"Ahhhh!"
In midair, the evil spirit let out a shrill scream as it was shredded by a pale cyan tornado.
Caught at the very center of the eye of the storm, the evil spirit's illusory soul was being turned inch by inch into smooth, grayish-white stone, then slashed repeatedly by the cyan-black astral winds, leaving densely packed, deep scars pain that pierced into the very soul.
Lu Jun's spell already had a hint of fusion magic to it, with a gravel-like property to boot.
Although this self-created spell wasn't as refined as actual Curse Possession techniques and only relied on the close connection of the Yin-Yang Ghosts to forcibly bind the soul, its final potential might not necessarily be any weaker.
Rumble—!!
With a casual gesture, he summoned a "Flying Sand and Rolling Stones." A sandstorm swept across the illusionary realm like a tide blotting out the sky and sun, evoking the presence of a Demon King descending or a being of divine magic at work.
Even though this evil spirit had enslaved Old Zhao's soul origin, its strength barely reached the high-tier level. In front of this terrifying petrifying hurricane, it was effortlessly destroyed, vanishing into nothingness.
"No—I won't accept this! I haven't had my revenge! I haven't skinned Qi Hai alive yet—damn outsider!"
The evil spirit's fog-like body twisted in agony, then collapsed and scattered into the air.
The entire illusionary realm trembled violently as the storm pierced through the dimensional wall, manifesting in the real world.
Under the vast night sky, from the mountain forest's decrepit temple suddenly erupted a column of blood-red light, casting the surroundings in crimson and making the dim environment even more eerie.
Inside the temple's guest room, the National Team members turned toward the distant mountain forest in shock, vaguely hearing screams.
Boom! After the blood light, the rampaging storm knocked down several large trees. The commotion was so great that even the nearby Xiaoxiong City at the mountain's foot could see it clearly.
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz!
Having instantly killed the evil spirit, Lu Jun looked down at the temple now shattered into drifting dust. Only an old wooden fish with deep blue patterns remained unscathed.
From within the wooden fish, a wisp of soul rose slowly. It was Old Zhao, looking dazed, his entire body lined with faint golden patterns, echoing the aura of the Baxa Totem Artifact.
Seeing this, Lu Jun raised an eyebrow. Cloaked in black and white, he ghosted closer and reached out to touch it.
Unexpectedly, the wooden fish crackled with a net of fine lightning, zapping him with a sting.
At the same time, Lu Jun noticed that the white tiger pendant on his neck flickered with platinum light and vibrated intensely. Within his spiritual world, a deep blue star river stirred, and a Water Avoiding Bead swirled—both clearly rejecting the Baxa Totem Vessel.
It was as if they were saying: "You already have me, and you're still flirting with others?!"
Lu Jun scratched his head. Aside from that, he vaguely sensed that a human's magic system enhancement multiplier had a limit.
His Water Element was already occupied by the Water Avoiding Bead's power and might not be able to accommodate another great force.
Just like the high-tier Gate of the Beast Tide in the Summoning Element—if it were modified with the Pre-Qin Bamboo Slip [Covenant of the Gate], it probably wouldn't be able to hold another enhancement from the Magic Ring technique.
"Tsk tsk tsk… That's troublesome. I wonder if the champion's 'Divine Seal Benediction' can be applied to the Water Element?"
He pondered: The Water Avoiding Bead provides a base 1.5x multiplier, and the Divine Seal Benediction gives 2x base power. Together that's 3.5x, and if you add any 10x Heavenly Seed, then even a Super-tier spell would start at 35x power.
Wouldn't that be near Forbidden-level already? If he used this to cast a Forbidden Spell, he'd be practically invincible.
Lu Jun had previously wondered why, in the future, Mo Fan didn't focus the Divine Seal Benediction on the Fire Element to further exaggerate his strong suits.
Now it made sense—perhaps because human magical star systems also have limits.
Lu Jun wasn't completely certain yet. He'd have to wait until he won the championship and ask the Temple Mother to test it.
After a moment, he shook his cloak, stored the wooden fish on his spirit body, turned into a stream of light, and returned to his flesh body.
At the same time, the dazed Zhao Manyan followed the thread between soul and body and returned.
In the temple room shrouded by the Nightmare Darkness Domain, Lu Jun and Old Zhao woke up simultaneously.
"Holy sh*t," Zhao Manyan shouted. "F**k me, that scared the crap out of me!"
Lu Jun stirred with a groan. His body felt heavy, not quite adjusted yet like he'd just emerged from underwater.
He glanced at Old Zhao and casually tossed the wooden fish over. "You signed the contract with it, so it's yours. Sigh… all that work for nothing. You better find me seventy or eighty soul seeds as compensation."
"Seventy or eighty soul seeds?!"
Zhao Manyan had just been feeling happy, but upon hearing that, his eyes widened in disbelief as he retorted, "You think the Zhao Group's money grows on trees? I'll give you two or three soul seeds at most."
"Good! It's a deal. Either two or three soul seeds, or see if you can get me some water-elemental Essence Crystals."
Lu Jun agreed right away, flashing a sly grin as he spoke.
"You're killing me here. Essence Crystals are incredibly rare, you know? They're used to craft growth-type magical gear and artifacts. Are you trying to make a Water-Element Devouring Seed?"
Old Zhao complained, and the wooden fish in his hand suddenly didn't feel so fragrant anymore.
After all, the Zhao Group was indeed a massive enterprise, but even the family head couldn't call all the shots let alone a playboy like him.
"Relax. That wooden fish of yours is a Baxa Totem Vessel. Once you tell your father, forget two or three soul seeds he probably wouldn't even blink if you asked for seventy or eighty right off the bat."
Lu Jun casually dropped a world-shaking secret.
"What? Baxa? That infinite shadow beneath the waters—the Supreme Monarch?"
Zhao Manyan's jaw dropped. "Holy sh*t, Old Lu, you're my real dad!"
"That's right." Lu Jun chuckled and coaxed, "But Baxa's requirements for a successor are very high. You'd at least need to have potential on par with mine for it to even acknowledge you. I think… you should compete for the Zhao family head position."
Zhao Manyan hesitated. "Eh? Really? In that case, forget about being family head. My brother's doing fine. I'll work hard and earn Baxa's recognition on my own."
"Hahaha, suit yourself. But just talk to your father about this don't tell anyone else, not even your big brother. The secret of the Totem must never be revealed. Always keep a trump card in hand."
Lu Jun smiled brightly as he casually planted a seed.
Truth be told, in the original timeline, Old Zhao was forced into hiding for seven or eight years and missed out on too much. If he could leverage Baxa and step into the light, vying for the family headship, he'd gain more resources and grow faster.
Right now, Zhao Manyan still trusted his big brother quite a bit. That's fine once the National World School Competition starts, there'll be plenty of chances to leave him disillusioned.
The two of them struck the deal with a few casual words within the Nightmare Thunder Dream Beast's darkness domain.
Outside, with all the noise, the rest of the eleven National Team members gathered around. Mo Fan asked with concern, "Old Zhao, are you okay?"
Zhao Manyan was surprised. "Mo Fan, that doesn't sound like you. Since when do you care about me so much?"
Lu Jun had already dismissed the Nightmare Thunder Dream Beast back to the Otherworld. He walked off to the side without disturbing them.
Soon after, an earth-shattering roar came from inside the temple. Zhao Manyan shouted, "You bastard! You set me up! You actually used my name?!"
Apparently, he only now understood the whole story and realized why Mo Fan's attitude had changed.
Hearing that, the corner of Lu Jun's mouth curved into a smile. Honestly, having two clowns in the team wasn't bad at all.
After the small incident at Yanming Temple, the National Team members were thoroughly exhausted and went to rest in the middle of the night.
It wasn't until noon the next day that they woke up and hurried toward Osaka.
For additional chapters
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Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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