Soul Tool Teacher

"What? The little guy wants to study Soul Tools?"

Xu Jiujiu nodded, a little embarrassed.

"Before he went on his Soul Hunt, he thought his First Martial Soul had no offensive power. He wanted to learn some ways to attack, so he asked me to find him a Soul Tool teacher."

Xu Jiawei raised a hand and pressed his temples.

"Sending a genius like him to study Soul Tools? This is troublesome."

It wasn't that Xu Jiawei opposed Soul Tools. On the contrary, he saw great promise in them. He had even pushed through strong opposition to promote their use across the country.

It was just that the three nations of Douluo Continent lagged so far behind the Sun Moon Empire that catching up would take time.

But he did not want Huo Yuhao studying Soul Tools. However much faith he had in them, he did not believe they could stand against a Super Douluo, much less a Limit Douluo. As he saw it, Huo Yuhao possessed Twin Martial Souls. Raising his Soul Power as quickly as possible was the right path.

Seeing her Imperial Brother fall silent, Xu Jiujiu asked cautiously, "Brother, what do we do now? We can't just turn Yuhao down, can we?"

A flat refusal was out of the question. Xu Jiawei intended to make Huo Yuhao give up on studying Soul Tools of his own accord.

After considering whether his plan would work, he strode to his desk and began writing.

"Jiujiu, take this order to the Worship Hall. Give it to Cheng Gang and have him serve as Huo Yuhao's Guardian. Also, have Cheng Gang's younger brother, Chen Shitao, become Huo Yuhao's Soul Tool teacher."

"Brother, isn't that a bit much?"

Cheng Shitao was a level 82 Soul Douluo and a level seven-and-a-half Soul Engineer, the highest-ranked Soul Engineer in the Star Luo Empire. He was the younger brother of Cheng Gang, the Douluo who protected the nation. But unlike his brother, he had not awakened an Ant Emperor Martial Soul known for its strength. His Martial Soul had mutated. It was still an ant, but it had lost every means of attack.

In their place, it had gained monstrous defensive power. His Martial Soul was the complete opposite of his brother's. Ants were famed for lifting objects dozens of times their own weight, but Cheng Shitao's was different. His ant Martial Soul was golden from head to toe, and its defense was dozens of times stronger than his brother's.

Cheng Shitao's defense was already on par with that of some Super Douluo with weaker defenses. The head of the Empire's Worship Hall had once said that, given time, if Cheng Shitao reached the rank of Titled Douluo, even a Limit Douluo might struggle to break through his defense.

It was precisely because his defense was so formidable that Cheng Shitao had become obsessed with Soul Tools. The more powerful one was, the more he liked it.

Relying on his astonishing defense, Cheng Shitao had even developed Soul Tools whose blast radius exceeded their firing range. People within the Empire had given him a nickname for it: Explosion Maniac.

Cheng Shitao was also exceedingly strict when it came to making Soul Tools. Students had tried to learn from him before, but his brutal teaching methods had driven them all away.

Xu Jiujiu broke into a cold sweat at the thought of Huo Yuhao's future.

She left the study with Xu Jiawei's written order.

"Sorry for the trouble, Eunuch Gui. Please lead the way."

"Your Highness, there's no need to say that. It's my duty."

Led by the elderly eunuch, Xu Jiujiu continued deeper into the palace. The farther they went, the tighter the security became.

At last, they stopped before a massive door made entirely of thick rare metal.

"Stop. Do you have a written order?"

Two burly old men standing before the door barred their way.

They were responsible for guarding the Royal Treasury, and both were Soul Douluo whose Soul Power had surpassed level 80.

"I do. Here is His Majesty's order."

Xu Jiujiu handed the order Xu Jiawei had given her to one of the old men.

"Hmm! It is His Majesty's order. Let them through!"

The old man examined the handwriting carefully. Once he confirmed it was Xu Jiawei's, he reached into a hidden compartment in the doorframe. With a click, the door opened.

"After you, Your Highness."

Xu Jiujiu looked around the Royal Treasury with curiosity. Though she was a princess, this was her first time there.

The treasury was vast, yet packed tight. Countless Gold Soul Coins, gold and silver treasures, and even Heavenly Treasures rarely seen outside were piled in chests and on shelves as though they were worth nothing. Rows of large chests filled the entire space, leaving barely any room to walk.

As she looked around, Xu Jiujiu muttered, "Brother told me to pick out a few good things for Yuhao myself. This place is huge. How long is that going to take?"

She thought it over, then remembered that although Huo Yuhao now had a Second Martial Soul and a Guardian, he was still only a one-ring Soul Master. To be safe, she would pick out a few defensive Soul Tools for him.

With a goal in mind, Xu Jiujiu headed straight for the cabinets holding Soul Tools.

"A level-three Soul Tool Shield? No, the level's too low."

"A level-five Defense Necklace? It uses too much Soul Power."

"Oh, this one's perfect."

Xu Jiujiu rummaged through the Soul Tools without finding anything she liked, until she spotted a special one at the very back of a shelf.

"A bracelet-type Rechargeable Defensive Soul Tool. This is good! I can charge it in advance, too. I'll take it."

Having found what she wanted, Xu Jiujiu headed out, humming a cheerful tune.

Along the way, she also picked out several Heavenly Treasures for Huo Yuhao. When she passed the Spirit Bones, she stopped.

After a moment's thought, however, she shook her head and left the shelves behind. It wasn't that she begrudged Huo Yuhao a Spirit Bone. The ones there simply weren't very good. Even the best was barely ten thousand years old. Having Huo Yuhao absorb one would be a waste.

She decided to ask her Imperial Brother to find Huo Yuhao a high-age Spirit Bone when she had the chance. After all, Xu Jiawei intended to tie Huo Yuhao to the family's cause. He couldn't expect a horse to run without feeding it.

Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao sat at the table in their little courtyard, watching his mother bring out dish after dish.

"Yuhao, eat up. Mom made all these especially for you."

After six months under Ye Fei's care, Huo Yun'er looked far better than she had at the White Tiger Duke's Estate. Her once-dry orange hair had grown soft, and the calluses on her hands had faded considerably.

"Mm. Mom, stop fussing and come eat."

"All right, all right. Just one last dish—your favorite grilled fish."

Huo Yun'er carried a plate of fish out of the kitchen. It was grilled golden and crisp, fragrant with oil. She set it before Huo Yuhao.

Looking at her son, dusty and worn from his journey home, she could not hide the ache in her eyes.

Huo Yuhao was happily devouring his mother's cooking when he felt her hand stroke his face. He looked up and found her beautiful eyes full of heartache.

"Yuhao, you've lost weight. These past few days must have been hard on you."

"Mom, you must be seeing things. Uncle Li and I ate like kings while we were away. How could I have lost weight? Besides, Uncle Li is a Soul Emperor. How could I suffer with him around?"

Huo Yun'er said nothing. She knew her son was trying to spare her worry. Back at the Duke's Estate, she had heard people say how dangerous it was for Soul Masters to hunt Spirit Rings. One wrong move, and they could die far from home without even a place to be buried.

If her son did not want her to worry, all she could do was support him quietly from behind.