Reign Over the World

Huo Yuhao designed a universal type of First-Class Battle Armor.

This kind of Battle Armor offered a weaker boost to a Soul Master's attributes, but could be adapted to Soul Masters of any attribute.

Huo Yuhao planned to make a batch of low-grade First-Class Battle Armor for trade, so versatility was essential.

He had taken leave from the Martial Soul Department early on. After completing the first three months of classes and learning the basics of cultivation, there was little need to study more about Soul Beasts.

Half a month later, the jade-green carving knife finished engraving the final core array. Huo Yuhao put it away, then looked with satisfaction at the silver-white armor for his right arm.

Huo Yuhao tried it on and immediately felt his Soul Power grow stronger.

As he made the Battle Armor, Huo Yuhao had gained some understanding of its structure.

If a Soul Master fought by drawing on the Soul Power within their body, then Battle Armor was like an aid that used Soul Power from the outside world to assist them in battle.

Soul Power existed as a form of energy in the space of Douluo Continent, but Soul Masters couldn't use it directly as if casting magic.

Instead, they first had to absorb the energy into their bodies, then release it with the help of magic arrays on their Soul Rings, which resembled the patterns of magic circles.

At its core, Battle Armor had a two-layer magic array engraved outside a Soul Master's meridians.

After passing through the first magic array, a Soul Master's Soul Power combined with the Soul Power dispersed in the surrounding world. Then the second magic array balanced the quality of the two energies, compressing them until their combined strength surpassed that of the Soul Master's own Soul Power, before launching an attack.

The magic array worked in both directions. When an incoming attack struck, the outer array weakened the incoming Soul Power, then the Soul Power from the outside world in the first array offset part of it.

Through this mechanism, Battle Armor could raise a Soul Master's combat power to the equivalent of someone twenty levels above their own Soul Power.

Battle Armor's essence lay in strengthening the quantity and quality of Soul Power. As it advanced, it drew ever closer to becoming one with the Soul Master.

Likewise, long-term nourishment by Soul Power allowed sentient metal to learn to actively absorb Soul Power dispersed throughout the outside world, instead of merely merging with the Soul Power in its immediate vicinity.

Four-Character Battle Armor either used Heavenly Refinement to teach the metal to absorb Soul Power from the outside world directly, or slowly gave it that ability through long-term nourishment.

As for the Five-Character and Six-Character Battle Armor beyond that, it merely used the nourishment of divine power to change the energy being absorbed into divine power.

After learning how it worked, Huo Yuhao put the Battle Armor he had made into his storage ring and went to find Mu En, who was sunning himself outside the dormitory.

"Child, what brings you to see me today?" Mu En asked, puzzled as Huo Yuhao came straight toward him.

"Please take a look at this. It's a Soul Tool I made. Judging by its effects, it should qualify as a Level 7 Soul Tool."

Curious, Mu En took the Battle Armor Huo Yuhao handed him. He only had to infuse it with a little Soul Power for his expression to change dramatically.

"Child, you've truly given me an enormous surprise. A full set of Soul Tools like this would let an ordinary Soul Master fight opponents one or even two dozen levels stronger."

"I was hoping you could help promote it. Making this stuff takes a huge amount of rare metals, so I was also hoping the academy could help me deal with that."

Seeing Mu En's delighted expression, Huo Yuhao knew he wasn't far from having all the rare metals he needed.

"Of course. The academy will help you with the rare metals."

"Shao Zhe told me you'll need a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone soon. When you get your premonition, I'll accompany you personally. That won't interfere with the agreement between you and Shao Zhe."

With the Battle Armor on display, Mu En's judgment about the future successor to the Sea God Pavilion had changed.

He removed the words "future successor." Huo Yuhao would be the Sea God Pavilion's sole successor.

"Then I have so much to thank you for. That makes another set of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings and Soul Bones I can get."

With Mu En's help, the Snow Empress Embryo was all but certain to be his. Huo Yuhao was thrilled.

Mu En looked at Huo Yuhao warmly and continued:

"Yuhao, may I call you that? I'd originally planned to take you as my disciple, but it seems there's no need to use that to raise your standing now."

"Of course. You're too kind, Elder. I don't even know your name yet, though. What should I call you?"

Though Huo Yuhao knew who Mu En was, he had to play dumb for now. With his Spirit Domain Realm spiritual power, he could do it without giving anything away.

"Just call me Elder Mu. Yuhao, I'll have Shao Zhe notify you about a meeting in a few days. Remember to attend on time."

"Child, your spiritual power is very strong. Before the meeting, I'll give you another gift."

After speaking, Mu En didn't wait for Huo Yuhao to respond. He stopped concealing his aura, and the pressure of a Limit Douluo instantly enveloped the surroundings.

"Yuhao, feel it carefully." As soon as Mu En finished speaking, an aura that seemed to dominate all under heaven poured toward Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao instinctively entered his Fate Manipulation state. His spiritual power formed the phantom of an eye and collided with Mu En's aura.

On the surface, they seemed evenly matched, but Huo Yuhao could clearly feel that his spiritual power was being consumed at an abnormal rate.

He was using at least three times as much spiritual power as Mu En, even with the aid of the Power of Destiny.

Is this the power of "aura"? No wonder Ji Juechen, with only three levels of Innate Soul Power, could cultivate to Soul Douluo by understanding sword intent. Huo Yuhao thought.

Mu En's Reign Over the World carried no intent to attack. He was simply showing Huo Yuhao how to wield an aura.

Huo Yuhao immediately stopped using the Power of Destiny. The golden light faded from his eyes, turning them black once more, while the Eye of Life slowly opened at his brow.

Fate Awakening was an ability of Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eye's Martial Soul Second Awakening. Aside from forcibly depriving others of their fate, it could also change his own.

So, during the clash of auras just now, Fate Awakening had directly changed the course of Huo Yuhao's fate as he resisted the pressure, forcibly weakening the impact of Mu En's Reign Over the World.

That was also why Tang San had grown wary of Huo Yuhao. If Huo Yuhao used all his Ten Thousand Year Luck to forcibly alter fate, there would be no problem with him gaining the strength of a God King for an instant.

Huo Yuhao withdrew the Power of Destiny and faced Mu En's aura with all his spiritual power.

Awakening his own aura was crucial. Huo Yuhao's abilities were too heavily skewed in one direction.

His Ten Thousand Year Luck was too closely bound to him; any loss would rebound on him. As for his spiritual power, against a truly strong opponent, it was only useful for running away.

A technique that directly combined spiritual power and Soul Power to attack was exactly what Huo Yuhao lacked.

A person's "aura" depended on their heart and understanding. As someone who had crossed over from another world, Huo Yuhao wasn't entirely sure what he truly felt deep down.

Now, under the pressure of Mu En's Reign Over the World, the memories of the little Huo Yuhao resurfaced in his mind.

Merging with those memories wasn't like watching a movie. It was more like reliving a vivid dream that could never be forgotten.

Huo Yuhao felt as though he had crossed over into the body of six-year-old Huo Yuhao.

But there was one difference: with his memories from his previous life, he felt no fear at all—only anger at injustice and the courage to rise up and fight back.