Compromise

The day after the selection trials ended, Qian Daoliu summoned Huo Yuhao to the Main Hall.

The old man still sat beneath the beam of sunlight pouring down from the skylight. Seven years had passed, yet the place where he sat had never changed, nor had his posture. Even the folds of his golden robe seemed to be the very same ones. His hands were tucked into his sleeves as he calmly watched Huo Yuhao enter, not a ripple stirring in his clouded eyes.

"Sit," he said.

Huo Yuhao sat opposite him. Sunlight passed between them and fell across the floor, dividing the Main Hall into light and shadow. Qian Daoliu sat in the light, while he sat at the edge of the shadows.

"The Hall of Enshrined won," Qian Daoliu said. His voice was flat, as if he were merely stating a fact rather than something worth celebrating. "According to the rules, the Hall of Enshrined's team should represent Spirit Hall in the tournament."

Huo Yuhao nodded. He knew the rule. The Hall of Enshrined and the Papal Hall held internal selection trials once every five years, and the winner competed. It was one of the few points of agreement between Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong.

"However." Qian Daoliu paused. "The Papal Hall has made a request."

Huo Yuhao looked at him without speaking.

"You have seen Xie Yue and Hu Liena's Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Demon Charm," Qian Daoliu said in the same calm tone. "I need not explain its value in team battles. If the two teams are merged, with four from the Hall of Enshrined and three from the Papal Hall, then the team will have two Martial Soul Fusion Skills. One is Demon Charm, and the other is Dragon's Cry of Destiny, yours and Qiu'er's."

He paused.

"Pope Bibi Dong's view is this: since the Hall of Enshrined already has the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of you and Wang Qiu'er, why not put both Martial Soul Fusion Skills on the same team?"

Huo Yuhao froze for a moment.

"A mixed team?"

"Yes." Qian Daoliu nodded. "Four from the Hall of Enshrined and three from the Papal Hall. You and Wang Qiu'er, along with Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun. The Papal Hall will send Xie Yue, Hu Liena, and Yan."

He paused, as though giving Huo Yuhao time to digest the news.

"That would give the team four Soul Kings—Qian Ren Duo is level fifty-three and the strongest, so he will be captain. Xie Yue is level fifty-two, Yan is level fifty-two, and Hu Liena is level fifty-one. Add you and Wang Qiu'er, along with two Martial Soul Fusion Skills. By raw numbers alone, this would be the strongest team in the history of the Soul Master Tournament."

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment.

He did not think about how strong that team would be. He thought of only one thing.

"What about the three Soul Ancestors from the Hall of Enshrined?"

Qian Daoliu looked at him, and a complicated emotion flickered in his eyes. It vanished almost instantly, too quickly to be noticed by most, but Huo Yuhao saw it.

"They will be replaced," Qian Daoliu said. "They will receive other compensation."

Huo Yuhao said nothing.

He remembered the faces of those three people. During the selection trials, they had fought with everything they had, tangling with the Papal Hall's opponents to create opportunities for him and Wang Qiu'er. One had suffered burns on his arm from Yan's flames, yet he had gritted his teeth and held on until the end. Another had his shoulder sliced open by Xie Yue's Moon Blades, blood staining half his clothes red, yet he had still stood there and blocked the enemy's attacks. The third had taken three of Hu Liena's foxfire attacks head-on to stop her ambush. When he was carried from the arena, he had still been smiling and saying, "We won."

They had won.

Yet now, they were being replaced.

"This is a compromise." Qian Daoliu watched him, his gaze carrying a hint of deeper meaning. "The Hall of Enshrined won, but the Papal Hall wants a stronger team. If we refuse, the relationship between the two sides will become even more strained. If we agree, this team will become Spirit Hall's shared glory."

He paused.

"What do you think?"

Huo Yuhao considered it.

It was a difficult question to answer. He knew what Qian Daoliu was really asking. He was not asking what Huo Yuhao thought of the decision, but whether, as someone who would need to establish himself in Spirit Hall someday, he could understand such trade-offs and accept such compromises.

"What will those three... think?" he asked.

"They will be unwilling," Qian Daoliu said. "But they will accept it."

His voice was flat, as if he were discussing the most ordinary thing in the world.

"The Hall of Enshrined will compensate them. Resources, status, opportunities. They lose their chance in this tournament, but gain better prospects in the future. They can do the math."

Huo Yuhao did not ask again.

He knew this was the best choice. Four Soul Kings and two Martial Soul Fusion Skills—there was no second team like that anywhere on the continent. They would win. They would win gloriously. They would carve Spirit Hall's name into the stone tablets of history.

Compared to Spirit Hall's glory, the sacrifice of those three people was worth it.

Yet he still felt as though something were lodged in his chest.

He knew that feeling well. Seven years ago, standing before those ruins, he had felt it too. It was not anger, nor was it grief. It was something indescribable, heavy and stifling, something that made it hard to breathe.

"I understand," he said.

Qian Daoliu looked at him and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, so faint it was nearly impossible to notice, but Huo Yuhao saw it.

"You think more deeply than I expected," the old man said. "That is both a good thing and a bad thing. You will understand someday."

Huo Yuhao rose, bowed, and turned to leave.

When he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped.

"Grand Enshrined," he asked, "does Wang Qiu'er know?"

"She knows," Qian Daoliu said. "She said she did not care."

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment before pushing open the door and walking out.

One month later, Spirit Hall officially announced its tournament team.

The moment the list was released, the entire Soul Master world was shaken.

Captain: Qian Ren Duo, nineteen years old, level fifty-three Soul King, Sacred Angel martial soul.

Team member: Xie Yue, twenty-two years old, level fifty-two Soul King, Moon Blade martial soul.

Team member: Yan, twenty-four years old, level fifty-two Soul King, Flame Lord martial soul.

Team member: Hu Liena, twenty-one years old, level fifty-one Soul King, Demon Fox martial soul.

Team member: Wang Qiu'er, thirteen years old, level forty-nine Soul Ancestor, Golden Dragon martial soul.

Team member: Qian Ren Jun, eighteen years old, level forty-eight Soul Ancestor, Sacred Angel martial soul.

Team member: Huo Yuhao, thirteen years old, level forty-two Soul Ancestor, Spirit Eyes martial soul.

Seven people, four Soul Kings, and three Soul Ancestors.

It was terrifying.

And that was not all. Before long, more news spread: there were said to be two Martial Soul Fusion Skills on this team.

Xie Yue and Hu Liena's Demon Charm was already a famous combination skill. It could shroud the entire battlefield in a crimson mist, weakening enemies while strengthening its users. A Titled Douluo had once said that if those two matured, this Martial Soul Fusion Skill alone would let them face a hundred enemies on the battlefield.

The other combination belonged to those two thirteen-year-olds.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu'er.

Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was said to be called Dragon's Cry of Destiny. No one knew its exact effects. They only knew that during Spirit Hall's internal selection trials, it had defeated Xie Yue and Hu Liena's Demon Charm with a single strike. It was said that in that instant, the entire training ground had been swallowed by golden light, and everyone had felt a tremor rise from the depths of their souls. It was said that when the girl donned golden armor, nine phantom golden dragons appeared behind her, and her aura surged to an unimaginable height.

For a time, the entire continent discussed this team.

Some said it was the strongest lineup Spirit Hall had ever assembled. The Papal Hall and the Hall of Enshrined had joined forces, gathering the geniuses of both sides together. How could such a team possibly lose?

Some said this year's champion was already beyond doubt. No matter how hard the other teams worked, they would only be fighting over second place.

Some said those two thirteen-year-old children would become the future rulers of the continent. One possessed the legendary Golden Dragon martial soul, while the other possessed eyes that could see everything. Once people like that matured, the entire continent's balance would change.

Huo Yuhao turned a deaf ear to all those discussions.

He simply cultivated, meditated, and waited every day.

One evening several days later, Huo Yuhao sat in the courtyard, looking at the stars overhead.

Seven years ago, when he had first come to Spirit City, he often watched the stars like this. Back then, he thought of nothing. He simply wanted to look at the light in the sky. Later, Qian Daoliu told him that the stars in the sky were dead, and only the light in one's heart was alive. After that, he watched the stars less often.

But tonight, he wanted to watch them again.

A knock sounded at the courtyard gate.

"Come in."

The gate was pushed open, and a figure entered.

It was Wang Qiu'er.

Huo Yuhao was startled.

For more than a year, she had never come looking for him on her own. They met every day at the training ground, worked together during training, and occasionally sat at the same table during meals, but she had never once come to his courtyard.

She walked up to him and sat on the stone bench across from him.

Moonlight fell over her face, turning her golden hair silver-white. Her red eyes seemed especially deep beneath the moonlight, like two dark, bottomless lakes. She simply looked at him for a long time without saying anything.

Huo Yuhao grew a little uncomfortable under her gaze.

"What is it?"

Wang Qiu'er withdrew her gaze and looked toward the stars.

"I can't sleep," she said.

Huo Yuhao did not know how to respond.

So they sat there in silence, one watching the stars and the other watching the moon.

After a long while, Wang Qiu'er suddenly asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment.

"I'm thinking..." He paused. "About those three people."

Wang Qiu'er was taken aback.

"Which three?"

"The three who were replaced," Huo Yuhao said. "They won, but they cannot go."

Wang Qiu'er looked at him, and something complicated flickered in her eyes.

"You think it is unfair to them?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head.

"It is not unfair," he said. "It is just..."

He did not continue.

He did not know how to describe that feeling. It was not anger, nor was it grief. It was something indescribable, heavy and suffocating, as though a stone rested upon his chest—something he could neither move nor dissolve.

Wang Qiu'er was silent for a while.

"Do you know what my martial soul is?"

Huo Yuhao looked at her, unsure why she had suddenly asked.

"Golden Dragon," he said.

"Right." Wang Qiu'er nodded. "The Golden Dragon, ancestor of strength, one of the strongest bloodlines among true dragon descendants. But let me tell you something: this martial soul had not appeared for a hundred thousand years."

She paused.

"Do you know why?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head.

"Because it is too powerful," Wang Qiu'er said. Her voice was flat, as though she were telling someone else's story. "So powerful that everyone fears it. Every generation of Golden Dragon martial soul possessors becomes a target. Some want to subdue them, some want to kill them, and some want their bloodline. In the end, they all die."

She looked at Huo Yuhao, moonlight flickering in her red eyes.

"That is why I do not care about those three people," she said. "Not because I am cold-blooded, but because I know this is how the world works. The strong rise, and the weak fall. Winners gain everything, while losers are forgotten. They were replaced because they were not strong enough. If they were strong enough—if they possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill capable of changing the battle like you do—would the Papal Hall dare make such a demand?"

Huo Yuhao fell silent.

"The fact that you can think of them means you are a good person," Wang Qiu'er said. "But good people do not live long."

When she said that, there was something indescribable in her tone. It was not mockery, nor was it a warning. It sounded more like a statement, as natural and unquestionable as saying that it would rain.

Huo Yuhao looked at her.

At that exquisite yet indifferent face. At those red eyes, as though flames burned within them, yet cold as frost. At this girl who was the same age as him, thirteen years old, yet seemed as though she had lived for a very, very long time.

He suddenly remembered the golden soul beast in the Star Dou Great Forest.

It had looked at him like that too, its gaze complicated, as though it were looking at a long-lost old friend. It had crouched before him and let him stroke it, rumbling with contentment. It had pressed its forehead against his and let him see a thousand years of loneliness and helplessness.

"And you?" he asked. "Will you live long?"

Wang Qiu'er froze.

Then she smiled.

The smile was faint, so faint it was nearly impossible to notice, but Huo Yuhao saw it.

"I'm still alive," she said.

Neither of them spoke again.

They simply sat beneath the moonlight, looking at the stars overhead.

The courtyard was quiet, filled only with the rustle of wind passing through the leaves. Occasionally, a night bird flew overhead, its flapping wings breaking the silence before swiftly vanishing into the darkness.

That golden Destiny Line still connected their foreheads.

It was brighter than ever.

The next day, Qian Ren Duo came looking for Huo Yuhao.

He wore an uncontrollable look of excitement as he plopped down onto a stone bench in Huo Yuhao's courtyard, crossed one leg over the other, and radiated an air of I'm so happy.

"Did you know everyone outside is saying the championship is already decided?" As he spoke, he pulled an apple from his clothes and took a loud, crisp bite. "Four Soul Kings and two Martial Soul Fusion Skills—other teams are lucky to have one or two Soul Ancestors close to the Soul King level, while we have four actual Soul Kings. How are they supposed to fight us?"

Huo Yuhao sat opposite him without speaking.

Qian Ren Duo was used to it.

He continued, "Just imagine it. Four Soul Kings, all releasing our Soul Rings, four ten-thousand-year Soul Rings flashing and flashing and flashing. The other teams will probably have their legs go weak the moment they see us."

He took another bite of the apple and chewed with relish.

"Oh, right. The tournament will not begin for another month, but classes stop tomorrow. Spirit Hall has an exemption that sends us directly into the finals, so we do not need to take part in the preliminary rounds. What are you planning to do now?"

Huo Yuhao raised his head.

"I want to go to the Heaven Dou Empire."

Qian Ren Duo froze, even forgetting to chew the apple in his mouth.

"Heaven Dou? What for?"

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment.

"To see the opponents in the preliminary rounds," he said. "And while I'm there..."

He did not continue.

Qian Ren Duo looked at him and suddenly understood.

"And maybe see whether you can meet Sister Xue'er?"

Huo Yuhao did not answer.

Qian Ren Duo sighed.

He had known Huo Yuhao for a year. During that year, he had seen the boy fall silent countless times, stare blankly into space countless times, and sit alone in his courtyard watching the stars countless times. He knew Huo Yuhao was hiding someone in his heart, someone he had not seen for seven years.

"Fine, I'll go with you when the time comes." He stood up and tossed the apple core into a nearby trash bin. "It just so happens that I have not gone out for a long time either. We can bring my younger brother, and Qiu'er too. That girl spends all day cultivating in the Hall of Enshrined. She ought to go out and get some fresh air."

He patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Do not overthink it. If you want to see her, then go see her. We cannot get involved in the affairs of those important people yet."

A few days later, before dawn had even broken, the four of them left Spirit City by carriage.

Inside the carriage, Qian Ren Duo enthusiastically planned out their route. He held a map covered in red circles and arrows, with towns and sights along the way all marked out. As they traveled, he kept muttering about how the roast chicken in this town was delicious, how the inns in that city were comfortable, and how they absolutely had to reach such-and-such place before nightfall.

Qian Ren Jun followed behind him, chiming in from time to time. The two brothers bickered all the way, but it kept things from getting dull. Qian Ren Jun said his elder brother's route was far too roundabout when there were clearly shorter roads. Qian Ren Duo said he did not understand—traveling was not the goal; the scenery along the way was.

Then, at night, whenever they camped in some forest, the two of them would pester Huo Yuhao together, demanding that he grill fish for them—ever since tasting it for the first time half a year ago, neither of them had been able to forget it.

Wang Qiu'er walked beside Huo Yuhao.

Her long golden hair shimmered softly in the morning light, and her red eyes calmly watched the road ahead. She said nothing, merely walking in silence as usual.

Huo Yuhao did not speak either.

He only occasionally turned his head to glance at her.

Some time had passed since the Martial Soul Fusion Skill incident. Their relationship had grown closer, but he still was not used to being alone with her.

It was not because he disliked her. On the contrary—it was because he did not know how to face her. The way she looked at him was always strange, as though she were trying hard to remember something, yet also as though she were confirming something. That gaze made him feel uncomfortable all over, but he could not help wanting to draw closer to her.

That golden thread still connected them. It extended from her forehead and linked to the Eye of Eternity on his forehead. More than two years had passed, yet it had always been there, never once breaking.

He did not know what it meant.

But he knew that he was slowly growing used to her presence.

News from Heaven Dou City said that this round of preliminaries was certain to be fiercely contested. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Elephant Armour Academy, Blazing Fire Academy, Tianshui Academy... names sprang from Qian Ren Duo's mouth one after another, each possessing its own unique traits and strengths. Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had deep foundations, Elephant Armour Academy was renowned for its defense, Blazing Fire Academy's fire martial souls could not be underestimated, and Tianshui Academy's water-element martial souls complemented and countered one another.

Huo Yuhao listened without any expression on his face.

He was only wondering whether some unknown academy might bring them a surprise.

As for why he thought that way—

He did not know either.

But he had the feeling that this trip to Heaven Dou would bring them face-to-face with something.

They would meet someone.

Something would happen.

That Destiny Line was slowly tightening.

Everything had only just begun.