After stepping into Jing Hongchen's room, Huo Yuhao was greeted by the kindly face of his teacher, smiling warmly at him. It was clear—Jing Hongchen was very pleased.
How could he not be? That old fellow Zheng Zhan had barely returned to Mingdu before he came rushing over to shower praises on Huo Yuhao's soul master talent, urging him to quickly assign a powerful soul master mentor for guidance. In Jing Hongchen's eyes now, Huo Yuhao was a glowing piece of gold—radiant and dazzling.
"My dear disciple, did your trip to the Extreme North yield any results?"
Huo Yuhao nodded with a gentle smile.
"Of course, Master. I've already broken through and become a Grand Soul Master."
Jing Hongchen nodded in satisfaction.
"May I see your second soul skill?"
"Certainly, Master."
With a nod, Huo Yuhao summoned his first martial soul—Spirit Eyes. The ring configuration—one white, one purple—appeared around him, and Jing Hongchen's eyes widened.
'What is this? A ten-year first ring that looks completely unimpressive, and yet his second soul ring is already at the thousand-year level?!'
Though Jing Hongchen had long suspected there was something off about that first white soul ring… perhaps a spirit-type soul skill disguised as weak? 'Could it be that white soul ring is that shared mental detection ability?'
Noticing his teacher's confusion, Huo Yuhao calmly explained, "Master, this second soul ring comes from a thousand-year ice silkworm. The beast was weak in offense, so it wasn't difficult to absorb."
Jing Hongchen nodded, motioning for him to demonstrate the skill.
Huo Yuhao activated his second soul ring, and in the blink of an eye, transformed into the image of Meng Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen blinked in shock, quickly realizing what kind of soul skill it was.
"A mimicry skill?"
Huo Yuhao returned to his original appearance and nodded. "Exactly, Master. This mimicry skill allows me to replicate objects and appearances within a certain range. As my soul power increases, the range of simulation will expand as well. And the best part? The soul power consumption is extremely low."
'A divine skill!' Jing Hongchen couldn't help but praise it in his heart.
"Excellent. That is an incredibly useful soul skill, Yuhao."
Then he remembered—before leaving for the Extreme North, Huo Yuhao had said he would bring back a big surprise. This mimicry skill was impressive, but was it really worthy of being called a "big surprise"?
Knowing Jing Hongchen would be confused, Huo Yuhao deliberately maintained a mysterious expression, clearly waiting for his teacher to ask.
"Yuhao, before you left, you mentioned giving me a surprise. Is this it?"
Seeing his disciple playing coy with a cryptic smile, Jing Hongchen could no longer resist his curiosity.
"Haha, surely you jest, Master. A mere mimicry skill? That can hardly be called a surprise."
With that, Huo Yuhao unleashed his second trump card—the Ice Jade Scorpion martial soul. Along with it, a deep crimson ten-thousand-year soul ring gleamed ominously.
Instantly, the temperature in the room dropped drastically, and the aura of the Ice Empress' soul surged forth, shaking Jing Hongchen's very spirit.
He stared, stunned.
"This—this is…!"
Second martial soul.
The Ultimate Ice.
Because Meng Hongchen herself wielded an ice-type martial soul, Jing Hongchen was extremely familiar with the aura of ice-type soul power.
Feeling the intensity of the chill, he was certain—this was undoubtedly the level of Ultimate Ice. Nothing else came close.
Huo Yuhao had deliberately released the full strength of his Ultimate Ice soul power, ensuring his master would sense it clearly.
"Yuh—Yuhao, this… this is…"
Jing Hongchen could hardly form words, his voice faltering from sheer astonishment.
Taking a deep breath, Huo Yuhao began to half-lie, half-reveal the truth:
"Master, ever since I was born, I've had this peculiar ability to sense destiny—like a feeling of where great fortune awaits me. That's one reason I traveled from the Star Luo Empire to the Sun Moon Empire. I felt it would be the most suitable place for my growth."
"Then, after reaching the twentieth level, I sensed another major opportunity awaiting me in the Extreme North."
"And as expected, I encountered a ten-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion soul beast that had failed in its attempt to break through to the hundred-thousand-year threshold. It did not want to die in vain and chose to fuse with me, becoming my second martial soul. It gifted me a ten-thousand-year soul ring that was on the verge of breaking through, along with a ten-thousand-year torso bone."
"During our fusion, perhaps because the soul beast willingly surrendered its will and ring, it escaped the wrath of the heavens and managed to evolve to the hundred-thousand-year level after the fact."
"Thus, my second martial soul became the Ice Jade Scorpion, imbued with the power of Ultimate Ice."
As Jing Hongchen listened, he was silent.
It was absurd—such overwhelming fortune falling into a youth's lap just because he had the ability to sense fate? Was Huo Yuhao the chosen child of destiny?
Well, frankly… he was.
Still, staring at the second martial soul and feeling the undeniable aura of Ultimate Ice, Jing Hongchen had no choice but to believe.
Truthfully, the how no longer mattered. What mattered was that Huo Yuhao had become a dual-martial-soul, Ultimate Ice-possessing, spirit-type martial soul user. Combined with his stunning soul engineer talent, he was now without doubt the most gifted youth in the empire—perhaps the entire continent.
Before, when Zheng Zhan had praised Huo Yuhao's soul master talent, Jing Hongchen had merely felt pleased.
Now? He was ecstatic.
This disciple had surpassed both Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen in innate potential. Though he lagged in soul power, his overall talent made him unquestionably the top genius of the Sun Moon Empire—perhaps of the whole continent. His future was limitless.
Jing Hongchen didn't feel even a shred of jealousy. He was simply overjoyed.
His grandchildren were once the first genius siblings of the Sun Moon Empire. But now, his personal disciple was the undisputed number one prodigy of the entire nation.
He could confidently declare—his interests and Huo Yuhao's were now bound tightly together. When Huo Yuhao rose to prominence, so would he.
Trying to keep his excitement under control, Jing Hongchen thanked his stars that he had decisively accepted Huo Yuhao as his last disciple. If he hadn't, who knows what kind of monster from another family might've snatched him up?
'My judgment is flawless!'
Huo Yuhao had originally planned to tell Jing Hongchen the full truth—that his second martial soul came from the Ice Empress, one of the Ten Great Beasts—but ultimately decided against it.
It wasn't about mistrusting his teacher. Rather, he feared the weight that such a name would carry. After all, just a trace of a Great Beast's aura had once drawn the greedy attention of Star Luo's Title Douluo Cheng Gang in the original timeline.
A ten-thousand-year soul beast wasn't a big deal. A hundred-thousand-year Great Beast? That was a different story.
"Yuhao… what do you think of how I've treated you?"
Jing Hongchen's voice held a rare vulnerability.
Seeing his teacher's anxious look, Huo Yuhao nearly laughed.
"Master, they say one day as a teacher is a lifetime as a father. You've shown me nothing but kindness. No matter how many mentors I may have in the future, you'll always be my one true master."
Jing Hongchen's heart melted. He couldn't have asked for a sweeter response.
"Good, very good. This second martial soul of yours—Ultimate Ice—it's best to keep it secret for now. But I do want to report it to Elder Kong, if you're okay with that."
"A soul master and soul engineer genius like you… you're the very embodiment of the Sun Moon Empire's brilliance."
"I have no problem with that, Master. Letting Elder Kong know will only benefit my future."
Jing Hongchen hesitated slightly and sighed. "It's clear now that your soul master path also requires a dedicated teacher to guide you…"
Sensing his master's anxiety over being replaced, Huo Yuhao smiled.
"Mentors, I may need many. But a true master? There is only one—and that's you."
That single line made Jing Hongchen beam with joy.
"Good! You trust me so deeply—I'll never let you down either. You are the only final disciple I'll ever take. From now on, we're family. Go fetch Meng and Xiao. No need to rush off to Elder Kong yet—let's have a proper celebration first."
"Haha, absolutely, Master."
The room was filled with laughter and warmth.
With Huo Yuhao's permission, Jing Hongchen told the siblings about Huo Yuhao's second martial soul.
Huo Yuhao didn't mind—he'd be working with them closely in the future.
As Meng Hongchen lavished her praises on the younger genius, Xiao Hongchen quietly realized his title as "number one genius" was slipping from his grasp.
Only his three-realm advantage as a Soul King comforted him now.
"Meng, Xiao, Yuhao… you three are the Sun Moon Empire's most promising future. The All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament is coming up in a few months. I'll place you all as reserve members of the academy's team. How does that sound?"
"I'm fine with that, Master."
"Sounds great, Grandpa~"
"Grandpa, Meng and I are already qualified to be regulars…"
Jing Hongchen chuckled and shook his head.
"You are, but we need to hide our full strength for now. Of course, if you're needed, you'll go in."
Xiao Hongchen nodded and cast a challenging glance toward Huo Yuhao, as if to say, 'We're already qualified. Are you?'
(End of Chapter)
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