Chapter 41: Yuhao, I Respect You So Much!

Hearing this, Jing Hongchen said, "Alright, once Ma Rulong finishes picking his teammates, you can start the match. Yuhao, take this Hongchen's Protection." As he spoke, he handed over a thin, circular metallic plate. It had a soft golden glow and was adorned with intricate engravings. "Hongchen's Protection?" Xiao Hongchen was shocked. "Grandpa, this is a Rank 9 trigger type defensive soul tool! It's extremely valuable, and you're just giving it to Huo Yuhao?" For a moment, he seriously wondered was he the real grandson here, or was Huo Yuhao? Even Ma Rulong, who was selecting his teammates, was momentarily stunned. The value of a Rank 9 soul tool was self explanatory. But Hongchen's Protection was even rarer than other Rank 9 soul tools. What made it special was that it had no soul power requirement meaning even a one ring soul master could activate it. At this moment, everyone looked at Jing Hongchen with odd expressions. Wasn't he spoiling Huo Yuhao a bit too much? Jing Hongchen straightened his posture and said, "Yuhao is still just a Grandmaster and hasn't even reached Soul King yet. If he gets injured in battle, what will we do? As the Headmaster and the Hall Master of Mingde, it is my duty to ensure his safety!" Throughout history, there had been many cases in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament where even Titled Douluo failed to rescue injured students in time. Even though Jing Hongchen was confident in his own abilities, he didn't want to take that risk. So, even though it pained him, he had to give up his treasured Hongchen's Protection to ensure Huo Yuhao's safety. If anything happened to Huo Yuhao, how would he explain himself to Kong Deming? As for a Invincible Barrier, it wasn't that he didn't want to give one, but those were at least Rank 5 soul tools, meaning only Soul Kings and above could use them. That's why Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and the other main team members could protect themselves, while Huo Yuhao needed extra protection. Huo Yuhao took Hongchen's Protection and placed it on his body. As soon as it touched his skin, it seamlessly fused with him. Jing Hongchen grinned. "Yuhao, it's simple. If you're attacked, it will automatically activate and defend you. You can also turn it on or off with a thought. "The defensive power depends on the soul master's full power attack but it only uses one fifth of the soul power needed for that attack. "And since it scales with the user, if a Titled Douluo uses it, they'll have Super Douluo level defense!" Jing Hongchen wasn't expecting Hongchen's Protection to block a Soul Emperor's full force attack. He just needed a brief moment of defense. As long as there was even a split second of time, he could 100% guarantee that he'd save Yuhao's life. With this, there was no risk at all. "Thank you, Headmaster," Huo Yuhao said. In his mind, he couldn't help but laugh. So in the original story, Hongchen's Protection was taken from Jing Hongchen by Mu En when he infiltrated Sea God's Pavilion. But now, Jing Hongchen was giving it to him willingly. "No need to thank me for something so small!" Jing Hongchen waved his hand. Then he turned to Ma Rulong. "Ma Rulong, have you picked your teammates?" "I have, Hall Master. I choose Chen Fei and Li Yan," Ma Rulong said. The moment he finished speaking, two men stepped forward. Chen Fei? Li Yan? Huo Yuhao immediately recalled their roles in the original story. Chen Fei was burned to death by Ma Xiaotao, while Li Yan was defeated by Xu Sanshi in the tournament. Both of them were one off side characters with little presence in the story. "Alright, everyone else leave the arena and make space for these six," Jing Hongchen announced. The other team members stepped back, leaving an open battlefield in the center of the Soul Dueling Arena. The two teams moved to opposite ends. Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Huo Yuhao on one side. Ma Rulong, Chen Fei, and Li Yan on the other. "Senior Xiao, Senior Meng, don't resist I'm activating my soul skill!" As he spoke, Huo Yuhao's eyes turned golden, and two soul rings appeared beneath him. First Soul Skill: Spirit Detection & Sharing! Meng Hongchen wasn't surprised at all. After all, she had experienced this skill before. Xiao Hongchen, however, hadn't taken it seriously at first. After all, how strong could a Grandmaster level first soul skill possibly be? But the moment he accepted Huo Yuhao's ability, his expression changed drastically. He muttered in shock, "This flawless, panoramic perception... It's like the entire battlefield is inside my mind! "I can clearly sense even the smallest movements of Ma Rulong... This is insane! "This is unbelievably valuable for Soul Engineers! Now I understand why Grandpa let you into the reserve team! "Huo Yuhao, you're amazing!" After saying that, Xiao Hongchen's gaze toward Huo Yuhao completely changed. He suddenly smiled and said, "Yuhao, my family's mansion is huge. We've got all sorts of treasures. You should visit sometime." Huo Yuhao: ...Why do I feel like you're trying to recruit me? He then turned serious. "Senior Xiao, Senior Meng, I can't fight Ma Rulong head on right now. "I'll stay in the back and support you both." Huo Yuhao was very self aware. His current combat power was not high enough to directly fight Ma Rulong and his team. So, his plan was to enhance Meng Hongchen's Ice Attribute with Ultimate Ice. Meng Hongchen's Scarlet Gold Ice Toad Martial Soul was the same elemental type as Ling Luochen's in the original story. Since original Huo Yuhao could enhance Ling Luochen, then he could definitely enhance Meng Hongchen too. However, if Meng Hongchen's ice power was boosted too much, it might disrupt her Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Xiao Hongchen. In Soul Land's lore, if a Martial Soul pair suddenly had a large power gap, their Fusion Skill could fail. This happened in Soul Land III, when Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Martial Soul evolved due to Tang Wulin, preventing him from fusing with his partner. But it didn't matter Ma Rulong's team already knew about Meng and Xiao's Fusion Skill and would do everything they could to prevent it anyway. "Got it!" Xiao Hongchen nodded. Meng Hongchen smiled. "Yuhao, just stay behind us." At this moment, Jing Hongchen floated in the air, his voice booming across the arena. "Alright! Both sides are ready let the match begin!" (End of chapter.)Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon. Read 15 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1