Hesitation Means Defeat!

Qian Daoliu had quite a few complaints about Huo Yuhao using the Illusory Eye to gauge the heat of grilled fish and examine the details of Soul Tool circuitry, considering it a terrible waste. But Huo Yuhao did not care. During that year in Ashina, he had become a thoroughgoing pragmatist—he used whatever worked best.

After all, in Ashina, any means capable of defeating a powerful enemy was justified. After all, even Ashina's boss, Sword Saint Ashina Isshin, liked to disregard martial honor and pull out a six-shot firearm when killing people.

The so-called Ashina Style had no fixed moves or routines. It was a school that used every possible method for the sake of victory. Dead enemies had no right to condemn the victor. Hesitation means defeat! Take it to heart, One-Armed Wolf.

Ashina Isshin's earnest teachings still rang in his ears. Although it had been many years since their last fight, whenever Huo Yuhao recalled that lightning-fast blade and the Cross Spear swung like a mad bull, he still shuddered instinctively.

The talent Huo Yuhao displayed was very much to Ning Ge's liking. Combined with Huo Yuhao's generous and proper introduction at the outset, as well as Jie Chu's recommendation, Ning Ge accepted Huo Yuhao as an apprentice, though he preferred to stay in his room researching Soul Tool technology.

However, Ning Ge specifically emphasized that although he would make time to teach Huo Yuhao Soul Tool repair and crafting techniques, they were not truly teacher and student. At most, it was an upperclassman looking after an underclassman. His monthly pay would tentatively be set at ten Gold Soul Coins, with raises to follow depending on Huo Yuhao's level of Soul Tool expertise.

Huo Yuhao was naturally quite satisfied with those terms. After all, apprentices in many trades received no pay at all. Even then, without someone to recommend them, a master might not be willing to take them on. The fear of teaching an apprentice only to have the apprentice put the master out of work was common not only among ordinary craftsmen, but even among Soul Engineers.

Not every Soul Engineer was a Level Seven or Eight—or even Level Nine—Soul Tool academic giant. Even if they did not pursue new Soul Tool research projects every year, the Empire would still happily spend enormous sums of Gold Soul Coins to support them, asking when they might be interested in launching another project or taking on more promising students.

The actual status of the vast majority of Soul Engineers was not much different from that of Master Li, who had brought Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er to Shrek City.

Having the identity of a Soul Master—or Soul Engineer—naturally meant earning more than ordinary people, but that was about it. To put it bluntly, they still earned their money through hard work.

They simply made a little more than ordinary people without soul power. That was all.

What they faced every day was neither academic problems nor Ten Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, but questions like when they could buy a two-courtyard house, when they could save enough money to marry a girl with a Soul Power Level similar to their own, and then begin a simple life with a wife, children, and a warm bed.

After that, they could only hope their children would be born with innate soul power of Level Five or Six, then strive to remain at a Soul Master Academy as teachers or enter some other profession after graduation—something both well-paid and respectable, so they would not have to keep struggling like their parents.

Ning Ge had no strict requirements regarding when Huo Yuhao had to come in as an apprentice. In his words, as long as Huo Yuhao came, he would definitely be at the shop. At the same time, Ning Ge's schedule was generally irregular; how long he slept each day mainly depended on how many secondhand Soul Tools had piled up waiting for repairs. Huo Yuhao did not know whether to laugh or cry at that.

For that reason, Huo Yuhao simply arranged his work hours at the shop around Shrek Academy's normal school schedule with Ning Ge. After all, when Shrek's students got out of school, Huo Yuhao would finish work as well, making it the perfect time to rush to the school gate and set up his stall.

"Big Brother Ning, the name of your shop, 'Muddleheaded Soul Tool Repair'..."

Huo Yuhao hesitated, looking at Ning Ge.

"What is it, Little Brother Huo? Does the name not sound good?"

"No, no." Huo Yuhao shook his head. "When I was in Star Luo City, I often visited a shop called Muddled Treasure Pavilion. Its owner seemed to have the surname Ning as well."

"Hahaha, then we really are fated. You guessed right—that shop was opened by my Second Uncle. Our branch belongs to a collateral line of the Ning Family. The money for opening shops comes from the main family, so that wherever members of the main family go, there will be someone to receive and assist them. It makes things more convenient. I won't tell you much more for now, but you'll learn eventually."

Ning Ge laughed and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "In a couple of years, one of my younger cousins from the main family should be coming to Shrek to enroll as well. I'll introduce you two then. A kid like you, hardworking in cultivation and blessed with decent talent, is truly a prized prospect in my main family."

The more Huo Yuhao listened, the more something felt off. Suddenly recalling Ning Ge's surname and his identity as a Support System Soul Master, he sharply turned his head toward Ning Ge.

"Big Brother Ning, your Martial Soul isn't the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, is it?"

Faced with Huo Yuhao's shock, Ning Ge merely smiled.

"You're a clever one, kid. You managed to guess even that. But don't get too excited. My branch is only a collateral line, not as wealthy as you imagine. Although our Martial Souls bear the name of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, in reality, we can only spend the money we earn ourselves each year. At most, we have it a little easier than the collateral branches responsible for business."

Huo Yuhao was genuinely surprised that Ning Ge came from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. After all, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was a legendary sect in the Soul Master world. Compared to the already declining Tang Sect, they were like fireflies beside the bright moon. To encounter people from both the Tang Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in just two days was truly surprising.

"Kid Huo, why are you so surprised just because you ran into someone from a collateral branch of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Don't forget, this is Shrek City."

Qian Daoliu's words immediately woke Huo Yuhao up. If the Spirit Realm was the final drifting place where the souls of all the dead gathered, then Shrek was where all the Heavenly Prides of the continent converged. Here, encountering people from the Tang Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was really nothing to be surprised about.

After he enrolled, perhaps he might even run into someone from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

After confirming that he would begin working at the shop as Ning Ge's apprentice tomorrow, Huo Yuhao left the Repair Shop with Jie Chu. Jie Chu enthusiastically invited Huo Yuhao to sit at his family's bar, but after some thought, Huo Yuhao temporarily declined his invitation.

He needed to hurry to Shrek City's West District to buy some beef and mutton, then take them home, cut them into small chunks, skewer them, and freeze them in the Ice Box. That would make it convenient to set up a stall at Shrek City's gate after work tomorrow. Besides grilled fish, Huo Yuhao had decided to expand his business and sell some barbecue skewers as well.

After all, who could refuse sitting down somewhere with a few classmates after school, pouring a couple mugs of draft ale, and digging into barbecue skewers sprinkled with cumin powder and chili powder?

At the very least, Jie Chu could not refuse. The moment he heard Huo Yuhao's plan, he immediately thumped his chest and told Huo Yuhao that his family's alcohol supply channels included Huo Yuhao's share. Huo Yuhao would not need to pay shipping; he only needed to charge him cost price. His sole request was that Huo Yuhao reserve him a seat in advance every evening.