He was twelve now, and Tang San was three. There were still three years before the plot officially began. Yu Xiaogang should already have gone to Nuoding City to while away his days!
Kill Yu Xiaogang first, then kill Tang San when an opportunity arose, and finally kill Tang Hao. That was the order Huo Yuhao had in mind for now.
Once he killed Yu Xiaogang, he could head home and see how his little sister was doing. Although he had not returned these past few years, Qian Renxue wrote to him every month, telling her older brother about all the little details of her life.
From Qian Renxue's letters, Huo Yuhao learned that Bibi Dong had not sent her to the Heaven Dou Empire as an undercover agent, and he was quite happy for her.
After all, Qian Renxue was a girl. What kind of life would it be for her to spend more than ten years living as a man?
Bibi Dong really had been capable of such a vicious deed, and Qian Daoliu had actually agreed to it. This time, however, thanks to his intervention, Qian Renxue had not been sent there after all. That counted as a good thing!
Spirit City lay between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, within the Heaven Dou Empire's borders and very close to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Sunset Forest, meanwhile, lay in the central region of the Heaven Dou Empire. Since it was not on his route, Huo Yuhao simply joined a merchant caravan traveling from Sunset Forest to Fasinuo Province.
The caravan's owner was a very fat merchant who looked easy to talk to. After Huo Yuhao gave him a Gold Soul Coin, he ushered Huo Yuhao into the carriage with a smile.
There was also a mother and daughter inside. The woman was in her thirties, graceful and charming, while the girl was only eleven or twelve, about Huo Yuhao's age.
When she saw Huo Yuhao enter, the girl was surprised at first, then curious. The scent coming from him was wonderfully pleasant, like the sun in the sky.
She could never quite stop herself from stealing glances at him.
Huo Yuhao paid this no mind and simply closed his eyes to meditate and cultivate. The caravan's owner, however, treated him like an old friend and started chatting with him as soon as they set off.
"This is my wife, Ruhua, and this is Xiaoyan, my daughter. She's twelve this year. Don't let her age fool you-she's already at rank twenty. She's a real genius."
At those words, Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow slightly and looked up at the girl called Xiaoyan.
The girl was moderately pretty, and her features had yet to fully mature. Once they did, she would surely be a great beauty. A twelve-year-old Soul Grandmaster-her innate soul power certainly could not be low!
Neither of her parents had any soul power. It seemed Xiaoyan had experienced a martial soul mutation, and a beneficial one at that!
"Twelve? She should be going to an advanced soul master academy soon, then! Is there anywhere she wants to go?"
At Huo Yuhao's question, the fat merchant's expression soured!
"I wanted to send her to the Heaven Dou Imperial Soul Master Academy, but they wouldn't accept her because she isn't a noble!"
"They won't even accept a twelve-year-old genius with a mutated martial soul who's already above rank twenty? So much for the Heaven Dou Empire."
Huo Yuhao voiced his criticism. He had read the original story, so he knew exactly what the Heaven Dou Imperial Soul Master Academy was like. In truth, he would have known even without reading it. An imperial soul master academy was plainly an academy for nobles, somewhere they could go to gild their reputations.
Squandering such excellent resources to raise a bunch of good-for-nothings-that was why the Heaven Dou Empire had grown rotten and fallen into decline.
"What about Spirit Hall, then? With her talent, she should qualify for admission to the advanced soul master academy in Spirit City!"
To Huo Yuhao's surprise, however, when he mentioned Spirit Hall Academy in Spirit City, the resentment on the wealthy merchant's face grew even more pronounced.
"Spirit Hall Academy is hardly any better than the Heaven Dou Imperial Soul Master Academy. The Heaven Dou Imperial Soul Master Academy rejected her outright, but Spirit Hall Academy is something we simply can't afford. Archbishop Nox in our province charges at least a thousand Gold Soul Coins for a recommendation. Everything I own put together wouldn't be enough!"
Huo Yuhao was instantly speechless. He had never expected that, right after mocking the Heaven Dou Imperial Soul Master Academy, the juicy scandal would land on his own doorstep!
Spirit Hall was a vast establishment, with countless branch halls throughout both empires. Its hierarchy ran from Red-Robed Archbishops down through Black-Robed, Purple-Robed, Yellow-Robed, and White-Robed ranks. The whole tangled structure was simply difficult to manage.
With an operation that large, it was only natural for a few scoundrels to crop up. Yet those very scoundrels brought Spirit Hall the greatest profits and handled its affairs most efficiently.
Instead, no one reined them in. This left people with two views of Spirit Hall: one good, one bad!
Which judgment they reached depended entirely on luck.
After an awkward smile, Huo Yuhao stopped talking. The fat merchant knew he had brought the conversation to a dead end, so he merely chuckled and fell silent as well.
The fat merchant and his family were from Suotuo City. After coming to the Heaven Dou Empire and seeing more of the world, they had decided to return home and have their daughter attend the Suotuo Advanced Soul Master Academy.
That was reality!
In this life, he had everything, and he had never encountered such things in his everyday life. Only when he sat in this carriage, looking at ordinary people just like himself in his previous life, did he feel like himself.
The journey went very smoothly. After spending several days with them, Huo Yuhao also learned what Lin Xiaoyan's martial soul was.
Her father's martial soul was a snake, and her mother's was a chicken. Neither of them had any soul power.
Lin Xiaoyan's martial soul, however, had mutated. Hers was a winged snake, and her innate soul power had been rank three.
Huo Yuhao had never seen such a martial soul either. In his previous life, he had lacked the standing; in this life, he had lacked the interest!
With rank-three innate soul power, she had actually managed to cultivate to rank twenty-three by the age of twelve. Naturally, her father deserved some credit for that.
Although he was not a soul master, he was fairly wealthy and had bought Lin Xiaoyan two soul rings that gave her the optimal soul ring configuration.
Of course, it was precisely because he had spent so much money on those soul rings that he had none left to bribe Archbishop Sax.
Others might have lost interest the moment they heard that Lin Xiaoyan had only rank-three innate soul power, but Huo Yuhao was no ordinary person. Having served as Spirit Hall's Saint Son for so many years, his knowledge was far beyond what others could match.
Her innate soul power was so low, yet her cultivation speed was no slower than that of geniuses with rank-seven or rank-eight innate soul power. That could only mean one thing: Lin Xiaoyan's martial soul was very special.
She was worth nurturing.
Another three peaceful days passed, and the caravan finally returned to Suotuo City!
Lin Xiaoyan was extremely reluctant to part with Huo Yuhao. After so many days together, his appearance had become deeply etched in her mind. This was the first time she had ever seen a boy so handsome, so distinguished, and so charming.
What saddened her, however, was that Huo Yuhao did not seem interested in her. It left her feeling deeply inferior.
After exchanging a few words with everyone, Huo Yuhao was ready to say goodbye. Before leaving, however, he put an arm around the portly Old Lin, took his Saint Son Token from his Storage Soul Tool, and slipped it into the man's hand.
"Old Lin, didn't you say Bishop Sax likes charging fees? Give him this as his fee. I guarantee he'll get a fright when he sees it."
Old Lin: ...
Never mind Sax getting a fright-he had already gotten one himself. The back of the token Huo Yuhao had given him bore a dragon, a hammer, and a sword, the three symbols of Spirit Hall's highest authority, while the front bore three pairs of angel wings.
Just who on earth was this Huo Yuhao?
Before you continue