Chapter 43: Advance, Glorious Sun Moon Empire! Tremble, Decaying Shrek!
At this moment, Mika, Li Yan, and the others also came over.
"Captain, what's going on? Why does it feel like you suddenly turned into a cheat player?"
"Yeah, Captain, your cannon fire was never this accurate before."
Ma Rulong and the others deliberately acted mysteriously.
"Ahem, well… you'll find out soon enough."
Just then, Lin Jiayi also stepped forward.
"Take a short break. Soon, we'll begin the second round of mixed soul guidance device combat."
He had carefully recorded the data from the first match. But his real purpose today wasn't just to let the main team and reserve members get some practice together.
His main goal… was to test exactly how much impact Huo Yuhao could have within a team.
And from the data of the first battle alone—Yuhao's performance had already far exceeded expectations.
At this moment, Elder Ma also came to his senses. He leaned closer to Lin Jiayi and whispered,
"Director Lin, that boy named Huo Yuhao… is he…?"
Lin Jiayi nodded with a smile.
"Elder Ma, just keep watching. The real surprise is still ahead."
Since things had already been said this way, Elder Ma didn't press further. But from now on, all his attention was fully focused on Huo Yuhao.
Soon, the teams were reshuffled. This time, Yuhao ended up in a group with Xiao Hongchen, Mika, and a few others. Xiao Hongchen once again vividly demonstrated what it meant to "change faces."
"Hahaha! Just you wait, Ma Rulong, and you too, Meng Hongchen. This time, I'll make sure you understand true despair!"
To this, Ma Rulong and Meng Hongchen could only respond with a dry, mocking laugh.
Ugly—truly ugly!
As both sides took their positions, Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing once again spread over his teammates.
Mika and Chen An's eyes widened as they looked at Yuhao's gentle smile.
This ability… this ability!
Finally, they understood. At last, they realized why their captain suddenly fought like he was blessed with divine hacks, easily suppressing them earlier.
Gulp~
"Xiao Xiafeng, protect Yuhao."
The entire team spoke in unison, instantly making the same decision Ma Rulong's group had before.
"With the God's Eye perspective, even if the captain himself were on the opposing team, there's no way we'd lose."
"Revenge! I'm going to get my revenge!!" (super loud)
Naturally, Ma Rulong's side instantly felt the heavy pressure.
Having once experienced Yuhao's ability firsthand, now that they had lost that sense of control, they felt extremely uncomfortable.
But since this was only a practice match, no one could use their full strength or fight to the death. The frustration was unbearable.
The outcome was obvious—Yuhao's team once again claimed victory.
From outside the field, Elder Ma was finally stunned. Nothing had actually changed, yet every team Yuhao was placed in always ended up crushing the other side in a strange and overwhelming manner.
This forced him to truly acknowledge this boy, whose soul power was only at Rank 29 and Level 3 Soul Engineer.
To be able to surpass Xiao Hongchen and be considered the greatest prodigy in the history of the Sun Moon Empire—he truly was extraordinary.
---
In the final round, Yuhao joined the Hongchen siblings and four reserve members against the main team.
Even with Yuhao's "cheat," and with both Hongchen siblings possessing power close to Soul Kings, the overall strength gap was still evident. In the end, their side lost the last battle.
However, both sides had refrained from using their true trump cards. If they had gone all out, the result would have been hard to predict.
After three battles, the bonds between everyone had clearly grown closer. Especially regarding Yuhao—by now, he had already become the absolute core in everyone's eyes.
Even though he never personally fought, only controlling the field from behind, no one dared to underestimate him.
This kind of ability—like the dominion of a battlefield lord—was exactly what they needed in the upcoming tournament.
Lin Jiayi, carrying a stack of detailed analysis records, came forward with a satisfied smile.
"Very good. Whether in combat tactics or teamwork, you've all stepped onto a new level."
Ma Rulong scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Director, honestly… It's all thanks to Yuhao. Without him, our battles wouldn't have gone this smoothly."
Elder Ma interjected,
"Yuhao, can you tell me—what exactly is your soul skill? Why is it that even when you don't seem to move, your team always manages to win?"
Yuhao glanced at Jing Hongchen. With the latter's nod, Yuhao released Spiritual Detection Sharing once again, enveloping everyone present.
"This…" Elder Ma was left speechless.
Now, everything made sense. No wonder. No wonder Yuhao's teams fought as if suddenly enlightened—whether in soul guidance device handling or combat intuition, everything had been raised by leaps and bounds.
"Enough," Jing Hongchen finally said, setting the tone for the days ahead.
"From today onward, in preparation for the upcoming Soul Master Tournament, you'll train here every day for team coordination.
Solo battles, 7v7 team battles, the 3-2-2 formation—you must familiarize yourselves with everything as quickly as possible. Time waits for no one. This time, I want you to bring glory back to the Empire in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament."
The Sun Moon Empire had been stuck as runner-up for far too long. This time… they would seize glory for themselves.
Advance, glorious Sun Moon Empire! Tremble, decaying Shrek!
"Yes!!"
The team was brimming with energy. Especially after experiencing Yuhao's ability, they couldn't help but feel thrilled.
In the following days, Yuhao's time was spent alternating between soul guidance device combat training and cultivation. On weekends, he still went to his teacher for medicinal baths.
After witnessing Yuhao's soul skill, Elder Ma completely overturned his previous plans and rebuilt all tactics around Yuhao as the core.
The results spoke for themselves—the entire team's strength began rising at an astonishing rate, improving day by day.
Their thirst for the championship grew hotter than ever.
Day after day passed. By the end of the vacation, Yuhao's soul power had successfully reached Rank 30.
Not only him—the Hongchen siblings also advanced together, reaching Rank 50 soul power. With only their fifth rings remaining, they would soon step into the ranks of Soul Kings.
Speaking of them, one couldn't ignore whale rubber. The Sun Moon Empire understood its basic uses, but due to technical limitations and resource focus, its high-level potential hadn't been fully explored—unlike the three original Douluo Kingdoms.
For Yuhao, whale rubber's effects had already diminished after consuming several pieces of ten-thousand-year quality. But for the Hongchen siblings, it was different.
Whether out of camaraderie after these days together, or because of Jing Hongchen's earlier investment in them, Yuhao felt he owed them.
Thus, before they obtained their fifth rings, both siblings consumed several pieces of ten-thousand-year whale rubber under Jing Hongchen's arrangement.
Together with the soul bones they had absorbed, and confirmed through detailed system tests, they were now capable of taking soul rings of at least 15,000 years.
As for Yuhao—under Tianmeng's spiritual origin, the power of his first ring had already risen to the 5,000-year level, while his second had been boosted to 15,000 years.
But outwardly, thanks to the spiritual Interference Domain's camouflage, his rings still appeared yellow and purple, preventing suspicion.
His third soul ring, after tests by Kong Deming, was confirmed to be in the 20,000–25,000-year range.
When the vacation finally arrived, the soul guidance device training paused. Since Kong Deming was too busy to leave, it was Jing Hongchen who personally led Yuhao and the Hongchen siblings to hunt for their new soul rings.
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End of Chapter