"He's here."
Chen Junting held Ning Tian's hand and looked at Huo Yuhao.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel great, better than ever." A flash of excitement crossed Huo Yuhao's face as he said joyfully, "Counting the cultivation base that hadn't shown itself recently, I've now broken through to Level 86. As long as I can break through to Level 89, I'm confident I can condense my second soul core of the spiritual attribute."
"Not bad, not bad."
Chen Junting clapped in praise.
"However, Yuhao, your main task next isn't to cultivate your soul power to break through to Titled Douluo as quickly as possible."
"Ah?"
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao was slightly taken aback.
After recovering his senses, he agreed without hesitation, "Okay!" His tone carried not the slightest delay, showing his absolute trust in Chen Junting.
But after agreeing, he asked curiously, "Brother Junting, what should I do next?"
Chen Junting raised a hand and stroked his chin. "Yuhao, I told you about the Seven Kill Sword technique before, and even had you practice it. How is your mastery of the 'Seven Emotions, Seven Injuries' sword stance now?"
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao was actually quite confident. "Though it can't compare to yours, Brother Junting, it's not bad."
A hint of anticipation flashed in Chen Junting's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "Then give it a try. Let me see the results of your mastery."
Saying this, he stepped back a few paces and assumed a stance.
As his right foot landed, invisible array patterns spread out in all directions with him at the center, enveloping the entire palace. After all, they were in someone else's home; it wouldn't be good if they broke anything. This needed to be handled with care.
At this moment, his aura was restrained, yet it brought about endless pressure.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate in the slightest.
As the soul power around him surged like a violent tide, his Ice Empress Scorpion martial soul forcefully attached itself.
Unlike in the past, the Ice Empress Scorpion's martial soul attachment no longer just manifested as a tattoo on his back. Instead, a layer of crystal-clear ice armor instantly covered his body. A dense, freezing aura spread wildly in all directions with him at the center. The surrounding temperature dropped sharply, and a thick layer of frost quickly condensed on the ground.
His storage soul tool lit up, and a sword-shaped Rank-8 soul tool appeared in his hand. But when his right hand holding the sword loosened and then gripped again... under the pull of his soul power, water molecules rapidly condensed onto the soul tool, turning it into an ice sword with an exceptionally piercing chill.
Immediately after, Huo Yuhao instantly switched his martial soul. The blue light of the Spirit Eyes was like a calm water surface, undisturbed within his eye sockets.
Knowing the gap between his own strength and Chen Junting's, Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate in the slightest. Holding the ice sword, his footwork was agile as his figure swiftly attacked Chen Junting like a phantom.
Right at the moment he was about to reach Chen Junting, Huo Yuhao unleashed the second stance of the Seven Kill Sword Art—"Seven Emotions, Seven Injuries."
For a time, wonderful and complex emotional fluctuations centered around Huo Yuhao, spreading outward like ripples. As he swung the ice sword in his hand, different emotional powers seemed to come alive, intertwining and colliding in mid-air.
The first sword was swung—"Joy"!
A cheerful and happy emotion instantly permeated the air. The surrounding atmosphere seemingly became lighter, making one involuntarily feel a sense of joy.
This was the arc drawn by the ice sword, but what bloomed from its tip was not a chilling glint, but pinkish-white petals falling from the sky.
Chen Junting's brow twitched slightly as he realized his heartbeat had actually sped up by three beats in time with the falling petals, and a faint silhouette of Xiao Tian (Ning Tian) vaguely appeared in his mind.
This sword strike could be called the gentlest of traps. Although it was "Joy," it was more like a combination of "Joy" and "Love." When the opponent drowned in the false revelry and affection, the sword hidden within the petal illusion had already quietly sealed off all escape routes.
The triggered emotional outburst was still seen through in a single breath. For Chen Junting, who had been prepared, this was not difficult at all. Triggering just one of his four great sword auras was enough to break it.
Seeing the first sword fail, the second sword closely followed.
"Wrath"!
Furious and violent emotions erupted like a surging volcano!
Even though it was an ice sword of extreme cold, the surrounding temperature suddenly rose, as if ignited by this power of anger. A repressive, gunpowder-like scent filled the air. Chen Junting's expression remained unchanged; although a spark of anger was ignited in his heart, it was immediately snuffed out. He thrust out a sword, colliding with the ice sword.
He flicked his sword, and a sword qi slashed straight down!
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao immediately dodged.
"Buzz—"
But this ordinary sword qi tore the space it passed through into a vacuum.
Chen Junting's face remained as usual as he said calmly, "Come, continue."
As soon as the words fell, another bizarre fluctuation enveloped the entire scene. What was drawn out this time was a state of deep contemplation, enough to make a person's thoughts feel as if they had fallen into an endless maze, unable to extricate themselves.
Facing this, Chen Junting finally frowned. He rapidly circulated his mental power, but before he could shake off the entanglement of this emotion, Huo Yuhao's fourth and fifth swords arrived in succession.
The fourth sword brought sorrow and melancholy, like a cold, biting wind piercing straight into the bottom of one's heart. The surrounding light seemed to dim by a few degrees, making one involuntarily sink into deep depression; the fifth sword brought a sorrowful emotion that crashed down like a flood bursting through a dam, overwhelming everything. Everything around seemed to be shrouded in this grief, so silent that it made one feel despair.
With three swords attacking in unison, Chen Junting took a deep breath, and the light of his soul power flourished. Under the guidance of his sword intent, an extreme chill that seemed to bring death blocked the emotions outside his body.
The next second, "Slaughter!"
A sky-filling, ice-cold killing intent rampaged in all directions!
But what greeted this killing intent was shock and fear, pushing back against the intent to kill and the aura of death. If faced directly, it felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping one's heart, making their hair stand on end.
Amidst this barrage of emotional attacks, Chen Junting responded with composure, remaining as calm as ever within the complex and ever-changing tide of emotions.
After this brief exchange, a highly satisfied smile appeared on Chen Junting's face. With an effortless sword strike, he broke through Huo Yuhao's "Seven Emotions, Seven Injuries." He then raised his hand, signaling the sweating Huo Yuhao to stop, and slowly spoke.
"Yuhao, your mastery of the 'Seven Emotions, Seven Injuries' sword stance has reached my expectations. However, this is still far from enough. I hope you can forge your own path out of these Seven Emotions and Seven Injuries."
Huo Yuhao's right hand loosened, and the ice shattered.
"My own path..." He chewed on the words for a moment before saying, "Brother Junting, you want me to create a combat technique that belongs uniquely to me."
He wasn't unfamiliar with combat techniques. But creating one himself... it wasn't impossible!
"Correct."
Chen Junting's smile remained. He waved his hand to dispel the array patterns. Then, with a backhand wave, the Heaven-Deceiving array patterns spread across the palace.
"I can give you a direction."
After putting his soul tool away, Huo Yuhao obediently sat down cross-legged on the spot, assuming an attitude of being all ears. Hearing this, Ning Tian also curiously walked over to Chen Junting's side.
"You should have noticed that the seven emotions in the 'Seven Emotions, Seven Injuries' sword stance somewhat overlap. So, my first suggestion is to optimize the emotions, changing Joy, Anger, Worry, Thought, Sorrow, Shock, and Fear into the more foundational Joy, Anger, Grief, Delight, Love, Hatred, and Aversion. Secondly, deeply fuse your external martial arts with your internal cultivation, and then integrate these seven emotions into your seven great spirit souls, thereby creating an emotional combat technique that belongs entirely to you."
"Just like my Immortal-Slaying Sword Array."
Chen Junting had a smile on his lips. "Doesn't it pair perfectly?"
A flash of pleasant surprise instantly appeared in Huo Yuhao's eyes!
Brother Junting's words were like a profound awakening to him.
However, what made Huo Yuhao slightly puzzled was why Brother Junting wanted him to walk the path of creating his own emotional combat technique. Would it not work if it wasn't related to emotions? But when Huo Yuhao asked this question, Chen Junting only gave him a profound, meaningful look.
He didn't directly answer Huo Yuhao's question. Instead, he looked at him with deep eyes and asked in return, "Do you want to escape Tang San's control? Under my design, this is only the first step."
These two simple sentences rang in Huo Yuhao's ears like the strike of a massive bell, instantly setting off a thousand waves in his heart and leaving him lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.
Escape Tang San's control?
He dreamed of it!
He wanted himself and Dong'er to escape together!
But from Brother Junting's words, he also knew just how incredibly difficult this was. After all, Tang San was a powerhouse of the God Realm, a proper God King.
And what about him and Dong'er?
They were just two little nobodies.
That was all.
At the same time, the seven great spirit souls in Huo Yuhao's Spirit Sea, having sensed the external conversation, grew excited and began to stir. The most excited of all was, of course, the Tian Meng Ice Silkworm.
The Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's chubby white body bounced up and down in the Spirit Sea as it shouted loudly, "Wow, that's awesome!"
"Alright, alright! Stop yelling!"
Although a similar joy hung on the Ice Empress's face, she still waved her hand in disdain, then changed the topic, "But if Yuhao can really do it, it is indeed something worth congratulating."
These words received the agreement of all the spirit souls. Di Ya and Li La also looked deeply moved; after all, they never could have imagined that Lord Sea God would turn out to be that kind of person.
But at this moment, the Tian Meng Ice Silkworm spoke up. "Bingbing, that's not the main point."
"The main point is under what circumstances we can escape his control."
The Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's face was flushed with excitement. "Only by becoming a god!"
Although the Tian Meng Ice Silkworm had done nothing but eat and sleep his whole life, and his wisdom couldn't be called world-shocking, this time, he guessed correctly.
Amidst the astonished expressions of the other spirit souls...
"Yuhao, don't hesitate, hurry up and work hard! Don't show your brother any mercy, test it out on me to your heart's content. Let your brother wade through the muddy waters for Bingbing first! Who knows, this might be your key opportunity to become a god!"
Saying this, the Tian Meng Ice Silkworm wriggled its fat white body. Paired with that cheeky expression, it actually looked quite comical for a moment.
Seeing this, the Ice Empress retracted her astonished look. She coldly snorted from the side and, without any politeness, flicked her scorpion tail, sending the Tian Meng Ice Silkworm flying away like a cannonball. She scolded crossly, "You're the one who talks the most nonsense. Why don't you quiet down! Stop yelling blindly here and disturbing Yuhao's thoughts."
Then, she looked at Yuhao. "Yuhao, go ahead and do it with peace of mind. We support you."
These words also received the agreement of the other spirit souls. Octagonal, Li La, and Di Ya all gently expressed their support, and Di Ya the Sea Lion would fully cooperate. Even the Evil Eye, who was the least sociable of them all...
"Put in some effort. I want to become a god too."
"Brother Tianmeng, Ice Empress, and everyone else..."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and gathered his chaotic thoughts. As his consciousness withdrew from the Spirit Sea, he looked at Chen Junting, his gaze gradually firming up.
"Brother Junting, I understand."
Chen Junting nodded in satisfaction. "Good that you understand."
Saying this, he dispelled the array patterns.
As for his purpose in having Huo Yuhao develop an emotional combat technique, by now it could be said to be completely obvious. He was simply aiming for the God of Emotions—Rong Nianbing.
How did the original Huo Yuhao attract Rong Nianbing?
The answer was the "Hao-Dong Three Ultimate Skills."
The emotional bursts within this combat technique, coupled with Huo Yuhao's talent, were enough to attract Rong Nianbing to bestow his inheritance.
Now, Huo Yuhao hadn't created the "Hao-Dong Three Ultimate Skills" yet, and he no longer needed to. Since that was the case, what should be done?
Naturally, it was the path he had personally found for Huo Yuhao: combining the seven emotions with his spirit souls to create a combat technique that belonged solely to him... Only by weeding through the old to bring forth the new could he attract Rong Nianbing's attention.
As for why this was said to be the first step to escaping Tang San...
Were Tang San and Rong Nianbing on good terms?
Up to this point, one could only say they were average. Simply put, they were just nodding acquaintances.
Currently, Rong Nianbing's most important goal was to pass on his godhood. Given this, would Rong Nianbing—who was merely a nodding acquaintance with Tang San—let go of an inheritor like Huo Yuhao, who perfectly matched his godhood and possessed extraordinary talent?
The answer was no.
So, the moment Rong Nianbing completely settled on Huo Yuhao as his inheritor, the two sides would be tied together. Furthermore, Rong Nianbing was no weakling. Ten thousand years later, his strength was already comparable to a God King's. Even now, compared to Tang San, he was only slightly inferior. Thus, Tang San would also have to take Rong Nianbing's existence into consideration.
So, once Huo Yuhao had Rong Nianbing backing him...
Even if you wanted to deal with someone, you had to look at their backer, right.
Moreover, the messed-up, asinine things you, Tang San, were doing were completely unjustifiable; Huo Yuhao's side actually held the moral high ground!
It was precisely for this reason that Chen Junting made this decision.
But why was this called the first step...
Because if Tang San really intended to use force, even Rong Nianbing would be useless. But at the very least, for now, he could hold the fort. It was just that if Tang San personally stepped in, who knew how long that God of Emotions could hold out. If push came to shove, they would just look for the people above him.
Of course, that meant letting the God of Emotions spearhead the charge!
Chen Junting looked at Huo Yuhao, whose mind had sunk into deep thought, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Ning Tian, who was connected with him heart-to-heart, had already taken his hand, comforting him, "I think it'll be fine."
Chen Junting's brow seemed to reluctantly raise as he smiled. "That confident?"
"I've always been confident in you."
"Of course..."
Ning Tian looked at Huo Yuhao and said with a smile, "Including your good eye for Yuhao."
"Is that so."
Chen Junting laughed, looking very relaxed. He extended a finger and playfully scraped it against the bridge of Ning Tian's nose.
Right at that moment, Huo Yuhao also opened his eyes.
However, the first thing he saw was:
Mhm! I've had my fill of dog food.
Suddenly, he felt:
Dong'er, I miss you a little.
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