Xu Tianhao naturally didn't care about what was happening inside the Imperial Study.
But just as Xu Tianhao and the others were resting in their respective rooms, a knock sounded at Xu Tianhao's door.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Xu Tianhao stood up and slowly opened the door. What met his eyes was an eerie Rakshasa Mask.
Seeing this mask, Xu Tianhao raised an eyebrow.
He had watched the Mingluo Sect's matches and naturally had some understanding of this person.
Qiu Hetian. Spirit: Rakshasa Demon Eye, Level 59 control system Spirit King.
In truth, Xu Tianhao was quite interested in Qiu Hetian.
Because this was a character who had never appeared in the original work.
At the time, he thought that since the Star Luo Empire had moved the tournament reforms up by five years, it wasn't surprising for a few people who weren't in the original story to pop up within the Holy Spirit Cult.
Therefore, Xu Tianhao hadn't looked into it too deeply.
He was only Level 59; among those of the same level, Xu Tianhao's power against mental-type Spirit Masters was like a dimensional strike.
Even if the opponent was an Evil Soul Master, it was the same.
But Qiu Hetian taking the initiative to come to his door now was something Xu Tianhao hadn't expected.
Before Xu Tianhao could speak, the other party's raspy voice rang out: "Xu Tianhao, let's cooperate."
Facing such a blunt opening from Qiu Hetian, Xu Tianhao was stunned for a moment: "Cooperate?"
Xu Tianhao shook his head: "I don't think there's anything an Evil Soul Master and I can cooperate on."
It wasn't that Xu Tianhao was arrogant, but rather he truly possessed the strength to not take a mere Mingluo Sect seriously.
So what if they had three Evil Soul Emperors?
His side had the Angel, the Nether Spirit Master, the Sun, and the Martial Soul Fusion Skill of The Hongchen Siblings.
And then there was him, the cheater.
Xu Tianhao didn't think three mere Evil Soul Emperors from the Mingluo Sect could have any impact.
Qiu Hetian didn't care about Xu Tianhao's attitude; he looked inside the room: "May I come in?"
Xu Tianhao still shook his head: "No."
Qiu Hetian didn't get angry and continued: "What if I say I'm here to deal with Shrek?"
Xu Tianhao's attitude changed instantly: "Please, come in."
Qiu Hetian: "..."
Qiu Hetian entered Xu Tianhao's room just like that, and the two sat facing each other.
Xu Tianhao glanced at the mask on Qiu Hetian's face, then personally poured a cup of tea for him.
"Tell me, how do you plan to deal with Shrek? If I find out you're here to play me, the consequences will be very severe."
As Qiu Hetian took the teacup and was about to drink, his movements froze.
At this moment, a cold female voice echoed in Qiu Hetian's mind:
"Idiot, he's testing you. How are you going to drink while wearing a mask? Won't you have to take it off to drink?"
Qiu Hetian paused and silently set down the teacup.
He looked at Xu Tianhao and thought: "Is this the Sun Moon Empire's Sixth Prince? Truly extraordinary; simple schemes are often the most effective."
Just as Qiu Hetian was thinking this, the voice in his head rang out again: "He's testing you, and you're praising him? Idiot!"
Qiu Hetian automatically blocked the voice and said to Xu Tianhao: "I won't drink the tea. Let's get straight to business."
Xu Tianhao didn't mind and took a sip of tea himself: "I'm all ears."
Qiu Hetian said: "The Star Luo Empire intentionally placed us in the same group because they want to use us to deal with you."
"But my goal is simple: to deal with Shrek. Therefore, we can cooperate because our goals are the same."
"We are the first match of the first group. Tomorrow, let's coordinate and put on a fake show of a match for appearance's sake; in short, let's not exhaust each other."
"If we meet again later, we can continue to cooperate. I have no interest in the final championship. What do you say?"
Qiu Hetian's meaning was already very clear. He was here to mess with Shrek; as long as he could do that, nothing else mattered.
In that case, what else did Xu Tianhao have to say?
So what if they were Evil Soul Masters? An Evil Soul Master who fights Shrek is a good Spirit Master.
Once they finished fighting Shrek, wouldn't it be fine for Xu Tianhao to just kill them then?
Having someone clear the path would save Xu Tianhao and his team the effort.
As for morality, what rules were there to follow with Evil Soul Masters?
Xu Tianhao immediately patted Qiu Hetian's shoulder: "Fine, we'll do as you say."
As he spoke, Xu Tianhao's hand gripped Qiu Hetian's shoulder: "However, if you play tricks or try to scheme against us..."
Before Xu Tianhao could finish, Qiu Hetian directly grabbed his hand: "I came with sincerity. Star Luo National Academy is also in our group; I'll cripple them first, how about that?"
Hearing this, Xu Tianhao smiled: "Interesting. Happy cooperating?"
Qiu Hetian: "Happy cooperating."
Without any lingering, Qiu Hetian stood up and left.
Looking at the other's back, Xu Tianhao smiled somewhat speechlessly.
This is a damn Evil Soul Master?
He's like some kind of airhead.
In just a few sentences, it was settled?
But regardless, since he's out to deal with Shrek, I'll let him go for now and see how things play out.
Anyway, Xu Tianhao was guaranteed to win.
After Qiu Hetian left, Kong Deming's figure appeared in the seat where Qiu Hetian had just been sitting.
Clearly, Kong Deming had been guarding Xu Tianhao all along to prevent any accidents.
Kong Deming smiled: "This Evil Soul Master is quite interesting. It seems this group of Evil Soul Masters has a great deal of animosity toward Shrek."
Xu Tianhao was also puzzled: "Teacher, do you think our Inspection Team hasn't cracked down hard enough on the Evil Soul Masters?"
Kong Deming shook his head: "I don't know. Maybe they just purely hate Shrek."
Xu Tianhao smiled helplessly: "But in recent years, our Inspection Team has nearly hunted the Evil Soul Masters within the Empire's borders to extinction, yet they still come to cooperate?"
Kong Deming took a sip of tea: "Why think so much? Since things are already like this, let's just watch for now."
Xu Tianhao nodded: "True, it might turn out to be a good show."
On the other side, after Qiu Hetian left Xu Tianhao's room, he took the initiative to communicate with the voice in his head.
"Teacher, what do you think of this Xu Tianhao?"
The cold female voice rang out: "He is exceptionally gifted; he will be a great enemy of yours in the future."
Qiu Hetian smiled upon hearing this: "But I think he might not necessarily be an enemy."
"The Sun Moon Empire is the enemy of the Three Great Empires of the original Douluo Continent; there are irreconcilable contradictions between them."
The cold female voice replied: "Scheming with a tiger? It's not out of the question; at least for now, our goals and theirs are aligned."
"However, I see that this person has great animosity toward Evil Soul Masters. Even if you achieve your goals in the future, you still need to be careful."
Qiu Hetian nodded: "I understand."
As he spoke, Qiu Hetian looked out the window: "I have already seen the darkness. Before I achieve my goal, I will make them witness what true darkness is as well."
"Don't worry, little Yuhao. With me here, whether it's the Star Luo Empire or Shrek, they will all become things within our grasp."
Qiu Hetian was Huo Yuhao.
And the voice in his head was a wisp of the lingering resentment of the Rakshasa God, Bibi Dong, from ten thousand years ago.
When Bibi Dong died during the war of the gods ten thousand years ago, she left behind an unwilling wisp of resentment.
It wasn't until ten years ago that this wisp of her resentment inexplicably revived, waiting all this time for a chance at rebirth.
Back at Jialing Pass, Huo Yuhao's extreme hatred had triggered Bibi Dong's lingering resentment.
It was precisely because of Bibi Dong that Huo Yuhao was able to gain a new life.
Unfortunately, the current Huo Yuhao was no longer that ignorant, naive youth who knew nothing.
Now, he was the Rakshasa Saint of the Holy Spirit Cult, the Rakshasa God's spokesperson in the world.
Huo Yuhao's status in the Holy Spirit Cult was below only one person and above ten thousand others.
His every word and action held the power over the life and death of countless people.
The reason he was able to rise from Level 12 to Level 59 in just a few short months was not only because of Bibi Dong's transformation,
But also because his progress was forged from countless Souls and blood. During this period, with the help of the Holy Spirit Cult's resources, Huo Yuhao's cultivation had improved at lightning speed.
The current Huo Yuhao was no longer that Spirit Eyes youth, but the Rakshasa who had changed his fate against the heavens.