With the conclusion of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Spirit Combat Tournament, the excitement in Xingluo City gradually faded. The thirty-day competition felt fleeting, like a dream that ended upon waking.
Since the awards ceremony was closed to the public, only Xu Jiawei, the emperor, accompanied by his officials, attended.
Xu Jiawei kept his word, presenting ten soul bones from the national treasury for Shrek Academy to choose from. In the end, Wang Yan stepped forward.
An expert's touch reveals everything.
While Wang Yan's combat strength might not be extraordinary, his theoretical knowledge was exceptional. Among the treasury's soul bones, the three best-quality ones were precisely selected by Wang Yan, making Xu Jiawei's eyelids twitch in surprise.
But as the saying goes, a king's word is not trifled with. Xu Jiawei could only smile wryly at Wang Yan, leaving the latter feeling dazed.
As a result, Shrek Academy obtained seven soul bones from Xingluo City this time—three from the auction, three as tournament rewards, plus the Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone gifted by Xu Jiawei.
The two million gold soul coins prize was generously distributed among the students by Zhang Lexuan, including Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Zhu Lu, though the three politely declined, saying they had not participated and thus deserved no reward.
Each of the fourteen recipients received roughly 142,000 gold soul coins. Among them, Jiang Nannan was almost moved to tears, having never held so much money in her life. She decided to send 100,000 coins to her mother, keeping the rest for herself.
The Sun-Moon Royal Soul Tutor Academy received their rewards via their team leader, who came and left quickly.
After the awards, Zhang Lexuan hosted a victory party at Xinghuang Hotel, formally celebrating the tournament's conclusion.
Before the party, Huo Yuhao asked Zhang Lexuan and Wang Yan for leave, stepping away briefly from the team.
Naturally, Ma Xiaotao, worried about him, followed along for assurance.
"Yuhao, where are you going?"
Looking at the relatively empty streets, Ma Xiaotao asked curiously.
Huo Yuhao smiled and replied candidly, "I want to thank two people, but I can't meet them directly. So I plan to meet someone related to them instead."
Ma Xiaotao's curiosity deepened.
When Huo Yuhao brought her to a park near the Xingluo Royal Soul Master Academy, the mystery became clear.
The park was large and lush. On a wooden bench sat a gold-haired boy, looking anxious and glancing around. Seeing Huo Yuhao approach, his eyes lit up, and he quickly stood.
"Brother Hao!"
It was Dai Luoli.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "Not bad, your soul power has reached level twenty-six. The Blood Tiger Martial Soul has awakened smoothly."
Dai Luoli scratched his head. "Thanks to you and Grandpa Chen, I wouldn't have made it this far."
"No need to be modest. We only offered advice. The effort was all yours," Huo Yuhao patted him on the shoulder. "I asked Princess Jiujiu to call you here today to give you two items."
"What items?" Dai Luoli asked eagerly. He had been training at the academy earlier and was surprised to be summoned by the popular princess instead of a teacher.
Huo Yuhao raised his right hand, channeling soul power into a storage ring. Two delicate boxes materialized.
The boxes were translucent, revealing their contents: two medicinal herbs.
Dai Luoli's eyes widened in surprise. Huo Yuhao handed him the boxes solemnly:
Red herb: for Dai Luoli, called Tiger Blood Ginseng.
Ice-blue herb: for Grandpa Chen's granddaughter, to strengthen her ice-attribute martial soul, named Cold Star Ice Spirit Grass.
Dai Luoli hesitated. "Brother Hao, I haven't really helped you. I can't accept this."
"You haven't helped much," Huo Yuhao admitted, "but your mother has. Take it."
Seeing Huo Yuhao's seriousness, Dai Luoli finally accepted the Tiger Blood Ginseng.
"You shouldn't stay long. As an elder brother, I'll give you some advice," Huo Yuhao said seriously.
Dai Luoli looked up.
"Follow Xu Jiujiu obediently. Let Dai Yaoheng and Dai Huabin compete for the White Tiger Duke position. When the two fight, one will get injured—that's when you step in."
Dai Luoli's breath caught, understanding the implication, and he nodded solemnly.
Huo Yuhao added, "Next tournament, you'll surely participate in the Sun-Moon Empire event. Work hard."
"Yes!" Dai Luoli responded enthusiastically.
The two shared a brotherly glance and smiled.
Dai Luoli glanced at Ma Xiaotao. "Brother Hao, is this… my sister-in-law?"
Both Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao froze.
Before he could explain, Dai Luoli winked. Huo Yuhao immediately understood.
Of course—Ma Xiaotao competed in the tournament. As a member of the Xingluo Royal Academy's reserve team, Dai Luoli knew her and was teasing.
Huo Yuhao cleared his throat. "She's my senior."
"Oh!" Dai Luoli's face flushed. "Sorry, sorry, I misunderstood."
Ma Xiaotao watched the playful interaction, lips twitching, and said faintly, "It's fine."
"Alright, we should go. See you in the future," Huo Yuhao said, sensing Ma Xiaotao's gaze.
"Okay," Dai Luoli replied cheerfully.
Huo Yuhao and Ma Xiaotao left the park, heading back to Xinghuang Hotel.
Once far enough, Ma Xiaotao teased, "You acted really well."
Huo Yuhao laughed awkwardly. As couples passed by, laughing and chatting, he gently grabbed her hand, holding it firmly.
"This city is so big, I feel lost. Lead me, or we might get separated," he said casually.
Ma Xiaotao was surprised but smiled, applying counterpressure. Their fingers interlaced tightly.
"Alright."
...
After returning to the hotel, Huo Yuhao used a simulated soul skill to step out briefly for another errand.
By the time he returned, it was dusk.
The lively victory party concluded. Early the next morning, Shrek Academy members, led by Elder Xuan, quietly changed into normal clothes and left.
Dai Yaoheng departed later and returned to the academy.
In Xingluo Royal Palace, Xu Jiawei resumed handling state affairs. Without looking up, he asked Xu Jiujiu, "They left?"
"Yes, early this morning," she replied.
Xu Jiawei paused, glancing at the Douluo Continent map, eyes locking on Mingdu. "The treasure hunt mission can be released. Reward: 100 million gold soul coins. The tournament is over—we must give Mingde Hall something to do."
"Yes, sir," Xu Jiujiu responded respectfully and withdrew.
In White Tiger Duke Mansion, Dai Hao looked at his youngest son, Dai Luoli, with a complicated expression.
"Work hard at Xingluo Royal Academy. Don't disappoint your mother."
Dai Luoli, indifferent, replied, "Understood. If there's nothing more, I'll take my leave."
Dai Hao frowned, sensing his son's distant tone. He sighed, "Go ahead."
"Yes." Dai Luoli left.
"Bring people," Dai Hao called after him.
A servant arrived promptly.
"Arrange a celebratory dinner tonight. There will be many guests," Dai Hao instructed.
"Yes, master," the servant replied, hesitating briefly. "Should we invite the second madam?"
Dai Hao twitched his eyelid. "Invite her."
"Yes." The servant left swiftly.
At Luofeng Courtyard, Dai Luoli cheerfully placed the box before Grandpa Chen.
"Grandpa Chen, Brother Hao asked me to give this to you. The herb, Cold Star Ice Spirit Grass, should help improve my sister's martial soul."
"Bang." The clink of a teacup startled Chen Hongsheng. "Who sent this?"
"Brother Hao," Dai Luoli replied. "He's a strong Shrek Academy reserve student, even capable of one-versus-seven feats."
Chen's eyes narrowed. Seeing the herb, his wrinkled face softened with a smile. The child who once knelt drenched in rain, begging for help, now had wings to soar.
At Sun-Moon Royal Soul Tutor Academy — Mingde Hall, a spacious hall gleamed with metallic decor. Above the entrance hung a plaque reading Mingde Hall in bold golden letters, exuding authority.
Seated on the main chair was a short, stout middle-aged man, Jing Hongchen, 93rd-level Title Douluo, Martial Soul: Toad, 9th-level soul tutor.
Before him were Pan Tianxing, team leader of the tournament delegation, and students Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen.
After briefing them, Pan Tianxing respectfully withdrew.
Unlike the previous timeline where the Sun-Moon Academy delegation faced defeat, this life was calmer.
The hall fell silent.
"Interesting. Twin martial souls? Must be Shrek Academy," Jing Hongchen muttered, rising from his chair.
"Grandpa, Meng and I will go into seclusion to temper our hearts," Xiao Hongchen said respectfully.
"Temper your hearts?" Jing Hongchen, initially pondering Shrek Academy, was stunned.
He hurried to Xiao Hongchen's side, inspecting her carefully. Was the tournament too stressful? His once arrogant, confrontational grandchild now spoke of seclusion—sun rising from the west indeed.
Meng Hongchen chuckled.
Xiao Hongchen's forehead twitched. "Grandpa, I'm fine. I was inspired by a phrase and want to improve myself."
"What phrase?" Jing Hongchen asked.
Xiao Hongchen said solemnly: "True masters always retain the heart of a student."
Jing Hongchen's eyes gleamed. The more he pondered, the more impressed he became.
This advice applied perfectly to both soul masters and tutors. Many high-level tutors become arrogant and dismissive—this saying was golden.
"Who said this?" Jing Hongchen asked eagerly.
"Shrek Academy student Huo Yuhao," Xiao Hongchen replied after a pause.
"A student?" Jing Hongchen was astonished.
"Yes," Meng Hongchen added. "Their teacher used this student's words to inspire others. We overheard it."
Jing Hongchen clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. "I want to meet Huo Yuhao and thank him. To speak such words at his age—remarkable indeed."
"Take this time to train in seclusion. I'll notify you when the exchange study begins," he added.
"Yes!" the twins responded in unison, ready to prepare for future competitions.
After the grandchildren left, Jing Hongchen approached a golden-glowing wall etched with intricate patterns. He released a dark-golden light from his chest, overlaying a pattern on the wall.
With the crisp sound of mechanisms, the wall split open, releasing terrifying energy that ruffled his hair but left him unharmed.
Inside was a sealed chamber, dominated by a core formation. The Deification Platform from the Starlight Auction appeared once more.
Jing Hongchen smiled, preparing to converse with the soul beast embryo.
In the dense forest, beside a grave, Huo Yuhao stood silently.
"Teacher, can it be smoothly transferred?" he asked after a pause.
"Of course," Ilex replied. "Once your mother's grave is relocated to the Half-Living Realm, I can use necromancy to call her spirit, ensuring she isn't captured by that Sea God."
"Understood. Thank you," Huo Yuhao said solemnly.
A faint hum sounded.
A grayish aura spread from Huo Yuhao, dimming the surroundings. Soon, a pitch-black portal materialized around the grave, enclosing it step by step.
Within a minute, the grave was completely absorbed, leaving no trace.
.............
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