The simulation was withdrawn.
Huo Yuhao's expression held a trace of lingering fear and a bit of relief.
It was a good thing that the first thing he did upon returning to Star Luo City was to pay respects at his mother's memorial.
If he hadn't come, or if he had delayed longer, allowing the person behind the scenes to succeed.
That would absolutely be a powerful means to restrain him!
[Remember this site's domain name w_w_w_._k_k_k_a_n_._c_o_m_ anytime to read]
Besides this, Huo Yuhao was also extremely encouraged by Electrolux's words that 'Mother still has a sliver of a chance to awaken.'
Restoring his mother's remnant soul became an objective as important as taking revenge on the Duke of the White Tiger.
They also shared the same solution: his ascension to godhood.
As long as he could ensure he walked the path toward godhood, both problems would be readily solved.
Meng Hongchen noticed that Huo Yuhao's expression had become relaxed, even carrying a hint of excitement, and she also let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing her looking at him with a smile, Huo Yuhao hesitated slightly:
"Senior Sister Meng, aren't you curious about what happened to me?"
"I am curious," Meng Hongchen replied frankly, "but this matter is different from when we investigated your Martial Soul before."
"What's the difference?" Huo Yuhao was a bit confused by Meng Hongchen's thought process.
Aren't both instances about prying into others' secrets? What was the difference?
Meng Hongchen explained carefully:
"We are Senior Sister and Junior Brother, after all. This kind of master-disciple relationship is even more important than that of biological siblings in the world of Soul Engineers."
"From now on, we will rely on and support each other."
"The matter of your Martial Soul, you actually didn't need to hide it from someone in our relationship."
"But this matter is different. Did you just run a simulation? There seemed to be traces of violent fluctuations in Mental Power."
"I feel that even if you don't want to tell me now,"
"you will definitely be willing to share it with me in the future."
After saying the last sentence, Meng Hongchen's fair, pretty face flushed slightly.
"Is it that obvious?" Huo Yuhao looked at Meng Hongchen, feeling a bit guilty.
The help Meng Hongchen provided him was already countless, and she cared for him so much, even being thoughtful enough to accompany him to mourn his mother.
But how could he explain this kind of thing?
A potentially god-level existence wanted to take away his mother's remnant soul?
This god-level existence had already made a move more than once?
He couldn't say it; even if he did, Meng Hongchen would find it hard to believe.
However, Meng Hongchen's understanding made Huo Yuhao feel a slight sense of indebtedness.
How perceptive was Meng Hongchen?
She immediately understood Huo Yuhao's difficulty and covered her mouth to chuckle: "If you feel it's difficult, then don't say it. Let's talk about the other thing."
Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief and said readily, "Senior Sister Meng, ask away."
A hint of cunning flashed in Meng Hongchen's blue eyes:
"Junior Brother, you always act with meticulous thought and never act without purpose."
"That item you mentioned earlier, which can roughly control risks and allow for systematic ability enhancement, that should be real, right?"
"It's real."
Since Meng Hongchen brought it up, it meant she was genuinely interested.
And the Assassin Demipharmacon was indeed suitable for her; Huo Yuhao had already formed the intention of gifting it.
He took out a glass bottle from his storage ring and showed it to Meng Hongchen.
Meng Hongchen blinked her large eyes, glancing at the dull, unremarkable liquid inside the glass bottle, feeling inexplicably thirsty.
As she listened to Huo Yuhao's introduction:
"I don't know its origin, but I am certain that I can roughly control the risks it brings."
"The liquid inside is the Sequence Nine Demipharmacon named Assassin."
"It can grant your body augmentation, increased flexibility, as well as bursts of power and stealth."
"Furthermore, if I can obtain the Sequence Eight Demipharmacon next."
"The abilities it grants you can be upgraded further."
"Senior Sister Meng, it truly suits you."
"If you don't mind the potential problems it might have, I'll present this sword to a hero, and this rouge to a beauty—I'll give it to you."
Finally, Huo Yuhao briefly explained what a Demipharmacon was and what the sequence numbers meant.
"Junior Brother, you're just giving it to me like that?"
Meng Hongchen's eyes widened, pointing at 'Assassin' and murmuring:
"Do you know that, according to what you said, the abilities it provides are equivalent to an independent multiplication factor!"
"Once swallowed, it's something that can raise a Spirit Master's potential."
"Its rarity even surpasses a ten-thousand-year Soul Bone! If taken to an auction house, even if it's only Sequence Nine, it would definitely fetch a sky-high price!"
Huo Yuhao looked at Meng Hongchen, who was already eager to try, and smiled:
"Senior Sister Meng, when we first met, you gave me a Rank Six Engraving Knife Soul Guidance Device."
"It helped me immensely, accompanying me from just entering the academy until I was selected for the reserve team."
"I didn't have anything good to give as a welcome gift back then, so consider this bottle of Demipharmacon as our first meeting gift."
Can that be the same? Meng Hongchen rolled her eyes beautifully.
Even if Ice Crystal was precious, it was only a limited Rank Six Soul Guidance Device, and a dead object at that.
How could it compare to something that fundamentally enhances a person's potential?
Having received the Demipharmacon, Meng Hongchen felt she had gained an enormous advantage. She looked at Huo Yuhao:
"Junior Brother, is there anything you like?"
Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and smiled, "Senior Sister Meng, what if I like Soul Guidance Devices?"
Silly boy! Meng Hongchen chuckled: "Then I'll study them with you!"
After this trip concluded, Meng Hongchen returned with Huo Yuhao to the Star Emperor Hotel, then went to her own room and drank the Demipharmacon.
To facilitate timely intervention with his 'Psychologist' ability, Huo Yuhao stood leaning against the wall outside the door, deep in thought.
His mother's matter and Wang Dong's matter were both orchestrated by the same person.
Tang Yin, you and the people behind you have attacked me repeatedly; I really need to control you fiercely.
A cold glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
The illusory state of Alusuhod's Pen only had one chance to be used, so he wouldn't bear any negative side effects.
But it was an extraordinary item capable of causing an angel to fall.
Even the weakest angel would at least be a Titled Douluo, right?
Even if it lacked direct offensive capability, Huo Yuhao still wanted to try if he could eliminate Tang Yin in one go.
Even if Tang Yin was incredibly resilient, he definitely wouldn't escape the deformed ten-thousand-year Wind Baboon Soul Bone!
Fifteen minutes later, Meng Hongchen walked out of the room, beaming, her laughter like silver bells:
"Haha, I did it!"
"Junior Brother, I succeeded!"
"Even without Ultimate Ice, I will still sweep away all opposition!"
Overjoyed, Meng Hongchen suddenly hugged Huo Yuhao.
The white silk carrying a faint fragrance brushed across Huo Yuhao's face. His body stiffened, and he quickly stretched both arms backward:
"Senior Sister Meng, this is only Sequence Nine; its strength might not be as high as you imagine."
"Let's familiarize ourselves with its abilities first."
"Oh! Oh!" Meng Hongchen quickly let go of Huo Yuhao, not even daring to look at his expression, and hurried toward the accompanying training room.
Huo Yuhao rubbed his face vigorously and followed her steps.
In the long, straight corridor, he encountered Ma Rulong. Seeing Meng Hongchen brush past him as if fleeing, he gave Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up:
You kid doesn't suffer any hardship at all.
How many years of detours did that save? It's comparable to gaining ten or twenty years of cultivation!
Huo Yuhao also forced himself to greet Ma Rulong before hurriedly catching up with Meng Hongchen.
The Assassin's abilities weren't complicated; they mainly manifested in limb control and lacked any esoteric capabilities.
Therefore, the boost to combat power was much more obvious than the Sequence Nine'Spectator'.
Meng Hongchen easily executed many movements in the training room that she previously couldn't easily perform or couldn't perform at all.
This made her close-combat attacks more flexible, varied, sharp, and tricky.
The 'Full Force Strike' characteristic also increased her means of instantaneous burst.
If previously she could contend with a Spirit Emperor by relying on the special nature of her Martial Soul and the augmentation from her close-combat Soul Guidance Devices,
Now she possessed the paper strength to defeat a Spirit Emperor.
Just as she was testing the Shadow Stealth ability, a head poked into the training room from outside.
Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen looked over, only to see Xiao Hongchen looking heartbroken:
"Good! Junior Brother. You have good things and don't bring me along?"
"Tell me, what benefit did Little Meng give you?"
"I'll give you double!"
On the top floor of the Royal Star Grand Hotel, inside one of the massive rooms designated for the Shrek Academy team.
Though the room was large, there were even more people standing inside.
Almost everyone who accompanied the team to Star Luo City had gathered here.
In addition, there were Zhang Lexuan and Tang Ya, who had just arrived with Xuanzi, as well as the old woman in the white dress, Wang Xian'er.
Xuanzi was actually not sent by Shrek Academy.
He had run out on his own after being reprimanded by Mu En, only taking Zhang Lexuan and Tang Ya along the way.
He truly could not rest assured about these youngsters!
Four sickbeds held Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Ling Luochen, and Beibei, respectively.
The three members of the main team were pale, their blood energy and faint life energy appearing quite conflicting.
Beibei looked utterly miserable and had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Tang Ya first carefully checked Tang Yin, who possessed a gentle and jade-like temperament and a steady aura.
Only after confirming he had no injuries did she walk to the bedside of Beibei, whose face had just regained a hint of color, and held his hand.
Wang Shengjia looked at Xuanzi, who appeared completely normal as if nothing had happened, taking a large bite out of a pork knuckle and then happily taking a big gulp of wine. He was filled with admiration.
For the upward development of the Holy Cult's cause, the High Priest disregarded his own safety and insisted on releasing his Cousin, who was merely a five-ring Spirit Ancestor, with near-limit strength.
I laughed at the elders of the Sea God Pavilion for their lack of planning, and Mu En for his lack of wisdom.
They were so easily swayed from their suspicions by a few excuses from the High Priest.
After all this maneuvering, the High Priest remained so composed, showing no arrogance whatsoever.
Indeed, one must quiet their mind before attempting great things.
Learn from the High Priest!
Tang Ya looked at Beibei with deep distress:
"Medical Immortal esteemed one, Tang... how is Beibei's condition?"
Wang Xian'er spoke with deep meaning: "The Dragon God esteemed one paid a huge price to ask this old woman to return early, so naturally, I will do my utmost."
"Under my full treatment, the three main team members over there will be able to barely fight in six or seven days, and move freely in about ten days."
"Beibei's injuries are no worse than theirs; he will only recover faster."
"The corpse poison from a mere five-ring Evil Soul Master and some minor internal injuries are not difficult to deal with."
"Thank you for taking action, Medical Immortal esteemed one!" Xuanzi lifted his sleeve to wipe the oil from his mouth: "The continuous treatment over the next few days will be entrusted to you."
"I will check on him again in three hours," Wang Xian'er waved her hand, appearing unwilling to have any further entanglement with Xuanzi, and turned to leave.
After Wang Xian'er departed, only Tang Ya, Zhou Yi, and Zhang Lexuan remained in the room to care for the injured.
Wang Yan then led the others to the conference room for a meeting.
Conference Room.
Two solid wood tables, each over ten meters long, were placed in the huge room. Even with everyone seated separately, it still felt spacious.
Wang Yan looked at Wang Shengjia and asked:
"Teacher Shengjia, how did your inquiries go?"
Wang Shengjia was not just a data analyst but also Wang Yan's assistant.
Wang Shengjia distributed various documents into everyone's hands and said in a deep voice:
"Although we tried our best to conceal things along the way, with so many people present during registration, the Star Luo official registration information was not absolutely confidential."
"We have only been here for one day, yet many people already know that four members of the main team are too young."
"Furthermore, Her Majesty Wang Xian'er did not deliberately conceal her movements."
"Some people are speculating whether the main team encountered an accident, leading to reduced members."
"In another two days, this will likely be common knowledge."
"But even if the three main players of the main team recover as fast as possible, they still need six days before they can fight," Wang Dong flipped through the competition rules, his brow tightly furrowed.
"Tomorrow is the opening ceremony's preliminary round, and this year's preliminary round uses an elimination system."
"What should we do if we encounter an opponent with formidable strength?"
"Even if we advance to the group stage round-robin in the second phase, if we lose two matches in the first four days, most of this competition will be over for us."
As soon as Wang Dong finished speaking, everyone looked at Wang Yan, as this was also their concern.
However, Wang Yan's expression was full of confidence. Not only was he not worried at all, but he even smiled slightly:
"What are you all doing? Are you very nervous? There is absolutely no need to be nervous. Once the competition begins, you will realize that your opponents are much weaker than you imagine."
"Have you forgotten one thing? You were all elite students selected from Shrek Academy."
"Even if you are the reserve team, the fact that you can represent Shrek Academy to come here already proves that you possess sufficiently powerful strength."
Wang Yan's words were very inspiring.
If Wang Shengjia had not distributed the 'Comprehensive Analysis of This Year's Team Strengths' to everyone, perhaps they could have been invigorated by these words.
But upon opening the 'Comprehensive Analysis of This Year's Team Strengths,' they saw that almost all slightly stronger teams had a Soul King anchoring them, and many had more than one!
Before Wang Yan could speak, Xuanzi, seeing the gloomy atmosphere in the conference room, couldn't help but take a swig of wine, loudly slammed the table, and said in a deep voice:
"What kind of expressions are these? Why do you have such a defeatist attitude?"
"The ten thousand year glory of the Academy is now in your hands. Can you not even pass three matches?"
"And Wang Dong, you actually dare to disrupt morale? If there is a singles match or a two-three-three format, you must win and are not allowed to lose!"
"If you lose... as long as this old man is alive, you will never dream of entering the Inner Court!"
Wang Dong was quite speechless upon hearing this.
I was just stating the facts, and you call it disrupting morale.
This old schemer has done a mountain of his own dirty deeds, and now he's putting pressure on me.
Xuanzi spoke solemnly again: "If the ten thousand year glory of Shrek is ruined in whose hands, hmph hmph, you all know my methods!"
These words startled Wang Shengjia, who widened his eyes.
High Priest, are you once again using this as a pretext to eliminate future threats for the Holy Cult?
Truly painstaking efforts.
"Elder Xuan is right!" Tang Yin understood that this was the time for him to step up!
Tang Yin spoke righteously: "Teacher Wang, I possess the Blue Silver Secret Art, which can rapidly upgrade me to a four-ring!"
"When I reach the four-ring, combined with the Eight Spider Lances, Tang Sect secret techniques, and the darkened state, I can even contend with the stronger Soul Kings!"
"The ten thousand year glory of the Academy shall be protected by me!"
Tang Yin's statement shocked everyone present.
Wang Yan even stood up and stared into his eyes:
"Tang Yin, do you know that mechanical Hidden Weapon are not allowed in this kind of competition?"
"You are only at level thirty-six Soul Power now. How can you break through to the forty-level Spirit Ancestor in such a short time?"
"Also, what is that Blue Silver Secret Art of yours?"
Tang Yin met his gaze without flinching:
"Mechanical Hidden Weapon are only a small category of Hidden Weapon."
"The Blue Silver Secret Art is a characteristic of my Martial Soul, so it is inconvenient to elaborate."
"As for the fourth Spirit Ring, with Elder Xuan taking action, one night will suffice!"
Martial Soul Characteristic?
Wang Yan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He truly did not want to hear Tang Yin say he relied on the devouring characteristic of the Eight Spider Lances.
Wasn't that the method of an Evil Soul Master?
Xuanzi looked thoughtfully at Tang Yin, admiringly:
"Having a student like you is the pride of the Academy!"
"This old man knew that Yan Shaozhe did not accept the wrong disciple."
"If you need anything, tell this old man directly. This old man will settle all difficulties
Night fell, and within the Star Luo Imperial City, a certain magnificent hall was brightly lit.
"Jiu Jiu, take a look at this intelligence report."
Wearing an exquisite palace dress, Xu Jiujiu took the report handed over by Xu Jiawei and read it carefully.
Shortly after, her willow-leaf brows rose slightly, her eyes filled with shock:
"How can Shrek Academy's main team have four fifteen-year-old students?"
"This is clearly the age range that only appears in a Reserve Team!"
"The His Eminence the Medical Immortal only returned a short while ago," Xu Jiawei, dressed in imperial robes, said in a deep voice:
"Shrek's main team must have met with an accident, leading to significant casualties."
"Royal Brother, what do you mean by telling me this?" Xu Jiujiu looked at him with bright eyes:
"Could it be that we should take this opportunity to try for the championship?"
"But aren't Shrek Academy and our Three Douluo Empires allies?"
"Is it really worth making an enemy of them like this?"
"Allies?" A trace of helplessness flashed across Xu Jiawei's serious face as he said:
"Who knows how many people in this world consider our three kingdoms to be its vassals!"
"Jiu Jiu, you are the most talented among our siblings."
"In the future, you will surely be a princess governing a region or assisting me in managing Star Luo."
"There are some things I must discuss with you."
"What do you think of Shrek?"
Xu Jiujiu fell silent because of the word 'vassal.'
Jokes don't hurt; the truth is the sharpest blade.
Shrek Academy, with its transcendent status, harvests the top Spirit Master geniuses of the original Three Douluo Empires.
Over ten thousand years, the name 'Shrek' has become deeply ingrained in people's hearts, becoming a unique power that no one in the Soul Master world can avoid.
Even in the most distant and remote regions of the Empire.
The commoners there might not know the concept of a nation, nor the name of the current Star Luo Emperor.
But even if you ask the commoner living the hardest life: Do you know Shrek Academy?
They would all puff out their chests with pride.
They would talk about Shrek Academy's ten thousand years of invincible glory and the great Spirit Masters it has produced.
How Shrek Academy led the Three Douluo Empires to defeat the Sun-Moon Empire.
They could go on for three days and three nights without stopping.
If asked what she thought of Shrek Academy,
She could only dejectedly admit Shrek Academy's strength, and that the Star Luo Empire still had to rely on it.
This situation, with the Sun-Moon Empire growing stronger and the situation becoming increasingly urgent,
Was especially prominent now.
Xu Jiawei looked at Xu Jiujiu's expression and saw through her thoughts.
As he paced in the hall, he said:
"Jiu Jiu, this time Shrek Academy's main team has suffered heavy losses, and not one of the four Spirit Ancestors who filled in has Soul Power exceeding Rank 45."
"What do you think Shrek Academy's bottom line is for this tournament?"
Xu Jiujiu said uncertainly:
"They can't still be thinking of competing for the championship to maintain their so-called ten-thousand-year glory, can they?"
"Spirit Emperor experts are considered first-tier combat power on the field, but they aren't invincible."
"Is their bottom line to secure the top four and fight for second?"
Xu Jiawei shook his head and said, "But what if I said Shrek's bottom line is actually 'rather be eliminated by Soul Engineers than by Spirit Masters'?"
"Ah?" Xu Jiujiu asked, puzzled, "Why say that? What benefit is there for them to lose to Soul Engineers?"
"The Soul Engineers here refer to top-tier Soul Engineer academies." Xu Jiawei's footsteps suddenly stopped, his eyes deep as he spoke:
"Even if they lose to an academy like the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy, which has the strength to win the championship,"
"Shrek will still be the much-watched holy land of Spirit Masters, and their foundation will remain unharmed."
"In the coming years, they can still use the title of Spirit Master Holy Land to attract countless Spirit Master geniuses who will do anything for a letter of recommendation."
"Maintaining their transcendent status within the original three kingdoms."
"But if they lose to Spirit Masters, it means their unshakable and unquestionable leadership in the field of Spirit Masters for ten thousand years will be shaken for the first time!"
"At that time, no matter which academy from the original three kingdoms defeats Shrek Academy,"
"That academy can ensure the championship of this tournament remains within the original three kingdoms."
"And they can use that as a foundation to emulate Shrek Academy in the coming years, gathering the world's Spirit Master talents."
"Breaking Shrek Academy's monopoly on top Spirit Master geniuses!"
Xu Jiujiu said in shock, "Royal Brother, do we really have to compete with Shrek for this championship?"
"It's not competing with Shrek Academy, it's competing for ourselves!" Xu Jiawei said coldly:
"For these ten thousand years, the first thing the Crown Princes of the Three Douluo Empires do after securing their status is to first obtain Shrek Academy's recognition."
"Such things should have changed long ago!"
As soon as Xu Jiawei finished speaking, he looked at Xu Jiujiu and said:
"Imperial Sister, I originally didn't allow Li Jie to participate in the competition."
"But since Shrek has had this accident, let him join you."
"Even though registration has closed, the lists of participating members for each academy haven't been announced yet."
"It's just a matter of adding a name."
Royal Brother actually has such grand ambitions! Xu Jiujiu nodded understandingly, a flash of excitement in her eyes:
"The strength of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy's main team is still formidable this time."
"If we really meet a team focused on Soul Guidance Devices on the field,"
"With Li Jie's ability, he will surely achieve unprecedented feats!"
"Unfortunately, Shrek Academy hasn't reached the average level of the Sun-Moon Empire in soul engineering technology."
"Paradoxically, that makes them less afraid of Li Jie's suppression of Soul Guidance Devices!"
How could Xu Jiujiu not be excited by the chance to lead a team to shatter Shrek Academy's myth of ten thousand years of consecutive championships on the field?
But she wasn't some delicate princess; she had plenty of clever ideas and methods.
She quickly calmed down:
"In that case, we should make even more arrangements!"
"For example, based on the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy's performance in the first round,"
"We can arrange sufficiently powerful opponents for them in the round-robin stage!"
"Since Shrek Academy cannot lose to Spirit Masters, we'll also arrange more powerful Spirit Master teams for them."
"Or, for instance, secretly spread the news that Shrek Academy's main team suffered a heavy blow to add some difficulty for them!"
Xu Jiawei nodded slightly and added:
"In the round-robin stage, assign the Heaven Dou Empire Royal Spirit Master Academy to the same group as the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
"Their nation exploits Soul Engineers the most severely."
"In just the past year, they suppressed over twenty large and small Soul Engineer uprisings within their borders, all secretly funded by the Sun-Moon Empire."
"When it comes to dealing with Soul Engineers, their experience is the best among the original Three Douluo Empires!"
"Isn't the little princess of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Vina, on good terms with you?"
"She is participating in this tournament as part of the Heaven Dou Empire Royal Spirit Master Academy's Reserve Team."
"When the time comes, perhaps we can assign more academies controlled by our two nations or under our deep influence to the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy's group."
Xu Jiujiu nodded and said:
"Then let's see how the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy's representative team performs in the knockout stage."
"And one last thing." Xu Jiawei emphasized:
"Li Jie's Martial Soul has extremely high strategic value. Once he grows up, he will surely become a nightmare for the Soul Engineers of the Sun-Moon Empire!"
"So if things are not feasible, his ability must absolutely not be exposed."
...Watching the visibly delighted Xu Jiujiu leave with light steps, Xu Jiawei cast his gaze into the night.
The direction he was looking was precisely the northwest, where the White Tiger Duke's Mansion was located!
Dai Hao really did father two good sons.
Both ran off to Shrek Academy, one a member of the main team, the other a member of the Reserve Team.
When I initially suggested Jiu Jiu invite them to join the Star Luo Empire Royal Spirit Master Academy,
Dai Hao had the nerve to say something about respecting the children's choices.
Hmph!
It's time for a little warning.
Speaking of which, both of Dai Hao's sons are representing Shrek Academy in battle.
He should be returning to Star Luo City ahead of schedule, right?
Perhaps he is already on his way.
In the darkness of the night, within a dense forest on the outskirts of Star Luo City.
Xuanzi frowned deeply as he watched Tang Yin absorb the entire forest's Blue Silver Grass life force.
He had previously marveled at Tang Yin's use of the Eight Spider Lances to strike down numerous students back at the academy, praising his extraordinary natural talent.
His current frown was naturally not because of Tang Yin's actions.
"Tang Yin, your Blue Silver Secret Technique took an entire hour just to raise your Soul Power to the Middle Stage of rank thirty-six?"
"Even if you refine all the nearby plants and animals, how much more can you improve?"
"At this rate, forget about tomorrow morning's Knockout Round, you won't even make it to the first match of the Round-Robin!"
"This is too slow."
Tang Yin slowly opened his eyes and sighed, saying:
"Elder Xuan, I can't help it; there is only so much Blue Silver Grass nearby."
"If we were in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, the kingdom of Blue Silver Grass, I would certainly be able to achieve a breakthrough to rank forty Soul Power within a day."
Xuanzi waved his large hand, and the vast patches of withered Blue Silver Grass on the ground suddenly flew up.
After taking a swig of wine, he suddenly had an idea:
"Tang Yin, I wonder if this Blue Silver Secret Technique of yours can also absorb energy from corpses?"
Tang Yin nodded without the slightest hesitation:
"Plants absorbing animal corpses as nutrients is a law of nature."
"My Blue Silver Secret Technique can naturally do so as well. Just now, I only absorbed the life force of Blue Silver Grass because absorbing from the same source is more efficient."
"But, using human corpses to raise Soul Power, this..."
It wasn't that Tang Yin wanted to maintain a pure and noble persona, nor did he have a moral complex.
Rather, in his view, using the Eight Spider Lances to devour opponents on the battlefield was a'sustenance through combat' tactic and had nothing to do with being an Evil Soul Master.
But now that he was to use corpses to increase his cultivation, he feared Xuanzi might have an extreme reaction.
After all, in this era, Evil Soul Masters were reviled by everyone, and Xuanzi was the Vice Commander of the Shrek Inspectorate.
However, Xuanzi's reaction greatly exceeded Tang Yin's expectations.
Xuanzi showed no displeasure; instead, he patiently guided Tang Yin:
"Tang Yin, I was deeply moved today when I heard you say, 'I shall protect the academy's ten-thousand-year glory.'"
"It is rare that you possess a sharp weapon yet can control yourself from succumbing to bloodlust."
"But in this tournament, you aren't just fighting for the ten-thousand-year glory of Shrek Academy!"
Tang Yin asked in confusion, "Then what else could it be for?"
"You are also fighting for the common people of the Douluo Continent! Winning the championship for the sake of all living beings on the Douluo Continent!" Xuanzi said in a heavy voice.
"Think about it, what would happen if the Sun-Moon Empire's Royal Soul Engineer Academy took the championship?"
As Yan Shaozhe's personal Disciple, Tang Yin was well-acquainted with the current situation of the continent.
Coupled with the fact that ten thousand years ago he was known for his world-shaking wisdom, he understood instantly. His pupils shrank as he said solemnly:
"The Sun-Moon Empire has wild ambitions. Defeating Shrek Academy for the first time at such a grand event and taking the championship would ignite their determination to start a war!"
"Once war breaks out, it will inevitably lead to widespread suffering. Countless people will die!"
Xuanzi's eyes flickered with the light of wisdom as he added:
"Furthermore, Shrek cannot lose to the other academies belonging to the three original nations of Douluo!"
"The other academies of the three original nations are mostly Spirit Master academies. If they win the championship, they will inevitably attract many Geniuses."
"But which Spirit Master academy's foundations can compare to my Shrek Academy? They would only delay those Geniuses and mislead the youth!"
"To say nothing of anything else, where would they find a powerhouse as strong as me to provide personal guidance?"
"Therefore, you are not increasing your cultivation for yourself, but for the countless living beings of the continent!"
"If those corpses knew in the afterlife that their remains could make such a contribution to the people of the continent,"
"they would be too busy thanking you!"
"Why worry about being associated with an Evil Soul Master?"
Upon hearing these words, Tang Yin was filled with respect.
He hadn't expected that a drunkard like Xuanzi, who was intoxicated all day, could possess wisdom and awareness no less than his former teacher, Yu Xiaogang!
It's back, all the feelings are coming back!
Tang Yin's spirit was jolted.
Ten thousand years ago, wasn't he fighting for the people of the continent when he drained the spirit forests and led the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires to resist the inherently evil Spirit Hall?
He didn't expect that ten thousand years later, he would encounter a similar script.
Although Xuanzi supported him in absorbing corpses to increase his cultivation, a new problem arose.
Tang Yin asked, "The corpses of ordinary people aren't very useful unless there's a certain quantity."
"There haven't been any wars around Star Luo City for thousands of years. Where would we find the corpses of powerful Spirit Masters?"
Xuanzi downed a mouthful of Tang Sect fine brew, feeling refreshed. He chuckled and said:
"Tang Yin, you don't understand, do you?"
"Do you know how the corpses of powerful Spirit Masters from great families are handled after death?"
Tang Yin's eyes lit up, and he blurted out:
"After the Soul Bone is removed, they are buried in the Clan mausoleum!"
"The more powerful and ancient a Clan is, the stronger and more numerous the corpses in their mausoleum will be."
"Even if some corpses have lost significant energy due to age, the sheer quantity can compensate for that problem to some extent!"
Xuanzi clapped his hands. "The imperial tombs of the Star Luo Xu Family are right next to the Star Luo Enshrinement Hall. The current Hall Master's perception is not weak."
"That fellow has some strength, but his awareness isn't as high as ours. Let's not go looking for trouble with him."
"It just so happens that I know the location of the Clan mausoleum of another top-tier Star Luo Spirit Master Clan."
"Hehe. The quality of the corpses in their Clan mausoleum might not necessarily be inferior to those of the Xu Family!"
...
The next day was the first day of the tournament.
The Royal Star Hotel had prepared a high-standard breakfast for every competing team.
The members of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy found random seats in the hall to enjoy their breakfast.
Feeling the scattered, inquisitive gazes from various academy representative teams around them, Huo Yuhao didn't care. Instead, he took a sip of porridge and looked at Senior Brother Feng, saying:
"Senior Brother Feng, are you sure you're the one going to draw the lots later?"
"Hehe, if Brother Bujue were here, he would definitely want to go and draw a lucky lot too!"
A sentimental smile appeared on Feng Yu's face, and then he shook his head:
"It's a pity he's rushing to take the exam for his Fifth-Rank Soul Tool Master certificate."
"Just wait for me to draw a good lot for you all!"
"I guarantee you'll breeze through the Knockout Rounds and sweep the competition in the Round-Robin!"
Everyone present laughed, and their moods relaxed considerably.
At this moment, a group of Shrek representatives wearing dark green with the iconic little green monster emblem on their left chest came downstairs for breakfast.
They maintained their arrogant personas and sat on the other side of the hall. For the moment, no one noticed Huo Yuhao sitting in the middle of the crowd.
As the team with the highest level of discussion and public interest among all competing teams over the past two days,
the appearance of the Shrek Academy group immediately attracted everyone's attention
The Shrek group ignored all the scrutinizing gazes, found a few seats slightly away from Huo Yuhao and the others, and waited calmly for the waiters to bring breakfast.
As soon as they appeared, the leaders and members of the major teams began to whisper among themselves.
It was for no other reason than the members of the Shrek Academy representative team were simply too young!
Even Beibei and Xu Sanshi, who looked the oldest, were only fifteen years old.
Where were their main team members?
Today was the knockout stage, where winners continue and losers are eliminated.
Did Shrek Academy not intend to send their main team into battle?
Xiao Hongchen wiped his mouth decently and said with a look of regret:
"It seems their main team has indeed suffered heavy losses, just as the intelligence said."
"What a pity. If we win against such a weak Shrek Academy, what sense of accomplishment is there?"
"Even if we win, people will surely say we just got lucky picking up the scraps."
Huo Yuhao scanned the Shrek representative team and found that he knew most of them:
Zhou Yi, Xu Sanshi, Dai Huabin, Tang Ya...
These were all individuals with whom he shared quite a past, especially Tang Yin!
"Senior Brother Xiao, don't be careless."
"With the world's number one healing system Super Douluo taking action, their main team's pillars won't be long before they can fight."
After saying that, Huo Yuhao activated Spirit Vision, scanning the etheric bodies of the Shrek Academy group and attempting to read their thoughts.
What entered his vision were etheric bodies that were predominantly dark gray, mixed with some darkness and green, and tinged with a bit of bright yellow.
Huo Yuhao quickly began to interpret them based on the occult knowledge he had already mastered.
The dark gray main body of the aether body indicated they were very anxious.
This was caused by them being ordered to take charge in a crisis.
The darkness and green showed they were also a bit worried.
They indeed should be worried; Huo Yuhao understood perfectly.
He had spent over half a year selling grilled fish in Shrek City and knew well the Shrek narrative that was almost fanatical about the word 'glory'.
Once they failed in the knockout stage,
no matter how many grievances or reasons these people had, when others mentioned them, they would only spit on them for ruining Shrek Academy's ten thousand years of glory.
They would be permanently nailed to the pillar of shame.
Huh!
That accompanying teacher wearing silver-rimmed glasses had a bright orange-red aether body, as if filled with excitement and anticipation?
Huo Yuhao immediately became curious. His Mental Power intensity had now officially stepped into the Spirit Emperor level.
Even the thoughts of a Soul Saint wouldn't be too much pressure for him to interpret now.
It just so happened that Wang Shengjia was letting his thoughts wander, allowing Huo Yuhao to decode quite a lot:
"Tang Yin's Blue Silver Secret Technique is actually this powerful?"
"To let his Soul Power jump straight from Level 36 to Level 40 in one night, how terrifying!"
"Once today's first match is over, there will be a full three days of rest, then he can go hunt for his fourth Spirit Ring."
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. A secret technique that even a teacher of Shrek Academy found astonishing?
Crossing four Levels at once was indeed very strong.
However, the fourth Spirit Ring?
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered. Tang Yin leaving Star Luo City to hunt for a soul.
Did this mean that even if he used some powerful lethal means, he wouldn't harm innocent people?
A great opportunity!
The next second, Wang Shengjia's thoughts shifted:
"I wonder if High Priest Xuan Lao intends to recruit Tang Yin as our Holy Church's Holy Son."
"If we can also use this tournament to convert Ma Xiaotao into our Holy Church's Saintess,"
"that would be an unparalleled feat no less than slaughtering two generations of the Shrek Seven Devils!"
"In this way, our Holy Spirit Cult can have two more Evil Soul Master seeds who can glimpse the Limit realm in the future."
Huo Yuhao's breath hitched, and his heart jolted violently!
This person was actually an undercover agent for the Evil Soul Master organization 'Holy Spirit Cult' within Shrek Academy!
Not only was this so-called Holy Spirit Cult so highly organized, but even Xuanzi was their High Priest?
Wasn't Shrek Academy always the righteous role? How could they let an undercover Evil Soul Master blend into such a high position?
Huo Yuhao frowned deeply, feeling that things were not simple.
If such a terrifying Evil Soul Master force had infiltrated the Spirit Master Holy Land, Shrek Academy, to such an extent,
then how great must their goal, or rather, their ambition be?
Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed slightly, instantly capturing a gaze that suddenly shot over.
He saw Tang Yin in the distant hall turn his head, his eyes flashing with a purple hue and an imperceptible golden light, looking toward Huo Yuhao.
During his moment of slight astonishment, the group from the Shrek representative team noticed his anomaly and followed his gaze toward Huo Yuhao's direction.
When they saw clearly that Huo Yuhao was not only wearing the magnificent uniform of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy representative team but was also sitting among them,
the expressions of the Shrek representative team members, who had figured out the key, suddenly became a colorful display.
Among them, the one with the biggest reaction was Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi looked stunned, clearly not expecting Huo Yuhao to appear before her eyes again with such an identity.
Back when she refused Huo Yuhao's admission and caught him for a wild rant, she had heard students mention that Huo Yuhao was selling grilled fish in Shrek City.
Even later, when Huo Yuhao ran off to the Sun-Moon Empire for his so-called soul tool dream, she had sarcastically remarked that he was running toward a land of sweet freedom.
But as for Huo Yuhao truly being valued by the Sun-Moon Empire, she didn't believe it.
No matter how good the soul tool talent was, didn't it still rely on Soul Power Level?
In her heart, she felt that only a Genius youth like Tang Yin deserved to live a good life and have good development anywhere.
But looking at the Huo Yuhao before her, could it be summarized simply as the Sun-Moon Empire's attention?
His build was sturdy, his eyes contained a sharp light, and his temperament was countless times better than the little beggar-like Huo Yuhao she had seen back then!
More importantly, Huo Yuhao was actually able to represent the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy in battle!
Even if it was just the preparatory team,
that was still an academy whose status in the field of Soul Guidance Devices was comparable to Shrek Academy's status in the Soul Master world!
The matter of her refusing Huo Yuhao's admission back then had caused quite a stir; half of the outer courtyard knew about it.
Most of the representative team this time also knew about it.
Wasn't this slapping her in the face in public?
"Teacher Zhou, it's just a preparatory team slot with no real value." After a slight shock, Xu Sanshi reacted immediately.
Seeing Tang Yin, Tang Ya, Zhou Yi, and the others all looking at him,
Xu Sanshi smiled slightly and explained calmly:
"There's something you don't know. This is an advertisement the Sun-Moon Empire specially made to win over geniuses from the original three Empires!"
Tang Yin's eyes lit up, his world-shaking wisdom allowing him to figure everything out again:
"I see!"
"The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament held every five years attracts the attention of the entire continent!"
"In such a grand event, buying a horse's skeleton for a thousand gold pieces to show everyone on the continent."
"How they love talent. All to attract more and better geniuses to run off to the Sun-Moon Empire!"
"Exactly!" Xu Sanshi said with an air of confidence:
"A person like Huo Yuhao, who in his early years in Shrek City was just a bottom-tier trash Spirit Master selling stinky grilled fish."
"Once he runs to the Sun-Moon Empire. Hey! Guess what?"
"He turns into a Genius Soul Engineer lord! How good does that sound when told? What a great promotional effect!"
"In any case, what they paid was just a worthless preparatory team slot."
"They'll just kick Huo Yuhao out of the main team next time, so it doesn't really matter."
"So that's how it is!" Tang Ya realized, and her heart immediately felt much better:
"I thought I had missed out on a super soul tool master genius."
"It turns out to be the Sun-Moon Empire's schemes and tricks! Doesn't that mean Huo Yuhao won't have much chance to take the stage?"
"What else?" Xu Sanshi said disdainfully, "At best, he's just a Second-rank Soul Tool Master now."
"Even if they let him on stage, he can only be a mascot. Just watch, I won't be eating my words!"
Dai Huabin smiled disdainfully; someone like Huo Yuhao wasn't worthy of being his opponent.
Wang Yan nodded and also withdrew his gaze. He had also heard about the incident where Zhou Yi rejected Huo Yuhao.
At that time, not knowing that Huo Yuhao only had Level 1 Innate Soul Power, he had expressed regret for the Martial Soul Eyes.
But right now he was already overwhelmed with worry, only hoping to draw a good lot later, and didn't care to manage such an interlude that didn't affect the big picture.
"Junior Brother, what are the Shrek people whispering about while looking at you?"
Meng Hongchen said with a huff:
"One look and you can tell they're not saying anything good. When we meet them on the field, Senior Sister will help you vent your anger!"
After nodding to the wryly smiling Beibei, Huo Yuhao found Meng Hongchen's expression like a kitten hissing.
This Senior Sister of his was simply too cute.
Meng Hongchen's blue eyes darted around, thinking of Huo Yuhao's previous experiences, and she smiled with curved eyes:
"They definitely won't guess that you, Junior Brother, are the big trump card in our team..."
After finishing breakfast, each participating team set off toward Star Luo Square. The members responsible for the draw had already set out ahead of time.
At this time, the first ray of sunlight had just entered Star Luo City, and the entire capital of the Star Luo Empire revealed an air of seriousness.
When Huo Yuhao and the others took the dedicated passage, they could see all the streets around Star Luo Square blocked by thousands of soldiers in bright armor.
On Star Luo Square, the entire competition stage was a hundred meters long and wide, and five meters high.
Around the perimeter, there were a total of one hundred and eight metal pillars, three meters high and two feet thick.
Huo Yuhao saw at a glance that they were a certain model of medium-sized linked protective Soul Guidance Device with an overall energy efficiency of Level 7, produced by Mingde Hall.
It was just that the nameplates had been ground off.
The Imperial City faced south, and the Emperor could lead his civil and military officials on the city wall to look down directly over the entire field.
At this time, Star Luo Square was already crowded with people.
Various salutes roared incessantly, and the shouts were deafening.
Among them, the loudest cheers were for Shrek Academy.
Huo Yuhao followed the team through the noisy crowd and walked to the luxurious rest area for participating teams on the west side of the competition stage.
However, the rest area could only accommodate about seventy academies.
Clearly, the Star Luo Empire had not prepared seats for the academies eliminated in the first round.
Since the margin for error was reduced to the minimum in the first round of knockout matches, it was not friendly to many participating academies with insufficient strength.
In the round-robin tournament, even if there was a loss in a major match, as long as the record within the group was in the top two, one could still participate in the quarter-finals.
Not long after the team members arrived at the rest area, the drawing ceremony was completely finished.
In the area where Shrek was located, Wang Yan had already returned.
His expression was not very good. Seeing everyone quickly surrounding him, Wang Yan smiled strainedly:
"Children, my luck was not good."
"Our opponent in the knockout match is the Just Sky Advanced Soul Master Academy representative team."
"The opponent is a first-class strong team with three Soul Kings and about ten Spirit Ancestors."
After Dai Huabin finished listening, his eyelids twitched slightly.
Three Soul Kings?
More than ten Spirit Ancestors, and those who could take the field were likely all high-level Spirit Ancestors with Soul Power no lower than Level 45.
Looking back at their own side, the one with the highest Soul Power Level was still an outer courtyard Senior Brother who had wasted himself on romance.
This was a pitiful state of affairs!
Dai Huabin really didn't understand. If he were the same age as Beibei, he might have started pushing for Soul King by now.
It could only be said that Beibei was simply distracted by play.
Seeing everyone looking at each other in a heavy atmosphere, Tang Yin knew it was time for him to stand up.
He took a step forward and said in a deep voice: "Senior brothers and sisters, we don't have zero chance."
Seeing everyone look toward him, Tang Yin said loudly:
"I still have powerful Tang Sect Secret Arts. Brother Dai, you and Zhu Lu and..."
"Stop talking!" Dai Huabin quickly covered Tang Yin's mouth.
Then he looked at the members of other student representative teams not far away who were facing the competition stage but had their ears pricked up.
"But, Tang Yin. The Tang Sect Secret Arts I use don't seem to be the same version as yours."
Beibei sighed, then said firmly:
"Everyone, let's not talk about glory, let's not talk about anything else. Just so we don't get knocked out in the first round and be forever nailed to the pillar of shame."
"Just bring out all your strength!"
Why not talk about glory? Tang Yin's expression was displeased.
The undying glory that I won from Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago and has been passed down for ten thousand years, you Beibei don't value it, right?
You previously advised Tang Ya not to take all the Tang Sect's remaining resources and bet them all on mechanical Hidden Weapon for me.
If the Tang Sect doesn't do Hidden Weapon, what does it do?
As long as I create the top-tier mechanical Hidden Weapon, no matter how powerful the current Soul Guidance Devices are, what waves can they make?
And now you say don't talk about glory...
If it weren't for the fact that Beibei was the Senior Brother of the Tang Sect and had some talent,
just based on him opposing Tang Yin everywhere, Tang Yin would have long felt he had a path to death.
Beibei said directly: "Teacher Wang Yan, tell us the intelligence on Zhengtian Academy."
"According to custom, we Shrek Academy always play the opening match."
"Time is tight and the task is heavy, let's quickly plan our tactics."
"If we go all out, we might have a chance to fight."
Wang Yan nodded and began to speak about the key points.
Zhengtian Academy is an old-brand academy of the Heavenly Soul Empire and has produced many talents.
Among the four great Empires of the continent, the one that most insists on Spirit Master traditions and rejects Soul Engineers is the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Therefore, this Zhengtian Academy actually implemented the concept of pure Spirit Master cultivation even more thoroughly than Shrek Academy.
They simply don't have a Soul Engineer division and only train Spirit Masters.
So they basically all use pure Spirit Master methods.
The captain of Zhengtian Academy is a nineteen-year-old youth named Ye Wuqing.
Wang Yan spoke in detail about this captain of Zhengtian Academy, giving his Golden Leaf Martial Soul a very high evaluation.
A Level 58 attack system Battle Spirit Master, his strength is extremely formidable.
He can be said to be a powerful contender for the number one person below the Spirit Emperor level in this tournament.
In the last tournament, he had already appeared as a main team member representing Zhengtian Academy.
And this time, he has become the pillar of the academy.
If he were exactly twenty years old this year, then he would very likely have broken through Level 60.
Once that happened, he would become the first Spirit Emperor from Just Sky Advanced Soul Master Academy to participate in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Duel Tournament.
If that were really the case, Zhengtian Academy would also officially enter the Levels of top-tier academies.
Wang Yan added: "Inferring from this person's character, Shrek's reputation will not only not make the opponent fear, but will only stimulate his Battle Intent."
Just as Wang Yan's words fell, the Shrek group suddenly felt a sharp gaze from the other side of the rest area looking toward where they were.
Tang Yin looked over from a distance; it was Ye Wuqing in a white martial suit, looking over with surging Battle Intent.
In the center of the Imperial City wall, Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei stood in the very center, with the current Empress on his left and Xu Jiujiu on his right.
A group of ministers were ranked on the left and right according to civil and military status, lined up in a row.
Xu Jiawei's right finger moved slightly, and a wisp of starlight sealed off the surrounding few meters.
Not only could the outside world not hear his voice, but looking over also looked blurry like a mosaic.
Xu Jiawei smiled faintly:
"I've been busy with government affairs these past two days and haven't paid much attention to the overall strength of the teams in this tournament."
"Heavenly Soul Empire's Zhengtian Academy has decent strength; they weren't assigned to play the knockout match against the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy, but were assigned to play against Shrek Academy."
"Could it be there are still experts?"
Xu Jiujiu cast her gaze toward the location of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Engineer Academy in the rest area and smiled mysteriously:
"That's right!"