"What are you people?!"
A sharp cry interrupted the heartwarming scene of Huo Yuhao reuniting with his family.
Two figures rushed out of the dense forest.
They were Tang Ya and Beibei.
The two had originally been searching for suitable Soul Beasts on the outskirts of Star Dou Forest when they suddenly sensed an inexplicable surge of Soul Power erupt from this direction.
They looked closely. Wasn't that where Huo Yuhao was headed?
Beibei hadn't wanted to get involved in this mess, but Tang Ya wouldn't hear of it. She insisted on dragging him along to rescue their future Tang Sect chef, their junior brother.
Then he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
A muscle-bound, green-haired, green-bearded freak was crouching in front of Huo Yuhao, grinning from ear to ear as he called him "Little Yuhao" in a voice so cloying it made Beibei's skin crawl.
Beibei's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Such a distinctive appearance, such a standard build!!
This was unquestionably the current sect master of the Body Sect, a newly risen Limit powerhouse of the continent!!
Du Busi!
"That old monster from the Body Sect!!"
Tang Ya hadn't noticed Beibei's expression. She craned her neck and shouted, her face full of disbelief.
"Beibei, the fresh blood of our Tang Sect, our future top chef, has been snatched away..."
Xu Qing stood off to one side. At that, he couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
So it had been revised again?
"Hey, old-timer, someone's calling you an old monster—and they're from Shrek, too. Want me to..."
As he spoke, Xu Qing raised his hand like a knife and drew it across his throat, then stuck out his tongue for dramatic effect.
"Uh... The sect records have information on both of them. One's the leader of a no-name sect, the Tang Sect, and the other's a pure-blood Shrek Celestial Dragon, the grandson of Mu En's grandson."
"Tsk, maybe we can squeeze a fortune out of Shrek."
"Our Body Sect doesn't go looking for trouble, but we don't fear it either. They haven't provoked you."
Du Busi didn't even turn his head. His gaze remained fixed on Huo Yuhao's eyes.
"But you're quick on the uptake, kid. Mu En's great-grandson ought to be worth a few Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones... Forget it, ask for too many and they'll panic. Two should do: one for you and one for Aotian."
By now, Beibei's legs had gone weak.
A devil! A downright devil! The Body Sect really was just as the academy records described.
Every last one of them was a villain!
"S-Senior..." Beibei forced himself to clasp his hands in greeting. "This junior is Beibei, and this is Tang Ya. Huo Yuhao is our junior brother. If we've offended you in any way—"
"Your junior brother?"
Du Busi finally turned around and gave Beibei a once-over.
"While this old man is in a good mood, get lost!"
Beibei breathed a sigh of relief and was about to drag Tang Ya away from this dangerous place.
But Tang Ya couldn't read the mood at all. Her mind was full of getting Huo Yuhao to join the Tang Sect.
It was as if something were controlling her.
"Yuhao! You promised you'd join our Tang Sect! You said you liked the atmosphere here, that you'd finally found a home..."
"Xiaoya, go."
"But Yuhao..."
"Go!!"
Beibei practically roared the words. He dragged Tang Ya along as they ran away.
"Finally, some peace and quiet. They couldn't even tell the difference in strength, yet they still dared to challenge a Gold Saint?"
Xu Qing withdrew his spiritual pressure. His awakened Self Martial Soul was a Self that surpassed Du Busi's Body. It encompassed the soul, Willpower, conviction...
Without any training, it had grown naturally, and its spiritual power had already reached the Soul Emperor level.
"Sometimes I truly can't understand what you're going on about. This old man had a Gold-Level Awakening, not whatever that Gold Saint thing is."
"Though I'll admit, it sounds pretty cool."
Du Busi looked at the dazed Huo Yuhao and asked with concern:
"So your name is Yuhao, Little Yuhao. What's your surname?"
Huo Yuhao struggled to his feet. He didn't even bother hiding his disheveled state and bowed respectfully to Du Busi and Xu Qing.
"Senior, and kind big brother, my name is Huo Yuhao. I want to join the Body Sect!"
I have to become stronger! I'll seize every chance I get to grow stronger! Strong enough to be like this big brother, who can make people flee with just a glance!
I'm sorry, Big Sister Xiaoya, Big Brother Beibei. Compared to the Tang Sect, the Body Sect is my home!
That was right. Xu Qing hadn't concealed his spiritual fluctuations. He'd done it on purpose.
"Hahahaha!!"
Du Busi was delighted by the boy bowing before him.
"Good, good! This old man has found another member of the family!"
He stepped forward and grabbed Huo Yuhao by the wrist, sending Soul Power into his meridians.
The moment he probed them, Du Busi's expression changed.
"Eleven years old by bone age. Sigh... What a pity, what a pity. The eyes are an important organ of the body, and they're your Martial Soul. By rights, your Soul Power Level shouldn't be this low."
Du Busi shook his head and sighed repeatedly.
"You were born with a damaged foundation. You didn't get enough nutrition even in the womb, damn it! What kind of mother was that?!"
"You were born deficient, and afterward they didn't hurry to make up for it. Was your father dead or something?!"
"Old-timer, if you can't speak properly, then don't. That book on the art of conversation I bought you? Take some time to read it. Stop training your muscles all day. With your emotional intelligence, you've clearly connected your muscles straight to your brain."
Now that's what I call training.
"Uncle... Is there still hope for me?"
Huo Yuhao spoke in a low voice, but a stubborn flame still burned in his eyes.
He had already lost everything.
If even this last bit of hope was gone, he truly wouldn't know what reason he had to keep living.
"There's hope!!"
Du Busi clapped Huo Yuhao hard on the shoulder, making him stumble forward.
"Ordinary Martial Souls have no hope, of course. Once your foundation is ruined, it's ruined. Without some heaven-shattering opportunity, you can't turn things around."
"But you have a Body Martial Soul. Body Martial Souls have a chance at Second Awakening! As long as you succeed, you can shed your old body and be reborn!"
"Second Awakening?"
Huo Yuhao looked up, completely bewildered.
"That's an ability unique to Body Martial Souls."
Xu Qing picked up where Du Busi left off and stepped forward.
"Since you want to join the Body Sect, there's no harm in letting you see it ahead of time."
The next moment, a silver-white phantom slowly rose behind Xu Qing.
It had a human shape, stood taller than Xu Qing, and had clearly defined muscles. Its features were indistinct, yet it gave off an indescribable aura.
Overall, it looked about seventy percent like Xu Qing himself, only more mature and more powerful, as if Xu Qing from years in the future had stepped out before them.
"This is my Second Martial Soul—Self."
Xu Qing dismissed the phantom, his gaze calm and his voice even.
"Like yours, it's a Body Martial Soul."
Du Busi roared with laughter and clapped Xu Qing on the shoulder.
"Little Yuhao, this is your senior brother, the young sect master of the Body Sect, Xu Qing!"
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