The Unity of Heaven and Man, the Third Martial Spirit!
After returning to the Noumenon Sect, Du Boshou personally presided over a grand sect ceremony. During the ceremony, a total of two major matters were formally announced.
The first matter was the official proclamation of Yu Hao as the Young Sect Master of the Noumenon Sect.
Although this identity had already been tacitly acknowledged within the sect long ago, it had never been publicly declared in such a formal setting.
From this day onward, every member of the Noumenon Sect clearly understood one thing—Yu Hao was the undisputed Young Sect Leader of the Ontology Sect.
The second announcement was that the Noumenon Sect would represent itself in the upcoming Senior Soul Master Elite Competition, which would be held half a year from now.
This news immediately stirred excitement throughout the entire sect.
After all, participation in the Senior Soul Master Elite Competition was regarded as a matter of supreme honor. It was an event watched by all major sects and empires on the Douluo Continent.
Which soul master did not dream of standing on that stage and becoming famous in a single battle?
The young disciples of the Noumenon Sect who were under the age of twenty were all filled with anticipation, their fighting spirit surging.
However, everyone knew that the rules of the competition were extremely strict. Only seven official members were allowed to participate, and even when substitute members were included, the total number could not exceed ten.
Because of this, Du Boshou had already made plans to hold an internal selection competition within the sect to determine the final lineup.
But none of this had anything to do with Yu Hao.
As the Young Sect Master, his position was unshakable. No matter what, his name would always be ranked first.
...
Above the clouds.
White mist drifted beneath their feet, and the vast sky stretched endlessly in all directions.
Yu Hao and Du Boshou stood facing each other in midair, separated by only a few dozen meters.
"Yu Hao," Du Boshou said slowly, his tone solemn. "From today onward, as your teacher, I will personally teach you the Noumenon Sect's supreme secret technique—the Unity of Heaven and Man. If you can gain true insight into it before the Senior Soul Master Elite Competition, you will undoubtedly become famous in a single battle."
Du Boshou looked at the disciple before him with absolute confidence.
When Yu Hao heard these words, his heart instantly surged with excitement. The Unity of Heaven and Man was precisely one of the core abilities he had long wished to master.
"Master," Yu Hao said respectfully, "please demonstrate it first. I want to see how much I can comprehend."
Du Boshou nodded slightly. Taking a step forward, his entire aura changed in an instant.
In that very moment, Yu Hao's pupils shrank violently. His clothes fluttered without any wind, as though an invisible storm had descended upon him.
An overwhelming momentum surged toward him like a towering mountain, pressing down so heavily that his breathing nearly stopped.
Long Aotian had once used a similar move before, but compared to what Yu Hao was facing now, that pressure was not even one-tenth as terrifying.
Boom!
Yu Hao instinctively felt the urge to release his martial soul to resist.
But at that exact moment, a deep, commanding voice rang out.
"Do not release your martial spirit," Du Boshou said coldly. "Use your body and spirit to feel the pressure."
Yu Hao did not respond verbally. Instead, he forcibly suppressed his surging soul power and silently endured.
It had to be said that this momentum—formed by perfectly combining Du Boshou's own terrifying strength with the surrounding natural environment—was unimaginably powerful.
However, Yu Hao's physical body and spiritual strength were far from ordinary.
Even without releasing his martial spirit, he gradually began to adapt to the crushing pressure.
Seeing this, a trace of satisfaction flashed through Du Boshou's poisonous eyes.
"As expected of my disciple," he thought inwardly.
With that in mind, Du Boshou slowly began to increase the intensity of his momentum.
Yu Hao could clearly sense the change, but he did not utter a single word. He knew very well that only by reaching his absolute limit could he achieve a true breakthrough.
As Du Boshou continued to strengthen his aura, the pressure on Yu Hao's body rose sharply. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, his lips turned pale, and his legs—and even his entire body—began to tremble uncontrollably.
Yet even so, Yu Hao stubbornly suppressed the soul power within his body and refused to release his martial spirit.
On the opposite side, Du Boshou's expression shifted from calm satisfaction to astonishment, and finally to complete shock.
Because the momentum he was releasing at this moment was something that even an ordinary Seven-Ring Soul Saint would find impossible to withstand.
"This kid… he's an absolute freak," Du Boshou muttered inwardly.
Even so, he could tell that Yu Hao was already at the end of his strength. If he continued without releasing his martial spirit, he would not be able to hold on much longer.
Thus, Du Boshou did not further increase his momentum.
Ten breaths passed.
Twenty breaths passed.
Thirty breaths passed…
Time flowed slowly.
Under the relentless pressure, Yu Hao's clothes were completely soaked with sweat. His face was deathly pale, his legs bent more and more, and it looked as though he would kneel at any moment.
Just as Du Boshou judged that the timing was about right and prepared to withdraw his momentum—
Something completely unexpected occurred.
Yu Hao's bent legs did not kneel down.
Instead, he took a step forward.
Boom!
At the same time, a powerful force erupted from Yu Hao's body. Although it was still inferior to Du Boshou's momentum in sheer strength, it carried an unyielding will—a resolve that would rather die than submit.
Du Boshou immediately understood what was happening.
Under the immense pressure of his aura, the various powers within Yu Hao's body—soul power, spiritual power, physical strength—began to slowly merge together. Then, that fused power burst outward.
The essence of the Unity of Heaven and Man was precisely this.
First, perfectly integrate all of one's own powers, then resonate with and merge into the surrounding天地之力—the power of heaven and earth.
Although Yu Hao was still far from truly achieving this state, he had undeniably taken the crucial first step.
"Good!" Du Boshou shouted. "Yu Hao, maintain this state and carefully feel the momentum of heaven and earth!"
As he spoke, Du Boshou circulated his own power, forcibly drawing the surrounding天地之力 toward Yu Hao.
However, this action caused the pressure on Yu Hao to increase explosively.
"Ha… roar!"
A low, suppressed roar escaped from Yu Hao's throat, but in the next instant, it transformed into a deafening dragon's roar.
Under this overwhelming pressure, the dormant power of the Golden Dragon King bloodline within Yu Hao was forcibly awakened.
Boom!
With Yu Hao at the center, a dazzling golden halo expanded outward in all directions. It instantly shattered the momentum Du Boshou had gathered and even forced him to involuntarily retreat several steps.
"What kind of power is this…?" Du Boshou felt his heart tremble. For the first time in his life, he experienced an instinctive sense of fear.
He hurriedly looked up, and a scene that he would never forget for the rest of his life unfolded before his eyes.
Yu Hao stood upon a massive rock ten meters away.
His black eyes had completely transformed into golden vertical pupils. Half of his face and his entire upper body were covered in brilliant golden dragon scales. Behind him, a pair of majestic golden dragon wings spread open, radiating nobility, dominance, and an ancient aura of supremacy.
It was as though he were the ruler of this world itself, gazing down upon all living beings.
The moment Yu Hao's gaze swept over him, Du Boshou subconsciously lowered his head.
The next instant, he felt ashamed and cursed himself inwardly for being so useless.
Yet even so, Du Boshou could not understand what kind of power Yu Hao was displaying at this moment.
Yu Hao seemed to see through Du Boshou's confusion. After pondering briefly, he spoke calmly.
"Teacher, this is my third martial spirit."
"So it turns out to be the third… hm?"
Du Boshou forced a dry smile, attempting to hide the embarrassment caused by his instinctive reaction earlier.
But in the next second, he suddenly froze.
"The third martial spirit?!"
Du Boshou shouted in shock, stumbling backward several steps. His eyes widened as he shook his head repeatedly, every movement revealing the indescribable disbelief in his heart.
Three martial spirits!
How was this even possible?!
Throughout the entire history of the Douluo Continent, there had never been a soul master who possessed three martial spirits.
Yet no matter how shocked or incredulous Du Boshou felt, the reality was right before his eyes.
Yu Hao did not speak further. He simply looked quietly at Du Boshou across from him.
In truth, he had never intended to expose his bloodline martial spirit so early.
But under the circumstances just now, the power of the Golden Dragon King had erupted beyond his control.
The fortunate part was that at the instant the Golden Dragon King's power exploded, all the different forces within his body—spiritual power, soul power, and qi and blood—had perfectly fused together.
Although the fusion lasted for only a single breath, Yu Hao could still clearly feel how terrifyingly powerful that fused state had been.
And with this first successful fusion as a foundation, Yu Hao firmly believed that it would not take long for him to fully grasp this technique.
When that time came, once he merged with the天地之力 of heaven and earth, he would truly master the Noumenon Sect's supreme skill—the Unity of Heaven and Man.
Moreover, his version of the Unity of Heaven and Man would be even stronger than others'.
Because others did not possess the power of qi and blood that could be fused into it.