Among the scenes that triggered his negative emotions, there was not only his mother but also instances where he was scorned and looked down upon by Wu Feng, even openly challenged. There were also the humiliating moments where Dai Huabin wantonly insulted him, trampling his dignity.
There was the grievance of receiving unfair treatment from the academy after winning the freshman championship.
The painful experience of being assassinated by the Wuchang Division and left disabled, along with the subsequent injustice of Dai Huabin getting away scot-free without any punishment, often flashed alternately in his mind, refusing to dissipate.
All these painful memories constantly stimulated Huo Yuhao's heart, causing his negative emotions such as anger and hatred to proliferate wildly like weeds.
Fortunately, after Electrolux's guidance, Huo Yuhao had gradually learned to control his emotions.
With his tenacious will, he barely managed to suppress these negative emotions. Moreover, his life was now heading in an increasingly positive direction. His friendships with Wang Dong and others, along with his constantly improving strength, filled his heart with hope, and those past negative emotions gradually found it hard to shake his firm resolve.
"Oh? His spiritual will is surprisingly strong. This is quite unexpected. I heard he carried deep hatred, so I thought he would quickly succumb to negative emotions!"
Möbius's slender fingertips lightly tapped her crimson lips. In her snake-like eyes, the figure of Huo Yuhao meditating in his hotel room clearly appeared.
"What exactly are you thinking? He's the Child of Fortune, and he's even being watched by Tang San!" On top of a towering skyscraper, Lu Jingming sat suspended beside Möbius, a hint of confusion on his face as he asked.
"Precisely because of that, isn't it more interesting? Don't worry, haven't you already given me information about the Divine Realm? That Sea God's true body cannot easily descend to the lower realms. After all, the God of Destruction wouldn't allow it. It's just a wisp of divine sense; are you afraid?"
Möbius's lips curved slightly upward, revealing a meaningful smile, her tone full of playful teasing.
Lu Jingming gently shook his head. The Sea God Tang San's true body indeed couldn't descend to the lower realms casually; the God of Destruction wouldn't permit it.
But the premise was that their actions caused no substantial harm to the Divine Realm.
Given Möbius's unrestrained and impulsive nature, targeting the Divine Realm was almost an inevitable eventuality.
"Forget it, just make sure you know your limits and don't overdo it!"
Compared to when he first arrived in this world, Lu Jingming now felt much more confident.
Back then, he was cautious in all his actions, but now, he no longer viewed the Divine Realm and Tang San as insurmountable obstacles.
Even if the worst-case scenario truly occurred, he could simply take his assets and escape to a parallel world on the Thousand Realms Transport Vessel.
He didn't think the Divine Realm had the ability to cross different worlds to hunt him down. Moreover, deep down, Lu Jingming didn't believe he would be forced into such a desperate situation.
Lu Jingming had no intention of stopping Möbius from conducting experiments on Huo Yuhao.
In his opinion, Huo Yuhao's ultimate fate had little to do with him.
On the contrary, he found himself interested in the unfolding events.
Although Möbius often acted unpredictably and enjoyed doing strange things, it had to be admitted that she always managed to create some very interesting "performances."
Lu Jingming felt that sometimes he himself was a mischief-maker. When he went to the Star Rail universe later, Aha would at least have to give him a Nihility Path to follow, right?
Even if he couldn't be a Nihility Pathfollower, getting a mask and blending into a tavern for some fun wasn't out of the question.
In the early morning, warm and gentle sunlight poured down between the towering buildings.
The sunlight, reflected by the glass curtain walls, refracted into colorful rays, decorating the entire Haiyuan City like a dream.
At this moment, the St. Freya Academy team, dressed in white and purple uniforms, appeared by the sea.
Their appearance instantly attracted the gaze of a large number of spectators, and thunderous cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.
This All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition, which began with over a hundred participating teams, had now dwindled to only four top teams after round after round of fierce competition.
The competition had been going on for over a month, and its conclusion was drawing nearer.
However, with the momentum of the Soul Master Competition, Haiyuan City had become incredibly popular and lively during this period.
Even after the competition ended, the lively atmosphere here would continue for a long time.
The semi-finals were clearly different from the quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, not only did team battles have to be won, but individual elimination matches also had to be victorious. Otherwise, a third match, the "2-2-3 Battle," would be held to finally determine the winner.
For the four-to-two, or semi-finals, the first day would still feature the team battle event.
To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the competition, the drawing of lots for the semi-finals would be conducted in plain sight, with the captains of the four teams personally drawing.
Not long after, Lu Jingming, Ma Xiaotao, Jiang Peng of Dio Academy, and Ma Rulong of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, the four captains, simultaneously ascended the spacious and solemn main stage.
"Let His Majesty preside over the semi-finals' drawing of lots!" Chang Li, a gentle smile on his face, gently handed the container with four small red balls to Xu Jiawei.
"Alright, then I shall commence the semi-final matches!"
Xu Jiawei accepted the four red balls without demur, then forcefully tossed them high into the air.
The red balls traced several arcs in the sky. Jiang Peng, Ma Rulong, and Ma Xiaotao exchanged glances and almost simultaneously leaped up, each accurately grabbing a small ball.
Lu Jingming, however, wasn't particularly concerned about who his opponent would be. Regardless of which team he faced, he had absolute confidence in leading St. Freya Academy to victory.
When Ma Xiaotao and the other two landed steadily, Lu Jingming unhurriedly reached out and easily caught the last red ball drifting in the air.
Lu Jingming gently squeezed and crushed the red ball, a slip of paper falling out. He unfolded the paper, and a clear "1" was written on it.
Ma Xiaotao also crushed the ball in her hand in the same manner, and a "2" clearly appeared on the paper.
Seeing this, Ma Rulong and Jiang Peng's expressions instantly darkened.
This meant that no matter which number they each drew, they were destined to face either Shrek Academy or St. Freya Academy.
Subsequently, as the red balls were crushed one by one, Ma Rulong's face became even uglier.
This was because the slip of paper in his hand bore the number "1," while the number on Jiang Peng's slip was "2."
"The drawing of lots is concluded. In the semi-finals, the first match will be between St. Freya Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy," Chang Li announced loudly, smiling as he glanced at the slips of paper in the four captains' hands.
At the same time, the avatars of the opposing teams clearly appeared on the enormous soul tool screen, and the atmosphere instantly became tense and fervent.
"Both teams' contestants, please take the stage!" Dan Heng precisely controlled the time, reminding both sets of contestants to appear on stage promptly.
Not long after, both the St. Freya Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy teams simultaneously stepped onto the spacious competition stage.
Lu Jingming already had the detailed information of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy thoroughly ingrained in his mind.
This team was led by the Soul Emperor Ma Rulong. Behind him were the formidable siblings, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, along with team members such as michael, Xiao Xiafeng, Chen Fei, and Lin Xi. Such a luxurious lineup, consisting of one Soul Emperor and six Soul Kings, was not to be underestimated.
At this moment, even the usually arrogant and unrestrained Xiao Hongchen's expression turned serious, his cheeks taut.
His gaze towards Lu Jingming and the others burned with fighting spirit, while Meng Hongchen's gaze, for most of the time, intentionally or unintentionally rested on Lu Jingming.
Both teams' members neatly ascended the arena, standing face to face.
The spectators' eyes were tightly fixed on the soul tool screen and the arena, with undisguised anticipation in everyone's gaze.
After all, these two teams each had their unique characteristics, almost like two extremes: St. Freya Academy was a combination of one male and six females, while the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was configured as one female and six males. Such a matchup undoubtedly made this competition full of highlights.
"Hi, when the match starts later, Classmate Lu Jingming, please go easy on us!"
Meng Hongchen playfully winked at Lu Jingming. Her demeanor showed no signs of the tension expected before an intense match; instead, it was as if she were casually bantering with a friend.
"Hehe, Classmate Meng, I don't mind, but your brother probably won't be too happy!"
Lu Jingming's lips curved slightly into a faint smile.
Immediately, he subtly gestured with his eyes for Meng Hongchen to look at Xiao Hongchen beside her.
Sure enough, Xiao Hongchen's face was dark, and faint veins throbbed on his forehead.
If it weren't for the numerous spectators present, he might have been unable to resist "disciplining" his somewhat lovesick sister again.
"Aming, could Classmate Meng be interested in you?"
March 7th quietly stretched out a finger, gently poked Lu Jingming's waist, then leaned close to his ear, lowering her voice to whisper, with a hint of curiosity and teasing.
"What do you think?" Lu Jingming rolled his eyes helplessly.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Meng Hongchen was acting on infatuation, but Lu Jingming knew that it was merely superficial.
At least, when the actual fight began later, this Miss Meng would definitely not hold back.
Gradually, both teams' members on the arena widened their distance appropriately.
In soul master competitions, maintaining distance was crucial for soul engineers; the farther the distance, the greater their发挥的空间 (room for maneuver).
However, the competition had clear rules and limits, with one hundred meters being the maximum.
After all, soul engineers specialized in team battles and long-range combat. If the distance was too short, it would be extremely disadvantageous for soul engineers.
And if the distance was too far, it would be unfair to traditional soul masters, so a distance of one hundred meters was just right.
When both sides reached their designated positions, Dan Heng's expression was solemn as he swept his hand downward, announcing: "Match Start!"
In an instant, everyone's focus became highly concentrated.
The moment Dan Heng announced the start of the match marked the official beginning of this highly anticipated semi-final.
As soon as the match began, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy quickly launched their offensive.
Team member Lin Xi swiftly took out a uniquely shaped shield. As he infused soul power into it, the shield instantly burst forth with dazzling light, and a massive golden light shield appeared out of thin air, steadily blocking in front of all their team members.
From this action, it was clear that Lin Xi was a soul engineer specializing in defense, and his task was to build a defensive line for his teammates.
At the same time, soul power fluctuations rippled across the arena, and the sounds of various mechanical parts assembling and operating rang out continuously.
Except for Meng Hongchen, the other members of the Sun Moon team instantly had various uniquely shaped and functionally diverse soul tools appear on their bodies.
In just an instant, dense soul tool cannons and soul tool rays, like an overwhelming meteor shower, poured down towards the direction of St. Freya Academy.
These attacks varied in form, some were colorful light orbs, others were crisscrossing light beams. Not only did their colors differ, but their attributes were also vastly different, and the effects they carried were diverse.
This was the unique combat style of soul engineers: relying on powerful soul tools, they would suppress their opponents with such dense firepower.
Clearly, the Sun Moon team's tactical intention this time was very obvious: they wanted to directly blast St. Freya Academy off the competition stage with this first round of fierce attacks.
In previous matches, they had repeatedly used this tactic against other academies with great success. Few academies could withstand their overwhelming and dense attacks.