Chapter 692: Boosting Morale
After Ye Zhiqiu left, Yang Haoran prepared some things in his study, then also departed the villa and headed to the Ghost Cave.
Under Tang Shi's arrangements, the ghosts within the Ghost Cave were currently undergoing ideological training. Tang Shi naturally served as their lecturer, giving lessons. When Yang Haoran appeared, Tang Shi paused the ideological training and sent the ghosts to the training grounds for combat practice, while Tang Shi reported on his recent work to Yang Haoran.
After listening to Tang Shi's report, Yang Haoran handed over all nineteen Smiling Face Masks, as well as the female Evil Spirit's Skin, to him.
The reason there were nineteen Smiling Face Masks instead of twenty was that one of them had been scrapped during testing.
Currently, the ghosts in the Ghost Cave didn't nearly need all nineteen Smiling Face Masks, but these masks were originally prepared for them, and Yang Haoran had no use for them ordinarily. So, he simply gave all nineteen Smiling Face Masks to Tang Shi.
If any mask was damaged, or if new recruits needed masks, Tang Shi could handle all of these matters. Yang Haoran wouldn't have to worry about them.
All nineteen of these Smiling Face Masks had been imbued with Yang Haoran's Spirit Power. Not only did they retain their former defensive capabilities, but they also gained a new self-destruct function.
This self-destruction was not a simple explosion of Spirit Power, but rather the Smiling Face Mask exploding along with it. He had already tested its power: while it couldn't cause a top-tier Evil Spirit to undergo Soul Transformation, if an Evil Spirit of Tang Shi's level didn't defend itself, it would absolutely undergo Soul Transformation.
As Tang Shi and the other ghosts grew stronger, the Smiling Face Masks would undergo further modifications in the future; otherwise, their self-destruction wouldn't achieve the desired effect.
This problem was easily solved: as long as suitable materials were available, the Smiling Face Masks refined by Ye Zhiqiu could meet this standard.
After handing the Smiling Face Masks and the Skin to Tang Shi, Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment. He decided to have Tang Shi gather the ghosts in the Ghost Cave. There were some things, he believed, that needed to be clearly explained to them, as it would only benefit both sides and cause no harm.
Originally, Tang Shi intended to have the ghosts in the Ghost Cave come and pay respects to Yang Haoran, but Yang Haoran declined, choosing instead to personally go to the ghosts' training grounds.
"Assemble!"
With Tang Shi's command, all the ghosts immediately gathered with lightning-fast speed, lining up by height, chests out, expressions serious, eyes fixed straight ahead, filled with a palpable killing intent, looking exceptionally spirited.
Yang Haoran didn't know the full extent of their overall combat strength under Tang Shi's training, as he hadn't tested it yet. However, their current demeanor filled him with great satisfaction.
When Yang Haoran arrived directly in front of them, Tang Shi let out a deep shout!
"Salute!"
All the ghosts knelt on one knee, their movements uniform and decisive, without any hesitation or sloppiness.
"Greetings, Master!"
Their voices were unified and resounding, few in number, yet possessing the momentum of a thousand armies.
Yang Haoran's smile deepened. Clearly, he was quite pleased with the results of Tang Shi's training.
"Heh heh, rise."
Yang Haoran said with a smile. The ghosts, having received the order, rose to their feet, still standing ramrod straight, without the slightest relaxation.
"You've all worked hard recently. Though I don't yet know how much your combat strength has changed compared to before, your current spirit and demeanor are vastly different from when I first met you. This shows that your hard work is paying off, because you have undergone significant changes, perhaps changes you yourselves haven't even noticed."
As Yang Haoran spoke, he continuously observed the ghosts' expressions, especially emphasizing "self-destruct" to gauge their reactions upon hearing it.
However, the ghosts showed no reaction whatsoever, maintaining their stern faces, their expressions not changing in the slightest.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Yang Haoran decided to seize the opportunity to test their courage.
"Perhaps you don't fully understand what kind of ability this self-destruction is. Let me tell you now: once you activate the self-destruct ability of the Smiling Face Mask, with your current strength, you will absolutely undergo Soul Transformation!"
Though Yang Haoran's tone and expression remained unchanged, the impact of his words was far greater than his previous statements.
Yet, the ghosts present remained unmoved. Their expressions and gazes were resolute, without the slightest waver or hint of fear.
"Heh heh, actually, what I just said wasn't entirely correct. With your current strength, even if you activate the Smiling Face Mask's self-destruct, as long as you use your Yin Qi to protect yourselves, you won't necessarily undergo Soul Transformation. I'm curious, when it comes down to the wire, will you use Yin Qi to protect your Spirit Bodies? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
"No!"
The ghosts' reply was as decisive, concise, and resounding as before.
"Good! I don't care if your answer is true or false! Your answer had no hesitation whatsoever! That alone is enough!"
Yang Haoran's voice rose a few octaves, seemingly infected by the moment's emotion. After a slight pause, he continued.
"After its modification, if you inject Yin Qi into the Smiling Face Mask's left eye, even a tiny amount, it will activate the defensive shield. If you inject Yin Qi into its right eye, it will initiate the mask's self-destruct function. When you wear a Smiling Face Mask, it's like wearing a ticking time bomb, so you must be careful."
"There's one more thing I must make clear to all of you. The main purpose of giving the Smiling Face Mask a self-destruct ability is not to make you undergo Soul Transformation, but to prevent you from falling into the enemy's hands. Once you are captured, no matter how loyal you are, the enemy will still have ways to extract information from your mouths or memories. At that time, not only will I suffer losses, but your brothers, who train with you and face life and death alongside you, will also be in mortal danger. To prevent such a thing from happening, I was forced to resort to this measure. I hope you will understand it correctly."
"I am cultivating you not to be mere sacrificial pawns, but to become true warriors—warriors who can single-handedly stand against a thousand armies, warriors who will accompany me in conquering the world! As long as I, Yang Haoran, do not fall, I, Yang Haoran, will forever be your strongest backing! No matter how immense the trouble, I, Yang Haoran, will bear it for you!"
"Although your current strength is still quite ordinary, with the strongest among you only considered mid-tier within the Evil Spirit realm, and the weakest still merely at the Evil Spirit (evil Spirit) realm, I can tell you with full responsibility that I will not let you remain weak."
"Whether Evil Spirit (evil Spirit) or Evil Spirit (evil Spirit), those are not your endpoints; they are simply your starting points. Give me time, and I will forge all of you into Ghost Kings. At that time, you will no longer need to wear artificial Skins, because you will then possess the ability to reshape your physical bodies. Once you reach the Ghost King realm, even if your physical body is destroyed, you can immediately reform it."
"This is another promise I make to you, and I will certainly fulfill it. I am very confident in this, and I am very confident in all of you. Now, I wonder if you have confidence in me!"
By the end of this speech, Yang Haoran's voice had not only grown resonant, but his habitual smile had also unconsciously faded from his face.
And the ghosts present, upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, also became highly emotional, responding in a loud, unified roar.
"Yes!"
Their voices were still resounding, but Yang Haoran seemed unsatisfied.
"I didn't hear you! Louder!"
"YES! ! !"
An even more resounding shout erupted. From exerting too much force, the ghosts' voices even became hoarse. If they pushed any harder, their Skins might even crack around their throats!
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