Chapter 212: Preparation
"Huo Yuhao, what did you just say? You've mastered a method for achieving a second martial soul awakening?" Jing Hongchen's voice involuntarily rose in pitch, his disbelief evident.
In this world, only the Ontology Sect possessed the means to trigger a second awakening for Body Martial Souls.
As for other sects, academies, and empires, none had access to such methods. Even Shrek Academy, to Jing Hongchen's knowledge, had no way of facilitating a martial soul's second awakening.
A second awakening signified a fundamental evolution of the martial soul a transformation at its very core. No one would deny its significance, but achieving it was far from simple.
The Sun Moon Empire had long attempted to develop techniques for triggering second awakenings, aiming to strengthen its soul engineers. Yet, every attempt had ended in failure. The root cause? The sheer difficulty of the process.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "That's right. However, this method carries a certain risk of death. We'll need several strong individuals standing by to intervene in case something goes wrong."
Even in Soul Land III, when Tang Wulin underwent deep sea training to awaken his martial soul, Ontology Sect Master Mu Ye personally supervised him, prepared to rescue him if necessary.
Jing Hongchen paced back and forth in excitement.
The surprises Huo Yuhao brought never ceased.
Despite his many years in the Sun Moon Empire, this was the first time he had encountered someone who had contributed so significantly to the nation.
He patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "Huo Yuhao, don't worry, that won't be a problem.
"If gods hadn't vanished from the Douluo Continent for so many years, I would have thought you were one.
"If we can facilitate the second awakening of some of our people, our empire's national strength will soar."
Meng Hongchen's eyes sparkled in agreement.
Her grandfather was right Huo Yuhao's achievements were remarkable.
Even compared to the much glorified Tang San, the so called hero of Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao had contributed more to the soul master world.
After all, Shrek Academy's greatest boast was simply that Tang San had eliminated the Spirit Hall and 'preserved peace.'
"If Xiao learns about this, it'll deal yet another blow to his confidence," Meng Hongchen mused. "Huo Yuhao is the undisputed number one genius of the Sun Moon Empire, while Xiao calls himself the second. Yet, rather than narrowing over time, the gap between them is only growing wider."
Huo Yuhao turned to Jing Hongchen and Meng Hongchen. "However, this second awakening method causes extreme pain unlike absorbing a soul spirit. Those who lack the willpower should not attempt it, as it will only bring unnecessary suffering."
The pressure of deep sea training was immense.
This method of forcing potential to the surface grew increasingly agonizing as it progressed.
Not only did it demand a robust physique, but also an extraordinary level of mental fortitude.
Even Mu Ye, the Ontology Sect Master in Soul Land III, took twenty eight days to complete his own second awakening and he never forgot the excruciating pain it entailed.
"Pain?" Jing Hongchen hesitated, glancing at Meng Hongchen. I wonder if Xiao and Meng could endure such suffering. If they can't, wouldn't that be a major loss?
After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Meng Hongchen expectantly. "Meng, you heard what Huo Yuhao said. Do you still want to participate in the Martial Soul Second Awakening Plan?"
Meng Hongchen smiled. "Grandfather, of course, I do. If my martial soul undergoes a second awakening, my strength will see a significant boost.
"The next Continental Soul Master Tournament will be hosted in the Sun Moon Empire. I want our nation to defend the championship, not hand it over to Shrek Academy."
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen sighed in relief.
Truthfully, he had hoped Meng Hongchen would choose to participate. A second awakening was an incredible opportunity for any soul master.
Jing Hongchen turned to Huo Yuhao and promised, "Huo Yuhao, I'll start gathering candidates immediately. Once we've assembled the group, we'll set off.
"I'll personally select people based on their past performance. As for Xiao and the others, I'll have them recalled as soon as possible."
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "That would take too long. Dean, I can use spatial power to bring Xiao Hongchen and the others back instantly."
"What?! Spatial power?" Jing Hongchen was visibly shocked.
Then, after a brief pause, he reconsidered.
If Huo Yuhao could create something as absurd as a "Necromantic Half Plane," then controlling spatial power didn't seem that far fetched.
"Alright, Dean, go gather your people. I'll return shortly.
"Oh, and don't forget to invite Elder Kong I want to see if he can undergo a second awakening."
Shrek Academy
Xiao Hongchen stood by the shimmering waters of Sea God Lake, his face bruised and swollen. Hands behind his back, he spoke indifferently.
"Lin Xi, I've realized something Shrek Academy's so called 'geniuses' are nothing special.
"In one on one battles, none of them could defeat me, so they resorted to fighting in rotation.
"If not for their shameless tactics, I wouldn't have lost.
"One day, on the stage of the Continental Soul Master Tournament, I will shatter their championship dreams."
Beside him, Lin Xi his own face sporting a few fresh bruises muttered, "Xiao Hongchen, are you an idiot?
"It was one thing to challenge the Shrek students to sparring matches; that was a reasonable way for us exchange students to assess their strength.
"But why did you have to go and insult them? Now none of them are willing to help heal our injuries.
"They may just be surface wounds, but do you really think walking around with a swollen face looks good?"
Xiao Hongchen scowled. "What do you mean by 'insulting them'? I was simply speaking the truth. Is that a crime now?
"The last tournament saw Shrek caught cheating they were exposed and withdrew voluntarily.
"Am I wrong?
"But the moment I brought it up, they got all riled up and started launching non stop fights at me. Shameless bastards!"
Xiao Hongchen was beyond frustrated.
He had only mentioned Shrek's previous cheating scandal to rile up his opponents and force them to reveal more of their combat techniques. That way, he could gather intelligence on Shrek's fighting style.
But he hadn't expected the Shrek students to drop all pretense of civility and just start relentlessly attacking him, one after another.
Even as the so called 'second genius' of the Sun Moon Empire, there was no way he could endure an endless rotation of fresh opponents.
Lin Xi took a deep breath. "Xiao Hongchen, even if what you said was true, you shouldn't have said it here.
"We're guests in their academy.
"While Shrek has agreed to guarantee our safety, they can still make things difficult for us in smaller, more subtle ways."
(End of chapter.)
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