All In

That gave Xu Jiawei even more confidence that he could persuade Huo Yuhao to stay in the Star Luo Empire.

No wonder I picked him as my future brother-in-law. This little fellow is a blessing to the Empire.

With that thought, Xu Jiawei's gaze grew warmer as he looked at Huo Yuhao.

"Yuhao, may I call you that?"

"Your Majesty may call me whatever you like!"

Pleased with the answer, Xu Jiawei nodded.

"Hahaha! Then you needn't call me Your Majesty. That's far too distant. Call me Big Brother, just as Jiujiu does!"

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate, Your Majesty?"

Xu Jiawei's suggestion caught Huo Yuhao completely off guard. If he remembered correctly, Xu Jiujiu had told him that the emperor was already forty-four. He was even a few years older than Huo Yuhao's biological father, the White Tiger Duke Dai Hao, and the two men had always addressed each other as brothers—even if that was only for appearances.

"Oh, what's inappropriate about it? You're Jiujiu's sworn younger brother. Why shouldn't you call me Big Brother like she does?"

Seeing how insistent Xu Jiawei was, Huo Yuhao could only oblige and call him Big Brother.

With that settled, Xu Jiawei said apologetically, "Yuhao, I owe you an apology. I never imagined Cheng Gang would be so unreliable. When he encountered a Ferocious Beast, he should have taken you away at once. Instead, he left you behind to fight it, and you missed your chance to obtain your second Spirit Ring."

"Um, Your Maj—Big Brother, I've already obtained my second Spirit Ring. Didn't Uncle Li tell you?"

Xu Jiawei shook his head in confusion.

When Li Jun reported back, he had only said that a senior had brought the two of them out. By the time he woke up, they were already on their way home.

Evidently, Li Jun had forgotten to mention what had happened with the Mirror Shadow Beast.

"Yuhao, you obtained a Spirit Ring? Did Senior Emperor Snow help you get it?"

Xu Jiujiu came up behind Huo Yuhao and leaned in to ask him.

"No, Sister Jiujiu. I met Senior Emperor Snow while I was on my way to absorb a Spirit Ring."

He then told everyone the story he had worked out with Tian Meng and the others on the way back.

"Uncle Li and I were in the Core Zone of the Extreme North, trying to find a way to the outskirts. But we got lost. Just when we were starting to despair, we noticed that the Soul Beasts chasing us had stopped behind us. They didn't dare come any closer, as if something ahead was threatening them."

Xu Jiujiu asked curiously, "Was it a powerful Soul Beast?"

"It was an Ice Jade Scorpion over ten thousand years old."

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao thought, Ten thousand years plus three hundred and eighty thousand-year periods still makes it a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.

"Then how did you escape from that Ice Jade Scorpion, Yuhao?"

"I didn't. Maybe it sensed that it didn't have long to live, because it sacrificed itself to me. That's how I gained Ultimate Ice."

As if to prove he wasn't boasting, Huo Yuhao released his Four-Not-Like Martial Soul. A Spirit Ring disguised as black rose from beneath his feet.

Waves of biting cold poured from his Martial Soul. The black Spirit Ring pulsing in the air filled the room with its powerful aura.

Xu Jiujiu stared at Huo Yuhao's ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring, her mouth falling open. "Wow, Yuhao, that's incredible! What level are you now?"

Huo Yuhao looked a little shy under her praise. "I'm level twenty-six now!"

"Level twenty-six? Then you're nearly a Soul Elder! A Soul Elder before the age of ten—even Tang San, the Sea God from ten thousand years ago, didn't have as much Soul Power as you at that age."

Seeing Huo Yuhao's Spirit Ring and Soul Power Level, Xu Jiawei could no longer sit still. There were simply too many coincidences surrounding the boy.

Ever since Huo Yuhao had returned from the Star Dou Great Forest, Xu Jiawei had sensed that something about his Second Martial Soul was unusual.

There had been his extraordinary encounter in the Star Dou Great Forest, followed by a Soul Beast's sacrifice and a powerful expert accompanying him. There was the auspicious aura his Martial Soul constantly gave off, and the way Xu Jiujiu's cultivation had accelerated over the past year or so.

All of it reminded Xu Jiawei of something he had read in his family's records. Legend held that in every era, Douluo Continent would see the rise of someone chosen by fate. Such people were called Children of Destiny, and each possessed the talent and ability to dominate an age.

A Child of Destiny!

As Xu Jiawei recalled everything the records said about Children of Destiny, Huo Yuhao's importance rose in his mind to an unprecedented height.

No wonder Jiujiu's awakened ancestral ability guided her to Huo Yuhao.

Xu Jiawei had never doubted the special ability of his younger sister's Martial Soul. Ten thousand years ago, another member of their family had awakened a special ability.

It was thanks to that ancestor's guidance that the Star Crown Family had broken away from Spirit Hall and stayed out of its great war against Tang San, the Sea God. As a result, the family had not vanished into history like the other Spirit Hall families.

Watching Xu Jiujiu and Huo Yuhao together, Xu Jiawei could not help smiling.

May fate protect the Star Luo Empire!

He had ascended the throne at twenty, almost twenty years ago. Under his diligent rule, the Star Luo Empire had grown steadily stronger. Yet to his despair, the gap between it and the Sun Moon Empire had only widened.

Every time he saw the Sun Moon Empire's seemingly endless Soul Tool troops and its Soul Engineers capable of fighting opponents above their level, the vast disparity left him close to despair. But Huo Yuhao's appearance had rekindled his hope.

Now that he was convinced Huo Yuhao was this era's Child of Destiny, Xu Jiawei intended to stake everything on him.

Even if Huo Yuhao never became a God like Tang San, the Sea God of ten thousand years ago, his talent still gave him an excellent chance of becoming a Limit Douluo.

A single Limit Douluo in the Star Luo Empire would be enough to change the balance of power across Douluo Continent. With Huo Yuhao, the Empire would have nothing to fear for at least the next three hundred years.

After some thought, Xu Jiawei ventured, "Yuhao, what do you think of Jiujiu?"

Seeming to realize what Xu Jiawei was about to say, Xu Jiujiu blushed and shyly lowered her head.

Huo Yuhao wasn't quite sure why Xu Jiawei was asking, but he answered honestly. "Sister Jiujiu is gentle, considerate, and understanding. She takes good care of me, too."

"Do you like her?"

Huo Yuhao was no fool. He, too, understood what Xu Jiawei meant. His cheeks reddened, and after stealing a few glances at Xu Jiujiu, he answered in a voice barely above a whisper:

"I do."