"This is the territory of the Star Luo Empire's royal family—there's nothing to worry about."
Huo Yuhao pointed this out before adding with certainty, "Besides, we're all the same kind. If I'm not mistaken, both of you possess a body martial soul."
Lang Ya nodded and introduced himself. "You're right. My name is Lang Ya, and this is my brother, Yu Tao. We're from the Body Sect. I assume you've heard of it?"
"Huo Yuhao." He responded in kind. "The Body Sect's reputation is… thunderous."
It was hard not to have heard of such a notorious force in the soul master world.
Lang Ya's eyes gleamed with interest. "Actually, we've been observing you for a while. During the first elimination round three days ago, we noticed you because of your unusual soul ring configuration. But it wasn't until today that I confirmed your martial soul is a true body martial soul—the Eyes!"
He leaned in slightly. "To be precise, it's the Eyes and the Brain, granting you spiritual attributes. If I'm correct, the first soul skill you used in the competition was a spiritual shock, similar to the Tang Sect's Purple Demon Eyes. And your fourth soul skill—that's the Inscription soul skill of the Silverbrave beast's innate ability, enhanced by your martial soul. Am I right?"
'Damn, he nailed it!'
With just a few words, Lang Ya dissected the two soul skills Huo Yuhao had displayed. Far better than those self-proclaimed "invincible theorists."
The fact that he recognized the Silverbrave Beast alone spoke volumes about his knowledge.
Yet Huo Yuhao wasn't surprised.
If he'd wanted to hide his abilities, he had countless ways to do so. But he hadn't. What others saw was exactly what he allowed them to see.
"You're right," Huo Yuhao admitted freely.
Lang Ya smiled. "Then I'll be direct. Our purpose in finding you is simple—we want to bring you back to the Body Sect."
Yu Tao chimed in, "The Body Sect is home to all soul masters with body martial souls. Since your Eyes are your martial soul, you belong with us. Now that we've found you, we want to take you home."
Lang Ya pressed further. "Your body martial soul's quality is exceptional—one of the very best. And given your current physical and mental strength, you must have already undergone the second awakening, at least at the silver level!"
Seeing Huo Yuhao's silence as confirmation, he continued, "But you must have realized that mastering this level of awakening isn't easy. The Body Sect understands body martial souls better than anyone. If you return with us, within twenty—no, just ten years—we'll make sure you shake the entire continent! The Body Sect may not produce talents often, but when we do, they soar to unparalleled heights!"
Huo Yuhao remained quiet.
'Second awakening?'
Truthfully, his two body martial souls were… unusual. There was no sign of a second awakening yet.
And a silver-level awakening? That was almost laughable.
By conventional wisdom, the strongest innate second awakening was silver. Only after breaking through to Titled Douluo could a silver-level awakening potentially evolve into gold.
But Huo Yuhao suspected even a gold-level awakening wouldn't do his martial souls justice—especially his second one, the Ice Soul Body.
The fact that it could perfectly mimic the Ultimate Ice Ice Jade Scorpion Empress through its mimicry talent was proof enough of its power. (Though the Ice Empress's 400,000-year soul bones and rings played a role too.)
Ah, the struggles of a genius or a cheater.
Seeing Huo Yuhao's hesitation, Lang Ya played his final card.
"I'll make this promise on behalf of our sect master: If your body can withstand it, we'll mobilize the entire sect to hunt a 100,000-year soul beast for you. The soul ring—and any soul bone it yields—will be yours. How does that sound?"
At the same time, a quest notification appeared above Lang Ya's head:
[Lang Ya]
[Relationship: Friend]
[Achievement Mission: Join the Body Sect]
Yu Tao, impatient, blurted out, "Kid, what's there to hesitate about? No one understands body martial souls better than us! Even Shrek isn't fit to carry our shoes in this regard!"
[Yu Tao]
[Relationship: Friend]
[Achievement Mission: All body martial souls Under One Banner]
Huo Yuhao still didn't answer.
He didn't dislike the Body Sect. His martial souls did need their secrets.
But leaving Shrek now? Impossible.
Forget the convenience of completing achievement missions—he'd invested too much time here to walk away before reaping the rewards.
He needed to think long-term.
Right now, no force was a better stepping stone than Shrek. Using it as a foundation to build his own strength was the plan.
Besides… why couldn't he have both?
Once his soul power reached a higher level, the Body Sect's legacy would naturally fall into his hands.
So, Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Seniors, I won't be joining the Body Sect for now. Let's revisit this after I graduate."
"No. You're coming with us now!" Yu Tao's patience snapped. He stood abruptly, his right arm stretching unnaturally—almost instantly reaching for Huo Yuhao's shoulder.
'Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit?'
Huo Yuhao dodged smoothly, intrigued.
But before Yu Tao could make contact, a cold snarl cut through the air.
"How dare you!"
The lobby of the Star Emperor Hotel plunged into darkness. Even soul-powered lamps flickered out as an oppressive, terrifying aura enveloped the two Body Sect members.
Yu Tao recoiled as if electrocuted, whirling toward the elderly man who'd appeared out of nowhere.
Medium build, thin but vigorous, with short brown hair—he looked about sixty.
Lang Ya sighed inwardly but stood and greeted politely, "Giant Strength Douluo (Juli Douluo), what brings you here?"
"This is Star Luo City. Mind your actions." Cheng Gang's reply was icy. As the Star Luo Empire's Protector, his presence here was justified.
Well, if Yu Tao hadn't actually attacked, he wouldn't have bothered showing up.
Between the Body Sect and Shrek, he'd rather not offend either.
But this "inherently evil little devil" of the Body Sect had actually struck in the heart of the capital!
Under the royal family's nose!
Cheng Gang had been distracted overseeing Shrek's safety—he'd barely reacted in time.
Thankfully, Huo Yuhao had evaded.
Otherwise, the consequences would've been dire.
Xuan Zi's voice echoed in his mind: "Never underestimate my intelligence network!"
True, Star Luo City was safe—but for extra security, Xuan Zi had personally asked Emperor Xu Jiawei to keep an eye on Shrek before leaving with Ma Xiaotao.
A "friendly exchange" with Cheng Gang had ensured cooperation.
So, in short: Cheng Gang was here on the emperor's orders.
"You lecturing me?!" Yu Tao rolled up his sleeves, ready for a fight.
Cheng Gang was a Titled Douluo, but Yu Tao's soul power wasn't overwhelmingly high—only Rank 86. Yet Yu Tao, with his second awakening, wasn't intimidated.
"You have a problem with that?" Though wary of the Body Sect's infamy, Cheng Gang stood firm. Backed by the Star Luo royal family, he represented the emperor's authority.
His left foot shifted slightly—then a crushing black aura erupted.
The Ant Emperor martial soul specialized in raw power. Every soul skill amplified strength, making him a pure force-type Titled Douluo.
"Bring it!" Yu Tao roared.
His right arm swelled, eight soul rings materializing—four purple, four black, defying normal soul ring distributions.
His palm struck like lightning.
Brute force vs. brute force!
The collision was contained, neither attack spilling beyond their clash—the lobby had been cleared beforehand, leaving no bystanders.
"Hah! Not bad! But this place is too cramped—let's take this outside!" Yu Tao vanished mid-laugh.
"Arrogant fool." Cheng Gang shot after him.
At least the hothead had some sense. A proper fight it was then.
Besides, facing another pure strength specialist? Cheng Gang's blood was boiling too.
As the two left, the lobby's lights returned.
Lang Ya sighed. He'd warned Yu Tao repeatedly to behave.
"My apologies, Yuhao. Yu Tao meant no harm—he's just impulsive. But our offer stands. Please consider it."
"I appreciate the goodwill, but my answer remains the same." Huo Yuhao wasn't angry. Given his own body martial soul's, he'd let the matter slide.
'Only his time.'
But Yu Tao? He'd better watch himself in the future.
With nothing left to discuss, Lang Ya excused himself—he needed to rein in his brother before things escalated.
"We'll be staying in Star Luo City for the tournament. If you have questions about body martial souls, feel free to seek us out." He handed Huo Yuhao an address with a polite smile before leaving.
Huo Yuhao's biggest question was the second awakening.
But he knew the Body Sect wouldn't share its secrets freely—unless he revealed his second martial soul.
That, however, would only increase their obsession with him.
No—he had a better option.
Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
With immortal herbs aiding him, reaching the tangible-intangible realm—or triggering his body martial soul's second awakening—would be far faster.
Of course, he could achieve it through conventional training.
But that'd take too long.
'After this tournament… I'll need a detailed plan.'
…
Shrek's Team Dormitory
Back in the team's room, everyone was present.
"Yuhao! Are you okay?"
Seeing their concern, Huo Yuhao explained, "It was just the Body Sect. They wanted to discuss my body martial soul."
"So it was them." The reserve team nodded—Beibei had mentioned the two were likely body martial soul's users.
But the inner courtyard members paled.
Wang Donger blinked. "Is the Body Sect that scary?"
Ling Luochen's grave nod said it all. After the inner courtyard trio's explanation, the reserve team understood.
The Body Sect was a law unto itself—neither good nor evil, acting solely on whims. Its members were notoriously domineering, and its reputation was abysmal.
Academy records even mentioned the sect once slaughtering seven hundred thousand-year soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest, triggering a beast tide that nearly caused mass extinction.
Curious, the team pressed for details—especially about the Cheng Gang vs. Yu Tao clash. The battle's aftershocks had reached them.
Huo Yuhao recounted everything, even the Body Sect's offer.
"Thank goodness you didn't agree!" Wang Donger exhaled.
Tang Ya huffed. "Even with a body martial soul, Yuhao doesn't need the Body Sect. The Tang Sect's secret techniques are more than enough!"
Xu Sanshi whistled. "Yuhao, they offered a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and bone! And you just… refused?!"
Huo Yuhao chuckled but didn't elaborate.
'Still clinging to traditional sects?'
'Times had changed.'
With Electrolux's help, the soul contract was complete.
All Huo Yuhao needed was the right moment to unveil it—to herald a new era on the Douluo Continent.
And where better to start than… the Tang Sect?
…
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