Chapter 215: A Conversation Before Entering the Sea
Meng Hongchen, standing to the side, teased, "Xiao, are you getting scared? This is a rare opportunity for a martial soul second awakening. Aside from Ontology Sect soul masters, barely anyone in Douluo Continent has ever experienced it."
Xiao Hongchen's face darkened. Folding his arms, he lifted his chin slightly. "Scared? Me? Impossible! I'm just concerned about the safety of other soul masters! Meng, you know I'm not someone who backs down from challenges. Most of the time, I enjoy taking on difficulties head on.
"Danger is relative. But for me, the second greatest genius of Sun Moon Empire right after Huo Yuhao so called danger is nothing but a minor inconvenience.
"By the way, Huo Yuhao, you went through so much trouble to bring us here. So… are we supposed to stand on deck, endure the storm, and awaken our martial souls that way?"
Huo Yuhao was briefly stunned before asking in confusion, "Senior Xiao, before we came here, I explained the second awakening process to Elder Kong, the dean, Elder Ye, and Elder Luan. Didn't any of them tell you?"
Xiao Hongchen blinked. "No. When I asked my grandfather, he avoided the topic completely and just told me that I'd understand the process once I was here with everyone."
Huo Yuhao sighed inwardly. Did Jing Hongchen not tell him because he was afraid Xiao Hongchen would find an excuse to back out? No… knowing Xiao's personality, he'd never run away from something so beneficial.
He explained, "Senior Xiao, we'll be diving into the deep sea, using the pressure of life or death situations to stimulate our potential and trigger martial soul second awakenings.
"This process takes several days, with the exact duration varying from person to person.
"To increase the chances of success, we can also arrange for sea soul beasts to attack us during the process."
According to the original setting, using sea soul beasts to pressure soul masters was an effective way to push their potential further. While it was a harsh method, it significantly enhanced the chances of a successful second awakening.
In Soul Land III, Tang Wulin achieved his martial soul second awakening by battling a Demon Soul Great White Shark in the ocean. This intense experience forced his Blue Silver Grass to evolve into the Blue Silver Emperor.
Moreover, sea soul beasts generally held an indifferent attitude toward ordinary human soul masters. One reason was the deep rooted conflict between humans and soul beasts. The other was that most sea soul beasts were loyal to Sea God Tang San, only showing kindness to soul masters under his banner.
For example, in Peerless Tang Sect, when Tang Wutong faced the mermaid princess, she activated her ninth soul skill, Sea God's Descent. Instantly, the entire mermaid race fell to their knees, demonstrating their unwavering devotion to Sea God.
Of course, their loyalty wasn't purely out of reverence it was also for self preservation. Given Tang San's notorious vindictiveness, he might overlook favors done for him, but he never forgot offenses. If he chose to settle accounts later, any sea soul beast tribe would face catastrophe.
Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected the second awakening process to be this extreme. Truthfully, he had never experienced such danger before.
Still, he gritted his teeth and said firmly, "I see. Then let's prepare and head into the sea."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Alright, Senior Xiao. We'll dive together."
A massive soul shield, glowing silver, enveloped the entire ship like a turtle shell. No matter how violent the storm outside, it couldn't penetrate the shield or wet the deck.
Floating in midair, Kong Deming gazed at the churning white waves and sighed. "Once Huo Yuhao arrives, we can begin our martial soul second awakenings. I never thought I'd have such an opportunity at my age."
Beside him, Jing Hongchen, also hovering in the air, chuckled. "Elder Kong, second awakening is essentially martial soul evolution. In theory, it shouldn't be limited by age.
"If you succeed, your soul power will undoubtedly increase. You might even reach Rank 95, becoming a Super Douluo. If that happens, you'll have a chance to become the first ever Rank 10 Soul Engineer in history.
"If you achieve that, you'll be an unshakable pillar in the history of soul engineering!"
Kong Deming sighed. "I can only hope. Becoming a Rank 10 Soul Engineer is incredibly difficult. One of the biggest obstacles in my way has always been my cultivation. If Huo Yuhao hadn't discovered this method, I don't know when I'd have had the chance to reach Rank 95.
"Remember this, Hongchen Huo Yuhao is a great benefactor to the Sun Moon Empire. He can make the empire stronger than ever.
"He has also shown immense kindness to us personally.
"If there ever comes a time when he wishes to develop his own forces, whether it's you or me, we should turn a blind eye and let him proceed."
Jing Hongchen was taken aback. "Elder Kong, you mean…?"
Kong Deming shot him a look. "Don't play dumb.
"Huo Yuhao's Spirit Pagoda has been expanding too quickly.
"My grand disciple, Juzi, has been leveraging the Spirit Pagoda's unique soul spirit system to recruit soul engineers and their families.
"If this information reaches His Majesty, he will undoubtedly be furious. No ruler would tolerate such behavior it's practically treason!
"As the head of Mingde Hall, there's no way you haven't heard whispers of this."
Jing Hongchen scratched his head, wearing a slightly embarrassed smile.
But deep down, he understood if Kong Deming was openly discussing this, it meant he was firmly siding with Huo Yuhao.
Half jokingly, Jing Hongchen said, "Elder Kong, I was just worried you'd be upset.
"After all, everyone in the Sun Moon upper echelon knows you have royal blood. If you were unhappy with this, you could easily have me exiled to be the governor of East Sea City!"
Kong Deming snorted. "Yes, I have royal blood, but I have never taken pride in it.
"Otherwise, my surname would be Xu, not Kong.
"In my eyes, the most important thing is the prosperity of the Sun Moon Empire.
"Huo Yuhao's contributions to the empire far surpass those of any previous royal ruler.
"He may be the key to achieving what generations of Sun Moon emperors never could.
"So naturally, I have no intention of interfering with his actions."
With that, Kong Deming exhaled deeply.
When he noticed Huo Yuhao and his group approaching, he immediately said, "Alright, they're here.
"When the students enter the sea, we must keep a close watch.
"To ensure their safety, we'll allow only four people to enter at a time."
(End of chapter.)
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