After Ya Li left, only Yun Ming, Leng Yaozhu, and Huo Yuhao remained in the small house.
Yun Ming and Leng Yaozhu chatted casually for a few more moments, maintaining a superficial peace and politeness in their words.
As a junior disciple, Huo Yuhao strictly adhered to his role.
When the conversation didn't involve him, he sat quietly, not uttering a word.
Not long after, faint footsteps were heard from outside the courtyard.
When Ya Li reappeared at the doorway, a figure was accompanying her.
Huo Yuhao turned his head to look, and the first thing that caught his eye was a head of soft, silver hair cascading over her shoulders.
From between her strands of hair, a small face slowly lifted, its features so exquisite they seemed meticulously carved by the most skilled artisan, with skin so fair it was almost transparent.
Most striking were her eyes, which were silver, the same as her hair color.
Although she was still young, perhaps only eight or nine years old, anyone could tell that this girl was already a beauty in the making.
Huo Yuhao's gaze lingered on her for a moment. Such looks were indeed eye-catching, but what he valued more was her cultivation strength, as she might very well be his opponent next.
Naer was led into the house by Ya Li, and first obediently called out, "Teacher," to Yun Ming.
Then, she calmly took a seat in a chair beside Yun Ming.
Yun Ming then introduced, "This is my personal disciple, Naer."
Leng Yaozhu's gaze fell on Naer, and after a moment, she withdrew her gaze and looked at Yun Ming.
"To be taken as your personal disciple and personally taught, Naer must possess extraordinary talent and exceptional qualities."
Then, she changed the subject and asked, "Judging by Naer's age, she should also be nine years old. I wonder... what is her current cultivation rank?"
Before Yun Ming could speak, Ya Li, who was sitting beside him, spoke first: "This child, Naer, cultivates very diligently. She's already a rank 29 spirit grandmaster."
This cultivation speed, no matter where it was, would be enough to earn her the title of "young genius."
Even for Shrek Academy, which was accustomed to geniuses, having such cultivation at this age would definitely place her in the top echelon.
The pride Ya Li felt for her own child was genuine in her tone.
Upon hearing this, Leng Yaozhu merely raised her smooth chin slightly, a proud curve forming at the corner of her red lips.
"Oh?" she softly uttered a syllable, smiling, "That's not bad."
Immediately after, her gaze swept over Naer, finally settling on Yun Ming and Ya Li's faces: "It's just... if these two children were to spar, it seems our Yuhao would have a bit of an advantage. Yuhao... is already a rank 33 spirit elder!"
The moment Leng Yaozhu's voice fell, the gazes of the three people opposite instantly focused on Huo Yuhao, and deep within their pupils, an undisguised look of shock flashed simultaneously.
Nine years old, rank 33 spirit power!
Even Yun Ming, hailed as the continent's strongest and possessing astonishing talent, had not reached rank 33 spirit power when he was nine years old!
Huo Yuhao was meticulous. Even if Leng Yaozhu hadn't said it, he could tell from his previous observations that Aunt Leng and Saint Spirit Douluo Ya Li were clearly "at odds"!
Huo Yuhao didn't care about Saint Spirit Douluo's good reputation on the continent; he naturally had to support his Aunt Leng.
Thus, under the three shocked gazes, Huo Yuhao slowly raised his eyelids.
His expression remained calm, and he spoke clearly: "If we're to spar, to show fairness... I can suppress my spirit power to rank 29."
Precisely suppressing spirit power in combat is by no means an easy feat.
It requires extraordinary control over one's own spirit power to ensure that the suppressed spirit power remains stable and does not affect combat performance.
This is typically a method used by high rank spirit masters when guiding or sparring with lower rank opponents.
However, hearing it spoken so calmly from a nine year old three ring spirit elder was somewhat peculiar.
But Huo Yuhao's expression was serious, and his gaze was clear and firm, with no hint of joking or showing off.
Yun Ming, the continent's strongest, now appeared gentle and refined, but in his youth, he was also a lawless individual.
Therefore, facing this challenge brought to his disciple, a surge of anger also rose in his heart at this moment.
"Little friend Yuhao's kindness is appreciated, but in a spirit master's contest, spirit power rank is never the sole criterion for determining combat strength."
Yun Ming's gaze swept over Naer, who was sitting quietly to the side. The silver haired, silver eyed girl also straightened her back slightly at this moment, a hint of confident light flashing in her eyes.
Yun Ming smiled at Naer, then looked at Leng Yaozhu and Huo Yuhao, speaking again.
"So, there's no need to suppress spirit power; a normal spar will suffice."
Upon hearing this, Leng Yaozhu secretly shook her head: "Yun Ming, Yun Ming, your personality is ultimately too proud."
If Yun Ming had confidence in Naer, how could Leng Yaozhu not have confidence in Huo Yuhao?
Since the other party refused "fairness," it was exactly what she wanted.
"Very well," Leng Yaozhu immediately interjected, her tone decisive: "Sparring is meant for mutual verification. With us watching, they can fight freely without any reservations."
Yun Ming nodded: "Precisely. Let's go to the courtyard."
The five then rose and went into the tranquil, verdant small courtyard.
As the two protagonists of the spar, Huo Yuhao and Naer walked to the center of the courtyard and stood about ten meters apart.
Yun Ming said no more, merely waving his hand casually.
A hemispherical transparent light barrier, composed of pure spirit power, instantly enveloped the area where Huo Yuhao and Naer stood, ensuring that the energy aftermath of the spar would not harm a single blade of grass or tree in the courtyard.
After setting up the barrier, Yun Ming's expression was calm as he uttered three words: "Begin."
The moment his voice fell, Naer moved.
Her silver eyes suddenly lit up, her delicate white hand extended, and she clenched it in the void realm... a burst of silver light flashed!
A long spear, shimmering with silver light all over, appeared out of thin air in her hand!
The spear body was slender yet straight, covered with a layer of fine and exquisite silver dragon scale patterns.
The spearhead occupied about one-third of the entire spear's length, forming a perfect pyramid shape, incredibly sharp and exuding a chilling gleam.
This was precisely Naer's spirit—the silver dragon spear!
At the same time, two profound purple spirit rings spiraled up from beneath her feet, hovering and pulsating.
Seeing this spear and sensing its unique spirit aura, even Leng Yaozhu's eyes flashed with a hint of genuine surprise.
She turned her head to glance at Yun Ming: "No wonder you took her as a disciple; this spear spirit... is indeed extraordinary."
Upon hearing this, a hint of pride appeared deep within Yun Ming's eyes.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the silver spear in Naer's hand, and frankly admitted: "Indeed, in terms of the inherent strength of the spirit itself, Naer's silver dragon spear might... even surpass my heaven reaching spear."
The first purple spirit ring beneath Naer's feet shone brightly, and a gentle force surged throughout her body.
This was her first spirit ability, silver dragon power, a comprehensive amplification spirit ability that fully enhanced her strength, speed, defense, spirit power recovery, and other aspects.
As the spirit ability took effect, her entire aura visibly climbed a notch, her silver hair moved without wind, and holding the long spear, she appeared valiant and spirited.
However, just as Naer was about to launch her attack, her movements suddenly halted.
Her adorable little face instantly filled with solemnity!
Because she saw three spirit rings slowly rising from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet on the opposite side.
From their previous conversation, she already knew that Huo Yuhao was a three ring spirit elder.
Seeing three spirit rings rise, she shouldn't have been surprised.
But!
The colors of those three spirit rings... were not the white representing ten years, not the yellow representing a hundred years, not the purple representing a thousand years... but three profound, dark circles, as if they could swallow all light... black!
They were ten thousand year spirit rings!
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