Three Years

"Child of Destiny? Teacher, are you talking about me?"

Jiang Ziya's words even made the fire of vengeance in Huo Yuhao's eyes falter.

Child of Destiny? Didn't those only exist in storybooks?

Besides, what kind of Child of Destiny had luck as rotten as mine?

Didn't the heroes in those stories sail through life? None of them had it as bad as I did.

As if he had seen through Huo Yuhao's thoughts, Jiang Ziya pointed meaningfully at the others nearby.

"Think you don't fit the part? Take a look at that big worm and little scorpion."

Huo Yuhao looked at Tian Meng and the others, then thought back over the past two years. His experiences did bear some resemblance to those of storybook characters.

But he still didn't understand.

"Why me, though? I'm just an ordinary person!"

"Teacher, even if that's true, what does it have to do with them?"

"Perhaps they saw your potential!"

"After all, treating someone to a meal, cutting off his head, or taking him in as a lackey are all old tricks. Though these people skipped the meal."

"Just because of that?"

Anger nearly burst from Huo Yuhao's blue eyes. His family had been destroyed for a reason as rotten as that?

"Tang San, Dai Mu Bai! Just wait. One day, I'll make you pay."

Huo Yuhao clenched his fists and silently swore his oath toward the sky.

The morning sky was thick with dark clouds, and fierce winds howled. Raindrops as large as beans fell steadily onto Huo Yuhao.

He knelt before a gravestone-shaped rock.

Still kneeling, he held the White Tiger Dagger, the last thing his mother had left him.

Stroke by stroke, he carved into the gravestone with such force that he nearly cut all the way through it.

Then the rain stopped striking his head. A black umbrella had been raised over him, and Xu Jiujiu's clear voice came from behind.

"Yuhao, I'm sorry for your loss. Your auntie Huo wouldn't want to see you so downhearted."

Huo Yuhao did not respond. He kept carving until every word on the gravestone was finished.

Here rests my beloved mother, Huo Yun'er. Erected by her son, Huo Yuhao.

He bowed his head to the gravestone three times.

Only then did Huo Yuhao stand and speak to Xu Jiujiu behind him.

"Sister Jiujiu, I'm all right. Let's go home."

With that, he set off toward home ahead of her.

Xu Jiujiu watched him go with worry in her eyes. She glanced back at the gravestone in the cemetery, then followed him.

From that day on, everyone around Huo Yuhao noticed that he trained harder than ever.

Every day, he rose before dawn to study Soul Tools with Cheng Shitao.

In the afternoon, he returned to the courtyard to learn the Snow Empress's techniques from her.

Because they had exhausted so much power that day, Jiang Ziya and Electrolux had fallen into slumber once more.

Every evening, he returned to the courtyard and meditated until morning. He had even given up sleep.

Day after day, he kept to that schedule for three years.

After reaching the third ring, his progress had slowed sharply. Even though he trained as hard as before—harder, in fact—he advanced slowly.

He had asked the Snow Empress about it, and she had told him it was normal. Once soul masters with ultimate attributes reached the third ring, the Soul Power they needed to advance rose steeply.

As a result, most soul masters with ultimate attributes progressed far more slowly from the third ring onward.

Even under that burden, Huo Yuhao had raised his Soul Power to level 38 in three years.

Knock, knock, knock!

Urgent knocking at the courtyard gate woke Huo Yuhao from meditation.

"Yuhao, open up! It's me."

It was Xu Jiujiu's voice.

Since his mother's death, Xu Jiujiu had visited Huo Yuhao more and more often.

She came to see him almost every day.

Huo Yuhao went to the gate. As soon as he opened it, a burnt smell wafted in.

Xu Jiujiu's pretty face was smudged black, as though something had covered her in soot.

In her hands were several charred objects that vaguely resembled grilled fish.

Looking at what she held, Huo Yuhao said helplessly, "Sister Jiujiu, did you make grilled fish again?"

Since his mother's death, Sister Jiujiu had taken even greater care of him.

She had even tried to recreate his mother's cooking.

She often cooked for him, but for some reason, even though she knew exactly how his mother had prepared their meals, something always went wrong.

The food she made was invariably hard to swallow.

Once, she had turned an ordinary bowl of lotus root soup into a pot of purple sludge that seemed to radiate death.

After three years, Xu Jiujiu had only learned to grill fish until it was edible. Not burning it was still beyond her.

"Here, try the fish I grilled. I've gotten much better this time."

It was indeed much better than before. Xu Jiujiu used to burn the whole fish; this time, only half of each one was charred.

The expectant look in Xu Jiujiu's eyes warmed Huo Yuhao's heart. He knew Sister Jiujiu cooked for him so often because she worried about him.

He took a half-charred fish from her hand and put it in his mouth.

The moment he tasted it, a strange blend of flavors struck his tongue.

Sweet, salty, bitter, and spicy flavors burst across his tongue at once. He could almost taste the entire first half of his life in that fish.

Keeping his expression steady, Huo Yuhao put the fish in his Soul Tool, then tucked the others into his Storage Soul Tool as well.

"Hey, leave one for me! I haven't tried it yet!"

Xu Jiujiu protested playfully as she watched him. He had shown no expression while eating, but the fish probably tasted awful. He was doing this to spare her feelings.

At that thought, she took his arm and pulled him out of the courtyard.

"Sister Jiujiu, what are you doing? I still have to study with Teacher Cheng later."

Xu Jiujiu turned and glared at him.

"You have to know when to take a break from training. You're resting today. I've already asked Cheng Shitao to excuse you."

"Come out with me today. You can't stay cooped up at home every day. You need a balance of work and rest."

"But what about Sister Emperor Snow?"

Huo Yuhao still hesitated. He was supposed to study the Snow Empress's techniques that afternoon.

After three years, he had only just learned the basics of two of the Snow Empress's three ultimate techniques, Emperor Sword and Emperor Palm. He had yet to master the last one, Emperor's Cold Heaven.

The Snow Empress seemed to hear them outside. Her cool voice came from within the room.

"Take today off and go clear your head with Jiujiu."

"Yay! Thank you, Sister Emperor Snow."

With the Snow Empress's permission, Xu Jiujiu happily pulled Huo Yuhao out of the courtyard.

"Sister Jiujiu, slow down!"