Plan

After putting away the Level 8 Soul Tool, Huo Yuhao called over the people from Shrek Academy.

In the hotel's conference room, Huo Yuhao took the main seat at the round table. Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi sat on either side of him.

Wang Yan and the students arrived and took their seats in turn, waiting for Huo Yuhao to begin the meeting.

"For our next match, we drew the singles event. It's the perfect chance to showcase our Battle Armor. Brother Bei Bei, you'll go first, and Xi Xi will be second."

After explaining the arrangements for the upcoming match, Huo Yuhao turned to Bei Bei and Xi Xi, waiting for their response.

"Yuhao, no problem. Leave the next match to me."

Bei Bei answered in his usual gentle tone, and Xi Xi nodded in agreement beside him.

"Good. Let's put the match aside for now. Everyone, take a look at this Level 8 Soul Tool."

"It's called the Judgment Sword. It can guide certain Martial Souls into becoming Evil Martial Souls."

"I don't personally believe Soul Tools are inherently good or evil, but this one could cause trouble if it fell into the hands of an Evil Soul Master."

"Most importantly, this Soul Tool was made by the Sun Moon Empire. As it happens, during my earlier fight with the God of Death's Messenger, I discovered that he also came from the Sun Moon Empire."

Huo Yuhao nudged the Judgment Sword toward the center of the table, giving everyone a clearer view.

"Yuhao, are you suspecting that the Sun Moon Empire is in contact with Evil Soul Masters, and might even be encouraging them in some way?"

Xuan Zi picked up the Judgment Sword and examined it, visibly indignant. His tone carried a clear distaste for the Sun Moon Empire.

"That's possible. The number of Evil Soul Masters on the continent has indeed dropped considerably recently."

"Some of that can be attributed to our academy's influence, but the numbers have fallen a little too quickly. If they've been gathering in an organized way inside the Sun Moon Empire, that would explain it."

Yan Shaozhe also brought up data from the academy's monitoring missions over the past few years.

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, agreeing with Yan Shaozhe.

Of course, Huo Yuhao hadn't actually discovered any secrets in the Judgment Sword. The God of Death had killed the God of Death's Messenger right at the start, so the man hadn't even known where it came from.

But Huo Yuhao had known from his memories of his previous life that the Sun Moon Empire was the Evil Soul Masters' stronghold. He was simply using this opportunity to say so.

"So, Yuhao, what do you propose?" Seeing Huo Yuhao nod, Yan Shaozhe asked about the next steps.

"I propose we continue with Mu En's decision and arrange an exchange with the Sun Moon Empire, but change who leads the delegation. Dean Yan and I will lead it."

At the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, Huo Yuhao was particularly interested in Ji Juechen and Xuan Ziwen.

The Spirit Pagoda of the future couldn't rely on him alone. Those two would make fine additions.

They weren't without flaws, but Xuan Ziwen's distaste for war and dream of making Soul Tools more accessible, along with Ji Juechen's pure love of the sword, didn't conflict with Huo Yuhao's ideals.

Besides, that vile organization, the Holy Spirit Cult, had been getting far too brazen.

Until he had the power to wipe it out completely, making life difficult for those scum and saving a few people would still matter.

As Huo Yuhao considered his plans for after the tournament, he heard Xuan Zi object.

"Yuhao, I disagree. You should know what's planned after the tournament. By the time the exchange takes place, you'll already be the Sea God Pavilion Master. How can you put yourself in danger?"

"If the Sun Moon Empire really is conspiring with Evil Soul Masters, you might not be able to get out safely. I promised I'd protect you. If anything happens, how could I face Mu En?"

Huo Yuhao hadn't expected the unkempt old man to care so much about him. With his divine sense, he could feel that Xuan Zi's concern was genuine.

"Don't worry, Elder Xuan. Before then, I'll finish making my Three-Word Battle Armor. With it, Dean Yan will be strong enough to match a Limit Douluo."

Hearing Huo Yuhao's assurance, Xuan Zi reluctantly agreed, though he still felt uneasy deep down.

He might not have been very reliable, but his concern for his students was sincere.

Listening to Xuan Zi's reluctant reply, Huo Yuhao finally grasped firsthand just how complicated people could be. Some of his long-held prejudices began to ease.

Xuan Zi's repeated dereliction of duty, which had led to the deaths of several students, had always made it difficult for Huo Yuhao to trust him. At times, Huo Yuhao had even wondered whether he cared at all about those students' lives.

Only now did Huo Yuhao remember that, in the original story, this same unreliable old man had dared to face Di Tian at Level 98 to protect him.

Huo Yuhao had never been particularly selfless. He was willing to help others when he could, but he could also be selfish when it came to protecting those who cared about him.

Since Xuan Zi genuinely cared for him and hadn't committed any heinous crimes, Huo Yuhao could offer him a sincere piece of his own heart in return.

Huo Yuhao's gaze toward Xuan Zi softened. He stood, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder, offering a joking reassurance:

"Then I'll be counting on you to protect me from now on. You promised today, so if we ever run into someone we can't beat, you can't back down."

Xuan Zi seemed to sense the change in him. Visibly moved, he burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Don't worry, kid. As long as I have a breath left in me, I'll protect you—even if we run into a god-level powerhouse."

After the meeting ended, everyone filed out. Yao Haoxuan glanced enviously at the storage ring on Xi Xi's hand.

"I envy your luck the most. You got Battle Armor and a spot on the starting team."

Bei Bei heard Yao Haoxuan once again blunder into one of those sensitive topics and hurriedly cut him off, lest he say something even more shocking.

"All right, all right. Didn't you notice that we were all invited to today's meeting? Unless something unexpected happens, we'll be the next batch of Sea God Pavilion members. You think Yuhao won't give you Battle Armor then?"

"That's true. Pavilion Master Huo is easily the most outstanding Sea God Pavilion Master in the academy's history. The previous master's wisest decision was choosing him as his successor."

Hearing Yao Haoxuan praise one person by putting another down again, Bei Bei looked helplessly toward Mu En, who was lying on a deck chair with his form concealed.

Sure enough, you could never stop someone who was determined to get himself into trouble. He could always come up with an answer you'd never see coming.

In a corner of Star Luo City, two cloaked figures met.

"So it's a Body Martial Soul with Ultimate Ice. The ice attribute is faint, but it's definitely Ultimate Ice."

"Does the sect master know? Can he get here before the Soul Master Tournament ends?"

"There isn't enough time. He doesn't seem like a Titled Douluo to me. You and I can find a chance to test him. The sect master will go directly to Shrek Academy anyway. After all, he's the hope of the Heavenly Soul Royal Family as well."