I have touched the peaks and slid into the valleys, and both have benefited me greatly.
Ma Hongjun indeed had a lot of experience. Regarding last night's challenge, he had tens of thousands of words of victory speech in his mind, but no one listened.
That's right, one against four, Ma Hongjun won.
This was a historic breakthrough.
Outsiders only saw Ma Hongjun's achievements, but they didn't know his hard work day and night. So every successful person is not easy; they all have their own unknown struggles.
…
Tourism, group tours.
A group of young men and women walking together will undoubtedly spark many flames.
Especially under the catalysis of someone like Ma Hongjun who is born with a fiery passion, it inevitably accelerated the speed of others getting together.
In addition to the already paired Dai Mubai and Xiang Chengxian; Oscar and Xiao Yuanyuan; Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan,
Ning Huahua and Di Xin seemed to have sparked a connection.
Di Xin's martial soul is water element, and Ma Hongjun gave Di Xin all the water attribute treasures that he originally reserved for Ma Ming's treatment, ten pieces of ten-thousand-year crystal milk.
With this supreme water-attribute treasure, Di Xin's martial soul underwent a qualitative leap and evolution. This made Di Xin younger and more confident.
Although she was slightly older than Ning Huahua, her mature and steady nature won Ning Huahua's admiration.
Her confidence led Di Xin to accept Ning Huahua's affections.
Their relationship was somewhat like that of Xiang Chengxian and Dai Mubai, with the woman controlling the pace.
Meanwhile, the unruly Gu Tianlong gained Yue Ruying's adoration. Yue Ruying was the kind of indecisive fangirl who always followed Di Xin's lead.
Even now, in her dating life, she chose someone close to her brother-in-law.
Most surprisingly, Jiang Zhu fell for Chen Cheng.
Ma Hongjun had previously thought that Senior Jiang Zhu preferred older men like Ning Fengzhi, but now it seemed otherwise.
However, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Cheng shared a common trait: gentleness.
They were the kind of refined and elegant men.
Although Chen Cheng was currently the lowest-ranked among them, he wasn't the weakest.
He was the second genius after Ma Hongjun.
Since obtaining the Three-Leaf Sword Grass, in just over half a year, Chen Cheng has cultivated to the Soul Venerable realm.
This is terrifying; in half a year, he has advanced more than twenty levels.
Chen Cheng seems to have no bottlenecks, his cultivation is divinely aided.
Moreover, Chen Cheng's strength is not reflected in his soul skills, but in his swordsmanship. He cultivates sword energy, and using the Three-Leaf Sword Grass, he can unleash hundreds of sword energies, each comparable to the attack power of a Soul Master.
The increase in soul power is only his basic strength, and cannot be considered his true strength.
He is like a born swordsman, creating many exquisite sword techniques, even Sword Douluo is full of praise and admits his inferiority.
Ma Hongjun even wondered if Chen Cheng had obtained the inheritance of some sword immortal.
Or perhaps, there is a god in this world
called—
the Sword God!
In short, after more than two months of getting along, these three couples have begun to show results.
This trip organized by Ma Hongjun is more like a large-scale matchmaking event.
There are also two women that Ma Hongjun dares not look directly at:
Bai Chenxiang and Ye Lingling!
From the finals, during the battle between Heaven Dou and Spirit Hall, Ma Hongjun stepped in to embrace the two injured women, and later avenged them in the same way.
This sparked a slight idea in the two women's minds!
Especially Bai Chenxiang, whose naked body Ma Hongjun had accidentally seen, a memory that lingered in their minds.
So, whenever Ma Hongjun was having fun with the four women, he would always avoid Bai Chenxiang and Ye Lingling to avoid an awkward atmosphere.
What Ma Hongjun didn't know was that every time the two women saw Ma Hongjun having fun with the four women, they fantasized about joining in.
It was a very normal yet strange psychological need.
Because of Ma Hongjun's special nature, they had this idea.
If the object was a one-on-one couple like Dai Mubai or Oscar, they would hide their feelings and not express them.
But Ma Hongjun was different; he had already taken four women, so he didn't care about the number, and one or two more wouldn't matter.
With this thought in mind, Bai Chenxiang and Ye Lingling could no longer look Ma Hongjun in the eye. Whenever they saw Ma Hongjun, images would involuntarily appear in their minds.
The women's keen intuition naturally detected the unusual behavior of the two women. From their unusual actions towards Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong and the other three women could easily guess what was going on.
However, being selfish, they didn't want anyone else involved.
So, they chose to ignore it.
But after last night's events, their thinking changed.
Ma Hongjun's growing strength forced them to consider the future.
Perhaps, bringing Bai Chenxiang and Ye Lingling into the picture wouldn't be a bad thing.
Ma Hongjun couldn't possibly fathom the thoughts of women.
What intrigued him now was that Bai Chenxiang and Ye Lingling were always inseparable, even sleeping together in hotel rooms. This made him wonder if they had discovered a new world.
Regardless, the relationships among these newcomers were progressing rapidly, with each secretly going on dates.
What troubled Ma Hongjun, the matchmaker, was the long-time couple, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.
Yu Xiaogang was a meticulous person, and he seemed unable to let go.
Marrying Liu Erlong was a challenge to his years of learning.
Furthermore, he had already lost his purity back in Wuhun City; although outwardly forced, he couldn't deny his inner reluctance.
Yu Xiaogang felt he had half-heartedly submitted that time.
Afterwards, he felt no remorse, which made him feel extremely guilty towards Liu Erlong.
Now, she's still troubled, unsure how to live with Liu Erlong.
Unlike Yu Xiaogang's indecisiveness, Liu Erlong is much more direct and decisive.
She doesn't have many considerations; love is love. Liu Erlong's pursuit on this path is like Zhu Zhuqing's pursuit of freedom—
pure and persistent .
This trip is a good opportunity for her.
She's always wanted to win Yu Xiaogang over.
Loneliness is a far more tormenting experience for a woman than for a man.
Although Liu Erlong is no longer young, life expectancy is relatively high in this world, and she's currently in her prime.
Women at this age
are like wolves and tigers.
During this time, their relationship has been difficult. Yu Xiaogang constantly avoids her, and they've fallen into an awkward situation.
They live as husband and wife, but always stand on the threshold of brother and sister.
Ma Hongjun really wants to criticize the author of Douluo Continent; why did he set it up this way? It's too cruel.
Whether Yu Xiaogang moves forward or backward, it's a sin.
Master, it's too difficult.
From the moment Ma Hongjun met the master until now, even though he wasn't a doctor, he could tell that the master suffered from mental illness—depression!
Such torment from fate would be unbearable even for the strongest person.
From the master's perspective, Ma Hongjun felt that whatever choice he made was right.
Whether he became a Buddha or a demon, it would be a liberation for him. Becoming
a Buddha meant purifying his mind and desires, completely severing emotional ties;
becoming a demon meant falling into a deep abyss, doing whatever was comfortable.
But the indecisive master chose to remain human, suffering endless torment, and those around him were also not freed.
The master was too stubborn; heaven hadn't ordained him as a human, yet he insisted on taking this path.
Ma Hongjun couldn't stand this; love shouldn't be played like this, love should bring joy.
If the master were the only one suffering, Ma Hongjun thought he should just endure it, since it was his own fault. But the master's indecisiveness caused those around him to suffer as well.
Bibi Dong, needless to say, had completely gone mad, although not solely because of the master, but the master was largely responsible.
Liu Erlong was also on the verge of madness, now a complete tigress.
What puzzled Ma Hongjun most was Flander.
Ma Hongjun felt sorry for his teacher; Flander had always loved Liu Erlong, but knowing Liu Erlong loved Master, he voluntarily withdrew, allowing them to be together.
If the two weren't happy, Flander's sacrifice of love would be the most painful. What
Flander wanted most now was for them to be happy; otherwise, his sacrifice would be meaningless.
Their unhappiness was also torture for him.
To quickly resolve Master's problem, Ma Hongjun also planned to find Flander a companion.
Therefore, Ma Hongjun felt Master had to make a choice—either back down or forward, not stand still like a woman.
Ma Hongjun took out the soul bone from the jade in his belt:
the Right Arm Bone of Exploding Burning Flames.
This soul bone had been assigned to Ma Hongjun because his second martial soul was the Fire Phoenix.
However, Ma Hongjun had tried, and his right hand had already fused with the right palm bone of the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
The flaming right arm and the dark gold dinosaur claw have different attributes and are incompatible, so they cannot be fused. Ma Hongjun temporarily kept it, thinking he would try again when he had the chance.
Since the end of the competition, Ma Hongjun has tried many times, but it is still difficult to fuse them.
Soul bone fusion cannot be forced. If he hadn't been certain that the flaming right arm was truly suitable for him, Ma Hongjun wouldn't have dared to try so many times.
After several failures, Ma Hongjun dared not force it any further. Soul bones were precious treasures; if he were to forcibly integrate them into his right arm, even if it amplified his fire-attribute abilities, the constant conflict with his metal-attribute right palm bone would inevitably affect his strength.
In severe cases, it might even cause him to lose his entire arm.
Both soul bones were powerful, but sometimes combining strengths isn't necessarily good.
Just like two tigers cannot share one mountain, two powerful soul bones would inevitably compete.
Therefore, Ma Hongjun decided to give up.
Soul bones were so valuable that selling them was out of the question, and exchanging them for something suitable would be difficult as well.
Giving them to Liu Erlong was the most suitable option. Her martial soul was a fire dragon, and this soul bone was undoubtedly the most suitable for her.
Ma Hongjun was still grateful to Liu Erlong; she had painstakingly created the Blue Tyrant Academy, and she had given it to Flander without hesitation.
This, no matter what, was a sign of trust and friendship.
Ma Hongjun found the master and retrieved his fiery right arm.
"Hongjun, what is this…?"
"Master, I want to give this soul bone to Teacher Erlong.
Please let me finish. This soul bone…"
Ma Hongjun explained to the master why the soul bone wasn't suitable for him and why his previous attempts to fuse with other soul bones had failed.
"Hongjun, you can keep the soul bone and use it to exchange for a suitable one."
The master didn't question why Ma Hongjun wanted to give away the soul bone and didn't go directly to Liu Erlong, but instead approached him first.
This proved that he already considered Liu Erlong as family.
However, the fact that the master immediately thought of Ma Hongjun showed that he genuinely cared about him.
The master knew the importance of the soul bone to Ma Hongjun; twin martial souls required collecting six soul bones to deal with the problem of soul bone backlash. Therefore, Ma Hongjun needed the soul bone more than others.
"Finding a suitable soul bone for exchange is easier said than done. And even if we find a suitable one, we can obtain it through other means; exchange isn't always necessary.
Let's give the soul bone to Teacher Erlong. I've noticed it hasn't fused; its power seems to be dissipating.
We don't have a soul tool to store soul bones, and over time, such a fine soul bone might lose its effectiveness."
Ma Hongjun needed to come up with this reason.
Otherwise, an elder like Grandmaster would definitely refuse in every way.
Soul bones exposed to the elements do indeed dissipate energy, but very slowly. They
generally require special treasures to contain them, but even then, they will weaken over time; the treasures simply lengthen the process.
The Spirit Hall didn't provide them with soul tools to store soul bones in the first place.
"Alright, Master, no need to refuse. This is for Teacher Erlong, not for you. Don't refuse on his behalf.
You are all Hongjun's teachers, and he remembers your care for him. Besides, without your guidance, we wouldn't have been able to win this soul bone.
Furthermore, if you encounter a suitable soul bone for Hongjun in the future, wouldn't you help him collect it?
So, we're all family, no need to be so formal."
The Master took the soul bone, looking at its crystal-clear, crimson color, and didn't refuse again.
Ma Hongjun was right. If they encountered a suitable soul bone for him, they would help him collect it without hesitation, no matter the cost.
"Hongjun, you've all grown up!"
The Master didn't know what to say. In truth, he also wanted Liu Erlong to obtain the soul bone.
"Master, we don't need to be so formal. Please take this soul bone to Teacher Erlong quickly.
The energy of this soul bone will continue to weaken as long as it remains unclaimed. Every bit of time wasted is a loss."
Ma Hongjun urged, making a fuss over nothing.
The soul bone, of course, didn't expire as easily as he claimed.
The main reason was that Ma Hongjun had tampered with the soul bone, and he was afraid the master would notice.
The master looked at the soul bone again; indeed, wisps of fiery energy were emanating from the crimson bone.
The master didn't suspect anything; instead, he truly believed Ma Hongjun's confident words—the soul bone was indeed dissipating energy.
Although the master was erudite and had studied many things, he had rarely seen genuine soul bones, and fire-attribute soul bones were indeed difficult to store.
The master took the soul bone and left, heading towards Liu Erlong's room. Only
after the master left did Ma Hongjun feel relieved.
"He probably didn't notice; it seems things will work out,"
Ma Hongjun chuckled to himself.
He incorporated a portion of his own flames into the fiery right arm bone.
Ma Hongjun's flames were very malevolent; previously, Ma Hongjun thought it was due to an incomplete mutation.
But after consuming the immortal medicine, Ma Hongjun discovered that the malevolence of this bone was not so simple.
It's unclear whether it was because Ma Hongjun consumed two celestial herbs simultaneously, causing their effects to neutralize, or for some other reason.
The evil within him still existed, but it was no longer as uncontrollable as before, nor would it erupt intermittently.
The energy within his body not only didn't weaken, but actually increased, though fortunately he could control it.
This was his capital to fight four or even more opponents at once.
Meanwhile,
the master entered Liu Erlong's room and took out the soul bone.
Liu Erlong looked on in confusion.
The master explained Ma Hongjun's explanation again.
"Erlong, hurry up and fuse it, I'll protect you!"
Liu Erlong nodded and said softly,
"Hongjun is such a good boy!"
Then, Liu Erlong began to fuse the soul bone.
Time slowly passed, and the sun gradually set.
That night,
the firelight blazed brightly in Liu Erlong's room.
This was the crucial moment for fusing the soul bone. The fire attribute soul bone was extremely volatile and not so easy to fuse, especially with Ma Hongjun adding his own flame. Ma Hongjun's flame was known to be very unique.
However, Liu Erlong was a Soul Saint, and with the attribute compatibility, this power wasn't difficult for her. This was why Ma Hongjun dared to add his flame.
If it were someone weaker, Ma Hongjun wouldn't dare do this; it would be tantamount to murder.
Sweat beaded on Liu Erlong's forehead, gradually increasing.
The Grandmaster watched, puzzled and deeply worried.
Suddenly, Liu Erlong underwent a transformation; a wisp of purple flame emanated from her right arm.
Her clothes vanished in an instant.
Fortunately, Liu Erlong managed to control her power in time.
The Grandmaster also broke out in a sweat, unable to look directly at her.
His hands clenched tightly, palms damp with sweat; he had a familiar premonition.
A moment later, Liu Erlong opened her eyes, but now they were bloodshot.
"Xiao Gang~~"
Liu Erlong called softly.
Ma Hongjun had been watching Liu Erlong's room. The red light suddenly disappeared; he knew the soul bone fusion was complete.
Now, success or failure depended on the Grandmaster.
The Grandmaster had better not rush out the door, or Ma Hongjun would feel an urge to punch him.
Thankfully, the door remained still.
But thinking about it, with Liu Erlong's Soul Saint strength, it was difficult for the Grandmaster, only a Soul Venerable, to escape her grasp.
Sure enough, something happened…
While Ma Hongjun was secretly pleased,
Liu Erlong had gradually lost her mind.
The Grandmaster, like a dead fish, could only let out a lowly, self-deprecating cry from the depths of his heart,
"Bibi Dong, Liu Erlong, why did you treat me the same way!"