Chapter 237: Super Douluo Kong Deming
"Why aren't the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion and the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion engaging in deep cooperation with the Spirit Transmission Tower?" Huo Yuhao asked, puzzled.
Juzi sighed helplessly. "The commanders of these two legions follow the Sun Moon Emperor's orders to the letter. Unless the emperor himself approves it, they won't take the risk of working closely with the Spirit Transmission Tower."
Huo Yuhao frowned. He realized that the toughest obstacle among the Five Hands of National Defense was actually the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion, the strongest of them all.
According to the original timeline, while the other Beast King ranked legions had two Rank 9 Soul Engineers, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion had three, all absolutely loyal to the emperor. They didn't even involve themselves in the power struggle between the Third Prince and Xu Tianran.
So, even though Xu Tianran was the Crown Prince, he had no authority over them.
Trying to sway such loyalists with Soul Spirits alone, convincing them to defect to the Spirit Transmission Tower, was going to be extremely difficult.
As for the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, they were actually easier to influence perhaps even to the point of fully absorbing them into the Spirit Transmission Tower's ranks.
Even though the Imperial Dragon Legion was part of the royal military, their loyalty wasn't absolute.
Their commander, Xu Tianyuan, was a high ranking Sun Moon noble and Xu Tianran's cousin. However, he did not support Xu Tianran's claim to the throne instead, he backed the Third Prince, a character who never even appeared in the original storyline.
"I'll ask Elder Kong to help persuade the commanders of both legions," Huo Yuhao decided. "But for now, the Spirit Transmission Tower will need to operate under the guise of being a subordinate organization of the Worship Hall.
Right now, what we need most is growth."
In the original story, Kong Deming had immense influence over Rank 9 Soul Engineers.
He was so powerful that he had allowed Juzi to assassinate Xu Tianran, despite being under his rule.
He could even convince Rank 9 Soul Engineers to refrain from protecting Xu Tianran, proving that the emperor's authority had limits when it came to him.
Persuading Kong Deming, however, shouldn't be too difficult.
Kong Deming only cared about having an emperor in place he wasn't fixated on who that emperor was.
His real priority was the prosperity of the Sun Moon Empire.
Since everything Huo Yuhao was doing would strengthen the empire, he was confident Kong Deming would support him.
Otherwise, how could Xu Yunhan, a child whose Three Eyed Golden Lion martial soul clearly wasn't inherited from Xu Tianran, manage to ascend the throne?
Logically, Xu Yunhan should have been easily overthrown, yet Kong Deming ensured his rise to power instead of selecting a true born member of the Xu family.
After further discussion, Huo Yuhao learned that many Sun Moon nobles had already been swayed by the Spirit Transmission Tower thanks to Soul Spirits.
Satisfied, he finally left.
After all, in the Sun Moon Empire, the nobility and military were the dominant forces.
If the Spirit Transmission Tower could gain full control over them, its expansion would become unstoppable.
Several Days Later
On the Ship
Kong Deming lay on the deck, gasping for breath. His aged face was filled with exhaustion, his clothes soaked through with seawater, making him look battered.
As the greatest Soul Engineer in the Sun Moon Empire, it had been a long time since he had been placed in a life or death situation.
After all, he spent most of his time in laboratories, researching how to craft a Rank 10 Soul Tool.
But now, in order to stimulate his potential and trigger a second martial soul awakening, he had been pushing himself to the limit every single day by diving deep into the ocean.
For a Soul Master, the deeper into the sea they went, the greater the pressure from all directions it became harder to breathe, move, and survive.
Although Kong Deming was a Rank 94 Title Douluo, he deliberately refrained from using any soul tools while diving.
This significantly weakened him, as his power as a Soul Engineer relied entirely on soul tools.
Without them, his combat ability was severely reduced.
Jing Hongchen emerged from the water, keeping a close eye on Kong Deming.
His role was to monitor and protect Kong Deming while he pushed his limits.
After all, if Kong Deming died during the process, it would be a disaster.
The entire Sun Moon Empire would collapse into chaos.
Seeing Kong Deming's worn out state, Jing Hongchen immediately flew over and carefully helped him up.
"Are you alright, Elder Kong?" he asked with concern.
Kong Deming waved him off. "I'm fine. Just diving into the deep sea.
This old body of mine won't break that easily."
He wiped the seawater from his face and let out a long breath.
"Later, I'll go back in.
Now that I'm the only one on this ship who hasn't achieved a second martial soul awakening, I can't afford to fall behind."
Jing Hongchen chuckled. "Elder Kong, who knows? Maybe you'll awaken around the same time as Yuhao!
And when you do, you might instantly reach Rank 95 Super Douluo."
On this ship, all the other Title Douluo had already undergone their second awakening.
The lack of Super Douluo in the Sun Moon Empire wasn't due to weak martial souls some of their martial souls were actually very strong.
Rather, it was because Sun Moon cultivators relied heavily on pills, which damaged their potential.
Additionally, most of them spent too much time researching soul tools, leaving less time for martial cultivation.
Kong Deming smiled. "I hope so.
But honestly, Yuhao's potential is far greater than mine.
I doubt I'll hold out until Day 49 before my awakening occurs."
After a short rest, Kong Deming dove back into the sea.
The 40th Day of Kong Deming's Deep Sea Training
Late at night, the silver moon rose over the sea, its gentle glow casting a soft radiance over the entire ship.
The sea shimmered under the moonlight, creating a scene of unparalleled beauty.
At the same time, an overwhelming aura erupted from the moonlit sky, enveloping the entire ship.
"Kong Deming has successfully awakened his martial soul he's become a Super Douluo!"
Jing Hongchen burst out of the water, his face filled with excitement.
His voice was so loud that everyone on the ship heard it.
This immense aura left no room for doubt Kong Deming had reached Rank 95 Super Douluo.
In the past, though he had been incredibly strong, his cultivation had been stagnant.
Not only had his combat power reached a limit, but even becoming a Rank 10 Soul Engineer seemed out of reach.
But now, everything was different.
One by one, the others on the ship flew toward the glowing silver moon, drawn by the immense energy radiating from it.
Huo Yuhao, blending into the crowd, thought to himself:
**"Kong Deming has truly built up his strength over the years.
After all, even in the original timeline, he was able to reach Super Douluo purely through his own efforts.
Now, though... he's reached it even faster."**
(End of chapter.)
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