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

Meanwhile.

In the girls' dormitory.

Qian Renxue was still sitting cross-legged.

She continued to refine the power of the ten-thousand-year-old premium Whale Rubber within her.

That premium Whale Rubber held an enormous amount of power, and her Soul Power was only at level twenty.

There was no way she could absorb it all in a short time.

But even after absorbing only a small portion,

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

She clenched her fists.

Power surged through her body.

Her gratitude toward her eldest brother, Qian Renchuan, deepened.

If he hadn't given her half of that premium Whale Rubber, who knew how many times she would have had to climb the Back Mountain carrying pig iron to reach her current level of physical 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.

Why was he shouting downstairs?

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

Sure enough, little Qian Renchuan was standing below the girls' dormitory, looking up and waving at her with all his might.

"Little sister."

"Come down, quick..."

Qian Renxue frowned in confusion.

What was he up to?

Still, her opinion of Qian Renchuan had changed a great deal by now.

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

So she turned and went downstairs without hesitation.

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

Qian Renxue saw Qian Renchuan waiting outside. She frowned and asked,

"Big Brother, did you need something?"

Qian Renchuan grinned.

He quickly took an oil-paper package 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 third brother grilled this fish himself."

Qian Renxue froze, staring at the package Qian Renchuan had handed her.

What?

Grilled fish?

Their third brother?

Qian Yuhao?

He made it?

Their third brother could grill fish?

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

He'd even grilled fish for him?

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

Whatever she thought about it,

Qian Renxue reached out and took the package.

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

She asked without thinking,

"Have you eaten?"

Qian Renchuan nodded.

"I have."

"Our third brother and I ate together on the Back Mountain. I brought one back especially for you."

Something stirred in Qian Renxue's heart.

She took another long look at Qian Renchuan, warmth rising in her chest again.

Whenever he had something good, he thought of his younger siblings first.

"Thanks."

Qian Renxue nodded.

Then she turned to leave.

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

But after only two steps,

she seemed to recall something and stopped.

When she turned back, she found Qian Renchuan still standing there, watching her.

The sight touched her all the more.

"Little sister, is something wrong?"

Qian Renchuan asked.

"It's this."

"Big Brother, go back and tell our third brother to get ready."

"We'll probably head to the Star Dou Great Forest in the next day or two. I had someone notify Grandpa a few days ago."

They were going to the Star Dou Great Forest?

Qian Renchuan's heart leaped.

At last, they were going to get Soul Rings!

Once his younger siblings obtained their Soul Rings and advanced, he would receive tenfold returns and shoot straight ahead.

At the thought, Qian Renchuan nodded eagerly.

"Good, good. Got it."

This time,

Qian Renxue did not leave first.

She stood where she was and watched Qian Renchuan walk away.

Looking at his retreating figure, Qian Renxue thought,

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

That makes sense.

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

But with the premium Whale Rubber strengthening my body, I'm even more eager to get my First Soul Ring.

When Qian Renchuan returned to the Boys' Dormitory,

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

He was still perched on the edge, Carving Knife in hand, working on his pile of metal materials.

This time, though,

he was not engraving a Core Formation.

He was making the casing for a Soul Tool.

Judging by the casing's shape and how far he had gotten, the Soul Tool was nearly finished.

Hearing Qian Renchuan come in,

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

"Big Brother, you're back."

His attitude surprised Qian Renchuan. It seemed his third brother had worked hard to talk himself around lately. Now he even greeted people on his own.

"Third Brother, our sister just told me something."

"We'll probably be leaving for the Star Dou Great Forest in the next day or two."

"She had someone notify Grandpa a few days ago."

Qian Renchuan passed along what Qian Renxue had told him.

For a moment,

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

Then he lowered his head again and answered quietly,

"All right."

"I understand."

He went back to smoothing the metal casing with his Carving Knife.

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

Until now,

he had eagerly awaited this day.

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

Once he escaped Spirit Hall,

he could seek out the opportunities meant for him.

Find Brother Sky Dream.

Find Qiu'er.

And make amends to the people he had failed in his previous life.

But now that he'd heard they were about to leave, he suddenly realized that part of him didn't want to go.

Here in Spirit Hall,

in this little dorm room,

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

His eldest brother, Qian Renchuan, might be lazy, but he had shared the premium Whale Rubber with him without a second thought.

And when they ate grilled fish,

Qian Renchuan's first thought had been to save one for their sister, who wasn't there.

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

He had even begun to wonder

whether the evil history of Spirit Hall recorded by Shrek Academy ten thousand years later was true at all.

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

But Huo Yuhao knew perfectly well

that he had to leave.

He had no choice.

He carried a blood feud.

And he held far too many secrets.

Mysterious Heaven Skill, Purple Demon Eyes, Soul Tool technology, the method of cultivating a Soul Core, and his memories from 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 outside for himself.

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