The princess the White Tiger Duke had mentioned, Xu Jiujiu, was the current Star Luo Emperor's youngest sister.
"Forget it. I already owe her too much. I won't trouble her any further," Huo Yuhao said calmly, recalling his first meeting with Xu Jiujiu.
Back then, he had resolved to confront the White Tiger Duke face-to-face, but he had no idea where to go.
It was laughable. The White Tiger Duke was commanding troops on the front lines. How could he possibly find him all alone?
Huo Yuhao had no cheat abilities or golden fingers like some transmigrator.
What could he do?
After thinking it through calmly, a mad idea had surfaced in Huo Yuhao's mind.
Make a scene!
He didn't know where the White Tiger Duke was, but someone had to know. All he needed to do was draw those people's attention!
With that thought in mind, Huo Yuhao had headed toward the Star Luo Empire's Imperial Palace, his eyes icy.
In the end, it had been a flight of fancy. He couldn't even get within sight of the palace gates, but he had met someone.
"Little brother, you can't just barge into the Imperial Palace. I'll forgive you this time."
"Huh? You're looking for the White Tiger Duke? Then you should go to the Duke's Mansion. Besides, the White Tiger Duke is away fighting for the Star Luo Empire right now. You won't find him."
"He's your father? What do you want to see him for?"
"I see. It's for your mother?"
Xu Jiujiu had stared blankly at the boy, who was three or four years younger than her.
He was no genius, and he was still very young, but the resolve in his eyes was frightening. Neither battle-hardened soldiers nor the senior Titled Douluo serving the palace had eyes like his.
An inexplicable sense of unease and guilt had risen in Xu Jiujiu's heart. She couldn't bear to refuse anything this boy asked of her.
"I'm sorry. I really want to help you, but I can't leave Star Luo City."
"That's all right. Can you tell me where Dai Hao is now?" Huo Yuhao had smiled unconcernedly and continued asking.
After hesitating again and again, Xu Jiujiu had finally made up her mind and given him a map. It marked the current positions of the Star Luo Empire's troops, and the White Tiger Duke's location was plainly shown.
"Thanks. I'll treat you to a meal when I get back."
Huo Yuhao had left with the map.
Xu Jiujiu had watched him leave in a daze. Recalling the resolve in the boy's eyes, she had believed, for no reason she could explain, that he would surely find the White Tiger Duke on the distant frontier.
Within a few days, Huo Yuhao had returned, and the White Tiger Duke had come back with him.
"Her Highness the princess has arrived!"
A few weeks later, when the Duke's Mansion welcomed Princess Jiujiu for a visit-
"May I ask what brings Your Highness to see me?"
"What? Weren't you the one who said you'd treat me to a meal?"
That was how Huo Yuhao and Xu Jiujiu had met.
Afterward, Princess Jiujiu had helped him a great deal. With her mediating between them, the Duchess's hostility toward Huo Yuhao had also lessened considerably. At least, she had restrained herself in public.
Going to the Star Luo Royal Academy was a fallback option.
"We'll see," Huo Yuhao said. "What's the third path?"
"Shrek Academy!" the White Tiger Duke said.
Shrek Academy?
Hearing that name, Huo Yuhao couldn't help frowning slightly.
It was a sacred destination in the hearts of young Soul Masters across the continent, hailed as the continent's finest academy.
Its vast resources and terrifying strength drew young Soul Masters from all over the continent like ducks flocking to water.
Ten thousand years had passed since its founding, and over those long years, it had nurtured countless powerful figures. Countless Titled Douluo, the strongest of Soul Masters, had emerged from its halls.
Shrek Academy had even produced beings above the level of Titled Douluo-gods!
The story of Sea God Tang San and the original Shrek Seven Devils was widely told across the continent.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "You think far too highly of me. What have I done to deserve a place at Shrek Academy?"
It wasn't as though he didn't know Shrek Academy's admission requirements.
Aside from the routine recommendations and letters of introduction, there were only two firm requirements for new students:
First, they could be no older than twelve.
Second, their Soul Power could be no lower than rank fifteen.
Shrek Academy's guiding principle was to nurture monsters!
Huo Yuhao was eleven that year, but his Soul Power was only rank ten. He simply didn't meet the admission standards.
"Take this."
The White Tiger Duke took out a stack of documents, neatly and securely packaged to keep the wind and rain from soaking them.
"What is this?" Huo Yuhao took the document pouch without opening it.
"This is proof of special admission to Shrek Academy, along with letters of introduction from the Duke's Mansion and Star Luo City."
"Our White Tiger lineage has longstanding ties with Shrek Academy," the White Tiger Duke explained. "Every year, they give the Duke's Mansion one special admission place exempt from the entrance examination. Take this to the admissions office, and you'll be able to enroll."
"So, slipping in through the back door..." Huo Yuhao smiled.
He had heard of this privilege of the Duke's Mansion, but it was rarely actually used.
His older brother Dai Yueheng had already studied at Shrek for several years. Barring any surprises, that brother of his, Dai Huabin, would also enroll without difficulty that year.
With their talent, they had no need for this place!
In previous years, the Duke's Mansion had traded this place with other nobles for favors. This year, however, the White Tiger Duke had kept it and used it for Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao's feelings were complicated.
To be honest, he didn't particularly want to accept Dai Hao's help.
Right now, he wanted to sever his ties with the Duke's Mansion as cleanly as possible.
But after thinking it over repeatedly, he accepted it anyway.
As far as he could remember, this was the first time Dai Hao had helped someone slip in through the back door.
"You didn't mention our relationship in the letters, did you?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"No." The White Tiger Duke shook his head. "I wrote that you were the orphan of a soldier who died serving in my army, and that this place was being used to provide relief for the soldiers' families."
"You certainly thought it through." Huo Yuhao shrugged and put away the documents. "All right. In that case, I'll go take a look at this Shrek Academy."
"Shrek Academy demands a great deal of its students," the White Tiger Duke cautioned. "Countless students leave every year, but I believe in you."
He looked firmly at Huo Yuhao.
This young man possessed resolve and resilience far beyond those of ordinary people.
Yet Huo Yuhao replied coldly, "Then I'll leave. What, would leaving an academy mean I couldn't go on living?"
Huo Yuhao's resilience only showed itself when it came to things he cared about. Toward everything else, he remained indifferent.
"When are you going to hunt for a Soul Ring?" the White Tiger Duke asked again. "Soul Beasts with a mental attribute are extremely rare. You could first look for a suitable ice-attribute Soul Beast. I can arrange-"
"No need. I'll take care of my Soul Ring myself," Huo Yuhao said flatly. "You don't need to worry about me anymore."
The White Tiger Duke opened his mouth but said nothing.
Every ten ranks, a Soul Master had to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain a Soul Ring before advancing to the next rank. Since Soul Rings granted Soul Skills, naturally, the stronger they were, the better.
How could Yuhao possibly obtain a Soul Ring of sufficient quality on his own?
"Although my Martial Soul is my eyes, I'm not actually all that perceptive, and Spirit Eyes doesn't exactly roll off the tongue," Huo Yuhao murmured to the gravestone. "Don't you think Demon Eyes sounds a little cooler?"
His tone was earnest, as though he really were discussing it with the deceased Huo Yun'er.
"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes~"
Now, Huo Yuhao sounded lighthearted and playful, with an easy smile on his face.
The White Tiger Duke sighed softly. He knew this child's maturity far surpassed that of ordinary people, despite his appearance.
Whoosh-
The rain suddenly grew heavier again. It looked as though a downpour was coming, one that wouldn't end anytime soon.
"I'm leaving." Huo Yuhao straightened his clothes.
The White Tiger Duke knew he wasn't merely leaving this place. He was leaving the Duke's Mansion as well.
He couldn't help feeling sorrow and reluctance. It wasn't only guilt; as a soldier, he deeply admired Huo Yuhao's resolve and inner strength.
Sadly, the fragile connection between him and Huo Yuhao rested entirely on Huo Yun'er, who was already dead.
The White Tiger Duke offered one final reminder. "Once you're at Shrek Academy, you can go to Huabin and Yueheng if you run into trouble. The same blood flows through your veins, after all."
"Don't worry about that. We get along better than you think."
As they spoke, Huo Yuhao had already walked several steps away.
Watching the child's retreating back, the White Tiger Duke felt melancholy fill his heart. He shouted, "You're still young. Walk the road ahead of you well!"
Huo Yuhao stopped, paused for two seconds, then continued forward.
"I am still young!"
"But I already know what life means!"
"May we never meet again, Lord White Tiger Duke!"
At Huo Yuhao's farewell, the White Tiger Duke fell silent. He wanted to offer a few last words of advice, but tender family affection didn't seem to be his strength.
In the end, his thousand words became a single sentence.
"Yuhao, take care of yourself. Don't catch a cold."
Huo Yuhao stopped again. The faintest hint of a smile touched his lips, then he shook his head helplessly and changed his farewell:
"If fate allows, we'll meet again!"
With that, his figure slowly vanished into the rain.
The White Tiger Duke watched him leave, then let out a long sigh and turned toward the gravestone, his expression mournful and conflicted.