Xue Qinghe also looked puzzled. As Soul Masters, they knew very well that a Ten Year Soul Ring couldn't do this.
Under the three of them' intense gazes, Huo Yuhao felt his scalp prickle. He scratched his head and explained, "My Martial Soul is special. It's my eyes, and it has both time and mental attributes. I named it the Time Eye. Actually, my First Soul Ring is infinitely close to a hundred years old. Its Soul Skill, Time Pause, can freeze all movement and objects for two seconds, but its range is only fifty meters. If that Ghost Shadow Leopard Emperor hadn't been gravely wounded by Your Excellencies, I'm sure it would have been able to break free."
Huo Yuhao's explanation left the three of them exchanging glances. Since it was already dark, the four decided to camp there for the night and set out again in the morning.
Lighting a bonfire in the forest was inadvisable, especially in Sunset Forest, where Soul Beasts were plentiful and Ten Year Soul Beasts could be found everywhere.
"Thank you." Huo Yuhao took the dry rations and water Xue Qinghe handed him, and quickly ate.
The moon was full tonight, hanging high in the sky. Moonlight spilled through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Xue Qinghe's delicate skin seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.
"How much farther is our destination?" After eating, Xue Qinghe sat beside Huo Yuhao and asked.
"There's a valley in the central region of Sunset Forest, with a mountain hollowed out inside. That's where we're headed." Huo Yuhao had eaten his fill and was resting against a tree.
It was one thing to cross over to Douluo Continent, but this was ridiculous—first he'd ended up in Dou Two, then in Dou One. What was that supposed to mean?
Huo Yuhao's feelings were complicated. He'd left Duke's Mansion intending to avenge his mother. He'd left just fine, but now he couldn't return to his own era.
"You really are from Ten Thousand Years Later?" After observing Huo Yuhao along the way, Xue Qinghe had become somewhat more convinced that the unfamiliar boy was telling the truth.
"You can ask me anything. I'll answer if I can." Huo Yuhao looked at Xue Qinghe.
"Then tell me: what will the state of Douluo Continent be like Ten Thousand Years Later?" Xue Qinghe asked with interest.
The thought of the era Ten Thousand Years Later was thrilling. Although Xue Qinghe still wasn't sure whether the boy named Huo Yuhao was telling the truth, curiosity got the better of him.
Meanwhile, the two Titled Douluo hidden nearby pricked up their ears and listened quietly.
Huo Yuhao cleared his throat a few times, then began slowly. "Ten Thousand Years Later, the original Two Great Empires on Douluo Continent will have changed. The Heaven Dou Empire will have split into Heaven Soul and Dou Ling. The Star Luo Empire will still exist, but the White Tiger Royal Family will have been replaced. During a National Crisis, when the empire stood on the brink of collapse, the Star Crown Sect will have saved it and eventually become the new royal family. The White Tiger Lineage will have been granted the title of White Tiger Duke, sharing the empire's fate for generations."
"I've heard of the Star Crown Sect. It's a Hidden Sect of the Star Luo Empire. Its inherited Martial Soul, Star Crown, is extremely powerful, combining support and attack. I've heard that one of the Elder Tokens held by Spirit Hall elders bears the Star Crown insignia." Xue Qinghe nodded for Huo Yuhao to continue.
"Four thousand years from now—that is, six thousand years after our era—the Sun Moon Continent will collide with Douluo Continent due to the movement of the tectonic plates. The Sun Moon Empire on the Sun Moon Continent will immediately go to war against the Three Kingdoms of Douluo Continent. Thanks to its advanced Soul Tool Technology, the Sun Moon Empire Army will even push into the heart of Douluo Continent in the early stages of the war. In the end, an Academy Dean will gather nearly sixty Titled Douluo Experts from across the continent and turn the tide."
"Soul Tool Technology? What is that?" Xue Qinghe was drawn into Huo Yuhao's account and couldn't help asking.
"Does the continent have something called a Soul Tool Storage Ring?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Xue Qinghe nodded, took out a Soul Tool Ring, and injected it with Soul Power in front of Huo Yuhao. A pile of Gold Soul Coins appeared on the ground.
Huo Yuhao: "..."
"In our era, people focus on making Soul Tools. There are all kinds: Storage Soul Tools, offensive Soul Tools, defensive Soul Tools, detection Soul Tools, and more. I haven't truly begun learning how to make Soul Tools, so that's all I know."
"The creation of Soul Tools also gave rise to a new profession. We call its practitioners Soul Engineers. Their ranks range from one to nine, with each rank corresponding to a Soul Master rank, up to Titled Douluo."
"They say a Rank 9 Soul Tool Master is a strategic weapon for a country. None of the Three Kingdoms of Douluo Continent has ever produced a Rank 9 Soul Tool Master, but the Sun Moon Empire has nearly twenty of them."
"Why is that?" Xue Qinghe was a native of Douluo Continent and had no fondness for that Sun Moon Empire.
"Before the Sun Moon Empire came into contact with Douluo Continent, our people relied on Soul Masters as their main fighting force. Every Titled Douluo in an empire was a strategic weapon. The belief that Soul Masters were powerful enough to turn the tide of any battle had also taken deep root and was impossible to change."
The two Titled Douluo hidden nearby nodded in agreement. If a Rank 9 Soul Tool Master were standing before them right now, they were confident they could defeat him.
"Actually, that belief is wrong." At Huo Yuhao's words, the two Titled Douluo immediately took offense.
"Boy, do you know how difficult it is for a Soul Master to cultivate to the rank of Titled Douluo? This Soul Tool you speak of, and that Sun Moon Empire Ten Thousand Years Later—I think you're making it all up." The Titled Douluo holding a Snake Lance leaned against a tree and swept Huo Yuhao with a chilly gaze as he snorted.
Xue Qinghe said nothing, merely watching Huo Yuhao.
"Even making things up takes some planning. I swear on my Martial Soul that if I ever return to Ten Thousand Years Later, I'll take you there and let you see what Douluo Continent is like." At Huo Yuhao's words, the Titled Douluo holding the Snake Lance immediately fell silent.
"You've told us about the Four Great Empires and Soul Tools, but why haven't you mentioned Spirit Hall at all?"
Huo Yuhao stiffened. He looked calmly at Xue Qinghe, though his heart was already in turmoil.
Of all the things you could ask about, why did you have to bring up Spirit Hall?
"Why? Did Spirit Hall decline later on?" Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression, Xue Qinghe noticed that he seemed reluctant to answer, but asked anyway.
"Rise and decline are the natural order of things. No empire or sect can avoid it. As Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, I consider Spirit Hall the empire's greatest headache. Its decline would be good news for the empire."
"No, Spirit Hall didn't decline," Huo Yuhao said, shaking his head.
"Oh!" A gleam appeared in Xue Qinghe's eyes, hidden from Huo Yuhao.
"..."
Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment, then carefully chose his words.
"History Books say Spirit Hall was destroyed as far back as Ten Thousand Years Ago," Huo Yuhao said as tactfully as he could.
For a moment, the air in the forest fell completely silent.
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