[Early morning, outside the girls' dormitory]
The morning mist had not yet dissipated when Huo Yuhao stood in front of Jiang Nannan's dormitory, his fingertips hovering in mid-air, unable to fall. He took a deep breath and finally gently knocked on the door.
"Creak--" The door opened, Jiang Nannan, with her long golden hair loose, instantly woke up the moment she saw Huo Yuhao, her sleepy eyes widening. " Yuhao? So early..."
"Sorry to bother you," Huo Yuhao said in a low voice. "Regarding what you said yesterday... I need to know more details." He saw the girl's back straighten instantly and quickly added, "Just the time, place, and cause."
Jiang Nannan twisted the sash of her bathrobe, her voice barely audible. " Dou Ling Empire, xxxx year... Xuanming Sect..." Each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.
Huo Yuhao suddenly clutched his forehead, his brows furrowed. "To be honest... my head has been throbbing ever since I got back yesterday. It's like I've been recalling some fragments of memories..." He deliberately made his voice erratic, "... a blonde girl who looks a lot like my senior..."
This half-truth, half-lie sent a shiver down Jiang Nannan's spine. She grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh. "You... you really remember?" Her voice trembled with disbelief, but her eyes shone with an astonishing light.
Huo Yuhao could clearly feel her accelerated heartbeat and the suppressed anticipation she had carried for so many years. He sighed inwardly, but had no choice but to continue this white lie, "It's just some fragments... very blurry..."
Huo Yuhao stared at the information recorded in his hand, the ink stains particularly glaring in the sunlight. " Xuanming Sect..." he murmured the name, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.
In the Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux said with concern, "Kid, you wouldn't really be going to..."
"Since you dared to do such a thing," Huo Yuhao sneered as he put away the note, frost spreading along his fingertips, "You should be prepared to pay the price."
He recalled Jiang Nannan's smile, which was more like a grimace, as she recounted her story, and his eyes flashed with even colder light. The temperature around the dormitory suddenly dropped, and fine ice crystals condensed on the ground.
"If they obediently release them, that's fine. But if they dare to obstruct us, then..." The young man rose, bringing with him a gust of cold wind, "I'll severely damage this sect. Anyway, those who use other people's innocence as a means to Martial Soul Evolution, I don't think they're any good people (original version: I'll make this filthy sect disappear forever)."
Huo Yuhao stood in the center of the Time Sea of Consciousness, surrounded by endless starry rivers, with countless timelines flowing around him like ribbons. He took a deep breath, his gaze resolute.
"This time, I'm determined to change her fate."
He closed his eyes, and the time and place Jiang Nannan had described appeared in his mind— the Dou Ling Empire, the Xuanming Sect. He had to return to that exact point in time, or all his efforts would be in vain.
This time, Huo Yuhao took the initiative to go to a time he wanted to go, so it was actually more difficult to control those fixed timelines.
"Don't be late..."
The power of time began to gather, and a white aura Entanglement him, gradually forming a massive spacetime vortex. The enormous clock of time tolled, and its indicators receded, the booming sound reverberating throughout the entire Sea of Consciousness.
Clang--clang--clang--
With each chime of the bell, the power of time surged even more violently. Huo Yuhao could feel the pull of spacetime, as if an invisible force was tearing at his body and soul. But he did not back down; instead, he resolutely stepped into the vortex.
Dou Ling Empire: Past Timeline
The world before him suddenly shifted, Huo Yuhao found himself on a street in the Dou Ling Empire. He quickly adjusted his breathing to confirm that he had not been teleported to the wrong time.
"Success!"
He immediately donned a large black robe and a featureless mask, completely concealing his presence. Now, he had to find Jiang Nannan and Xu Sanshi's location as soon as possible.
" The Xuanming Sect... truly a hidden sect, it's kept its secrets very well."
He closed his eyes, his divine sense spreading like a tide, covering the entire city, so finding their location was not difficult. Soon, he locked onto Xu Sanshi's aura—a fifteen-year-old boy, accompanied by a fawning page.
"Found him! Now that we've found Xu Sanshi, we can pinpoint Jiang Nannan's location."
Xu Sanshi and his personal page, Chen Wen, were talking as they walked in one direction.
Huo Yuhao flashed forward and quietly followed.
Xu Sanshi was walking side by side with his personal page, Chen Wen. Chen Wen wore a fawning, lewd smile.
"Second Young Master, everything has been arranged for you. Please come with me!"
Xu Sanshi seemed a little confused, but he didn't think much of it. He simply nodded and followed Chen Wen forward.
Huo Yuhao remained hidden in the shadows, his gaze icy.
"Today is your fifteenth birthday, young master!" Chen Wen lowered his voice, his smile becoming increasingly lewd. "Hehe, this time I've found you a top-notch beauty, guaranteed to satisfy you!"
Xu Sanshi frowned, seemingly not quite understanding what he meant, but didn't ask any further questions.
A cold glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
"Top-notch? Ha... Anyone who says something like that is no good either."
He had already sentenced Chen Wen to death in his heart. "I'll deal with him when the time comes," he thought. But then he reconsidered, "Never mind, I shouldn't alert him."
Soon, they arrived at a secluded pavilion. The lanterns emitted an ambiguous pink glow, seemingly elegant, yet exuding a sinister atmosphere.
Chen Wen pointed to a small hut in the corner and whispered:
"Second Young Master, according to the rules of our Xuanming Sect, all direct male members of our sect who possess Martial Soul must undergo an additional special awakening ceremony at the age of fifteen."
He leaned closer to Xu Sanshi, his tone seductive:
"This awakening is extremely important for you! If successful, your Martial Soul may evolve into the Black Tortoise Shield, at which point you will be the first heir to the family headship!"
A hint of hesitation flashed in Xu Sanshi's eyes, but after all, he didn't know what this special awakening was. However, he seemed to value it highly, because he didn't care about the price since he didn't know what it would cost.
This special inheritance ceremony requires the person to be fifteen years old and a virgin. It was through the efforts of countless predecessors of the Xuanming Sect that this ceremony came about.
This is indeed a dishonorable thing to do, but as the face of a reclusive sect, they have no choice but to do so in order to continue their lineage.
Therefore, when outstanding disciples of the Xuanming Sect encounter such situations, they will seek out girls from virtuous families and, with complete willingness, pay money—in short, sell themselves into servitude.
Of course, one can also join a sect and become a concubine; if the relationship is good, she can become a wife; if not, one can simply take money.
These are the rules of the Xuanming Sect.
As for Xu Sanshi, being the most likely candidate to awaken the Black Tortoise Martial Soul, the sect would conduct a rigorous selection process, which is why Jiang Nannan was chosen instead.
Huo Yuhao stood in the shadows, his fists clenched.
"As expected... this is the place."
He knew that Jiang Nannan must be in that room. Huo Yuhao hid in the shadows, his gaze coldly fixed on Chen Wen and Xu Sanshi.
" Xuanming Sect... truly just a 'willing' transaction?" he sneered inwardly. "Or are they actually forcing people into prostitution? Even if not, if they do this kind of thing often enough, forcing people into prostitution shouldn't be a rare occurrence."
But now is not the time to delve into it.
Saving lives is the priority.
"This time, I will not let the tragedy repeat itself."
He vanished into the darkness in a flash.
P. S.: "There will be more special episodes like this later. After all, time-based expansion is very versatile; it's basically like patching up existing content or adding dedicated storylines. There will definitely be episodes focusing on specific characters. I wonder which character everyone likes?"