At the shore of Eastsea, night fell low.
Layers upon layers of dark waves roared and shattered against the coast, splashing up silver-white foam into the air.
A handsome young boy sat alone cross-legged on a reef, letting the sea wind lift his robes as his short blue hair fluttered in the breeze.
The furious waves in the distance pounded against the reef, and the spray of water wet his eyelashes. He tilted his head back slightly, letting the salty sea wind brush across his cheeks.
Though his frame was slender, the smooth lines of muscle beneath his clothes were faintly visible traces left behind by long periods of hard training. His silently seated figure appeared exceptionally calm amidst the violent sea and sky, like a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, its edge concealed yet harboring sharpness.
This was Huo Yuhao.
In the two years that had passed, tempered by the power of qi and blood along with natural growth, the young boy had now reached about one meter and seventy centimeters in height.
"Yuhao, are you ready?"
Mu Ye, Hua Yichen, and Snow Empress's divine consciousness stood at the edge of the sea area. Mu Ye watched as Huo Yuhao adjusted his condition and spoke out to ask.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "I'm ready. I appreciate the teachers' help."
"It's nothing. Condensing a spirit master's first spirit core at the Spirit King level is a feat that surpasses the historical records of the spirit master world. Being able to witness and participate from the side is also my fortune." Hua Yichen chuckled lightly.
The essence of condensing a spirit core was the comprehension and compression of spirit power. He had originally thought that no matter how fast Huo Yuhao was, it would at least take until he reached Spirit Emperor for it to be possible. He never expected it to happen so soon.
Among those historically famous Limit Douluo, some exceptionally gifted individuals completed the condensation of their spirit cores at the Spirit Emperor level. For example, that Atlas Douluo. Judging by his cultivation speed, he probably condensed his spirit core around the Spirit Emperor level. Relying on the passive ability of the spirit core to absorb external heaven and earth spirit power, his cultivation speed at the Spirit Emperor level was no slower than when he was at Spirit King.
And among those who condensed a spirit core at the Spirit King level, Yuhao was the first person he had ever seen.
Mu Ye had expected this and was calmer in his emotions. He then said, "Then let's begin, Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao nodded upon hearing this, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and meditated.
The vortex of blood and energy inside his body circulated on its own, outlining a profound trajectory between his meridians. In an instant, the heaven and earth spirit power from all directions seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, converging toward this reef like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
Hua Yichen and Mu Ye exchanged a glance. Together with Snow Empress's divine consciousness, they began mobilizing the heaven and earth spirit power with their spiritual power to assist Huo Yuhao in condensing his blood and energy spirit core.
This vast heaven and earth spirit power poured continuously into Huo Yuhao's body. During this fusion process, his body trembled slightly. Each tremor caused the surrounding air to distort even more intensely.
In just a short moment, the blood and energy vortex within Huo Yuhao's dantian underwent another change. A surge of gray mist rolled in, enveloping the silver and golden specks of light within the vortex, causing the entire vortex to collapse inward as it spun.
Collapse, expand, then collapse and expand again. The mutation of the blood and energy vortex even caused the external heaven and earth spirit power to also form a vortex.
This process would bring intense pain to a spirit master, but Huo Yuhao carried out this process without changing his expression. He even had enough energy left to mobilize the Silver Dragon King's reverse scale and the Gold of Life within his Sea of Spirit, emitting waves of halos that continuously poured into the blood and energy vortex.
Witnessing this scene, Hua Yichen quietly nodded in approval at Huo Yuhao's perseverance and raised an eyebrow.
"Yuhao's method of condensing his spirit core looks a bit like the ancient method. Is he using the spatial power of his second martial soul?"
In past eras, condensing a spirit core was usually something only Title Douluo would do. It required a certain comprehension of spatial power in order to compress spirit power.
But with the development of the era, methods for condensing the first spirit core at the Spirit Sage level were developed. However, how many spirit masters at the Spirit Sage level could master spatial power?
Therefore, the current method of condensing the first spirit core was simplified. It pursued gradual progression and did not mandate comprehension of spatial power. Its purpose was to increase the number of powerful individuals. There were far more Title Douluo now than in the past, and this new method of spirit core condensation deserved much of the credit.
However, as a result, the spirit cores condensed naturally could not compare with those of the past, which also caused many spirit masters to become stuck at the Spirit Sage level.
Snow Empress's divine consciousness smiled slightly. "He has quite a bit of comprehension of spatial power. I taught him."
Hua Yichen's expression stirred, and he nodded slightly.
When it came to being ancient, this one had survived on Douluo for hundreds of thousands of years. Naturally, guiding the condensation of an ancient spirit core was nothing difficult.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao was immersed in that mysterious and profound comprehension. Each pulse of the spirit core's energy was like a leap in life force, allowing him to clearly feel that his life level was undergoing a qualitative transformation.
And within his body, as the gray mist disappeared, a silver crystal that occasionally emitted multicolored light quietly appeared in the position of his dantian.
But from the time he began condensing his spirit core, only two short hours had passed, and the sun had not yet risen.
If this astonishing speed were to spread, even those standing at the peak of the spirit master world would probably be shocked. After all, ordinary spirit masters wanting to condensing a spirit core often required nearly a full day of hard cultivation, yet he had completed this crucial breakthrough in the blink of an eye.
The formation of the spirit core also represented his formal return to the path of the strong.
Huo Yuhao's consciousness began to immerse itself in the comprehension of his blood and energy spirit core, while the external heaven and earth spirit power was naturally absorbed by the spirit core, continuously growing stronger.
Mu Ye and Hua Yichen watched this scene, both somewhat excited.
The path of cultivating a spirit core was very difficult, with eight or nine out of ten spirit masters stopping here.
But if one could break through this shackle, it was like the kun peng spreading its wings for ninety thousand miles, or a flood dragon entering the sea to roam freely.
After the spirit core formed, the spirit master's ability to perceive and channel heaven and earth spirit power would be significantly enhanced, thereby greatly increasing their own strength. At this stage, spirit masters basically no longer needed to worry about spirit power exhaustion, because the spirit core could automatically attract heaven and earth spirit power and quickly replenish consumption. Unless they experienced extremely intense battles, Spirit Sage level spirit masters could maintain a continuous cycle of spirit power.
"Truly heaven favoring our Body Sect..."
Mu Ye sighed quietly.
Snow Empress's divine consciousness watched this scene and smiled slightly. "I appreciate the efforts of both men. The next part will probably take several hours. Let me act as his Path Guardian."
The two looked at each other and naturally had no objection.
...
When the first ray of morning light broke through the sky, Huo Yuhao, having finished his cultivation, opened his eyes. Seeing the figure before him, his eyes wavered.
Snow Empress's divine consciousness stood quietly in the morning light, dressed in a plain white long skirt that was spotless. The rising morning sun plated her with a light golden halo. Her skirt fluttered gently in the wind, making her appear like a fairy carved from ice and snow descending to the mortal world.
Ten thousand years ago, Snow Empress had also stood silently by his side like this, guarding his path.
Snow Empress looked back and smiled.
"The spirit bones given by Evil Emperor and Bear Lord have also been directly fused, right? How are the results?"
"Quite good."
Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze and smiled slightly. The spirit power fluctuation of Level 54. He raised his right hand.
Between the five fingers of his right hand, golden and silver streams of light intertwined like living creatures, sometimes separating and sometimes fusing, quietly brewing an astonishing energy storm. The light was initially as faint as a firefly, but in the span of a breath, it suddenly collapsed, condensing into five brilliant light blades.
Shrrrk!
Huo Yuhao's right wrist suddenly pressed downward, and five gold and silver claw marks tore open the deep sea. The dark gold main blade light pulsed with crescent-shaped silver radiance. Wherever it passed, the seawater was not pushed aside but directly annihilated into nothingness.
Behind the fifty-meter-long light marks, five dozens-meter-long dark channels pierced through the sea abyss. Silver spatial cracks spread wildly like spider webs along the edges of the channels.
Most terrifying was that the torn voids began to devour the surrounding seawater on their own, forming five huge deep-sea whirlpools.
"Heaven Tearing Claw?"
Snow Empress was momentarily surprised.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "After condensing the spirit core, the difficulty of combining my blood and energy power with my spiritual power and spirit power has further decreased. I can now skillfully use that fused power. By mobilizing spatial power like this, I can achieve this level."
This was just one benefit brought by the blood and energy spirit core. There were many other advantages as well.
Moreover, with the blood and energy spirit core taking shape, he had also completely crossed the first barrier of the Body Sect's innate secret method.
Huo Yuhao chatted with Snow Empress's divine consciousness for a few sentences, and then she returned to the Sea of Spirit.
He walked alone toward the edge of the sea area. Hua Yichen and Mu Ye had not left and were now waiting for him at the edge of the sea.
Huo Yuhao walked until he was in front of Hua Yichen and Mu Ye before stopping.
"Not bad. Five rings, Spirit King. Mid Spirit Abyss realm spiritual power, plus the Battle Armor you've already completed. You now have the ability to protect yourself. I can leave with peace of mind."
After carefully examining Huo Yuhao for a while, Mu Ye sighed emotionally.
The standard for Spirit Abyss realm spiritual power was 5000, and for Spirit Domain realm it was 20,000. Yuhao had just entered Spirit Abyss two years ago, and now he had reached the mid stage. His spiritual power showed no signs of stagnation. His future entry into Spirit Domain realm was a certainty.
And Spirit Domain realm to a certain extent represented Limit Douluo. If one's spiritual power could reach Spirit Domain, then becoming a Limit Douluo in the future was almost a certainty.
Truly enviable talent.
"I thank Teacher Mu Ye for his guidance over these two years, and also Teacher Hua for his care." Huo Yuhao solemnly bowed to the two.
"No need for too many thanks. What I said before still stands. I still plan to wait for you to grow up and become an elder so I can retire." Hua Yichen laughed heartily and patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder. Then, with some emotion, he said, "The speed of your growth is even faster than I expected. Are you planning to go to Mingdu?"
Watching a child he had discovered grow step by step to the point where he no longer needed his shelter was something anyone would feel emotional about, right?
"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded. "I plan to go to Mingdu with Old Li. He wants to introduce me to the president of the Mecha Designer Association, and I also want to see the Mecha Designer Association headquarters."
The Mecha Designer Association headquarters was also in Mingdu. Its original founders were even connected to Mingde Hall. However, because the people who later entered came from various major powers and were not as pure as before, it had transformed into what it was today.
But it still had connections with Mingde Hall.
"The president of the Mecha Designer Association?" Mu Ye thoughtfully. "I also have a connection with that person. If you run into any trouble there, you can let me know."
Hua Yichen smiled helplessly. "Sir Mu Ye, do you think, given Yuhao's identity and his abilities in secondary professions, he would still encounter difficulty?"
"..."
Mu Ye looked at Huo Yuhao upon hearing this, thought of the titles on his head, and did not refute.
Although Mingdu had a chaotic mix of powers and people from all sides, the Spirit Transmission Tower's weight in it was not small.
Moreover, this kid, at such a young age, was already a Level 6 Designer and a Level 6 Manufacturer. The high level officials of the Mecha Designer Association would not turn a blind eye to this.
Thinking this, Mu Ye said, "Notify me when you depart. Before reaching Tiandou City, I can travel with you..."
Before Mu Ye finished speaking, the ring of a soul communicator suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He frowned slightly, took out the delicate metal device from his chest, communicated with the other side for a moment, and his expression immediately changed.
"What did you say?! Zhen Hua is injured?"
How was that possible? Hadn't Zhen Hua said someone was protecting him?
The reason he had dared to leave the Blacksmithing Association was that he knew someone was secretly protecting Zhen Hua's safety, someone whose strength was no less than his. Now what was going on?
Hua Yichen and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance and also frowned secretly.
Someone had attacked a Divine Craftsman... Evil Spirit Masters?
"Just minor injuries?"
After obtaining more accurate information, Mu Ye breathed a sigh of relief, hung up, and put away the soul communicator. He looked at Huo Yuhao. "It seems I can't travel with you. The attacker is very strong and was not caught. I need to rush back to Tiandou City immediately, in case he strikes again."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Teacher, take care."
Mu Ye nodded, summoned his Red-Grade Mecha, and hurried toward Tiandou City. He recalled the news he had just heard in his mind, his brows tightly furrowed.
A Level 98 Super Douluo... There were still such beings among the Evil Spirit Masters now?
...
On the other side, Nanaly hung up the soul communicator, her face dark as she looked down at the Dark Department members below.
"Who can tell me? Where did these Evil Spirit Masters come from? Four! Four strong ones, all above Super Douluo, and all of them Evil Spirit Masters!"
"The review of those with evil martial souls has been very thorough in recent years. How could there still be this many that slipped through the net? And this is only a fraction of the Holy Spirit Cult's exposed strength. A Divine Craftsman, a Dark Department branch, and two assembly members were attacked simultaneously. Aside from His Majesty Zhen Hua and the assembly member I personally protected, who were unharmed, the other two locations were successful. Now the higher ups are very dissatisfied with this."
In recent years, she had seen many weak Evil Spirit Masters, but Nanaly truly could not have imagined that the Holy Spirit Cult still possessed such strength.
If not for the agreement reached with Dark Phoenix two years ago, the losses this time would probably have been even greater.
"I became slack after not seeing any Evil Spirit Masters above Title Douluo in recent years."
Thinking this, Nanaly looked at her subordinates, who were so frightened they dared not make a sound, and sighed. "The branch was attacked. How many things were lost?"
A member responsible for information compilation stepped forward. "The attacked Dark Department branch lost some documents. They contained information gathered in recent years about censorship personnel for evil martial souls in various parts of the federation. Many of them are children. Also, one Title Douluo and one Spirit Douluo who were on duty... have disappeared."
Nanaly frowned, sighed briefly in regret for her colleagues' fate, and then turned her thoughts to those documents.
Not all evil martial soul owners joined the Dark Department and the Execution Department. Some still lived ordinary lives.
What was the Holy Spirit Cult's purpose in wanting their information?
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(End of chapter)