Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon. The final match between Huo Yuhao's team and Dai Huabin's team was about to begin.
Dai Huabin still hadn't completely recovered from his morning confrontation with Furina. Her series of actions were truly difficult for him to let go of:
From the initial contempt of not taking them seriously at all, to the repeated humiliations during the fight, and then to the mockery of actively jumping off the stage to forfeit when victory was clearly within her grasp...
Although they were eventually declared the winners, in the eyes of others, this victory had become a joke: "If Furina hadn't forfeited, Dai Huabin wouldn't have even made it to the finals." Whether it was Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, or Cui Yajie, they all had a fire burning in their hearts.
Dai Huabin had already made up his mind: in this final, he had to give his all from the very start and could not afford to lose again. He was determined to let everyone see their true strength.
Moreover, Huo Yuhao's team was by no means weak; their process of defeating other three-ring Soul Ancestor teams was even easier than Dai Huabin's side. If he didn't bring out his trump card, the "Hell White Tiger," from the start, he might very well fail miserably and lose directly.
...
The two teams took the stage one after another and briefly announced their names.
"Huo Yuhao."
"Wang Dong."
"Xiao Xiao."
"Dai Huabin."
"Zhu Lu."
"Cui Yajie."
The referee raised his arm and shouted, "Match—begin!"
Just as Dai Huabin revealed his Martial Soul and spirit rings, preparing to immediately perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill with Zhu Lu, Huo Yuhao's cool voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his movements:
"Dai Huabin, do you still remember me?"
Huo Yuhao's gaze was like ice, piercing straight at his opponent.
Dai Huabin frowned slightly. "This is our first time meeting, isn't it?"
In his memory, this was indeed the first time he had seen Huo Yuhao. As for that Dai Yuhao from years ago in the White Tiger Dukes Mansion, who always followed a lowly servant woman, he was nothing more than a blurry shadow in his mind.
He only vaguely remembered such a person existed, but their appearance and name had long been forgotten. Especially after the boy and that servant woman left the Dukes Mansion, he hadn't spared them a single thought.
Huo Yuhao had long expected such a reaction. After all, back then, he was just the son of a slave. The Martial Soul he awakened wasn't the White Tiger either, but a mutated Body Martial Soul, the "Spirit Eyes." Naturally, he wouldn't catch the eye of this direct-line young master.
It was also because of this that he and his mother suffered endless humiliation in the mansion. Whenever Dai Huabin or his mother, the Duchess, felt even slightly displeased—or even if they just glanced at them while passing by—servants would come to "teach them a lesson."
But today was different from the past.
He had undergone a complete transformation, breaking free from the shackles of the White Tiger Dukes Mansion, and his mother was now living a stable and happy life. Since Dai Huabin couldn't recognize him, he would make sure the other boy "re-acquainted" himself with him.
And then, he would properly return everything he had suffered in the past, piece by piece.
Huo Yuhao's tone was flat, yet every word was clear: "White Tiger Dukes Mansion. Mutated Martial Soul youth. Huo Yuner."
Hearing this, Dai Huabin suddenly fell into silence.
Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly and spoke again. "What? After so many hints, you still can't remember?"
Dai Huabin's pupils contracted sharply as he finally pulled an almost vanished shadow from the depths of his memory—
"Dai Yuhao?! It's you!?"
The corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth curled up slightly. "That's right, it's me. But my surname isn't Dai anymore; it's Huo. Huo Yuhao."
Dai Huabin's face was filled with unbelievable shock. "How is this possible?! Your Innate Soul Power was only rank one! It's only been a little over a year since you left the Dukes Mansion; back then, you weren't even at rank ten!"
His voice rose unconsciously, almost questioning, "What kind of fortuitous encounter did you get? To be able to rush to over rank thirty in just one year, and to have such... such irrational spirit rings? You must be joking, right?!"
Not just Dai Huabin, even the teachers and students in the audience who heard these words couldn't help but break into an uproar.
What kind of concept was this? Rank one Innate Soul Power was the worst possible Aptitude, yet this person had relied on such Aptitude to leap from rank nine Soul Power to over rank thirty in a single year, and even possessed such an irrational spirit ring configuration.
Unless he had obtained a heaven-defying fortuitous encounter, the only other possibility was that his talent had been completely hidden before—and the probability of the latter was almost zero.
On the high platform, Yan Shaozhe's brow was furrowed, his heart similarly turbulent. "The Axis Cult has such methods? Or is this Huo Yuhao truly gifted with an extraordinary physique and talent? But rank one Innate Soul Power... no matter what, one shouldn't be able to reach such a Realm in a year."
He murmured in a low voice, "Even if he took a profound water pill, a soul ascension pill, or even rarer Medicinal Pills, he might not necessarily be able to achieve this, right?"
Du Weilun lowered his voice beside him. "Could it be... they possess Heaven And Earth Treasures of the ten-thousand or even hundred-thousand-year level? There might even be high-age Spirit Bone enhancements?"
Yan Shaozhe nodded slowly. "That is indeed a possibility. If that's the case, the foundation of the Axis Cult... is likely unfathomable."
Elder Xuan, who was watching from below, also stroked his beard in silence, a look of gravity flashing in his eyes. At this point, he finally understood why Elder Mu held the Axis Cult in such high regard—an organization with such foundation and methods indeed deserved that old man's special attention.
...
Huo Yuhao looked at Dai Huabin's face, which was slightly distorted from shock, and an indescribable sense of gratification welled up in his heart.
Taking advantage of the other's shaken state of mind, he spoke again, his words like a blade: "Didn't expect it, did you? The little nobody who was seen as an ant and bullied at will by you back then can now stand before you, and even achieve results more brilliant than yours."
His gaze swept over Dai Huabin's body, his tone gradually becoming mocking: "Look at you—the second young master of the White Tiger Dukes Mansion, possessing enviable status and talent, enjoying endless resources."
"But the result? Tsk tsk... you can't even compare to an illegitimate son like me, someone of humble birth who was only born because my mother happened to receive the Duke's pity. It's truly... ridiculous to the extreme!"
To be honest, Huo Yuhao could almost not help but laugh out loud.
At this moment, he finally understood a little why Furina always loved to act so pretentious. Because this feeling was truly satisfying. Especially when the target was a former enemy.
Unfortunately, Dai Huabin was still too weak. Perhaps he wouldn't even need to use his full strength before his opponent completely collapsed.
Whether it was the Martial Soul Fusion Skill 'Golden Road,' his Spiritual Shock and demon eyes, or even the Necromancy he had just learned from Elder Yi, or the frost power of his Second Martial Soul, the 'Ice Jade Empress Scorpion'—any one of them would be enough to make Dai Huabin lose all ability to fight.
Dai Huabin's fists were clenched so tight his knuckles turned white, and his teeth ground together with a creaking sound.
To his ears, every word from Huo Yuhao was like a poisoned dagger stabbing ruthlessly into his proud heart. Compared to the other boy, it felt as if he was the one who was a complete and utter loser.
"Are you kidding me?!" Dai Huabin suddenly looked up, bloodshot eyes appearing. "Just you? You think you're worthy?!"
Huo Yuhao only smiled indifferently. "Believe it or not, it's up to you. I am the Dai Yuhao of back then, and the Huo Yuhao of today. By blood, we could be considered brothers; but by our grievances, you are only my enemy. Brothers? Between us, there never was such a thing."
"Brothers? You dare mention brothers!" Dai Huabin hissed and roared, "Your mother was just a lowly slave! And you are just a base-born bastard!"
After hearing this, not a hint of anger appeared on Huo Yuhao's face. This past year of tempering had already made his will as tough as steel; how could he be moved to anger by such crude provocation?
He gave a soft laugh, his tone even carrying a bit of pity: "Is that so? Then why don't you try to beat this 'bastard' first? If you can't even win against me... wouldn't that make you even worse than a bastard?"
"You—!" Dai Huabin completely lost control, grabbing Zhu Lu's wrist beside him with such force that she frowned in pain.
But Zhu Lu did not pull away. As long as it was Dai Huabin's request, she would always comply; after all, he was her recognized fiancé.
"Zhu Lu, use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill directly—Hell White Tiger!"
"...Okay!"
Huo Yuhao also turned to Wang Dong. In the moment their gazes met, everything was understood without words.
"Wang Dong, let's do it too."
"Okay!"
"Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Hell White Tiger / Golden Road!"
Almost simultaneously, two distinct yet equally astonishing lights erupted from both sides of the stage! Terrifying Soul Power fluctuations swept out like a tide, forcing the third members of each side, Xiao Xiao and Cui Yajie, to retreat hurriedly to avoid the brunt of it.
Du Weilun stood up abruptly, horror flashing in his eyes—especially from the radiance rising from Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's side. Whether in intensity or Aura, it clearly surpassed Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's "Hell White Tiger"!
"Not good!" His heart tightened. "I must stop them immediately! Otherwise, something terrible will happen!"
Before his voice had even faded, his figure shot toward the center of the stage like an arrow.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"