The room went deadly silent.
Xuan Ziwen stared wide-eyed at Huo Yuhao, his brain momentarily blanched from the sheer confidence and arrogance that poured from his lips.
'Did he hit his head or something?! What the fuck is he saying to teacher Kong?!' He was so shocked that the kettle in his hand almost slipped out of his hand.
Kong Deming slowly exhaled, his clenched fists relaxing ever so slightly. His expression was unreadable, a storm of thoughts behind his aged eyes.
"You want to recruit me?" he said slowly, like tasting something strange but not entirely unpleasant. "You walk in here, barely grown, and dare ask what I desire most?"
He leaned forward, placing both hands on the armrests, his voice dropping to a deeper tone.
"Do you know what I desire, Xiao Yuhao?"
Huo Yuhao shrugged. "Enlighten me."
Kong Deming narrowed his eyes and tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling.
"The prosperity of the Sun Moon Empire, that is what I desire most. I don't have a wife or children, any close relative that I have—they already died long ago. But I owe everything that I have learned, given and accomplished to this empire.
This isn't just as my duty and responsibility as someone of the royal family and the Hallmaster of the Imperial Consecration Hall, but as someone who truly loves this nation who has given almost everything it has to him."
Kong Deming exhaled, a reminiscent breath that carried more weight than words. His gaze softened for the briefest moment as he lowered his head, staring at Huo Yuhao.
"That is why I cannot simply walk away. Not for you, not for your sect, and not even for a vision as bold as yours."
He didn't exude a powerful aura to intimidate or suppress—he didn't need to.
His voice, his expression, and his conviction were more than enough to command respect.
Anyone would be in awe of the deep words of Kong Deming that they would be at a loss for words. How could they convince someone like that to turn on something they deeply love?
If there's one thing constant in this world of Douluo, it is how people would go to the extreme for love.
But Huo Yuhao merely gave a hum in response and that seemingly permanent casual smirk on his face seemed more prominent in the eyes of Xuan Ziwen and Kong Deming.
Casual, confident, arrogant!
Anyone else would've given up on trying to coerce Kong Deming, but not Huo Yuhao!
He was the guy who even talked out of his way from getting killed by Di Tian! He was someone who created miracles that even a God would be jealous.
"Elder Kong, you're a patriotic person. I respect that. But...I don't like liars." Huo Yuhao's eyes sharpened.
"People are immensely greedy and ambitious, especially those who have reached a high status in life and have the potential to go even further yet...are stuck at a bottleneck that would frustrate them for years.
Isn't that what you're feeling? Already at Transcendent Douluo level, yet still stuck at that barrier between Class 9 and Class 10."
Both Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen felt as though they were struck by lightning! This boy!? How did he know that Kong Deming had become a Transcendent Douluo?!
One of the known theoretical requirements for a Class 10 soul engineer to be born is that they must have a soul power of rank 95+ a Transcendent Douluo!
Kong Deming has been stuck at rank 94 for decades and had only recently broke through to rank 95 a couple weeks ago. Very few people know about this matter.
Even without actively using Sharingan, Huo Yuhao's eyes passively "see through all illusions and witness the truth". He easily saw through Kong Deming's cultivation, of course his Limit Douluo spiritual power also played a part in it as well.
Huo Yuhao raised his right leg and placed it over his other leg, looking smug. "The reason why Teacher Xuan went to find you first, is because he wanted to help you. He understood that my Jutsus, specifically the Fūinjutsu, are revolutionary in the world of soul engineering. The power to seal things into a piece of paper with mere drawing, but what else could it do?
You might achieve Class 10, but when? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Patience is a virtue, and you might embody it, but are you really? A saint, or a Titled Douluo?
So, are you really sure about what you've said? Are you really... satisfied with your current situation?"
"Y-You!" Kong Deming's eyes turned bloodshot, blood vessels protruding out as he stood up from his seat.
Truly, he wasn't a saint. Even someone like him has a limit to how much disrespect he can take from a mere junior like Huo Yuhao!
His soul power surged and the wall behind him collapsed, revealing an arm-sized fixed soul cannon that started radiating intensely in its barrel.
"Teacher, stop!!" Xuan Ziwen shouted, trying to stop him.
'Don't worry, Ziwen. This soul cannon uses a rubber substance for ammunition that can even harm a Soul Douluo's body. I only ever use this to mess with newly promoted class 9 soul engineers.
Now, I'm going to teach this punk a lesson on how to respect his elders!' Kong Deming inwardly apologized for his crass behavior before his student and for threatening Huo Yuhao, but he just couldn't take such insulting words any longer!
To try and disregard his words as if it were fart, while trying to insert his own words to fit his own narrative and agenda — only an idiot would let that slide without response.
And Kong Deming, for all his wisdom and patience, was not an idiot.
Such disrespect would've earned them a death warrant, but Huo Yuhao's status was different from most people. He wasn't just normal Shrek Academy student, he was the designated successor of the Sea God Pavilion Master seat!
Shrek Academy's greatest asset, Mu En, was gone. That Xuan Zi wasn't Kong Deming's equal, especially when the latter brings numerous class 9 fixed-soul bombs.
But the Sun Moon was still hesitant to wage war because of the academy's reputation! They're the number one academy in the continent, which had nurtured numerous geniuses across the continent. Such rallying ability was the reason why their invasion thousands of years ago had initially failed!
Moreover, they have the assistance of Di Tian and the other Great Beasts!
If something were to happen to Huo Yuhao right now, even Kong Deming wasn't sure he could handle the fallout.
The cannons' barrel glowed a blinding blue, soul circuits across the chamber lighting up like a spiderweb. A mechanical whir echoed ominously as targeting locks snapped into place on Huo Yuhao's seated form.
Huo Yuhao chuckled lowly and slowly lifted the blindfold from his left eye, showing a shimmering bright blue eye as if it were a diamond.
"Elder Kong, when you point a frightening soul tool at someone—that person has a right to defend themselves.
And in consideration of your power as a high level Titled Douluo, I believe it's reasonable of me to respond with one of my most powerful techniques."
Huo Yuhao raised his hand, his fingers interlaced.
"Domain Expansion: Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
Darkness crept out of behind Huo Yuhao rapidly and enveloped the entire room in an instant. Both Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen's eyes widened in shock, it was as if they were transported into a world of darkness.
Then all of a sudden, a towering divine tree sprouted behind Huo Yuhao that seemed as though it could pierce the heavens if it appeared in the real world. It would've outclassed the Golden Tree just from the length of it.
However, it looked like it was dead. It had no leaves, no long branches to bear fruit—except for the strange and large budding lotus flower at the top.
Instead of a tree, it more like it resembled an extremely large budding lotus flower.
It looked disturbing yet at the same entrancing, both Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen couldn't take their eyes off it, even though their instincts screamed at them to look away. It was to be expected, their spiritual power are simply too low to contend with Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Domain.
As soul engineers their spiritual power are slightly above average than most soul masters. However, Xuan Ziwen was at least around a mediocre Titled Douluo level of spiritual power(or Spirit Abyss realm if you want to be technical) while Kong Deming, who's a rank 95 Titled Douluo with an embryo of a spiritual core is considered to be a half-state Spirit Domain realm. They naturally aren't Huo Yuhao's opponent in terms of spiritual power.
This domain was created after his spiritual power had stepped into the realm of Spirit Domain. The domain he created was almost a copy of one of the most powerful Genjutsu techniques he has ever known that almost caused the extinction of all life.
Slowly and gradually, the lotus flower bloomed and showed a somewhat familiar image — a blood-red Sharingan with six magatamas! It radiated a mysterious and enchanting glow.
Suddenly, a red moon appeared with the image of a Sharingan with similar markings from the one in the bloomed lotus flower. It then released a penetrating light that blinded everyone momentarily.
As the light faded, both Kong Deming and Xuan Ziwen went completely silent, with the Rinnegan's design appearing in their eyes.
They both quietly descended into a pleasant and blissful dream.
"Let's see what your true desires are." Huo Yuhao muttered, now standing before Kong Deming. Blood slowly poured out of his eyes as he contemplated his Spiritual Domain.
He didn't lie that he wanted to reinvent the peak of Spirit Domain of spiritual power.
Thought Concretization was considered the peak of Spirit Domain, simply because it could cast one's memories in real life as if it were a movie?
What kind of lame ass power is that when reaching the peak of spiritual power?
Huo Yuhao's basis for his Spiritual Domain had long been decided, but after hearing about the Thought Concretization made him a bit motivated to rewrite the cultivation system of spiritual power.
Spiritual Domain: Infinite Tsukuyomi — It's a domain based on the laws of illusion, space, time, and devouring. When caught under the influence of this domain, if their spiritual power is below Huo Yuhao's, their strength would diminish by more than 50% while the user himself can exhibit 200% of their strength.
However, they shouldn't be worried about getting attacked physically by Huo Yuhao but of the powerful mental illusion attack of his domain! When his domain takes effect, no one would be able to escape a blissful illusion that warps their sense of time while gradually being drained of their soul power, spiritual power, life energy, etc.
He didn't consider Xuan Ziwen as a close friend, he only recently met the guy after all. So he didn't have much guilt upon using him as a cultivation material.
His domain would still work on opponents with stronger spiritual power than his own, but the chance of them falling into a dream state is severely low. Moreover, the soul power consumption of his domain was immense.
But as long as he captures them in his domain and drains them of their energies, he could continuously use his Spiritual Domain indefinitely.
When he doesn't use the energies he devoured to fuel his Spiritual Domain, he would convert it into his own and raise his cultivation.
'Although both of their energies are impure from relying on a lot of drugs to increase their cultivation, it shouldn't be difficult to refine it with my Heavenly Tempering Soul Technique.' Huo Yuhao thought, casually taking a seat once more.