Jing Hongchen sat in the seat of honor, pondering for a moment before making his decision.
"Crossing over the Mingdou Mountains from the Star Luo Empire and claiming a special identity? Interesting. I'm intrigued. Bring him in."
Upon hearing Jing Hongchen's words, the commander of the Third Soul Engineer Regiment immediately issued the order to have the boy brought into the camp.
At that moment, Huo Yuhao—covered in wounds and dried blood, looking utterly miserable—was being escorted, hands bound in soul tool restraints, his face filled with hatred.
Of course, this situation wasn't an accident. It was all part of Huo Yuhao's deliberate plan.
After a while, two soldiers armed with soul ray rifles approached.
"Commander's orders. Bring this one to the camp. Come with us."
And so, Huo Yuhao was led before Jing Hongchen.
Looking at the wounded boy whose face was twisted in hatred, Jing Hongchen showed a spark of interest.
And when Huo Yuhao saw the fat, richly dressed man sitting above, he had a pretty good guess about his identity.
"Kid, do you know who I am?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head.
"I am Jing Hongchen of the Sun Moon Empire. Ever heard of me?"
A light suddenly lit up in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
"I've heard of you. Your name, Hall Master of Mingde Hall and pillar of the Empire, is well-known even in Star Luo City."
At the mention of Star Luo City, Jing Hongchen narrowed his already-small eyes.
"Hmph. Since that's the case, little boy from the Star Luo Empire with no clear identity, don't waste my time with nonsense. It's already a mercy I'm even speaking to you."
"Hall Master Hongchen, you're exaggerating. While my status surely doesn't match yours, having a pleasant conversation with you shouldn't be out of line."
Jing Hongchen kept a mysterious expression, but deep down, his curiosity about this slick-tongued and bold boy grew stronger.
"Then tell me—who exactly are you?"
Huo Yuhao glanced at the regiment commander standing beside Jing Hongchen.
"Hall Master, this is a matter of great importance. I'm afraid... I can only speak to you privately."
The commander's expression changed.
"Hall Master, I..."
He wasn't offended. As a man who came from Mingde Hall himself, he greatly admired Jing Hongchen. He was just worried that if Huo Yuhao really were an assassin, it could be dangerous.
"It's fine. All of you, leave."
Since Jing Hongchen insisted, the commander—only a Level Eight Soul Engineer—had no right to object. He left with the guards.
"Now you can talk?"
Huo Yuhao nodded and cleared his throat.
"My mother was a servant in a certain noble house in the Star Luo Empire. She once shared a brief moment of tenderness with that noble and gave birth to me, his illegitimate son."
"Unfortunately, the legal wife viewed any potential threats to her son as enemies. That noble never took responsibility and was often away. Under relentless pressure, my mother fell ill... and died."
"Afraid of being framed and killed by that wicked woman, I fled the Star Luo Empire. I seek asylum in your Sun Moon Empire—and revenge."
Jing Hongchen listened patiently, interest gleaming in his eyes as he observed the boy clenching his fists, his face full of youthful hatred.
"And that irresponsible noble father of mine... is none other than the infamous White Tiger Duke—Dai Hao."
Without any warning, Huo Yuhao played his trump card.
Jing Hongchen's interested expression froze. He suddenly slammed his hand down on the table and stood up.
"You... What did you say?!"
"My father. Is. The White Tiger Duke. Dai Hao."
Huo Yuhao pronounced each word clearly and firmly.
Jing Hongchen was completely stunned. He slowly sat down, his expression changing repeatedly as he contemplated what this meant—a boy with a grudge against the White Tiger Duke, seeking to defect to the Sun Moon Empire. What a powerful card this could be.
Huo Yuhao had carefully considered everything, especially after recognizing Jing Hongchen's identity. That was when he decided to reveal his own.
To the Sun Moon Empire, if they could confirm that he was the White Tiger Duke's illegitimate son, it would be a massive asset in their future war against the Star Luo Empire. The Duke, who held great influence and military strength, would be gravely affected.
If the White Tiger Duke's son sided with the Sun Moon Empire, it would shatter Star Luo morale. People would question him—how could a grand duke's own son join the enemy?
Especially with this son harboring hatred while the father harbored guilt...
For Huo Yuhao, who wished to be trained in soul tool technology, revealing his identity to Jing Hongchen was only logical.
Would exposing himself bring trouble? Be treated with hostility?
What a joke.
At most, they'd keep an eye on him. If he showed potential, the Empire would only support him more—to have the Duke's son become the Sun Moon Empire's guardian.
If Huo Yuhao were just some low-tier noble's son, the Empire might be more wary. But he was the son of the famously strict Duke Dai Hao. If what he claimed wasn't true, it would be impossible for someone like him to even think of defecting.
"What's your name?"
Jing Hongchen took a trembling sip of water to calm himself, still struggling to believe.
"Huo Yuhao. 'Yu' as in rain, 'Hao' as in vast."
"So it's little Huo... Very well. If what you say is true, as Mingde Hall's Hall Master, I will not treat you unfairly. I will accept your allegiance. But if it's false... don't blame me for being harsh. I will have our agents in Star Luo City investigate every detail."
Huo Yuhao nodded indifferently. Go ahead and investigate. Though few knew about his existence in Star Luo City, any half-decent spy could dig something up by questioning a few old servants at the Duke's mansion.
"By the way, Hall Master Hongchen, my Martial Soul isn't the White Tiger—it's my eyes. A spiritual-type Martial Soul. Though my soul power is a bit low, only at level eleven right now... Would I qualify to study at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy?"
Huo Yuhao laid down another trump card.
Jing Hongchen almost spit out his water, choking on it.
He carefully set his cup down with trembling hands.
A spiritual attribute! A pure body-type Martial Soul!
So what if his soul power was low? In the Sun Moon Empire, there were countless Soul Engineers with worse talent!
In fact, this kind of Martial Soul—especially in Soul Engineering—was genius-level potential.
More importantly, Mingde Hall had long lacked a high-level Soul Engineer with a spiritual-type Martial Soul. If Huo Yuhao could develop that potential...
Jing Hongchen had already made up his mind. If this kid truly was Dai Hao's son, he would absolutely take him into the academy. If he showed great promise in Soul Engineering, he would even take him as his final disciple.
Though he was internally excited, Jing Hongchen kept his face calm and composed, playing the role of the mysterious grandmaster.
"Hmm... As long as you have basic Soul Engineer capabilities and your identity checks out, entering my academy won't be a problem."
(End of Chapter)
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