The Devouring Life Sutra itself is extremely secretive and hard to detect, which is why even someone as powerful as Du Busi couldn't figure out Huo Yuhao's situation.
But in Su Yu's eyes, nothing about Huo Yuhao could escape notice.
After taking the Autumn Water Dew, Su Yu gained the ability to see through illusions.
Combined with his own Autumn Water Eyes and spiritual power, there were very few things in the world he couldn't see through.
To Su Yu, Huo Yuhao might appear robust and powerful now, but internally, he had already decayed.
In less than three years, Huo Yuhao had gone from a newly advanced Soul Grandmaster to a sixty-second level Soul Emperor.
He jumped over forty levels in one go.
This rate of advancement could already rival Su Yu's in some sense.
Su Yu had grown from a fifty-ninth level Soul King to a seventy-eighth level Soul Sage.
It looked like less than Huo Yuhao's leap, but the higher you go, the greater the difference between each level.
For a Soul Sage to advance one level, a Soul Grandmaster or Soul Douluo would have to advance at least four or five, if not more; this was the difference between high-level and low-level soul masters.
But regardless, Huo Yuhao's massive progress was astonishing.
How did Su Yu achieve such rapid advancement?
That was due to many opportunities and the addition of fierce beast soul rings.
But as for Huo Yuhao?
He could only burn his life force.
To advance over forty levels in less than three years—imagine how much life he's burned away.
Just thinking about it is shocking.
No matter how much vitality he has, it will never be enough at this rate.
"My desire for revenge was too strong, please forgive me, Young Master!"
Huo Yuhao knelt on one knee again, head lowered deeply.
Huo Yuhao's personality was already extreme, shaped by his childhood experiences.
After being expelled from Shrek Academy and looked down on by countless people, his already sensitive heart became even more extreme.
The Devouring Life Sutra that Su Yu gave him was the only way he could become stronger.
He naturally clung tightly to it, eagerly cultivating it.
The stronger his desire for revenge, the more desperate and ruthless his cultivation.
Otherwise, he could never have achieved such a feat.
Now, in terms of soul power, Huo Yuhao was no weaker than Bei Bei.
Three years ago, Bei Bei's soul power was at least three ranks higher than Huo Yuhao's.
Such progress was tongue-tying.
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words of apology, Su Yu sighed softly.
"I understand your desire for revenge, but you've cultivated it far too fiercely."
"The Devouring Life Sutra is a method that consumes vitality, but it also has a supplementing section with medicinal remedies."
"Generally, as long as you maintain a certain cultivation speed and pair it with medicinal supplements, you'll still lose some lifespan, but it won't be too severe."
"If you're patient, reaching Titled Douluo, even Super Douluo, in the future wouldn't be impossible."
"But the way you're doing it, even the supplements can't keep up. You've severely damaged your origin. Even I can't save you now."
Su Yu had underestimated the impatience and madness in Huo Yuhao's heart.
That hatred became Huo Yuhao's best catalyst.
By recklessly cultivating the Devouring Life Sutra regardless of the consequences, Huo Yuhao achieved impressive results but left himself with incurable aftereffects—his origin severely damaged.
To put it bluntly, at this rate, Huo Yuhao wouldn't live past thirty.
Even if he quickly became a Titled Douluo, he wouldn't have much time left.
Just like Tang Ya in the original novel—it was as if his bucket had a hole in it: no matter how much life force was poured in, it would all leak away.
Unless he found some miraculous treasure to repair his life's origin, there was no hope.
Su Yu did have such an item, but it wasn't meant for Huo Yuhao.
He wouldn't use such a thing to save a mere Huo Yuhao.
To Su Yu, Huo Yuhao was just a casual pawn, not that important.
It sounded harsh, but facts are facts.
This was the path Huo Yuhao chose—if he'd cultivated the Devouring Life Sutra step by step, none of this would have happened.
The road you choose is the one you must walk to the end.
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao simply smiled and said with relaxed tone, "Everyone dies eventually. As long as I can get my revenge, even if I die, it's worth it."
"I just regret that I won't be able to continue helping you in this life, Young Master."
Did Huo Yuhao not know the dangers of over-cultivating the Devouring Life Sutra?
Of course, he knew, but he couldn't wait.
He could no longer wait to wipe out everyone in the Duke White Tiger's estate.
His mother's revenge had always been stuck in his heart, a bone in his throat, unbearable until he could get justice.
"Sigh!"
Su Yu sighed again and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Young Master!"
With a swoosh, Huo Yuhao stood up straight, chest out, standing tall.
Su Yu casually pointed, and a green light entered Huo Yuhao's body.
In an instant, Huo Yuhao felt a surge of immense life force flooding him, every cell in his body devouring it madly.
His body, once decaying due to over-cultivation, seemed to be revitalized.
"Young Master, this…"
"A bit of life crystal. It can temporarily stabilize your condition. The life force within will let you cultivate safely for a while."
"But this is only a temporary fix, not a cure. Your real problem is severe damage to your origin, which a bit of life force can't fix."
Su Yu sighed.
Huo Yuhao smiled softly, "It's enough. Thank you for your grace, Young Master."
Su Yu nodded, then asked casually, "Why did you come to see me?"
Huo Yuhao respectfully replied, "I came to report to you."
"At present, I've become an inner disciple of the Body Sect, and the Sect Master seems to value me highly."
"This time, I've come with the sect's chief disciple, Long Aotian, representing the Body Sect in the tournament."
"This Long Aotian has already reached Soul Sage level. His combat power is not to be underestimated. Please be careful, Young Master."
"And…"
"And what?"
"And Long Aotian is here on a mission. His main target is you, Young Master."
"The Sect Master wants him to… wants him to…"
"Just say it. No need to stutter."
Su Yu frowned.
"Yes, the Sect Master wants Long Aotian to defeat you in the arena, to disgrace the Ice God Palace and vent his hatred."
Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and revealed everything.
Du Busi never expected that his plans would be known by Su Yu before he could act.
"Defeat me?"
Su Yu smiled, "That's quite the boast. Looks like Du Busi has a lot of grudges."
"Well, I'd like to see how this Long Aotian plans to defeat me."
To dare make such a claim—he must be confident.
Su Yu would gladly accept the challenge.
He wanted to see what the famed Long Aotian could do.
If he wasn't impressive, Su Yu wouldn't mind defeating him easily.
With a mocking smile, Su Yu looked at Huo Yuhao again, "Is there anything else?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
Su Yu asked, "Have your Spirit Eyes shown signs of a second awakening?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
Su Yu pondered.
In the next moment, he waved his right hand and produced a small green herb with a few crystal dew drops on its leaves.
It was the Autumn Water Dew.
But compared to the one Su Yu took, this was just an ordinary immortal herb.
He had plenty in his treasure pouch.
"This is Autumn Water Dew. Take it back and drink the dew—it's good for you."
"Do your best. If possible, try to replace Long Aotian."
"With your martial soul and current soul power, you can already catch Du Busi's eye. You have a shot at the Body Sect's inheritance seed."
Su Yu said calmly.
If Huo Yuhao proved valuable enough, Su Yu might consider saving him.
If not, Huo Yuhao could just stay as he was.
After all, saving Huo Yuhao would cost a lot—Su Yu needed to see if it was worth it.
"Yes, I understand."
Huo Yuhao replied respectfully.
"Good."
Su Yu nodded and turned away again. "Go."
"Yes!"
Huo Yuhao answered, his figure gradually disappearing from the rooftop.
With his hands behind his back, Su Yu gazed at the brightly lit Radiant city in the distance, his eyes flickering.
Huo Yuhao was a pawn he placed in the Body Sect.
If Huo Yuhao could surpass Long Aotian and become the inheritor of the Body Sect, that would be a nice help.
That was why he stabilized Huo Yuhao's body and gave him a stalk of Autumn Water Dew.
But if Huo Yuhao couldn't compete with Long Aotian, it didn't matter.
Such a small loss didn't concern Su Yu.
Overall, this was just a casual investment; if it worked out, great—if not, no big deal.
"But no matter what happens to Huo Yuhao, the downfall of the White Tiger Duke's estate is certain."
"I'm quite looking forward to the show."
Su Yu smiled faintly. He'd kept the White Tiger clan around for this moment.
Letting Huo Yuhao, Dai Hao's son, destroy the estate with his own hands was much more interesting than doing it himself.
At Huo Yuhao's current life-burning cultivation speed, it wouldn't take many years for revenge to be within reach.
With a casual glance around, Su Yu's figure silently vanished, leaving the rooftop empty and pitch black.
...
...
Villa, No. 1.
Su Yu and his group sat together. The eyes of Di Mingli, Wang Dong'er, and the other girls all fell on Su Yu.
Under their gaze, Su Yu's expression turned serious, and he said, "There are only a few days left until the tournament officially begins. Let me explain this Soul Fighting Tournament's rules."
"This tournament's rules are quite different from last time."
"This tournament is divided into preliminaries and finals."
"The so-called preliminaries are elimination rounds. In these rounds, only the diameter of the arena is limited, not the height. You all know what that means, right?"
Jiang Nannan nodded, "It means flying soul masters or soul engineers can take the high ground."
"This gives flying soul masters and soul engineers a huge advantage."
"This must be a rule added intentionally by the Sun-Moon Empire."
Su Yu snapped his fingers, "Sister Nannan is right. This rule is designed to benefit soul engineers."
"Ordinary soul masters—especially those who aren't Soul Sages—will be at a big disadvantage in this tournament."
Wang Dong'er interjected, "Aren't these Sun-Moon Empire guys just sore losers?"
"They're opening up the rules for soul engineers."
Di Mingli, cold and calm, said, "If your strength isn't enough, no tricks will help."
Su Yu glanced at Di Mingli and smiled, "Mingli is right. In the face of absolute strength, all schemes are meaningless."
"Besides, it's only flying soul tools—we have plenty. When the time comes, you'll each get one."
Su Yu smiled again, then continued, "Besides that, there's another interesting rule in the preliminaries."
"The eliminations are divided into personal and team rounds."
"This time, if someone can win seven-on-one in the individual round, the team round can be skipped."
"This is a big advantage for teams with overwhelmingly powerful soul masters."
"I'll just say this: I'm not planning to fight in the early elimination rounds."
"So you'd better not make me go up for any team matches, or else, hehe…"
Su Yu laughed, and Wang Dong'er instinctively became wary, "You… what are you planning?"
"Guess?"
Su Yu smiled playfully.
Wang Dong'er's eyebrows twitched. She felt Su Yu's smile was a bit suspicious.
Di Mingli didn't care, "Doesn't matter. I'll just solo the entire team."
If winning seven-on-one meant direct advancement, then she'd just solo every elimination round. Simple, right?
Di Mingli was very confident in her strength.
"I agree. She's strong. Let her do it."
Wang Dong'er quickly pointed at Di Mingli.
With Di Mingli's drive and strength, as long as they didn't meet a team with several Soul Sages, she could win seven-on-one.
"Letting Mingli handle everything—you just want to rest in the back?"
Su Yu rolled his eyes, "Nice try."
"Except for Xue'er and Lanlan, everyone has to go up."
"Huh?"
Wang Dong'er pulled a face, "That's not fair!"
Even ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them. She was confident, but if she got unlucky and met a team of several Soul Emperors—
Winning seven-on-one wasn't just about power, but also stamina.
She couldn't guarantee a flawless victory against several Soul Emperors.