Huo Yuhao stepped down from the carriage and surveyed the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace with considerable curiosity.
The palace complex glittered with gold and jade, its glazed tiles seeming to bathe in a layer of blazing fire beneath the setting sun.
The passage beneath his feet was paved with white jade. Every ten paces stood a statue, some holding swords, some glaring fiercely, and others deep in concentration.
These were the likenesses of the Heaven Dou Empire's powerful figures throughout the ages.
Beneath the statues, armored guards stood ramrod straight in a particular formation. Powerful soul power fluctuations radiated from every one of them; they were at least Soul Kings.
Moreover, each wore an oddly shaped Soul Guidance Ray Gun at his waist, giving off a faint aura of danger.
"The Heavenly Soul Royal Family truly has deep reserves," Huo Yuhao could not help marveling.
He could tell that all these guards were positioned according to some kind of formation. If anything unusual happened, they could react swiftly.
Mo Feng led everyone through the palace gates, and the guards on either side saluted Du Busi in perfect unison.
However, their gazes all lingered briefly on Huo Yuhao at the end, revealing their curiosity.
They had all heard that the Body Sect had recently gained a new disciple with twin martial souls possessing an ultimate attribute, someone very likely to become the pillar that steadied the Heaven Dou Empire's seas in the future. Presumably, this was him.
"Sect Master Du has arrived-"
At the attendant's loud announcement, Du Busi stopped.
He came over to Huo Yuhao and said, "Old Jin, Hong Yue, and I will take Xuan Zi and Qingying Douluo to see His Majesty. Go with Old Xue and Old Bai to the Heavenly Star Hall and wait for me."
Huo Yuhao nodded in agreement.
When the Heaven Dou Royal Knights had greeted them at the city gates, the other members of the Body Sect had already returned to the sect.
Only the two Titled Douluo, Xue Yang and Bai Ming, had stayed at Du Busi's signal, responsible for protecting Huo Yuhao and keeping watch over Ma Xiaotao.
After Du Busi and the others left with Mo Feng, Mu Yun, deputy commander of the Heaven Dou Royal Knights, stepped forward.
He bowed slightly to Xue Yang and Bai Ming, then cupped his fist toward Huo Yuhao. "Honored guests, please follow me."
Huo Yuhao and the others followed Mu Yun through one palace gate after another.
Compared with Mo Feng, Mu Yun was very talkative, chatting with Huo Yuhao and the others all along the way.
Before long, Huo Yuhao had learned that he came from the Snow Demon Sect, a subordinate sect of the Body Sect, and that he had an exceptionally talented daughter named Mu Xue.
"Xiao Xue is quite close to Princess Vina," Mu Yun told Huo Yuhao with a genial smile. "When you meet her someday, young Huo, please give her some pointers."
Ma Xiaotao walked at the rear of the group, looking rather glum.
The last time she had visited the Heaven Dou Empire had been during the Soul Master Tournament.
However, she had not competed as a member of the Shrek Team then, but had watched from the spectator stands.
At last, when everyone reached a circular hall, Mu Yun stopped.
He turned and said, "Please wait here. His Majesty has decreed that once Sect Master Du finishes discussing Shrek Academy's attack on Di'ao Academy, he will grant young Huo an audience."
"Refreshments have already been prepared inside the Heavenly Star Hall. Should you need anything else, the guards at the entrance are at your disposal."
Huo Yuhao nodded, unsurprised that the Heaven Dou Emperor wanted to see him.
The Heavenly Star Hall was elegantly furnished, with portraits of soul masters who had contributed to the Heaven Dou Empire throughout the ages hanging on its walls.
Huo Yuhao noticed that the oldest of these portraits actually dated back to the Heaven Dou Empire of ten thousand years ago.
"It seems Heaven Dou and the Dou Ling Empire are still competing for the mantle of Heaven Dou's legitimate successor."
He stood before a portrait prominently labeled Ning Fengzhi. "Why else would they still hang portraits of people from ten thousand years ago?"
Xue Yang and Bai Ming sat down casually in their chairs.
Crossing one leg over the other, Bai Ming beckoned to Huo Yuhao. "Little Yuhao, come, come. Hurry over and try this."
"This is Eight-Treasure Crystal Cake specially made by the imperial chefs. It can raise a soul master's soul power level a tiny bit. No amount of money can buy it outside."
Huo Yuhao took the pastry and bit into it, finding that it melted in his mouth, sweet but not cloying.
His eyes lit up. "It really is delicious!"
Although he had spent more than a decade on the Tianxuan Continent in his dream, Huo Yuhao was ultimately only an eleven-year-old child, and thus especially fond of sweets like these.
Bai Ming watched Huo Yuhao with a beaming smile.
As for Xue Yang, he slid Ma Xiaotao's share of the pastries in front of Huo Yuhao without a change in expression. "Eat more if you like them. There's more if that isn't enough."
Ma Xiaotao glared at Xue Yang in considerable displeasure.
Xue Yang could not even be bothered to lift his eyelids.
Ma Xiaotao drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart without lashing out.
She understood that one had to bow one's head beneath another's eaves. Besides, she was now in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, where every word and action of hers represented Shrek Academy's image, so she did not dare act recklessly.
"Elders," Huo Yuhao said as he poured tea for Xue Yang and Bai Ming, "how do you think His Majesty will deal with Shrek Academy this time?"
"Shrek is, after all, the continent's foremost academy, and calls itself the soul master holy land. If it's punished severely, I'm afraid those powerful figures in the three great empires who graduated from Shrek will..."
Xue Yang gave Huo Yuhao a surprised look. "Little Yuhao, you can see that much?"
Huo Yuhao smiled. "I did come from there, after all. I understand something of the personal ties and reasoning involved in these matters."
Ma Xiaotao took note of Huo Yuhao's words.
Huo Yuhao paid no mind to Ma Xiaotao quietly shifting her chair. Since he dared say it aloud, that meant he was not afraid of what the White Tiger Duke's Mansion might do in the future.
Bai Ming accepted the teacup Huo Yuhao handed him, tapping his fingers intermittently against the tabletop.
He glanced sidelong at Ma Xiaotao and said, "The three great empires have struggled against one another in secret for years, while the Sun Moon Empire watches like a tiger from outside. So I suspect His Majesty will focus on monitoring Shrek Academy and giving it a warning this time."
"Shrek has stretched its hands too far these past years." Xue Yang sneered. "Under the slogan of nurturing talent, they've been raking all the promising youngsters from the great families into their own arms. His Majesty has long been displeased."
"But exactly how they're dealt with will still depend on His Majesty."
Ma Xiaotao finally could not hold back.
She slammed the table and sprang to her feet, rebuking them furiously. "Nonsense! Shrek nurtures talent regardless of national borders or family, dedicating itself to furthering the peaceful development of the soul master world. You're slandering us!"
"Regardless of national borders, is it? I think your evil fire has gotten into your brain for you to spout such rubbish."
A cold gleam flashed in Bai Ming's eyes. "Your Shrek Inspection Corps supposedly monitors the evil soul masters running increasingly rampant across the continent. So why, behind the scenes, does it spend more time watching the nobles of every country?"
"And don't tell me all the nobles of our Heaven Dou are evil soul masters."
"Besides, how many people does your Inspection Corps even have, to dare claim it monitors the continent? Where did you get the nerve to say those words? Don't forget, you're an academy, not an empire!"
Xue Yang tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingers. "Little girl, don't forget that your Xuan Zi is still with His Majesty, awaiting punishment."
Those words were like a basin of icy water poured over Ma Xiaotao's head.
If she acted outrageously in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, not only would she be unable to escape punishment, she would also implicate the detained Xuan Zi.
She gritted her teeth and returned to her seat, the stubbornness in her eyes not diminishing in the slightest.
Just then, a soft knock came at the tightly closed palace doors.
A red-robed attendant entered with a bow. "His Majesty's verbal decree: summon Huo Yuhao, disciple of the Body Sect, for an immediate audience."