The Mortal World

Today was a special day, and everyone wanted to watch the excitement.

Besides the Soul Masters maintaining order and overseeing awakenings, many more leaned over the upstairs railings, watching the children below with smiles on their faces.

Huo Yuhao stood among the crowd as well, watching quietly.

There were many children. Some were lively, some timid; some came from wealthy families, while others were clearly born into poverty. Yet all of them stood in line obediently.

Their awakened martial souls came in all kinds, but Blue Silver Grass was the most common.

Those with soul power were pitifully few. Children without soul power were merely disappointed, but their parents soon cheered them up with a piece of candy. Those with soul power had only enough time to cry out in delight before their mothers dragged them home by the ear for a celebratory feast.

Their soul power levels varied, though most were between Rank One and Rank Three. The occasional few above Rank Four drew even more jubilant cheers.

For a time, all manner of lives was laid bare.

After watching for a while longer, Huo Yuhao casually stopped a passerby and asked where other services were handled today, then made his way over.

With Spirit Hall so busy today, the staff were all overwhelmed.

The one who received Huo Yuhao was a girl of around eighteen or nineteen. The moment she saw such a handsome younger boy, her eyes brightened.

Since Huo Yuhao did not yet have a soul ring, there was no issue involving subsidy payments. After checking his soul power rank and asking a few simple questions, the staff member quickly reissued his identification.

The staff member warmly asked whether he needed help obtaining a soul ring and whether he wished to join Spirit Hall. After Huo Yuhao politely declined each offer, she did not press the matter. She even enthusiastically explained the subsidy policies available after obtaining a soul ring.

Only after walking out of Spirit Hall did Huo Yuhao turn back to look at the grand building, and countless thoughts came to him.

The Spirit Hall deacons he had seen in that man's memories, driving Evil Soul Masters into Killing City and stopping them from committing evil.

The Evil Soul Masters roaming everywhere ten thousand years later.

The names on the Shrek inner courtyard memorial, those who had died fighting Evil Soul Masters.

Ye Guyi, who had inherited the Angel God's will and spent her entire life trying to restore the Angel God's glory.

Tang San, the Sea God praised for ten thousand years, and the Angel God's mother, Rakshasa God Bibi Dong, who had become the very embodiment of evil in later generations.

And the divine seats of the Angel God and Rakshasa God, left vacant for ten thousand years.

Could merely a little over a decade truly turn Spirit Hall into what it became in the legends of later generations?

Having truly witnessed the world of ten thousand years ago, Huo Yuhao had begun to doubt the history of Douluo Continent he had once learned.

Now, he wanted to see this world for himself.

With identification now in hand, Huo Yuhao casually found an inn and began preparing pills to counter Bloody Mary.

The medicinal effects of ten-thousand-year-old ingredients were unexpectedly potent. Feeling somewhat guilty and embarrassed, Huo Yuhao left the innkeeper's wife several extra gold soul coins before settling the bill and leaving.

He was staying near the western city gate, the closest gate to the surrounding towns. Early every morning, peddlers came out to sell the vegetables they had grown and the livestock they had raised.

Their cries rose one after another as Huo Yuhao slowly strolled down the street.

Whenever he heard a vendor shouting particularly loudly, he would head over. As long as he confirmed the ingredients were fresh and good, he bought everything they had.

The vendors had initially paid little attention when they saw that he was only a teenager. Who would have thought he was actually a Soul Master with a storage soul tool?

After all, Soul Masters who received subsidies from both great empires and Spirit Hall were publicly recognized as wealthy patrons.

Once the first person had tried his luck, the other vendors grew more eager as well.

Huo Yuhao welcomed them all. They were only ordinary ingredients, nothing to him.

Soul Masters naturally ate more than ordinary people, and he cultivated the Dragon God Heart Formula. With a physique comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast, his appetite was naturally even greater.

He bought around three cubic meters of ingredients before finally stopping, yet even that was only enough for a week's consumption.

After walking from one end of the market to the other, he reached the shops just as the stalls came to an end. The goods here were far better than those from the roadside vendors, and from a distance, Huo Yuhao spotted a clothing store.

Huo Yuhao immediately went inside. During his two years in Killing City, most of what he wore had been stripped from corpses. He truly did not own many clothes of his own.

After several more intense battles, his clothes had long since become unpresentable.

The store was large, clearly aimed at wealthy customers—or rather, Soul Masters.

The moment Huo Yuhao entered, an attendant came forward to greet him. "Four ready-made outfits in my size. Two that fit properly, and two slightly larger. They need to be flexible, and darker colors that don't show dirt easily," Huo Yuhao said casually.

"Certainly. Do you have any special requirements for the style?" The attendant immediately recognized him as an easy customer to close a sale with, and her smile deepened.

Not to mention that the boy was handsome and carried a distinctive aura. He was a natural clothes hanger.

"How about this one?" The attendant immediately pointed to the store's best-selling men's outfit.

"The material is sturdy, making it perfect for a Soul Master like yourself. It is suitable for battle, while also appropriate for attending gatherings on short notice," the attendant introduced eagerly.

Huo Yuhao gave it a single glance and nodded. He had never cared much about clothing. "Fine. You can choose the colors. Get me two more ordinary outfits that are durable and wear-resistant."

Seeing that he was such an agreeable customer, the attendant glanced over the boy's figure and began packing at once, afraid he might change his mind.

Huo Yuhao stood quietly by the counter and waited.

Ning Rongrong had been carefully selecting clothes when she suddenly shuddered, fine goosebumps rising across her arms.

Even her martial soul began trembling violently at that moment.

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, and she immediately swept her gaze around the room.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had become one of the foremost sects on the continent not only because of the vast network built through the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's powerful support abilities, but more importantly because the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul possessed an innate ability to sense treasures.

Ning Rongrong had grown up in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and had seen every kind of treasure imaginable. Soto City truly was a wonderful place. The last time she had felt this sensation was from that boy named Tang San.

After searching with her eyes, she indeed spotted a silver-haired boy with a high ponytail standing at the counter.

Though he wore coarse linen clothes, under the sunlight streaming in from the entrance, his entire body seemed to radiate a treasure-like glow. Ning Rongrong's interest was immediately piqued.

He must have an extraordinary treasure on him.

With that thought, Ning Rongrong could not help wanting to get closer and inspect what exactly was giving her such a powerful reaction.

Ning Rongrong clasped her hands behind her back, a sweet smile appearing on her face. Her two dimples seemed brimming with honey as she walked toward Huo Yuhao.

"Big brother, you..."

Only once she drew closer did Ning Rongrong realize that although the boy's looks were not the most outstanding among those she had seen, he was still remarkably handsome.