Chapter 106: Huo Yuhao's Fury, A Clash With Elder Xuan
The dim alleyway fell into a suffocating silence. Huo Yuhao stood frozen in the shadows, digesting Liu Yuan's words. He had trailed after Liu Yuan with a fragile, almost desperate hope clinging to his chest. He thought that perhaps, for the sake of their shared visual-type Martial Souls, or by paying an exorbitant price, he might convince Liu Yuan to part with the Gold of Life.
Instead, reality delivered a ruthless backhand.
Liu Yuan had absolutely zero intention of trading the Gold of Life. Worse, this enigmatic youth had somehow peered straight through his flesh and locked his sights directly onto Electrolux.
A violent storm of conflict tore through Huo Yuhao's mind. If he refused to let Electrolux leave, the venerable elder—a being who had become both a mentor and a friend—would inevitably wither away without the nourishment of the Origin of Life. He would dissipate into nothingness. Yet, if he agreed to part ways, Huo Yuhao would lose his absolute greatest trump card, the very foundation that allowed him to turn the tides in desperate situations. His fists clenched at his sides, fingernails biting into his palms. The weight of the choice was agonizing.
A few paces away, Liu Yuan stood with his hands resting casually in his pockets. His Double Pupils calmly tracked the shifting emotions flashing across Huo Yuhao's face. He offered no words of pressure. A decision involving the very origin of a soul was not something any Soul Master could make on a whim.
With a faint flash of light from his storage soul tool, a small metal cylinder appeared in Liu Yuan's palm. Forged from dark gold, its surface was etched with incredibly dense, complex soul power conduction arrays. A tiny, flawless white crystal sat embedded at its apex.
"A communication soul tool. I acquired it specifically for keeping in touch," Liu Yuan said, tossing the dark gold cylinder through the air. Huo Yuhao caught it reflexively. "It doesn't require a massive reserve of soul power to operate. Whenever you make your decision, just channel a single thread of spiritual fluctuation into the crystal. It will connect directly to me."
Liu Yuan adjusted his collar, his tone remaining perfectly even. "I won't force this. When you have thought it through, or when that senior residing within you has come to terms with reality, contact me. My door is open."
Huo Yuhao stared down at the cold metal resting in his palm. The chill seeped into his skin, mirroring the chaotic dread pooling in his stomach. Before he could formulate a response, Liu Yuan turned on his heel. The young man's silhouette blurred, dissolving into the deep shadows of the alleyway, vanishing without a sound.
Several blocks away, atop a towering roof overlooking the Shrek Academy delegation's residence, the night wind howled. Du Busi stood like an immovable mountain, his aura coiled tight like a venomous snake ready to strike. The moment Liu Yuan's figure materialized from the darkness, the suffocating pressure radiating from the Body Sect Master instantly dissipated.
"Is it settled?" Du Busi stepped out from the shadows, his gruff voice lowered.
"It is," Liu Yuan replied with a curt nod.
Wasting no time on idle chatter, Du Busi clamped a massive hand onto Liu Yuan's shoulder. A burst of dark golden light enveloped them both. In the blink of an eye, they tore through the night sky, hurtling toward the luxurious hotel housing the Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy.
The journey back was enveloped in a peculiar silence. This strange atmosphere persisted even after they landed. At the hotel entrance, Long Aotian, Vina, and a cluster of Body Sect disciples were waiting anxiously. Yet, the moment they saw Liu Yuan return unharmed, their tense shoulders dropped. Not a single person asked what had transpired in the alleyway with Huo Yuhao.
They merely offered warm greetings, ushering him inside and crowding around him as they took the soul elevator up to the top-floor VIP suite. This overwhelming display of respect for his privacy left Liu Yuan entirely speechless.
Inside the lavish suite, Liu Yuan sank into the plush leather sofa. He glanced to his left, where Du Busi was leisurely sipping a cup of hot tea. He glanced to his right, where Long Aotian was intensely flexing his arm, studying the muscle fibers of his own physical body. The silence stretched.
Liu Yuan finally sighed, setting his own teacup onto the crystal table with a soft clink. "I have to ask... why is no one interrogating me?" A flicker of dry amusement danced in his eyes.
Du Busi lowered his teacup, his expression entirely nonchalant. "When you are ready to speak, you will speak. This is your personal business, brat. As long as it does not threaten your life, the Body Sect has no interest in forcing you to report every little detail."
"You could at least pretend to be curious!" Liu Yuan let out a half-laugh, shaking his head. The absolute, unwavering trust his sect placed in him was heartwarming, but it was also incredibly stifling when he had spent the entire trip back formulating an explanation, only to find a room full of people aggressively minding their own business.
Settling back into the cushions, Liu Yuan organized his thoughts. He obviously could not reveal his identity as a transmigrator who knew the plot of this world. Instead, he would pin the entire revelation on the heaven-defying nature of his Martial Soul.
"Master, Senior Brother," Liu Yuan began, his tone shifting to something much more serious. "The reason I sought out Huo Yuhao tonight is because I saw something inside him. There are two extremely powerful spiritual entities residing within his body."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "One of them is a grey-black origin orb. It possesses an unfathomably powerful Divine Sense. However, because it lacks any source of life force to sustain itself, it is on the verge of complete dissipation. My intention is to extract that spiritual entity, introduce it into my Double Pupils, and use the Gold of Life to anchor it. If I succeed, I can subdue that power for my own use."
A collective gasp echoed through the previously tranquil suite. Du Busi's casually half-lidded eyes snapped wide open, a terrifying sharpness piercing through his usually turbid gaze. The towering old man shot up from his chair.
"Such a thing actually exists?!" Du Busi boomed, his voice vibrating the teacups on the table. "Your eyes... they don't just pierce through illusions. You can actually bypass a person's physical body and peer directly into their spiritual sea?! What heaven-shaking insight!"
Long Aotian, however, reacted with immediate caution. He strode over to Liu Yuan, his brow furrowed in deep concern. "Junior Brother, think about this. Even if this spiritual entity is currently weak, based on your description of its Divine Sense, it must have been an unimaginably terrifying existence while it was alive."
Long Aotian placed a heavy hand on the back of the sofa. "If you willingly invite it into your spiritual sea, what happens if it attempts to reverse the host-guest relationship? What if it harbors intentions of possession? The risk is astronomical. It is simply too dangerous."
Liu Yuan met Long Aotian's anxious gaze without flinching. "I trust my eyes," he stated, his voice ringing with absolute certainty.
"The Double Pupils possess natural suppression and purification properties. When paired with the anchoring and contractual effects of the Gold of Life, even a god could not flip the heavens inside my domain."
A faint, knowing smirk touched the corner of Liu Yuan's mouth. ", I can sense the nature of this soul. It is an entity of immense wisdom and deep heritage. What it seeks is continuity and legacy, not mindless destruction."
'Mainly because I know exactly who Electrolux is,' Liu Yuan added silently to himself.
Du Busi fell into a heavy silence. The massive Super Douluo began pacing the length of the suite, his heavy footsteps thudding against the carpet as his thick fingers aggressively rubbed the stubble on his chin. The room waited with bated breath.
After five agonizing minutes, Du Busi finally stopped. He threw himself back into his armchair and locked a deadly serious stare onto Liu Yuan.
"Since you have already made up your mind, I will not stand in your way," Du Busi declared, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. "But the transfer of a soul is no trivial matter. If that Shrek brat actually agrees to your terms, you bring him directly to me."
Du Busi leaned forward, his aura flaring with fierce protectiveness. "I will personally act as your protector. I will mobilize the Body Sect's utmost secret techniques to completely seal the surrounding space. I will not give that spiritual entity even a fraction of a chance to cause you harm."
A surge of genuine warmth flooded Liu Yuan's chest. He looked at the fierce, overprotective old man and nodded heavily. "Understood, Master."
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Star Luo Hotel.
Huo Yuhao dragged his exhausted body down the corridor and pushed open the door to his room. He expected the quiet solace of an empty room, a place to finally collapse and process his chaotic thoughts.
Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Elder Xuan sitting in the center of the room, his face as dark and turbulent as a stormy sea.
The rest of the Shrek Academy team was gathered around the edges of the room, the atmosphere suffocatingly tense. Elder Xuan occupied the main seat, his greasy fingers white-knuckling his signature wine gourd. He didn't look like a teacher welcoming a student; his bloodshot eyes glared at Huo Yuhao with the vicious scrutiny reserved for a treasonous prisoner.
"You're back?" Elder Xuan sneered, the harsh, grating sound slicing through the silence. "Tell me. What exactly did that little animal from the Body Sect discuss with you? Did he promise you a few shiny trinkets? Did he bribe you to sell out the combat plans of our Shrek reserve team?"
Huo Yuhao froze in the doorway. His mental state was already stretched to its absolute breaking point over the agonizing choice regarding Electrolux. Hearing this baseless, venomous accusation from the very elder who was supposed to guide them... something inside the young man snapped. The grievances, the neglect, the sheer hypocrisy he had endured—it all detonated in an instant.
"Elder Xuan," Huo Yuhao began, his voice dropping to a glacial, unmatched coldness. He remained standing at the threshold, refusing to step inside. "Are you interrogating a prisoner right now?"
Seeing a mere outer court student dare to talk back, Elder Xuan slammed his palm against the wooden table. The wood splintered with a sharp crack. "You still have the nerve to speak back to me?!" he roared, spittle flying from his lips. "Making private contact with a core disciple of a hostile sect in broad daylight! Do you have any respect for Shrek Academy?! Do you have any respect for me?! Speak! What did that bastard say to you?!"
"He merely wanted to catch up. We discussed the sensory applications of our shared Spirit Eyes Martial Soul." His mind in turmoil, Huo Yuhao threw out a half-hearted excuse. He didn't have the energy for this. He turned around, intending to walk away and find another place to rest.
"Stop right there!" Elder Xuan shot up from his chair, his finger jabbing furiously toward Huo Yuhao's retreating back. "Catch up?! Does catching up require sneaking off into a dark alley?! I think you're biting the hand that feeds you! Don't you ever forget who brought you back to this academy! Don't forget who provided you with the resources you enjoy today! How is your behavior right now any different from outright betrayal?!"
Huo Yuhao spun around. His eyes were completely bloodshot, glowing with a dangerous, feral light. He stared down the Level 98 Super Douluo and spoke, his voice trembling with pure, unadulterated rage.
"Betrayal?" Huo Yuhao spat the word out like poison. "Elder Xuan, you keep throwing the word 'resources' in my face. Then let me ask you something. At the auction just now... how many times did I beg you? I told you, I pleaded with you, that the carving knife was absolutely vital to my cultivation!"
He took a step forward, his fists shaking. "But what did you do?! Because you thought it was a little too expensive! Because you wanted to hoard funds for your so-called 'strategic materials'! You sat there and watched as the greatest fortuitous encounter of my life was snatched away by someone else!"
"You insolent brat—!" Elder Xuan choked on his fury, his face flushing a deep, ugly purple.
But Huo Yuhao refused to yield. A bitter, mocking sneer twisted his lips as his gaze swept over the battered, exhausted faces of the remaining Shrek team members. "And since you want to talk about selling intelligence... Elder Xuan, take a good look at this 'reserve team' of ours. Under your brilliant, wise leadership, we were slaughtered by a single Death Messenger! We suffered catastrophic casualties! Now, we are nothing but a handful of crippled remnants desperately trying to hold the line in this tournament."
He laughed, a harsh, broken sound. "Do you honestly believe we have any intelligence left worth selling?! Our opponents only need to open their eyes to see right through our pathetic trump cards! Look at this riddled, sinking ship! Does a situation this pathetic really need me to sell it out?!"
"You little bastard!" Elder Xuan roared, the sheer humiliation of Huo Yuhao's words turning his face from purple to a sickly, pale blue. Thick veins throbbed violently at his temples. Driven by blind rage, the Super Douluo raised his hand, soul power surging as he prepared to slap the boy across the face.
Huo Yuhao didn't flinch. He didn't raise his arms to block. He simply stood there, staring up at the raised hand with a gaze so cold, so utterly dead and devoid of respect, that it sent a chill through the room.
That dead-silent, hollow stare struck Elder Xuan like a physical blow. The Super Douluo's hand froze in mid-air, trembling slightly. Under the weight of that gaze, he simply could not bring himself to strike.
"I am tired," Huo Yuhao stated, his voice devoid of all emotion. "Do not disturb me."
Without waiting for a response, Huo Yuhao stepped back into the hallway and slammed the heavy oak door shut. The thunderous slam echoed down the corridor, leaving an enraged Elder Xuan and the stunned, silent members of the Shrek team locked inside.
Alone in the quiet hallway, Huo Yuhao slumped against the wallpaper, the last of his adrenaline draining away. He reached into his robes and slowly pulled out the dark gold communication soul tool. Staring at the flawless white crystal embedded at its peak, the storm of agonizing struggle reignited in his eyes.
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