"Can I refuse?"
Huo Yuhao did not want to provoke any more romantic complications.
Kong Deming chuckled softly. "Is it because of that little girl from the Hongchen family?"
"...Partially," Huo Yuhao answered hesitantly.
"Ah, to be young. That fellow Jing Hongchen not only has a talented grandson but a granddaughter as well. It's a pity I have no children of my own, otherwise..."
Kong Deming sighed lightly before continuing:
"Don't worry, I will decline on your behalf. After all, His Majesty only mentioned it in a moment of excitement; he won't blame you for this.
"As for 'Soul Radiance'... I will place it in your hands in a few days."
Huo Yuhao nodded.
While marrying a princess would be very useful for eventually controlling the Sun Moon Empire, he already had his hands full with Miss Meng and Sister Ju Zi. As for anyone else... better to forget it.
"Now that we've settled that, here is the second matter.
"Yuhao, you've seen the success of the 'Battle Armor.' This is a path distinct from 'Soul Armor,' yet they lead to the same destination. I cannot be certain if these two paths will conflict, but in all things, it is best to prepare for the worst.
"As of now, 'Soul Armor' still exists only on paper, whereas 'Battle Armor' is, as you can see, already mature.
"My previous training plan for you was to have you gradually fuse with the 'Soul Armor.' Once you broke through to become a Titled Douluo, the complete 'Soul Armor' would allow your martial soul to evolve while granting you power comparable to a Limit Douluo!
"However, that was based on ideal conditions. Compared to the ethereal 'Soul Armor,' the existing 'Battle Armor' is clearly more stable.
"So Yuhao, I want to know: what is your choice?"
A choice?
Huo Yuhao fell silent as thoughts flashed through his mind.
"Battle Armor" and "Soul Armor"—both provided powerful bonuses to a soul master, but their focus differed.
The former provided immense physical and soul power boosts, while the latter allowed one's martial soul to undergo a short-term metamorphosis, stacking the soul rings and armor onto the martial soul itself to achieve terrifying power and evolution.
It was hard to say which was stronger, but both could grant a massive combat boost.
If he truly had to pick one, Huo Yuhao might actually struggle. Unfortunately for the dilemma, he was greedy and preferred to have both.
Letting a look of hesitation show on his face, Huo Yuhao looked up at Kong Deming.
"I'm sorry, Teacher. I cannot make a decision yet."
"Is that so? Well, it's to be expected. Choosing between them is indeed difficult."
Kong Deming nodded in understanding. He then reached into his storage soul tool ring and pulled out a large piece of pure white metal that emitted a faint spiritual aura.
"This material is called 'Bright God Soul Gold.' It is a special metal nurtured over countless years by the natural gathering and stacking of souls after a massive number of living beings have perished.
"Even just touching it can increase one's soul and mental power to a certain extent. One could say it is perfectly suited for your Spirit Eye martial soul.
"Originally, I intended to use this metal to craft your 'Soul Armor,' but now it seems that letting you use it personally is the best choice."
Kong Deming solemnly placed the "Bright God Soul Gold" into Huo Yuhao's hands.
Huo Yuhao instinctively took it. The moment his hand touched the metal, he felt a wonderful sense of "clarity."
His Necromantic Holy Magic God martial soul and Spirit Eye martial soul simultaneously felt a certain "craving" for this metal.
An unexpected harvest...
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered, his expression becoming solemn.
"Thank you, Teacher."
"It's nothing. I have no use for it, and it suits you well. Besides, I have no children; as my student, these things would have been yours sooner or later anyway."
Kong Deming's expression became kind once more.
His only regret now was that Jing Hongchen had found Huo Yuhao first, and that Jing Hongchen's granddaughter had already formed a bond with him.
If he had found the boy first, he would have taken him to the Imperial Palace every day to let Tianzhen and Yuhao get to know each other. That way, he could have tied the boy completely to the Imperial Family's ship.
However, Kong Deming knew that life is rarely perfect. Though it was a pity, a little regret was only natural.
...
Leaving the laboratory with the "Bright God Soul Gold," Huo Yuhao greeted Miss Meng, who had been waiting outside, and then immediately dived into his own lab to begin his research.
(Miss Meng: I'm not even as attractive as a piece of metal?!)
Huo Yuhao ended up researching for an entire month before he finally emerged from his trance.
Research is endless. Simply by observing the internal structure and innate characteristics of the "Bright God Soul Gold," Huo Yuhao had gained immense inspiration over the month, and the path for perfecting "Soul Armor" in the future had become much clearer.
"Once 'Spirit-Forging' is complete, I'll have to learn forging myself. After all, only metal forged by my own hands will truly fit me..."
Huo Yuhao rubbed his brow, organizing the messy thoughts in his mind. After a long while, his mind calmed. He glanced at the time and realized it was already late at night.
"Is it this late already?"
Huo Yuhao murmured. He put away the "Bright God Soul Gold," stood up, and stretched while yawning. He then stepped through a spatial portal.
In the next instant, Huo Yuhao appeared in his own room.
Looking at the bed, Ice Emperor wasn't there, and Skydream wasn't there either. Good... it seemed he could get some proper rest tonight. Staying up for a month without sleep while constantly using the Eye of Destiny to observe the soul gold had truly pushed him to his limit.
Just as he was about to lie down, Huo Yuhao paused. Sensing something, he turned to the door and gently pushed one side open.
There, a girl with ice-blue hair was sitting on the carpet by his door, her eyes closed and her head leaning against the other side of the doorframe. Her breathing was steady; she was fast asleep.
It was Ling Luochen.
Huo Yuhao blinked, momentarily confused by the situation.
"She came looking for you at noon on the day you left. When she found you weren't here, she's been waiting by your door for a month."
Skydream, wearing pajamas, walked over while yawning.
Because the Ice Emperor had absorbed too much excess energy in just one week, her body was saturated. Unable to handle it, she had fallen into a deep sleep again to accelerate the digestion of the energy and hadn't woken up yet.
Huo Yuhao had been away in the Sun Moon Empire for a month, and the only person left to talk to, Ling Luochen, had been acting like a "waiting-for-husband stone," staying by Huo Yuhao's door all day.
Skydream had spent his days doing nothing but eating and sleeping, occasionally catching a spy who tried to sneak in to steal the research results of their Spirit Transmission Pagoda. Life had been incredibly boring.