Chapter 62: Crushing You Head-On
Electrolux had gone to continue his fusion with the Life Gold, while the Ice Empress and Tianmeng were still buzzing with excitement.
"Yuhao, was that just now… your martial soul undergoing a second awakening? I almost couldn't withstand the pressure."
"And, and—your physique has improved several times over, and your spiritual power too! Right now, Yuhao, your mental strength has already half-stepped into the tangible-yet-intangible realm. That's truly terrifying!"
The Ice Empress silenced her with a sharp kick.
"Yuhao, Elder Yi was right. Now you need to carefully comprehend and sort through this harvest."
At this moment, she no longer doubted Yuhao's potential to ascend to godhood. If even Yuhao couldn't become a god, then that would only mean gods simply did not exist on this continent.
Yuhao nodded, eyes glowing faintly.
"I can now perceive every corner of my body in detail. I sense it—this harvest hasn't even been fully absorbed yet. The power of Life Gold will continue to nourish me for a long time."
A Silver-rank second awakening of his martial soul. The birth of the Eye of Life. Elder Yi's awakening. A soul power foundation several times stronger than before. His mental and physical strength was vastly enhanced. His cultivation level directly soared to rank 38.
This harvest had far exceeded Yuhao's expectations.
"Yuhao, I think you should head out and reassure your teacher. He's practically worried sick right now."
Realizing this, Yuhao quickly withdrew from his spiritual sea.
Kong Deming breathed a long sigh of relief, immediately placing his palm on Yuhao's shoulder to examine him.
"Yuhao… did you just experience a second awakening of your body martial soul?"
He still couldn't make sense of it. Weren't they supposed to be suppressing the Soul-Devouring Knife? How had things suddenly turned into a martial soul awakening? And Yuhao's body quality, soul power foundation, even his cultivation—how had they all skyrocketed? He had even jumped four levels!
"Teacher, the problem all lies with this knife. When I dispelled its curse, I discovered that the material it was forged from was not simply rare metal, but rather… Life Gold."
"Life Gold?"
Kong Deming looked bewildered until Yuhao explained in detail. Only then did the old man reluctantly understand.
"So that's it… You lucky brat! Not only did you subdue the dagger, but you also reaped such enormous benefits. Truly fortune within misfortune!"
Good, good, good! At this point, Kong Deming was convinced: such people did exist—those blessed by destiny itself.
This disciple of his was without a doubt the beloved illegitimate child of destiny itself. There was simply no other way to explain opportunity after opportunity being served to him on a silver platter.
"Right, then. What level was your martial soul's awakening?"
Yuhao pretended ignorance.
"I only know that my martial soul's strength and quality improved dramatically, my spiritual power is nearly tangible, and overall my strength has doubled at the very least…"
Of course, the truth went beyond that. But for now, he still needed to guide his teacher's thinking in a certain direction.
Sure enough, Kong Deming thought carefully, recalling the Body Sect's classification of awakenings.
"Yuhao, this should be a Silver-rank second awakening of your martial soul. Tsk, tsk… even the Body Sect would be shaken. A first awakening at Silver rank—unheard of!"
"Alright then, since you've reaped such rewards, I won't disturb you further. Take time to comprehend them fully. Later, when the match begins, prepare to go and test them out on the battlefield."
With that, he withdrew the soul guidance devices he had set up earlier. Before leaving, Kong Deming glanced out the window, a smirk curling his lips.
'Body Sect bastards, just wait until you see my disciple. You'll die of fright!'
'And Poison Undying, you old dog… don't think you can sit still when you hear of this!'
---
The Next Day
Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, Round Robin Team Battle.
Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy VS Qianling Academy
From Shrek's observation area, Wang Yan's expression was solemn.
"Watch carefully, everyone. Team battles are the truest test of overall strength. The Sun Moon team is bound to win this match, and if we make it to the semifinals, they will definitely be opponents we must face."
"Pay attention to their teamwork, combat style, and tactics. This will be invaluable when we face them ourselves."
Beibei, Wang Dong, and the others all nodded earnestly.
Soon after, both teams took the stage. But to everyone's astonishment—the Sun Moon team only fielded three people.
"What the hell? They're only sending out three substitutes?"
"Tch, are they trying to imitate Shrek? But even Shrek wouldn't dare be so arrogant as to send only three substitutes!"
"They're provoking the Star Luo Empire! This is practically spitting in their face!"
Even Wang Yan was stunned. What was the Sun Moon team playing at? The opposing Qianling team had a Soul King and six Soul Ancestors! Where did the Sun Moon Team get this kind of confidence?
Wang Dong raised a hand.
"Teacher Wang Yan… how are we supposed to analyze this if they don't even send their main force?"
Dai Huabin sneered.
"They're imitating us? How arrogant. To think they'd only send three substitutes onto the field!"
"No," Ning Tian was more level-headed.
"The Sun Moon team isn't foolish. If they dared to do this, these three must be extraordinary."
Wang Yan nodded slightly.
"Correct. Watch closely. These three are definitely not ordinary."
On stage, Xiao Hongchen grinned from behind Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, are you sure you don't need me this round? Why not let me go all-out? I could blow them all away with a single soul cannon, guaranteed!"
Yuhao shook his head calmly.
"No need. I want a battle where I can go all out myself. You and Meng just stay back and observe."
Hearing this, both Xiao Hongchen and Meng Honghong nodded seriously. This match had been arranged specifically to let Yuhao showcase his strength to the fullest.
The Sun Moon Team wanted fame. They wanted the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms to see that even with only substitute members, they could utterly crush their so-called elite teams.
On the other side, Qianling Academy's team was seething.
"Damn it, they're way too arrogant! I'll kill them all!"
"Captain, just unleash our full force. We can't let this humiliation stand!"
Their captain, Shen Ce, wore an ugly expression, his tone dark and venomous.
"Fine. Let them taste our power. Stick to the plan—four shields combined, dual-control with ice and fire, and I'll take the offense!"
"Yes, Captain!"
At that moment, Huo Yuhao released his soul rings without concealing them.
A purple and two black rings—one purple, two black.
The bizarre combination immediately caused an uproar.
"What the hell? What kind of soul ring configuration is that?!"
"Impossible! No soul master could absorb rings like that—it must be fake!"
"…."
Before the opposition could react, Yuhao's figure blurred. His acceleration soul guidance device launched him forward at lightning speed.
At the same time, Tianmeng's external soul bone—Iceworm True Body—erupted, multiplying Yuhao's already half-tangible spiritual power threefold. His concentrated spiritual impact crashed against the Qianling team, stabbing directly into their souls.
Then came his second soul skill—Spiritual Puppet!
Three doppelgängers materialized, each carrying nearly forty percent of Yuhao's strength. Together with his true body, they blitzed through the enemy line, instantly sending four of the seven members flying out of the arena—leaving only Shen Ce and his two control-type soul masters standing.
"What the—?!"
"What just happened?!"
The Qianling team was in disarray.
"You bastard, I'll kill you!" Shen Ce roared, his mind wracked with the feeling of countless needles stabbing into his brain. The two control-type soul masters beside him weren't faring much better.
Yuhao smirked, recalling his spiritual puppets.
"So you're ready to go all out? Perfect. Then let me show you what it means to be crushed—head-on."
—
End of Chapter