Of his several sons, Dai Hao only paid much attention to Dai Yueheng.
As for Huo Yun'er and her two sons,
in his eyes, they were nothing more than a lowly servant with a White Tiger Dagger and two illegitimate sons unfit to be seen in public.
He had never imagined
that his illegitimate son Dai Lingfeng would bring him such an enormous surprise.
"Lingfeng."
"You suffered while your father was away from home."
"It was all my fault. I was busy guarding the border and defending the country, and I neglected you and your mother."
Dai Hao's mind raced, and he immediately began playing the emotional card.
Dai Lingfeng had certainly awakened Twin Martial Souls, the White Tiger and the Hell Spirit Cat. The clan leader had no reason to lie to him.
Such a heaven's chosen,
a masterpiece embodying the culmination of ten thousand years of intermarriage between the Dai and Zhu families,
was actually his son!
Although Dai Hao looked down on Huo Yun'er, he was certainly proud and honored to have a son like Dai Lingfeng.
With both the White Tiger and the Hell Spirit Cat Martial Souls in one person, it was no exaggeration to say that his son had the makings of a god!
With such an outstanding son,
Dai Hao naturally had to strengthen their bond. He couldn't let father and son grow distant, could he?
He had his own unspoken difficulties when he mistreated Dai Lingfeng, his mother, and his brother before: he had been protecting his home and country.
Now he was back,
and he would never let his son suffer the slightest injustice again!
"I understand. You sacrificed your own family for the sake of everyone."
"I haven't suffered. What you do is the great work of protecting our home and country."
Dai Lingfeng spoke indifferently.
Dai Hao really took him for a six-year-old.
Those crocodile tears might fool Huo Yuhao, but they were useless against him.
"Good boy."
"You really are my son. You understand what matters."
Dai Hao forced a smile as he embraced Dai Lingfeng.
His son hadn't cried or thrown a tantrum. Instead, he was so sensible that Dai Hao felt uneasy.
That meant Dai Lingfeng wasn't an easily fooled child. He had grown up and matured.
Grown children weren't close to their parents...
"All right, stop putting on an act. I'll make this clear right now: only Lingfeng can inherit the title of White Tiger Duke."
The White Tiger clan leader snorted, pushed Dai Hao aside, and spoke irritably.
"Of course."
Dai Hao chuckled ingratiatingly.
He didn't have much affection for any of his sons and viewed them more as investments. With Dai Lingfeng being so outstanding, his heart immediately tilted in his favor.
"Lingfeng and the others suffered during the years I was away."
"Clan leader, should I elevate Yun'er to a noble concubine or a coequal wife, and give her and the boys a recognized status?"
Dai Hao brought the matter up himself,
trying to curry favor with Dai Lingfeng.
He felt guilty about the way he had treated Dai Lingfeng, his mother, and his brother. Now that Dai Lingfeng had displayed his talent, Dai Hao naturally wanted to make amends as quickly as possible.
"Did you need to tell me that?"
"I've already had Lingfeng acknowledged by the clan and restored to his ancestral line. As for Yuhao and their mother..."
The clan leader repeated what Dai Lingfeng had just said.
Dai Hao frowned too.
It was indeed a little troublesome.
He couldn't tell whether Dai Lingfeng had said the opposite of what he meant in anger, or whether he truly wanted to sever ties with Huo Yuhao and Huo Yun'er.
"What about Yuhao?"
"Lingfeng is so talented, and Yuhao is his twin brother. His talent shouldn't be bad either, right?"
Dai Hao secretly transmitted his voice to the clan leader. He was dreaming big.
Good things came in pairs.
With Dai Lingfeng's heaven-defying talent, having Huo Yuhao turn out about the same would be ideal.
"His Martial Soul is his eyes. Innate Soul Power, rank one."
The White Tiger clan leader sighed, clicking his tongue in wonder as well.
Of these twin brothers,
one was a super genius and the other a super trash. They were two absolute extremes.
"Innate Soul Power, rank one?"
"His Martial Soul isn't the White Tiger?"
"No wonder Lingfeng won't allow his younger brother to receive preferential treatment. He's trash."
Dai Hao frowned, his excitement instantly dampened.
Innate Soul Power at rank one-
he would be ashamed even to say it aloud. Trash like that wasn't worthy of being his son.
Dai Lingfeng was right.
To Dai Lingfeng, Huo Yuhao would be the only blemish on his otherwise perfect life!
"All right, stay here for a few days."
"Once Lingfeng has fully absorbed the Mystic Water Pill's medicinal effects, he'll absorb the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. Then I'll return to the Duke's Mansion with you."
"You have something to do these next few days too."
"Find a Defensive Soul Tool and a Flying Soul Tool for Lingfeng to protect himself and escape with."
The White Tiger clan leader outsourced the task he'd received from Dai Lingfeng to Dai Hao.
"Yes."
Dai Hao felt he owed his son a great deal and was eager to prove himself. One was willing to strike, and the other was willing to take the blow.
The White Tiger clan leader still didn't trust Dai Hao.
He hadn't even told Dai Hao about the God of War's inheritance.
The two men's dealings behind the scenes did nothing to disturb Dai Lingfeng's emperor-like life.
Over the following days, he indulged in the wicked life of a feudal noble with a vengeance.
Six days passed in the blink of an eye.
The medicinal power of the Mystic Water Pill remaining in his body had finally been fully refined.
The White Tiger clan leader immediately brought over the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. He had also invited a fire-attribute Soul Master to help refine the Whale Rubber and assist Dai Lingfeng in taking it.
The fishy, scalding Whale Rubber entered Dai Lingfeng's mouth, and his Qi immediately surged.
The White Tiger Martial Soul was already the epitome of hardness and yang.
Taking the Whale Rubber was like pouring oil on a blazing fire, making its medicinal effects even fiercer.
"Should we find him a pair of twins?"
Dai Hao suggested as he watched his son suffer.
When the Whale Rubber's side effects kicked in, they were extremely painful. At a time like this, one could find some twins to ease them.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"He's only six."
"Use ice water to ease the Whale Rubber's medicinal effects."
The White Tiger clan leader gave Dai Hao a hard rap on the head.
Getting twins for a child so young.
Dai Hao really was a good father!
"I was just so concerned I lost my head."
Dai Hao scratched his head in embarrassment, fetched some ice water, and came before Dai Lingfeng, whose whole body was red as a boiled shrimp.
He poured it straight over his head and face.
Sizzle!
A great quantity of ice water instantly evaporated into steam, filling the room with a hazy mist.
The White Tiger clan leader also brought out some ice-attribute heavenly treasures and arranged them around the room. Apart from physically cooling him down, they had no better solution.
Fortunately, Dai Lingfeng was very young.
The Whale Rubber's side effects were greatly diminished in him, and he only had to endure them until they passed.
[God of Speed's First Trial: Absorb a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. Completed.] [Reward obtained: Self-Adaptive Perfect God-Given Soul Ring!]
After absorbing the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, he had also completed the first Divine Examination Zhu Zhuqing had given him.
With the God-Given Soul Ring in hand,
Dai Lingfeng didn't hesitate and immediately began absorbing it.
He had never absorbed a Soul Ring before, but this God-Given Soul Ring did feel different to him. It was like a blank sheet of paper, with the pen in his hand.
The Soul Skill that formed depended to a great extent on Dai Lingfeng's own wishes.
He thought it over.
His first few Soul Skills would ideally be enhancement skills, but using this Self-Adaptive Soul Ring to generate one would be a terrible waste of something so valuable.
In the end, Dai Lingfeng generated a status-type Soul Skill:
Shadow Stealth!
The Hell Spirit Cat turned into a shadow and moved stealthily through shadows, like the Shadowkhan from Jackie Chan Adventures.
He couldn't attack while in stealth, but he was also invincible.
In this version, he could simply ignore a Soul Tool's suppressive fire.