Hmph!
Leng Yaozhu let out a cold snort, her usually aloof face now covered in a layer of frost.
The evil soul masters are getting more and more arrogant lately! The federation isn't doing anything about it, just letting these criminals run wild!
After hearing Huo Yuhao explain everything that happened on his trip back, Leng Yaozhu felt a surge of intense killing intent toward those evil soul masters. The reckless attacks on the soul tool train, the innocent people who died such horrible deaths, and that spirit emperor who dared to target Huo Yuhao specifically made her blood boil with anger.
However, her harsh expression soon began to soften.
She looked at her two favorite disciples, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue, with a face full of pride and satisfaction. Being able to kill a spirit emperor while only at the spirit ancestor level was an incredible feat of combat power that even the great Yun Ming could not have matched when he was young.
She thought about this silently, and a small smile appeared on the corners of her mouth without her even realizing it.
It's getting late now. You two should go and get some proper rest today.
She stopped for a second and turned her attention toward Huo Yuhao.
Make sure you save up your energy so you can complete your breakthrough tomorrow.
Huo Yuhao gave a polite nod. I understand, Aunt Leng.
Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue then walked out of the room, their footsteps slowly getting quieter as they moved down the hallway.
The next morning, after they finished breakfast, Leng Yaozhu took Huo Yuhao away with her. They walked through the busy and crowded streets of Shrek City until they finally reached a small, quiet courtyard located on the very edge of the city.
The courtyard was not very big, but it was incredibly peaceful, tucked away behind several ancient trees and completely hidden from the noisy world outside. This was actually a private property owned by the Phoenix family within Shrek City, and people almost never visited it on normal days.
Once they reached the underground cultivation room, Leng Yaozhu spoke up, explaining that the Spirit Pagoda was full of spies working for Qiangu Dongfeng, so it was much safer to do this here.
She paused for a moment, her face becoming much more serious than before.
Yuhao, are you absolutely sure you are ready to try condensing a soul core while you are still just a spirit king?
Huo Yuhao gave a firm and serious nod. Aunt Leng, I have already compressed my spirit power as much as it can possibly go. If I do not condense a soul core now, it will start to get in the way of my future progress.
Leng Yaozhu was very familiar with Huo Yuhao's physical condition and knew he had been carefully compressing his energy for a long time, making his foundation much stronger than a normal person's. Still, she could not help but feel a bit nervous about him attempting something as massive as condensing a soul core at such a young age.
After all, a soul core was a huge deal. Usually, spirit masters only try to form their very first soul core when they are about to become a titled douluo.
But it was very clear that Huo Yuhao was not a normal spirit master by any definition.
She asked him one more time, Which soul core are you planning to form first?
Huo Yuhao answered her immediately without any doubt. The records of history say that I formed my first soul core when I was a spirit saint, and it was a spirit soul core located right in the center of my forehead.
Even though I am doing this much earlier in this life, I still plan to condense a spirit soul core in the center of my brow just like before.
Leng Yaozhu watched him closely, her eyes shimmering with emotion. His young face was filled with a sense of complete certainty and focus.
There was not a single trace of doubt or fear in his eyes. He simply stood there in front of her, calmly telling her what he had decided to do.
Leng Yaozhu suddenly smiled, feeling a mix of relief, pride, and a few other complicated emotions she couldn't quite name.
Aunt Leng believes in you.
She reached out her hand and gave Huo Yuhao's shoulder a gentle, supportive pat.
You can begin whenever you feel ready.
Huo Yuhao immediately sat down on the floor with his legs crossed and closed his eyes, turning his focus inward toward his own body. The spirit power inside him felt like a powerful, boiling river that was surging with immense strength.
With a single thought, he sent that long-accumulated energy crashing toward the level fifty barrier.
Boom!
The barrier was as thin and weak as a piece of paper, and he smashed right through it in an instant! At the same time, the spirit soul known as Rebirth flew out from inside his spiritual sea.
The ten thousand year Rebirth Butterfly opened its deep blue wings and flew in a circle around Huo Yuhao, the eye-shaped patterns on its wings glowing with a strange light. Then, a black spirit ring quickly began to form, surrounding Huo Yuhao's body as it settled into place.
In just a few seconds, Huo Yuhao had successfully reached the spirit king realm. He didn't run into a single problem or obstacle during the entire process.
Everything happened as smoothly and naturally as if it were always meant to be. With his eyes still closed, Huo Yuhao sat quietly and felt the new, surging power inside him as he adjusted to being a spirit king.
That energy was much denser and thicker than it had been before, flowing through his meridians and giving him a sense of power he had never felt. A moment later, he opened his eyes.
A quick flash of golden light appeared in his clear blue pupils. He held up his right hand, and the spirit power in his body began to flow toward his palm like a stream of water.
The energy first formed into a glowing ball of light that kept getting bigger and brighter. Then, that ball started to spin slowly, looking like a tiny tornado dancing in the middle of his palm.
Leng Yaozhu stood nearby with a very serious look on her face, watching his hand closely without even blinking. She was already circulating her own power, making sure she was ready to jump in and help if anything went wrong.
But so far, every part of the process was going very well. The vortex of power in Huo Yuhao's hand started spinning faster and faster.
As it reached a high speed, the liquid energy gradually began to turn into a solid form. Little sparks of crystalline light started to show up right in the middle of the spinning vortex.
That was the sign of solid-state spirit power! Right at that exact moment, the power of heaven and earth in the surrounding area was suddenly triggered!
It was as if the energy had been called by a signal, and it started rushing in from every direction toward the soul core forming in his hand. The natural energy was so thick it almost looked solid, creating a visible whirlpool of power right there in the room.
This scene was exactly like what happens when a high-level spirit master tries to become a titled douluo! If he had tried to do this at the Spirit Pagoda, a huge disturbance like this would have been noticed by Qiangu Dongfeng immediately.
Luckily, Leng Yaozhu had planned ahead and picked this isolated spot. Not only was the energy from the outside world pouring in, but the power inside Huo Yuhao's own body was also being pushed to the limit to join the vortex.
A faint golden glow began to appear around the edges of the growing vortex, looking like a golden ring. That was Huo Yuhao's own mental force, which was now mixing and merging with his spirit power.
It was only because his mental force had reached the spirit abyss realm that he was able to keep such a tight grip on the energy, preventing it from exploding or spinning out of control. The spirit power, which was originally a milky-white color, was slowly turning gold as more of his mental force was added to the mix.
While he was busy controlling the formation of the core, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but think back to the history books he had studied. He realized why those books called his first core a spirit soul core.
It turned out that when mental force is added during the condensation process, it becomes so tightly wrapped up with the spirit power that they can never be pulled apart again. Inside that soul core, the raw strength of spirit power and the mystery of mental force were perfectly joined together as one.
As the soul core reached the very last stage of formation, Huo Yuhao's expression became even more serious. His handsome face was now completely filled with deep focus and effort.
Tiny drops of sweat started to form on his forehead, and his breathing began to get a little bit faster. It was obvious that he was feeling a huge amount of pressure from trying to control this violent, solid energy.
That power was simply too massive and dangerous; even one tiny mistake could cause everything to fail. Leng Yaozhu stood right there, her eyes locked onto Huo Yuhao.
She was prepared to move at a moment's notice; if he lost his grip on the energy, she would at least make sure the explosion didn't kill him. The room was so quiet that the only things to be heard were the sound of flowing energy and the sound of them breathing.
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You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion