Fight to the Bitter End

Huo Yuhao's discarded memories resurfaced before his eyes like scum floating on water, and his unfinished hatred surged in his heart once more.

Dai Huabin had the pale golden hair passed down through the White Tiger Family. Huo Yuhao hadn't inherited the same hair color, but his eyes were similar—both were pale blue. His Martial Soul must have originated from this, more or less. Even Mutated Martial Souls had traces of their origins. The Evil Eye White Tiger's eyes had been strengthened, and that inheritance had been passed down to Huo Yuhao.

The difference was that Dai Huabin had double pupils, probably something inherited from his ancestors. Huo Yuhao was glad he didn't. He didn't want any connection to this family. Though that was just wishful thinking: he was still of their bloodline. Even if he had broken away from the family, the blood feud between them had only made their connection closer. It wasn't something he could avoid by burying his head in the ground like an ostrich. One day, he would have to face the issue head-on. Huo Yuhao didn't want to, and the White Tiger Family wouldn't let him get away with this forever. They would force him to confront it.

The higher Huo Yuhao climbed, the greater his fame would become, and the more conflicts and encounters he would have with the White Tiger Family. He couldn't keep hiding forever. He might think that the grudge between him and the White Tiger Family had been settled, but they certainly wouldn't see it that way. There were only two ways this could end: either Huo Yuhao died to atone for his crimes, or the White Tiger Family became too afraid to make another move. At that point, it would come down to whether Huo Yuhao was willing to stop.

Now, the issue was taking concrete form. The moment Huo Yuhao saw Dai Huabin, his body began to tremble. It was a tremor of tension and excitement. It meant his body was ready to fight, ready to exceed its usual limits. Even when his body reached its limit, it could push beyond it once more.

His hand clenched into a fist of its own accord, and his eyes locked onto his enemy. Huo Yuhao roared in his heart, This man deserves to die too! Memories of the past swept through his Sea of Spirit. He would now have to suffer the consequences of using more spiritual power than his body could handle. Such overuse had greatly destabilized his Sea of Spirit, causing his extreme emotions to quickly spread throughout his body. It made him much more prone to losing his temper, and this time, hatred was mixed in with that powerful force.

Huo Yuhao had once been able to stay rational while taking revenge, but now he couldn't. The gray-white color rapidly spread from a single point, consuming most of the Sea of Spirit. The Green Aura was no longer there to oppose it. No one was stopping it now. Tian Meng had spiritual power in quantity, but not in quality. Besides, this was caused by Huo Yuhao's own will. No one could oppose his will inside his Sea of Spirit. Forcing it to stop would only damage the Sea of Spirit, so all they could do was let things run their course.

"Time to watch the show," Wang Yi said, hurrying out to speak to the worried Tian Meng. He could no longer focus on his book.

"Hey, aren't you being a little too carefree? If something happens to Yuhao, we'll all die. Problems with the Sea of Spirit can cause massive damage to the body."

"You're worrying too much. Every generation has its own journey, and in the end, he has to walk his path himself. We should respect his choice. Our job is to teach him how the world works, and help him if he wants to turn back. That's more than enough."

"That may be true, but he's clearly reached a fork in the road. We have to stop him!"

"I told you to relax. What can you do, even if you panic?"

"I can't do anything, but can you? You're standing there making glib remarks. By the way, where's your main body? It's the only force that can stop this from spreading right now." Tian Meng Ice Silkworm looked anxiously at the expanding gray-white aura.

"Oh, I'd forgotten I even had a main body. Didn't it fall asleep?" Wang Yi pointed to the patch of Green Aura still remaining beneath their feet amid the gray-white haze. It was like an oasis in the desert, impossible to miss. Tian Meng had been too anxious to notice it.

"Then hurry up and do something! Get it moving and make it help Huo Yuhao!"

"If I could control my main body, would I be standing here talking to you?" In the end, the two could only stare at each other, unable to do anything. Just as they were about to give up, a voice suddenly came from above their heads.

"It's fine. It's under control." Then there was silence. The two had been at a loss and panicking, but now they could only trust this mysterious person.

In the blink of an eye, the gray aura had spread across the entire Sea of Spirit, leaving only the area enclosed by the cocoon formed from the Green Aura. Wang Yi and Tian Meng Ice Silkworm watched from inside. Tian Meng might have seemed useless, but he was capable of holding his own in the Sea of Spirit. He just thought it would be too much trouble, so he had hidden away with Wang Yi. He paid no attention to Wang Yi's mocking looks. Wang Yi stopped teasing him too, because the real show was about to begin. They were worried, of course, but still wanted to see what Huo Yuhao would do without their help—and how far he could go.

Huo Yuhao wasn't the only one whose hatred had been stirred by seeing his opponent. Dai Huabin froze for a moment too, then took a closer look and recognized Huo Yuhao. His expression quickly turned serious. He knew this person, a minor character he'd never expected to matter. Yet a few months ago, Huo Yuhao had suddenly erupted, slaughtered his way through the Duke's Mansion, and killed his mother. Though he didn't feel much affection for her—he had spent most of his childhood at the family's ancestral grounds—it did nothing to lessen his hatred for Huo Yuhao. She was still his mother, after all.

The family had held a meeting to discuss the matter. Huo Yuhao was only a minor Soul Master, nothing to worry about. The unknown expert backing him was the real problem. What if he was some mighty figure from a hidden sect? Would making an enemy of him lead to a war between the two factions?

It was a serious issue. Any family powerful enough to produce a Titled Douluo was no small force, and a war would leave both sides badly wounded. So they hadn't launched a manhunt for Huo Yuhao yet. They had decided to put the matter aside until they knew more. The family had been ordered to wait, and the other families had been informed as well.

But someone like Dai Huabin, a junior in the family, wouldn't follow that order. He was going to kill Huo Yuhao now. The wildness in the Evil Eye White Tiger bloodline stirred, and his eyes gradually turned blood-red.

Xuan Zi, watching the match, sensed that something was off. Both sides seemed to be reacting far too intensely. His interest was piqued, and after a moment's thought, he reached out and made a couple of grabbing motions.

Tang Ya and Bei Bei, who had been busy running around the competition, could finally take a break. Most of the contestants had either finished or were taking part in their final match, so there wasn't much left to do. The one person they'd been worried about, Huo Yuhao, could now enter Shrek Academy and become their junior brother. It was just about a perfect day—what a fulfilling one.

Just as the two exchanged smiles and affectionate glances, they suddenly felt something tug at them. In the next moment, they were transported straight to the arena. They weren't normally allowed in there, in case they disturbed the contestants. But there was no need to worry now. With a powerful expert summoning them and concealing their presence, no one would notice.

"Elder Xuan, may I ask why you called us?" Bei Bei asked respectfully, looking surprised.

"You don't have to be so formal with me. You know what I'm like. This kid is someone you've taken an interest in, right? The situation's pretty interesting, so I thought you should see it too."

The moment Bei Bei saw Dai Huabin, his pupils contracted. There was no doubt that this was someone from the White Tiger Family, and he was bound to be a Power Attack System fighter. Judging by his junior brother's reaction, Huo Yuhao seemed intent on meeting him head-on instead of using his Support System privilege to forfeit.

"W-wait, Elder Xuan, are you really just going to watch?" Bei Bei was so worried that he'd lost his composure.

"Hahaha, don't worry. Nothing will happen. I'll make sure to protect this little Support System talent you've taken an interest in." Tang Ya didn't know the others well, so she could only watch anxiously from the side.

The match had now been declared. Both fighters released their Martial Souls and Soul Skills at once. The gap between one and two rings was immediately apparent. In fact, Dai Huabin was already level twenty-nine and was on the verge of becoming a three-ring Soul Elder.

The two charged toward each other at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, they were about to collide.