"I...."
"How scandalous!"
A young girl burst into the laboratory room with her finger pointing accusingly at Juzi and Huo Yuhao.
She was a tiny girl with a small figure, one could even mistake her as a twelve year old child.
Juzi went bright red and yelled, "KeKe! What are you saying?! I-I'm not...! Wait. How long have you been there?!"
KeKe harrumphed and put her hands on her hips. "That isn't important right now! Juzi, do you realize what you're saying right now? C'mon. How many fingers am I holding up right now?"
"Wha? What are you going on about?"
"I'm testing you if you're being in some kind of mind control! What if he put something into your food?! S-Some kind of love potion or something!" KeKe quickly said, slightly panicky.
Juzi stared at her.
Baffled.
"KeKe, is this some kind of joke? Because—"
"Juzi!" KeKe ran towards Juzi and hugged her tightly. "You would never say something as ludicrous as: "Be my husband!" to someone you barely met! Also, I know you just met him because I didn't even know about him until now."
"...." Juzi shut her lips sealed.
Faced with her friend's allegations and obvious teasing, there was only one way to deal with her.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Shatp dat! M-My ceeks! Noo!"
Juzi pinched and pulled her best friend's cheeks, with the look of someone who had years of experience dealing with her nonsense.
"This," She growled through gritted teeth, "is for eavesdropping. And this—" she tugged harder, "is for calling my moment scandalous!"
"M-Mewcy! You'll warp my precious, cute face!"
"By the time I'm done with you, you're going to be cuter than a chipmunk."
"Well that sounds—" It took a moment for KeKe to realize what she meant, her arms flailed helplessly. "NO! I don't want to look like a chipmunk!!"
'They're hilarious,' Huo Yuhao observed them with an amused smirk.
After watching them for a while, he decided to finally intervene with a cough.
"You must be my other senior? I'm Huo Yuhao, the newest student under teacher Xuan Ziwen." He said, smiling.
Hearing his words, Juzi released her hold on KeKe's cheeks with a huff. The latter quickly ran and hid behind Huo Yuhao's back, sticking her tongue out towards her friend.
"Nice to meet you, junior Huo Yuhao! As you have no doubt heard from my dear friend here, my name is KeKe. I'm a class 5 Soul Engineer under teacher Xuan Ziwen as well."
"Nice to meet you, senior KeKe."
"Hehe. Hey, uh, listen. Sorry for accusing you of mind controlling Juzi like that all of a sudden." KeKe scratched her cheek sheepishly, peeking out from behind Yuhao like a guilty child caught stealing cookies.
Huo Yuhao chuckled lightly. "You were just looking out for her. No offense taken."
KeKe brightened instantly and started bombarding him with questions.
"Hey, what's with the blindfold? Can you see through them? Are you blind?"
"Where are you from exactly? What?! You're from Shrek Academy? Eh~ You must be pretty good."
"By the way, are you single? Cuz—geh!"
"KeKe~" Juzi smiled but her eyes were anything but friendly. She placed her hand on KeKe's head, and a cracking sound was heard.
"A-Aaah! Ow! Ow! Ow! Stoooop!"
"Would you please excuse us?" Juzi said to Huo Yuhao, but she didn't wait for his answer and started dragging KeKe by her head to the door.
'...I should probably get outta here while they're fighting. I don't want to deal with Juzi right now.' Huo Yuhao thought he disappeared from his spot instantly.
A few moments later, the door opened and Juzi walked in alongside a red-faced KeKe.
"Yuhao! What I said—eh? Where did he go?"
KeKe gasped. "Oh. My. Gods! He was a ghost!"
...
The Sun Moon Empire had another place besides their Illustrious Virtue Hall called the Imperial Consecration Hall. It was called a "consecration hall", but it was better named the Imperial Research Center.
Almost all of the Sun Moon Empire's Class 9 soul engineers were members of this research center, and one was only worthy of joining this research center when one became a Class 9 soul engineer.
Hallmaster Jing Hongchen was also a member, but merely as an honorary member since he spends almost all of his time at the academy and the Illustrious Virtue Hall. To become a member of Imperial Consecration Hall means dedicating almost all of their time towards research and development of soul tools.
What made the Imperial Consecration Hall different from the Illustrious Virtue Hall? Simple, they're completely funded by the royal family.
"What? You're joining a sect?"
Xuan Ziwen nodded. "Yes, teacher. I met a very... exceptional person. He's not just a very talented soul engineer, but as a soul master as well—moreso on the latter. This sect he created? It isn't like any other. For one, its secret techniques are completely out of this world.
It could even revolutionize the entire cultivation system! No, completely change the very foundation of soul power cultivation itself!"
Although Xuan Ziwen sounded joyful and passionate, inwardly he's incredibly nervous.
He was in the head office of the Imperial Consecration Hall, and sitting across from him was the Hallmaster of Imperial Consecration Hall, his teacher, and someone at the cusp of becoming the first ever Class 10 soul engineer in the entire world!
The Silver Moon Douluo, rank 95 Transcendent Douluo, the Father of Soul Tools — Kong Deming.
He was a tall and burly man. He had short and spiky grey hair, and was wearing a yellow long robe. Such robes were supposed to be worn only by members of the royal family.
Though it was apparent from his surname that he did not belong to the royal family.
Kong Deming tapped repeatedly on his desk, narrowing his eyes. "By that logic, that means his methods could even change the foundations of soul engineering as well—I presume?"
He was a smart man, he easily saw through his disciple's carefully worded enthusiasm and followed the thread to its logical conclusion.
Xuan Ziwen bowed his head slightly in respect. "Yes, teacher. That's exactly what I believe."
"Mmm. And since you came here to inform me about this, you're either filial towards your teacher or you have some misgivings about this person inviting you to his sect?"
"Can't it be both? I have some doubts about him, yes, but what he showed me of his techniques is truly out of this world. If.... teacher joined along as well, then the progress of our soul tools might leap forward by centuries!"
Kong Deming raised an eyebrow. "Xiao Ziwen, in all my years as a soul engineer, I've never met someone so passionate towards soul tools as me, until you came along. For you to praise his secret techniques so much... I am curious."
Xuan Ziwen nodded. "He showed me a secret technique of his, something called a... Fūinjutsu."
He then retrieved a scroll from his storage soul ring and placed it on the desk, showing it to Kong Deming.
"This is... Fūinjutsu?" Kong Deming muttered, confused as he looked at the strange symbols on the paper.
Xuan Ziwen raised his hands and performed several, albeit awkward and clumsy, handseals before slamming his palm on the scroll.
"Release!"
Kong Deming's eyes widened as a puff of smoke appeared and a familiar soul tool materialized on the scroll. It was a Class 6 Invincible Barrier
He shot up to his feet, eyes narrowing.
"How is this possible? It functions like a storage-type soul tool, but there's no starlight sapphire embedded within this scroll. This... This is....!"
Starlight sapphire was a mystical sapphire that contained a massive amount of energy. It contained mysterious spatial energy, and was a good material to make space-type soul tools. Placing one piece the size of a thumbnail into a storage-type soul tool could increase its storage space by almost a cubic meter.
There's very little of this material, which makes space-type soul tools extremely rare that only a very few have it. Which made it far expensive than an average soul tool.
And this Fūinjutsu had none of it! Only paper and ink, and it could replicate one of the rarest soul tools in the world.
Xuan Ziwen looked at his teacher straight in the eye, and said.
"Teacher, this was merely a fraction of what he can offer. After investigating his background, and if it doesn't go against my morals, I will join him."
Kong Deming was silent for a while.
".... Xuan Ziwen, let me meet this person myself."
....
'Alright. I've sent shadow clones to those four locations. Should I check out the royal palace?' Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
He was sitting on the rooftop of the Illustrious Virtue Hall, legs crossed, elbow resting on his knee and chin on his fist, the blindfold over his eyes fluttering slightly in the wind.
Below him, the academy buzzed with quiet activity—students working late in their labs, soul tools' lights flickering softly through the windows of the testing area, teachers moving like ghosts through areas to get to either their next teaching area or lunch.
But above it all, Huo Yuhao sat untouched. Unseen.
Observing.
Like the Honored One.
'I wonder, if I do become a God in the future, would I look at mortals as mere ants and fully sever my ties as a human? Or would I remain the same but just more powerful?
But before I could think about that, I have to think of a strategy to face the Gods after me.
The Ice God is remaining silent even after two years, still waiting in the Extreme North when I need to find a soul beast for my second martial soul. There are many other ice-type soul beasts out there in the world, but I intend to have 100,000 year old soul beasts for spirit souls for my second martial soul.
And almost all of them are gathered in the Extreme North.
The Sea God is eerily silent as well. Although Di Tian told me that Gods from the Divine Realm couldn't move so freely in the mortal realm, it doesn't mean he couldn't make a move—considering the Heavenly Punishment he gave me.
Which means he's biding his time, or something is happening in the Divine Realm that's keeping his attention away from me.
My cultivation is slowing down to a snail's pace now because I'm stagnating. Either I have access to a divine inheritance or I find a worthy fighter, or I steal another person's cultivation.'
Cultivation is constant change and improvement. While he was improving a great extent under the Great Beasts, there was a limit. Since they needed him alive and well, Huo Yuhao couldn't experience the edge of death—the razor-thin line between survival and destruction where true breakthroughs are often forged.
The Great Beasts had taught him much—Di Tian with his mastery over space, the Myriad Demon King with his mastery over plants and wood and a bit of spiritual control, Bear Lord constant physical spars to master the Eight Inner Gated, etc..
But all of it had been within a controlled environment. Safe. Protected.
Too safe.
And safety was a cage.
'I need a challenge, or a heavenly opportunity if I want to progress faster.'
Huo Yuhao hummed, deep in thought for his next moves.
If other Soul Masters knew about his dissatisfaction for his cultivation speed, they would've spit out blood or try to strangle him.
Most soul masters couldn't even become a Soul Emperor, and those who can are typically around 20 years old at best.
Huo Yuhao is still 14 years old! A 14 year old Soul Emperor with the combat prowess of a Titled Douluo, was there ever someone with such a ridiculous genius in all of recorded history?
No. But it wasn't enough.
Not if he wanted to go against the machinations of Gods and destiny!
"Master."
There was a flash and a figure in white appeared behind him, kneeling on one knee.
"Elder Ma, report." Huo Yuhao said.
Elder Ma bowed deeply. "Yes, master. Shadow's Order has approximately 333 active members, ready to carry out missions on your command. Among them, 49 are Soul Kings or higher. Three are Soul Douluos or Class 8 soul engineers."
Huo Yuhao was slightly surprised. "You managed to recruit three class 8 soul engineers?"
"Yes, master."
"Hm. Good work."
Elder Ma's face under his hood and mask brightened.
"Oh! To be praised by master, this old man is—"
"Yeah, yeah. Enough of that. Elder Ma, do you have all the blueprints and schematics of the soul tools archived in the Illustrious Virtue Hall?"
Besides being a teacher in the academy, Elder Ma also holds the high position as a chief of the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
"... Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get all of them, Master. Only the Hallmaster has the access rights to the top classified archives," Elder Ma said with clear frustration in his voice. "I was able to copy everything in the standard library, most of the classified projects, the restricted testing floor, and the experimental workshop levels... but the deepest layer—codenamed 'Project MUTO' and 'Project Jaeger One'—remains locked."
"Project MUTO? Jaeger One?"
"Yes, master. I've worked on those projects before. MUTO is about a mysterious injured soul beast that suddenly appeared in the empire centuries ago. While Jaeger One is about a giant humanoid soul tool."
A strange light flickered across Huo Yuhao's eyes.
'A strange unknown injured soul beast? That must be the Monarch that Di Tian encountered. And a giant humanoid soul tool? Hehehe. And here I thought there wasn't anything much interesting in the Illustrious Virtue Hall.'
Elder Ma noticed the interest in Huo Yuhao's tone and asked. "Master, will we attack the hall?"
Huo Yuhao waved his hand. "Nah, that won't be needed. Someone else will be doing that for us."
'Real clever, Star Luo. Posting a bounty in the guild for the retrieval of the God Sealing Altar, and Body Sect accepting it... Hehe. Knowing their straightforward and overbearing personalities, they'll be attacking the Illustrious Virtue Hall soon.'
Huo Yuhao stood up and grinned.
"Let the tigers fight for nothing, while the vulture steals the meat."