Revenge

Compared with Qi Xuan's team, their opponents' advance to the finals had been uneventful.

Among this year's freshmen at Shrek Academy, four had reached the Soul Elder rank, including Qi Xuan.

Xie Huanyue had already fallen in the semifinals.

The other two Soul Elders were both on the other team.

Dai Huabin, Ning Tian, Zhu Lu, and Wu Feng.

Two Soul Elders and an average level of twenty-nine-their strength on paper was absurd enough to take one's breath away.

Although Qi Xuan routinely unleashed combat power beyond his level, this time he faced Dai Huabin, who also possessed a top-tier martial soul and was no less capable than him in a head-on assault.

Even if the two were evenly matched, among the remaining three, Wang Dong might be able to fight Wu Feng, while Xiao Xiao could keep Zhu Lu occupied.

But there was a full thirteen-level gap between Huo Yuhao and Ning Tian!

Almost everyone therefore overwhelmingly favored Dai Huabin's team.

Although Wang Yan supported Qi Xuan and the others, it was more out of affection for his students. Deep down, he did not really believe they could defeat Dai Huabin either.

The moment Huo Yuhao first saw Dai Huabin, his whole body began trembling uncontrollably. Hatred blazed undisguised in his eyes, and an almost tangible killing intent seemed to rise from his thin frame.

Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had never seen Huo Yuhao look like this.

To ensure the final was fair and entertaining, it had been deliberately scheduled for the following day. Today's match was the contest between the third- and fourth-place teams for bronze.

With arrogance written all over his face, Dai Huabin crooked a finger at Qi Xuan provocatively, as though declaring war.

Qi Xuan stepped sideways twice, shielding Huo Yuhao behind him, and bluntly gave Dai Huabin the middle finger.

Dai Huabin flew into a rage. His body had already begun swelling, and he nearly activated his martial soul possession.

"Dai Huabin, Qi Xuan, mind your conduct in the arena. Any further disrespect toward your opponents will result in disqualification," a cold voice said.

The speaker was a woman with cool, aloof features who looked seventeen or eighteen. Her icy eyes held not a trace of warmth, as though they would freeze the air around her.

Yet every freshman's gaze was instantly drawn to her-her uniform was red, a color only Inner Court students were entitled to wear.

The newcomer was a senior student from the Inner Court.

After speaking, the aloof woman could no longer be bothered to look at either of them. She walked straight onto the Competition Platform and announced clearly, "I am Ling Luochеn, an Inner Court student. I have come to serve as the on-platform referee for the Freshman Tournament..."

Dai Huabin's and Qi Xuan's teams went their separate ways.

Only after repeatedly assuring the two girls that he would take good care of Huo Yuhao did Qi Xuan help him back to their dorm room under their worried gazes.

Once the dorm room door was closed, Huo Yuhao threw himself into his quilt, bit down hard on it, and began sobbing silently.

Although Qi Xuan knew the whole story, at that moment he could not truly feel what Huo Yuhao felt. He could only stand by the door and keep him company in his suffering.

A long while later, Huo Yuhao's hoarse voice came:

"Brother Xuan, do you want to hear... an orphan's story?"

Only after recounting his past did Huo Yuhao solemnly ask Qi Xuan, "Brother Qi, revenge is the greatest desire of my life. Please don't stop me, and please keep my secret."

"Don't worry, Yuhao," Qi Xuan promised. "As long as your resolve doesn't change, I'll stay with you to the very end."

"But there are still a few things I want to clarify." Qi Xuan's tone turned serious as well. "Yuhao, revenge is a very broad concept. Who exactly do you want revenge against?"

Through gritted teeth, Huo Yuhao uttered several names. "The White Tiger Duke, the duchess... and Dai Huabin."

Qi Xuan pressed on. "As far as I know, the White Tiger Duke has an eldest legitimate son, Dai Yueheng, who's studying in the Inner Court right now. Will you take revenge on him too?"

Huo Yuhao hesitated. His eldest brother had left home to study at an early age, and the two of them had barely interacted.

But a glint of resolve still flashed in his eyes. "Yes!"

"What about the others in the Duke's Mansion, the servants and menial workers who bullied you and your mother? Will you take revenge on them?"

Huo Yuhao froze again. Under Qi Xuan's cold questioning, even some of his hatred momentarily dissipated.

Qi Xuan was not finished. "The White Tiger Duke is the most important military authority in the Star Luo Empire. If the Star Luo Emperor decides to shield the Duke's Mansion, should we take revenge on the entire Star Luo Empire?"

"Brother Xuan, enough." Huo Yuhao raised his head. The tears that had stopped came surging from his purple Spirit Eyes again. "Three people. Just three."

"The White Tiger Duke, the duchess, and Dai Huabin. Those three alone. I can never forgive them."

"If Dai Yueheng comes to take revenge on me afterward, I'll fight him to the death in the arena."

"Yuhao, I've never wanted you to give up on revenge." Qi Xuan sat on his own bed and looked straight into those beautiful eyes. "Quite the opposite. I know all your efforts have been for this."

"I only want to ask you: what if, one day, you want to give up on revenge?"

"That day will never come!" Huo Yuhao shouted himself hoarse. "I cannot share the same sky with my mother's killers!"

"Well said, Yuhao." Qi Xuan took his hand. "Remember everything you said today."

"In the future, you may go through many things and encounter many difficulties, perhaps beyond anything you can imagine. But no matter how great the pressure or how strong the resistance, even if you must make an agonizing choice between two impossible options, don't forget the conversation we had today."

"This is the foundation that made you Huo Yuhao. This is who you, Huo Yuhao, truly are." Qi Xuan stressed the word "Huo."

"As long as you haven't given up, I will be by your side."

"Get a good night's sleep, Yuhao. Tomorrow will be the first step in your revenge."

The resentment he had accumulated for twelve years had finally erupted. For once, Huo Yuhao did not cultivate. He wrapped himself in his quilt and fell asleep fully dressed.

In his dreams, he saw his mother again, and the brief childhood that had been poor yet warm.

The next morning, it was Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, who had slept badly from worrying too much, who waited outside their dorm room bright and early.

Only when they saw that Huo Yuhao had returned to normal did the two girls relax.

Wang Dong casually patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder. "You scared me to death yesterday... what happened to you?"

Wang Dong was startled to discover that Huo Yuhao's vitality and spirit-his entire condition-had suddenly risen by a huge margin. In that brief moment of contact, their Haodong Power had circulated fifty percent faster than it had a few days ago!

Even Huo Yuhao himself seemed a little sunnier, and the soul power flowing through him had actually broken through to level nineteen!

Huo Yuhao cupped his hands. "Sorry to have worried you two heroines. I just figured a few things out."

He took Wang Dong's hand in turn, feeling the Haodong Power surge and roll through their bodies in an endless cycle, gradually fusing their auras in a single furnace.

Wang Dong's cheeks flushed. She tried to pull her hand away but failed.

Then she heard the most solemn request Huo Yuhao had ever made of her:

"I'm counting on you, Wang Dong. Please help me defeat Dai Huabin."