"Break."
Huo Yuhao activated his domain skill, Eternal Freezing Domain, with Extreme Ice imbued with the power of Destruction.
In that moment, the darkness was frozen by the Eternal Freezing Domain, and the Destruction energy within the ice-type soul power completely obliterated the darkness that could not resist the force of destruction.
Within the range of the Eternal Freezing Domain, the darkness dispersed entirely, and Huo Yuhao's vision returned to normal.
"Not bad."
As soon as his vision was restored, Huo Yuhao saw the old man he had met in the barbecue restaurant—Long Xiaoyao—walking slowly out of the darkness, speaking lightly.
"Who exactly are you?" Huo Yuhao looked at him, feigning ignorance.
Long Xiaoyao played along as if he didn't know Huo Yuhao was pretending, and said with a sigh,
"I'm called Long Xiaoyao. Have you heard of me?"
Huo Yuhao deliberately put on an expression of shock, eyes wide as he exclaimed,
"You're that Long Xiaoyao? One of the Twin Sacred Dragons, the Ultimate Douluo?"
Seeing Huo Yuhao enthusiastically flatter him and excitedly recount his legendary feats from youth—so different from how he had glared at him in the barbecue shop—Long Xiaoyao almost laughed out loud.
'Trying to butter me up now, huh?'
Well, since this Ultimate Douluo was clearly considering taking him on as a student, Huo Yuhao certainly wasn't going to miss the opportunity. A little flattery was a small price to pay.
After listening with interest to Huo Yuhao recite tales of his glorious past, Long Xiaoyao chuckled happily.
"Haha. Kid, how do you know so much about all those dusty old tales of mine?"
"Outstanding figures like yourself are naturally examples we younger cultivators should learn from."
Long Xiaoyao laughed heartily.
"Sharp-tongued, aren't you. But I see you seem to like me quite a bit. Aren't you worried I might do something to you?"
"With your power as an Ultimate Douluo, crushing me would take less than a moment. The fact that I'm still standing here shows there's nothing to fear."
Long Xiaoyao nodded internally with admiration. 'Excellent talent, steady mindset… a bit of a smooth-talker, but I like him.'
"Very good. I'm here because your grandfather Kong Deming asked me to be your cultivation teacher."
Long Xiaoyao paused, staring meaningfully at Huo Yuhao.
Naturally perceptive, Huo Yuhao immediately bowed deeply and said with sincerity,
"Teacher, please accept this disciple's salute."
Long Xiaoyao nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad, not bad. I had originally planned to live the rest of my life as freely as my name suggests. But since I've received a request from Kong Deming and met a kid I quite like, I'll take on the role of teacher."
"But let me be clear. When I show up to guide you will depend entirely on my mood. If I feel like it, I'll find you. Don't bother trying to find me yourself—it won't work."
"You seem like a perceptive kid, so I'll leave this domain of darkness here for you. Consider it your first lesson."
After rattling off all that, Long Xiaoyao patted his backside and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Huo Yuhao stood speechless.
'This old guy really lives up to his name. So carefree it's maddening.'
"Comprehend it, huh… Seriously, sir, even if you don't know I have both Extreme Ice and Spirit-type martial souls, you should at least know I wield Destruction energy. What am I supposed to comprehend about darkness, exactly—wait."
He had started grumbling, but then a thought struck him.
Water, fire, wind, earth, darkness, light, and space—these seven basic elements could combine to form higher-level powers like Destruction and Life. And Destruction and Life, when combined, produced Creation, which in turn could give rise to the seven elemental attributes again.
'Could Long Xiaoyao know that too? Maybe. Not many people know this besides someone like the Silver Dragon King, who has mastery over elemental forces. But Long Xiaoyao, with his experience and his Darkness Saint Dragon martial soul, might be one of the few exceptions.'
Staring at the still-present field of darkness around him, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a jolt of insight.
'Could it be… that someone like me, who holds both Life and Destruction, might be able to walk the same path as the Silver Dragon King—mastering the elements?'
'It would be difficult, of course… but not impossible. After all, I can wield Creation itself.'
At the very least, Huo Yuhao was already proficient in one of the seven base elements—water. His Extreme Ice was, after all, a higher-tier manifestation of water.
Even if he couldn't fully follow in the Silver Dragon King's footsteps, understanding more elemental forces besides ice would be of great benefit to him in mastering the power of Creation.
To others, diversifying like this might seem like a lack of focus. But since elemental powers share a common source, Huo Yuhao, as the future wielder of Creation, could unify them all, gaining more flexibility without sacrificing depth.
Understanding this, Huo Yuhao stopped hesitating. He immediately sat down cross-legged and began absorbing and cultivating the thick darkness energy around him.
He meditated through the entire night.
Long Xiaoyao's darkness domain was indeed extraordinary. Immersing himself in it allowed Huo Yuhao to enter a deep meditative state.
When he awakened, it was already dawn the next day.
Huo Yuhao opened his eyes—both were pitch black, radiating a strange intensity. It wasn't until a while later that his eyes returned to normal.
There was no doubt about it. Though Long Xiaoyao was a carefree rogue in personality, he was an exceptional teacher. Just this one lesson had benefited Huo Yuhao greatly.
During that night of comprehension, Huo Yuhao had gained the ability to store a trace amount of darkness energy within his body. He couldn't wield it yet, but it gave him something to build on in the future.
Those black eyes from earlier were a sign of the darkness energy stored within. Huo Yuhao had now sealed that energy in his spiritual sea for safekeeping.
He stretched out his stiff limbs, standing after a night of stillness. It was already morning.
'Looks like I won't be heading back to the dorm. I might as well go wash up in the Mingde Hall rest area.'
Sighing softly, Huo Yuhao turned and left the area.
With both cultivation and soul tool research on his plate, Huo Yuhao felt that his time was never enough. Walking the path of both a Soul Master and a Soul Engineer was no easy feat. It was no wonder so many seasoned individuals advised focusing on just one.
Still, no matter how difficult the road ahead might be, Huo Yuhao wanted to pursue perfection.
(End of Chapter)
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