Chapter 133: Transformation, Enlightenment (2-in-1)
Ji Juechen's sword qi was simply incomparable, and Huo Yuhao did not use any Soul Skill.
If it weren't for the Heaven's Movement is Vigorous, which allowed him to perform beyond his limits in combat and maintain mobility during high-intensity attacks, he would have already lost.
The unity of man and sword, the unity of man and heaven, are ultimately a concretization of personal will—a realm that can be achieved naturally after gaining a sufficiently deep understanding of one's own Martial Soul.
This realm is not about how much strength one possesses; rather, if one originally had ten parts of strength, in this realm, one could exert twelve parts.
Huo Yuhao's wounds kept healing. Although he possessed an almost infinite self-healing ability, the pain and pressure could not be eliminated.
Under Ji Juechen's sword qi and sword intent, Huo Yuhao only felt his spiritual sea throbbing. For the first time, someone had exerted such immense pressure on him.
He could feel his Martial Soul undergoing an unimaginable stimulation, and something in his spiritual power sea seemed to be awakening, about to undergo a transformation.
At this moment, in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, Tianmeng and the Ice Empress were both shocked and smiling, and Electrolux also appeared, beginning to help Tianmeng stabilize Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
They knew this was an opportunity—an opportunity for Huo Yuhao's mental power to evolve and break through again under extreme pressure.
Huo Yuhao's mental power, with the integration of the Life Gold and the awakening of the Heaven's Movement is Vigorous echo, was already infinitely close to the tangible yet formless level. This was the best opportunity.
This kind of opportunity is different from other fortuitous encounters; it brings greater benefits and is more suitable for oneself.
A twelve-year-old Soul Master whose mental power has reached the tangible yet formless level is simply unimaginable.
"So, now is the best opportunity."
Huo Yuhao felt it. Under Ji Juechen's extreme pressure, he finally comprehended the 'intent' that had always existed but had never been noticed by him.
His mental power once again underwent a qualitative change.
Unlike the transformation achieved by relying on a supreme treasure like the Life Gold, this was a new self-realization from within—an undeniable and absolute qualitative change.
Tangible yet formless—a state that most Titled Douluo could not achieve. Of course, mental realms are not directly tied to soul power levels, but this only made Huo Yuhao's current achievement even more absurd.
Even his Martial Soul Spirit Eye gained unimaginable benefits, and his Martial Soul level was elevated once more.
What his 'intent' was—if Huo Yuhao had no clue before—is now very clear: invincibility, absolute invincibility.
His battle intent could integrate into his body, imbued with tangible yet formless mental power, creating an irresistible absolute suppression against enemies. Just like the unity of man and sword, he could now achieve the unity of man and heaven, amplified by his own battle intent.
His aptitude, potential, and inherent strength all improved again. The advantage unique to the Son of Destiny of Douluo Star was fully revealed in his transcendent talent at this moment.
In just one battle, he achieved a realm that many geniuses could never touch in their lifetime. The sword qi and sword intent that had previously suppressed him and restricted him everywhere could no longer hinder him before Huo Yuhao's mental power and battle intent at this moment.
The pressure suddenly decreased. The Heaven's Movement is Vigorous echo activated, and with Huo Yuhao's mental power breakthrough and the transformation of his personal will, the bell patterns rippled again, becoming even stronger.
"Excellent, Huo Yuhao, you are truly excellent. You have truly made me look at you in a new light!"
Ji Juechen was very excited. In Huo Yuhao's battle intent, he felt the same existence as himself. He had not been mistaken; Huo Yuhao was the same kind of person as him.
He finally no longer hid, and he would finally have a worthy opponent in the future. He would no longer be alone.
Crack, crack, crack!
The iron sword continuously scraped the ground. Ji Juechen became serious because the current Huo Yuhao had the qualifications to defeat him.
Below, Du Busi had been watching this scene, and his face was now beaming with smiles. "Excellent, truly excellent. His disciple has indeed not disappointed him; no, he has even far exceeded his expectations."
The transformation of mental power, the elevation of the Body Martial Soul level, and seemingly, the comprehension of a 'unique intent'—it could be said that all previous gains were not as valuable as those from this battle.
That little fellow Aotian could also achieve the unity of man and heaven, but that was by leveraging the advantage of his Body Martial Soul, which was not entirely the same as Yuhao's.
Moreover, how long did it take Aotian to comprehend the unity of man and heaven? And how long did it take Yuhao? It must be said that this disciple's talent had once again refreshed his understanding.
Facing the serious Ji Juechen, Huo Yuhao did not dodge. His Eye of Life on his forehead had already appeared. He wanted to confront Ji Juechen head-on. With the amplification of battle intent, the two fiercely fought together, and the entire challenge arena was filled with terrifying aftershocks.
This was a fluctuation many could not clearly see; it was a confrontation unique to the wills of the two. Many students and even the academy's teachers could only feel the powerful will in the battle, seemingly transcending everything, as if all Soul Skills in this world had to yield to such will.
Countless people exclaimed, their eyes fixed on the arena, afraid to miss any detail.
Boom!
An explosion, no less powerful than a Level 7 Soul Guidance bomb, rang out. The ground of the entire challenge arena was shattered as a result. Sword intent, battle intent, and the unrestrained outpouring of soul power from both sides instantly turned the ground into dust.
"What's going on? This is too terrifying!"
"Who won? What was that oppressive battle will just now?"
"Even from this far away, I felt like my soul was almost torn apart. You're telling me this was a battle between a Soul Elder and a Soul King? This is way too much!"
"Did Huo Yuhao win, or Ji Juechen, or was it a draw?"
"..."
Countless students were incredulous. This was a power they could not comprehend.
Gu Yuena frowned in thought. "This power indeed has its unique aspects. She wasn't surprised that a being like Huo Yuhao could master it. Perhaps she could also learn it and integrate it into her Silver Dragon Spear."
Sword intent, battle intent, spear intent...
If she could combine this will with the Silver Dragon Spear, perhaps her strength would also increase significantly.
Meng Hongchen covered her small mouth, looking at the dust-filled challenge arena with some worry. "Would Yuhao win?"
Xiao Hongchen also rubbed his hands. "This is the first time I am somewhat worried about my brother Yuhao's situation, as a battle of this magnitude is simply too exaggerated."
On the field, Ji Juechen, who directly faced Huo Yuhao's full-power strike infused with battle intent and mental power, looked exhausted and breathed heavily. He felt as if his body was now somewhat out of his control.
Even his own will, which had always been firm, unyielding, and never wavering, trembled slightly at this moment. His soul had almost been torn apart just now.
However, he was very happy because he had finally found a good opponent. In that previous duel, he had gained new insights into his own sword dao.
Xuan Ziwen had already jumped onto the stage, but as the smoke cleared, looking at the two standing figures, he didn't know how to judge who won or lost.
"This match..."
"Draw!"
At the last moment when Ji Juechen was about to concede, Huo Yuhao spoke with a faint smile.
At this moment, his condition was also not good. Although the transformation of his mental power was astonishing, and he had even awakened his battle intent, the feeling of exhaustion from fighting with full power immediately after just comprehending it filled his entire body.
He no longer wanted to waste time here because that previous strike, the clash of their peak intents, and the changes after his mental power transformation were complete, making him feel an inexplicable sensation.
This was comprehension—enlightenment. It was an insight that came after his Martial Soul had been greatly stimulated, his mental power transformed, and his battle intent comprehended. He had to firmly grasp this fleeting opportunity; the outcome of the match, whether winning or losing, was not important.
He hadn't won, and neither had Ji Juechen. It was better to leave the result for next time, and for him, a Soul Elder, to draw with Ji Juechen, a renowned Soul King, actually meant a win in many eyes.
This was due to the unequal strength of the two sides. You could say that a battle between a Soul Elder and a Soul King was unfair, but the latter clearly suffered a greater disadvantage in a draw.
And when Ji Juechen heard Huo Yuhao define this battle as a draw, a smile also appeared at the corner of his mouth.
After this sentence, both sides suddenly fell silent, then, under the gaze of all the students, they simultaneously sat down cross-legged, as if they had fallen asleep.
Du Busi, who had been hidden in the shadows, could no longer sit still. Even Jing Hongchen excitedly and quickly used a Level 9 Soul Guidance shield to cover both of them separately.
"Quiet! The competition ends here. Everyone, please leave in an orderly fashion. No shouting!"
A Rank 98 Super Douluo and a Level 9 Soul Engineer exchanged excited glances, unable to hide their exhilaration.
They could naturally see that during that battle, these two young fellows had both gained insight into each other's 'intent', and using this as a reference, they had grasped that fleeting feeling of enlightenment, entering a deep, insightful meditation.
This was a great opportunity. Some Soul Masters might never achieve this in their entire lives.
They absolutely would not allow anyone to disturb the two of them, not even the King of Heaven!
This deep meditation naturally meant that the enlightened individuals could not be moved at will, so this training ground would henceforth belong only to Huo Yuhao and Ji Juechen.
Many students didn't know what had happened, but seeing their Dean personally step in, they didn't dare to say anything more and began to evacuate the training ground quietly and orderly.
"What's going on? Why did the Dean suddenly step in and look so nervous?"
"You idiot, didn't you see Huo Yuhao and Ji Juechen enter enlightenment? This is a great opportunity!"
"Ah, can they achieve enlightenment just from a battle? I didn't even understand what happened."
"This is the difference between us, ordinary people, and geniuses."
"By the way, Huo Yuhao is really strong! A high-level Soul Elder, without using Soul Skill or Soul Guidance Device, actually forced Ji Juechen, a Soul King, to such an extent and ultimately drew with him!"
"..."
After many students evacuated, Gu Yuena, Meng Hongchen, and Jing Ziyan, who had good relationships with Yuhao and Ji Juechen, were left behind.
"Meng, I will arrange everything here. You will guard Yuhao day and night here; don't let anyone disturb him."
Jing Hongchen looked at his granddaughter and instructed seriously.
Meng Hongchen agreed without hesitation, and Jing Ziyan, as Ji Juechen's good friend and soulmate, was naturally arranged to look after Ji Juechen.
"I'll also stay and look after Huo Yuhao."
Gu Yuena stepped forward. She didn't know what to do next. Instead of being bored at the academy, she might as well stay by Huo Yuhao's side.
Jing Hongchen was stunned for a moment, subconsciously glanced at his granddaughter, and nodded helplessly.
"Alright, then you, Na'er, and Meng will stay here to look after Yuhao. Remember, don't let anyone disturb him. In this state, Yuhao's bodily functions will drop to their lowest level, and his meditation time is uncertain."
The two nodded. Xiao Hongchen wanted to interject, but Jing Hongchen stopped him with a look, making him dare not speak.
'Why can Meng take care of Yuhao, but I can't? This is simply unfair.'
'What Yuhao needs most now is me, his brother, not Meng and Gu Yuena, those two clumsy girls who can't even take care of themselves.'
Of course, due to the authority of his grandfather Jing Hongchen, he only dared to grumble in his heart and didn't dare to say a word out loud. There was no way—his butt still hurt, and another time would really be the end of him.
Du Busi was very satisfied with Jing Hongchen's arrangements. Now he had calmed his excitement and was ready to tell Kong Deming about this first, asking him to make further arrangements to avoid any accidents later.
It was foreseeable that this enlightenment would definitely bring unimaginable benefits to his disciple. Even the Body secrets could be understood, and upon returning to the Body Sect, the secret ritual could be arranged.
At that time, through the Body secret technique, the latent power in his disciple's bloodline could be activated, and the Martial Soul quality could leap again, gaining new characteristics.
So, worry-free! Where could one find such a disciple? The Body Sect has successors, successors!
"Body Douluo, I might not be able to guard here all the time. I'll leave the hidden matters here to you."
Jing Hongchen was a little uneasy about Du Busi. Coincidentally, the latter was even more uneasy about Jing Hongchen at the moment.
"Oh, please. Go do your business. Yuhao is my disciple, and I will absolutely not let anything happen to him."
What a joke! You're just the Dean, not Yuhao's relative or anything, and you dare to tell me how to do things here? Even that Kong Deming wouldn't dare say that.
Are you guarding here? No way.
What a great opportunity! When Yuhao opens his eyes and sees that I'm taking care of him, he'll be so touched. No one can compete with me for his favor, not even that old man Kong Deming!
Jing Hongchen was speechless, unable to retort. 'Why was that old man so arrogant? It's not like I don't have disciples like this. Yuhao might even be my grandson-in-law.'
"That's good. I will also arrange for some people to guard here in secret. No one will be allowed into this training ground from now on."
He then made further arrangements, ensuring that Meng Hongchen and the others would not delay their cultivation or their research on Soul Guidance Devices here, providing three meals a day, and even tents for rest and sleep, before finally leaving with a little more peace of mind.
Du Busi ignored Ji Juechen, who was on the other side. He first looked at Meng Hongchen, then at Gu Yuena, feeling satisfied.
Excellent; their aptitudes and talents are both very good, truly worthy of his disciple.
Hmph, when the time comes, he'll make sure his disciple brings them all back to the Body Sect. Heh heh heh!!
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End of Chapter