"Do we have to go?" Di Qiu'er asked.
"Yes, there's a reason I must go. Just like when I traveled to the Extreme North to find the Snow Empress, you know I have my own sources of information."
Huo Yuhao's voice was soft but firm.
When it came to his foresight, he usually explained it to Skydream and the others as either an innate talent or an effect of his Gu worms.
As for the memories of his past life—well, there was no need to draw too clear a line.
Wasn't this, in a way, also an innate talent?
As Huo Yuhao, who possessed all the knowledge from the original Douluo Dalu novel, he could be considered an otherworldly demon who had descended from a higher dimension.
Perhaps, at first, he had looked down upon this false Douluo Continent with the detachment of a player in a game.
But now, Huo Yuhao recognized its truth.
Reality was not absolute—it was relative.
As long as something existed and held meaning, it was real.
"Then… can't we send someone else?"
Qiu'er hesitated before locking eyes with him.
Though Huo Yuhao had mentioned this half a year ago, she still found it hard to accept.
Huo Yuhao shook his head, resolve burning in his gaze. "This isn't something I can entrust to others. I must handle it myself."
The Sun Moon Empire was a necessary destination.
Whether it was scouting talents for the Spirit Pagoda, absorbing the continent's most advanced soul tool technology, or ensuring future peace in Douluo, Huo Yuhao had no reason to refuse this exchange program.
In the original timeline, his three years at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had been the most opportune period—the plot he knew best.
But now, with the relentless fluttering of his butterfly wings, the original story had already been drastically altered.
His advantage of foresight was rapidly dwindling.
Especially when it came to Tang San's next move—or his schemes against Huo Yuhao—he could no longer rely on accurate predictions.
However, the Sun Moon Empire's plotline remained largely untouched, almost pristine.
Di Qiu'er tilted her head. "Is this about that Meng Hongchen?"
From Huo Yuhao's memories, Qiu'er had learned that Meng Hongchen—a white-haired, red-eyed beauty—seemed to hold a certain appeal for him.
Coupled with Meng Hongchen's enthusiastic generosity during the last Continental Elite Young Soul Master Tournament, Qiu'er couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease.
"Has spending time with me these days given you the wrong impression?" Huo Yuhao sighed, running his fingers through her soft golden locks.
"Even if I stayed out two nights in a row, Qiu'er, haven't you been living in my dorm this whole time?"
Di Qiu'er huffed. "That's for better cultivation!"
With that, she grabbed his hands and pressed close.
As their fingers intertwined, their soul powers surged and merged seamlessly.
Huo Yuhao's soul power was domineering yet restrained, carrying a trace of glacial coldness.
Di Qiu'er's was fierce and noble, its overwhelming might no less formidable than his.
At this moment, two vastly different soul powers cycled flawlessly between them, harmonizing as though they had always been one.
This synergy doubled Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed overnight.
Once their energies fused, Huo Yuhao took the dominant role.
With a mere thought, he could freely wield their combined soul power—so long as they remained in contact.
If Qiu'er wished to tap into it, she needed his consent.
Similarly, they shared a martial soul fusion skill: Dragon Roar of Destiny!
Unlike the original timeline where three martial souls fused, now only his Spirit Eyes and her Golden Dragon could merge.
But given the current might of his Spirit Eyes, their fusion's power was no less formidable.
The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, however, remained an outlier.
Neither Wang Dong'er nor Di Qiu'er could fuse with it.
Yet Huo Yuhao sensed that once the Ice-Empress's body underwent its Ice-Fire metamorphosis, a fusion might become possible.
But now was not the time for training.
Seeing Qiu'er's distracted expression, Huo Yuhao explained gently:
"Beyond soul tools, the Sun Moon Empire is the stronghold of evil soul masters. I must prepare for that."
This wasn't a return to headquarters as the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult—it was a mission to dismantle them.
Perhaps he could even make contact with the Body Sect.
Their combat techniques held valuable insights.
"You're going to wipe them out? I'm coming too!" Qiu'er's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Soul tools meant little to her, but evil soul masters? That was her specialty.
Huo Yuhao's memories had given her ample experience in dealing with them.
Even during her ten-thousand-year life in the Star Dou Forest, she'd witnessed Chi Wang and his subordinates eliminate bloodline-hunting evil soul masters.
Emperor Qiu'er's Creed: Evil Must Perish!
Hence her enthusiasm for Shrek Academy's inner court missions.
As Huo Yuhao put it: "Travel on official expenses while dispensing justice."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, with her strong moral compass, wholeheartedly agreed.
Huo Yuhao: "..."
"Qiu'er, you're being a bit extreme."
After a pause, he shook his head. "Not all evil soul masters deserve death. Slaughter won't solve the root problem."
Besides, not every citizen of the Sun Moon Empire was an enemy.
Huo Yuhao wasn't bloodthirsty by nature.
Moreover, gods watched over Douluo.
Excessive chaos might give Tang San justification to interfere—a risk not worth taking.
"Besides, the exchange roster is finalized. They're going to study, not sightsee. Could you endure the tedium of soul tool theory?"
A brief description of academic rigor later, Di Qiu'er—who had only basic soul tool knowledge—reluctantly conceded.
"But you're a team instructor! Can't you bring someone who doesn't need to study? Shrek can't control me anyway."
She pouted. "And I'd worry if you went alone. What if something happens…?"
Huo Yuhao ruffled her hair. "I'll be fine. Even if I meet someone unbeatable, escaping is always an option."
"True…" Qiu'er mused.
His spatial manipulation was peerless, surpassing even most Super Douluos.
As Di Tian had praised: "If he flees, only a god could stop him."
Realizing this, Qiu'er's shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry, Yuhao… I'm still too weak to help you."
"Don't dwell on it. Even if I go, I won't stay three years straight. As an instructor, I can travel freely between Shrek and the Sun Moon Academy."
He smiled. "We still have a year and a half. Let's make the most of it."
"Okay."
"Train hard. Once you reach Rank 60, we'll visit the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. There's a immortal herb there perfect for your sixth soul ring."
"Yeah!"
Having seen his memories, Qiu'er understood his plan.
Six months prior, to break through his spiritual power, Huo Yuhao had ventured to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in Sunset Forest.
There, he'd performed an alchemical ritual, using Tang San's death to deceive the immortal herbs—beings with cultivation akin to hundred-thousand-year soul beasts—before introducing them to soul contracts.
Now, half a year later, they should have reached a decision.
"Let's cultivate!"
Qiu'er's spirits reignited, her determination steeled.
If she had Di Tian's strength, Huo Yuhao wouldn't stop her from going anywhere.
As Xiong Jun once said: "With enough power, take what you want."
Even if Huo Yuhao flirted with women like Meng Hongchen in the Sun Moon Empire, they'd be no match for her.
'Pathetic.'
As the Emperor's auspicious beast, Qiu'er didn't need to expend her essence for soul rings.
Countless soul beasts in the Star Dou Forest would line up from the Lake of Life to the core region just for the chance to offer themselves.
Thus, she'd always planned for a hundred-thousand-year sixth ring.
In Huo Yuhao's memories, this was standard for top-tier martial souls.
Huo Yuhao, too, looked forward to this trip.
Under his influence, Di Qiu'er had grown far stronger than in the original timeline.
Back then, her sixth ring had been a mediocre ten-thousand-year Blood-Red Baboon King.
This time? A hundred-thousand-year immortal grass, perfectly suited for the Golden Dragon!
The thrill of nurturing a powerhouse was undeniable.
As for whether her body could withstand it—Huo Yuhao had no doubts.
The Soul Contract 1.0 was flawless.
With Skydream's sealing technique, absorbing a hundred-thousand-year ring was far easier than conventional methods.
Moreover, hundred-thousand-year souls possessed human-level intelligence and could actively cooperate.
Add Qiu'er's iron will and supreme bloodline, and success was all but guaranteed.
And with Huo Yuhao overseeing the process?
'Absolutely foolproof.'
Soon, Di Qiu'er broke through to Rank 60.
She'd been on the cusp of Soul Emperor, and with the Haodong power boost, her advancement was meteoric.
…
Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well
Qiu'er's expression grew complex as she beheld the energy remnants of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.
Though her historical knowledge from Di Tian was spotty, she recognized beings of the Dragon King's caliber.
Which was why she now stared at Huo Yuhao like he was a monster.
Having witnessed the scene firsthand, she realized how insane his Ice and Fire Body Tempering had been.
Her golden perception revealed the tyrannical power within the springs—something no human should absorb.
Even a Title Douluo wouldn't dare attempt it.
In all of Douluo, only the Silver Dragon King could harness it safely.
Dragons were prideful. Even in death, their lingering wills resisted absorption.
Even Mu En, the famed Ultimate Douluo, had suffered backlash from a mere hundred-thousand-year Bright Holy Dragon's remnant.
And here lay the remains of god-level Dragon Kings—their energy, though faded, still rivaled a god's.
Yet Huo Yuhao had not only absorbed it effortlessly—
He'd even used their divinity to aid Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen.
"Since when was Yuhao playing on a different level?" Even a prodigy like Di Qiu'er couldn't help but marvel.
"Who's the pinnacle of soul masters? When I see Yuhao, the path lies empty!"
Noticing her existential crisis, Huo Yuhao patted her head.
Such was the privilege of a protagonist.
"Enough gawking. We're here on business."
He snapped her back to reality.
"Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you're already a god."
Di Qiu'er grumbled.
For the first time, she questioned whether the soul master knowledge he'd taught her was even legitimate.
"What if my hundred-thousand-year sixth ring exposes us…?"
…
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