After finishing class, Huo Yuhao felt he had gained quite a lot and understood some of the current difficulties in the research of the self-charging soul power bottles. Unfortunately, he had no clue how to help solve them. 'Maybe it'll take long-term contemplation.'
Afterward, as instructed by Jing Hongchen, Huo Yuhao informed Boss Mu that this billion-coin business was something they could definitely profit from.
And not only that—this business had to be done, and they had to continue doing more business with the Third Prince, becoming closely tied partners until the day the prince couldn't live without the soul tools Huo Yuhao crafted.
Of course, some subtle tricks needed to be applied to the soul tools during production.
Just like that, Huo Yuhao resumed his routine of cultivating with Senior Sister Meng, training alone, attending Jing Hongchen's lectures, occasionally listening to Kong Deming's lessons, and making soul tools. It was a dull but peaceful cycle.
In the blink of an eye, another three months passed. Now, there were only half a month left before the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament.
At 8 a.m., Huo Yuhao stretched comfortably after waking up from his cultivation state, feeling particularly refreshed.
"Hmm, not bad. Level 27. Reaching level 30 isn't too far off now. Too bad I probably won't hit the bottleneck before the tournament."
Hearing Huo Yuhao muttering to himself, the Skydream Iceworm in his spiritual sea couldn't hold it in.
"Yuhao, you have to understand, you're someone with an ultimate martial soul. This cultivation speed is already insanely fast. And that little girl with the ultra-high compatibility with your soul power, hehe... Yuhao, when are you planning to win her over, hehe..."
Listening to the Skydream Iceworm's lewd laughter, Huo Yuhao barely resisted punching that plump worm body of his.
Fortunately, the Ice Empress couldn't stand the disgusting way the big worm was teasing the pitiful Yuhao. She directly manifested in the spiritual sea and gave him a hard kick.
"Aah, Bingbing's love-filled strike... ugh... I'm dead…"
With a thud, the Skydream Iceworm collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Ignoring him, the Ice Empress turned to Huo Yuhao and said,
"Yuhao, once you get close to level 30, you should be able to use a martial soul fusion skill with that girl. Her martial soul is the Vermilion Ice Toad, right? In the Extreme North, it's a well-known poisonous soul beast, likely awakened with a trace of ancient divine toad bloodline."
"I'm curious to see what kind of fusion your Ice Jade Scorpion and her Ice Toad will create."
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone—understandable, as she had the pride of being one of the top ten fierce beasts.
Speak of the devil, there was a knock on the door. Huo Yuhao opened it and was surprised to see Meng Hongchen.
Today, for some reason, Meng Hongchen was dressed in a very formal black dress, exuding the aura of a noble lady.
"Oh, isn't this Senior Sister Meng? Coming this early? Did the sun rise from the west?"
Huo Yuhao teased her. Meng Hongchen pouted and frowned, looking extremely cute.
"Really now, I got up early just to come find you, and this is your attitude?"
"Alright, alright, my bad. The dress looks amazing on you. Come in, Senior Sister. Have you had breakfast yet?"
Hearing the compliment, Meng Hongchen's expression brightened.
"Hmph, of course not. I came to your place to freeload."
She walked in like it was her own home, changed her shoes with ease, and sat down at the dining table.
Huo Yuhao returned from the kitchen holding two trays, placing one in front of her.
The tray held a hearty sandwich, a fried egg, and a glass of warm milk.
"Got up late today, didn't put too much effort into breakfast. Just eat whatever."
"Whatever is still better than what my family's servants make. Mmm."
Looking at Meng Hongchen stuffing her mouth with the sandwich, Huo Yuhao smiled and began eating as well.
After quickly finishing their meal, Huo Yuhao glanced toward the entrance and noticed the pair of high heels Meng Hongchen had taken off.
"By the way, Senior Sister Meng, you're dressed really formally today."
Meng Hongchen finished eating, wiped her mouth, and responded.
"Yuhao, do you remember that favor I mentioned before?"
Huo Yuhao froze. He had honestly forgotten all about it—it had been several months.
"Well... I was just teasing you at the time. But now that I think about it, having you come with me wouldn't be too bad… cough… yeah."
Her voice grew a little softer, and her fingers played nervously with the utensils. Her face even turned a bit red.
So, what was that favor Meng Hongchen had mentioned?
A few months ago, there was a banquet set to be held in Mingdu. It was an annual event, attended by the younger generation of many prominent families. As the eldest daughter of the Hongchen family, Meng Hongchen naturally had to attend.
She had been to many of these banquets before, but what annoyed her most was how some young ladies from other families always brought male escorts and then mocked her for coming alone.
At the time, maybe out of a desire to tease the newly acquainted handsome boy admired by her grandfather, she had casually asked Huo Yuhao to be her escort.
Even when Huo Yuhao agreed, she didn't take it seriously and soon forgot about it.
She didn't expect their relationship to become closer over the months. And now, thinking it over again... maybe it wasn't such a bad idea?
"Can you come with me, Yuhao?"
What Meng Hongchen feared the most now was that Huo Yuhao would refuse. She was so anxious that she didn't even use his nickname.
Huo Yuhao, of course, wouldn't do something so heartless. He stood up, picked up the plates, and walked into the kitchen, calling out cheerfully,
"You're all dressed up so nicely, Miss Meng. If I don't agree, wouldn't that be a crime?"
Hearing that, Meng Hongchen felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Hehe, Yuhao, you're the best! I knew you'd agree! Hurry up and come with your lady to head out!"
Huo Yuhao finished tidying up the dishes and walked out of the kitchen, still a bit confused.
"Wait, isn't the banquet tonight?"
Meng Hongchen glanced at the uniform Huo Yuhao was wearing—the same one he had worn for ages—and frowned.
"You're really planning to wear that to such an event?"
Looking down at himself, Huo Yuhao realized she had a point.
"Exactly. I'm taking you to the commercial district to fix you up. Let's go!"
Totally unfamiliar with such matters, Huo Yuhao could only follow Meng Hongchen's lead out the door.
Seeing him later, dressed in a tailored suit with freshly trimmed hair, Meng Hongchen's eyes sparkled.
"So handsome, little junior! Just like this—you'll shut those annoying mouths right up."
"This afternoon, you're accompanying me shopping, alright?"
Holding onto her handsome arm candy, Meng Hongchen beamed with pride. Walking beside such a junior made her feel completely confident.
And it was true. Even in a district where everyone dressed lavishly, the two still drew many stares.
Feeling all the attention, Meng Hongchen got a bit carried away, while Huo Yuhao—more of a homebody—started feeling a little overwhelmed.
'Wait… does this count as a date?'
To distract himself, he began thinking random thoughts. After months of good meals, Huo Yuhao had grown quite a bit, now nearly as tall as the three-years-older Meng Hongchen.
'So it definitely counts, right? The way she's holding my arm… that's totally what couples do on a date…'
As the thoughts spun, Huo Yuhao's heart started pounding rapidly. Meng Hongchen, meanwhile, appeared utterly relaxed. Whether she was pretending or genuinely unfazed, he couldn't tell.
In truth, she was simply in a good mood and had forgotten to maintain a "proper distance."
And in her euphoric state, she acted like a wealthy heiress on a shopping spree—buying anything that pleased her and tossing it into her storage soul tool.
Huo Yuhao silently thanked the heavens for the existence of storage soul tools. If he had to carry all those bags himself, he might have collapsed from exhaustion.
Before long, the two strolled into the section of the commercial district dedicated to soul tool shops.
Now in his element, Huo Yuhao suggested they look around. Meng Hongchen, a little bored, agreed without complaint.
It was like a guy dragging his girlfriend into a phone or computer store after hours of clothes shopping.
This time, it was Huo Yuhao's turn to shop. He took out the purple-gold card Jing Hongchen gave him and began swiping enthusiastically.
Eventually, they arrived at the front of the "Muhao Soul Tool Store."
"This is your soul tool shop?"
"Yup, that's the one, Senior Sister."
Meng Hongchen furrowed her brows as she looked at the sign bearing the name "Muhao."
"What's the owner's name?"
"Hm? Mu Chen. Why?"
"Don't you think that name sounds off? Wouldn't Haochen sound way better? Anyway, I want to go inside for a look~"
Realizing this was Huo Yuhao's shop, Meng Hongchen showed genuine interest. She tossed out her renaming suggestion and walked in on her own.
"Senior Sister makes a good point."
Huo Yuhao silently praised her naming sense while inwardly criticizing Boss Mu's lack of taste, then followed her into the store.
(End of Chapter)
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