**Chapter 40: Yuhao, Do You Also Know Divination? (2600 words)**
Jing Hongchen flipped the huge metal gun barrel on his shoulder with one hand, took it off, and clamped it in the crook of his arm, looking at Xuan Zi with a smile.
"It turns out to be the powerful Elder Xuan Zi of the Sea God Pavilion. I have long admired you."
As Jing Hongchen spoke, he stepped back and ascended into the sky (keeping a distance so that he could fight with Elder Xuan) and quietly opened the two-level nine defensive soul guidance devices on his chest, favoring and blessing himself.
It was evident how steady he was. Although he had gathered energy in advance with his Soul Cannon, he still chose to keep his distance and defend himself.
Xuan Zi saw Jing Hongchen preparing and frowned. "Master Hong Chen, your behavior..."
"Are you declaring war on me?" Xuan Zi asked, looking displeased.
He never doubted his strength, but in this situation, if he fought with Jing Hongchen, at best he could only battle to a draw.
Jing Hongchen smiled and slowly shook his head upon hearing this. "No, no, no. This hall master is also doing this for your good, Xuan Zi. Your temper just now is not a good thing."
"When this hall master revealed this level nine energy-gathering Soul Cannon, did you feel that you suddenly calmed down a lot?"
Xuan Zi heard the teasing in the words and felt a surge of anger. If he were not sure he could control the situation, he would have slapped him long ago.
If your students were killed, would you be angry? Of course, Xuan Zi would not voice this, as it would only add to the ridicule.
Even under the protection of a level 98 Super Douluo leader, the students in the team had been killed and seriously injured by a soul beast that was less than 100,000 years old. This was simply ridiculous.
What made Xuan Zi even more confused was that the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis that had escaped from his hands was blasted into a near-death state by someone else's cannon.
Xuan Zi snorted coldly. "Master Mingde, are you threatening me?"
"Just to allow you to speak calmly," Jing Hongchen waved his hand and said slowly. "Xuan Zi, I see you were having a hard time chasing this mantis just now?"
Xuan Zi frowned. "What do you mean?"
Jing Hongchen pointed to the Soul Cannon under his arm.
"Oh, what I mean is, look at the Hongchen's Blessing I'm wearing, and my level nine energy-gathering Soul Cannon, Hongchen's Annihilation."
"The power of each shell is slightly stronger than the full-strength attack of a Titled Douluo. If you are interested, you can spar with me in the sky."
Xuan Zi felt a few black lines form on his forehead. If he hadn't considered that he was still bringing students with him, he wouldn't mind having a good fight with Jing Hongchen.
For the safety of the students, Xuan Zi suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, what do you want to say? Just say it."
Jing Hongchen laughed and replied, "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!" Xuan Zi's tone was filled with hatred. If he didn't kill the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, he couldn't explain it to the children.
"Just right."
Jing Hongchen was still smiling. "We are preparing to kill it to get the soul ring. How about we give you the body of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis later?"
Xuan Zi fell into brief thought. He truly just wanted the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis to die, but it didn't mean he was willing to give up the soul ring. After all, the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis was nearly 100,000 years old.
Shrek claimed to be neutral to the outside world, but they were clearly in hostility with Sun and Moon.
Xuan Zi felt that if the enemy grew stronger, it would inadvertently weaken Shrek.
"Master Mingde, I was the first to discover this Three-Soul Ghost Mantis, but I was careless for a moment and let it escape. Even if you hadn't interfered, I would have caught up with it immediately."
Jing Hongchen saw that the other party was about to act tough, and his smile faded. He could also guess some clues from Xuan Zi's furious look when he chased after the mantis.
After all, with Xuan Zi's nine rings, there were only two possibilities for hunting down soul beasts. Either he wanted to obtain soul bones or he wanted to help his students hunt for soul rings.
If Xuan Zi simply wanted to obtain the soul bone and the soul beast managed to escape, he would not be so angry. The worst that could happen would be that he might just catch up with the soul beast.
So there must be one reason that caused Master Xuan's anger level to skyrocket: this soul beast had hurt the students he led.
Thinking of this, Jing Hongchen narrowed his eyes and said, "Xuan Zi, you should not be acting alone."
"If you insist on making a fuss over the soul ring, then this hall master must teach you and your people about the power and effect of the ninth-level energy-gathering Soul Cannon, Hongchen Annihilation."
Xuan Zi was stunned upon hearing this. It was not that he was afraid of Jing Hongchen. With his unparalleled physical strength, he could certainly withstand a few explosions from the ninth-level Soul Cannon.
Although he always made disparaging remarks like "Soul guidance technology, little Doyle, as long as the soul master's cultivation is strong enough, there is no need to be afraid," he also understood the absolute advantage of the Soul Cannon—its extremely terrifying area damage.
The threat posed by high-level Soul Cannons to low-level soul masters was immeasurable. An ordinary level nine Soul Cannon shell was sufficient to destroy a small city.
Not to mention the ninth-level energy-gathering soul-guided shells. If Jing Hongchen fired a random shot here, the students might be affected.
Xuan Zi could only embarrass Jing Hongchen verbally, but he couldn't fight him.
Well, it's all for the safety of the children.
After thinking for a long time, Xuan Zi sighed and compromised, suppressing his anger. "Jing Hongchen, you took advantage of me this time. Kill this beast and hand over the body to me."
Jing Hongchen smiled. "It seems that you are not a reckless man who doesn't use his brain at all. If you think it through, perhaps we should discuss the ownership of the body."
After speaking, Jing Hongchen winked at Xu Sheng and indicated for him to finish off the dying Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
Xu Sheng nodded and released his weapon martial soul, the Ancient Ingot Knife, which linked up with the eighth-level melee soul guidance device he had made. Its power was extraordinary.
He directly used the ancient ingot sword martial soul's true form and slashed through the air. With the support of his powerful arm strength, light and shadow containing a bit of sword intent passed by, and an astonishing long rainbow flashed, killing the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis instantly.
Not long after, a black soul ring with a few strands of red mixed in it and an extremely deep halo emerged from the body of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
Xu Sheng grinned and looked at Xuan Zi in a more friendly way. "I have heard of the name of the 98th level Taotie Douluo for a long time. Seeing you today, I find you are indeed extraordinary."
"Oh? Have you ever heard of me?"
Seeing that the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis was dead, Xuan Zi felt a sense of revenge and gulped wine.
Any researcher in Illustrious Virtue Hall had heard of his name, which made Xuan Zi feel quite comfortable.
"I'm just being polite."
Xu Sheng replied, holding the ancient ingot knife and walking toward 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 very happy."
Xuan Zi chuckled lightly without saying anything, continuing to drink while biting into a chicken leg.
Jing Hongchen used his soul power to lift the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis and handed it to Xuan Zi. "Take this."
"I hope that next time we meet, you won't chase after a soul beast that's less than 100,000 years old. Chase something more valuable."
A certain evil soul master: Do you think I have any value?
Although the process of Xu Sheng fusing the soul ring was rather difficult, he finally succeeded, and Xuan Zi returned along the same route with the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis.
Jing Hongchen landed from the sky and looked at the khaki light of Xuan Zi's departure. "Haha, you look down on soul guidance technology, but in the end, you are constrained by Soul Cannons."
"When we eventually make higher-level fixed Soul guidance shells and fire two at Shrek Academy, these reckless men will wake up."
Then Jing Hongchen addressed his two subordinates: "Since I have helped Xu Sheng successfully hunt for soul rings, I will return to the Sun and Moon first. I hope to witness the successful development of that soul guidance technology in my lifetime."
Xuan Ziwen knew that the soul guidance technology that the hall master was busy researching every day was considered the ultimate secret weapon of Mingde Hall, the highest achievement in the field of Soul guidance, and the crystallization of all senior researchers - Experimental Subject No. 1.
Xu Sheng naturally played the role of a bond, not letting Xuan Ziwen feel any nostalgia for the Heavenly Soul Empire. "Don't worry, Hall Master, I will accompany Xuan Ziwen to worship the ancestors, and we will return to Mingdu immediately."
...
Zhang Lexuan commanded a group of disciples to rest on the spot and soon saw a yellowish-brown light flying toward them.
Before Master Xuan landed, a student stood up excitedly and asked anxiously, "Master Xuan, did you kill the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis?"
"The beast is dead." Master Xuan landed in front of everyone and threw the corpse of the Three-Soul Ghost Mantis to the ground.
"But I didn't kill it."
Zhang Lexuan fell silent.
The disciples looked a bit unnatural as well. There was a moment of silence as everyone had no choice but to accept the result. At least the culprit was dead.
Zhang Lexuan turned around and directed everyone to set up tents. The disciples selected a piece of land, cleared it, and then helped each other set up camp.
Tang Ya had been craving Huo Yuhao's barbecued skewers for a long time. "Sssssss, Xiao Yuhao, let's grill the skewers!"
With the active cooperation of Tang Ya, Beibei, and Dugu Luo, they set up the grill, cut Huo Yuhao's frozen meat into skewers, and Huo Yuhao started grilling. Soon, the aroma of barbecue filled the air and whetted everyone's appetite.
Zhang Lexuan twitched her nose. Although the fragrant smell aroused her appetite, she still maintained a cool expression.
She slowly walked up to Huo Yuhao and took out a plastic square 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 stunned. What does this mean? Does she think his kebabs are unhealthy?
But he soon discovered that Zhang Lexuan's dark eyes moved back and forth, sometimes looking at the nutritious meal in his arms and sometimes glancing at the skewers on his grill.
Huo Yuhao suddenly realized what was going on. He accepted the plastic box, picked up a bunch of skewers, and handed them to Zhang Lexuan. "These are for you."
"Well, thank you, little brother, Huo Yuhao." Zhang Lexuan accepted the skewers, and her smile indicated success in their food exchange.
She felt that her nutritious meal was tasteless compared to the kebabs.
Huo Yuhao once again displayed his warm smile, resembling a friendly neighbor. "It's okay, Sister Lexuan. Didn't you share your food with me? Also, you can just call me Yuhao."
"Okay, Yuhao." Zhang Lexuan nodded slightly and ate the skewers with an elegant demeanor.
Beibei smiled awkwardly. "Haha, how about it, Senior Sister? Brother Huo's skewers are delicious, right?"
Zhang Lexuan raised her eyes and glanced at him lightly before looking away calmly. "Yeah."
Beibei noted that Zhang Lexuan came to them simply because she wanted to eat skewers this time, not because of him, and he felt quite pleased.
He picked up a few skewers and handed them to Tang Ya: "Xiao Ya, you've been thinking about this for a long time. Come and eat."
Tang Ya sniffed the skewers, her eyebrows filled with joy. "Hah, they smell so good."
Dugu Luo, who was standing next to them, sniffed the aroma and wanted to eat but felt too embarrassed to speak. Her pair of green eyes kept flashing, and her originally pale cheeks flushed from excitement.
Huo Yuhao naturally noticed this and turned to look at Dugu Luo.
She immediately pretended to be very busy. A map was spread out on the ground. Her fingers traced the route on it back and forth as she muttered, "Go here, then go here."
Huo Yuhao smiled and handed her a bunch of skewers. "Sister Dugu, you should eat some too. We'll look for the location on the map together later."
"Oh, okay, Yuhao." Dugu Luo folded the map and put it away. Then she took the skewers and smiled softly.
While eating Huo Yuhao's freshly grilled skewers, Tang Ya asked with a smile, "Yuhao, you are so powerful now. Have you decided which academy to go to?"
Beibei actively chimed in, trying to persuade him to come to Shrek Academy.
"Yes, little brother Huo. We must pursue education and absorb knowledge in school."
"Why don't you come to our Shrek Academy? You are eleven years old and already a second-ring soul master. I can talk to the teacher and you can enter any first-grade class without an exam."
Zhang Lexuan recalled the feeling of using the detection map before. She liked the sensation it provided—being able to enter with that soul skill.
She thought for a moment. "Little brother Yuhao, if you are willing to study in Shrek, I will tell the elder. I can accept you as my disciple."
Huo Yuhao was stunned again. Is Zhang Lexuan ready to accept disciples? However, she seemed to be groomed as the successor to the leader of the Sea God Pavilion.
"Sister Lexuan, this still depends on the recognition... The teacher leading the team, whom you call Master Xuan, doesn't seem to be interested in my soul skills."
When Zhang Lexuan heard the name Master Xuan, her face immediately turned cold. Of course, it was only directed at Mr. Xuan.
Dugu Luo, standing by, sensed the atmosphere had soured and tugged at Huo Yuhao's sleeve. Holding the map, she asked, "Yuhao, see, three routes are branching off here. Which way should we go?"
Huo Yuhao blinked. Three routes? Did that lord strengthen the path to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well?
"Don't worry, Sister Dugu. Let me simulate it in advance." Huo Yuhao activated the simulated soul skill to create a stick-shaking tube filled with dozens of sticks resembling bamboo.
With a thought, the lottery stick box began to shake.
After a while, a bamboo stick fell out, but it was the result of Huo Yuhao's random simulation.
The right road appeared quite poor, a very bad sign.
Dugu Luo said curiously, "Yuhao, are you fortune-telling? Do you know divination?"
"I know a little bit, and it's somewhat related to fortune itself."
(End of this chapter)