"Dong'er and I are half-siblings with the same mother but different fathers!?"
"No!!!"
"No!"
Huo Yuhao jolted awake from the constructed illusion. As his eyes snapped open, his upper body shot straight up from the sofa.
At this moment, the thrilling and horrifying scenes from the illusion still seemed vivid in his mind. His back was drenched in sweat, and large beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe them away, only then gradually coming back to his senses and realizing he had returned to reality.
Figuring this out, the agony and lingering fear from learning that piece of news gradually faded, and his eyes became clear again. Only then did he have the presence of mind to survey his surroundings, discovering that he was in an elegantly decorated room that very much matched the style of a sect.
"Am I... back at the sect?"
He pressed down on the sofa beneath him, his mind working hard to recall, and then gradually remembered that before falling into the illusion, he was by the shores of the Sea God Lake on Sea God Island at Shrek Academy.
"Yuhao, you're awake."
At this moment, the voice of the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm rang out in his mind.
Huo Yuhao quickly calmed his mind, bringing his consciousness to the Sea of Spirit. However, he found the seven great soul spirits all looking at him with smiles on their faces... Well, perhaps it was hard to tell with Octagonal and the Evil Eye in their true body states, but given their telepathic-like connection, Huo Yuhao couldn't shake the feeling that they were laughing at him too.
Thus, he turned his gaze to his Brother Tianmeng. The reason was none other than the fact that Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's grin was the widest, his expression the most inexplicable, giving Huo Yuhao an unusual sense of foreboding.
So, he asked, "Brother Tianmeng, what on earth are you laughing at!?"
Inexplicably, Huo Yuhao began to feel a little panicked.
However, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm just kept laughing, because before he could even open his mouth, a scorpion tail whipped out smoothly and swiftly. Under the accustomed gazes of the other soul spirits, it sent him flying.
Splash—
A sound of falling water rang out as Tianmeng Ice Silkworm directly dropped into the "seawater" of the Sea of Spirit. Immediately after, the Ice Empress's voice sounded; it seemed like a scolding, but in reality, she was forcefully suppressing her own laughter. "Still laughing! Show Yuhao some respect."
Clatter—
A hand emerged from the "seawater" first, followed closely by Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's head. His smile was gone, replaced by a wronged expression. He looked at the Ice Empress, "But Bingbing, when Yuhao was in the illusion just now, you were the one laughing the loudest the entire time."
"If you don't believe me, ask everyone; you were rolling around on the ground..."
Whoosh—
Before Tianmeng Ice Silkworm could finish speaking, a chill swept over his entire body, freezing him into a block of ice. As for the Ice Empress... she now had her fists clenched over her chest, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.
Clearly, she had been annoyed by Tianmeng's truthful words.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao also understood everything. His expression changed slightly, "So you're saying, everything I experienced in the illusion was watched by all of you without missing a single detail?"
Except for Tianmeng, the remaining six great soul spirits looked at each other.
"Alright, I admit I laughed."
"Uh... it was actually quite exciting."
"I also found it pretty engaging."
"Yuhao, your romance with Dong'er in the illusion made this old woman feel quite touched; I suppose it's probably similar in reality."
With every sentence spoken by the soul spirits, Huo Yuhao grew stiffer. Finally, he looked at Octagonal and the Evil Eye, who hadn't spoken yet, as if his eyes held a final glimmer of hope.
"Uh—" Octagonal froze slightly, as if in thought.
A moment later, "Don't worry, we know it was fake."
Finally, the Evil Eye's words were sparing, but they were a fatal blow.
"Truly melodramatic."
Buzz—
Instantly, Huo Yuhao's consciousness felt a resounding boom.
I'm doomed! I suddenly really want to die!
"Yuhao! Yuhao! Are you alright?"
"Cough, cough—that was just fake, fake."
"..."
Amidst the persuasion of the soul spirits, Huo Yuhao gradually came back to his senses. But he didn't linger any longer, directly withdrawing his consciousness from his Sea of Spirit, leaving the soul spirits looking at each other in dismay.
(Tianmeng Ice Silkworm: Hey—don't forget about me, I'm still frozen by my dear Bingbing! Remember to toss me some peanuts while you watch the show!)
At this very moment, just as Huo Yuhao had exited his Sea of Spirit and was questioning his very existence, the door to the room was suddenly knocked—knock-knock-knock—and then pushed open with a creak.
Huo Yuhao looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Chen Junting pushing the door open and entering. Seeing that Huo Yuhao was awake, Chen Junting put on a completely accustomed, unsurprised expression, saying flatly but with a hint of a smile on his lips, "You're awake."
Saying this, he stepped forward, handing Huo Yuhao a bottle of water while adding, "Look at how much you're sweating, drink some water to catch your breath."
Naturally, Huo Yuhao didn't need to stand on ceremony with Chen Junting. As he took the water and gulped it down in large mouthfuls, Chen Junting also answered his unasked questions about where he was and why he was lying on a sofa. "After you fell into the illusion, I had Old Gu bring you to the Nine Treasure Pavilion. 'Dreaming' on a sofa is still better than lying on a stone bench."
After watching him drink a few mouthfuls of water, Chen Junting continued to ask, "After experiencing all those things in the illusion, what are your insights? Do you have the confidence to perfect your self-created soul skill?"
Huo Yuhao swallowed the water in his mouth, his gaze incomparably resolute.
"I have the confidence!"
The self-confidence revealed in his eyes was practically overflowing.
However, before Chen Junting could show a satisfied reaction, Huo Yuhao's confident gaze shifted, replaced by a face full of resentment. This look even made Chen Junting feel a twinge of guilt.
"Big Brother Junting, did you know everything that happened in the illusion? Was it generated on its own, or did you make it up?"
"Cough, cough—" Chen Junting gave a dry cough. "Look at what you're saying."
His tone eased, instantly putting on a front of righteous confidence despite his inner guilt. "I couldn't monitor it in real-time, so how could I know specifically what happened in your illusion? As for how the illusion was generated..."
Then, glancing at the skeptical Huo Yuhao from the corner of his eye, he didn't lie completely, but "omitted" some details. "So, I can only say that, at most, I just tampered with your illusion a little. After all, you know, an experience is just a story, and a story can be made up in a few short minutes. Right?"
This made sense. Huo Yuhao also agreed with this explanation. Although his intuition told him there might be more to it, just as Big Brother Junting said, how could a story be made up just like that? Just like the stories in script novels, which one didn't require a long time to polish?
Besides, the plots in his illusion had never been heard of in any script novel; it could be called entirely original. As a soul master, Big Brother Junting devoted himself entirely to cultivation, so where would he find the time to research these kinds of things?
Put that way... it really did seem like he was being overly suspicious.
It was just that the plot inside truly made him feel uncomfortable, even nauseous. Especially the "Tang San" acting as the main villain, who unexpectedly used his "mother" to threaten him.
Just thinking about it made a surge of anger rise in his heart!
Chen Junting, who had been paying attention to Huo Yuhao's emotions all along, also sensed his restrained yet intense anger at this moment, and even a feeling of hatred mixed within. These two emotions were initially evenly matched, but as Huo Yuhao's rationality quickly returned, the hatred dissipated, leaving only the anger.
This immediately made Chen Junting realize that he was probably recalling a specific scene from the illusion. The one that best fit this...
Just thinking about it, Chen Junting's expression became inexplicable. To be precise, it was probably complicated.
Because there was only one scenario that fit this situation: "Tang San" using "Huo Yun'er's" life to threaten the illusionary Huo Yuhao into giving up "Wang Dong'er," while also backstabbing his friends.
The design of this point wasn't simply Chen Junting trying to manipulate Huo Yuhao's emotions; it also harbored his own ulterior motives.
After all, once they ascended to the Divine Realm in the future, he and Tang San would definitely fall out, and once Huo Yuhao became a god, he would inevitably stand on his side. By then, Huo Yun'er's soul being in Tang San's hands would become the greatest uncertain factor. After all, she was his mother; no one could guarantee what would happen.
Interspersing such a personal agenda within the illusion, aside from leaving a bit of a psychological suggestion for Huo Yuhao, was mainly to see what kind of choice Huo Yuhao would make when faced with this situation.
In this regard, Chen Junting was indeed being a bit of a "petty man." He admitted it. But he couldn't just leave a hidden danger unchecked; he at least had to be prepared.
However, the final result was evidently satisfactory to him.
As Huo Yuhao's emotions returned to calm and he set the water bottle aside, Chen Junting asked, "Are you rested enough?"
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao nodded and hurriedly stood up.
"Alright then, come out with me." After Chen Junting finished speaking, he turned and walked out the door. Seeing this, Huo Yuhao hurriedly followed.
As they walked, Chen Junting continued talking. "Chatting with you just now took a bit too long; I've made Xiao Tian and the others wait for quite a while. By the way, start thinking now—counting yourself, who are the seven you'd recommend to go to the Sea God Family?"
Huo Yuhao was slightly surprised. "My recommendations?" Did he have that authority?
Chen Junting, however, waved his hand and said, "It just looks a bit more democratic in form. Anyway, the seven people will more or less be the same; everyone's choices won't differ much, or might even be identical."
Hearing this... Huo Yuhao couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Soon, the two arrived at another tearoom. At this moment, Ning Tian, Gu Tianchen, and Wu Feng were already waiting inside.
Seeing Chen Junting and Huo Yuhao enter, "Hurry it up, will you? I've been waiting until the flowers have wilted." As soon as she opened her mouth, Wu Feng started complaining. Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile, pressing his palms together and raising them slightly above his head. "Alright! Sister Xiaofeng, this one's on me."
"Enough, sit down and let's talk business." Chen Junting pulled open a chair, and at the same time leaned his body to the side, reaching past Ning Tian to rest his hand on the back of Wu Feng's chair. With a gentle pull, he made Wu Feng—who seemed to be leaning back—"stumble" and "nearly" fall to the ground. Before she could react, a single scolding made her sit up straight obediently.
"We're talking business, don't slouch!"
This made Wu Feng mutter under her breath, "There are no outsiders here."
Chen Junting pretended not to hear. Then, once Huo Yuhao took his seat, he got straight to the point, cutting right to the chase and stating that they were going to discuss the candidates heading to the Sea God Family for the Divine Trial.
At the same time, he asked Ning Tian beside him, "How's the progress? The preliminary roster must be set, right?"
His tone grew increasingly serious, "No matter what, this is a Divine Trial. From another perspective, for geniuses, this is the foundation for becoming a god. Therefore, the seven selected individuals must not be inferior to the original Shrek Seven Devils in terms of talent, mental fortitude, and willpower."
At this moment, Huo Yuhao suddenly signaled.
Seeing this, Chen Junting said, "Yuhao, go ahead."
"Do these seven candidates need to be discussed with the Sect Master?" Out of rigorousness, he asked, but unexpectedly, Ning Tian waved her hand.
"No need."
"That's correct on this matter." Chen Junting followed up, "Uncle Ning has said beforehand that for things like this, Xiao Tian and I can make the decision."
"Then I understand."
Chen Junting nodded slightly, then looked at Ning Tian and the other two. "In that case, let's talk about who should be selected."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Tian and the other two, plus Huo Yuhao who already had a rough idea, proposed six of the candidates.
They were Dugu Xin, Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, Wu Feng, Gu Tianchen, and Ji Juechen. As for the final candidate...
Ning Tian hesitated slightly, looking at Chen Junting. "Brother Junting, do you want to go..."
"No." Before Ning Tian could finish speaking, Chen Junting waved his hand in refusal. Because he knew what Ning Tian wanted to say, "For me, the Divine Trial holds little significance." Saying this, he turned to Ning Tian again: "You don't need to go for this Divine Trial either, Xiao Tian."
"Alright." Ning Tian didn't hesitate, nodding in agreement without asking for the reason, because she knew Brother Junting would never harm her.
"Since the two of us aren't going, then this last person..."
After a brief thought, Ning Tian looked sideways at Chen Junting. "Is it Guyi or Qiuqiu, or perhaps Qin Lan and the others?"
Among the younger generation, those with good talent were pretty much all here. However, one could also tell from Ning Tian's words that regarding these candidates, she was more inclined toward Ye Guyi, because she, possessing the Holy Angel Martial Soul, undoubtedly had immense potential.
But then again, Ye Guyi's identity...
Actually, Chen Junting also had doubts about this in his heart. But it wasn't between Ye Guyi and the Sea God Family. After all, no matter what, just like the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's attitude toward her, the past was the past; perhaps the Sea God Family didn't even remember.
What truly made Chen Junting hesitant was that as a descendant of the Qian family, once Ye Guyi went to the Sea God Family, she would be on Tang San's turf. And Tang San's influence and mindset were unpredictable; no one could be sure if he would pettily target Ye Guyi.
Ultimately, however, he still decided to let Ye Guyi go. He figured that with the Angel God's divine throne shattered, Ye Guyi had lost the possibility of becoming a god; at most, she would become a Limit Douluo, and becoming a god would be as hard as ascending to the heavens. Such an existence would be like an ant in the eyes of a God King like Tang San, not worthy of his excessive attention.
Thus, the seven candidates were finally decided.
It was just that when Gu Tianchen asked why he also didn't let Ning Tian go, Chen Junting merely said, "I'll keep that a secret for now." This couldn't help but make Gu Tianchen feel a little helpless, so he didn't ask further.
Afterward, they reported the seven candidates for the Divine Trial to the sect and had the seven of them quickly gather at Shrek Academy.
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