Huo Yuhao's Dilemma: He Didn't Want to Leave!

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

In the girls' dormitory.

Qian Renxue still sat cross-legged.

She continued refining the power of the ten-thousand-year, top-grade Whale Rubber inside her.

Its power was simply too vast, and her Soul Power was only at level twenty.

There was no way she could absorb all that medicinal power in a short time.

Yet even after absorbing just a small portion,

Qian Renxue could clearly feel that her body had grown several times stronger.

She clenched her fists.

Feeling the power surging through her body,

she grew even more grateful to her eldest brother, Qian Renchuan.

If he hadn't given her half of the top-grade Whale Rubber, who knew how many times she would have had to climb Back Mountain with Pig Iron strapped to her back to reach this level of strength?

Just then,

faint shouts came from downstairs.

"Little sister!"

"Little sister!"

"Xiao Xue..."

Was that her eldest brother's voice?

Qian Renxue was puzzled.

What was he shouting about downstairs?

Without thinking, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went to the window.

Sure enough, little Qian Renchuan stood below the girls' dormitory, looking up and waving vigorously at her.

"Little sister."

"Come down, quick..."

Qian Renxue frowned in confusion.

What was he up to?

But her opinion of Qian Renchuan had changed greatly by now.

She knew that although her eldest brother was usually unreliable, he genuinely cared about her and their youngest brother.

So she turned and headed downstairs without hesitation.

As soon as she stepped out of the girls' dormitory,

she saw Qian Renchuan waiting outside. Frowning slightly, she asked,

"Eldest Brother, did you need something?"

Qian Renchuan grinned.

He hurriedly took an oil-paper parcel from his Storage Soul Tool and held it out to her.

"Little sister, this is for you."

"Go on, eat it. It's delicious. Our youngest brother grilled this fish himself."

Qian Renxue stared at the parcel he held out, stunned.

What?

Grilled fish?

Their youngest brother?

Qian Yuhao?

He made it?

He could grill fish?

And when had he and their eldest brother become so close?

Close enough for him to grill fish for him?

She had only spent a few days in her dorm room refining the Whale Rubber. What had those two been doing without her?

Whatever she thought of it,

Qian Renxue reached out and took the parcel.

Even through the oil paper, she could smell the tempting aroma inside.

She asked without thinking,

"Have you eaten?"

Qian Renchuan nodded.

"I have."

"I ate with our youngest brother on Back Mountain. I brought one back especially for you."

Qian Renxue's heart stirred.

She gave Qian Renchuan another long look, warmth rising in her chest.

Whenever her eldest brother had something good, his first thought really was to share it with his younger siblings.

"Thanks."

Qian Renxue nodded her thanks.

Then she turned to leave.

Since her rebirth, she had never been good at saying anything sentimental. She would simply remember his kindness.

But after taking only two steps,

she seemed to recall something and stopped.

When she turned back, she found that Qian Renchuan hadn't left. He was still standing there, watching her.

The sight touched her even more.

"Little sister, is something wrong?"

Qian Renchuan asked.

"It's this."

"Eldest Brother, go back and tell our youngest brother to get ready."

"We may be heading to the Star Dou Great Forest in the next couple of days. I sent someone to notify Grandfather a few days ago."

They were going to the Star Dou Great Forest?

Qian Renchuan's heart leaped.

At last, they were going there to obtain Soul Rings!

Once his younger siblings obtained their Soul Rings and broke through, he would receive tenfold returns and soar ahead.

The thought made him excited, and he nodded at once.

"Okay, okay! Got it."

This time,

Qian Renxue did not leave first.

She stayed where she was and watched Qian Renchuan turn away.

Looking at his retreating figure, she thought,

Looks like he's looking forward to this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest too.

Of course he is.

What soul master wouldn't want a Soul Ring of their own?

And with the top-grade Whale Rubber strengthening my body, I'm looking forward to my first Soul Ring even more.

When Qian Renchuan returned to the boys' dormitory,

he opened the door and saw Huo Yuhao sitting on his bed.

Huo Yuhao sat at the edge as usual, Carving Knife in hand, working on his pile of metal materials.

This time, however,

he wasn't engraving a Core Formation.

He was making the casing for a Soul Tool.

Judging by its shape and how far along it was, the Soul Tool was nearly finished.

At the sound of Qian Renchuan coming in,

Huo Yuhao actually stopped working, looked up, and greeted him.

"Eldest Brother, you're back."

His attitude surprised Qian Renchuan. His youngest brother must have been making quite an effort lately to come around. Now he even greeted people on his own.

"I just heard something from our sister."

"We may be setting off for the Star Dou Great Forest in the next couple of days."

"She sent someone to notify Grandfather a few days ago."

Qian Renchuan passed along the news Qian Renxue had given him.

For an instant,

the Carving Knife in Huo Yuhao's hand went still.

Then he lowered his head again and gave a subdued reply.

"Okay."

"Got it."

He resumed filing down the metal casing with his Carving Knife.

But at that moment, Huo Yuhao's feelings suddenly became a tangled mess.

Until now,

he had looked forward to this day with all his heart.

Once they entered the Star Dou Great Forest, he could find a chance to slip away from Spirit Hall's group.

Once he escaped Spirit Hall,

he could seek out the opportunities meant for him.

He could find Brother Sky Dream.

He could find Qiu'er.

He could make amends to those he had failed in his previous life.

Yet now that he had heard they would be leaving soon, he suddenly realized that part of him didn't want to go.

Here in Spirit Hall,

in this tiny dorm room,

he had found the familial warmth he had never known in his previous life at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

His eldest brother Qian Renchuan might be lazy, but he had shared the top-grade Whale Rubber with him without hesitation.

And when they ate grilled fish,

his first thought had been to save one for their sister, who hadn't come along.

That simple bond between siblings filled Huo Yuhao with a warmth he had never felt before.

He had even begun to wonder

whether the accounts of Spirit Hall's evil recorded by Shrek Academy ten thousand years later were true.

Could a place that raised someone as openhearted as his eldest brother really be a den of monsters?

But Huo Yuhao knew all too well

that he had to leave.

He had to.

He carried a blood feud.

And he harbored too many secrets.

The Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Purple Demon Eyes, Soul Tool technology, the method of cultivating a Soul Core, and his memories of ten thousand years in the future.

If any of those secrets came to light, what would Spirit Hall's leaders think of him?

More importantly,

he wanted to see the world beyond Spirit Hall for himself.

He wanted to learn what Spirit Hall was really like in the eyes of ordinary people in this era.