Xu Sanshi rushed into the little room in a panic, pulling up his pants as he went. The moment he stepped inside, he froze.
What a girl she was! Her skin was as smooth as ice and her bones as fine as jade. She even had short, ice-blue hair, and a faint chill radiated from her.
What left the deepest impression was her pair of shining eyes, so bright they seemed to hold a unique, otherworldly charm!
"Holy crap!"
At that moment, outside the Sky Screen, Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi both roared at once!
"No, you can't! Don't!"
Outside the Sky Screen, Xu Sanshi's eyes were bloodshot. He let out a pained roar at his counterpart inside the screen!
And for the first time, Jiang Nannan felt a trace of... almost unbearable sympathy for the man she hated so much!
"Going in through the back door, huh? You like going in through the back door, don't you? This time, I'll give you more than you can handle!"
Jiang Nannan touched the spot that was still aching faintly and said through gritted teeth.
"No, Brother Xu, don't..."
"Let me have a look!"
People across the continent couldn't hold it together as they watched the scene on the Sky Screen! So that was what the Mysterious Underworld Sect's Martial Soul "awakening" was all about? Many mysteries that had puzzled people for so long had suddenly been explained.
And Xu Sanshi, the current heir of the Mysterious Underworld Sect, was something else! You could say he'd "carved out an unorthodox path" and "found enlightenment by unconventional means"!
After being publicly put through such an ordeal, Xu Sanshi trembled, then went ashen.
It was over. It was all over! The Mysterious Underworld Sect's reputation was ruined, and as for him...
From now on, even if he became a Titled Douluo, or even a Limit Douluo, the label of someone who liked going in through the back door would follow him for the rest of his life. He'd never be able to wash it away!
"Yuhao, your name is Yuhao, right? Yuhao, you can't leave!"
Afterward, inside the Sky Screen, Huo Yuhao was utterly exhausted and wanted to flee the Mysterious Underworld Sect as quickly as possible. But Xu Sanshi chased after him and grabbed him in a tight embrace.
"Let go of me! The Mysterious Underworld Sect and I are even. Your Martial Soul has been successfully awakened. What more do you want?"
Huo Yuhao struggled and spoke angrily.
"Yuhao, you really can't leave! If you go, what am I supposed to eat? Ahem, I mean, what am I supposed to do? I can't live without you anymore!"
Xu Sanshi shouted, sounding completely justified.
"No, we can't do this. You know perfectly well that I... I'm a man!"
Huo Yuhao in the Sky Screen looked ready to burst into tears. But seeing his expression only made Xu Sanshi's heart burn hotter. Even that trace of discomfort he'd felt at first vanished completely!
"Anyway, you're not allowed to leave! I've already told my dad I want you to stay. And my old man actually—agreed!"
A feverish glint flashed in Xu Sanshi's eyes as he suddenly spoke with fervor.
"Indeed!"
Just then, a middle-aged man who looked about fifty percent like Xu Sanshi appeared out of nowhere. Huo Yuhao froze.
"Honored Sect Master. You... what do you mean?"
"Ahem! I mean, I hope you'll stay with our Mysterious Underworld Sect, Yuhao. Our sect needs a talent like you!"
The middle-aged man coughed, then spoke without blushing or batting an eye.
That morning, after examining his son Xu Sanshi's body and Martial Soul, he'd been shocked despite his already lofty expectations.
Not only had Xu Sanshi perfectly completed his "coming-of-age ceremony" and awakened his Martial Soul, but his Mysterious Underworld Shield had already surpassed the limits of its original Martial Soul, gaining a trace of ultimate ice attribute!
Such a genius... no, such a perfect furnace. How could he let Huo Yuhao simply leave?
He'd never imagined that one impulsive experiment of his would actually open up a new path for the Mysterious Underworld Sect's awakening method!
Under normal circumstances, according to the Mysterious Underworld Sect's rules, even if Xu Sanshi wanted the girl who had assisted with the awakening to stay, they wouldn't stop her if she firmly refused. At most, they'd tell Xu Sanshi to go home and think of another way.
Back when the Mysterious Underworld Sect had tried to uncover this cultivation and awakening method—something that absolutely couldn't be spoken of—they had secretly ruined countless girls and committed who knew how many acts that enraged both Heaven and man.
But things were different now. When there was no need, the Mysterious Underworld Sect was still quite willing to put on a respectable front. After all, in name they were an upright sect! They believed in mutual consent.
But this time was different! This could be a great opportunity capable of changing the entire Mysterious Underworld Sect. He was certain Huo Yuhao was hiding an enormous secret!
For one thing, he was eager to observe whether this mysterious ice-attribute power could continue to merge into Xu Sanshi's Martial Soul if Huo Yuhao kept replenishing and draining Xu Sanshi. Or, to put it more nicely, if they continued to "cultivate together."
So this time, even if he had to throw away his dignity and intervene personally, he was going to make Huo Yuhao stay!
"No! How can the Mysterious Underworld Sect do this? You're breaking your word!"
Huo Yuhao was shocked and furious. He struggled with all his might, but Xu Sanshi held him fast like an iron hoop. How could he possibly break free?
"You promised that the Martial Soul awakening would only take one session. But last night, he nearly killed me!"
"And now you still want me to stay? No, impossible! I'll be tortured to death..."
As though he could already see the miserable fate awaiting him, Huo Yuhao in the scene burst into tears. At that moment, countless people outside the Sky Screen were chilled to the bone, while others felt the sorrow of a rabbit mourning a fallen fox.
In the previous scenes on the Sky Screen, Huo Yuhao had joined Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, yet his life had been wretched. In everyone's eyes, he was treated worse than a dog.
But what if he hadn't joined Shrek Academy? What kind of fate awaited a lone cultivator with no backing, wandering this continent all by himself?
Even someone as extraordinarily gifted as Huo Yuhao, a Child of Destiny, could be secretly targeted by a great sect when he was driven into a corner. Was this really what would happen to him?
On the surface, these great sects all looked respectable, claiming to be the guardians of the common people and pillars of the continent. But how many dark, evil deeds had they committed behind closed doors?
They seemed to differ from Evil Soul Masters only in one way: when they did evil, they hid away and did it in secret!
Huo Yuhao in this world was truly miserable. No matter how talented he was, his cultivation was low, he had no one to rely on, and he lacked resources. How could he possibly fight back against a mighty sect like the Mysterious Underworld Sect?
The Dou Ling Empire had long tolerated the slave trade. Great sects and nobles secretly kept slaves, and the empire turned a blind eye. The empire had to rely on these sects to resist the Sun Moon Empire's invasion.