Douluo Continent: Huo Yuhao obtains the Flame Emperor template

Chapter 40 Yuhao, you even know divination?

With a flick of her wrist, Jing Hongchen took the massive metal cannon barrel off her shoulder and tucked it into the crook of her arm, looking at Xuanzi with a smile.

"So you are the venerable Elder Xuanzi of the Sea God Pavilion, I have long admired you."

As Jing Hongchen spoke, he took a step back and ascended into the sky (Jing Hongchen created distance so he could fight Elder Xuan) and quietly activated the two level-nine defensive soul tools on his chest, Hongchen's Favor and Protection.

This shows how steady he is. Even though he had already gained the upper hand by charging the Soul Guidance Cannon in advance, he still chose to keep his distance and prepare for defense.

Xuanzi frowned as he saw Jing Hongchen take a stance: "Sect Leader Hongchen, your behavior..."

"Could it be that they are declaring war on me?" Xuanzi's face showed displeasure.

He never doubted his formidable strength, but under these circumstances, if he were to fight Jing Hongchen, he could at best only manage a draw.

Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen smiled and slowly shook his head: "No, no, no, I'm only doing this for your own good, Xuanzi. Your outburst just now wasn't a good thing."

"When I revealed this Level 9 Energy-Gathering Soul-Guided Cannon, did you feel yourself suddenly become much calmer?"

Xuanzi understood the mockery in the words, which made him so angry that he started blowing his beard. If he wasn't really unsure of how to handle the other party, he would have slapped him long ago.

Would you be furious if your students were killed? Of course, Xuanzi wouldn't say that out loud, otherwise it would only add to the amusement.

Under the protection of a level 98 Super Douluo leader, the students in the team were still able to have one killed and another seriously injured by a soul beast that was less than 100,000 years old. This is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world.

What Xuanzi found even more incomprehensible was that the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, which had escaped from his grasp, was actually blasted into a near-death state by someone else's cannon.

Xuanzi snorted coldly: "Master Mingde, are you threatening me?"

"It's just to help you speak calmly."

Jing Hongchen waved his hand and said slowly, "Xuanzi, I saw you were having quite a bit of trouble chasing that mantis just now?"

Xuanzi asked sternly, "What do you mean?"

Jing Hongchen gestured to the soul-guided cannon tucked under his arm.

"Oh, what I mean is, look at the Red Dust Protection I'm wearing, and my Level 9 Energy-Gathering Soul-Guiding Cannon, Red Dust Annihilation."

"Each cannonball is slightly more powerful than a Title Douluo's full-force attack. If you are interested, you can spar with me in the sky."

Xuanzi had several black lines on his forehead. If it weren't for the fact that he was still with his students, given his temperament, he wouldn't mind having a good fight with Jing Hongchen.

For the sake of the students' safety, Xuanzi suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Master Mingde, what exactly are you trying to say? Speak plainly."

Jing Hongchen chuckled and said, "Since we have severely injured this Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, then this soul beast should be handed over to us for disposal."

"No, this beast must die!" Xuanzi's tone was full of hatred. He couldn't face his children if he didn't kill the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.

"Perfect."

Jing Hongchen's smile remained unchanged: "We were just about to kill it to obtain its soul ring. We'll give you the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis later, how about that?"

Xuanzi fell into a brief moment of thought. His original intention was indeed only to kill the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, but that did not mean he was willing to give up his soul ring, after all, the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis was close to 100,000 years old.

Shrek claims to be neutral, but they are clearly hostile to the Sun and Moon.

Xuanzi felt that if the enemy became even stronger, it would be a disguised weakening for Shrek Academy.

Instead of trying to improve yourself, you should put pressure on yourself day and night.

"Master Mingde, I was the one who first discovered this Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, but due to a moment of carelessness, it escaped and lived a little longer."

"Even without you interfering, I would catch up with it immediately."

When Jing Hongchen saw that the other party was about to act tough, the smile on his face disappeared. Based on Xuanzi's extremely angry appearance when he chased after him earlier, he could guess some clues.

After all, Xuanzi already has all nine soul rings. There are only two possibilities for him to hunt down soul beasts: either he wants to obtain soul bones, or he wants to help his students hunt for soul rings.

If Xuanzi only wanted to obtain the soul bone and it escaped by chance, he certainly wouldn't be so angry. He could simply chase after the soul beast again.

So there's only one reason why Elder Xuan's anger level exploded: this soul beast hurt the students he was leading.

Thinking of this, Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes and said, "Xuanzi, you shouldn't be alone, right?"

"If you insist on making trouble over the matter of soul rings, then I, the hall master, need to give you and those people a lesson on the power and effects of the level nine energy-gathering soul guide cannon, the annihilation of mortal dust."

Xuanzi was taken aback upon hearing this. It wasn't that he was afraid of Jing Hongchen; with his unparalleled physical strength, he was sure he could withstand several explosions from a level nine soul-guided cannon.

Although he always said disdainful things like, "Soul tool technology is nothing special. As long as the Soul Master's cultivation is high enough, there's nothing to fear," he was still very much indifferent.

However, Xuanzi also understood the absolute advantage of the Soul Guidance Cannon, which was its extremely terrifying area-of-effect damage.

The threat of advanced soul-guided cannons to low-level soul masters is immeasurable; a single ordinary level-nine soul-guided cannon shell is enough to destroy a small city.

Not to mention the level nine energy-gathering soul-guided cannonballs; who knows, if Jing Hongchen fires one here, the students over there will be affected.

Xuanzi would at most verbally make things difficult for Jing Hongchen; it was absolutely impossible for them to actually fight.

Hey, it's all for the safety of the children.

After thinking for a long time, Xuanzi sighed and compromised, barely suppressing his resentment as he said, "Jing Hongchen, you really got a great deal this time. Quickly kill this beast and hand over the corpse to me."

Jing Hongchen smiled and said, "It seems you're not a completely brainless brute. If you think about it for a while longer, we might have to discuss the ownership of the body."

After saying that, Jing Hongchen gave Xu Sheng a wink, signaling him to finish off the dying Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.

Xu Sheng nodded and released his weapon spirit, the Ancient Ding Blade, which, when combined with the level eight melee soul tool he had created, possessed extraordinary power.

He directly unleashed the true form of the Ancient Ding Blade Martial Soul, slashing from a distance. With the support of his powerful arm strength, a light and shadow imbued with a touch of sword intent swept past, and an astonishing rainbow flashed by, instantly killing the Three Soul Ghost Mantis.

Before long, a black soul ring with a few red streaks mixed in and an extremely deep halo emerged from the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.

Xu Sheng grinned, his expression becoming more friendly towards Xuan Zi. "I've long heard of the name of the level 98 Taotie Douluo. Seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary."

"Oh? Even you've heard of me?"

Seeing that the Three-Souled Mantis was dead, Xuanzi felt a sense of revenge and took a big gulp of wine.

Even a casual researcher at Mingdetang had heard of his great name, which made Xuanzi feel quite pleased.

"I'll just be polite."

Xu Sheng responded, picked up the Ancient Ding Blade and walked to the Soul Ring. "After all, I'm about to break through to Soul Douluo, and it's such a high-quality eighth ring. I'm quite happy."

Xuanzi chuckled softly but didn't say anything, continuing to eat his chicken leg and drink.

Jing Hongchen used her soul power to hold up the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis and handed it to Xuanzi, saying, "You can take this."

"I hope that next time we meet, you won't be chasing after a soul beast that's less than 100,000 years old. There are some valuable targets to hunt down."

A certain evil spirit master: Do you think I have any real value?

Although Xu Sheng's process of fusing the soul rings was quite difficult, he finally succeeded. Xuan Zi also returned along the same route with the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.

Jing Hongchen landed from the sky, watching Xuanzi's departing yellowish-brown light. "Heh, looking down on soul tool technology, yet in the end, he was hampered by soul cannons."

"When we build a more advanced fixed-position soul-guided cannon, we'll fire a couple of shots at Shrek Academy, and those brutes will wake up."

Then Jing Hongchen said to his two subordinates, "Now that we have successfully helped Xu Sheng obtain the soul ring, I will return to Sun and Moon Sect. I hope to witness the successful development of that soul guidance technology in my lifetime."

Xuan Ziwen knew that the hall master was busy researching soul guidance technology every day.

Claimed to be Mingde Hall's ultimate secret weapon, the highest achievement in the field of soul tools, and the culmination of all senior researchers—Experiment No. 1.

Xu Sheng naturally played the role of a tether, preventing Xuan Ziwen from developing any lingering attachment to the Heavenly Soul Empire: "Don't worry, Hall Master, after I accompany Xuan Ziwen to complete the ancestral worship ceremony, we will immediately return to Mingdu."

…………

Zhang Lexuan directed her disciples to rest on the spot, and soon they saw a yellowish-brown light flying towards them.

Before Elder Xuan even landed, a student excitedly stood up and eagerly asked, "Elder Xuan, did you kill that Three-Soul Ghost Mantis?"

"This beast is dead." Elder Xuan landed in front of everyone and threw the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis onto the ground.

"But I didn't kill him."

Zhang Lexuan fell silent.

The disciples were also somewhat uneasy. After a moment of silence, they had no choice but to accept the outcome, since the culprit was at least dead.

Zhang Lexuan turned around and directed everyone to set up tents. The disciples selected a piece of land, cleared it out, and then helped each other set up camp.

Tang Ya had been craving Huo Yuhao's grilled skewers for a long time. "Hiss hiss, little Yuhao, let's grill some skewers!"

With the active cooperation of Tang Ya Bei Bei and Du Gu Luo, the group set up a grill, cut Huo Yu Hao's frozen meat into pieces and skewered them. Huo Yu Hao started grilling, and soon the aroma of grilled meat filled the air, making people's mouths water.

Zhang Lexuan sniffed. Although the enticing aroma had whetted her appetite, she maintained her aloof and indifferent expression.

She slowly walked to Huo Yuhao's side, took out a plastic box, which contained the nutritious meal she had brought from school.

"Huo Yuhao, here, this is for you."

Zhang Lexuan shared her nutritious meal with Huo Yuhao, stuffing a plastic box into his arms.

Huo Yuhao was taken aback. What did this mean? Did he think his kebabs were unhealthy?

However, he soon noticed that Zhang Lexuan's dark eyes were darting back and forth, sometimes looking at the nutritional meal in his arms, sometimes at the skewers on his grill.

Huo Yuhao suddenly realized what was going on, accepted the plastic box from the other party, picked up a large handful of kebabs and handed them to Zhang Lexuan, "These are for you."

"Thank you, little brother Huo Yuhao." Zhang Lexuan took the skewers, her goal of exchanging food achieved, and she couldn't help but smile.

She felt that her nutritious meals were bland compared to the grilled skewers.

Huo Yuhao once again flashed his warm smile, like a friendly little brother next door: "It's alright, Sister Lexuan. Didn't you share your food with me too? And you can just call me Yuhao."

"Okay, Yuhao." Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly and began to eat the skewers in small, elegant bites.

Beibei laughed awkwardly, "Haha, how about it, Senior Sister? Huo's skewers smell delicious, don't they?"

Zhang Lexuan glanced at him briefly, then calmly looked away and said, "Mm."

Beibei realized that Zhang Lexuan had come to them simply because she wanted to eat barbecue skewers, and not because of him, so she was actually quite happy.

He picked up a few skewers and handed them to Tang Ya: "Xiao Ya, haven't you been craving this for a long time? Eat up."

Tang Ya sniffed the skewers and exclaimed with delight, "Wow, they smell so good!"

Dugu Luo, standing beside her, smelled the aroma of the grilled skewers. She wanted to eat but was too embarrassed to ask. Her bright green eyes kept blinking, and her originally pale cheeks flushed slightly from her hesitation.

Huo Yuhao naturally noticed it and turned to look at Dugu Luo.

The other person immediately pretended to be very busy, with a map spread out on the ground. She traced the route on it with her fingertips, muttering "go from here, then go from here."

Huo Yuhao smiled, picked up a skewer of grilled meat and handed it to her, "Sister Dugu, you should eat too. We'll find the location on the map together later."

"Okay, Yuhao." Dugu Luo folded the map and put it away, then took the skewers, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.

While eating the skewers Huo Yuhao had just grilled, Tang Ya asked with a smile, "Yuhao, you're so amazing now, have you decided which academy you want to go to?"

Beibei actively agreed, hoping to persuade the other party to join Shrek Academy.

"That's right, Brother Huo, we all need to receive education and absorb knowledge from school."

"Why don't you come to our Shrek Academy? You're eleven years old now and already a two-ring Soul Master. I'll talk to the teacher and we can get you into any class in the first year without taking the exam."

Zhang Lexuan recalled the detection map in her mind earlier, and she really liked the feeling of that soul skill entering.

She thought for a moment and said, "Little brother Yuhao, if you're willing to study at Shrek Academy, I'll talk to Elder Su, and I might actually be able to take you on as my disciple."

Huo Yuhao was taken aback again. Zhang Lexuan was already allowed to take on disciples? However, it seemed that she was being groomed as the successor to the Sea God Pavilion Master.

"Sister Lexuan, it depends on fate... The teacher leading the team, whom you call Elder Xuan, doesn't seem to be interested in my soul skills."

Upon hearing the name "Elder Xuan," Zhang Lexuan's expression immediately turned icy. Of course, this was only directed at Elder Xuan.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Dugu Luo tugged at Huo Yuhao's sleeve, holding up the map and asking, "Yuhao, look, there are three paths branching off here. Which way should we go?"

Huo Yuhao blinked. Three routes? Did that person give him the strength to go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?

"Don't worry, Sister Dugu, let me do a simulation in advance."

Huo Yuhao used his simulation soul skill to create a divination tube containing dozens of bamboo sticks.

With a thought, the divination stick container began to shake.

A moment later, a bamboo skewer fell down, but it was all just a result of Huo Yuhao's random simulation.

The right path is extremely unlucky; it's the worst possible outcome.

Dugu Luo asked with a look of curiosity, "Yuhao, are you doing divination? You know divination?"

"I have some knowledge of it; I'm somewhat involved in fortune telling."

(End of this chapter)