Chapter 259: The Bet.
Upon hearing this, the disciples resumed their seats, either to recover their soul power or to calm their emotions with their eyes closed.
Half an hour later, the elder reappeared and shouted in a deep voice, "Now, run along the outermost edge of the training field. I know you have doubts about what good running laps will do, but I won't explain. You either do it or give up. You can start now."
The training field wasn't large, but the outermost circle was at least two kilometers. The disciples cursed inwardly, but they had no choice but to comply due to the elder's authority.
They were all children. Although they were Soul Masters, their bodies were not much stronger than adult men. At first, they could use their soul power to strengthen themselves, but after more than twenty laps, their soul power was almost exhausted, and some had already started to fall behind.
Some were more stubborn, perhaps wanting to show off in front of the higher-ups, and kept rushing to the front, regardless of how much soul power they were consuming.
"Tsk tsk, are you choosing disciples or choosing a wife, kid? Why so many tricks?" At some point, Du Budie arrived beside Huo Yuhao.
"Greetings, Sect Master," the crowd said respectfully.
Du Budie waved his hand dismissively, "Enough with the greetings, my ears are calloused from hearing it."
The crowd: "…"
Huo Yuhao smiled and said, "What does Master think I'm trying to achieve by doing this?"
Hearing this, Du Budie thought for a moment and said, "The first test, allowing each person to appear three times, you probably wanted to see their strength and combat skills.
The second test, using the domain to stir up the negative emotions deep within them, you probably wanted to see these little guys' character."
"As for this third test, I don't think you're just looking for the one who lasts the longest, right?"
Du Budie looked at Huo Yuhao with a look of eagerness to learn. After all, the third test wasn't over yet, and he couldn't guess what Huo Yuhao was trying to do.
"Master is wise. In this third test, I want to see their willpower. It doesn't matter how far they run or how long they last. What matters is that they can break through their own limits, because the only one who can truly defeat them is themselves."
Huo Yuhao looked at the sweating children with a smile, not pretending to be mysterious, and directly stated his purpose.
"You really don't follow the usual path. I knew it wasn't as simple as they thought. If you really wanted to choose the most talented, you would have used an elimination system directly in the first test and carried it through to the end. Why bother with so many tricks?" Du Budie said.
"Compared to talent, I value a person's character and perseverance more. After all, it's easier to change mountains than to change one's nature. Talent can be changed through other means.
As for character, if their parents haven't taught them well in such a long time, why would I be able to change them? You must know that the most difficult thing to fathom in this world is the human heart."
Du Budie chuckled, "You make it sound so easy, kid. If talent were so easy to change, this world would be full of Soul Masters. And don't pretend to be profound with me, I'm more profound than you."
Huo Yuhao: "…"
What's wrong with this old guy? Did he take the wrong medicine?
"Since that's the case, dare Master make a bet with me?"
"What bet? Tell me about it?" Du Budie raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Huo Yuhao smiled innocently and said, "Let's bet on whether I can change my disciple's talent, how about it? Do you dare?"
Du Budie: "Heh, what's there to be afraid of? However, a second awakening of the Martial Soul doesn't count. And it's not interesting this way, we have to add some stakes."
Huo Yuhao was waiting for him to say this, and immediately said confidently, "Alright, Master, you have a lot of wealth, and I can't be stingy, can I? How about we bet on a 100,000-year-old soul bone?"
Du Budie narrowed his eyes, "I know you have 100,000-year-old soul bones, kid, but I'm afraid you've already absorbed and fused them, right? What are you going to bet with me? Don't tell me you want to get something for nothing?"
Huo Yuhao smiled without saying a word, and with a flip of his hand, he took out an object from the purple chain, a torso bone, as crystal clear as jade. The moment this torso bone appeared, the surrounding temperature rapidly decreased, making the already cold weather even colder.
This torso bone was the reward that the Snow Empress gave Huo Yuhao for saving the Snow Demon before.
The surrounding people looked at the soul bone with fiery eyes. Soul bones, who wouldn't want them? Especially since this was a 100,000-year-old one. The Title Douluos in the Body Sect basically had a 100,000-year-old soul bone each. This was a benefit when they entered the Elder Council, and it was also considered an incentive for others in the sect.
However, no one would complain about having too many soul bones.
As he said that, Huo Yuhao sized up Bingdi. Well, she was still flat-chested, but this woman was a rebuilt ferocious beast after all, so her foundation was still there. She had already broken through to the Soul Douluo realm.
This cultivation speed was something that even Huo Yuhao, the cheat, couldn't hope to match. But that was normal, Huo Yuhao was cultivating upwards, while Bingdi was just recovering her previous power.
"Yeah, I heard you were going to take disciples, so I came to watch the fun."
Bingdi hugged Huo Yuhao's arm, her face full of tenderness. The two of them were usually in seclusion, and when she came out, the man was busy. When the man finished his work and came back, she was in seclusion. Although they were partners, they didn't spend much time together, so Bingdi missed Huo Yuhao very much.
The young couple was showing their affection and spreading dog food. On the other side, Du Budie wasn't in a good mood. His disciple didn't have any martial ethics. He hadn't agreed yet, so how could the bet be finalized? But he was too embarrassed to go back on his word in front of so many people.
Vaguely, Du Budie had a feeling that he had been tricked. He suddenly remembered that, according to the information he had investigated, this kid only had a first-level innate soul power, and there were also the immortal herbs that helped him break through to the Limit Douluo realm. He had been careless.
Another four hours passed, the sun was setting, and nine of the twelve people were gone. Some of these people had collapsed on the ground, some had fainted, and some had simply given up.
As soon as these people fell, someone immediately helped them down, and healing-type Soul Masters immediately began to use their soul skills to heal them.
At this moment, only three people remained on the outer circle of the training field, two boys and one girl. The two boys, about ten years old, were running in the front. They were the two Great Soul Masters.
And Huo Yuhao was no stranger to the little girl behind, it was Su Shan'er. The little girl did well in the first two tests, but this third test was very difficult.
Born in the countryside, she didn't eat well, and her body was weak. When she had soul power, it was fine. Her Martial Soul provided her with considerable enhancement, especially since her Martial Soul was her heart.
But she was still young after all, so how much soul power did she have? Although her cultivation wasn't the lowest among the nine, she was far behind the two boys in front. She was able to persevere until now entirely because of her willpower.
On the other side, several elders, and even Du Budie, focused their attention on Su Shan'er. These people were all highly cultivated and could see that this little girl had reached her limit and was now overdrawing her body.
"Go, have someone take her down."
The elder who was in charge of the competition pulled over a disciple and instructed him.
"No need."
At this time, Huo Yuhao stopped them. He said, "Don't interfere, I want to see what this little girl can do."
