Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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After the All-Continent High-Rank Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament officially concluded, the audience left in an orderly manner.
The participating Students could return to the Star Emperor Hotel through a special passage, but Huo Yuhao did not leave with the rest of Shrek. Instead, he found his mother, Huo Yun'er, in the audience.
She just sat there, quiet and still.
The surrounding crowd surged past like a tide, but she remained motionless, her eyes red as she stared toward the stage.
"Mom!" Huo Yuhao walked up to her and called out.
No explanation was needed; with just a single look, Huo Yun'er understood everything.
Huo Yun'er looked at her son, and her tears finally fell uncontrollably, though she was smiling.
She held Huo Yuhao's hand and looked him over from head to toe, afraid of missing any detail, and asked softly, "Are you hurt?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "I'm fine."
He paused, gripped his mother's hand, and said gently, "Let's go back to the hotel, Mom."
Earlier, while fighting Dai Hao on the stage, Huo Yun'er's changing expression had not escaped Huo Yuhao's notice.
He had seen her expression shift from complexity to anger, from anger to disappointment, and from disappointment to calm.
Finally, when she looked at Dai Hao, there were no longer any ripples in her eyes, as if she were looking at a stranger.
Huo Yuhao knew that his plan had succeeded. His mother would no longer harbor any unrealistic fantasies about Dai Hao. Those memories of her youth and the feelings buried deep in her heart were completely severed today.
After escorting his mother back to her room, Huo Yuhao also returned to the Star Emperor Hotel. Just as he entered the lobby, before he could see anyone else, he was pulled aside by Yan Shaozhe.
This Dean of Shrek's Martial Soul Department had completely lost his usual elegant and composed demeanor. He grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm and led him toward a secluded spot, his pace quick and urgent.
The two entered an empty room. Yan Shaozhe closed the door behind them and immediately asked three questions in succession, each more eager than the last.
"Yuhao, what was that spirit tool armor you used on the stage earlier?"
"Did you research it yourself?"
"Can it be mass-produced?"
His eyes were incredibly bright, burning with a heat that Huo Yuhao had never seen before. As a traditional Spirit Master, he had always opposed the use of Spirit Tools, believing that cold metal would affect a Spirit Master's understanding of their own Spirit. Having served as the Dean of the Martial Soul Department for so many years, he had never wavered from this stance.
But after seeing the boost that spirit tool armor gave to Huo Yuhao's Spirit Power today, he truly couldn't restrain himself.
After all, that was a twenty-level increase in Spirit Power!
From Spirit King to Spirit Saint, it spanned two entire Realms.
In fact, showcasing the power of the Battle Armor was part of Huo Yuhao's plan; it was one of his trump cards for establishing himself after leaving Shrek Academy in the future.
He wanted everyone to see that his value, Huo Yuhao's value, lay not only in being a Genius Spirit Master but also in possessing technology that could change the landscape of the entire Spirit Master's world.
Seeing Yan Shaozhe's excited expression, Huo Yuhao smiled. "This Spirit Tool is called Battle Armor. It's a new type of Spirit Tool I've been researching."
He naturally couldn't reveal that he had transmigrated across Ten Thousand Years of time, so from the moment he brought out the Battle Armor, he was destined to be the future 'Father of Battle Armor'.
He then added, "The Battle Armor is still in the research stage and cannot be mass-produced yet."
Hearing this, the heat in Yan Shaozhe's eyes faded slightly.
He asked again, "Your Battle Armor can already increase Spirit Power by twenty levels, and it's still in the research stage?"
His tone carried a hint of disbelief, as if to say, "Is this not enough? How much more research does it need?"
"The current Battle Armor is still unstable. Only a Spirit King can wear it, and the higher the cultivation level later on, the weaker the effect of wearing it."
Huo Yuhao didn't explain too much, only offering that one sentence.
And what he said was true; the boost from a One-Word Battle Armor was indeed minimal after reaching Spirit Saint.
Seeing that Yan Shaozhe wanted to ask more, Huo Yuhao forestalled him. "Once we return to the academy, I will speak with Elder Mu about the Battle Armor."
Yan Shaozhe nodded upon hearing this and stopped asking about the Battle Armor. In his view, as long as Huo Yuhao was there, the Battle Armor would eventually belong to the academy.
Afterward, his expression became much more solemn. He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Xiaotao's Evil Fire breakout this time is unusual. Even with your Ultimate Ice suppression, there's still no sign of her waking up."
As her teacher, he had gone to check on Ma Xiaotao's condition as soon as the match ended.
This time, besides the Battle Armor, his second reason for finding Huo Yuhao was for his disciple.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's expression also turned serious. "Sister Xiaotao's Evil Fire was ignited by dark attribute power, so it naturally won't be as easy to suppress as usual."
"I sensed it at the time; that dark attribute has already fused with Sister Xiaotao." He paused and looked into Yan Shaozhe's eyes. "I'm afraid Sister Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix is going to turn into a Dark Phoenix."
Yan Shaozhe's Spirit was the Bright Phoenix, and he had also sensed the change in Ma Xiaotao's Spirit through his investigation. His expression dimmed, his face filled with exhaustion and heartache.
He sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness. "It's just Xiaotao's bad luck."
Huo Yuhao's next sentence, however, reignited hope in Yan Shaozhe's eyes. "However, if Sister Xiaotao can find life after destruction, she might be able to completely resolve her Evil Fire problem."
Yan Shaozhe's eyes instantly lit up. He asked hurriedly, his voice trembling slightly, "You have a way?"
In the World Ten Thousand Years in the future, Huo Yuhao had learned from Leng Yaozhu that the Tang Sect possessed the Secret Realm of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
It was said that many Immortal Herbs grew there, each being a spiritual essence of heaven and earth, greatly beneficial to a Spirit Master's cultivation.
He would go there sooner or later. As long as he remembered the location, even if Ten Thousand Years had passed and the World had changed, he was confident he could find it Ten Thousand Years in the past.
There might be an Immortal Herb there that could solve Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire. However, these things couldn't be confirmed yet, so Huo Yuhao did not give a definite answer. He wasn't the type of person who liked to make grand boasts; he wouldn't speak with certainty if he wasn't sure.
He smiled, his expression carrying a bit of comfort. "Not having a way now doesn't mean there won't be one later. We can't just give up, and maybe Elder Mu has a solution?"
"Right! There's also Teacher. He is a Limit Douluo with vast experience; perhaps he has a way." Yan Shaozhe muttered to himself, the light returning to his eyes.
He was like a drowning man clutching at a straw, unable to wait even a moment.
Finally, he looked at Huo Yuhao, his speaking speed much faster. "I'll take Xiaotao back to the academy today. You can leave with the others later."
After saying that, Yan Shaozhe left in a hurry.
...
After Yan Shaozhe left, the rest of Shrek Academy didn't stay in Star Luo for long.
After receiving the tournament rewards, they set off to return to Shrek Academy on the third day after the competition ended.
What they didn't know was that at this time, in the White Tiger Dukes Mansion outside Star Luo City, a good show was about to unfold.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.