The Sun Moon Empire, Mingdu.
The most technologically advanced city on the entire continent when it came to soul tools.
On the street, Jing Hongchen wore a genial smile as he enthusiastically showed the three boys around and pointed out the surrounding sights.
Huo Yuhao's eyes glimmered with curiosity as he listened to Jing Hongchen's explanations. Having grown up in Duke White Tiger's Mansion and nowhere else, everything in Mingdu felt completely new and astonishing to him.
Beside him, the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen watched their grandfather with strange expressions.
How had their usually stern, shrewd, and even somewhat cold-hearted Hall Master grandfather suddenly become a tour guide?
"Hall Master Jing Hongchen, you've shown us so much. There must be something you want to say, right?"
Huo Hao, who had barely spoken until now, smiled faintly. His voice was gentle, yet carried an uncanny insight into people's hearts.
Jing Hongchen laughed heartily and stopped beating around the bush.
"It's refreshing to talk to clever people. To be frank, I brought you here because I want to invite you three young friends to join the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy."
"Join the academy?"
Huo Yu, who had been standing with his arms folded, shook his head slightly.
"Hall Master Jing Hongchen, we don't want to be constrained. Earlier, Xuan Zi from Shrek Academy invited us to join Shrek Academy, but we didn't agree. We want to pursue strength through our own efforts."
"Ah, that's not quite right."
Jing Hongchen shook his head, his expression turning serious.
"There's nothing wrong with pursuing strength, but strength also needs proper guidance and systematic development. I know you're exceptionally gifted and powerful, but without systematic training, much of your potential will remain untapped."
"And besides..."
Jing Hongchen gestured toward the rows of towering buildings.
"Times have changed. In today's Douluo Continent, the combined development of soul tools and martial souls is the mainstream. Relying solely on martial souls can certainly make someone strong, but in the end, there will always be a bottleneck."
"Take my battle with that Evil Qi Xuan Zi just now, for example."
At the mention of Xuan Zi, a trace of lingering fear flashed in Jing Hongchen's eyes, though it was mixed with a more measured analysis.
"That Xuan Zi is a Super Douluo, and his martial soul is top-tier as well. In terms of Soul Power cultivation and martial soul quality alone, I'm indeed inferior to him."
"Although I lost that battle and suffered some injuries, you saw for yourselves that I managed to withstand his attacks with the Level Nine Soul Tool in my hands."
"Without those soul tools, I'd probably have died at his hands long ago."
Jing Hongchen sighed and said earnestly,
"That's the power of technology. It can make up for differences in talent, give a Soul Master the ability to fight against a stronger opponent, and even... turn defeat into victory."
As he spoke, Jing Hongchen gazed intently at the three of them.
"If you're willing to join the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, I promise that all the academy's resources, all its soul tool blueprints, all its rare metals, and even the Mingde Hall's most classified research materials will be open to you!"
"You won't have to attend classes or take exams like ordinary students. You won't even have to follow all those tedious formalities. Your only task will be to grow stronger—stronger than ever!"
"As for what I ask in return..."
Jing Hongchen paused and raised one finger.
"You need only represent the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy in the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament and bring that championship trophy back to me!"
At that, everyone fell silent.
Even Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, who hadn't been paying much attention, widened their eyes and stared at their grandfather in disbelief.
All the resources, open to them? Access to the most classified research materials?
Not even they, his own grandchildren, had ever received such extravagant treatment!
And he was handing them tournament spots outright?
The academy's talented students were practically fighting tooth and nail for those spots!
"Grandpa, this..."
Xiao Hongchen had just started to speak when a stern glance from Jing Hongchen silenced him.
Huo Hao looked into Jing Hongchen's sincere eyes, thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"Hall Master Jing Hongchen, your offer is certainly tempting, but... we shouldn't accept rewards we haven't earned."
"We three brothers have only just arrived and haven't made any contributions. We really can't accept such a generous favor. It goes against our principles."
Jing Hongchen didn't get angry. Instead, his smile grew even more approving.
This boy really was steady and levelheaded.
"Rewards you haven't earned? Who says you haven't contributed?"
Jing Hongchen's smile faded, his expression growing more serious than ever.
"Outside the city earlier, if you three hadn't stepped in and stopped that crazed Xuan Zi... Given his destructive power, do you know how many casualties there would have been if he'd made it into Mingdu?"
"Mingdu is the heart of the Sun Moon Empire, with a population of millions. If it were damaged, lives would be lost on a massive scale, and the country would be set back by decades!"
"You saved Mingdu and countless innocent people. That contribution is worth far more than these resources. I could even make you nobles, and it still wouldn't be too much!"
Jing Hongchen looked Huo Hao straight in the eye and spoke each word with emphasis.
"I mean it. This reward is what you deserve."
"If you keep refusing..."
Jing Hongchen suddenly changed tack, a sly, crafty grin spreading across his face.
"Then I'll have no choice but to arrest you three for 'illegal entry' and 'disturbing the public order' and throw you in jail for eight or ten years. After all, you haven't even completed the entry formalities yet, have you?"
The three Huo brothers: "..."
Though Jing Hongchen had put it that way, all three understood that he was giving them a way to accept while also showing how determined he was.
He was using both persuasion and pressure, with sincerity and a firm hand.
That chubby old man certainly had some tricks up his sleeve.
"Since you've put it that way, Hall Master, if we refuse again, we'd be rather ungrateful."
Huo Hao smiled faintly and nodded. The three of them were weak, and the three Million Year Soul Beasts in their Sea of Consciousness were all asleep. If they really ended up in jail, their lives would basically be over.
"All right. We accept."
"Hahahaha! Good! Excellent!"
Jing Hongchen beamed with delight.
Just from seeing the three of them work together to kick Evil Qi Xuan Zi back into that little river, Jing Hongchen had known that he had to keep them, no matter what.
Soon, under Jing Hongchen's personal arrangements, the three Huo brothers moved into the best dormitory building at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
It was a detached villa in a peaceful setting, fully equipped, with a dedicated soul tool training room.
Late at night, all was quiet.
Huo Hao and Huo Yu were cultivating in their respective rooms. Only the original Huo Yuhao was lying on the soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
None of this felt real.
Just as Huo Yuhao was drifting off to sleep,
an old, profound voice suddenly rang out deep in his mind.
"With the sun and moon in my grasp, I pluck the stars from the sky. None in this world can compare to me."
Huo Yuhao's eyes snapped open. He sprang up from the bed and warily looked around.
"Who's there?!"
The room was empty. There was no one else besides him.
"Was that my imagination...?"
Huo Yuhao muttered to himself. No, it couldn't have been his imagination.
"Brother Sky Dream? Was that you?"
He tentatively called out through his Sea of Consciousness. He knew it was impossible, but he still clung to a glimmer of hope.
However, the big bug snoozing in his Sea of Consciousness gave no response.
It wasn't Brother Sky Dream...
Then who could it be?
Before you continue