Dai Tianling chuckled and took Huo Yuhao's hand, leading him toward the sofa area on one side of the study: "Come, come, come, Yuhao, come over and sit, don't stand there talking."
After both took their seats on the sofa, Dai Tianling took the initiative to speak again, his tone full of unreserved appreciation: "The top of the Federal Young Genius List, and the Spirit Pagoda even made an exception to grant you the title of 'Spirit Transmitting'. Your great name has reached my ears even here in the Star Luo Empire."
Huo Yuhao's expression remained as calm as water; he simply nodded slightly and replied politely: "Your Majesty is too kind. It was merely luck that I gained some empty titles; it is not worth mentioning."
Dai Tianling, however, showed no signs of losing interest due to Huo Yuhao's coldness; instead, the smile on his face became even more fervent.
"Yuhao, you are too humble. The video footage of your previous battles in the Federation could also be seen here in Star Luo."
"Although I am not considered a top-tier powerhouse, I still have some discernment..."
Outside the study, Dai Yueyan still stood at the door, having not left.
His hands rested naturally at his sides, and his face was expressionless, but his ears were pricked up sharper than a rabbit's, catching every word of the conversation inside the study.
As he listened, a look of increasingly intense peculiarity gradually appeared on his handsome, heroic face.
Because no matter how he listened, he felt that his father, the Emperor of Star Luo, was being far too amiable at this moment.
On Huo Yuhao's side, he maintained that lukewarm attitude, basically cycling through the trio of "Mm," "Yes," and "Your Majesty is too kind."
Yet Dai Tianling's enthusiasm did not diminish in the slightest, with praise following praise like an endless, surging river.
In such stark contrast, his eager and enthusiastic demeanor appeared almost fawning.
Huo Yuhao patiently listened to Dai Tianling's flattery for quite a while, finally finding an opportunity to interrupt him during a pause for breath.
"Your Majesty, what is the reason you specifically summoned me here today? Might as well speak directly."
The words Dai Tianling was about to say were abruptly choked back. He was slightly stunned for a moment, then a smile reappeared on his face.
He no longer beat around the bush, and his tone became a bit more serious than before: "Since you have said so, Yuhao, I will stop going in circles. However, with your intelligence, you should be able to guess why I summoned you, right?"
Huo Yuhao glanced at the portrait on the wall that looked exactly like him, his tone remaining as calm as ever: "Because of my name, and because of my appearance."
Dai Tianling added immediately: "And because of your Spirit."
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao did not show the slightest surprise. Since the other party could even get their hands on the video footage of his previous battles, it was completely within his expectations that they would know about his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul.
The smile on Dai Tianling's face finally faded slowly. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned forward slightly. His tone no longer contained any of the polite pleasantries from before, as he cut straight to the point.
"If it were only a similarity in appearance, perhaps it could be explained as a coincidence."
"But not only is your appearance identical to that ancestor, but your Spirit is also the Ten Thousand Years rare Spirit Eyes. Do you know what it means when these two are combined?"
Huo Yuhao raised his eyes, meeting Dai Tianling's gaze calmly, but did not answer.
Dai Tianling took a deep breath, his chest heaving slightly, and then said, enunciating each word clearly: "This means that you are highly likely to be a direct descendant of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao."
"It means that you carry the same blood flowing through my Star Luo Imperial Family's White Tiger lineage."
"It means you are not an outsider; you are my kinsman."
Listening to Dai Tianling's increasingly excited, even slightly trembling tone, Huo Yuhao still showed no obvious emotional fluctuation.
He just quietly watched the Star Luo Emperor in front of him, who was already moved. After a moment of silence, he said in a calm tone: "Even if that is the case, so what?"
"So what?"
Dai Tianling clearly did not expect Huo Yuhao to have such an indifferent reaction. He subconsciously repeated his question, and then his voice suddenly rose a few notches.
"Yuhao, as long as you are willing to come to the Star Luo Empire, I can grant you the position of Prince, placing you above one person and below ten thousand on the Star Luo continent."
"The resources accumulated in the Imperial treasury over thousands of years are yours to use, and all Cultivation Secret Realms will be open to you."
"You will be the person I trust most, and the entire Star Luo Empire will be your most solid backing!"
Dai Tianling was so excited, naturally, not because of some blood relation; he purely valued Huo Yuhao's talent.
In his view, as long as Huo Yuhao did not fall halfway, he was destined to become a Limit Douluo in the future.
And a Limit Douluo, an ultimate force capable of single-handedly changing the outcome of a war, was precisely the top-tier combat power that the Star Luo Empire currently lacked the most.
Therefore, for such a peerless Genius who likely carried the blood of the White Tiger lineage, he naturally would not let go. After all, this was also an excellent opportunity to make the Star Luo Empire great again.
However, facing Dai Tianling's sincere invitation, Huo Yuhao remained unmoved.
He spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, I am doing very well at the Spirit Pagoda, and I am not lacking in Cultivation resources..."
"Doing well at the Spirit Pagoda?"
Dai Tianling directly interrupted Huo Yuhao's words, his tone carrying a hint of profound meaning: "During that catastrophe at Shrek Academy, you were in the academy at the time, and you nearly perished under a Fixed-Mount Soul-Guided Shell."
"The Spirit Pagoda is not monolithic either; factional struggles have never truly subsided."
"You are the Disciple of Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu; I fear that the Pagoda Master, Qiangu Dongfeng, may not necessarily wish to see you grow up safely and steadily."
Some things, even without evidence, can be clearly understood by those with sharp eyes.
Although Dai Tianling's words did not explicitly name Qiangu Dongfeng as the mastermind behind the scenes, the implication was already as clear as day.
After a long silence, Huo Yuhao said: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Huo Yuhao will keep this appreciation in mind."
"But I have been an orphan since I was young, raised by my teacher. I am a person of the Spirit Pagoda and will not come to Star Luo."
Watching the unyielding determination in Huo Yuhao's eyes, Dai Tianling opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something more to persuade him to stay.
But the words turned a few times on his tongue, eventually turning into a helpless sigh, and he did not continue to force the issue.
He truly appreciated this youth, and he truly wanted the Star Luo Empire to have another future Limit Douluo to hold the fort.
But since the other party had made up his mind, as an Emperor, he could not lower himself to beg someone to stay.
However, just when Dai Tianling was full of disappointment, Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and took the initiative to say: "Your Majesty, although I am unwilling to leave the Spirit Pagoda to come to the Star Luo Empire, I have no malice toward Star Luo."
"If there is an opportunity in the future, I am also willing to help Your Majesty within my capabilities, which can be considered as honoring your grand invitation today."
This sentence made Dai Tianling's eyes, which had originally dimmed, suddenly light up again.
If Huo Yuhao could truly grow up smoothly, with his talent and the full support of Leng Yaozhu behind him, it was not entirely impossible for him to seize the position of Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda from the Qiangu Clan in the future.
And the Spirit Pagoda, as a behemoth spanning three continents, held a pivotal position in the Douluo Federation.
If the future Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda could be on good terms with the Star Luo Empire, that would be far more significant for Star Luo than gaining a single Limit Douluo.
Dai Tianling let out a long breath, and a look of relief appeared on his face again: "In that case, I will not force it anymore. But remember, Yuhao, no matter when or where, the doors of the Star Luo Empire will always be open to you."
Huo Yuhao also smiled, then changed the subject: "Thank you again, Your Majesty. However, I actually do have a presumptuous request and would like to ask for Your Majesty's help."
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.