Inside the Taihe Hall, Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen sampled a few more dishes before deciding they were bored of lingering any longer. The two of them quietly slipped out early.
They spent the evening wandering through the night-lit Mingdu, enjoying themselves until midnight before finally parting ways and heading home.
Ten more days passed in the usual dull and intense routine for Huo Yuhao. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament was about to begin.
At the gates of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, over a dozen students stood in a straight line. In front of them was a plump figure.
"This time, I will personally lead the team to the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
Jing Hongchen spoke calmly, his gaze frequently shifting to his precious grandson and granddaughter—and especially to his beloved disciple, Huo Yuhao, standing between them.
In the original timeline, Jing Hongchen didn't accompany the team to the Star Luo Empire. He had pressing matters to attend to and also wanted to train Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen not to rely too heavily on their grandfather.
But now, the ones heading to Star Luo were the treasures of his life. If anything were to happen to them, Jing Hongchen might truly want to die. Compared to that, matters of training or responsibility didn't matter anymore.
To ensure absolute safety—
"Additionally, Elder Kong will secretly accompany us to the Star Luo Empire to ensure the safety of our empire's finest youths. I hope all of you will do your best in the tournament and leave a good impression on Elder Kong!"
The students below erupted in astonishment. That Elder Kong—Level 10 Soul Engineer and a near god-like existence in the Sun Moon Empire—would be accompanying them to the tournament?
Excitement swept through the group. They couldn't wait to crush Shrek Academy and win a glorious victory.
"With this kind of support, if we don't defeat Shrek Academy and claim the championship, we'd be letting everyone down..."
Hearing Xiao Hongchen mutter to himself, Huo Yuhao was also a bit surprised that Kong Deming would be joining them. But deep down, he agreed wholeheartedly.
With Shrek Academy's core power severely weakened after Elder Xuan's departure, and the addition of himself to the Sun Moon team... If they still didn't win, that would make no sense. Absolutely none.
"Let's move out."
After leaving Mingdu by carriage, the group activated their flying-type soul tools and headed straight for the Star Luo Empire.
"Say, Junior Huo," asked Ma Rulong, the main team's captain, as they flew forward, "why did you insist we each bring two or three invincible shields?"
"Senior," replied Huo Yuhao, "who knows how ruthless those academies from enemy nations might be—especially Shrek. We've got money to spare. Better to buy extra shields and make sure we're safe."
Ma Rulong frowned.
"It's just a competition. Would Shrek Academy really try to kill us?"
Huo Yuhao let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph. I know those people too well. You have no idea how shameless and despicable they can be."
Up front, Jing Hongchen nodded in satisfaction. This child was cautious and considerate of his teammates' safety.
Soon, the group arrived at a border city between the Sun Moon and Star Luo Empires.
They had to land before entering, as entry procedures required formal documentation.
From above, Huo Yuhao stared coldly at the land of the Star Luo Empire.
'Next time I come here, it won't be for anything friendly.'
Upon landing at the city gates, the Star Luo soldiers guarding the border quickly reported the visitors' identities to the city's governor.
Moments later, the governor himself arrived to greet them at the gate. With an obviously forced smile, he asked:
"Honored participants from the Sun Moon Empire, would you like to rest here for a while?"
He had no choice but to be respectful. These were students from the Royal Soul Engineering Academy, led by none other than Jing Hongchen. As a mere border city governor, how could he dare show disrespect? Even if he personally hated the Sun Moon Empire, he couldn't afford the diplomatic consequences of any slight.
"No need."
Jing Hongchen didn't want to waste a single second dealing with this Star Luo official. As soon as their entry was approved, he gave the order, and the team immediately took off, leaving the governor standing there, fuming and glaring at the sky.
Upon arrival in Star Luo City, Jing Hongchen arranged for the team to stay at the luxurious Star Sovereign Grand Hotel, then left to register their team with the tournament's organizers.
Huo Yuhao's room was on the top floor. Standing on the balcony, he had a clear view of the White Tiger Duke's mansion in the city center.
Despite the mansion being a symbol of past suffering, Huo Yuhao didn't feel any rage. In fact, he almost laughed.
And why?
'Grand Elder Xuan of the Holy Spirit Cult... don't let me down.'
If things went as expected, Shrek Academy's team had already suffered devastating losses.
This time, without Huo Yuhao or Dai Huabin competing for a place on the main team, Dai Huabin would likely be on the reserve squad.
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but let out a spine-chilling "keh keh keh" laugh. His roommate, main team member Lin Xi, actually got goosebumps.
If the White Tiger Duchess found out her two sons had been attacked by evil soul masters, seriously injured—or even killed—would she lose her mind?
'No. That's not good.'
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes at the mansion and muttered to himself.
"Dai Yaoheng doesn't matter. I don't hold a grudge against him. Whether he lives or dies depends on his luck."
"But Dai Huabin... and that woman... they can't die. Not yet."
After everything he'd experienced in childhood, Huo Yuhao couldn't understand how the original version of himself had restrained his hatred. How did he not end Dai Huabin's life back then?
Just thinking of Dai Huabin acting all smug in front of the beaten Huo Yun'er made Huo Yuhao clench his teeth.
"Dai Huabin, you can't die. You absolutely cannot die."
He even started worrying for the guy's safety.
'Let's meet on the tournament stage, brother. A sweet reunion, eh? Hahaha...'
If someone were to die "by accident" on the battlefield, that shouldn't be a problem... right?
Huo Yuhao smiled innocently.
Lin Xi: terrified in silence
"Yuhao..."
In his spiritual sea, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion sensed his mental fluctuations and spoke with concern.
Beside her, the Ice Empress sighed helplessly.
"Don't stress yourself. Yuhao's mental age is actually pretty mature. He won't be blinded by hatred."
"Besides, revenge and justice—those are perfectly natural things. Hmph."
The Ice Empress seemed to recall something from her past and her expression darkened.
---
Star Luo Palace
At that moment, Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire was reviewing the participant list for the tournament. When he saw Shrek Academy's roster, the tea in his mouth sprayed right out.
Cough cough cough! "What... What the hell is this?!"
Princess Xu Jiujiu, seated nearby, looked at him with concern.
"Are you alright, brother?"
Xu Jiawei coughed a few more times before managing to hand her the document.
Xu Jiujiu took it and started reading—then choked on her own saliva.
Cough cough! "This... What is this?!"
Furious, Xu Jiawei slammed the table and stood up.
"Are they mocking me?! Shrek Academy is sending two Soul Emperors who might not even recover in time and one Soul King. The rest are all Soul Ancestors? They've just given up on winning!"
Hearing his rage, Xu Jiujiu sighed.
"Sigh... Something serious must've happened to the team, brother."
Xu Jiawei took a deep breath to calm down and began pacing the room anxiously.
"I don't care what happened. The point is, they clearly can't win now!"
"Normally, as long as Shrek is competing, the Sun Moon Empire's Royal Soul Engineering Academy wouldn't stand a chance."
"But even so, Shrek has always been the eternal runner-up. The other academies in our Three-Nation Alliance are even less competitive."
"Now, with tensions growing between our alliance and the Sun Moon Empire, if their academy wins, do you know how devastating that would be for our people's morale?"
"This is a disaster!"
Xu Jiujiu looked equally troubled.
"Let's not worry about that for now, brother. What's important is how we respond to this situation."
Xu Jiawei sat down and thought for a while before speaking.
"It's an accident. Since it's an accident, Shrek Academy should make that clear to the public. Let the people know that if they lose, it's not because they're weak, but because of other circumstances."
"Also, arrange the tournament brackets so they don't lose too early. Give them easier opponents so they can at least reach the quarterfinals or semifinals. If they must lose, let it be to our own Star Luo Royal Soul Master Academy."
"That way, we can minimize the backlash from Shrek's failure."
"My dear sister, please speak with Shrek Academy's team leader. Help them handle this situation."
Xu Jiujiu nodded. She understood that if they wanted Shrek Academy to compromise, the Star Luo royal family needed to show a little goodwill.
"Understood, brother."
(End of Chapter)
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