"Teacher, I've brought him." Xuan Ziwen said.
"Ah yes, come in."
Xuan Ziwen nodded and entered the room, with Huo Yuhao following behind him with a curious look behind his blindfold at the old man sitting across him.
He's heard about the teacher of Xuan Ziwen from Elder Ma and whispers from others: Kong Deming, well-known by many as the greatest in the field of soul engineering.
Known as the Father of Soul Tools and the Grandmaster of soul engineers who had taught almost all of the talented soul engineers in the Sun Moon Empire, most of whom have ended up as class 9 soul engineers! His knowledge, skills, and teaching ability were said to be unmatched in the history of soul engineering.
The soul tools he created were so ingenious and powerful that even Transcendent Douluos would be killed by him with a flick of his hand!
It's said by Elder Ma that if there was anyone who had the qualification to become history's first ever class 10 soul engineer, it would be Kong Deming!
And when that day comes, he would be qualified to be a Limit Douluo powerhouse! And not a mediocre one at that, but someone that even the likes of Mu En, Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui would be cautious of.
'And judging from what I'm seeing, there are a few dozen powerful soul tools hidden in this room. The quality and complexity of each one isn't lower than class 8! Even an ordinary Titled Douluo would perish in an instant here.'
"Welcome, little friend." Kong Deming had a professional and aloof appearance, but his voice and smile made him appear approachable at this moment.
"Please, sit."
Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment before taking a seat on one of the sofas. He inwardly praised the craftsmanship of the furniture, because it felt hella soft.
'I should ask where he got these.'
"Would you like tea or coffee?" Xuan Ziwen asked, raising a kettle.
"I prefer tea," Huo Yuhao replied cooly. "But I also would like to know why I'm here."
"Ah, straight to the point I see. Not one for wordplay?" Kong Deming nodded in understanding, a strange gleam flickered across his eyes.
"Oh no. I could play the whole act of making up all sorts of words and gibberish to keep people from getting what they want, but I'm not in the mood for that right now." Huo Yuhao crossed his legs and tilted his head, his arms resting on the head sofa, appearing completely relaxed and confident.
His intentions were clear as day — "say what you want already! I don't wanna play your games, old man."
"Yuhao! Don't be disrespectful!" Xuan Ziwen said harshly with a glare as he placed down a cup filled with steaming green tea on the table before Huo Yuhao. Even if he considered Yuhao as an equal and a friend rather than a student, he didn't like Kong Deming being disrespected.
He owed almost everything of his soul engineering knowledge and skills from Kong Deming.
As the saying goes by a certain famous soul master: "A teacher for a day is a father for life!"
"Hahaha! It's fine, Xiao Ziwen. This guy's a very honest person, I like that." Kong Deming laughed and waved his hand, not offended by Huo Yuhao's mannerisms.
To old monsters like him, who look forward to talented youngsters, geniuses should act with such confidence and bravery! While being humble and gentle is quite pleasing, a true dragon doesn't need to crawl.
Even though Kong Deming is somewhat lacking in the soul master area, he's still a legitimate old Titled Douluo and a veteran class 9 soul engineer who has experienced many vicissitudes in life so he can somewhat tell how capable Huo Yuhao was.
But if someone else were to copy Huo Yuhao's mannerisms, but without the talent and skills to back it up, Kong Deming would've swiftly humbled them.
Kong Deming then said, "Little friend Yuhao, I had called for you here for some questions related to my disciple here. It's a very...interesting matter to say the least."
"See, right after you poached him about your sect, he came to me for advice." At that, Xuan Ziwen coughed and looked away.
"Now, he wouldn't have come to me for a trivial thing like being recruited into some mysterious sect; he's a grown man, he can make any decisions that he wants." Kong Deming said simply with a shrug, closing one of his eyes.
"Even if he were to join another empire, I would be disappointed and angry, but I wouldn't try to stop him. As an adult, when he makes a choice, that would mean he's already considered the consequences." A sharp gleam flickered across his eyes as he momentarily glanced at Xuan Ziwen.
Xuan Ziwen shivered. Although it was just set as an example, he also knew that his teacher wasn't joking.
Kong Deming is one of the most loyal people towards the Sun Moon Empire. He would gladly eliminate those who are a threat to his glorious country. But that sort of loyalty only applies to the country, not the royal family.
Although he's part royalty, he doesn't really care about who's ruling the empire as long as there's a royal family and the nation is thriving.
Huo Yuhao nodded, taking the cup of tea and took a meager sip. "Mmm. True, I don't blame you for being suspicious. Though, from what I'm getting here, is that it's just about my sect?"
He tilted his head towards Xuan Ziwen, smiling harmlessly. "Don't worry, teacher Xuan. I don't blame you for telling Elder Kong, it's reasonable for anyone in your position to seek further information about my sect."
He paused and turned his head back towards Kong Deming. "Should I call you elder Kong, teacher Kong, or senior Kong?"
Kong Deming snorted and smiled, amused. "Either is fine, little friend. I have a similar conundrum as well, is it alright if I call you Xiao(little) Yuhao?"
Huo Yuhao shrugged. "Sure, Elder Kong."
"So, what kind of questions do you have? I promise to answer them with as much honesty that I could provide. I have some secrets that I prefer keeping to myself and a select few."
Kong Deming nodded. "Perfectly understandable. The questions that I have are simple and basic."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp but not unkind. "First, what is your sect? The... Akatsuki? Just what is the Akatsuki's goal? From the intelligence reports that I've received, your sect seems to prefer being low-key, mysterious, and most important of all — actively hunt down evil soul masters, most notably in the regions of the Three Douluo Empires."
"From what I've gathered, your sect should be about like the Shrek Guardians from your academy and some righteous sects. Why would you want to recruit Xuan Ziwen? A citizen of the Sun Moon Empire and a soul engineer, he wouldn't be a good candidate for your sect's purpose... or that's what I've been lead to believe."
Huo Yuhao didn't answer immediately. He took a long and calm sip of his tea.
"My sect's purpose, is quite simple — to follow my orders and execute my will."
The words hung in the air, causing a shift in the atmosphere.
Kong Deming's fingers paused mid-tap. Xuan Ziwen's eyes widened, but said nothing, anticipating what his teacher's reaction would be.
Huo Yuhao set the cup down and continued. "I created the sect for my own benefit; to become stronger, to extend my reach, and to shape the world according to my vision. Not for justice, not for revenge, and definitely not to be seen as some savior."
His voice was calm—too calm. Like someone who had already decided what road to take, no matter how many corpses lay on it.
"The Akatsuki is me, and what I desire, my purpose, is to become the strongest in the world. And with a sect, well, I need people. But not just any ordinary people—I need the competent, talented, and loyal. And teacher Xuan here, fits the first two. I can just slowly cultivate loyalty in the meantime as well.
Hmm. Now that I'm here, what about I try poaching you? Elder Kong? I've heard a lot of good things about you, so I was wondering if I can try recruiting you as well? Tell me. What do you desire most?" He said calmly, as if what he said was no more serious than discussing the weather. But the weight of those words was undeniable.
"You!"
Kong Deming clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing as he slowly came to a terrifying conclusion.
This boy...
There was lot of types of people in the world.
There are those who are lazy—content to drift through life, never striving, never questioning, just existing.
The fool.
There are those who are ambitious, but shallow—chasing fame, wealth, or status, never seeing beyond themselves.
The greedy.
There are those who are selfless—who bleed for others, even when the world gives them nothing in return.
The selfish.
And then…
There are those like him.
Huo Yuhao didn't fit into any category.
In Kong Deming's perspective, he wasn't driven by hatred, greed, or justice. He wasn't chasing applause. He didn't want to be loved, feared, or even remembered.
He simply wanted freedom. Absolute, untouchable, world-shaping freedom.
Some might argue that he simply wanted power, but that was simply a part of freedom! What is power and strength without freedom? And vice versa!
Huo Yuhao would mould his future with his own hands, break anyone who stood in the way, and keep moving forward even if the heavens themselves tried to stop him.
That was the terrifying thing.
He was not a pawn of fate and destiny.
He was its player.
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AN: I am back! For a little bit. Apologies for the long break, school really took all of my attention since it involved my pre-final and final examinations.
But not anymore! I'm on my semester break! Which is just a week long, but I'll try to upload as much as possible to make up for no chapters for so long.