Junior Brother, You've Betrayed Me!

Pope's Palace.

Qian Xunji sat upright on the papal throne, his golden robes accentuating his handsome and majestic features.

Yet at this moment, the Pope seemed somewhat distracted, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the armrest as his gaze drifted toward the hall entrance from time to time.

"Your Holiness?"

A cardinal to the side called out in a low voice. Had he said something inappropriate?

The Pope's expression looked so stern!

Qian Xunji snapped back to reality and gave a light cough. "I will take the matter you raised into consideration. You may withdraw for now."

He stood up, his robes billowing as he strode out of the Pope's Palace.

Huo Yuhao left the Offering Hall much later than usual today. No sooner had he cleared the perimeter than he spotted a familiar figure.

Huo Yuhao couldn't help but chuckle, teasing him with a smile.

"Is Senior Brother heading to find Uncle Golden Crocodile for combat training?"

Qian Xunji waved a hand. "I spend all my time handling official business in the Pope's Palace; I have to get out and clear my head sometimes. You're out quite late today, Junior Brother. Did something happen in the Offering Hall?"

"Ahem, are my father and Uncle Golden Crocodile still... young?"

If only this world possessed soul tools capable of recording images and sound; otherwise, Qian Xunji would have recorded the whole thing regardless of the cost.

Huo Yuhao blinked at Qian Xunji.

"Junior Brother, is your eye twitching?"

"Jier." Qian Daoliu appeared abruptly behind Qian Xunji, the smile on his face growing increasingly amiable. "You seem very eager to see your father transformed into a six-year-old child?"

"Jier, ever since you succeeded as Pope, you have indeed been somewhat lax in your cultivation." Qian Daoliu sighed, his tone that of a father truly heartbroken for his son. "While our Spirit Hall doesn't require you, the Pope, to personally intimidate the major sects, your strength cannot be so poor."

"Golden Crocodile is right. You took over as Pope a bit too early, but it's not too late to fix that. From now on, your father and Uncle Golden Crocodile will train you properly every day."

Qian Xunji: "!!!"

Junior Brother, you've ruined me!

You could have used Spirit Sharing to warn me, but instead, you had to go and wink at me!

Was that intentional?!

"Let's go. It's still early; we start today."

With that, Qian Daoliu headed toward the Offering Hall.

Huo Yuhao shot his senior brother a look that clearly said, 'Take care of yourself.'

He used Spirit Sharing to connect with Qian Xunji.

"Senior Brother, it's not that I'm being disloyal. The moment I left the Offering Hall, Teacher had me use Spirit Sharing on him."

Huo Yuhao's Spirit Sharing could connect to many people at once, creating group chats or direct private lines, all at his own discretion.

He wasn't trying to sabotage his senior brother this time; he simply wanted to use this opportunity to help improve his brother's strength.

He couldn't have a repeat of a level 95 Title Douluo getting beaten half to death by someone who had just broken into level 90.

Though, it was possible the Asura God had intervened in that battle.

After all, the Asura God had just brought his precious treasure to the Douluo Continent; he wouldn't just sit by and watch Tang San lose both his mother and father.

Offering Hall Martial Arts Arena.

"Your reaction is too slow. At this speed, an enemy could have killed you twice over."

"Your defensive blind spot is too obvious."

"On the left!"

"Your stance is unstable!"

Qian Xunji was beaten black and blue, feeling that this thrashing was hardly worth it.

Had Uncle Golden Crocodile and his father ever actually been hit by Junior Brother's soul skills?!

Huo Yuhao's list of sparring partners had grown to include Qian Xunji, alongside Golden Crocodile Douluo.

"Jier, as long as you can defeat Yuhao within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, you won't have to come to the Offering Hall for training anymore."

Qian Xunji's eyes lit up. "Then Junior Brother isn't allowed to use that shameless soul skill."

If Huo Yuhao used Time Cage and just stood there letting him hit him, he would never be able to break through the Heavenly Silkworm Body Protection in this lifetime.

"Rest assured, Yuhao won't even use his first martial soul's skills. Likewise, aside from your martial soul avatar, you are forbidden from using any other soul skills."

Qian Xunji fell for his old father's trap, beginning his life of misery as the Pope.

The information channels of the Spirit Hall were beyond question.

Upon learning that Huo Yuhao, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, was looking for soul masters with the Jade Phosphor Snake martial soul, it took less than half a month for the information on every such soul master across the entire continent to be placed before him.

"Junior brother, why are you looking for a soul master with a Jade Phosphor Snake martial soul?"

Qian Xunji leaned back in his chair, completely disregarding his image as the Pope, and watched as Huo Yuhao sifted through the files.

"Didn't you say you couldn't stand the people from the Clear Sky Sect, Senior Brother?" Huo Yuhao pulled a single sheet from the stack of soul master profiles and handed it to Qian Xunji. "Soul masters with poisonous martial souls usually have some knowledge of pharmacology. Look at this Dugu Bo; he seems quite skilled at concocting poisons."

Qian Xunji was deeply moved.

His junior brother had actually remembered a single remark he'd made so long ago!

"He isn't a soul master of Spirit Hall, nor is he affiliated with any other faction. You could certainly recruit him, Senior Brother."

In the original story, Dugu Bo was known as the gatekeeper of the Title Douluo realm, unable to defeat other Title Douluo.

However, he could poison everyone else until only the Title Douluo remained.

Of course, Spirit Hall didn't necessarily need his large-scale destructive abilities; they only needed him to concoct various poisons to make those brutes from the Clear Sky Sect wish they were dead.

"Junior brother, you are so thoughtful."

Huo Yuhao nodded, accepting his senior brother's gratitude without a shred of guilt.

"I've been in Spirit City for too long. Why don't I go on your behalf? I can stop by to visit Uncle Ye while I'm at it."

Hearing that Huo Yuhao planned to leave Spirit City for a while, Qian Xunji perked up.

"Go, go! At your age, you shouldn't just be thinking about cultivation all the time."

That's not very kind to your senior brother.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother, I'll be back very soon!"

Qian Xunji: "..."

In a mountain range near Heaven Dou City, the Dugu family resided.

When Huo Yuhao arrived at the Dugu residence, Dugu Bo was not home; only a young man was there.

"Little one, why are you here all by yourself?"

Huo Yuhao carefully examined the person before him.

He looked to be about twenty years old and wasn't particularly handsome.

His skin had a greenish tint, his lips were dark, his pupils were emerald green, and even his hair had a faint cyan hue.

This must be Dugu Bo's son, who died young.

Judging by his physical features, he was clearly suffering from severe poisoning.

"I'm here to see Mr. Dugu Bo."

The young man looked surprised but still invited Huo Yuhao inside.

"My father is out on business. It will likely be a while before he returns."

The Dugu family had a medicinal herb garden nearby, which Dugu Bo tended to personally.

He usually spent more time at the herb garden than anywhere else.

Huo Yuhao didn't have to wait long at the Dugu residence before a middle-aged man walked in.

"You little brat, why have you come looking for me?"

Dugu Bo wasn't surprised that Huo Yuhao knew who he was; he had lived here for a long time and had gained some local fame.

"I've come to buy poison from Mr. Dugu. The more toxic, the better; the stranger, the better."

Huo Yuhao said, flashing a well-behaved smile.

"The more it makes a person wish they were dead, the better."