However, this was equally shocking.
"Are you planning to hunt the Evil Eye Tyrant?"
After his initial shock, Mirror Hongchen regained his composure and guessed Huo Yuhao's intention.
In terms of finding a spirit beast with a spirit attribute that's over a hundred thousand years old, the possibility is too small in the short term.
Only powerful, social groups like the Evil Eye Tyrant might be Huo Yuhao's target.
"That's right."
Huo Yuhao nodded, affirming his teacher's guess.
However, Mirror Hongchen gave a bitter laugh.
"Sorry, Yuhao."
He told Huo Yuhao about the incident where Xuan Ziweng's hunt for the Evil Eye Tyrant had enraged the Evil Emperor.
"Currently, the Evil Emperor is still in a state of rage. Any human Soul Master entering the Evil Demon Forest is likely to be killed by him. The Empire has already sealed off the Evil Demon Forest. It might be possible to secretly hunt a few soul beasts in a few years, but it's very unlikely to hunt a hundred-thousand-year-old Evil Eye Tyrant again within a century."
"Is that so?" Huo Yuhao sighed, his brows furrowing, clearly surprised by the situation.
But he didn't blame anyone.
"I suppose I'll have to learn from Brother Yu about how to condense a Lifebound Soul Ring."
The backup plan must be used.
Let's see if I can encounter the reward of a Divine Soul Ring during the third trial.
With Mirror Hongchen's pass, Huo Yuhao went to the Royal Family.
"Stop, who dares to trespass the royal forbidden grounds!"
However, he received worse treatment than Su Yu had.
Even though Huo Yuhao presented Mirror Hongchen's pass, he was still not allowed to pass.
Imperial Study.
Xu Tianran sat imposingly behind his desk, dealing with busy official duties.
However, the dignified figure was just an appearance. Behind the desk, his lower body was completely paralyzed, only able to sit in a wheelchair.
Behind Xu Tianran, Orange was gently massaging his shoulders with a tender expression.
"Your Majesty."
"Enter!"
A personal guard entered the Imperial Study, reporting, "Your Majesty, Huo Yuhao has returned to Mingdu and has already entered the Royal Family, heading towards the rear mountain."
Upon hearing of Huo Yuhao's return, Xu Tianran paused his work.
Orange's expression became slightly stiff. Fortunately, her mental fortitude was strong, and her hands didn't lose control of their strength. But there were still some changes, which Xu Tianran did not notice.
"The rear mountain? That's Elder Kong's area, isn't it? Did he bring Elder Kong's token?"
"No, what he holds is the pass from the Red Dust Hall Master."
"Hmph, Mirror Hongchen's pass?" Xu Tianran sneered, waving dismissively, "Mirror Hongchen's pass is of no use here in the Royal Family."
He clearly remembered Mirror Hongchen's actions from when he was still the Crown Prince.
Back then, Mirror Hongchen ruthlessly expelled a few people he sent to negotiate with Xuan Ziweng from Mingde Hall.
"This..."
"Hmm?" When he saw the personal guard hesitate, a powerful aura emanated from Xu Tianran.
Though he was crippled, his Soul Power was still at the Titled Douluo level, and the authority accumulated from over a year of being Emperor was immense, causing the personal guard to feel enormous pressure under his anger.
"By your command!"
The personal guard departed, as Orange furrowed her brows deeply.
Xu Tianran, facing away from her, naturally didn't see this, unaware that his Empress was worrying about a man outside.
"Your Majesty, the Red Dust Hall Master is a pillar of the Empire. By doing this..."
Orange, whose understanding and vision Xu Tianran appreciated, had significant weight in her words.
As she questioned, Xu Tianran explained, "Hmph, I am well aware of his importance. It's just to seize the opportunity to send a message."
Up until now, Mirror Hongchen had not openly shown strong support for him in court.
Previously, the ministers' attitudes towards Xu Tianran were of three kinds: support, neutrality, and opposition.
Now there are only two: support and neutrality.
It's ridiculous; in the absence of opposition, there is a lone neutral position.
And the neutral one is, naturally, Mirror Hongchen.
"Your Majesty, it is said that recently the Red Dust Hall Master's Soul Power Cultivation broke through to the Super Douluo level, and as for the Armor System..."
Just as Orange mentioned the Armor System, Xu Tianran slammed the table heavily.
"Talking about the Armor System makes my blood boil!"
"What is Mirror Hongchen trying to do?"
"To this day, the information on the Armor System has not reached my hands!"
"Still incomplete, and not entering the stage for general distribution?"
Xu Tianran repeatedly slammed the table, venting his anger.
"What is this about? Are they guarding against me!"
Guarding against what?
Neither Xu Tianran nor Orange spoke further. One silently continued massaging shoulders, the other quietly holding in his anger.
Obviously, it was to prevent him from leaking the technology of Battle Armor to the Holy Spirit Sect.
Though he understood the reason for such defense, did Xu Tianran appear to be a fool so ignorant of the Holy Spirit Sect's threats?
"Your Majesty, don't let this affect your health. From what I know via Teacher Xuan, the Armor System should be perfected soon, even if it gets delayed. You forget, there's less than half a year left for this Soul Fighting Competition. Mingde Hall will definitely display the Battle Armor technology at the competition, and by then you can compel them to hand over the technology."
Whether Orange's consolation worked was unknown, but Xu Tianran took several deep breaths and began handling his official duties again.
Meanwhile, Orange sighed in relief internally.
"The Red Dust Hall Master is too resistant towards the Evil Soul Masters."
She knew many of Xu Tianran's plans, and understood that using the Holy Spirit Sect was just a means to an end.
However, Mirror Hongchen's reaction was too vehement.
Perhaps even Xu Tianran didn't foresee this outcome when he initially set the plan to use the Holy Spirit Sect.
After all, at that time Mirror Hongchen didn't have such confidence, no matter how determined he might have been, he definitely wouldn't have acted so publicly without giving Xu Tianran face.
But now Mirror Hongchen had that qualification.
Whether it was his Soul Power breakthrough, or his holding of the Armor System technology, they all gave him this status.
Moreover, there was also the tacit approval from Kong Deming.
Why didn't Xu Tianran directly acquire the Armor System technology from Xuan Ziweng through Orange?
It was nothing but the pressure from Kong Deming.
Xu Tianran could rely on the Holy Spirit Sect's two Extreme Douluo to temporarily resist Kong Deming's pressure, but he absolutely wouldn't completely sever ties with Kong Deming because of this.
...
"What?"
Huo Yuhao felt a surge of anger as he looked at the Imperial Guard in front of him who appeared ready to expel him.
"By the Emperor's decree, the Red Dust Hall Master's pass is not allowed for free passage within the Royal Family. Especially in the restricted areas of the Tribute Hall, the Supreme Elder's token is required for passage."
Huo Yuhao was already anxious for the Sixth Soul Ring. After learning that it was impossible to hunt a hundred-thousand-year-old Evil Eye Tyrant due to the Evil Emperor's outrage, this added fuel to the fire. Now, being further provoked, his anger grew.
However, this was the Royal Family.
He forcefully restrained his anger, took a deep breath, and turned to leave.
All his anger was directed at Xu Tianran.
The Emperor?
Huo Yuhao had never had the slightest fear of authority.
Returning to Mingde Hall, Mirror Hongchen was furious when he learned of the treatment his disciple received.
"Xu Tianran!"
Mirror Hongchen, accompanied by Huo Yuhao, personally went to the Royal Family.
"Step aside!"
The Hall Master of Mingde Hall personally came, and the Imperial Guard couldn't continue blocking, allowing the two to proceed to the rear mountain.
"Hall Master? Yuhao?"
Su Yu paused his cultivation, somewhat surprised by their arrival.
Hadn't he expected this kid to gain a lot of fortune in the Land of the Far North, making rapid progress, only to return to Mingdu during the final month?
Yet, after merely five months, Huo Yuhao had already returned to Mingdu.
And he couldn't even finalize the Sixth Soul Ring.
This...
A child of destiny was bound to always encounter the best situations, no?
But now Huo Yuhao's performance left Su Yu quite speechless.
This child of destiny hasn't been stripped of luck, has he?
But I didn't fleece him of much luck, did I?
Su Yu felt he hadn't deprived Huo Yuhao of many opportunities.
"Based on my research, it is best to condense the Lifebound Soul Ring at the Seventh Ring. Are you sure you want to attempt it at the Fourth Ring of your Second Martial Soul?"
Su Yu asked a question that left Huo Yuhao in silence.
The Seventh Ring is most suitable?
Inside, Huo Yuhao was struggling and conflicted.
For the best outcome, this Lifebound Soul Ring should follow Su Yu's advice and be condensed at the Seventh Ring.
But then, what about the Sixth Ring for his Spiritual Eyes?