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"What utter inhumanity."
With a sigh, Chen Junting's fingers traced delicate patterns in the air.
Under Electrolux's tutelage, Chen Junting had already converted many magical techniques into formation-based arts—and one of them was Purification.
The moment the formation took shape, a pure white halo radiated from the formation disc cupped in Chen Junting's hand. Encapsulating the black banner within its glow, this cleansing energy instantly dissolved the blood-red aura clinging to the vengeful spirits trapped inside.
This meant their corruption and defilement had been thoroughly washed away.
To prevent the souls from ascending immediately, Chen Junting swiftly inscribed another layer of formations directly onto the banner itself—this one known as the Soul-Sealing Array.
As its name suggested, it sealed both soul power and the soul itself—a technique inspired by the recently developed "Soul-Sealing Soul-Engineered Devices."
"Nana."
"Ah!"
The spectacle was overwhelming.
For a moment, Nana stood utterly stunned, unable to react.
Chen Junting handed her the banner. "The spirits within have all been fully purified. Take it. But remember—starting now, you only have three days. Three days to speak your farewells, to reunite. When time's up, their souls will ascend."
"Wahhh… thank you…"
Joy turned to sorrow in an instant.
Upon realizing her parents' souls were truly freed, Nana burst into tears of overwhelming relief—and nearly dropped to her knees in gratitude.
Thankfully, she was swiftly caught before she could bow.
Afterward, Nana took the banner and went to find the other soul cultivators whose souls were also sealed within it. Without exception, all of them had joined the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect after the successful raid on the sect branch—after all, none of them lacked talent.
Once Nana left, Chen Junting turned to introduce Gu Tianchen. "Yuhao, this is Gu Tianchen. His martial soul is Bone Dragon."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao waved in greeting.
His eyes held a trace of curiosity—he knew full well how rare and esteemed a non-corrupted Bone Dragon soul cultivator was within a sect. Moreover, Tianmeng and the others had already told him just how terrifyingly strong this Gu Tianchen really was.
Even the simple act of effortlessly blocking Jing Ziyang earlier had clearly demonstrated both his formidable defensive power and mastery over spatial techniques.
"Yuhao," Chen Junting then turned to Huo Yuhao directly, "how's your progress on recruiting talented soul engineers from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy—the ones with exceptional research ability?"
Although the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect now had a Grade-9 soul engineer, the man was elderly and limited by talent. He'd grown increasingly incapable of driving true innovation in soul engineering.
His contributions had largely been confined to replicating existing Grade-9 soul-engineered devices—or manufacturing large-scale weapons like Grade-9 pre-packed soul-guided artillery shells.
Thus, fresh, dynamic talent was urgently needed to revitalize the sect's soul engineering research—and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy was the ideal source.
"The response hasn't been great," Huo Yuhao admitted with a wry smile, recalling how nearly every student at the academy had given him cold, dismissive stares. He'd barely even gotten a chance to speak.
Still, there was one bright spot: recently, Teacher Xuan Ziwen had shown clear interest—just one final push away from making a decision.
"Xuan Ziwen…" Chen Junting nodded softly, murmuring the name.
Seeing Chen Junting's calm reaction, Huo Yuhao mistakenly thought he underestimated Xuan Ziwen's value and quickly emphasized, "Brother Junting, Teacher Xuan is absolutely a titan in soul engineering research! True, he's 'only' a Grade-8 soul engineer—but the only thing holding him back from Grade 9 is his soul power level. If the sect could just provide him with a…"
He caught himself mid-sentence—remembering Wang Dong'er was present and immortal herbs couldn't be mentioned openly. He smoothly pivoted: "…a single soul bone. If that helps Teacher Xuan break through to Title Douluo, it would be an investment with returns far exceeding its cost."
Worried that still wasn't convincing enough, he added with firm conviction, "With Teacher Xuan's talent, he alone is worth an entire Sun Moon Empire soul engineer legion!"
"I never doubted it," Chen Junting said with a gentle clap, his eyes filled with genuine admiration.
He knew well of Xuan Ziwen's genius in soul engineering—in fact, the man could arguably be called the founding father of "Battle Armor" (Dou Kai).
"To miss out on such talent would be a true tragedy," Chen Junting declared. "Yuhao, find time tomorrow to inform your teacher Xuan that I'll deliver the final nudge he needs."
That single statement set the course.
"Tomorrow?" Huo Yuhao blinked in confusion. "Brother Junting, shouldn't we go invite Teacher Xuan as soon as possible?"
"One or two days won't make a difference," Chen Junting waved dismissively, then gave Huo Yuhao a knowing, slightly teasing look. "Besides… are you really planning to go today?"
His eyes flicked meaningfully between Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er.
Huo Yuhao instantly understood—and immediately shot an apologetic glance toward Dong'er.
Dong'er didn't mind at all. In fact, Chen Junting's playful implication made her blush faintly.
"You two lovebirds should take this time to enjoy each other's company," Chen Junting teased, making both of them turn bright red.
Then, without another word: "Old Gu, let's go."
A spatial gate yawned open.
The moment Chen Junting and Gu Tianchen stepped through, their figures vanished from Huo Yuhao's dorm—leaving only the two of them behind.
A tender, intimate atmosphere slowly filled the room.
…
The next day, inside Mingde Hall.
The grand, newly restored hall was filled with countless neatly arranged workbenches—each equipped with defensive soul-engineered devices, allowing researchers to work in safety.
"Teacher Xuan."
Just as Xuan Ziwen was making his rounds, Huo Yuhao called out to him. The usually stoic man's face actually softened into a rare, faint smile.
"Yuhao? Do you have a question?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes gleamed with intensity, his expression unusually serious. "Teacher Xuan, there's something I need to discuss with you—about what I mentioned before. Also… someone wishes to meet you."
Xuan Ziwen paused, momentarily puzzled.
That matter?
Then it clicked.
Indeed, it was about time for a decision.
Though Huo Yuhao hadn't spoken with him often, Xuan Ziwen had keenly observed the young man's relentless dedication to soul engineering research and crafting—and his exceptional talent as a soul cultivator. What teacher wouldn't cherish such a student?
Yet those intricate mechanisms Huo Yuhao had shown him? They'd only stirred his interest.
Nothing more.
To make him abandon Mingde Hall entirely…
Xuan Ziwen suddenly smiled to himself. The person wanting to meet him was surely the final persuader. Fair enough—he'd give Huo Yuhao that chance.
Without hesitation, he agreed. "Alright. I hope you—and your 'someone'—can truly move me."
Huo Yuhao smiled in return, confidence shining in his eyes—confidence in himself, and even more so in Brother Junting.
"Then please follow me."
Xuan Ziwen led Huo Yuhao to his office. As a research fanatic, his office was little more than storage—messy not from clutter, but from layers of dust.
"Cough—cough—"
Waving his hand, Xuan Ziwen tried to clear the air. "Sorry, Yuhao. Make do for now."
"It's fine, Teacher Xuan."
Huo Yuhao activated his Ice Jade Scorpion Empress martial soul. A wave of freezing aura instantly crystallized the floating dust into tiny ice particles that dropped harmlessly to the floor.
"To use Ultimate Ice just for cleaning… You really—" Xuan Ziwen chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. Then he turned businesslike. "Alright, Yuhao. Show me what you've prepared to convince me to join you."
He glanced toward the door—but sensed no one approaching.
Then, in the next instant, space within the office rippled.
As reality twisted, a dark, yawning spatial gate materialized right before Xuan Ziwen.
Two figures stepped through—and with them came a deep, resonant voice laced with warmth and amusement:
"Teacher Xuan… it's a true honor to finally meet you."
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