The Plan

Huo Yuhao put away the level-eight soul guidance device and summoned the group from Shrek Academy.

Inside the hotel conference room, Huo Yuhao took the head seat at the round table, with Yan Shaozhe and Xuan Zi sitting to his left and right.

After Wang Yan and the numerous students arrived and took their seats, they waited for Huo Yuhao to open the meeting.

"The next individual match we've drawn is the perfect opportunity to showcase our battle armor. Bei Bei, you go first in the next match, and Xi Xi will follow."

After Huo Yuhao outlined the arrangements for the next match, he turned to look at Bei Bei and Xi Xi, waiting for their response.

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

Bei Bei responded in his usual gentle tone, and Xi Xi nodded in agreement from the side.

"Good. Let's set aside the match discussion for now and have everyone take a look at this level-eight soul guidance device."

"Its name is the Judgment Sword. It possesses the ability to corrupt certain martial souls into evil ones."

"Personally, I don't believe soul guidance devices have any inherent morality, but it would be troublesome if this one fell into the hands of an evil soul master."

"The most critical point is that this device was crafted by the Sun Moon Empire. Unfortunately, during my previous battle with the Death Messenger, I discovered that he also hailed from the Sun Moon Empire."

Huo Yuhao pushed the Judgment Sword toward the center of the table so everyone could see it more clearly.

"Yuhao, are you suggesting that the Sun Moon Empire is in league with evil soul masters, or perhaps even catalyzing their growth to some extent?"

Xuan Zi picked up the Judgment Sword with a sense of righteous indignation and felt its aura, his tone filled with repulsion toward the Sun Moon Empire.

"That is a possibility. In recent times, the total number of evil soul masters on the continent has indeed plummeted."

"While our academy's influence plays a part, the decline has been a bit too rapid. If they have been gathering in the Sun Moon Empire in an organized fashion, that would explain it."

Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe shared the data from the inspection missions of the past few years.

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, signaling his agreement with Yan Shaozhe's assessment.

Of course, Huo Yuhao hadn't actually discovered any secrets from the Judgment Sword; the Death Messenger had been crushed to death by the Reaper at the very beginning, leaving no clues about his origins.

It was simply that Huo Yuhao, possessing memories of his past life, had long known that the Sun Moon Empire was the stronghold of the evil soul masters, and he was merely using this opportunity to bring it to light.

"So, what is your intention, Yuhao?" Seeing Huo Yuhao nod, Yan Shaozhe pressed for the next step of the plan.

"I propose we continue Elder Mu's policy of exchange and study with the Sun Moon Empire, but we will change the team leaders. Dean Yan and I will lead the team."

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

The future Spirit Transmission Tower could not rely on him alone, and those two were excellent candidates.

Although they were not without flaws, Xuan Ziwen's hatred for war and his dream of popularizing soul guidance devices, along with Ji Juechen's pure passion for the sword, did not conflict with Huo Yuhao's own philosophy.

Furthermore, that wretched organization, the Holy Spirit Cult, had been acting far too brazenly.

Before he had the power to completely eradicate them, it was important to make life difficult for these animals and save some lives in the process.

As Huo Yuhao was conceptualizing his post-tournament plans, he heard an objection from Xuan Zi.

"Yuhao, I disagree. You should know the arrangements after the tournament. By the time the exchange happens, you will already be the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion. How can you put yourself in danger?"

"If the Sun Moon Empire is truly colluding with evil soul masters, your abilities might not be enough to ensure a safe escape. I promised to keep you safe; if something were to happen to you, how could I answer to Elder Mu?"

Huo Yuhao hadn't expected this unkempt old man to care about him so much. With his spiritual consciousness, he could sense that Xuan Zi's concern was genuine and came from the heart.

"Don't worry, Elder Xuan. Before then, I will complete the crafting of my three-word battle armor. With Dean Yan's cooperation and the three-word battle armor, we will be enough to rival a Limit Douluo."

Hearing Huo Yuhao's assurance, Xuan Zi reluctantly agreed, though he remained deeply worried.

He was a man who often seemed unreliable, yet his concern for his students was sincere.

Listening to Xuan Zi's somewhat reluctant reply, Huo Yuhao felt a direct realization for the first time that "people are complex," and some of the prejudices he had held for so long began to fade.

Xuan Zi's past negligence, which had led to the deaths of several students, had always been the reason Huo Yuhao found it hard to trust him, sometimes even thinking that the old man didn't care about the students' lives at all.

Until today, Huo Yuhao finally remembered that in the original story, it was this same unreliable old man who, in order to protect him, dared to face Di Tian head-on with only the strength of a level 98 soul master.

Huo Yuhao had never been a purely selfless person. He was willing to help others when it was within his power, but he was also selfish enough to protect those who were good to him.

Since Xuan Zi cared for him from the heart and hadn't committed any unforgivable atrocities, Huo Yuhao naturally felt he should offer his own sincerity in return.

Huo Yuhao's gaze toward Xuan Zi softened. He stood up, walked over, and patted Xuan Zi on the shoulder, comforting him with a touch of humor:

"Then I'll be relying on you to protect me from now on. It's a deal—if we run into someone we can't beat, you can't back down either."

Xuan Zi seemed to sense something; his emotions stirred, and he let out an unbridled, hearty laugh.

"Kid, don't you worry. As long as I have a breath left in me, even if we run into a god-level powerhouse, I will make sure you stay safe."

After the meeting ended, the group left one by one. Yao Haoxuan looked at Xi Xi's storage ring with a hint of envy.

"I'm most envious of your luck. You've gained battle armor and secured a spot as a main team member."

Bei Bei, standing nearby, heard Yao Haoxuan starting to blurt out sensitive topics again and quickly interrupted the conversation to prevent him from saying anything more shocking.

"Alright, alright. Didn't you see that we all attended today's meeting? Barring any accidents, we will be the next generation of Sea God Pavilion members. Do you really think Yuhao won't give you battle armor then?"

"That's true. Pavilion Master Huo is simply the most outstanding Pavilion Master in Shrek Academy's history. The previous Pavilion Master's wisest decision was choosing Pavilion Master Huo as his successor."

Hearing Yao Haoxuan start his sycophantic routine again, Bei Bei looked with a headache toward Mu En, who was lying on a lounge chair, his form hidden from sight.

Sure enough, there was no stopping someone who was determined to court disaster; he always managed to provide the most unexpected responses.

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

"A Body Martial Soul with Ultimate Ice? Although the ice attribute is very faint, it is definitely Ultimate Ice."

"Does the Sect Master know? Can he make it here before the soul master tournament ends?"

"There isn't enough time. I don't feel like he is a Titled Douluo. You and I will find an opportunity to test him. The Sect Master will go directly to Shrek Academy; after all, this is the hope of the Heavenly Soul Royal Family."