everyone, “Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Division. This is one of the true core strengths of the Sun Moon Empire.”
3595
3596“Oh? How many of them are there, second senior?” Huo Yuhao suddenly recalled what his and He Caitou’s identities were. He looked over towards He Caitou.
3597
3598He Caitou was also looking back at him. He didn’t seem as simple as before anymore. His eyes were flashing with a radiant glow.
3599
3600“There are only a thousand people in the division. Half of them are here now. They are all at least Class 5 soul engineers, equipped with the best soul tools. Their leader is a Class 9 soul engineer, and only accepts orders from the Emperor himself. They are the trump card of all trump cards. Their importance to the imperial family is only inferior to the Imperial Shrine.”
3601
3602“Isn’t the Emperor seriously ill? Has he recovered?” Huo Yuhao was stunned.
3603
3604At this point, a group of people arrived. They were escorted by the Soul Engineering Division on chariots and horses to the main stage. There was a small imperial chariot pulled by thirty-two horses. There were also many guards and officials decked in luxurious court wear behind this chariot.
3605
3606The chariot stopped in front of the main stage. Two maids pulled open curtains embroidered with silver lotuses, and a wheelchair was pushed out. There was a handsome youth in the wheelchair.
3607
3608“It’s him!” Huo Yuhao was stunned to see that it wasn’t the Emperor coming out from the chariot. It was the Crown Prince, Xu Tianran!
3609
3610Only the Emperor could sit in such a chariot! Since Xu Tianran dared to sit in this chariot, everyone knew what it signified.
3611
3612Following this, Huo Yuhao focused his attention again. He saw that the person pushing the wheelchair was Ju Zi.
3613
3614Ju Zi was still as beautiful as ever, her complexion even more delicate now. Compared to before, her beautiful eyes had a more dignified look, and she was extremely elegant, like a queen.
3615
3616There was one person walking beside Ju Zi…Jing Hongchen. He was an extremely powerful Class 9 soul engineer who held a respected status in the Sun Moon Empire.
3617
3618“Greetings to Prince Regent and Regentess.” Aside from the Soul Engineering Division, all the officials present knelt down and greeted Xu Tianran.
3619
3620Regent? It seemed like the Sun Moon Empire’s Emperor wasn’t dead yet…
3621
3622Regentess? Ju Zi, Ju Zi, she actually… Indescribable emotions filled Huo Yuhao’s heart and made him short of breath. She has married him and become his legitimate wife? Ju Zi, why are you doing this just for revenge?
3623
3624A smooth and delicate hand reached out for Huo Yuhao’s shoulder. Huo Yuhao turned around and saw Wang Dong’s clear, powdery-blue eyes.
3625
3626“I’m fine.” Huo Yuhao gently shook his head.
3627
3628Wang Dong’er smiled and said, “It’s great that you are fine.” As she said that, she grabbed Huo Yuhao’s right hand.
3629
3630Huo Yuhao’s sadness slightly dissipated when he felt Wang Dong’er’s soft palm. Perhaps it wasn’t love between him and Ju Zi, but they were definitely more than ordinary friends. He would definitely be happy for Ju Zi if she could find a good spouse. However, would she be happy with someone like Xu Tianran?
3631
3632Furthermore, Xu Tianran was an aggressive person. Once he ruled the Sun Moon Empire, the war might really come soon!
3633
3634Right now, he couldn’t help but think of what Ju Zi said before; if there was a day that they met on the battlefield…
3635
3636Just as Huo Yuhao was overthinking things, Ju Zi had already pushed Xu Tianran into a soul elevator. Jing Hongchen and four elders followed him into the elevator. As the elevator rose, everyone could see the regent. Their cheers started to ring out. This Crown Prince was actually able to win the hearts of the people!
3637
3638The officials couldn’t follow him up the elevator. They used the stairs to one side of the main stage to ascend.
3639
3640Xu Tianran’s arrival also meant that the tournament was about to begin.
3641
3642Ju Zi pushed Xu Tianran to the center of the main stage. She didn’t sit down, but stood beside him. Since she didn’t sit, the officials who were panting after climbing the stairs also didn’t dare to sit, and could only remain standing.
3643
3644Xu Tianran nodded at Ju Zi, who then slowly walked forward to a sound amplifying soul tool. Her moving voice soon rang out to everyone.
3645
3646“Silence.” A low voice sounded, and a strong suppression filled the entire place. After the voice sounded, everyone felt that everything in front of them had turned dark. Even their breathing sped up. Any commotions disappeared after it spoke. The entire tournament venue turned silent instantly, to the point where even a dropped pin would ring out.
3647
3648What abilities did she have? How was she able to exert such terrifying suppression? She had used her own strength to terrorize more than hundred thousand people! Was this really achievable by a soul master?
3649
3650Huo Yuhao was horrified, and he blurted out almost instantly, “Darkness Holy Dragon, Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao!”
3651
3652
3653
3654
3655
3656Chapter 278.1: First Battle
3657
3658
3659Others might be unfamiliar with that voice, but he was extremely familiar with it. It sounded old, yet was filled with might. The owner of this voice was the one who had intercepted him back then and left Elder Xuan terrified.
3660
3661He was the Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao; a Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo, and the only one left from the Twin Holy Dragons of Black and White.
3662
3663He was actually here, and had personally paid a visit to boost the Sun Moon Empire’s presence. Huo Yuhao was now certain that the Holy Ghost Church and Sun Moon Empire were very close with each other.
3664
3665Ju Zi cleared her throat at this moment. Her moving voice resonated through the sound-amplifying soul tool, and everyone heard her. If Long Xiaoyao’s voice was a demonstration of his strength, Ju Zi’s voice was a demonstration of the Sun Moon Empire’s cutting-edge technology.
3666
3667“Citizens of the Sun Moon Empire and distinguished guests from afar, I’m here to welcome all of you on behalf of the Prince Regent! At the same time, I announce on his behalf that the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament has officially begun!”
3668
3669Her opening speech was very straightforward. She didn’t ramble about superfluous stuff. That was Xu Tianran’s style. Everything was about one’s abilities. To him, talking more was only a big waste of time.
3670
3671“Long live the Prince Regent.” The citizens of the Sun Moon Empire knelt down towards Xu Tianran, the likely successor of the current Emperor.
3672
3673Xu Tianran continued to wear a smile on his face as he sat in his wheelchair. He reached out his right hand towards Ju Zi.
3674
3675Ju Zi placed her right hand on his palm before sitting beside him as she leaned on him. She wore a light smile on her face.
3676
3677Xu Tianran patted her hand and didn’t say anything. He gazed calmly at the tournament stage below.
3678
3679“My beloved subjects, take a seat,” Xu Tianran said calmly. The officials only dared to sit at this point. Every seat was tagged according to their statuses in the empire, so they couldn’t sit in the wrong seat.
3680
3681The person sitting on the other side of Xu Tianran wasn’t Jing Hongchen. It was a middle-aged man wearing a long black robe with golden sleeves. This person was expressionless, and had a pale look on his face. The weird thing was that there seemed to be a hazy layer around his face, and it wasn’t possible to see his face clearly. Jing Hongchen was sitting on the other side of Ju Zi.
3682
3683“The tournament rules and regulations will be read out now,” a sonorous voice sounded. After this, the tournament’s rules and regulations were read out. They were unchanged from the instruction booklets disseminated to every team.
3684
3685—
3686
3687After the reading was done, an elder walked up to the sound-amplifying soul tool and said loudly, “First battle of the preliminary round: Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy against the Dragonslayer Sect. The members of both teams, please proceed to the waiting area.”
3688
3689The waiting area was a special region in front of the pergola. Seven chairs were placed on each side, and the two rows of chairs were separated by a horizontal distance of twenty meters.
3690
3691Huo Yuhao revealed a smile on his face. No wonder Shrek Academy was given the empty lot. It was on purpose!
3692
3693According to the tournament rules, the first battle should involve the current title holders. Since Shrek Academy was given the empty lot, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy would replace their spot, as they were the runners-up of the previous tournament. This was undoubtedly a trick played by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
3694
3695Very soon, Huo Yuhao saw someone familiar. Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were in front, and behind them were five young soul masters that he had never seen before. They directly entered the waiting area.
3696
3697The unfortunate Dragonslayer Sect also sent seven members into the waiting area. However, Huo Yuhao was surprised that the seven members from the Dragonslayer Sect were very confident. They weren’t fearful because their opponents were the runners-up in the previous tournament. They were quite imposing!
3698
3699However, Huo Yuhao didn’t know that most sects didn’t look up to academies. After all, the instructors and students in academies were limited by time. Apart from some special cases, the students from academies and disciples from sects were vastly different.
3700
3701A disciple remained in their sect for his entire life. For most sects with rich histories and legacies, they had something special about them.
3702
3703In the first Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournaments, sects had been included. However, they were subsequently removed for some reason. The Dragonslayer Sect was a sect that had a legacy of more than ten thousand years. They came from the Heavenly Soul Empire, and were a traditional soul master sect. They discriminated against soul tools, and were scornful towards the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy’s team. They didn’t think they were going to lose.
3704
3705“Referee, please enter the stage. The first competitor for each side, please enter the stage too,” the elder who was emceeing instructed them.
3706
3707Huo Yuhao compared this tournament with the last one. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he was certain that he preferred this edition of the tournament more. It was simpler, less flowery, and more practical for fighting. This was the true meaning of a tournament! It was a way to increase the sparring, interaction, and learning between soul masters and soul engineers.
3708
3709The referee was an elder more than fifty years old. It was impossible to tell his cultivation before he unleashed his martial soul. The first competitor from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy was Meng Hongchen. She was the only one on the team that was inferior to Jing Hongchen, and was the first to compete. This showed how much the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy wanted to win the first battle. This wasn’t just about victory; it concerned the face of the Sun Moon Empire!
3710
3711A young man from the Dragonslayer Sect was first to compete. He had a somewhat special appearance. His head was a little flat, he wasn’t tall, and he looked a little thick. His palms were extremely large. As he opened them wide beside his body, they looked like fans.
3712
3713At this point, the spectators maintained their silence. They hadn’t recovered from the Dragon Emperor Douluo’s suppression, as only a short period of time had passed.
3714
3715“In this individual elimination round, I will decide who’s the winner once either of you loses your fighting strength, or concedes defeat. You must not harm your opponent. Understand?” the referee instructed both parties.
3716
3717“Yes.” The youth representing the Dragonslayer Sect appeared full of energy. After acknowledging the referee’s words, he turned around and walked towards his own side. He didn’t even carry out the formalities. According to the rules, both parties had to be a hundred meters apart from each other before the fight started. This was fairer to some soul masters and soul engineers who were skilled in long-range attacks.
3718
3719Meng Hongchen had experienced great transformations and become a lady. Her slender figure was proportionate, and she was very charming. Although she wasn’t as good-looking as Wang Dong’er or Jiang Nannan, she was still a beauty. However, the other party didn’t even glance at her before walking away. Meng Hongchen was greatly displeased by his attitude, and a vicious look flashed across her eyes. She snorted and turned to the other side of the stage.
3720
3721Very soon, both parties were in position.
3722
3723The referee lifted his right hand high. When his palm swiped down, the first battle of the tournament began.
3724
3725Bang!
3726
3727There was a boom that resonated from the youth’s leg just as the referee’s right hand swiped down. The tough, metal floor was dented as he leapt out. His short and stocky body burst towards Meng Hongchen like a fired cannon shell.
3728
3729While he appeared to look down on Meng Hongchen, he didn’t truly underestimate her. When a soul master fought against a soul engineer, it was important to close the gap. His soul rings lit up as he burst forward. It was easy to tell that he was an assault-type soul master from the power that he unleashed. The sudden burst of strength allowed his cultivation to temporarily rival that of an agility-type soul master.
3730
3731Two yellow, two purple and one black soul ring – the best combination – lit up on the youth’s body. In this tournament, a five-ringed soul master was considered quite strong. There were only a few six-ringed soul masters and soul engineers from a few outstanding academies.
3732
3733The Dragonslayer Sect didn’t have a high standing, but they sent a five-ringed Soul King right from the start. This showed how solid their foundation was. The expression of many leaders from the various academies changed when they saw this.
3734
3735Meng Hongchen didn’t rush forward, and didn’t even retrieve the soul tool that she always used. She walked forward leisurely, and only an icy-blue halo slowly spread from her feet. Two yellow, two purple and two black soul rings slowly rose up, and caused the spectating Dragonslayer Sect team members to change their expressions.
3736
3737As sects weren’t allowed to compete in the last tournament, and each edition was five years apart, the Dragonslayer Sect knew very little about the Sun Moon Soul Engineering Academy’s team. They felt that they had bad luck after drawing the previous runners-up, but didn’t think they would lose.
3738
3739However, they felt pressured when they saw Meng Hongchen’s soul rings. Six rings of the best combination! Was that even possible for soul engineers? There was an age limit of twenty years!
3740
3741The youth had already reached Meng Hongchen as they were thinking of all this. He was the second strongest member of the Dragonslayer Sect’s team. Furthermore, his fighting style was that he would never retreat! Even when he saw Meng Hongchen’s six soul rings, he wasn’t afraid. His first and third soul rings lit up as he charged her.
3742
3743
3744
3745
3746
3747Chapter 278.2: First Battle
3748
3749
3750“Moo—” The youth let out a low-pitched groan, and his stocky body suddenly ballooned in size. His increase in size wasn’t proportionate; he only stretched horizontally. A pair of thick, twisted and sharp horns poked out from his shoulders. They were almost two feet long. His muscles were about to tear his shirt and reveal his naked, burly body.
3751
3752It was his first soul skill, Strength of Barbaric Bull.
3753
3754The martial soul of this youth was a Charging Bull. It didn’t sound very impressive, but it was one of the top-ranked bull-type martial souls. Although the Strength of Barbaric Bull only came from his first soul ring, it was quite dominant. Not only was it extremely strong and impactful, but it also made him temporarily lose any sensation of pain, and increased his defensive strength greatly. Among all the strengthening skills that came from first soul rings, the Strength of Barbaric Bull was one of the top three, and was even stronger than Dai Yueheng’s White Tiger’s Shield.
3755
3756His eyes turned blood-red at the same. Two streaks of bloody light shot out from his eyes straight towards Meng Hongchen. Meng Hongchen was given a shock.
3757
3758Meng Hongchen shuddered in her heart. Not only this, but she also found out that everything around her had seemed to slow down.
3759
3760There was even a control-type soul skill?
3761
3762It came from the third soul ring of the Charging Bull, Glare of Barbaric Bull.
3763
3764He had locked onto his opponent, allowing him to track her while she tried to dodge his attack. At the same time, he slowed her dodging speed.
3765
3766Compared to academies, sects were much better in some areas. For example, their research in some special martial souls was much better. In every sect, there was a certain martial soul that was passed down from generation to generation. After years of legacy, their research on that specific martial soul would have become very profound. This was something that academies couldn’t compare to.
3767
3768Simply put, the research of academies only scratched the surface, but the research of sects managed to get to the crux. After countless attempts, they found the most suitable martial soul that they could pass down for generations.
3769
3770This was the case for this youth from the Dragonslayer Sect. His Strength of Barbaric Bull and Glare of Barbaric Bull came from soul rings that were the most suitable for the Charging Bull. They were also soul rings that formed the best combination.
3771
3772However, he felt a chill as he burst into the icy-blue region. He actually shivered, and slowed slightly.
3773
3774At this point, he was already very close to Meng Hongchen. There wasn’t any time for him to think, and thus he continued his charge towards Meng Hongchen.
3775
3776Meng Hongchen smiled and blew gently towards his direction. Her first and third soul rings lit up at the same time, causing the smooth, icy surface beneath their feet to extend.
3777
3778The youth’s sharp horns were already in front of Meng Hongchen. It was a coincidence, but his horns were directly in front of Meng Hongchen’s chest because he wasn’t very tall.
3779
3780Meng Hongchen looked a little vexed, and in the next instant, she appeared behind the youth.
3781
3782His body flashed past Meng Hongchen quickly, and he didn’t manage to strike her. However, he managed to stop himself from instantly using his Glare of Barbaric Bull before he turned around and burst towards Meng Hongchen again.
3783
3784However, two Meng Hongchens appeared on the icy surface. His Glare of Barbaric Bull tried to lock onto both figures, but it lost its effect instantly. He was stunned.
3785
3786This was Meng Hongchen’s third soul skill, Ice Reflection. The figure that she reflected looked exactly like her. Through various reflections, she kept on conjuring projections of herself. As a result, she then gave the youth the feeling that three of her had appeared even though his Glare of Barbaric Bull was still locked onto her body, as she kept on changing her position using her soul skill.
3787
3788Another intense chill engulfed his body. The youth revealed a look of horror, and his fifth soul ring lit up without any hesitation.
3789
3790It was a pity that it was too late. Compared to five years ago, Meng Hongchen’s Icetoad Venom was even stronger now. Furthermore, she wasn’t simply at Rank 61 now that she possessed six soul rings!
3791
3792A layer of blue spread across the youth’s face. Before his fifth soul ring even lit up, he groaned and trembled before he collapsed to the floor.
3793
3794All the other competing members from the Dragonslayer Sect in the waiting area all stood up suddenly. They couldn’t believe the scene in front of them. They didn’t understand what was going on.
3795
3796The light from Meng Hongchen’s soul rings retracted, and she lifted her chin arrogantly. She turned to the referee and said, “I’ve won. Next competitor please.” After saying this, she retrieved a Milk Bottle to restore her soul power. In this individual elimination round, there weren’t any rules that stated she couldn’t use soul tools to aid her recovery.
3797
3798The referee rushed to the youth and checked his condition. He nodded at Meng Hongchen after ascertaining that her opponent had completely lost his fighting strength.
3799
3800“You’ve won, but your martial soul is poison-type. Please help him neutralize the poison to prevent endangering his life.” The referee said.
3801
3802Meng Hongchen twisted her lips and said, “Referee, have you forgotten? There’s still the team round later.” Yes! According to the rules, no substitutions could be made in the team round after the individual elimination round was over. This also meant that the members in the waiting area had to compete in the team round.
3803
3804The referee furrowed his brow and said, “However, his life will be in danger if this continues.”
3805
3806Meng Hongchen shouted towards the waiting area where the Dragonslayer Sect’s team members were, “Promise me that he won’t compete in the team battle, and I’ll help him neutralize the poison.”
3807
3808Poison!
3809
3810The rest of the Dragonslayer Sect team only now understood how Meng Hongchen managed to defeat her opponent. They all looked at one another. Eventually, they focused their attention on one person. It was a tall and huge youth, who was also their team leader for this tournament.
3811
3812“Please neutralize the poison. He won’t compete in the team round later.” This team leader didn’t hesitate at all, and immediately made his decision. Of course, that was because none of them specialized in neutralizing poison or were healing-type soul masters.
3813
3814Meng Hongchen squatted down without hurry and pressed her hand on the youth’s chest. She sucked back her Icetoad Venom.
3815
3816Wang Dong’er said to Huo Yuhao softly in the resting area, “Meng Hongchen’s abilities have increased significantly!”
3817
3818Huo Yuhao said, “After two years of exchange, they have learned something from Shrek Academy. Did you interact with the two siblings? What standard has Meng Hongchen’s abilities reached?”
3819
3820Wang Dong’er twisted her mouth and said, “I did interact quite a fair bit with Meng Hongchen. However, it’s because she harassed me every day. I don’t know what rank her soul power is. She conceals her abilities very well. However, I estimate that her cultivation is above mine. The two of them already had five rings five years ago. I’m sure they are above Rank 65 right now.”
3821
3822“Harass you?” Huo Yuhao’s expression turned weird, “My Dong’er is a male and a ladykiller! Impressive, impressive. If you meet her, you can trap her with your beauty.”
3823
3824Wang Dong’er blushed. “I didn’t…”
3825
3826Huo Yuhao chortled and changed the topic. He said, “As a soul engineer, Meng Hongchen used the methods of soul masters to win the fight. This shows how confident she is in her own cultivation. Her opponent wasn’t weak either. His martial soul and soul skills are quite strong. I used my Spiritual Detection to sense the youth from the Dragonslayer Sect. He has invigorating qi. With strengthening skills, he managed to resist Meng Hongchen’s venom for some time. He might have caused some trouble for her if he used his strongest soul skill immediately. These sect teams are indeed quite extraordinary! This edition of the tournament will be quite cracking.”
3827
3828Meng Hongchen’s dominance cast a shadow over the Dragonslayer Sect. The second to compete was a thin and tall youth. When he stood in front of Meng Hongchen, he looked at her with a more cautious look.
3829
3830The referee repeated the rules again. This Dragonslayer Sect competitor took the initiative to say, “Dragonslayer Sect. Feng Shèn.”
3831
3832“Feng Shén?” Meng Hongchen was stunned.
3833
3834Feng Shen’s lips moved slightly, and he replied, “It’s Feng Shèn, not Feng Shén.”
3835
3836Meng Hongchen twisted her lips and said, “It’d be best if you were called Feng Shén. It sounds mightier.”
3837
3838ED: This is related to tones in CN. Said in the fourth tone (which is said in a higher pitch that falls sharply), Feng Shèn is just a name. However she misheard it in the second tone (said in a rising tone similar to asking a question) as Feng Shén, which literally means ‘Caution’. Hope that this clears up any confusion.
3839
3840A furious look flashed across Feng Shen’s eyes. “Don’t be too arrogant. Don’t think that you’ll win against me just because you won against my vice team-leader.”
3841
3842Meng Hongchen threw him a scornful look, “I’ll try. I think he had the same thought as you. He didn’t even touch my sleeves before I defeated him.” Her self-confidence was one of a kind! She wasn’t depleted from the first battle. Furthermore, she took the opportunity to replenish her soul power as the vice team-leader from the Dragonslayer Sect was poisoned. She was basically still in her peak condition right now. Naturally, she wasn’t too bothered by Feng Shen.
3843
3844Feng Shen nodded at her and walked towards his position expressionlessly.
3845
3846The two of them quickly drew their distance from each other and went to their respective positions.
3847
3848Everyone watched as the referee lifted his right hand before swiping it down. The second battle began!
3849
3850As the referee’s hand swiped down, a loud eagle call sounded. Following this, a bolt of dim purplish electricity instantly shot into the sky. It was extremely quick, such that Huo Yuhao’s Spiritual Detection couldn’t even capture it.
3851
3852It was Feng Shen who had shot into the sky. He was too quick. Two yellow, two purple and one black soul ring shone on his body. Right now, he had already unleashed his soul rings. A pair of deep blue wings that didn’t seem too wide extended from his arms. His entire body released a strong dim purplish glow. In a matter of seconds, he was already thirty meters high in the air, and was far away from Meng Hongchen.
3853
3854
3855
3856
3857
3858Chapter 278.3: First Battle
3859
3860
3861“It’s very targeted!” Huo Yuhao was stunned as he commented. Feng Shen was using speed to curb Meng Hongchen’s venom. Undoubtedly, he had to be very explosive in terms of his offensive power.
3862
3863Meng Hongchen’s live experience was rather rich. Seeing that her opponent had burst into the sky, she was also shocked. However, she didn’t panic. Her six soul rings lit up. Her Icevenom Ring and Ice Reflection specialty skills were unleashed concurrently.
3864
3865In mid-air, Feng Shen’s wings flapped open to both sides. His dim purplish glow started to turn darker, and his first and third soul rings shone concurrently. When his first soul ring lit up, his wings also increased one foot in size. The dim purplish glow became increasingly darker.
3866
3867When his third soul ring lit up, the glow from his body became even more intense. Everything within a ten-meter radius turned purple.
3868
3869Following this, his fifth soul ring lit up, too. The pitch-black soul ring expanded out before converting into rings of light that revolved around his body. His body started to distort, and became a little unclear.
3870
3871Xu Sanshi, who was sitting beside Huo Yuhao, squinted and said, “He wants to end this battle in one strike!”
3872
3873Huo Yuhao smiled and asked, “Third senior, what’s your take on this guy’s attack?”
3874
3875Xu Sanshi replied without any hesitation, “Very strong! From the looks of it, his martial soul should be the Lightning Falcon. The Lightning Falcon has always been recognized as a predator of eagles. It’s an extremely quick martial soul. It’s a third the size of other falcons, but is extremely vicious. It feeds on the internal organs of other falcons. Even an eagle ten times its size is scared of it. It’s not just quick; it’s able to alter its direction at high speed in the air. Among agility-type martial souls, it’s one of the best. Of course, its strengths and weaknesses are evident. I don’t think I need to explain what it’s weakness is with high speed and a quick offense, right?
3876
3877Xiao Xiao and Jiang Nannan said at almost the same time, “Defense!”
3878
3879Xu Sanshi chuckled and said, “If I were his opponent, he’d collide with my shield and die.”
3880
3881Jiang Nannan glared at him and snapped, “Would it kill you not to boast?”
3882
3883Xu Sanshi’s expression turned from arrogant to deep. He was filled with passion as he looked at Jiang Nannan and said, “I won’t die from not boasting. However, I’ll die without you.” As he spoke, he held onto Jiang Nannan’s hand and caressed it.
3884
3885Jiang Nannan’s face turned red. She made a spitting sound before turning her attention back to the stage. However, she didn’t pull her hand back.
3886
3887A dim light flashed. Huo Yuhao revealed a pensive look on his face. He was also observing how Meng Hongchen was going to resist the Lightning Falcon’s quick offensive strike.
3888
3889Just like Feng Shen, Meng Hongchen’s weaknesses and strengths were also very evident. Without a doubt, her strength lay in her venom. Even opponents with a greater cultivation than her might find it difficult to win against her. This was the case with Dai Yueheng back then. However, her offensive and defensive strengths weren’t very impressive even though she was poisonous.
3890
3891Back when she only had five rings, her only true offensive soul skill was her fifth soul skill, Icefire Venomdragon’s Corkscrew, and she had relied on her Ice Reflection as her defensive soul skill. When she faced a domain-type, long-range attack, it was difficult for her to counter.
3892
3893However, the difference Meng Hongchen had with her opponents was that she wasn’t just a soul master, she was also a soul engineer! Huo Yuhao and the few of them could discern her weaknesses, so she naturally knew what her weaknesses were too, and she relied on soul tools to make up for her weakness. As for what she could do, it wasn’t something that they knew yet. They could only learn by observation.
3894
3895Feng Shen took quite a long time to prepare his fifth soul skill. As the glow around his body distorted, it slowly disappeared. The dim purplish glow in mid-air slowly turned dark purple. A purple eagle with three-meter-long wings slowly took form.
3896
3897This resembled a Martial Soul True Body! Meng Hongchen could sense that she was being locked on to. She had no way of differentiating whether her opponent’s attack was domain-type or omnidirectional. Under such an unfavorable circumstance, Meng Hongchen still managed to keep herself poised, and appeared very calm. There were no emotions on her face, and no one knew what she was thinking.
3898
3899At this point, the purplish figure up in the air finally moved. It formed an arc in the air that came straight towards Meng Hongchen.
3900
3901He was too quick, and caused a piercing sonic boom as he was halfway there. This only happened because he was traveling almost at the speed of sound!
3902
3903Meng Hongchen instantly understood that his attack would be omnidirectional. However, he was so quick that it was impossible for her to unleash her Ice Reflection. This terrifying speed was beyond her comprehension. She’d never even seen a seven-ringed Soul Sage reach that speed before.
3904
3905The purplish glow appeared right in front of her as it was unleashed and the sonic boom sounded.
3906
3907However, a dim pinkish glow was suddenly released from Meng Hongchen’s chest. This glow changed into a barrier that blocked her body.
3908
3909At the most critical moment, she still relied on a soul tool. It was in her nature.
3910
3911Boom—!
3912
3913Meng Hongchen’s entire body was swallowed by the frightening purple glow. The tremendous impact caused the metal floor to cave in. Even the icy surface formed by Meng Hongchen’s Ice Reflection started to crack. The strike was truly powerful!
3914
3915All the spectators held their breath. This strike was too terrifying! Although they knew soul masters were strong, it was very rare for them to personally witness the supernatural abilities of a soul master. The frightening strength of impact generated balls of cyclones that caused ripples in the defensive light barriers surrounding the stage.
3916
3917Everyone’s attention was caught by the purplish glow. For a Soul King to unleash such a strike, he was close to the standard of a Soul Emperor! In fact, another soul master wouldn’t have given Feng Shen so much time to prepare. He had used too much time to accumulate his power.
3918
3919Regarding this, the Dragonslayer Sect must have had judged that Meng Hongchen wouldn’t take the initiative to close the gap, and so Feng Shen was instructed to use his strongest attack immediately. Events proved that that they had been right. At least, Feng Shen managed to successfully unleash his strongest strike.
3920
3921However, had he actually won?
3922
3923The purple slowly faded away, and two figures appeared in front of everyone. Meng Hongchen was still standing in her initial position, completely unmoved. Her entire body was engulfed by the dim pinkish light barrier. Feng Shen was ten meters away from her, one of his knees on the floor. His arms that had changed into wings had drooped down, as if they had lost a bone, and he was panting hard.
3924
3925Meng Hongchen hadn’t unleashed an Invincible Barrier, but it seemed like the protective barrier that she had used was at least Class 7! If it were Class 6, she couldn’t possibly remain in her position after suffering such a violent attack.
3926
3927Plop! Feng Shen collapsed to the ground and went unconscious. After completing his strongest strike, his arms were fractured, and he had also suffered from the Icetoad Venom’s poison.
3928
3929However, Meng Hongchen also looked to be in bad shape. She didn’t expect her trump card to be revealed to all her opponents. Feng Shen’s attack had been too strong, such that her soul power was depleted by forty percent. She was only able to tap into the backlash of a Class 7 soul tool to gravely hurt her opponent.
3930
3931This was extremely targeted. If Meng Hongchen only had five rings and didn’t have such a strong defensive soul tool, she would have lost.
3932
3933“We concede defeat. He won’t compete later either. Please neutralize his poison,” the team leader of the Dragonslayer Sect’s team decided immediately.
3934
3935Cheers also exploded out at this moment. Meng Hongchen wasn’t just representing the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, she was also representing the Sun Moon Empire! Here, she didn’t have any lack of fans, and she had won two fights consecutively! They were cheering for her victory!
3936
3937In the succeeding rounds, the Dragonslayer Sect didn’t have anyone that could curb Meng Hongchen. Four people fell to her poison. However, her own soul power was also being increasingly depleted. After all, this was a fight between two teams. Although her cultivation was greater than Rank 65, her soul power was still limited. If not for the fact that her first two opponents were Soul Kings, she wouldn’t have been able to survive more than four rounds.
3938
3939To prevent her from suffering any injuries, Meng Hongchen conceded defeat when the Dragonslayer Sect’s team leader stepped up to compete. Eventually, she didn’t manage to defeat the entire Dragonslayer Sect’s team.
3940
3941Even so, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy demonstrated their worth.
3942
3943Their second competing member was a Soul King and Class 5 soul engineer. As he fought the team leader of the Dragonslayer Sect’s team, he eventually managed to eke out a victory.
3944
3945The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy thus became the first side to win the first round of the tournament. They didn’t even compete in the team round, and managed to advance from the first round with six points.
3946
3947
3948
3949
3950
3951Chapter 279.1: A Competing Cripple?
3952
3953
3954Since the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy eliminated all their opponents in the individual elimination round, they had obtained the points needed for the team round, according to the tournament rules. So, they gained eleven points.
3955
3956The Tang Sect team members had various feelings after they finished watching this first round of battles.
3957
3958Xu Sanshi looked at the calm Huo Yuhao and softly asked, “Yuhao, who do you think is the best equipped to deal with Meng Hongchen if we face the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy?”
3959
3960Huo Yuhao chortled and replied, “Of course it’s me.”
3961
3962Xu Sanshi thought for a moment before saying, “It can only be you. However, she’s not just about her poison. In my opinion, her improvement in the area of soul tools might even surpass her soul master cultivation.”
3963
3964Huo Yuhao said, “That’s for sure. After all, this is only the first round. She has been holding back throughout. Even at the end, she didn’t use her sixth soul skill or any offensive soul tools. I estimate her main soul tools are already at Class 7, and she is using a special production method to reduce their usage requirements. She is the granddaughter of Jing Hongchen, after all.”
3965
3966Xu Sanshi said, “If we meet them, what do you think our chances are?”
3967
3968Huo Yuhao smiled and replied, “Eighty percent chance of winning.”
3969
3970Xu Sanshi was stunned as he asked, “So confident?”
3971
3972Huo Yuhao chortled, “Of course. We have you. You can defeat half their team on your own.”
3973
3974Xu Sanshi furrowed his brow and said, “No, no. How can I take on half their team?”
3975
3976Jiang Nannan took a curious look at him and said, “Since when have you learned to be humble?”
3977
3978Xu Sanshi blinked and said, “What I mean is that I can take on their entire team!”
3979
3980“Shameless!” Jiang Nannan snapped at him.
3981
3982“There’s a trumpet in the sky. Who blew it?” Xiao Xiao lifted her head to look at the sky.
3983
3984He Caitou was sniggering to one side.
3985
3986“If there’s a chance, I would like to try.” a cold voice sounded from afar. Everyone turned in the direction of this voice.
3987
3988It was the Sword Fanatic. Ji Juechen’s face was very serious, and his gaze was burning. He seemed like he was about to draw his Judgment Sword to challenge Meng Hongchen to a fight right then and there!
3989
3990—
3991
3992The tournament continued. There were too many teams. Even if it was just the first elimination round, there were more than eighty of them. If the schedule wasn’t followed, the planned three days might not even be sufficient to complete the first elimination round.
3993
3994There were many exciting performances in the first elimination round. Since it was an elimination round, every team gave their best. Some horrifying scenes even occurred. Team after team went up to compete.
3995
3996Among the familiar teams that Huo Yuhao knew, Wei Na and Mu Xue appeared as part of a sect called the Snowdemon Sect. Wei Na didn’t compete, but Mu Xue demonstrated her extraordinary abilities. She conceded after beating three opponents consecutively. This was to protect herself and keep her available for the team round. Wei Na wasn’t part of the competing team. She was only a spectator.
3997
3998The fights in the morning stopped at noon. Nine teams had made it to the next round, which also meant that nine teams had been eliminated, and heir journey in this tournament had ended.
3999
4000The fights in the afternoon carried on until the evening. A total of twenty-six rounds were fought over the course of the day.