I Hate the Martial Soul Hall

Xuan Hao stared at the dark street for a while, his rapid breathing slowly calming down, but the fear in his eyes had not completely disappeared.

Whether it was a ghost or not was not important. What was important was that in that instant, every cell in his body was screaming. That thing posed a fatal threat to him!

Ghost or not, he had to run!

"Little brother, what are you doing out so late by yourself?" Bibi Dong asked softly.

Xuan Hao took a deep breath, suppressed his guilt, and pretended to be calm. "I... I just finished eating! I ate too much, so I came out for a walk to aid digestion."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly, not exposing his clumsy lie, and continued, "Then where are your adults at home? Why aren't they looking for you so late?"

"Adults?" Xuan Hao thought for a moment, shrugged. "I don't know, they're probably dead. Anyway, I've never seen them since I can remember."

Bibi Dong's phoenix eyes narrowed, and she continued to press, "Where do you live? Sister will take you home?"

Xuan Hao frowned.

Are you taking a census?

No good deed goes unpunished!

He subtly took a step back, creating a safe distance, his eyes wary. "Sister, although you're good-looking, we're not familiar with each other. Why are you asking so many questions?"

Just as Bibi Dong was about to speak again, she saw Xuan Hao suddenly say, "Uh... I've digested enough, goodbye!"

Before he finished speaking, Xuan Hao bolted. He ran so fast that in the blink of an eye, he was already ten meters away.

Bibi Dong looked at the small, receding figure disappearing into the distance, and the smile on her lips finally widened a bit.

No background, no family, not even a place to live.

A wild genius with a top-tier spirit and extraordinary talent.

She had found a treasure!

"Trying to run?"

Bibi Dong chuckled lightly. Without moving, she instantly vanished from her spot.

Xuan Hao felt his neck being grabbed, and he was lifted up as if flying.

"Holy crap--let go of me!"

No matter how he kicked and struggled, the hand holding the back of his collar remained unmoving.

The scenery in front of him changed rapidly. In just a few breaths, when Xuan Hao's feet touched the ground again, he was no longer on the dark street but standing in a lavishly decorated room with a soft carpet.

Bibi Dong sat elegantly on the sofa, her slender legs crossed, looking down at Xuan Hao, who was utterly bewildered.

Hu Liena stood obediently behind her, curiously observing the "little beggar" that the Teacher had personally brought back.

"Let's reintroduce ourselves."

Bibi Dong propped her chin with one hand, her usual amiability replaced by the undeniable authority of a superior.

"I am Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Martial Soul Hall."

"..."

Xuan Hao froze.

While he had guessed this woman's identity was extraordinary and vaguely felt she looked familiar, he truly hadn't expected to run straight into the BOSS's crosshairs.

A brief, dead silence fell over the room.

After several seconds, Xuan Hao blinked and cautiously managed to utter, "Um... should I kneel?"

"Pfft—"

Bibi Dong, who had been looking serious, was amused by the child's sudden, unexpected thought process and couldn't help but laugh.

"No need," Bibi Dong waved her hand, her mood seemingly improved.

"When I captured you just now, I examined your bone age. You are only six years old."

"Your soul power is abundant, and although your meridians are somewhat obscure, clearly you've never cultivated through meditation, this is indeed Innate Full Soul Power."

"With such talent and a powerful martial soul, if it had been awakened through the Martial Soul Hall, it would have been reported layer by layer, even sent directly to me."

"Tell me, why were you alone in a dangerous place like the Star Dou Great Forest? And what's going on with your martial soul?"

Since his background had been exposed, Xuan Hao knew he couldn't hide it anymore.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes lowered, and said with a half-truthful tone, "A few days ago, I awakened my martial soul in the village. At that time... the awakening ceremony failed. The deacon said I had no soul power and no martial soul."

Bibi Dong frowned slightly, not interrupting.

"That night, the village was attacked by wolf bandits," Xuan Hao's voice lowered. "I almost died. Just as one of the wolf bandits was about to bite off my neck... I don't remember what happened, my mind went blank, and I lost consciousness."

"When I woke up, all the wolf bandits were dead. I found that I seemed to have become stronger, and I also found over a dozen Gold Soul Coins on those wolf bandits."

"The villagers looked at me like I was a monster, so I ran away. But I didn't understand anything, so I thought I'd try my luck in the Star Dou Great Forest, hoping to get a soul ring."

A flicker of understanding flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes.

The awakening of a martial soul under extreme emotional stimulation, though rare, is not without precedent, especially for Beast Spirits.

Moreover, that terrifying Dragon Spirit would indeed easily cause slaughter if uncontrolled.

"Since that's the case... since you've awakened it, why not report to the local Martial Soul Hall branch? With your talent, as soon as you go there, you'll immediately receive the best training."

Xuan Hao fell silent.

Why not go?

Nonsense, going there would be signing a contract of servitude!

Not to mention Tang Hao, who could pull out his Clear Sky Hammer and smash people at any moment, just within the Martial Soul Hall itself, the Papal Palace and the Worship Hall were locked in a power struggle.

If he, a genius with top-tier Twin Dragon Spirits, entered the Martial Soul Hall, he might get caught up in their political struggles and die without even knowing how.

Besides, he was a man!

Bibi Dong, though appearing normal now, was a lunatic at heart. Her kindness towards Hu Liena was like that of a mother to her daughter.

Him? He was a man!

Bibi Dong might just kill him on a whim one day.

In comparison, the Heaven Dou Empire was the true answer.

The current Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, was actually Qian Renxue in disguise!

As long as he could get to Heaven Dou City and find a way to latch onto the "Crown Prince," he would have the implicit protection of the Martial Soul Hall Young Master's background, the resources of the Heaven Dou Empire, and wouldn't have to directly face the mess within the Martial Soul Hall.

Most importantly, in Heaven Dou City, there was Dugu Bo and the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!

Proximity breeds favor.

"Speak."

Seeing Xuan Hao remain silent for a long time, Bibi Dong gently tapped the table. "What are you worried about?"

Xuan Hao picked at the expensive carpet, seemingly engaged in an intense internal struggle.

At this moment, no matter what excuse he fabricated, any hint of resistance towards the Martial Soul Hall stemming from "gain" or "fear" would arouse Bibi Dong's suspicion.

Only emotion, only that childish, unreasonable emotion, could serve as the perfect cover.

He sniffled and lowered his head.

"The village chief told me, my parents... they were soul masters in the Martial Soul Hall."

Bibi Dong was slightly taken aback. "And then?"

"And then there was no then." Xuan Hao twisted his hands together forcefully. "Before I could remember anything, they took a mission from Martial Soul Hall and went out. They never came back."

"Everyone in the village said they sacrificed themselves for the glory of Martial Soul Hall. But... but some people also quietly told me they weren't dead."

"They said the outside world is wonderful, and they must be living good lives in big cities. They thought I was a burden and didn't want me anymore, so they abandoned me in the village to fend for myself."

"So... I hate Martial Soul Hall! Whether they died or abandoned me, it's all because of Martial Soul Hall! Why should I still go to that place?"

After saying this, Xuan Hao lowered his head again, looking like a stubborn pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water, as if to say, "Do as you please, kill me or skin me."

These words were half true and half false, forming a closed logical loop.

In this Spirit Master World with an extremely high mortality rate, going missing on a mission was all too common.

And for a six-year-old left-behind child, this kind of resentment from being "abandoned" or "dying on duty without any explanation" was enough to become the strongest reason to resist Martial Soul Hall.

A long silence fell in the room.

Hu Liena's gaze towards Xuan Hao had completely changed. It was a pity born of shared suffering. She was also an orphan. If not for Teacher taking her in, her fate might have been full of hardships.

As for Bibi Dong, the fingers holding her scepter tightened slightly.

She looked at the stubborn child before her, and the words of coercion and enticement she had prepared were suddenly impossible to utter.

This reason sounded childish and emotional.

But for a six-year-old child, it was reasonable and logical.

Martial Soul Hall was indeed a cold-blooded machine that could sacrifice everything and cover up everything for the sake of so-called "righteousness" and "Angel Glory."

If it were any other reason, she might have thought the child was lying or hiding something.

But this reason... was too real. It was so real that it made her feel a trace of inexplicable irritation.