Chapter 275.2: The Art of Negotiating
“Yes. I trust you the most, and I won’t be able to be at ease unless you’re the one doing it. I can tell from Huo Yuhao representing the Tang Sect to promote their soul tools that Shrek Academy’s inner circle seems to have changed. We have to buck up on our intelligence work.”
Xu Jiujiu had believed from beginning to end that the Tang Sect was chosen by Shrek Academy as their spokesperson, and it was because of this misconstrued understanding that she placed a lot more emphasis on the Tang Sect.
Wang Dong’er pushed Huo Yuhao back into his room, and it was only at this moment that an exhausted look came over Huo Yuhao’s face.
Wang Dong’er lowered her voice and said, “Yuhao, why did you keep beating around the bush with Princess Jiujiu?”
Huo Yuhao answered, “That’s so I can give her a stronger impression, and it’s also because I wanted to catalyze this deal and agreement with the Star Luo Empire and finalize it as fast as possible. If the Sun Moon Empire launches an invasion, the Star Luo Empire cannot avoid being the vanguard and bearing the brunt of their attack. Therefore, they feel the most urgency, and I believe they will come to a decision fairly quickly.”
Wang Dong’er asked, “How about the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Dou Ling Empire?”
Huo Yuhao said, “We can take it a little slower with them. One reason is because we don’t know anybody in these empires’ higher levels with a status like Princess Jiujiu. The second reason is because these empires may not send one of their high-ranking officials to us. Furthermore, our production speed is limited, and we may be hit with overwhelming demand if the Star Luo Empire chooses to take us up on this deal.”
Wang Dong’er supported him and laid him down on the bed. She smiled as she said, “I think you’re becoming more and more like a businessman.”
Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, “It’s not my wish for that to happen. However, the Holy Ghost Church’s appearance has given us too much threat and danger.”
Wang Dong’er gently combed and tidied the hair on his forehead and said, “You can rest for a little while. I’ll buy dinner for you, and we should rest early after eating. Are you tired from hustling around all day?”
Huo Yuhao said nothing as he stared at her.
Wang Dong’er blushed as she felt his piercing gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and said, “Ever since I returned after sustaining these injuries, I’ve become the luckiest and most fortunate person in the world.”
Wang Dong’er grunted and said, “Are you trying to say that I wasn’t nice enough to you before this?”
“Uh… of course not. The truth is that I’ve always been a little lost ever since we established our relationship during the Sea God’s Fate, as you’ve always been my brother in my heart. I only suddenly discovered how important you were in my heart when I read the letter in the pouch that uncle Niu Tian gave me. I felt a little attracted to you even when you were dressed like a guy, except I wasn’t so sure why I felt that way. I only realized afterwards that your eyes would always be the same no matter what you wear. There’s a big difference between a guy and a girl’s eyes after all. Don’t worry, Dong’er – I will recover very soon.”
“Alright,” Wang Dong’er nodded her head lightly and said, “You should rest while I grab dinner.”
“Okay.”
Wang Dong’er left the room, and Huo Yuhao was the only person that remained. He didn’t close his eyes to rest, instead silently pondering things in his mind. He was repeatedly consolidating everything that he had seen and heard ever since they had arrived in Radiant City.
The Sun Moon Empire seems like they really are going to make a move. However, are the Heavenly Soul Empire and Star Luo Empire prepared for that? It’s hard to say, and even if they’ve made their preparations, the Holy Ghost Church entering the fray will undoubtedly cause disarray and mess up their plans. The Sun Moon Empire must have ulterior motives for hosting this competition. How can we delay as much as possible before the Sun Moon Empire takes action?
The Tang Sect has just begun our multifaceted expansion. The Tang Sect needs time to expand, and I also need time to recover. Once the war begins, we will need sufficient time to prepare if the Tang Sect wants to make a difference in the war and take this opportunity to expand and become stronger, and if the Tang Sect wishes to help the three native empires of the Douluo Continent against the Sun Moon Empire.
Yes! We have to devise a plan to slow the Sun Moon Empire down and delay their plans for war as much as possible during this competition. But how do we go about accomplishing that?
The goal had changed, but he couldn’t really think of a proper plan, so he could only play things by ear and wait and see. The Sun Moon Empire wasn’t just targeting the Star Luo Empire and Shrek Academy, and the other big sects, the Heavenly Soul Empire, and the Dou Ling Empire could form an alliance.
Dinner wasn’t very sumptuous, but Wang Dong’er had returned quickly, and it was clear that she was worried about Huo Yuhao. No matter what he ate, everything that entered Huo Yuhao’s mouth was as delicious as ever with Wang Dong’er beside him.
The night was upon them. Huo Yuhao didn’t dare to lie in bed and indulge himself in the warmth of Dong’er’s companionship like before, and he immediately started to meditate.
Wang Dong’er sat beside him and also began to meditate.
It had been a long time since they had cultivated together with the Haodong power. Huo Yuhao’s body was filled with the origin energy of Ultimate Ice, and that meant his soul power became extremely cold and icy. This also meant that Wang Dong’er would be adversely affected if they connected through the Haodong power. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao’s legs and his left arm’s blood circulation were blocked, so he couldn’t complete a major circulation. He would drag Wang Dong’er down with him, so he might as well cultivate by himself.
Huo Yuhao had strong foundations in his Mysterious Heaven Technique, and his Mysterious Heaven Technique was also filled with vitality. Huo Yuhao’s spiritual power was in the Mustard Seed Domain, and he could use his intricate and fine spiritual power with this technique. He released a thread of the origin energy of Ultimate Ice from his left arm and absorbed it with every circulation.
The reason why he chose his left arm and not his legs was because the origin energy stored inside his left arm was comparatively thinner, and thus easier to extract. He had already managed to absorb some of the origin energy of Ultimate Ice from all the work and effort that he had put in over the past few days. Huo Yuhao couldn’t finish a major circulation, but his soul power wasn’t increasing any slower at all. The origin energy of heaven and earth had given him a lot of trouble, but it was still pure ice-type energy in the end.
Huo Yuhao had already made accurate predictions about the state of his body. If he followed his current cultivation method, he would need at least three years before he could absorb every ounce of origin energy of Ultimate Ice in his body, and this was a conservative estimate where he assumed nothing went wrong. He would undoubtedly break through to become a Soul Emperor once he finished absorbing everything, and if he had enough soul rings, he had the possibility to break through to become a Soul Sage. Three years of being crippled in exchange for speedy improvement – this deal wasn’t that bad or disadvantageous for him in the end.
After all, neither Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, nor Wang Dong’er could possibly become Soul Sages within three years even if they wanted to.
Therefore, Huo Yuhao wasn’t that worried about his cultivation. He could only avoid mistakes and problems if he maintained a calm mind during his cultivation. Otherwise, if he went down the wrong path and went insane in his current state, he would face mortal danger.
The night went by peacefully, and Wang Dong’er pushed Huo Yuhao into Bei Bei’s room when dawn arrived after they finished breakfast.
Bei Bei was strong, and his injuries had stabilized. The only thing was that his wounds were far too severe, so he still had to rest in bed.
Huo Yuhao recounted the negotiation he had conducted with Xu Jiujiu on the previous day. Bei Bei told him delightedly after listening to his description that Huo Yuhao could decide on other similar issues in the future.
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi were the only ones who were truly in charge of things. The other members still prioritized their studies within Shrek Academy. He Caitou participated in the Tang Sect’s soul tool production and design, but the others spent most of their time on Sea God’s Island.
Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had taken quite a burden off Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi’s shoulders ever since they had returned from their exchange program. This was especially so because Huo Yuhao had returned with voluminous blueprints, and even brought back a soul tool expert in Xuan Ziwen. This immediately brought the Tang Sect to another level, and their most important Soul Tool Hall was subsequently perfected. The Tang Sect’s expansion was finally on the right track, and Bei Bei could finally heave a sigh of relief. He had completely no worries at all about Huo Yuhao – Huo Yuhao was their designer, and he was extremely familiar with all the Tang Sect’s soul tools. Furthermore, Huo Yuhao was meticulous and careful, and rarely made mistakes.
Xu Sanshi was an all-rounded individual, but he didn’t understand enough about soul tools, while he was too playful at the same time. Bei Bei didn’t feel assured at all about him, so he passed command to Huo Yuhao after he was wounded. Xu Sanshi didn’t have any objections to this at all, and he was even elated about the decision, as he didn’t want even a little bit of this added trouble and responsibility.
“Eldest senior brother, I predict that we will have a response from Princess Jiujiu by tomorrow night at the latest. With her knowledge and her experience, I trust that she won’t pass up this wonderful opportunity. It seems like we will be busy very soon.”
Bei Bei was lying down on the bed. He smiled and said, “Teacher Xuan will be busy, you mean. Your Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon managed to tame Teacher Xuan back then, so how can Princess Jiujiu not bend to your will? We can actually lower the price, as the cost of our production is…”
Huo Yuhao shook his head, and a mysterious smile broke out across his face. “Eldest senior brother, we don’t place excessive emphasis on money, but we can’t afford not to charge a high price for the Tang Sect’s development.”
Bei Bei’s eyes sparkled. He immediately understood what Huo Yuhao was trying to say, and said, “You’re thinking about…”
“Yes.” Huo Yuhao could tell that his eldest senior brother understood him, and he immediately nodded.
A knock sounded at this moment. Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong’er, Bei Bei, and Xu Sanshi were the only people in the room, and everyone thought the Tang Sect’s other members had arrived. Xu Sanshi walked over and pushed open the door, but he was momentarily stunned once he opened the door.
“Why are you here, eldest senior sister?” The eldest senior sister of Shrek Academy’s inner courtyard, Zhang Lexuan, was standing outside the room. Wang Qiu’er was also with her.
Zhang Lexuan shot a glare at him and said, “Why can’t I be here? I’m the academy’s team leader. Why have you guys been put in a place like this? Is the Sun Moon Empire unaware that you guys are the champions from the previous tournament?”
Xu Sanshi invited them in as he said angrily, “It doesn’t matter if they know that or not. Even if they know, what can we do if they pretend that they don’t?”