Return to the Imperial Capital

Three days later, Hu Haoran returned to the Imperial Capital—Cangyun City—with Hu Tengfei, Hu Yuchen, and Niu Dagui.

Three days earlier, Hu Haoran had brought Hu Tengfei and Hu Yuchen back to Qinghua Town. Niu Dagui had kept watch in the direction Hu Haoran had disappeared, so the moment Hu Haoran settled matters and stepped into the town, Niu Dagui found him and led the three of them to a sparsely populated inn.

"These are two Golden Wound Pills. They'll be very useful for your injuries. Take them quickly, then we'll immediately set off for the Imperial Capital!" Hu Haoran instructed Hu Tengfei and Hu Yuchen.

"Yes, Young Master!" Hu Tengfei and Hu Yuchen answered in unison.

At that moment, Niu Dagui hesitated, as though he wanted to say something to Hu Haoran but did not dare speak.

Hu Haoran had already noticed his state and asked, "What's wrong? If you have something to say, say it boldly!"

"Young Master Hu... I... I... I also want to become your subordinate and follow you back to the Imperial Capital. Is that alright?" Niu Dagui finally gathered his courage and voiced what was in his heart. "I know I'm useless. My martial soul isn't anything special, and my Innate Soul Power is only rank two. But I'll work hard and become someone who satisfies you."

After a brief thought, Hu Haoran asked, "What is your martial soul?"

Niu Dagui froze for a moment, but he still answered, "Green Ox, just an ordinary Green Ox. Young Master Hu, although my martial soul is ordinary, I'll work hard. I will..."

"The rank of a martial soul determines how far your path can go. This is common knowledge on Douluo Continent. It isn't as though working hard means you can definitely become strong," Hu Haoran interrupted.

Niu Dagui lowered his head in disappointment. He understood as well that the day of Martial Soul Awakening had already determined how high a person could rise.

After pondering for a moment, Hu Haoran asked thoughtfully, "Do you want to become strong?"

Niu Dagui smiled bitterly. "Everyone on Douluo Continent wants to become strong and control their own fate. Unfortunately, the day of Martial Soul Awakening determines the fates of many people, and I am one of those pitiful people whose fate is controlled by others. Young Master Hu, you really know how to joke."

"What if I said I could give your fate a new beginning? Would you be willing to seize this opportunity?" Hu Haoran smiled mysteriously.

Niu Dagui suddenly raised his head. He was not a fool and immediately guessed Hu Haoran's hidden meaning. At once, he swore upon his martial soul to devote his life to Hu Haoran alone. After making the oath, Niu Dagui said, "I don't know whether you can truly give my fate a new beginning, but I know that as long as I follow Young Master Hu, my life will surely be wonderful from now on. From this day forward, every word Young Master Hu says will be an imperial decree to me."

"Hahaha... You've got spirit. I am a creator of miracles. My first soul ring is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring, far beyond the normal age limit for a first soul ring. Two months ago, my martial soul had not even awakened, and I was a famous piece of trash in the Imperial Capital. Now, I am already a Great Soul Master above rank twenty, and just now, I even killed two Soul Ancestors above rank forty. Your martial soul may be poor now, but once we return to the Imperial Capital, I believe I have the ability to improve it." Hu Haoran exuded powerful confidence from the depths of his bones. The source of that confidence was the Douluo System. He believed there was nothing the Douluo System could not accomplish.

After hearing Hu Haoran's words, Niu Dagui immediately knelt and performed a grand salute.

As Hu Haoran helped him up, he said, "You won't need to perform grand salutes or kneel when you see me in the future. Lastly, there's something else you need to know. Improving the rank of a martial soul is no easy matter, and the process will be extremely painful. You must be mentally prepared!"

Niu Dagui said firmly, "Young Master Hu, rest assured! I will not shrink back even if it means dying ten thousand deaths!"

"Good! We'll talk once we return to the Imperial Capital!" Hu Haoran was quite pleased to have taken Niu Dagui under his wing. An idea irrepressibly arose in his heart: to use the Douluo System to establish a force even stronger than the Upper Five Powers. Niu Dagui was one of his test subjects, and Hu Haoran could never have imagined that Hu Tengfei, Hu Yuchen, and Niu Dagui would become the three great war gods of his future force.

"Young Master, you're back?! I missed you so much! Where is Madam?" The moment Hu Haoran stepped through the gates of the Hu Family, Taohua threw herself forward and hugged him. Ever since Hu Haoran had gone to the Canglan Mountain Range, Taohua had watched the Hu Family gates every day, waiting for his return.

"Uh... I'm back. Mother encountered another fortunate opportunity. She's already rank ninety and is hunting for her final soul ring. I need to see Steward Liu." Hu Haoran had no way to deal with Taohua's enthusiasm, so he could only speak while secretly enjoying it. Naturally, he glossed over the shocking matter concerning his mother with a lie. "Oh, right. I brought back three companions. Help me arrange three rooms for them."

"Yes, Young Master. My name is Taohua. May I ask what your names are?" Although Taohua knew these three were people Hu Haoran had taken in outside, she did not dare play any schemes.

"Young Master Hu bestowed my surname upon me. My name is Hu Tengfei." "My name is Hu Yuchen, his younger brother." "My name is Niu Dagui." The three introduced themselves one by one.

"Come with me first. I'll arrange rooms for you right away." After they finished introducing themselves, Taohua led them away to settle in.

Once Hu Haoran saw that Taohua had arranged everything properly, he turned and returned to his room. He still needed to prepare pills for Hu Tengfei and the other two to undergo transformation, as well as suitable Soul Tools for them.

From questioning them on the journey back, Hu Haoran learned that Hu Tengfei's martial soul was the Eye of Medusa. He was currently a rank eighteen Soul Warrior, fifteen years old, and his talent was not too bad, though certainly not heaven-defying. Hu Yuchen's martial soul was the Ghostscale Phantom Dream Snake. He was currently a rank fifteen Soul Warrior, thirteen years old, and his talent was not much different from Hu Tengfei's. As for Niu Dagui, his talent was far inferior to theirs. His martial soul was an ordinary Green Ox, and he was only a rank four Soul Warrior at ten years old.

"Sigh... Niu Dagui's talent is far too poor." Hu Haoran was rendered speechless by Niu Dagui's aptitude.

Hu Haoran opened the Douluo System and selected several items specifically for Hu Tengfei and the other two to undergo transformation. Earth Milk Spirit Cleansing Pill: five thousand Douluo Crystal Points each, capable of cleansing the marrow and strengthening the body, suitable for those under eighteen. Soaring Dragon Mad Ox Blood: ten thousand Douluo Crystal Points per portion, helping beast martial soul masters obtain a small amount of dragon blood essence; it had a thirty percent chance of transforming ox-type beast martial souls. Rank-four offensive Soul Tools: the Clear Soul Sword and Black Edge Sword, thirty thousand Douluo Crystal Points each, with wind and darkness attributes respectively. Limitless Seven Star Sword Technique, a Heaven-tier sword technique: eighty thousand Douluo Crystal Points per copy. Heaven and Earth Spirit Eyes, a Heaven-tier eye technique: fifty thousand Douluo Crystal Points per copy.

After Hu Haoran sorted the exchanged items, he discovered that his Douluo Crystal Points had dropped by another huge chunk. He only had eighty-five thousand left. Before he even had time to feel distressed, Taohua called out to him loudly.

"Young Master, Steward Liu is here. Come out quickly." Taohua shouted from outside Hu Haoran's door.

Hu Haoran put away his things and impatiently rushed out of his room.