Chapter 420: Advancing to the Finals!
As Cai Mei'er dwelled on the situation, her anger only grew stronger. To her, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy was nothing more than a cesspool of corruption.
As the Vice Dean of the Martial Soul Department, she believed that her personal invitation to Huo Yuhao should have been impossible to refuse. After all, joining Shrek Academy was the ultimate dream of most Douluo Continent soul masters thanks to ten thousand years of relentless propaganda.
By all logic, Huo Yuhao should have been one of them, someone whose heart was dedicated to Shrek.
The only explanation for his refusal was that the evil Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had brainwashed him.
Otherwise, why would he reject such a golden opportunity?
For a brief moment, she even entertained the idea of "rescuing" Huo Yuhao from this den of demons and taking him back to Shrek.
But then, she thought of Kong Deming, and that thought immediately vanished.
On the VIP Platform
Xu Tianran smiled with admiration.
"Huo Yuhao keeps surprising me. Not only has he reached the Soul Sage level at such a young age, but he has even mastered a domain ability something not even all Titled Douluo possess."
"If he continues to grow, our Sun Moon Empire will gain an unparalleled powerhouse. Having him is truly a blessing for our empire."
Then, he turned to Jing Hongchen and said:
"Hongchen Hall Master, once this tournament ends and Huo Yuhao wins the championship, I want to properly reward him. He has once again brought glory to the Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Tianran was now certain that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy would win the finals.
Huo Yuhao's strength was simply too overwhelming no one in this tournament could defeat him.
As for the Holy Spirit Cult's team, they were doomed to lose.
But that didn't matter.
As long as the championship remained in the Sun Moon Empire, he could leverage this victory to pressure the Holy Spirit Cult into making more concessions.
After all, their previous agreement had been that if the Holy Spirit Cult's team won the tournament, Xu Tianran would name them the Empire's official state religion and grant Zhongli Wu the title of National Teacher even at the risk of antagonizing Kong Deming.
But at that time, he hadn't expected Kong Deming to reach the level of a Rank 10 Soul Engineer, strong enough to rival an Ultimate Douluo.
Now, he didn't want to honor that deal.
And with Huo Yuhao in the picture, the Holy Spirit Cult's loss was inevitable.
"Your Highness is wise," Jing Hongchen said with a polite bow. "On behalf of Huo Yuhao, I thank you for your generosity."
Back in the Arena
"Snowfiend Sect, send out your next fighter!"
Holding a soul tool amplifier, Zheng Zhan's voice rang across the battlefield.
At the Snowfiend Sect's waiting area, the atmosphere was heavy and filled with despair.
Technically, they should be sending out their next competitor to fight Huo Yuhao.
But after seeing Long Aotian their strongest warrior defeated so thoroughly, none of them had the will to fight.
If even Long Aotian lost…
What chance did they have?
Even Long Aotian himself admitted that Huo Yuhao wasn't using his full strength.
If that was true, then what was the point of fighting?
Sensing the mood, Long Aotian now recovering spoke up:
"I know what you're all thinking. You don't see any hope of winning."
"You're right. Against Huo Yuhao's strength, our loss is inevitable."
"But I don't want you to step onto that stage thinking only about defeat."
"Fighting someone as strong as him is a rare opportunity. Learn from it."
"Huo Yuhao had the chance to heavily injure me, but he didn't. He's a fair fighter."
"So, give it your all.
And more importantly…"
"Show him the power of Martial Soul Awakening. If he becomes interested, maybe we can get him to cooperate with the Body Sect."
"After all, he has a Body Martial Soul himself."
"The doors of our sect will always be open to him."
Hearing Long Aotian's words, the other fighters nodded.
With renewed resolve, they sent out their next fighter.
Huo Yuhao Wins Seven Straight Matches
One by one, the Snowfiend Sect's seven fighters stepped up.
One by one, they all fell to Huo Yuhao.
The only opponent who had forced him to take his time was Long Aotian.
Against the others, he barely needed any effort.
With a pleased expression, Zheng Zhan raised his voice:
"Huo Yuhao has won seven consecutive victories in the individual elimination round, securing Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy's place in the finals!"
The entire stadium erupted into thunderous applause.
The crowd mostly Sun Moon citizens cheered with joy and excitement.
After all, their academy was one step closer to the championship.
And more importantly, this meant they would face off against the evil Holy Spirit Cult in the finals.
Though Shrek Academy's reputation had plummeted in the Sun Moon Empire, thanks to Xuanzi's assassination attempts, their hatred for the Holy Spirit Cult was still much greater.
In the Shadows
At the edge of the VIP platform, a black robed Zhongli Wu watched Huo Yuhao with narrowed eyes.
Thoughts churned in his mind.
"Huo Yuhao's talent is monstrous. That's the only reason he's this powerful today."
"Even our Saintess can't compare to him."
"What a pity. The Sun Moon Empire treasures him too much. We can't touch him."
"Otherwise, that old bastard Kong Deming would immediately declare war on us."
"That wouldn't be worth it."
Still, a flicker of ambition crossed his mind.
"But what if we could turn him into our Holy Son?"
"With Huo Yuhao in the Holy Spirit Cult, our future would be limitless."
"He would become the shield that protects us, the sword that cuts down our enemies."
"If only I had discovered him earlier…"
For a moment, he regretted missing his chance.
Then, his lips curled into a dark smile.
"Huo Yuhao, if you think defeating the Holy Spirit Cult's team in the individual matches will be easy, you're mistaken."
"You may be strong, but evil soul masters specialize in fighting above their level."
"Besides…"
"My mother's Soul Tools will give us a decisive edge."
A Night of Celebration
After leaving the arena, Huo Yuhao and his team went out to celebrate their victory with a grand meal.
Afterwards, his teammates dragged him to a theater to watch a stage play.
Since Soul Tool technology wasn't advanced enough yet, watching live performances was still one of the main forms of entertainment.
Soon, Huo Yuhao found himself in a seat near the front.
Xiao Hongchen, seeing this, hurried over, eager to sit next to him.
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