After passing through the city gates, whose height and thickness both exceeded a hundred meters, and reaching the main thoroughfare, Huo Yuhao stretched his body comfortably.
Finally, I'm home...
Although the design of the Star Net City walls could truly be called ridiculous, one had to admit that the urban layout of Star Net City was actually quite excellent, not much worse than Shrek City. With a permanent population exceeding eight million, it was a world-famous "city that never sleeps."
Huo Yuhao did not head home first; instead, he walked toward the Inner City.
The core of the entire Star Net City was the Inner City—the Imperial Palace—a true city within a city. This palace had already been completed back when the White Tiger Duke's lineage was still the Imperial Family. After multiple renovations, its scale had grown larger and larger, and the architecture had become exquisitely magnificent.
Generally speaking, outsiders were not permitted to enter the Imperial Palace, but apologies were in order—little Huo was no outsider.
Huo Yuhao took out a pure gold medallion and flashed it at the guards outside the palace. The guards, who were originally full of wariness, instantly became respectful.
The captain of the guards, clad in knight's armor, stepped forward respectfully and struck his left chest in a salute. "Young Master, please wait a moment while I go inside to report your arrival."
Huo Yuhao nodded and stood to the side waiting patiently, then scrutinized the medallion in his hand.
The medallion was forged from pure gold and felt heavy. It was engraved with the hollowed-out tulip pattern of the Star Net Empire's Imperial Family, but...
When the medallion was flipped over, the back featured the design of a tiger's head.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes slightly. A tiger in the heart, sniffing the rose?
Or is it a matter of being forced by circumstances?
Before long, the captain of the guards reappeared at his original post. "Young Master, please follow me. Her Highness the Princess requests your presence."
"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and strode inside.
The captain of the guards did not walk particularly fast. The two bypassed the front halls, took several consecutive turns, and reached a relatively secluded residence within the Inner Palace that wasn't overly large.
Surrounded by dense vegetation, this residence appeared somewhat more elegant and refined compared to the towering majesty of the other palaces. One could even see a specially crafted terrace.
The captain stopped before this residence, pushed open the doors, and made a gesture of invitation.
After Huo Yuhao walked in, the doors closed on their own.
A slender silhouette was already waiting for him in the main hall.
She possessed breathtaking beauty and a lithe figure. Her red dress accentuated her porcelain skin, giving off a sense of perfection. With a refined and proper smile on her face, she was none other than the sister of the current Star Net Emperor, Princess Xu Jiujiu.
"Princess Highness, it has been a long time." Seeing her, Huo Yuhao's heart couldn't help but tremble slightly as he bowed his head in greeting.
"Indeed, it's been over half a year. Young Master Huo is already a Soul Elder, not far from becoming a Soul Ancestor..."
"Your Highness overpraises me; this level of cultivation is nothing..." Huo Yuhao said modestly. After all, the current Xu Jiujiu was a Soul King, two tiers higher than himself.
Xu Jiujiu smiled slightly and made a gesture of invitation, leading Huo Yuhao further inside. Walking all the way to the head seat, she sat down and signaled for Huo Yuhao to take the seat below her.
"Judging by Your Highness's attire, you must have just finished an auction, right? My apologies for disturbing you." Huo Yuhao smiled calmly. He appeared very composed within the palace, without a hint of nervousness.
Looking at that handsome face which was as beautiful as a painting, Xu Jiujiu personally poured him a cup of fragrant tea and said softly:
"It's no disturbance. Auctioning is merely a hobby of mine. But seeing Young Master Huo being so true to his word really makes me happy."
Huo Yuhao chuckled and took a sip of the tea. "How would I dare refuse an invitation from Your Highness? Besides, I must thank you for the intelligence last time. However, I imagine Your Highness and His Majesty's side have already obtained what you wanted, right?"
Xu Jiujiu nodded. "Of course! Dai Yueheng has arrived at the Star Net National Academy and is under our strict control. We have also finally managed to plant our people into the Western Army Group of the Mingdou Mountain Range. Though it is just a beginning, it is a solid step forward, isn't it?"
Strong fortresses are often breached from within. It might take a long time, but the Imperial Family was patient. Slowly, they could erode Dai Hao's influence in the military and eventually reclaim command of the Western Army Group.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "I reckon Dai Yueheng would never have imagined that while he was the Vice Captain of the Shrek team yesterday, he would have to face his former teammates in battle today."
"Oh..." Xu Jiujiu elegantly crossed her legs, revealing her white calves and purple high heels. Her star-like eyes were full of scrutiny. "Then, does Young Master Huo feel his life at Shrek is going well?"
In truth, after hearing that Huo Yuhao had run off to Shrek Academy, Xu Jiujiu's heart had wavered a bit.
Rather than an academy, it was more like a massive brainwashing center. No matter how closely tied a genius was to the Imperial Family, once they entered Shrek Academy, they seemed to become brainwashed—belonging to Shrek in life and becoming Shrek's ghost in death.
She was worried Huo Yuhao would turn out like that after going in, which was why she had previously tried her best to persuade him to attend the Star Net National Academy, promising him the highest treatment. But Huo Yuhao hadn't listened and went to Shrek anyway.
If Huo Yuhao truly had been brainwashed by Shrek, then in Xu Jiujiu's heart, his value would decrease significantly.
"Not great!" Huo Yuhao shook his head decisively. "Setting aside the teaching standards, the dorms and the cafeteria are truly bottom-tier. I really don't know where those high tuition fees go... It's a question whether their dorms can even compare to the Empire's prisons. Plus, I was unlucky enough to run into a few incredibly off-putting, bizarre students. No, in Shrek's terms, they should be called... monsters?"
Xu Jiujiu watched the complaining Huo Yuhao calmly, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
She uncrossed her legs. Unsure if it was intentional, she extended her foot quite far forward, nearly touching Huo Yuhao's ankle.
"I really didn't expect that even a great genius like you would look down on Shrek. I thought they would desperately offer all sorts of benefits to keep you... Then, are you interested in dropping out and coming to the Star Net National Academy?"
To Xu Jiujiu's surprise, Huo Yuhao actually struck a pose of serious contemplation. "I already know exactly what kind of place Shrek Academy is. Let's wait until next year. Next year, I'll drop out and leave that place. If I have nowhere to go then, I'll have to ask Your Highness to take me in."
"Next year... Oh, I see. It's for next year's Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament, right? Will Young Master Huo be representing Shrek in the competition?"
Huo Yuhao shrugged. "When entrusted by others, one must be loyal to the task. At least the teacher and senior sisters I met at Shrek Academy have been very good to me; I promised them we'd go to the competition together."
"Teacher and senior sisters?"
Xu Jiujiu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, a trace of bitterness she hadn't even noticed herself welling up in her heart.