Worship Hall, Martial Arts Arena.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's body swelled, his entire form covered in fine golden scales. His hands transformed into claws, a tail sprouted behind him, and golden light blazed from his eyes.
"Come again, boy!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo's voice was low. He looked at the much smaller figure opposite him, yet his eyes held a trace of reverence.
It came from the pressure of their Martial Souls, unrelated to strength.
Huo Yuhao drew a deep breath, his expression utterly serious.
His body didn't change as dramatically as Golden Crocodile Douluo's. Only two small dragon horns emerged from either side of his forehead.
Black dragon scales appeared on his arms, spreading from the backs of his hands all the way to his shoulders. Every scale brimmed with explosive power.
His eyes turned completely gold, reflecting Golden Crocodile Douluo's figure.
"Teacher Golden Crocodile, please!"
Before the words had even faded, Golden Crocodile Douluo was already in front of him.
A massive golden claw tore through the air with a piercing shriek, aimed straight at Huo Yuhao's chest.
He hadn't used a single Soul Skill in that strike, but with his physical strength alone, even a Titled Douluo couldn't withstand one blow.
But Huo Yuhao could.
Huo Yuhao neither dodged nor retreated. He met the attack with his right fist.
Fist met claw, and a wave of air exploded outward.
"Boom!!"
The ground of the Martial Arts Arena cracked instantly, spiderweb fractures spreading in every direction.
Huo Yuhao's feet sank deep into the ground, but he didn't take a single step back.
"Good! Your body's gotten even stronger, boy!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo laughed and swept his tail across like a gigantic golden whip, lashing straight toward Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao leaped into the air and spun around, his legs whipping toward Golden Crocodile Douluo's head.
Golden Crocodile Douluo raised both arms to block. Each kick made his massive body shudder.
Huo Yuhao's figure left afterimages all across the arena. Fists, elbows, knees, and legs—every part of his body became a weapon, striking at Golden Crocodile Douluo's vital points.
Golden Crocodile Douluo met offense with offense. His golden claws clashed again and again with Huo Yuhao's black dragon scales, sparks flying.
Neither of them used flashy Soul Skills. It was a pure collision of strength and skill at their absolute limits.
"Bang!"
Huo Yuhao's fist struck Golden Crocodile Douluo's chest. It was a small fist, yet it left an imprint on the scales.
At the same time, Golden Crocodile Douluo's massive claw slammed into Huo Yuhao's shoulder, driving him into the ground.
When the dust cleared, Huo Yuhao climbed out of the pit without a single visible injury.
"That Ancestral Dragon Spirit of yours really is overbearing."
Golden Crocodile Douluo didn't continue. The fight just now had already pushed him to his limit.
His Golden Crocodile King was a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, and he himself was a Peak Douluo at level 98. Yet even he couldn't last long against Huo Yuhao while he was in Martial Soul Possession.
One could imagine how poorly other Beast Martial Souls would fare against Huo Yuhao.
Just resisting the pressure coming from his Martial Soul, along with the instinctive submission rising from deep within, took considerable effort.
Over the past six months of training and fighting, the medicinal baths provided by Golden Crocodile Douluo's family had also helped Huo Yuhao's physical strength improve at an unbelievable pace.
At just eight years old, Huo Yuhao could already fight on equal terms with a level 98 Peak Douluo while in Martial Soul Possession.
Even well-traveled Golden Crocodile Douluo and Qian Daoliu had to call it absurd.
Perhaps because his body was so powerful, despite being only a Soul Grandmaster, he needed Soul Power on the level of a Soul Douluo to advance.
But a low level didn't mean Huo Yuhao himself was weak.
He already had as many Soul Skills as a Soul Douluo.
Not to mention a body and combat talent that could stand up to a Titled Douluo.
If Huo Yuhao joined the Spirit Master Tournament a year from now, he'd be doing nothing but bullying children.
If Huo Yuhao had even a little more ambition, then once he came of age, this entire Douluo Continent would bear the name Huo.
After leaving the Worship Hall, Huo Yuhao saw Guangling Douluo waiting at the foot of the mountain.
"Uncle, what are you doing here?"
When Huo Yuhao saw Guangling Douluo, he casually took out a grilled fish and handed it to him.
"You think I come here every time just to ask you for food?"
Guangling Douluo looked at Huo Yuhao with displeasure, though his hand honestly took the grilled fish.
"I'm here on His Holiness the Pope's orders. He told me to wait for you and have you go to the Pope's Palace as soon as you left the Worship Hall."
Huo Yuhao wasn't surprised. He assumed his senior brother had run into some kind of trouble and needed his advice.
He wondered whether his senior brother had put his previous suggestion into practice. He'd just thought of someone who'd be perfect for the job.
Huo Yuhao didn't need to be announced before entering the Pope's Palace.
The Spirit Master on duty outside opened the door for him as soon as they saw him.
Qian Xunji was handling official business behind his desk. When he heard the sound, he immediately put down his pen.
"Yuhao, you're finally here."
But Huo Yuhao's attention wasn't on his senior brother. It was on the other person in the hall: a well-behaved young girl standing quietly.
She had dry, frizzy reddish-brown hair cut short, and a slight, skinny build. She wore an old but clean dress and sat somewhat uneasily in a chair.
A young girl of this age, at this point in time...
Could she really be the love-struck Bibi Dong from the original story?
Qian Xunji's words confirmed Huo Yuhao's guess.
"Yuhao, let me introduce you. This is Bibi Dong. The Spirit Masters of our Spirit Hall discovered her. She's a genius, with Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power, just like you."
"I've already taken her as my disciple. From now on, she's your Martial Niece!"
"Bibi Dong, this is the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, Huo Yuhao, the one I told you about. He's my father's disciple. Even though he's two years younger than you, by seniority, you should call him Martial Uncle."
Huo Yuhao: "..."
It really was Bibi Dong!
This timid-looking little girl, so clearly undernourished, showed no sign that she might have a crazy streak.
Hearing Qian Xunji's words, Bibi Dong looked up at the handsome, delicate Huo Yuhao and quietly called, "Martial Uncle."
Huo Yuhao nodded, somewhat unwillingly.
Qian Xunji sighed and patted Bibi Dong's head.
"Her parents were killed by Fallen Spirit Masters when she was young. She was sent to an orphanage under the Spirit Hall. She's had a hard life."
Oh~~
She'd grown up in an orphanage, and his senior brother had taken pity on her, treating her like a daughter and even naming her the Saintess.
But Bibi Dong, who'd grown up starved for love, thought her teacher Qian Xunji's kindness was only natural. She ended up finding the love she wanted in Yu Xiaogang.
How was that any different from White Porridge Sister, who'd had a bowl of plain porridge and felt at home for the first time?
No, at least White Porridge Sister had tasted porridge cooked by the male lead himself.
Bibi Dong, on the other hand, had only tasted the porridge Yu Xiaogang had drawn for her.
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