Early the next morning.
After a night of rest, the two of them set out on the road home.
Their hand-in-hand silhouettes stretched longer beneath the rising sun, and a pair of bracelets gave off a faint blue glow.
"Yuhao, how much farther?"
Two small figures walked along a rugged dirt path. One of them, a girl, asked in a bored voice.
"Almost there. It's just up ahead."
Huo Yuhao looked at the outline of the houses in the distance, his heart pounding with excitement.
In just one short year, he had become a Soul Grandmaster. He was only seven years old, after all. Even in the history of Douluo Continent, surely no one had ever cultivated so quickly.
"Ha! We're finally here."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, and she tugged Huo Yuhao along, quickening her pace.
"I wonder how Grandpa's doing."
Huo Yuhao murmured to himself.
Hearing that, Xiao Wu suddenly realized she was about to meet Huo Yuhao's family.
She had said at the academy that she wasn't afraid, but now that the little village was right in front of her, she couldn't help feeling nervous. Her hand tightened around his.
Huo Yuhao noticed Xiao Wu's worry. He squeezed her hand and smiled.
"Scared now? Don't worry. My grandpa's really nice."
Reassured by Huo Yuhao, Xiao Wu relaxed a little. "Hmph, I'm not scared."
Old Jack's house stood deep in the village, while Tang San's was near the entrance. As Huo Yuhao passed by Tang San's home, he saw that its door was tightly shut. It didn't look as if anyone lived there, which puzzled him.
Soon, the two of them arrived at Old Jack's house. As luck would have it, they ran into Tang San as he came out.
Before Huo Yuhao could ask anything, Tang San awkwardly hurried to explain.
It turned out Tang Hao had left, leaving him with nothing but a note. With nowhere else to go, Tang San had been taken in by Old Jack and was staying at his house for the time being.
"Xiao San, who are you talking to? Is Yuhao back?" Old Jack's voice came from inside.
Huo Yuhao heard him and called out, unable to hide his excitement. "Grandpa, I'm back!"
"You little rascal! I thought you'd forgotten about your grandpa. So you do still know the way home! And who's this?"
Old Jack came out of the house, scolding Huo Yuhao as he spoke. He immediately noticed Xiao Wu beside him.
She looked adorable, standing there with her hands nervously fidgeting in front of her as she stammered out her words.
"Hello, Grandpa... I... I'm Huo Yuhao's classmate at the academy... My name is Xiao Wu... I came to visit Huo Yuhao's home..."
Seeing how nervous Xiao Wu was, Huo Yuhao couldn't help bursting into laughter. Xiao Wu shot him an embarrassed, angry look, and the flesh at his waist paid the price.
"Good, good! I was worried Yuhao wouldn't make any friends. This is wonderful."
Looking at the two of them, Old Jack could tell exactly what was going on. His face lit up with delight.
He stepped aside to let everyone in. Xiao Wu took the welcome gift she had prepared from her bracelet and gave it to Old Jack.
Old Jack's sharp eyes immediately spotted their matching bracelets. His smile grew even wider as he accepted the gift and gave Huo Yuhao a pleased look. He was practically giving him a thumbs-up. Well done, kid!
Watching the three of them get along so well, Tang San felt like an outsider, awkward from head to toe.
"Yuhao, go catch some fish with Tang San. We have a guest, so we can't give her a poor welcome."
Old Jack even thought the two boys were in the way. He waved them off, finding them something to do.
"Sure, sure. Anyone would think Xiao Wu was your granddaughter, not me."
Huo Yuhao smiled helplessly and gave Xiao Wu a look that said she was on her own, then headed toward the stream at the village entrance with Tang San.
"Xiao San, thanks for looking after my grandpa these past few days."
When they reached the stream, Huo Yuhao said this as he kept his hands busy.
Tang San waved him off. "Your grandpa was the one who took me in. I didn't do much."
One used Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, while the other used his Spirit Eye. Before long, they had piled up a good number of green fish on the bank.
"That's enough for two meals. Let's head back."
Figuring the two at home had probably finished chatting, Huo Yuhao suggested they return.
Tang San nodded. When the two of them got home, Grandpa had already started calling Xiao Wu his granddaughter. Xiao Wu was no longer nervous and was chatting and laughing with him.
Huo Yuhao cooked lunch himself, and everyone enjoyed a delicious meal. Xiao Wu, who could usually eat plenty of grilled fish, ate very little, holding back out of politeness.
Huo Yuhao was puzzled. Was my cooking not good? It should taste the same as before.
"What's wrong, Xiao Wu? Not hungry? You usually—ow!!"
He got only halfway through the sentence before a sudden, stabbing pain in his waist made him cry out.
Watching the two of them tease each other like a couple, Grandpa stroked his beard with a smile.
Tang San, meanwhile, looked as if he'd just been force-fed a mouthful of dog food.
I should be under the table...
After lunch, the three of them were kicked out of the house.
As Old Jack put it, "Young people should go play outside. Why stay cooped up at home all the time?"
With no other choice, the three of them went to their usual spot on the mountain. Bathed in bright sunshine, they watched the distant sea of trees sway in the breeze, and their spirits gradually eased.
After the meal, restless Xiao Wu pulled Huo Yuhao up and demanded a match.
Huo Yuhao hadn't sparred with anyone during that year at the academy. His experience from his previous life meant he didn't need to hone his skills that way.
But now that he had broken through to Soul Grandmaster, he was itching to test himself, so he agreed to Xiao Wu's request.
"Tang San, you and Xiao Wu can come at me together."
Huo Yuhao had one more Soul Ring than Xiao Wu, so a one-on-one fight wouldn't have been much of a contest.
Tang San had long been curious about Huo Yuhao's strength, and he wasn't about to pass up this rare opportunity. He nodded.
The three of them took their stances and released their Martial Souls.
Only then did Tang San and Xiao Wu notice that Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul seemed to have changed...
Before, when Huo Yuhao released his Spirit Eye Martial Soul, his black pupils would turn gold.
Now, in addition to the golden pupils, a black ring slowly revolved around them. On closer inspection, the ring was covered in unfamiliar runes.
His aura had grown darker, too. Gray currents faintly swirled around him, and together with his blue, black, and gold eyes, they gave him an almost sinister air.
"Yuhao, you look... even cooler like this!" Xiao Wu exclaimed.
Huo Yuhao smiled. This was the first time he had released his Martial Soul in front of anyone since it had evolved.
"My Martial Soul changed a little when I obtained my Second Soul Ring. It seems to have evolved."
This was the evolution his Spirit Eye had undergone in the Far North, with Elder Yi's help.
He named it the Dark Spirit Eye, and it possessed both darkness and spiritual attributes.
After running a series of tests when he obtained his Second Soul Ring, he got a result that delighted him.
Just as Elder Yi had expected, he could now cast necromancy magic using only the Dark Spirit Eye.
In his previous life, Huo Yuhao hadn't been able to drive all three Martial Souls at once until he obtained his third Soul Core. Now, despite not having a Soul Core yet, he could use them all simultaneously.
Xiao Wu's lips drooped. She was already fighting someone with two Soul Rings while she had only one, and now his Martial Soul seemed even stronger. Their odds of winning were even lower.
"Ready?" Huo Yuhao asked with a smile, looking at the two who had grown even more nervous. When they nodded, he said, "Then... begin!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he shot toward them like an arrow loosed from a bow. Tang San's pupils contracted as he saw Huo Yuhao cover half the distance in an instant.
He couldn't even make out Huo Yuhao's movements. How were they supposed to fight like this? He couldn't even see him clearly, let alone use his Entangle skill to restrain him.