After Li Ming left, Xu Tianhao lifted his finger slightly and put away the god-sealing platform hovering in mid-air.
His expression was calm, with not a hint of impatience in his eyes.
As for the Snow Empress inside the god-sealing platform, he had no intention of contacting or communicating with her immediately.
Since the Snow Empress had fallen into his hands, everything that followed was under his control; there was simply no need to rush.
The immediate priority was not to establish contact with the Snow Empress, but to help Meng Hongchen complete the absorption of her fifth spirit ring.
Let her successfully break through the shackles and advance to the Spirit King Realm.
Half a year had passed, and Meng Hongchen's spirit power had climbed from level 47 to level 50.
In fact, as early as three months ago, her spirit power had already reached level 50.
This was because Xu Tianran had gifted her a 40,000-year Ice Soul Octopus Right Leg Bone.
This Right Leg Bone was of excellent quality and had a very high compatibility with Meng Hongchen's Spirit.
The reason she hadn't absorbed a spirit ring until now was that she was waiting for Li Ming to return.
Now that the Ice Jade Scorpion was in hand, it naturally had to be delivered to Meng Hongchen immediately.
In the courtyard at this moment, sunlight poured down, casting dappled tree shadows, while Meng Hongchen was sparring with Xu Tianzhen and Ye Guyi.
As they were deep in their spar, they saw Xu Tianhao walking slowly towards the courtyard, and the girls, who had been focused on their duel, instantly stopped their movements.
Their eyes filled with a touch of joy and anticipation, and they all gathered around, their gazes landing in unison on Xu Tianhao.
Xu Tianhao did not waste words and directly took out the god-locking ring from his storage spirit tool.
He handed the god-locking ring to Meng Hongchen: "Meng, this is a 20,000-year Ice Jade Scorpion; it is yours now."
Meng Hongchen reached out with both hands to take the god-locking ring, surprise and emotion instantly surging in her heart.
She could no longer suppress her inner emotions, stepped forward, and hugged Xu Tianhao tightly, her voice filled with unconcealable excitement and a choked sob: "Tianhao, thank you!"
Xu Tianhao gently patted her back: "Hurry and go absorb the spirit ring."
"Mm-hmm, I'm going right now!" Meng Hongchen nodded vigorously, her face full of joy and solemnity.
Clutching the god-locking ring tightly, she didn't hesitate at all, turned around, and walked quickly towards her exclusive cultivation chamber.
Watching Meng Hongchen's retreating figure, Xu Tianhao slowly withdrew his gaze.
He turned to look at Xu Tianzhen and Ye Guyi beside him, as well as Long Aotian, Xiao Hongchen, Nana, and the others nearby, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
He said in a deep voice: "There are only three months left until the official start of the All-Continent High-Level Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
"Everyone, prepare well during this time, strive for victory to defend our championship, and let the light of the Sun Moon Empire shine across the continent."
Xu Tianzhen, Ye Guyi, Long Aotian, Xiao Hongchen, and Nana looked at each other, their eyes all burning with high fighting Spirit.
Without the slightest hesitation, their voices rang out through the entire courtyard: "Defend the championship!"
Winning the championship for the first time by strength was earning the crown; it was the beginning of glory.
But reaching the top a second time and holding onto their own championship glory—that was defending the title.
The Sun Moon Empire had been silent for thousands of years, until the last tournament, when Xu Tianran led the team to reveal their edge.
And this time, they were filled with absolute confidence, determined to successfully defend the title and make the name of the Sun Moon Empire resound throughout the continent once again.
Even if Shrek Academy put all their efforts into preparation, and other major academies on the continent were also sharpening their weapons and making full preparations, wanting to compete with them.
They remained fearless, calmly welcoming all challenges.
...
Three months ago.
On the vast land in the north of the Heavenly Soul Empire, cold winds howled all year round, whipping up yellow sand that filled the sky, desolate and bleak.
Huo Yuhao was all alone, wandering in this barren region for three whole months.
One of his eye sockets was sunken, devoid of an eyeball, and although the wound had scabbed over, it still often felt a piercing pain.
Every time the cold wind blew, it felt like a sharp blade cutting his skin, and also cutting his already riddled heart.
Over these three months, he had walked almost every inch of this region, asking everywhere about the whereabouts of the Body Sect, but he had found nothing.
He hadn't even found the slightest clue about the Body Sect.
At this time, he was just a lowly level 11 Spirit Master, his spirit power pitifully weak, and his strength not much better than an ordinary person's.
In this perilous north of the Heavenly Soul Empire, he could face the danger of losing his life at any moment.
His physical disability, combined with his low strength, made Huo Yuhao increasingly inferior and sensitive.
Walking on the road, he always subconsciously lowered his head, not daring to make eye contact with others, each step taken with difficulty and humility.
The pain in his body, the despair and inferiority in his heart, were tormenting him every moment.
But finding the Body Sect was his last glimmer of hope for survival, and the only obsession in his heart.
He knew clearly in his heart that only by finding the Body Sect would he have a chance to become stronger, and have a chance to complete that unforgettable revenge in his heart.
During these three months, he slept in the open, gnawing on hard, dry rations when hungry, and drinking cold water from the roadside when thirsty.
He encountered beast attacks several times and fell into desperate situations several times.
If not for a life-or-death moment where he luckily broke through by one level of spirit power, the slight increase in strength brought by the spirit power boost allowed him to barely escape a catastrophe.
He would likely have already turned into a skeleton on this wasteland, dying silently.
But even though he tried his best, luck never stood on his side.
Three months of wandering, three months of bitter searching, only brought endless disappointment in return.
There was still no news of the Body Sect, and his hope was being worn away bit by bit.
Misfortunes never come singly; just as he fell into despair, a gang of vicious human traffickers set their sights on him, who was alone and emaciated.
This gang of human traffickers wandered this region all year round, specializing in capturing lone, weak Spirit Masters or ordinary people to sell for huge profits.
The strongest among them was a Spirit King with five rings, definitely not someone a mere level 12 Spirit Master like Huo Yuhao could contend with.
Huo Yuhao was all alone, with no one to rely on, and his strength was too low; surrounded by that Spirit King and his henchmen, he had no room to resist, not even a chance to escape.
Several struggles only brought more brutal beatings; the intense pain of fists and kicks landing on his body made him curl up on the ground, trembling all over.
In the end, Huo Yuhao could only obediently let them put cold, heavy shackles on him, losing his freedom completely and becoming a slave to be manipulated by others.
The shackles dug tightly into his flesh, bringing waves of stinging pain, but the physical pain was far less than the despair in his heart.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao felt as if the whole World had fallen into darkness.
If not for that hatred buried deep in his bones, that unforgettable hatred pressing down in his heart...
If not for the thought of one day making those who hurt him pay the price...
He might have truly broken down completely, chosen to end his life, and found total release.
But for the sake of revenge, he gritted his teeth tightly, endured all humiliation and pain, and chose to live on.
Even if he lived like an ant, he never thought of giving up.
Just like that, Huo Yuhao was imprisoned by the human traffickers, suffering inhuman torture.
He was neither fed nor clothed properly, often had to endure beatings and scolding, his dignity was trampled upon at will, and his days were filled with unbearable misery.
After a whole month of torment, he was treated as merchandise and sold to a local landlord who was wealthy but mean-spirited by nature.
He had originally thought that escaping the clutches of the human traffickers would make his life a little better.
Even if he was a slave, he might at least be able to have a full meal.
But reality dealt him a harsh blow.
The landlord's family was mean-spirited by nature and didn't treat him as a living person at all.
They didn't have even a shred of pity for him just because he was only an eleven or twelve-year-old child, and they exploited and tortured him to the extreme.
Every day before dawn, Huo Yuhao would be woken up to do heavy labor far beyond what his body could bear.
Carrying water, chopping wood, farming...
All the dirty and tiring work was piled onto him, and the slightest mishap would result in a round of beatings and scolding.
His food consisted only of the poorest quality coarse grains, and he was even often left hungry.
The physical exhaustion, hunger, and pain, combined with endless humiliation, made him increasingly emaciated, and his eyes grew ever dimmer.
Only the hatred in his heart was still supporting him to live on.