There were still more than two months between the start of the school term and the tournament.
During that time, Huo Yuhao also found time to formally meet the members of the main team and the reserve team.
Afterward, he practiced tactics with the main team and the reserve team separately.
What surprised Huo Yuhao most was that Feng Tingting had also made the reserve team!
According to her, she had basked in Huo Yuhao's reflected glory.
She had only recently advanced to Level 4 Soul Engineer and had not even reached the standard of an elite Level 4 Soul Engineer.
But her Martial Soul was the Demon of a Hundred Gazes, which counted as half a spiritual-type Martial Soul.
The Demon of a Hundred Gazes had a Martial Soul trait: the more people paid attention to her within a short period, the greater the boost her total Soul Power could receive.
With the tens of thousands of people whose attention she had gained by writing "Soul Engineer Genius" inside and outside the academy, once she activated this Martial Soul trait-
For a short time, her total Soul Power could rival that of a high-level Soul King, and that was not even her limit.
Unfortunately, her Martial Soul had little offensive ability, and the boost it gave her body was practically zero.
This was also her main reason for founding "Soul Engineer Genius."
It was precisely because of this periodical that she had met the academy's star, Xiao Hongchen, and eventually developed feelings for him.
Thus, last term, even though the academy's higher-ups knew her Martial Soul trait could produce such numbers, they had not considered letting her join the reserve team.
But now, a Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle capable of repeated fire was about to be made.
Its perfect wielder, Huo Yuhao, was also on the reserve team.
That was why she had made the reserve team as well.
Once she took the field, she would have just one tactical assignment: charge the Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle!
Aside from Feng Tingting's situation, there was another matter that gave Huo Yuhao quite a headache.
After the reserve team fought the starting team in an extreme-pressure test, Huo Yuhao felt that something was off with Meng Hongchen's mood.
Only after using his mind-reading ability and questioning her closely did Huo Yuhao understand what she was thinking.
Meng Hongchen felt upset that she always needed Huo Yuhao's help to raise her attribute to Ultimate Ice.
Without being paired with Huo Yuhao, Spiritual Detection alone gave her a substantial boost, but it fell far short of the qualitative transformation Xiao Hongchen received.
She felt she was holding Huo Yuhao back.
After all, when the time came, Huo Yuhao could freely weave across the battlefield like a roaming dragon using Simulation.
Wouldn't he be more useful wielding the Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle than serving as her accessory?
Huo Yuhao wanted to comfort her, but there was little he could do.
What brought him a little relief was that Feng Bujue had returned from Soul Hunting.
After some explanation, Huo Yuhao learned that the Soul Hunting trip had taken longer than expected because Feng Bujue had found a lead on his father's disappearance.
Huo Yuhao told him not to stand on ceremony and to tell him directly if anything came up.
They could see whether they could ask his teacher to help.
But after learning that Huo Yuhao was doing everything he could to break through to rank thirty Soul Power and prepare for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament-
He even declined Huo Yuhao's offer to hold a welcome-back banquet and was unwilling to discuss the matter further.
He feared taking up Huo Yuhao's limited energy.
There were only twenty-odd days left before the tournament.
Quiet Heart Studio, Jing Hongchen's office.
"Yuhao, how has your cultivation been going lately? When will you break through to rank thirty?"
Jing Hongchen poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Huo Yuhao, saying with a smile:
"Today is a good time to finalize the choice for your third Soul Ring."
Huo Yuhao hurriedly took it and said with renewed spirit:
"Within the next couple of days, probably. I can already feel the bottleneck beginning to loosen."
Beside them, Feng Yu first took out a list.
Written on it were the Soul Beasts that had made the final shortlist. Pointing to one of them, he opened the discussion:
"Junior brother, how about the thousand-year Purple Spirit Bei's Group Weakness?"
"It affects the targets' central nervous systems through spiritual fluctuations."
"It doesn't reduce their Soul Power, but it causes their bodies to experience dizziness, weak legs, and loss of strength."
"At the thousand-year level, this Soul Skill can last a full ten-odd seconds. It counts as a rare and powerful team-battle Soul Skill."
"Although Purple Spirit Bei are rare, the academy's beast-fighting grounds happen to have one that has just reached the thousand-year level."
Jing Hongchen frowned and shook his head.
"Group Weakness is indeed a rare find for an ordinary spiritual-type Soul Master."
"But this Soul Skill has too little growth potential. It might be useful in team battles."
"For individual growth, however, especially Yuhao's, it's too much like a chicken rib-little meat to savor, yet a shame to discard."
"Tell me, once Yuhao has grown stronger, how much use could a Soul Skill like this still have?"
Huo Yuhao nodded, feeling that Jing Hongchen had a point.
Feng Yu hesitated. "How about an Evil Eye Tyrant?"
"Unfortunately, purebred, single-attribute Evil Eye Tyrants are far too rare, and thousand-year ones are rarer still."
"With so little time, I don't know whether we could make it."
"Besides, legend has it that purebred, single-attribute Evil Eye Tyrants are almost all direct offspring of that one..."
"Hmph." Jing Hongchen looked at Huo Yuhao and said seriously:
"Yuhao, as long as you want a thousand-year, single-attribute Evil Eye Tyrant-"
"I'll bring a few Level 9 Soul Engineers and take the Level 9 Seal God Platform to catch one for you."
"As long as we leave no traces, there probably won't be any problems."
Huo Yuhao was deeply moved by Jing Hongchen's declaration.
But first, the third Soul Ring that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Empress had discussed and planned for him was indeed not an Evil Eye Tyrant.
Second, attacking a single-attribute Evil Eye Tyrant was genuinely dangerous.
The Sun Moon Empire had no record of killing a single-attribute Evil Eye Tyrant for several hundred years.
Huo Yuhao did not want Jing Hongchen to take such a risk for his third Soul Ring, either.
He pointed to one entry on the list and said, "Teacher, I want this one!"
Jing Hongchen and Feng Yu followed his finger. It was none other than the Silver Ying Beast!
The Silver Ying Beast's Imprint?
Jing Hongchen nodded. This was the choice with the greatest growth potential on the list.
Even after cultivating to the ultimate level, Imprint could still produce extremely powerful effects.
For now, Huo Yuhao could rely on the Live Ammunition Soul Guidance Sniper Rifle for raw numbers.
And Imprint could make up for some of the gaps in Huo Yuhao's mechanics.
The only pity was, as Jing Hongchen said regretfully:
"Other than the Silver Ying Beast and the Evil Eye Tyrant, Mingdu has thousand-year Soul Beasts of every kind on this list in stock."
"As for this Silver Ying Beast, there seems to be only one that was caught recently, a ten-thousand-year one."
Huo Yuhao was also slightly surprised to hear this. Soul Beasts in stock?
And there just happened to be a ten-thousand-year Silver Ying Beast? Could it really be such a coincidence?
Seeing Huo Yuhao's confusion, Jing Hongchen explained:
"Sealing Soul Tools were developed precisely to make up for the Sun Moon Empire's shortage of Soul Beast resources."
"The ones secretly captured are also extremely rare, seldom-seen Soul Beasts. This plan is known only among the empire's higher-ups."
"The most famous of these Soul Tools is the Level 9 sealing Soul Tool, the Seal God Platform."
Huo Yuhao rubbed the space between his brows and laid out his entire plan:
"Uh, Teacher, I think this ten-thousand-year Silver Ying Beast is exactly right for me."
"First, my spiritual power has already reached the threshold of the Soul Emperor level. Soul Shock won't be a problem for me."
"Second, I've eaten so many high-level Soul Engineer set meals, which included quite a lot of thousand-year whale rubber."
"I also bought a piece of thirty-thousand-year whale rubber separately. Add in the boost my Ice Jade Scorpion Martial Soul gives my constitution..."
Jing Hongchen and Feng Yu exchanged a glance, each seeing hesitation and uncertainty in the other's eyes.
Jing Hongchen frowned.
"Yuhao, are you sure you understand the risks involved?"
"Brother Lin Xi, have another drink!"
Wang Shaojie nudged Lin Xi, who was swaying drunkenly from side to side. Only after confirming that he really was drunk did Wang Shaojie chuckle and ask:
"Brother Lin Xi, just tell me what God Huo has been up to lately, won't you? Why doesn't he come to the library anymore?"
Lin Xi said drunkenly:
"God Huo? He really does deserve that title."
"That fellow's tactical importance has already surpassed Ma Rulong's."
"Shaojie, tell me, how can a Level 2 Soul Engineer be such a monster?"
Before you continue