The Northern Academy's Soul King was practically about to explode after hearing Huo Yuhao's absurd excuse for leaving the stage.
'Aren't you supposed to be a Soul Emperor?! I'm just a lowly Soul King, a damn insect, right? So why aren't you fighting me?!'
"You've got to be kidding me! Have you no shame?! Is every Sun Moon person this shameless?!"
The scene on the battlefield was bizarre—completely silent.
The crowd was still stunned by Huo Yuhao's one-vs-three victory and his ridiculous reason for stepping down. Some members of the Sun Moon team were holding their stomachs laughing, while others tried to stifle their giggles. Meanwhile, the Northern Academy team looked like they were about to blow a gasket.
Huo Yuhao returned to the Sun Moon team's preparation area and sat down. Looking at the furious Soul King who had been cursing him with a twisted expression, he blinked innocently and turned to Meng Hongchen.
"Senior, that guy's kinda rude, isn't he?"
Meng Hongchen nearly lost it trying not to laugh. Putting on a serious face, she said,
"I'll beat him up for you, junior!"
And just like that, the rest of the match became Meng Hongchen's personal showcase. The two Soul Kings from the Northern Academy were utterly crushed without putting up a fight.
With only two reserve members—one "Soul Emperor" and one "Soul King"—the Sun Moon team had defeated a relatively strong opponent. As they walked back to the hotel, Wang Yan and Beibei wore heavy expressions.
Huo Yuhao's cultivation level and his combat abilities were still shrouded in mystery. As for Meng Hongchen, even though she had revealed a bit more, her reliance on soul tools gave away very little about her martial soul.
Meanwhile, the returning Sun Moon team was filled with laughter and high spirits, a stark contrast to Shrek Academy's gloom.
"Brother Yuhao, you really didn't give the other team any face at all. You just straight-up disrespected them."
Ma Rulong threw an arm over Huo Yuhao's shoulder, grinning widely. His confidence in winning the championship was now sky-high.
"Ma-ge, that's what simulated soul skills are for—to trick all those people trying to spy on us."
"Still, anyone who dares insult the Sun Moon Empire deserves whatever they get."
"You're quite the patriot, Brother Yuhao. I admire your loyalty to the empire!"
Huo Yuhao laughed with genuine amusement.
'I'm so patriotic now—imagine how loyal I'll be when the Sun Moon Empire is mine someday. Ahem, that's getting ahead of myself... For now, I'm just a model citizen of the Sun Moon Empire!'
"Hey, Yuhao, what's your real cultivation level anyway? You're not actually a Soul Emperor, right? And that flying weapon of yours—that's called a Floating Cannon, right? It's super cool. Think you could hook a brother up?"
Mi Jia asked curiously. Huo Yuhao's shocking performance, especially at his apparent age, had left a deep impression.
"Definitely not a Soul Emperor. That was just a simulated soul ring using my skill. As for the floating cannons, I can control them so easily because I'm a spiritual-type soul master. If anyone else tried, they probably wouldn't get much use out of them—ordinary soul tools would serve them better. As for my cultivation..."
Huo Yuhao smiled mysteriously and held up two fingers.
Seeing his gesture, everyone except Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen gasped.
"Two rings?!"
"A Grandmaster?!"
"Wait, seriously? He's that strong with two rings?!"
"This is insane..."
Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly.
"Senior brothers and sisters, honestly, all three wins today had a lot of luck involved. Once we get back to the room, I'll explain a bit about my abilities and you'll understand."
Soon, everyone returned to their rooms. Huo Yuhao's offer to explain his abilities turned into a group discussion where the team members exchanged information about each other's strengths.
After hearing Huo Yuhao's breakdown, the others nodded in realization.
Ma Rulong sighed.
"Even if today's wins were lucky, junior, your talent is ridiculous. No wonder the Headmaster took you as his final disciple."
"Since Yuhao was so open about his abilities, the rest of you should share as well. Let's make sure our reserve members are familiar with everyone's capabilities. Mi Jia, you go first."
---
Another three days passed in the round-robin elimination stage. Just one more day of matches remained before the top eight would be decided.
And for the Sun Moon team, that would be when things truly started. These early rounds against weak opponents had been unbearably dull for everyone.
Knowing the time was near, Huo Yuhao went to find Jing Hongchen.
Even though Jing Hongchen had left battle tactics entirely up to the team, he hadn't exactly been slacking off.
As the head of the Mingde Hall, he couldn't afford to waste this golden opportunity to visit Star Luo City under official capacity. For the past few days, he'd been secretly gathering intelligence about the Star Luo Empire—especially its military strength.
And the more he investigated, the more dismissive he became of their power.
Politically, Emperor Xu Jiawei was considered wise, but power was still scattered across the great noble houses. Widespread economic disparity in border cities had also severely weakened public support.
Militarily, the technological gap between the Star Luo and Sun Moon Empires was enormous. Worse still, Jing Hongchen had uncovered a troubling truth: to maintain the illusion of a strong military, Star Luo poured huge funds into massive armies of ordinary soldiers.
But those soldiers were utterly useless. On the battlefield, facing organized soul engineer regiments from the Sun Moon Empire, they would be slaughtered.
Jing Hongchen suspected that this large-scale conscription masked a deeper problem—the Star Luo Empire's soul master military was severely lacking in numbers.
At that moment, Jing Hongchen was writing a report to the Sun Moon military headquarters from his hotel suite. When Huo Yuhao entered, the old man looked up with a kind smile and set down his pen.
"How are the matches going, Yuhao?"
Huo Yuhao waved his hand casually.
"Simple stuff. Just warming up. The real challenge starts in the quarterfinals and semifinals."
Jing Hongchen nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. So, what did you need from me?"
"It's like this, Teacher. My Fate Sense has reacted again. Tonight, the largest auction house in Star Luo City will be holding an auction—and there's an item I really need."
Hearing this, Jing Hongchen nodded in understanding. Without hesitation, he summoned a card into his hand and passed it to Huo Yuhao.
"Hmm, I've been thinking—maybe the money I gave you before won't be enough. This card holds ten million gold soul coins. Take it. Go by yourself. I'm tied up with things here."
The number alone made Huo Yuhao's heart skip a beat.
Sure, he was already a big player in the soul tool business with deals worth hundreds of millions. But the way his teacher casually handed over ten million like it was pocket change still made him feel like he was playing in a different league.
Truth be told, he already had enough money to buy the item he wanted. But this little boost to his funding had gone perfectly according to plan—and he was quietly delighted.
Still, excitement belonged in the heart. On the surface, Huo Yuhao remained calm and composed.
He accepted the card with a neutral expression, thanked his teacher, and left the room.
---
That night, alone, Huo Yuhao left the Star Sovereign Grand Hotel and made his way to the Star Luo Empire's grandest underground auction house.
Originally, he'd wanted to bring Meng Hongchen along just to look around and have some fun. But if she found out about the side effects of the Soul Devouring Engraving Knife, there was no way she'd let him buy it.
He could already picture her panicked face trying to talk him out of it. That thought brought a warm feeling to his heart.
So, instead, Huo Yuhao put on a plain black cloak with a hood and mask. He arrived at the auction house's upper-level building alone—ready to snatch the precious item as soon as bidding opened.
From the outside, the building didn't look like much—small and modest. But once he descended into the underground level, he was stunned.
It was enormous. Lavishly decorated. Practically a royal palace.
And that's exactly what it was. This auction house had been funded and constructed by the Star Luo royal family.
At the entrance, a stunningly beautiful hostess stopped him, clearly surprised by his deliberately concealed identity.
"May I see your entry pass? Without one, you're not allowed to participate in the auction."
In this prestigious auction, obtaining a spot required a formal assessment of one's assets and status.
Huo Yuhao cursed himself. He'd forgotten about this requirement. But then a thought struck him—maybe he did have a way.
"Can't disclose my identity. But take a look at this."
From under the cloak came an elderly-sounding voice. He handed the hostess a purple-gold card.
Her pupils trembled the moment she saw it. Her tone shifted to reverence.
"This is... one of the extremely rare cards—only a few dozen exist on the entire continent. My deepest apologies for the offense, sir. Please, come in."
Every now and then, the auction house would receive disguised visits from terrifyingly powerful individuals. These "old monsters" rarely had good tempers, and she didn't dare provoke this one.
Huo Yuhao gave a small nod, pocketed the purple-gold card from Jing Hongchen, and stepped into the auction hall.
(End of Chapter)
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