Chapter 210: The Spark of Rebellion
Hearing Xiao Qiang's words, Xiao Hongchen nodded.
"If you say so… indeed. Whether it's a Soul King equipped with three purple and two black soul bones, or a 20,000-year-old soul beast, either one is strong enough to fight a Soul Emperor with the best possible soul ring ratio. Let alone when a soul master and a soul beast work together—such a duo could even put up a real fight against a Soul Saint."
"After all," he continued, "a Soul Saint only has seven soul skills, with at most three of them being at the 10,000-year level. But a Soul King, armed with two 20,000-year soul skills and a soul spirit, already has an edge in terms of raw skill power. As for thousand-year skills—those are completely outclassed. Compare nine thousand-year soul skills to the Soul Saint's two yellow and two purple skills, and it's clear: skill-wise, they're not weaker at all. Winning may still be unlikely, but being able to compete with a Soul Saint puts them above 95% of the teams in the All-Continental Advanced Soul Master Competition."
Xiao Qiang clapped his hands. "Exactly. That's why I said we must aim to win beautifully. Nine thousand-year soul skills, two 10,000-year ones, and a soul spirit—even at level 52, that kind of combination holds a massive advantage over a typical Soul Emperor. Honestly, even if it's just an auxiliary-type soul master relying on the soul spirit to fight, a 20,000-year-old spirit alone isn't something a Soul Emperor can easily overcome. And they'd still be facing a two-on-one scenario with a Soul King and soul spirit."
Meng Hongchen frowned. "Win beautifully? What, you mean send a bunch of beauties into the ring and win that way?"
Xiao Qiang chuckled. "Of course. People are naturally drawn to beauty. Even if the opponent is an evil soul master, the audience will gravitate toward the attractive ones. This upcoming All-Continental Advanced Soul Master Competition is the perfect opportunity for the Soul Hall, the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, and Mingde Hall to shine across the continent. It's the first of its kind. Naturally, the Soul Hall and the Sun-Moon Academy must go all out."
"The Sun-Moon Academy also needs to break free from its image of being a perpetual runner-up. Sure, we won the last competition, but not against the full Shrek lineup. Shrek's thousand-year reputation still has a halo effect—people hold them in an almost mythical regard. Otherwise, you wouldn't have chosen to study there yourself, right?"
Xiao Hongchen scratched his head. "True, true. Speaking of which… what did I even learn there?"
He thought back on his time at Shrek—the endless laps he ran as punishment, the slogan he'd heard over and over again: There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters.
Tang San was the classic example. The man had wielded both the Clear Sky Hammer—the most powerful offensive martial soul—and the Blue Silver Emperor, which had eventually matched it. He had proven the saying beyond a doubt.
"Honestly… I didn't do much there except run," Xiao Hongchen admitted. "But their Treasure Pavilion isn't bad. Lots of good stuff. Still… I'm really curious how Shrek became the number one academy. It can't just be a bunch of geniuses carrying it, right?"
Xiao Qiang: "…"
Thinking it over, he had to admit Xiao Hongchen had a point. Whether it was the first, second, or third generation of protagonists, Shrek's help was significant—but not irreplaceable. Other elite academies could have provided similar support.
"Anyway, let's move on. Can you help me find some beautiful three-ring soul masters under the age of seventeen? The batch from the Sun-Moon Academy this year… their quality's too low. It's about public image. Even if their combat strength is weak, it's fine. With six thousand-year soul bones backing them up, they don't need to rely entirely on their own power."
Xiao Hongchen thought for a moment. "Well… if we're not limiting ourselves to students, there is one place that comes to mind."
"Oh?" Xiao Qiang raised an eyebrow.
"The Ordinary Alliance."
"Huh? The Pingfan Alliance?" Xiao Qiang blinked. The name struck a chord. Then he remembered—they were one of the three major forces involved in the underground soul tool competition, opposing the Xishui Alliance led by Huo Yuhao.
"If it's them… that might actually work."
Cotton Plantation, Somewhere in the Empire
Pa!
"Move it! You're a four-ring soul master! And you still haven't advanced to Soul King? Just how useless can you be?!"
The overseer's whip lashed across Huo Yuhao's back, tearing open a wound that had barely started healing.
He had lost all track of time. How long had it been since he'd arrived at this hellish plantation? Every day blurred into the next. The whip woke him up before the sun, and the endless workload crushed any hope of rest or cultivation. Drugs—destructive to his foundation—were his only option to force his soul power higher. It had gotten him to level 48, but that was where it stalled.
His strength couldn't improve. He hadn't eaten a full meal since arriving. He slept beside a stinking toilet. He was no longer just a servant like back in the Duke's Mansion—this time, he was the main target of cruelty and abuse.
And he had no escape.
Another blow. Another blackout. As he drifted into unconsciousness, Huo Yuhao felt his mind nearing the breaking point.
But even then, he refused to give in.
No… I can't die… I haven't taken my revenge… I haven't destroyed the White Tiger Duke's inheritance… I haven't cleared my mother's name…
I am Huo Yuhao—I will NOT fall! I will rise! I will survive!
At that moment, something within him snapped.
Just like the first master of the Body Sect, whose martial soul awakened a second time while drowning at sea, Huo Yuhao—pushed to the brink of death, his body saturated with remnant drug energy, and his will screaming to live—triggered his own second awakening.
His martial soul began to transform.
His blue eyes slowly turned blood red. A nearby supervisor, seeing him slumped on the ground, approached to check his condition.
Suddenly—boom!—Huo Yuhao erupted.
He shot up, grabbing the man with terrifying force. With the power of his mutated Xuantian Gong and his newly awakened martial soul, he began to drain the man's soul power and life energy like a leech desperate to live.
The spark had been lit.
Huo Yuhao… was ready to fight back.
——————
Pump up the power stone